Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (born 1979 in Orange County, California), better known by the stage name Aloe Blacc, is an American soul singer, rapper and musician. He began his recording career as an MC back in 1995 when he joined up with hip-hop producer Exile to form the mainstay indie rap group Emanon. Aloe released his debut solo album Shine Through on Stonethrow Records in 2006 and followed this up in 2010 with Good Things.
Gift Of Gab (Tim Parker) and Chief Xcel (Xavier Mosley) met at John F. Kennedy High School in 1987 in Sacramento, California and formed the group in the early 1990s. They released their first recording, "Swan Lake", on solesides records. The Solesides Crew consisted of the duo. as well as other friends of theirs they had met at University of California - Davis, including DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born and Lateef The Truth Speaker. The single was an underground hit, but label trouble prevented the duo from immediately capitalizing on their fame.
Direct Influence is one of Australia’s premier reggae acts. Described as a mixture of the deep rooted reggae of the Wailers, the sounds of Che Fu and a little Damian Marley, Direct Influence create a fusion of Hip Hop and Roots Reggae whilst also encompassing the hearty soulful music carrying messages of peace and hope. An electrifying combination of sweet reggae licks, a monstrous rhythm section and a multi-talented vocalist who can both sing and rap, Direct Influence create exciting and energised live shows that leave audiences across the country wanting more.
Fitz & the Tantrums are an American soul group from Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by Michael Fitzpatrick, who had begun writing soul music for a solo project on an old church organ he had purchased. He added friend James King to the group as an arranger and soon after expanded the band to a seven-piece, including several horns. Fitzpatrick shares the vocal duties with Noelle Scaggs. Other members include Joseph Karnes, Jeremy Ruzumna, and John Wicks.
Lyrical leader of the original Furious Five and founder of a splinter version of the group during the mid-'80s, Melle Mel wrote many of the legendary raps featured on Grandmaster Flash tracks. Born Melvin Glover, he and his brother Nate (aka Kidd Creole) (not the Caribbean dance-popster of the same name) joined up with Cowboy (Keith Wiggins) in 1978 to form the Three MC's, with production handled by Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler). After Scorpio (originally Mr.
Mason Derelle Betha (born August 27, 1977 in Jacksonville, Florida), better known by his stage name Mase, is an American rapper and inspirational speaker. He released his debut album, Harlem World, in 1997 and it went multi-platnium, spawning the singles Feel So Good and What You Want. During the promo tour for his second album, Double Up, he announced his retirement from music. In 2004, under guidance from Diddy he made a relatively successful comeback with the album Welcome Back, but then once again went back to focus on his new career as a preacher.
Steve Spacek, the acclaimed voice behind the ground-breaking genre-pushing group Spacek (who were championed by everyone from Entertainment Weekly to Mos Def), made a name for himself at the turn of the century with the song “Eve’ (recently covered by Dwele). The song set off a worldwide buzz on Steve as a singer and his group’s futuristic sound. Imagine a robot performer in the future, in love with hip hop beatology and skillful enough to twist it into new shapes, programmed with an infused knowledge of the biographies of Marvin Gaye...
DJ Peril is a name synonymous with the Australian Hip Hop Scene. Peril has contributed to the Development of Australian Hip Hop through Break dancing, Graffiti & Hip Hop Music since its earliest days. From his first group The Island Boys right through to 1200 Techniques he has been at for front of pushing and developing Australian Hip Hop. DJ Peril has been the driving force behind Australia most recognised Hip Hop group 1200 Techniques but beyond the group Perils passion lies in his Production, DJ-ing & Graffiti.
There is more than one artist with this name: (1) Pedestrian (AKA The Pedestrian) is the pseudonym of rapper James Brandon Best. Possibly the least well known of anticon's co-founders, his first release, the 12" "The Toss & Turn", wasn't issued until 2004, though he had made several appearances on compilations and was part of one-off groups Stuffed Animals & Object Beings. Pedestrian's full-length debut, Unindian Songs, Vol. 1, came out in 2005. Asides from guest spots on records by other anticon accomplices such as Telephone Jim Jesus and Themselves, he has not released anything since.
Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975 in Savannah, Georgia), better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American Grammy Award winning rapper, producer, actor and half of the critically and commercially successful hip hop duo OutKast. Big Boi met André 3000 while attending high school in the 1980s and the two eventually joined forces as OutKast and signed with LaFace Records. After six successful albums as a duo they both decided to work on solo projects, and Big Boi's debut solo album Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty was released July 6, 2010.