Lyrics Born (a.k.a. Asia Born) is Tom Shimura (b. 1972), originally from Berkeley, California, though through his childhood he lived in Tokyo, Japan, and Salt Lake City, Utah. He began his hip hop career while at college at UC Davis, where he was a DJ at the college station KDVS. He is a founding member of the group of artists known as Quannum Projects. He is also one half of the group Latyrx with fellow MC Lateef The Truth Speaker.
Illy (born 1986) is an emcee from Melbourne, Victoria. With his solo repertoire forged in his two-volume mixtape (released in 2007 and 2008 respectively), Illy marches forward as the new voice in Generation Now hip hop. A writer, a lyrical activist, an observer, and a poet, he treks through the global jigsaw with firm optimism and understanding of its rollercoaster nature. Influenced by a kaleidoscope of artists from Nas to Bob Marley, Biggie to Bob Dylan...
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is a Grammy Award-winning American hip-hop artist and producer. He first became known to the mainstream hip-hop community in 2005 when he appeared on Kanye West's album Late Registration on the track "Touch the Sky." In 2006 Lupe released his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor on Atlantic Records, and in December 2007 he released his second full length album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool.
Frank Ocean (born October 29, 1987) is an American singer/songwriter and member of the gleefully hedonistic hip-hop collective OFWGKTA. He was born Christopher "Lonny" Breaux in New Orleans, Louisiana, and now resides in Beverly Hills. He has helped pen tracks for Justin Bieber, John Legend, Brandy, and Beyonce Knowles over the last few years. In 2011, Ocean released his debut mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra, for free via his Tumblr.
Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1975 in Brooklyn, New York), better known as Lil' Kim or Queen Bee, is a Grammy Award winning American rapper and actress signed to <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Jay-Z" class="bbcode_artist">Jay-Z</a>'s Roc Nation label. She is known for her sexually explicit lyrics and for being one of the most prominent female rap artists of her time. She began her career with <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Junior+M.A.F.I.A." class="bbcode_artist">Junior M.A.F.I.A.</a>, whose album Conspiracy generated three hit singles.
Marlon Porter aka. Elf Tranzporter is an eminent MC from Melbourne, Australia. Originally from Los Angeles CA, Elfs rhymes and unique unmissable sound have seen him tour the world. One of the founding members of seminal local hip hop group Meta Bass 'n' Breath, who's album cover was featured on DJ Shadows The Private Press artwork. A true all-rounder, Elf uses his skills as a hip hop performer to conduct workshops and tutor disadvantage and 'high-risk' kids at schools, community events and juvenile justice centres (from urban to outback).
Salt-N-Pepa is an American rnb and hip-hop group, consisting of Cheryl James and Sandy Denton ("Salt" and "Pepa", respectively), and Deidre "Dee Dee" Roper (DJ Spinderella). They debuted with "The Show Stopper", a response record to Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick's "The Show". It was an underground hit and Salt-N-Pepa signed to Next Plateau. Their debut LP was Hot, Cool & Vicious (1986, which was produced by Salt's then-boyfriend, Hurby Azor, the group's manager, and he received songwriting credit for the album, though this was later disputed.
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.
"I Got the name ARAAB was back in 02…My nigga had gave me that name ‘cause I didn’t have an alias or nothing like that nam sayin so I ran with it. In 05 I added the MUZIK ‘cause that's what you're listening to when you hear my muzik Araab Muzik" "My influences growing up were pretty much based on the producers. I didn't really listen to the artist ‘cause that wasn't my thing. If the beat caught my attention then I would like the song nam sayin. The beat is pretty much what everyone listens to first then the artist."
O.B. has been rapping for about 10 years in Sydney, and has now played across Australia. He was a mumbling presence alongside DJ A.L.F. at the legandary Joined at the Bass sessions at the Cricketer's Arms, until the Rum Corps (aka the NSW Police Force) and a yuppie shut down the live music one fateful Christmas eve. They could not, however, stop Alf and Ozi from forging a musical partnership that has taken them everywhere from dingy suburban pokie palaces, bush doofs, kiddiecore raves and the metro's stage.