Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Famous Rappers From New York

By Olivia Cross


Lovers of hip hop and rap music will undoubtedly be aware of the rivalry between rappers from the East coast with those from the West, particularly during the 90s. Many of the top rappers from New York made their rise to fame during this time, and though some of them may no longer be alive, they have certainly left their mark. As with a lot of the artists in the hip hop industry, these individuals have had their share of suffering and troubled childhoods, which helped them hone their talent.

Today's most successful rapper is undoubtedly Jay Z, real name Shawn Carter. At 45 years of age, Jay Z has topped bill board charts for over two decades and continues to do so today. Many of his songs these days are collaborations with his spouse, musical prodigy Beyonce Knowles. Jay Z is originally from Brooklyn, and his love for his home city is expressed in smash hit single 'Empire State Of Mind', featuring Alicia Keys.

Jay Z has nineteen Grammy awards to his name. He also has the privilege of three albums featured on Rolling Stone's greatest albums of all time list. As well as his music career, Jay Z runs Rocawear clothing line, and is the business mogul for Roc-A-Fella Records and Roc Nation.

One of hip hop music's greatest legends is Tupac Shakur, who is a key figure in the East/West coast battle. Very few will dispute that 2pac, which is the stage name he carried as well as Makavelli, is an all-time great in the music industry. His record sales alone have placed him as one of the bestselling artists in the history of music.

Considered to be the most influential rapper to date by some, Tupac Shakur was born in Manhattan, in East Harlem, New York, NY in the early seventies. In 1996, the rapper's life ended in a drive by shooting, where he was shot a number of times. Circumstances surrounding his death are still a mystery to this day.

One cannot talk about Tupac Shakur without making mention of hip hop's other influential artist of the same time, Christopher Wallace. Better known as Notorious B. I. G., Biggie Smalls or Biggie, Wallace was raised by his mother in Brooklyn. Jay Z, Busta Rhymes and Biggie all attended the same high school. In 1997, Biggie was shot to death in a drive by shooting, just like Tupac Shakur.

Li'l Kim is one of the biggest female rappers to come out of New York, NY. Also from Brooklyn, she lived on the streets for most of her life before being recruited by Notorious B. I. G. He was convinced of her talent after she did a freestyle for him. Next to Missy Elliott alone, Li'l Kim has 3 platinum albums.

Also closely linked to Biggie Smalls is Puff Daddy, also known as P. Diddy or simply Diddy. Real name Sean Combs, Diddy grew up in Mount Vernon. He was best friends with the murdered rapper, and made his huge breakthrough with tribute song 'Missing You', which featured Notorious B. I. G.'s wife, Faith Evans, singing the chorus. Sean Combs was name the richest man in hip hop in 2013 by Forbes Magazine. Like Jay Z, he is not only a rapper, but wears many hats including entrepreneur.




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