happy birthday Archives - Page 13 of 13

Happy Birthday To Killer Mike!

April 20, 2022 by newhiphopnews

On this day in Hip Hop history, Dungeon Family member Killer Mike was born in Atlanta, Georgia. From Grammy’s to politics, Killer Mike maybe one of the most slept on figures of this culture we call Hip Hop.

Killer Mike’s Hip Hop career began with a feature on OutKast‘s 2000 album Stankonia, on the track “Snappin & Trappin.” His follow up feature with OutKast on “The Whole World” won him a Grammy at the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. That same year Killer Mike released his debut studio album Monster, which peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200 chart and #4 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.

Over the next few years, Killer Mike released I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind 1 & 2 before announcing in 2008 that he was signing to T.I.‘s record label Grand Hustle Records. Not much was heard from Killer Mike musically until he teamed up with El-P in 2011 to become Run the Jewels.

Killer Mike and El-P were introduced to each other by Cartoon Network executive Jason DeMarco. Later that year, El-P produced Killer Mike’s album R.A.P. Music. In the same year Killer Mike featured on El-P’s album Cancer 4 Cure. Due to the fact the albums were released within weeks of each other, the two decided to go on tour together. The success of the tour led the two to team up under the moniker Run the Jewels. The duo has since released two self-titled albums and plan to release a third this year. Run the Jewels 2 peaked at #50 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Aside from music, Killer Mike is one politically active and conscious brother. Most recently, he has been heavily campaigning for Bernie Sanders, introducing him at speaking engagements, sitting with at interviews, and even going to his fundraisers as an honored guest. Over his career he has passionate against police brutality against people of color, systematic racism, and has fought for social equality. It is obvious in his music and when he speaks in interviews that Killer Mike is passionate about humanity and wants to get us all on track and acting like civil, equal human beings.

Killer Mike has also appeared on T.V. and in movies and is currently active as a rapper. His next solo project, Elegant Elephant, has been in the works since 2013 but there’s no word on when it will be released. Killer Mike is an icon and his image in Hip Hop is one of the more positive ones the genre has to offer. Take some time today to enjoy some of the fruits of his labor if you don’t already listen on the daily. From everyone here at The Source, happy born day, Killer Mike. May you see many more years of success.

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Happy Birthday To Killer Mike!

April 20, 2022 by newhiphopnews

The post Happy Birthday To Killer Mike! appeared first on The Source.

The Source Celebrates The Life Of “The Human Orchestra” Biz Markie On His Birthday

April 8, 2022 by newhiphopnews

On this day in Hip Hop history, Biz Markie (real name Marcel Theo Hall), one of the most respected and successful artist/DJs in Hip Hop, was born. Born in Harlem, and growing up in Long Island, The Biz has been moving the crowd with his unique style of rhyming since he was 14. From his earliest gig as Roxanne Shante‘s beat boxer to a headliner at Grammy Awards after parties, he’s done it all. Whether it be on screen, on the mic, or on the 1s and 2s, The Biz has remained a consistent brand in entertainment booking, averaging 175 shows a year across the globe.

Over the past four decades, Biz Markie established himself as one of the most prolific rappers/DJs in music. Since his 1988 debut Goin’ Off (which peaked at #90 on the Billboard 200), he has grabbed hold of the hearts and ears of Hip Hop lovers everywhere. His second album, 1989’s The Biz Never Sleeps, contains his timeless hit “Just a Friend,” which has made a permanent impact on pop culture.

During the ’90s, The Biz reached his apex as an icon. His third LP, I Need A Haircut, unintentionally changed the scope of Hip Hop forever. The closing track from the album, “Alone Again,” contains a sample of the song “Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan, which had not been cleared by Warner Bros. Records. In turn, Warner Bros. sued The Biz for his unlawful use of the sample, causing the courts to rule all samples must be cleared by the owning party before reuse from then on. The lawsuit prompted the title of Markie’s fourth LP All Samples Cleared!.After this incident, sample clearing was one of the main hurdles to jump as a recording artist in this genre.

As the new millennium approached, Markie never saw much of a decline in popularity. In 2002, he made his first major motion picture appearance in Men in Black 2. From then, he continued to make a plethora of television and big screen appearances. From Nick Cannon’s Wild N Out to Grand Theft Auto, The Biz is seen and heard throughout visual media.

During this decade, he also started his endeavors as a child educator through the children’s program Yo Gabba Gabba. Through entertainment, Markie has helped educate young children on music and artistic expression on the Nick Jr. hit show.

On July 16, 2021, Biz Markie passed away reportedly from complications of diabetes. H was 57 years old. No one has had a career in the Hip Hop game quite like “the human orchestra” Biz Markie and his impact on the game will never be forgotten. Especially on his birthday!

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Happy Birthday To Super Producer DJ Premier!

March 21, 2022 by newhiphopnews

On this day in Hip-Hop history, super producer and generational sound shaper DJ Premier was born in 1966. As a producer, DJ Premier has worked with Big L, Big Daddy Kane, Bun B, Common, D’Angelo, Dr. Dre, The Game, Joey Bada$$, KRS-One, Ludacris, Mos Def, Nas, Snoop Dogg, The Notorious B.I.G, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Immortal Technique and Busta Rhymes. As a founding member of Gang Starr, Premier along with emcee Guru helped get the New York boom-bap movement get national acclaim and rise to be the standard of Hip Hop throughout the 90s.

Known for his smooth soul samples and steady drums, DJ Premier either worked with or influenced a majority of the more prominent and most respected names in Hip Hop. As Gang Starr, DJ Premier and Guru put out six studio albums; No More Mr. Nice Guy, Step in Arena, Daily Operation, Hard to Earn, Moment of Truth, and The Ownerz. Although the group never got any official critical acclaim or win any music awards, their influence can be heard almost anywhere Hip Hop is found.

DJ Premier is responsible for some of the most critically acclaimed tracks throughout Hip-Hop history. In honor of his born day, below are some of his most popular songs that helped to define his career as a beatmaker.

Gang Starr – Mass Appeal

Notorious B.I.G. – Kick in the Door

Nas – Nas Is Like

Big L – Platinum Plus

KRS- One – MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know

From everyone at The Source Magazine, Happy Born Day DJ Premier. Thank you for all that you’ve done for this culture that we all love.

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Happy 63rd Birthday To Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav!

March 16, 2022 by newhiphopnews

On this date in 1959, William Jonathan Drayton, better known to the world as Flavor Flav, was born in NYC. Flav is the former hypeman of the iconic, Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Fame Hip-Hop group Public Enemy.

Growing up on Freeport, Long Island is where A young Flavor developed his love for music, teaching himself to play the piano, drums, and guitar on his own. It was also in Long Island where a young adult Flav met Chuck Ridenhour, who later became known as Chuck D, the frontman of Public Enemy. The two linked at Adelphi University on the Island, where the two attended college and learned about each other’s love for Hip Hop.

As one of the founding members of PE, Flav was there in 1984 when the song “Public Enemy #1” was recorded; the first known track by the group. In 1986, the crew signed with Rick Rubin on Def Jam, however, Rubin did not initially want to sign Flav because he didn’t understand his role in the group.

Ever since PE’s debut album Yo! Bum Rush The Show, Flav was the hype jester to the ultra-serious, politically charged group which now included Chuck D, Terminator X, and a security force known as the S1Ws. Songs such as “Fight The Power”, “911 Is A Joke”, and “I Can’t Do Nothin’ For Ya Man” featured the comedic darts of Flav, which brought a balance to PE.

Drugs and domestic issues hindered Flav for a short while during his career, however, he bounced back into the public eye as a reality show pioneer, with shows like Surreal Life and The Flavor Of Love breaking ground in reality TV. Earlier this year, Chuck D announced that Flavor Flav was indefinitely fired from the group for his response to PE publicly endorsing Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Presidential race.

Big ups to Flav on his born day and TheSource.com wishes the Flavor Man many more!

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Happy 48th Birthday Beanie Sigel!

March 6, 2022 by newhiphopnews

Born on this date in 1974 in the City of Brotherly Love, Dwight Grant aka Beanie Sigel aka Beans morphed into a icon in the Philly Hip Hop scene as the leader of the now defunct Roc-A-Fella Records’ State Property. Even with all of his legal troubles and the untimely split of the Roc, Beanie is still regarded as one of the best emcees of his era and one of the very few who lives what he speaks in the booth.

With six solo albums, three State Property collabos and four silver screen blockbuster appearances, it’s difficult to argue that Beans has not had a successful career. Anyone who was able to hold Hova’s attention for more than one album has some obvious skills to match his street bravado.

Happy born day to Beans and many more in the future!

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Happy Birthday to Brand Nubian Founder Grand Puba!

March 4, 2022 by newhiphopnews

On this day in Hip-Hop history, Brand Nubian founder Maxwell Dixon a.k.a. Grand Puba, was born today in 1966.

Grand Puba made his musical debut with the group Masters of Ceremony. The group’s first album Dynamite was released in 1988 and had an excellent critical reception. However, due to the lack of sales, the group disbanded shortly after the album’s release. This was when Puba emerged as the lead emcee of Brand Nubian.

Shortly after the 1990 release of the group’s debut, genre-less album One for All (which spanned reggae to Hip Hop to new jack swing), Grand Puba again parted ways from his group and embarked on a solo career. He recorded and released two albums, Reel to Reel, in 1992 and 2000 in 1995. Reel to Reel had much commercial success peaking at #28 on the Billboard 200 and toting the #1 hit single “360 Degrees (What Goes Around).” 2000 was also a success reaching the #48 spot on the Billboard 200 and its single “I Like It (I Wanna Be Where You Are)” hitting #91 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In 1997, Grand Puba returned to Brand Nubian, and the group released Foundation in 1998. This album marked the reunion of the four original members. It was the first time they appeared together since their debut. This was their most successful album as a group peaking at #59 on the Billboard 200 chart, and the single “Don’t Let It Go To Your Head” reached #53 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was their highest climbing track.

In 2001 Grand Puba released Understand This, and in 2009, he released his fourth solo album Retroactive featuring production from Q-Tip, Large Professor, and Kid Capri. Over the years, Grand Puba has worked with Beanie Sigel, Missy Elliot, Mary J. Blige, and more. He was even sampled on the hook on the 2Pac record “Old School.”

We here at The Source would like to wish Grand Puba a happy born day. May you see many more years of success and prosperity!

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Happy Birthday To Wu Tang Clan’s Method Man!

March 2, 2022 by newhiphopnews

On this date in 1971, the Shaolin Island emcee who was virtually named after the term “John Blaze”, was born in Long Island, New York.

Admired for his unique voice and witty lyrics, Method Man is known for his one of a kind sound. The Long Island-born/Staten Island bred rapper raised the bar for the ideal Shaolin emcee alongside Wu brothers Raekwon and Ghostface Killah. Trailblazing the 90s, Johnny Blaze has pioneered an impressive portion of verses that are considered as one of the greatest in hip-hop history. His unpredictably bouncy flow hit wax in 1993 on Wu-Tang’s debut Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, which featured what would later become his anthem, “M.E.T.H.O.D. M.A.N.” His signature stance continued into creating essential tunes as featured in his 1994 solo debut, Tical, along with guest features on the solo debuts of fellow Wu members and the only featured emcee on Biggie’s Ready To Die LP.

The wavering style and persona of Method Man have allowed him to flourish in many different pursuits in both music and entertainment. His iconic r&b collaboration with Mary J. Blige “I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By” is sanctioned as a cult classic and also snagged the class-act rapper a Grammy in 1996. Dubbing another innovative vibe, his musical duality with Redman became one of the most distinct and successful in the light of hip-hop duos, which triggered Method Man’s acting career. Bound to craft commendable works, starting from his role as Father Sha in Belly (1998), to How High, and now Power II: Book Of Ghost, the man with the iron lung has maintained a stellar track record of creating classics that are timeless. His deeds as an emcee, actor, showman, and overall creative make him one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. A certified legend.

Happy born day to Meth!

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Happy Heavenly Birthday To BDP’s DJ Scott La Rock!

March 2, 2022 by newhiphopnews

On this day in 1962, Scott Monroe Sterling known widely as DJ Scott La Rock of the famous Boogie Down Productions was born in the Bronx borough of New York City. Scott La Rock was the producer for rap icon KRS-One until his untimely death on August 27th, 1987.

La Rock was born in the Bronx, New York City, New York and was raised by his mother Carolyn Morant. As a child, he moved from Queens to the Morrisania neighborhood in the South Bronx then to the Morris Heights projects. La Rock attended Our Savior Lutheran High School where he was a great student and athlete. He originally intended to attend Castleton State University to play basketball but decided to switch his focus to music upon graduation. In college, he used to DJ at a local bar called Dugan’s Bar on Friday nights. From there his musical career blossomed.

La Rock graduated college in 1984 and returned to New York City. He worked a few jobs in the city while at night spinning records at the Broadway Repertoire Theatre. Through his work as a social worker, La Rock met his future partner in crime Kris Parker aka KRS-One at the Franklin’s Men’s Shelter. The two, along with Derrick Jones or DJ D-Nice, formed Boogie Down Productions.

In 1987 the group released their first LP, Criminal Minded, which has become a classic Hip Hop album. Criminal Minded has been ranked by The Source as one of the 100 Best Rap Albums. Rolling Stone ranked it as one of the 500 greatest albums. Complex Magazine ranks the track South Bronx from the album as #9 on their list of best diss-songs of Hip Hop.

La Rock life came to a stretching halt in 1987 due to senseless street violence. In an effort to support his friend and partner DJ D-Nice, La Rock was shot in the neck and died of his wound. As the story goes, La Rock, DJ D-Nice, Scotty “Manager Moe” Morris, DJ McBooo, and BDP bodyguard Darrell rolled up to the Highbridge Homes Projects in the South Bronx. They were there to handle a problem between D-Nice and a man who’s ex-girlfriend we was acquainted with at the time. After they handled their disagreement, bullet began to fly toward the white on red Jeep CJ-7 that they were riding in. La Rock was hit and later died at Lincoln Hospital within one hour of being shot.

KRS-One’s Stop the Violence Movement was a direct result of La Rock’s murder. Despite the loss of La Rock, KRS-One kept the Boogie Down Productions name alive and continued to release music and grow to be one of the most respected voices in Hip Hop. DJ Scott La Rock’s righteous legacy lives on forever through his music and the empire that he helped shape. Take some time today to listen to his classic album and pay some respect to his greatness.

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Happy Birthday To Hip Hop’s Multi-Faceted Mogul Dr. Dre!

February 18, 2022 by newhiphopnews

Today we celebrate the birth of one of the most influential figures in Hip-Hop. Not only was this man the first rap billionaire, but he was also an instrumental part (literally and figuratively) in the creation of a new sub-genre of rap known as G-Funk. The living legend is described is none other than Dr. Dre.

Andre Romelle Young was born in Compton, California on February 18, 1965. He was the first child born to Theodore and Verna Young. His father had a history in music and was a member of an amateur R&B group called The Romells from which Dre gets his middle name.

In 1986, Dre met O’Shea Jackson aka Ice Cube while collaborating on some music for Ruthless Records. Ruthless Records was a famous record label founded by N.W.A. member Eazy-E and west coast rapper Ice-T. These two are widely credited with starting the gangster rap movement on the West Coast. This meeting and the addition of MC Ren birthed one of the greatest music groups of all time, N*ggaz With Attitude.

After a disagreement with Eazy-E, Dre decided to leave N.W.A. to build his own musical empire. Due to advice given to him by his close friend and fellow rapper, The D.O.C., and his bodyguard at the time, Suge Knight, Dre became the flagship artist of Death Row Records, a label started by Knight in 1992. On Death Row Records, Dre released his first solo album titled The Chronic. This album cemented Dr. Dre’s place as one of the top rappers out of California. While working with Death Row, Dre produced the majority of new artist Snoop Dogg’s music helping him in his rise to superstardom, along with tracks for 2Pac who was also a label member.

In ’96 due to a disagreement between Knight and Dre, Dre left Death Row to build his own label called Aftermath Records. This changed the path of Dre’s career forever. The growth began when the head of Interscope Records, Jimmy Iovine, suggested that Dre sign white rapper Eminem. The success of Eminem’s music made Dr. Dre not only one of the most respected rappers/producers in the game but also one of the more powerful moguls.

Dr. Dre was set to release his third album Detox in 2007 but decided to not and instead produce for other artists. Since then Dre has been mostly behind the scenes shaping the current state of rap music. Most recently he produced the uber-successful N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton, which has created a rise in N.W.A. support from a new generation. His third studio album, Compton, was released shortly after the film and finally ended the long wait for more work from Dre.

The life and career of Dr. Dre is one that has been able to make Rap and Hip Hop what they are today. Without his influence, who knows where rap music would be today. From everyone at The Source, Happy Birthday Dr. Dre, may you have many more success filled years.

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