Monday, February 23, 2015

Top 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.

Shawn Carter, known to the world as Jay Z, is one of, if not the most successful rap icon today. At forty five years old, Jay Z is still creating music that tops charts around the world, often collaborating with his wife Beyonce, a music industry icon in her own right. Jay Z hails from Brooklyn and paid tribute to his home state in a single entitled 'Empire State Of Mind', in which he collaborated with R&B singer Alicia Keys.

Shawn Carter has nineteen Grammys under his belt and has been at the top of the charts consistently for years. On the Rolling Stone's list of five hundred greatest albums of all time, there are three by Jay Z. As well as his music career, he is the owner and creator of Rocawear, Roc-A-Fella Records and Roc Nation.

A real legend in hip hop, Tupac Shakur's name is well known. One of the key players in the East coast/West coast hip hop rivalry, Tupac is listed as one of the world's greatest artists ever. On record sales alone, he holds a place as an all-time bestseller in the music industry.

Tupac Shakur was an incredibly influential rapper. He was born in 1971 in East Harlem. His life ended abruptly in 1996, where he suffered multiple gunshot wounds in a drive by shooting. Many will attest to the conspiracies surrounding his tragic death.

When mentioning Tupac Shakur, it is impossible not to mention another of the most influential artists of hip hop music, Notorious B. I. G. Known to many as Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, Christopher Wallace grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He attended the same high school as fellow rappers Jay Z and Busta Rhymes. He suffered a similar fate to 2pac, killed in a drive by shooting in early 1997.

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.

Sean Combs, who is known by a number of other stage names, is, like Jay Z, a hip hop mogul. He was born in Harlem and spent his childhood in Mount Vernon in New York, NY. Best friends with Biggie, his tribute song to the rapper after his death featuring Biggie's wife Faith Evans landed the top spot on the billboard charts. In 2013, Sean 'Puffy' Combs placed first as hip hop's richest man in Forbes magazine.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment