129 Fun Facts About Rap Music

Which founding father of hip hop pioneered the breakbeat on two turntables?

DJ Kool Herc isolated the instrumental drum 'break' of funk records and looped it between two copies on two turntables, a technique he called the merry-go-round, at early-1970s parties.

Which album, N.W.A's debut, is credited with accelerating the rise of hardcore gangsta rap?

Straight Outta Compton (1988) was N.W.A's debut studio album; its track 'Fuck tha Police' drew a warning letter from the FBI in 1989, and it went platinum with almost no radio play.

Which 1980s hip hop subgenre put political activism at the centre of its lyrics?

Conscious hip hop, also called political rap, put activism at the centre of its lyrics; Public Enemy's 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is its landmark.

Which New York borough is regarded as the birthplace of hip hop?

The Bronx party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue on 11 August 1973 is the most-cited origin point; Herc's sister Cindy threw it to raise back-to-school money.

Which East Coast rapper debuted in 1994 with the acclaimed 'Illmatic'?

Nas released Illmatic on 19 April 1994, aged 20; the Queensbridge rapper's debut sold slowly at first but was quickly hailed as a lyrical landmark and went gold within two years.

Released by Sugar Hill Records in July 1982, 'The Message' was recorded by which group?

'The Message' is credited to Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, though only Melle Mel and Sugar Hill writer Duke Bootee actually perform on it; the rest of the group were reluctant to record social commentary.

Which rock band re-recorded their 1975 hit 'Walk This Way' with Run-D.M.C. in 1986, reviving their own career?

Aerosmith were in a slump when producer Rick Rubin paired them with Run-D.M.C.; the crossover put rap on MTV and the band back on the charts.

Which single won DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince the first Grammy for Best Rap Performance, in 1989?

'Parents Just Don't Understand' won the inaugural Grammy for Best Rap Performance in February 1989; DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince boycotted the ceremony because the award was not presented on the telecast.

Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. won which 2018 honour, never before given outside classical or jazz?

DAMN. won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, the first award in the prize's history to a work outside classical or jazz; the album also took Best Rap Album at the 2018 Grammys.

Which 1979 Sugar Hill Records single is credited with carrying hip hop to a mass audience for the first time?

'Rapper's Delight' by the Sugarhill Gang, released in 1979, rode an interpolation of Chic's 'Good Times'; Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards threatened to sue and settled for songwriting credits.

Which former R&B singer co-founded Sugar Hill Records and produced 'Rapper's Delight'?

Sylvia Robinson, who had hits as half of Mickey & Sylvia and solo with 'Pillow Talk', founded Sugar Hill Records with her husband Joe in 1979 and produced 'Rapper's Delight'.

Run-DMC formed in 1983 in which Queens neighbourhood?

Run-DMC formed in Hollis, Queens, where Joseph 'Run' Simmons, Darryl 'DMC' McDaniels and Jason 'Jam Master Jay' Mizell grew up; their 1984 debut was the first rap album certified gold.

Run-DMC's 1985 album King of Rock set what milestone for hip-hop?

King of Rock (1985) was the first hip-hop LP to go platinum, a year after Run-DMC's debut became the first rap album certified gold; Raising Hell (1986) then became the first multi-platinum rap record.

N.W.A formed in 1987 in which California city?

Compton, a city south of downtown Los Angeles, produced N.W.A in 1987; the group lasted only four years but sold over ten million records in the United States alone.

Tupac Shakur's parents were members of which organisation?

Both Afeni Shakur and Tupac's father Billy Garland were members of the Black Panther Party; Afeni was acquitted in the Panther 21 trial a month before his birth in June 1971.

Which Tupac Shakur studio album is certified Diamond by the RIAA?

All Eyez on Me, released on Death Row in February 1996, was Tupac's first double album; the RIAA certified it Diamond in 2014, counting its two discs as ten million units.

The Notorious B.I.G. released his 1994 debut Ready to Die on which record label?

Bad Boy Records, founded by Sean Combs in 1993 after Uptown fired him, released Ready to Die on 13 September 1994, a week before Craig Mack's Project: Funk da World.

What was the Notorious B.I.G.'s birth name?

Christopher Wallace was Billboard's Rapper of the Year in 1995; Shawn Carter, Calvin Broadus and Marshall Mathers are Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and Eminem.

Which Eminem album was the world's best-selling album of 2002?

The Eminem Show was the best-selling album worldwide in 2002, moving over a million copies in its first full week in the United States, as its predecessor The Marshall Mathers LP had in 2000.

What was the title of Eminem's 1996 debut album, released before he signed with Aftermath?

Infinite, released in 1996 on Detroit's Web Entertainment, sold only around a thousand copies; the Slim Shady EP followed in 1997 and reached Dr. Dre through Interscope's Jimmy Iovine.

Jay-Z co-founded which record label to release his 1996 debut, Reasonable Doubt?

Roc-A-Fella Records was founded by Jay-Z, Damon Dash and Kareem 'Biggs' Burke after the major labels passed on him; Reasonable Doubt, released in June 1996, was the label's first album.

How many number-one albums did Jay-Z have on the Billboard 200 by the end of 2023?

Jay-Z's fourteen Billboard 200 number ones, from Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life in 1998 to 4:44 in 2017, were the most by any solo artist at the time, second only to the Beatles' nineteen.

Under what stage name did Kendrick Lamar first release music while in high school?

As K.Dot, Kendrick Lamar released his first mixtape in 2003 at age 16; it earned him a deal with Top Dawg Entertainment in 2005, and he retired the alias before his 2009 Kendrick Lamar EP.

Which Kendrick Lamar album became the longest-charting hip-hop studio album on the Billboard 200?

Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, released in October 2012, became in 2022 the first hip-hop studio album to spend ten years on the Billboard 200; Rolling Stone named it the greatest concept album of all time that year.

What is Grandmaster Flash's technique of extending drum breaks with two copies of a record called?

Grandmaster Flash's Quick Mix Theory used two copies of a record and a backspin to repeat a drum break seamlessly; he also devised the felt slipmat and marked records with his 'clock theory' to find breaks.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five achieved what first for a rap group in 2007?

In 2019 Flash also became the first hip-hop artist to receive the Polar Music Prize.

Wu-Tang Clan formed in 1992 in which New York City borough?

Staten Island became Shaolin, and the ferry to it a pilgrimage; their 1997 album Wu-Tang Forever debuted atop the Billboard 200.

Which Wu-Tang Clan member died in 2004?

Ol' Dirty Bastard, the clan's wildest member, collapsed at the 36 Chambers studio; affiliate Cappadonna was later made an official member.

Before her solo career, Missy Elliott was a member of which 1990s R&B girl group?

Missy Elliott sang in Sista, a Virginia quartet that Jodeci's DeVante Swing signed to his Swing Mob label in 1991; their only album was shelved, and their producer Timbaland became her long-time collaborator.

Whose 1986 single 'The Bridge' set off the Bridge Wars with Boogie Down Productions?

MC Shan's 'The Bridge', produced by Marley Marl in 1986, saluted Queensbridge; KRS-One's Boogie Down Productions answered with 'South Bronx' and 'The Bridge Is Over'.

Which producer is NOT credited on Nas's Illmatic?

Dr. Dre had no hand in Illmatic; its producers were DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, Large Professor and L.E.S., and Nas was 20 when it came out in April 1994.

What is DJ Kool Herc's real name?

Clive Campbell, born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1955, took the name Kool Herc (short for Hercules) after emigrating to New York at 12; he coined the term b-boys for the dancers at his parties.

Which West African storytelling figure is cited as a precursor to modern rap?

The griot, a hereditary West African oral historian and musician, is widely cited as an ancestor of the rapper; other roots include the dozens, the African-American insult game, and 1960s spoken-word acts like the Last Poets.

Public Enemy was formed in 1985 on Long Island by Chuck D and which hype man?

Flavor Flav's giant clock was so people would 'know what time it is'; the group's 1988 album was the first hip-hop record to top the Village Voice's Pazz & Jop poll.

Before her music career, Lauryn Hill played Rita Watson in which 1993 film?

Lauryn Hill played the gifted but reluctant student Rita Watson in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), singing 'His Eye Is on the Sparrow'; she had already appeared on the soap As the World Turns.

How many copies did Snoop Dogg's debut Doggystyle sell in its first week in 1993?

Doggystyle sold 806,000 copies in its first week in November 1993, then a record for a debut album; produced by Dr. Dre, it entered the Billboard 200 at number one and is certified quadruple platinum.

Cardi B's Invasion of Privacy made her the first solo female artist to win which Grammy?

Invasion of Privacy won Best Rap Album at the 2019 Grammys, making Cardi B the first solo female artist to take that category; its single 'Bodak Yellow' was later certified Diamond.

In which country was Nicki Minaj born?

Nicki Minaj was born Onika Maraj in Saint James, a district of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in 1982, and moved to Queens, New York, at age five.

Drake first found fame playing which character on the teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation?

Drake played Jimmy Brooks, a basketball star who uses a wheelchair after a school shooting, on Degrassi: The Next Generation from 2001; he released three independent mixtapes before signing with Lil Wayne's label in 2009.

Which Drake song became the first to surpass one billion streams on Spotify?

'One Dance', featuring Wizkid and Kyla, became the first song to pass one billion Spotify streams in December 2016; its parent album Views led the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks.

Outkast formed in 1992 in which city?

Atlanta's Outkast pushed Southern hip hop into the mainstream; 'The South got something to say', André told a booing New York awards crowd in 1995.

Which Outkast album won Album of the Year at the 2004 Grammys?

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, a pair of solo discs by Big Boi and André 3000, won Album of the Year at the 2004 Grammys; it went Diamond and produced the number-one singles 'Hey Ya!' and 'The Way You Move'.

Which single from Outkast's 1994 debut topped the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart?

'Player's Ball', Outkast's debut single from Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, spent six weeks atop Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart in early 1994 and first appeared on a LaFace Christmas compilation.

The Beastie Boys started out in 1981 as what kind of band?

The Beastie Boys began in 1981 as a hardcore punk band that grew out of the Young Aborigines, releasing the Polly Wog Stew EP in 1982; the 1983 single 'Cooky Puss' started their turn toward hip-hop.

Which Beastie Boys album was the first rap album to top the Billboard 200?

Licensed to Ill, released in November 1986, reached number one on the Billboard 200 in March 1987, the first rap album to do so; Def Jam issued it through Columbia.

Under what alias did Beastie Boy Adam Yauch direct many of the group's videos?

Nathanial Hörnblowér was the Swiss-uncle persona Adam Yauch used to direct videos like 'So What'cha Want' and 'Intergalactic'; in character, he crashed Michael Stipe's acceptance speech at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards.

What does the LL in LL Cool J stand for?

Ladies Love Cool James is the full boast, coined by James Todd Smith as a teenager in Queens; his 1985 debut Radio was the first full-length album released by Def Jam.

LL Cool J played Special Agent Sam Hanna on which CBS series from 2009 to 2023?

NCIS: Los Angeles ran on CBS for 14 seasons from 2009 to 2023 with LL Cool J as Special Agent Sam Hanna opposite Chris O'Donnell's G. Callen; his film credits include Deep Blue Sea and Any Given Sunday.

Which Salt-N-Pepa hit was originally released as a B-side to their single 'Tramp'?

'Push It' began as the B-side of Salt-N-Pepa's 1987 single 'Tramp'; a Cameron Paul remix turned it into a Billboard Hot 100 top-20 hit and earned the group a 1989 Grammy nomination.

Which R&B group joined Salt-N-Pepa on the 1993 hit 'Whatta Man'?

En Vogue shared vocals on 'Whatta Man', a 1993 single from Salt-N-Pepa's Very Necessary that reworked Linda Lyndell's 1968 song; it reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

Which Salt-N-Pepa song won the 1995 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group?

'None of Your Business', from Very Necessary, won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 37th Grammy Awards in March 1995; Queen Latifah's 'U.N.I.T.Y.' took the solo rap award the same night.

Which Queen Latifah album was the first by a solo female rapper to be certified gold?

Black Reign (1993), Queen Latifah's third album, was the first by a solo female rapper certified gold by the RIAA; its single 'U.N.I.T.Y.' confronted violence against women and won a Grammy.

At what age did Queen Latifah release her debut album All Hail the Queen?

The 1989 album featured the hit single 'Ladies First'; she was born Dana Owens in 1970.

MC Hammer served three years in which branch of the US military before his music career?

MC Hammer, born Stanley Burrell in Oakland, spent three years in the Navy after a stint as a bat boy for the Oakland A's; he self-released his debut Feel My Power in 1986.

Which 1990 album was the first hip-hop record to reach Diamond status?

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, released in February 1990, spent 21 weeks atop the Billboard 200 on the strength of 'U Can't Touch This' and was the first hip-hop album certified Diamond by the RIAA.

Which single was the first hip-hop song to top the Billboard Hot 100?

'Ice Ice Baby' reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1990, the first hip-hop single to do so; it lifted the bassline of Queen and David Bowie's 'Under Pressure', credited only after a dispute.

In which 1991 sequel did Vanilla Ice appear performing a song he co-wrote?

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) Vanilla Ice performed 'Ninja Rap', which he co-wrote; later that year he starred in his own vehicle, Cool as Ice.

What was the name of Ice Cube's first rap group, formed in 1986?

C.I.A. (Cru' in Action!) paired Ice Cube with Sir Jinx and K-Dee in 1986, rapping comic parodies over Dr. Dre beats; a year later he joined Eazy-E and Dre in N.W.A as its main lyricist.

Ice Cube's 1990 solo debut, released after he quit N.W.A, was titled what?

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, released in May 1990, was produced largely by Public Enemy's Bomb Squad in New York after Ice Cube left N.W.A in late 1989 over a royalty dispute with manager Jerry Heller.

Dr. Dre's 1992 debut The Chronic was released on which label?

The Chronic came out on Death Row in December 1992, the label Dre co-founded after leaving Ruthless; Interscope distributed it, and it introduced Snoop Doggy Dogg, who raps on most of its tracks.

The cover of Dr. Dre's The Chronic pays homage to which product?

The Chronic's cover mimics the Zig-Zag rolling-papers packet, with Dre's portrait replacing the brand's bearded Zouave figure; the title is slang for potent cannabis, and the album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.

Lil Wayne, Juvenile, B.G. and Turk formed which Southern hip-hop group in 1997?

The Hot Boys, Cash Money's flagship group, debuted with Get It How U Live! in 1997; their second album Guerrilla Warfare (1999) reached the Billboard top five, and B.G.'s 'Bling Bling' featured the whole crew.

Which Lil Wayne album moved over 1,000,000 copies in its first week in 2008?

Tha Carter III sold just over a million copies in its first week in June 2008, the first album to do so in three years; leaks had delayed it from its planned 2007 release.

Kanye West first earned recognition at Roc-A-Fella for what production style?

Kanye West's 'chipmunk soul' sped up and pitched up old soul vocal samples, the sound of his beats on Jay-Z's 2001 album The Blueprint, including 'Izzo (H.O.V.A.)' built on the Jackson 5's 'I Want You Back'.

What was the title of Kanye West's 2004 debut album?

The College Dropout, released in February 2004, peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and won Best Rap Album; it began an education-themed trilogy with Late Registration (2005) and Graduation (2007).

How many Grammy Awards had Kanye West won by the end of 2025?

Kanye West had won 24 Grammy Awards by the end of 2025, the last two in 2022 for 'Jail' and 'Hurricane'; his 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was famously passed over for an Album of the Year nomination.

How many bullets struck 50 Cent in the May 2000 shooting that got him dropped by Columbia?

50 Cent was hit by nine bullets outside his grandmother's house in Queens on 24 May 2000; Columbia dropped him and shelved his first album, and Eminem signed him to Shady Records in 2002 after hearing his mixtapes.

Which 2003 50 Cent album produced the number ones 'In da Club' and '21 Questions'?

Get Rich or Die Tryin', released in February 2003 on Shady/Aftermath/Interscope, sold 872,000 copies in its first week and topped the Billboard 200; 50 Cent launched G-Unit Records the same year.

Nelly began his career as a member of which St. Louis hip-hop group?

Nelly came up in the St. Lunatics, a University City, Missouri crew formed in 1993 with Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan and City Spud; the group's 2001 album Free City went platinum after his solo debut Country Grammar.

Which singer joined Nelly on the 2002 number-one single 'Dilemma'?

Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child sang the hook on 'Dilemma', which spent ten weeks at number one in 2002 and won the Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration; it replaced Nelly's own 'Hot in Herre' at the top.

Ludacris founded which record label in the late 1990s to release his debut Incognegro?

Disturbing tha Peace, founded by Ludacris with manager Chaka Zulu in 1998, put out Incognegro independently in 1999; Def Jam South then re-released it as Back for the First Time in 2000.

Migos were founded in 2008 in which Georgia town?

Migos formed in 2008 in Lawrenceville, in Gwinnett County north-east of Atlanta, as Quavo, his nephew Takeoff and Offset; manager Coach K, who had handled Gucci Mane and Jeezy, signed them to Quality Control in 2013.

Which Canadian rapper's 2013 remix of Migos' 'Versace' pushed the song onto the Hot 100?

Drake's verse made the triplet 'Migos flow' mainstream; the song came from the mixtape Y.R.N., and 'Bad and Boujee' later gave the trio a number one.

Which Travis Scott single featuring Drake was his first Billboard Hot 100 number one?

'Sicko Mode', featuring an uncredited Drake, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 2018; it came from Astroworld, Travis Scott's second consecutive number-one album, and earned a Best Rap Song nomination.

What was the title of Travis Scott's self-released 2013 debut mixtape?

Owl Pharaoh, released as a free download in May 2013 after a year of delays, was Travis Scott's first mixtape; he had joined Kanye West's GOOD Music production wing and signed with Epic in 2012.

How many weeks did Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' spend atop the Billboard Hot 100?

It was a record at the time; he came out as gay while the song was number one.

Which rapper features on Lil Nas X's number-one single 'Industry Baby'?

Jack Harlow raps the second verse of 'Industry Baby', co-produced by Kanye West and Take a Daytrip, which topped the Hot 100 in October 2021; it came from Lil Nas X's debut album Montero, an Album of the Year nominee.

Which 2020 Megan Thee Stallion single got a Beyoncé remix that topped the Hot 100 and won two Grammys?

'Savage' blew up on TikTok first, then Beyoncé, a fellow Houstonian, jumped on; 'WAP' with Cardi B gave Megan a second number one the same year.

J. Cole was born on a military base in which country?

J. Cole was born in January 1985 on a US Army base in Frankfurt, Germany, where his father was serving, and moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina, as an infant; he signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation in 2009.

Which Los Angeles collective did Tyler, the Creator co-found in the late 2000s, launching Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt too?

Odd Future's full name was Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All; its sketch series Loiter Squad ran on Adult Swim from 2012 to 2014.

Which two Tyler, the Creator albums won Best Rap Album at the 62nd and 64th Grammys?

Igor won Best Rap Album at the 62nd Grammys in 2020 and Call Me If You Get Lost at the 64th in 2022; both had debuted atop the Billboard 200, Igor being Tyler's first number one.

A Tribe Called Quest's 1990 debut earned the first perfect five-mic rating from which magazine?

The Source gave People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm its first-ever five-mic rating in 1990; the jazz-infused The Low End Theory followed in 1991.

A Tribe Called Quest co-founded which collective in 1988?

Native Tongues, an Afrocentric collective formed around the Jungle Brothers in 1988, took in A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, whose members traded guest verses on albums like 3 Feet High and Rising.

De La Soul formed in 1988 in which Long Island village?

Amityville, the Long Island village of Amityville Horror fame, is where Posdnuos, Trugoy and Maseo formed De La Soul in 1988; Prince Paul heard their 'Plug Tunin'' demo and produced 3 Feet High and Rising.

De La Soul won a 2006 Grammy for 'Feel Good Inc.', a collaboration with which act?

Gorillaz's 'Feel Good Inc.', with De La Soul rapping the verses, won Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 2006 Grammys, the trio's first Grammy; Damon Albarn's cartoon band returned the favour on 2010's 'Superfast Jellyfish'.

Rakim was one half of a golden-age duo with which DJ?

Eric B. & Rakim made four albums, from Paid in Full to Don't Sweat the Technique in 1992, and Rakim is routinely called the most influential MC of all.

Slick Rick's 'La Di Da Di' was recorded with which beatboxing star's crew?

Doug E. Fresh, the 'Human Beat Box', recorded 'La Di Da Di' in 1985 with his Get Fresh Crew, Slick Rick rhyming as MC Ricky D over nothing but Fresh's beatboxing; it is among the most sampled songs in hip-hop.

Which 1988 debut album features the signature song 'Children's Story'?

The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, released on Def Jam in November 1988, was produced partly by the Bomb Squad and Jam Master Jay; 'Children's Story' became its signature cautionary tale, later sampled by Montell Jordan.

Def Jam was co-founded in a Weinstein Hall dorm room at which school?

Def Jam was run in 1984 out of Weinstein Hall, a New York University dorm on University Place, while its co-founder was an NYU undergraduate; its name had first appeared on a 1982 single by the punk band Hose.

Which two 1984 releases carried the first Def Jam catalog numbers?

'I Need a Beat' by LL Cool J (DJ001) and 'Rock Hard' by the Beastie Boys (DJ002) opened Def Jam's catalog in 1984; LL Cool J was 16, and the single sold over 100,000 copies.

Death Row Records was founded in 1991 by Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, Dick Griffey and which rapper?

The D.O.C., whose voice was damaged in a 1989 car crash, co-founded Death Row in 1991 with Dr. Dre, Suge Knight and Solar Records' Dick Griffey, and went on to ghost-write for its roster.

For how much was Death Row Records auctioned to WIDEawake Entertainment in 2009?

WIDEawake Entertainment, a Toronto company, bought Death Row's assets at a bankruptcy auction in January 2009 for $18 million; the label had filed for Chapter 11 in 2006 after 2Pac's death, Suge Knight's imprisonment and Dre's departure.

Which two brothers founded Cash Money Records in New Orleans in 1991?

Ronald 'Slim' Williams and his younger brother Bryan 'Baby' Williams, later Birdman, founded Cash Money in New Orleans in 1991; a 1998 distribution deal with Universal worth a reported $30 million made the label a national force.

Which label did Lil Wayne launch in 2005 as an imprint of Cash Money?

Young Money Entertainment, founded by Lil Wayne in 2005 as an imprint of Cash Money, signed Drake and Nicki Minaj; Wayne won full ownership of it in his 2018 settlement with Cash Money.

Which rapper founded No Limit Records?

Master P's No Limit put out a flood of albums from its tank-logo stable; Birdman ran the rival New Orleans label, Cash Money.

The Geto Boys were formed in 1986 in which city?

Houston's Fifth Ward produced the Geto Boys, assembled by Rap-A-Lot founder J. Prince in 1986; their 1991 single 'Mind Playing Tricks on Me' peaked at number 23 on the Hot 100.

Three 6 Mafia won an Academy Award in 2006 for a song from which film?

'It's Hard out Here for a Pimp', from Hustle & Flow, won Best Original Song at the 2006 Academy Awards, the second rap song to win after Eminem's 'Lose Yourself'; Terrence Howard played the film's aspiring-rapper pimp, DJay.

Three 6 Mafia hails from which city?

Memphis's Three 6 Mafia won the 2006 Best Original Song Oscar for 'It's Hard out Here for a Pimp'; their 1995 debut Mystic Stylez is a horrorcore cult classic.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was released in 1998 by Columbia and which imprint?

Ruffhouse Records, Chris Schwartz's Philadelphia imprint distributed by Columbia, released The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in August 1998; Hill wrote and produced almost all of it, with guests Carlos Santana and D'Angelo.

At which Grammy ceremony did The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill win Album of the Year?

At the 41st Grammy Awards in February 1999 The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill won Album of the Year, the first hip-hop album to do so; Hill's five wins that night were then a record for a woman.

The Fugees formed in 1990 in which New Jersey town?

The Fugees came together in South Orange, New Jersey, where Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel attended Columbia High School; the name, short for 'refugees', nods to Wyclef's and Pras's Haitian roots.

Which Kool & the Gang member guided the Fugees to their name and Ruffhouse deal?

Ronald 'Khalis' Bell of Kool & the Gang worked with the group in its early days, when it was known as the Tranzlator Crew; their Ruffhouse debut Blunted on Reality arrived in 1994.

Which group became the first hip-hop group with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019?

Cypress Hill received the first Hollywood Walk of Fame star for a hip-hop group on 18 April 2019; formed in South Gate, California, in 1988, the Latino trio's 1991 debut went double platinum.

Which two rappers made up Mobb Deep?

Their best-known single 'Shook Ones, Part II' came from The Infamous (1995); Prodigy died in 2017.

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony formed in 1991 in which city?

Cleveland's Bone Thugs-n-Harmony came together in 1991 on the city's east side, originally as B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e; their rapid-fire melodic style took their 1995 album E. 1999 Eternal to number one.

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's 'Tha Crossroads' was a tribute to which late rapper?

'Tha Crossroads' was reworked in 1996 as a tribute to Eazy-E, who had signed the group to Ruthless and died of AIDS in March 1995; it spent eight weeks at number one and won a 1997 Grammy.

Coolio first found recognition as a member of which gangsta rap group?

Coolio rapped in WC and the Maad Circle, whose 1991 debut Ain't a Damn Thang Changed preceded his solo rise; 'Gangsta's Paradise' won the 1996 Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.

Naughty by Nature formed in 1986 in which New Jersey city?

East Orange, New Jersey, produced Naughty by Nature, who started in 1986 as the New Style and were mentored by fellow East Orange native Queen Latifah; 'O.P.P.' (1991) made Treach, Vin Rock and DJ Kay Gee stars.

Which Kid Cudi song, first posted on MySpace, became an online hit and led to his first mixtape?

'Day 'n' Nite', produced by Dot da Genius and posted to MySpace in 2007, earned Kid Cudi a Fool's Gold single and the 2008 mixtape A Kid Named Cudi; Kanye West then signed him to GOOD Music.

Which Chance the Rapper mixtape was the first streaming-only project to win Best Rap Album?

Coloring Book, released free on streaming services in May 2016, won Best Rap Album at the 59th Grammys in February 2017, the first streaming-only release to win a Grammy; its single 'No Problem' took Best Rap Performance.

Which producer co-founded Def Jam and later founded American Recordings?

Rick Rubin co-founded Def Jam with Russell Simmons in 1984, producing early records for LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys and Run-DMC, then left in 1988 to start Def American, renamed American Recordings in 1993.

DMX's 1998 debut It's Dark and Hell Is Hot was released through Def Jam and which company?

Ruff Ryders, the management company turned label run by the Dean siblings, put out It's Dark and Hell Is Hot with Def Jam in May 1998; it debuted at number one with 251,000 copies after DMX's failed stint at Columbia.

Which Public Enemy member gave Busta Rhymes his stage name?

Chuck D named the teenage Trevor Smith 'Busta Rhymes' after George 'Buster' Rhymes, a Minnesota Vikings and CFL receiver of the 1980s; Public Enemy's leader mentored the Long Island group Busta belonged to.

Busta Rhymes first drew attention as a member of which group?

Leaders of the New School, a Long Island quartet with Charlie Brown, Dinco D and Cut Monitor Milo, released A Future Without a Past... in 1991; Busta's verse on A Tribe Called Quest's 'Scenario' that year stole the show.

Producer Timbaland was born and raised in which Virginia city?

Norfolk, Virginia, is where Timbaland, born Timothy Mosley in 1972, grew up DJing as DJ Timmy Tim before joining DeVante Swing's Swing Mob; his stuttering rhythms powered Aaliyah's 1996 album One in a Million.

Who was the original host of the American version of Yo! MTV Raps?

Ed Lover and Doctor Dré later hosted weekdays while Freddy took weekends; the show ran on MTV from 1988 to 1995.

The Sugarhill Gang formed in 1979 in which New Jersey town?

Englewood, New Jersey, home of Sugar Hill Records, is where Wonder Mike, Big Bank Hank and Master Gee were assembled as the Sugarhill Gang in 1979; 'Rapper's Delight' peaked at number 36 on the Hot 100 in January 1980.

Afrika Bambaataa turned his street gang the Black Spades into which organization?

The Universal Zulu Nation, founded by Afrika Bambaataa in the Bronx in 1973, channelled former Black Spades into DJing, breaking and graffiti; his 1982 single 'Planet Rock' with the Soulsonic Force defined electro.

Which Kurtis Blow single from 1980 was the first certified gold rap song?

'The Breaks', released on Mercury in 1980, was the first rap single certified gold by the RIAA; Kurtis Blow had become the first rapper signed to a major label with 'Christmas Rappin'' in 1979.

Which Boogie Down Productions member was murdered in August 1987?

The group's name comes from a nickname for the South Bronx; their debut LP was Criminal Minded.

Who directed the 2002 Eminem film 8 Mile?

Curtis Hanson, who had won an Oscar for writing L.A. Confidential, directed 8 Mile from Scott Silver's script; shot in Detroit, it grossed $242.9 million worldwide and 'Lose Yourself' won Best Original Song.

What is the name of Eminem's character in 8 Mile?

Jimmy Smith Jr., nicknamed B-Rabbit, is a Detroit factory worker trying to break into the city's battle-rap scene; the title refers to 8 Mile Road, the boundary between Detroit and its northern suburbs.

Which Doja Cat song became her first Billboard Hot 100 number one?

'Say So', a disco-flavoured single from Doja Cat's second album Hot Pink, reached number one in May 2020 after a remix added Nicki Minaj, whose first chart-topper it also was.

Which 2022 Ice Spice song went viral on TikTok and launched her career?

'Munch (Feelin' U)', produced by RiotUSA and released in August 2022, went viral after Drake played it on his Sirius XM show; the Bronx rapper then signed with 10K Projects and Capitol and released the EP Like..? in January 2023.

What was the title of Missy Elliott's 1997 debut solo album?

Supa Dupa Fly, produced entirely by Timbaland and released in July 1997, peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, then the highest debut for a female rapper; its single 'The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)' flipped Ann Peebles.

Which rapper discovered Lil' Kim in 1994 and invited her into Junior M.A.F.I.A.?

The Notorious B.I.G. met the teenage Kimberly Jones in Brooklyn in 1994 and brought her into Junior M.A.F.I.A.; the group's 1995 debut Conspiracy went gold and its single 'Get Money' reached the Hot 100 top 20.

Big Daddy Kane began his career in 1986 as a member of which collective?

The Juice Crew, the Queensbridge collective built around producer Marley Marl and radio DJ Mr. Magic, brought in Big Daddy Kane in 1986 after Biz Markie introduced him; his 1988 debut Long Live the Kane followed.

Under what name did MF Doom rap in the trio KMD before adopting his masked supervillain persona?

As Zev Love X, Daniel Dumile fronted KMD with his brother DJ Subroc, debuting on 3rd Bass's 'The Gas Face' in 1989; KMD ended after Subroc's 1993 death, and the masked MF Doom emerged in the late 1990s.

André 3000's 2023 debut solo album New Blue Sun is built around which instrument he plays?

New Blue Sun (2023) is built around André 3000's flutes, including a Mayan double flute and digital wind instruments, across an all-instrumental album with no rapping; it ended a 17-year album gap and earned an Album of the Year nomination.