Legacy of Big Daddy Kane

Lamont Coleman, known professionally as Big L, was an American rapper and record producer. Emerging from Harlem in New York City in 1992, Big L became known among underground hip-hop fans for his freestyling ability. He was eventually signed to Columbia Records, where, in 1995, he released his debut studio album, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous. He was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in Harlem in 1999.

MoKenStef is an American female R&B trio from Los Angeles, active from 1994 until 2000. The group name was a combination of the first syllable of each member's name: Monifa, Kenya, and Stefanie. They released an album, Azz Izz, in 1995, and their biggest hit was "He's Mine", which peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also spent one week in the UK Singles Chart in September 1995 at #70. Their second single, "Sex in the Rain", was not as successful, peaking only at #41 on the US R&B chart.

Jidenna Theodore Mobisson, known mononymously as Jidenna, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He signed with Janelle Monáe's record label Wondaland Arts Society, an imprint of Epic Records to release his 2015 debut single, "Classic Man". The song peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was followed by the single "Yoga" that same year. Both songs preceded the release of Wondaland's collective project, The Eephus (2015). Jidenna's debut studio album, The Chief (2017), peaked at number 38 on the Billboard 200. His second album, 85 to Africa (2019), explored afro fusion.

Shawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, businessman, and record executive. In 2023, Billboard and Vibe ranked him as the greatest rapper of all time. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, Jay-Z is known for his complex lyricism that often uses double entendres, wordplay, and braggadocio. His music is built on a rags to riches narrative. According to Forbes, he is the wealthiest music artist in history, worth an estimated US$2.8 billion as of 2026.

Maksim Lembersky, known by his stage name Your Old Droog, is a Ukrainian-born American rapper and producer from Brooklyn, New York. He first gained public attention in June 2014 when online rumors were circulated that his self-published debut EP was actually recorded by veteran New York rapper Nas under an alter ego, before revealing himself in August of that year as a 25-year-old Ukrainian American. His self-titled debut album was released digitally on November 25, 2014. The name "Droog" comes from the Ukrainian word 'друг' meaning "friend".

Lorenzo Jerald Patterson, known professionally by his stage name MC Ren, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Compton, California. He is the founder and owner of the independent record label Villain Entertainment.

Gregory Skyler Taylor, known professionally as Skyzoo, is an American rapper, director, and songwriter. He has released a number of notable solo and collaborative albums, including Cloud 9: The 3 Day High with 9th Wonder in 2006, The Salvation in 2009, A Dream Deferred in 2012, Music for My Friends in 2015, The Easy Truth with Apollo Brown in 2016, Retropolitan with Pete Rock in 2019, and his most recent solo album Keep Me Company. Skyzoo has also released a plethora of mixtapes including Corner Store Classic and The Great Debater throughout his career, and has worked with artists such as Jill Scott, Wale, Lloyd Banks, Dr. Dre, Black Thought, Jadakiss, Talib Kweli, Spike Lee, John Legend, among others. Skyzoo has headlined or co-headlined often-yearly tours throughout America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia, and he owns and operates the independent record label First Generation Rich.

Positive K is an American MC and songwriter from the Bronx, New York City, New York, and one of the original artists of the First Priority Music camp. He is best known for his songs "I'm Not Havin' It" and his 1992 hit "I Got a Man".

Joell Christopher Ortiz is an American rapper and former member of the group Slaughterhouse. Raised in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn's Cooper Park Houses, he first gained recognition after appearing in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source Magazine, as well as on the Chairman's Choice list on XXL Magazine.

Byron Dwayne "Guilty" Simpson is an American rapper and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan whose recording career spans more than 30 years. He is signed to Stones Throw Records, and is known for being one of the late producer J Dilla's favorite rappers.

Dwight Arrington Myers, known professionally as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-American rapper, record producer, and actor. He was the leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a group that included dancers/hype men G-Whiz and "Trouble" T. Roy, as well as DJ and producer Eddie F. The group maintained a sizeable audience in the United States through most of the 1990s. The five albums the group released included production mainly by Teddy Riley, Marley Marl, DJ Premier, Myers's cousin Pete Rock, and "in-house" beatmaker Eddie F. Myers also released four solo albums and discovered Soul for Real and Monifah.