Legacy of Eric B. & Rakim

Aaron Dontez Yates, better known by his stage name Tech N9ne, is an American rapper, songwriter, and singer. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold over two million albums and his music has been featured in film, television, and interactive media. In 2009, he won the Left Field Woodie Award broadcast on mtvU.

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.

Rakim Athelston Mayers, known professionally as ASAP Rocky, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, fashion designer, and model. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a member of the hip hop collective ASAP Mob, from which he adopted his stage name. In August 2011, Mayers' single "Peso" was leaked online and began receiving radio airplay within weeks, propelling cloud rap into mainstream attention. He signed with Polo Grounds Music, an imprint of RCA Records, that October and released his debut mixtape, Live. Love. A$AP to widespread critical acclaim.

Amir Mohamed el Khalifa, better known by his stage name Oddisee, is an American rapper and record producer from Washington, D.C. He is one third of the hip-hop trio Diamond District. He was also part of the Low Budget Crew. He is based in Brooklyn, New York.

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.

C-Block were a German hip-hop group, founded in 1995 by German music producers Frank Müller and Jörg Wagner. The group has been fronted by American rapper/singer Anthony "Red Dogg" Joseph and James "Mr.P" White.

Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip is the debut studio album by American girl group TLC, released on February 25, 1992, by LaFace Records. The title of the album comes from the last line of Left Eye's rap on "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg".

The Death of Slim Shady is the twelfth studio album by the American rapper Eminem. It was released through Shady Records, Goliath Artists, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records on July 12, 2024. The concept album centers around a battle between Eminem himself and his Slim Shady alter ego. The album incorporates hardcore hip-hop, satirical hip-hop, and conscious hip-hop. The album features guest appearances from White Gold, Sly Pyper, Bizarre, JID, Dem Jointz, Ez Mil, Skylar Grey, Big Sean, BabyTron, and Jelly Roll; the Expanded Mourner's Edition additionally features 2 Chainz, Westside Boogie, and Grip.

"N.Y. State of Mind" is a single by American rapper Nas from his debut studio album Illmatic (1994). The song's production was handled by DJ Premier who sampled two jazz songs: "Mind Rain" by Joe Chambers and "Flight Time" by Donald Byrd. Additionally, Premier scratched up vocal samples from "Mahogany" by Eric B. & Rakim and Nas' vocals from his appearance on "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source co-featuring Joe Fatal and Akinyele. Nas raps two verses on the song in which he talks about his rapping talent and describes the dangerous environment that is the city of New York over a drum break sample of "N.T." by Kool & the Gang. Nas has attributed the song "Streets of New York" by Kool G Rap as one of the song's primary influences. Sequels to "N.Y. State of Mind" can be found on Nas' 1999 album I Am... and on Nas' and DJ Premier's 2025 album Light-Years. On January 28, 2019, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The "Love Symbol" album, also known as Love Symbol, Symbol Album, or Symbol, is the fourteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the second of the two that featured his backing band the New Power Generation. It was released on October 13, 1992, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. It was originally conceived as a "fantasy rock soap opera" with various spoken segues throughout, and contains elements of R&B, funk, pop, rock, and soul.

Rage Against the Machine was an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello, and drummer Brad Wilk. They melded heavy metal, rap, punk rock, and funk with anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist, and revolutionary lyrics. As of 2010, they had sold over 16 million records worldwide. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.