Legacy of The Notorious B.I.G.

Kelly Cherelle Price is an American R&B and gospel singer and songwriter. Beginning her career in 1992, Price originally performed backing vocals for Mariah Carey on multiple songs, including Carey's Billboard Hot 100-number one singles "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and "Fantasy." Price rose to wider prominence in 1997 following her uncredited performances on the number-one single "Mo Money Mo Problems" by the Notorious B.I.G. and the top-five single "Feel So Good" by Mase, prompting her to record as a lead artist. Her debut studio album, Soul of a Woman (1998), received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); its lead single, "Friend of Mine" peaked within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Mobb Deep were an American hip-hop duo formed in Queens, New York, in 1990. Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy and Havoc, they are considered to be among the most influential artists in East Coast hip-hop. Mobb Deep are one of the most successful rap duos of all time, having sold over three million records. Their best-known albums are The Infamous (1995), Hell on Earth (1996) and Murda Muzik (1999), and their most successful singles were "Shook Ones, " and "Survival of the Fittest". They were known for their dark and hardcore delivery.

Otep was an American nu metal band. The band was formed in November 2000 in Los Angeles by frontwoman Otep Shamaya. The band is noted for their style of "art-house nu metal", and their strong political stances. Throughout the course of several lineup changes over the years, Shamaya was the only constant member in the band.

Justin Lewis Scott, known professionally as Big K.R.I.T., is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Meridian, Mississippi, he began his musical career in 2005. He was signed to Def Jam Recordings by Sha Money XL in 2010, and first gained recognition following the release of his single "Country Shit" in September of that year. The following year, he guest appeared on T.I.'s promotional single "I'm Flexin'", which became Scott's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.

Kristopher Thomas Campbell, known professionally as K Camp is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born in Milwaukee and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Campbell began his recording career in 2009. He first garnered attention for his 2013 single "Money Baby", which led him to sign with Interscope Records. Released in December of that year, his single "Cut Her Off" became his first and highest-charting entry—at number 49—on the Billboard Hot 100. Both songs received platinum certifications by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and preceded the release of his debut extended play (EP), In Due Time (2014).

Christopher Lee Rios, better known by his stage name Big Pun, was an American rapper. Emerging from the underground hip-hop scene in the Bronx, he came to prominence upon discovery by fellow Bronx rapper Fat Joe, alongside Cuban Link and Triple Seis, and thereafter guest appeared on his 1995 album Jealous One's Envy.

Michael Kyle Williams, known professionally as Sheff G, is an American rapper. He rose to fame with his 2017 single "No Suburban", which was a response to the song "Suburban" by 22Gz. 22Gz responded with a song titled "Retaliation", and Sheff G responded with "No Suburban Pt.2 Williams is widely known as one of the vanguards of the Brooklyn drill movement. On May 16, 2023, Williams was indicted with 31 other purported gang members responsible for several shooting incidents and at least one murder over a two-year span.

Clifford Smith Jr., known professionally as Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He is a member of the East Coast hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, and is half of the hip-hop duo Method Man & Redman. His debut solo album, Tical (1994), peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and spawned the single "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By", which won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards. The song also peaked within the top five of the Billboard Hot 100; he and Blige later starred in Power Book II: Ghost, a spin-off of Power.

Aykut Anhan, known by his stage name Haftbefehl, is a German rapper of Turkish-Kurdish origin. He is widely considered one of the greatest German hip-hop artists. Haftbefehl was signed to his own record label Azzlack, before signing with the label Echte Musik.

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.

Jason Terrance Phillips, better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper who began his career in the 1990s and formed the hip hop trio the Lox alongside Styles P and Sheek Louch in 1994. The group signed with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records, an imprint of Arista Records to release their debut studio album, Money, Power & Respect (1998); their second album, We Are the Streets (2000) was released by Ruff Ryders Entertainment, an imprint of Interscope Records. Both peaked within the top five of the Billboard 200 and yielded critical praise; their two subsequent albums, Filthy America... It's Beautiful (2016) and Living Off Xperience (2020) were both released by Jay-Z's Roc Nation and met with continued praise.

Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9", is an American rapper. Best known for his association with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, the two met in 1997 and formed the hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil the following year. Their 2011 single, "Lighters", peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of their debut extended play (EP), Hell: The Sequel (2011). The song and EP—which debuted atop the Billboard 200—have both yielded Montgomery's furthest commercial success.

Chiiild is a Canadian experimental soul band, fronted by Yonatan "xSDTRK" Ayal signed to Avant Garden Records and 4th & Broadway. The Montréal-based band formed in 2017 and released their debut EP, Synthetic Soul, in 2020.

Tia Corine Thompson Shults, known professionally as TiaCorine, is an American rapper and songwriter from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is best known for her singles "Lotto" and "FreakyT".

Tom Stræte Lagergren, known professionally as Matoma, is a Norwegian DJ and record producer.

Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, lead vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish, who replaced Muzz Skillings in 1992. Their music is influenced by progressive rock, heavy metal, funk, jazz, hip-hop, punk, alternative rock, delta blues, doo-wop, swing music, ska, yacht rock and barbershop quartet. The band's lyrics range from the personal to the political, including social commentary on racism in the United States.

Method Man & Redman are an American hip-hop duo composed of rappers Method Man and Redman. They are signed to Def Jam Recordings both as solo artists and as a duo. While they had been collaborating since 1994, it was not until 1999 that they released a full-length collaborative effort, Blackout!. The follow-up album, Blackout! 2, was released in 2009.

David R. Styles, better known by his stage name Styles P, is an American rapper, best known as a member of East Coast hip-hop group The Lox. Formed with fellow rappers Sheek Louch and Jadakiss in 1994, the group was also part of the Ruff Ryders Entertainment collective.

Charley Wingate, better known by his stage name Max B, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Harlem, New York. He is best known for his solo Public Domain and Million Dollar Baby series of mixtapes. He coined the term "wavy" as a slang in popular lexicon, originating the wave movement in hip-hop. Released from federal prison on November 9, 2025 after serving sixteen years, he returned to music and scored his first career number-one single with "Ever Since U Left Me " with French Montana, which reached number one on Billboard Rhythmic Airplay and Mediabase Rhythmic Radio in 2026. He also appeared on "Minks in Miami" with Rick Ross and French Montana, which reached number one on Billboard Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, giving him two number-one records on two different Billboard charts in 2026.

Gabriel Lorenzo Garzón-Montano is a Colombian-French-American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in New York City. After earning a spotlight by opening for Lenny Kravitz's European tour in 2014 and being sampled in the Drake song "Jungle" in 2015, part of a Grammy nominated and double platinum album, Garzón-Montano released his debut album, Jardín in 2017 through Stones Throw Records. Garzón-Montano has performed at major U.S. and international venues. His music style blends R&B, soul, funk, and as of 2020, urban-reggaeton.