Roots of JAY-Z

Bataan Nitollano, also known as Joe Bataan, is a Filipino-American Latin soul singer, songwriter and musician best known world-wide and in the Hispanic and Latino music scene as the "King of Latin Soul".

Menahan Street Band is an American, Brooklyn, New York–based instrumental band formed in 2007, that plays funk and soul music. The band features musicians from Antibalas, El Michels Affair, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and the Budos Band. The group was founded by Thomas Brenneck while living in an apartment on Menahan Street in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. Their debut album, Make the Road by Walking, was released in 2008 on Dunham, a sublabel of Daptone Records and was followed by The Crossing in 2012.

Los Ángeles Negros are a Chilean pop ballad band formed in San Carlos de Chile in 1968. The band's best-known line-up consisted of singer Germaín de la Fuente, guitarist Mario Gutiérrez, keyboardist Jorge González, bassist Miguel Ángel "Nano" Concha, and drummer Luis Ortiz. Their music is a blend of boleros, psychedelic funk and rock music, known as Balada rockmántica.

Carlton Neron Thomas is an American R&B singer from Aurora, Illinois. He was discovered by American rapper Puff Daddy, who signed Thomas to Bad Boy Records, a then-imprint of Arista Records in 1997. He became best known for his 2000 single "I Wish", which peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded his debut studio album, Emotional (2000).

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.

Aston George Taylor Jr., professionally known as Funkmaster "Funk" Flex, is an American DJ, rapper, record producer, and host on New York City's Hot 97 radio station. In 1992, he became host of the first hip hop radio show on Hot 97 in New York, which was a dance radio station at the time.

Little Brother was an American hip-hop duo from Durham, North Carolina, that consists of rappers Phonte and Big Pooh. DJ and producer 9th Wonder was an original member of the group but departed in 2007. The group has produced five acclaimed studio albums and six mixtapes. Little Brother is highly regarded among hip-hop fans and critics.

Sonia Bazanta Vides, better known as Totó la Momposina, was a Colombian singer of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous descent. She reached international attention with the release of her 1993 album La Candela Viva on Peter Gabriel's Real World Records label. Totó accompanied Gabriel García Márquez to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982 as part of a Colombian cultural delegation performing during the award ceremony.

Labh Janjua was an Indian bhangra vocalist and songwriter, best known for his bhangra and hip hop songs, such as "Bair Bura Hunda Jatt da", "Jatt Di Nazar Buri", "Goli Jatt Ne Katcheri'ch Chaloni ", "Jatt Marda", "Soni De Nakhre Sone lagde" and "Mundian To Bach Ke", which was produced by Panjabi MC in 1998, and re-released in 2002. He has also sung many Bollywood songs, including "Jee Karda" from the 2008 film Singh Is Kinng and "London Thumakda" from the 2014 film Queen which was one of his most successful songs.

Anthony Cruz, better known by his stage name AZ, is an American rapper. Best known for his work with fellow East Coast rapper Nas, the two formed the New York City-based hip hop group the Firm in 1996, along with Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature.

Asha Puthli is an Indian-born American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress. She moved to New York from Mumbai with a dance scholarship, and in 1970, she was signed to CBS Records and subsequently released several solo albums. Her recordings cover blues, pop, rock, soul, funk, disco, and techno music. She also starred in films by Merchant Ivory and Bruno Corbucci. In 2025, Puthli was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Blackstreet is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by Virginia Beach, Virginia-based record producers Chauncey "Black" Hannibal, Joseph "Street" Stonestreet, and Teddy Riley. The group released four albums with Interscope Records between 1994 and 2003. They achieved moderate commercial success leading up to their 1996 single "No Diggity", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.

Eric B. & Rakim were an American hip hop duo formed on Long Island, New York, in 1986, composed of DJ Eric B. and rapper Rakim. They first received acclaim for their 1987 debut album Paid in Full, which featured versions of the popular singles "Eric B. Is President" and the title track. They followed with three successful albums: Follow the Leader (1988), Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em (1990), and Don't Sweat the Technique (1992).

The Chi-Lites is an American R&B/soul vocal quartet from Chicago. Forming at Chicago's Hyde Park High School in 1959, the group's original lineup consisted of singers Robert Lester, Eugene Record, Creadel Jones, Clarence Johnson, Burt Bowen, Eddie Reed and Marshall Thompson.

Calibro 35 is an Italian cinematic funk band formed in 2007 in Milan. The band has released numerous studio albums, live records, and movie soundtracks, gaining international recognition for their unique sound inspired by 1970s Poliziottesco films.

Todd Anthony Shaw, known professionally as Too Short, is an American rapper. A pioneer of West Coast hip-hop, Shaw was among the first acts to receive recognition in the genre during the late 1980s. His lyrics were often based on pimping and promiscuity, but also drug culture and street survival; exemplified respectively in his most popular singles "Blow the Whistle" and "The Ghetto". He is one of few acts to have worked with both Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. at the heights of their respective careers.

Patrick Denard Douthit, better known as 9th Wonder, is an American record producer, record executive, educator, and DJ who is the CEO of Jamla Records, distributed and marketed by Roc Nation, and Empire Distribution. As of Fall 2022, Douthit is Professor of the Practice in Residence in the Program in African American Studies at Wake Forest University. He also continues to teach courses at Duke University alongside his longtime collaborator, Professor Mark Anthony Neal.

Frank Ocean is an American singer-songwriter and rapper. His accolades include two Grammy Awards and a Brit Award. He has been credited by several music critics as a pioneer of the alternative R&B genre.