Roots of Killer Mike

The Coup is an American hip-hop band from Oakland, California. Their music is an amalgamation of influences, including funk, punk, hip-hop, and soul. Frontman Boots Riley's revolutionarily-charged lyrics rank The Coup as a renowned political hip-hop band aligned to radical music groups such as Crass, Dead Prez and Rage Against the Machine.

Jaime Stuart Meline, better known by the stage name El-P, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a member of the widely acclaimed Company Flow, and has been a driving force in alternative hip-hop since the 1990s. He is now most widely-known as one half of Run the Jewels. He has produced for rappers including Aesop Rock, Cage, and Mr. Lif. He was a member of The Weathermen and was the co-founder, owner, and CEO of the Definitive Jux record label.

Company Flow was an American hip hop trio from Brooklyn, New York City, consisting of Bigg Jus, El-P and Mr. Len.

Patrick Leroy "Sleepy" Brown is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is one-third of the Atlanta-based production team of Organized Noize, which has created hits for acts such as Outkast, Goodie Mob and TLC. TLC's "Waterfalls", penned by Brown and Organized Noize's Rico Wade and Ray Murray, was a #1 hit single on Billboard's Hot 100 in the summer of 1995.

David Arnold Augustine Jr., known professionally as Dee-1, is an American rapper, author, educator, and activist from New Orleans, Louisiana. The success of his 2010 single, "Jay, 50, and Weezy", led him to sign a recording contract with RCA Inspiration three years later. In 2019, he parted ways with the label in favor of an independent career.

Wayne Hardnett Jr., known professionally as Bone Crusher, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He was discovered by record producer Jermaine Dupri, and is best known for his 2003 crunk single, "Never Scared". The song peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 — becoming his only entry on the chart — and preceded his debut studio album AttenCHUN! (2003). Additionally, the song served as theme music for that year's Atlanta Braves roster, and was featured in the Madden NFL 2004 video game, while the album peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200.

Micah LeVar Troy, known professionally as Pastor Troy, is an American rapper from Augusta, Georgia. He is best known for his 2002 single "Are We Cuttin'", which entered the Billboard Hot 100. The year prior, he signed with Universal Records to release his fourth album and major label debut, Face Off (2001), which entered the Billboard 200. "Are We Cuttin'" spawned from his sixth album, Universal Soldier (2002), which peaked at number 13 on the chart. His seventh, By Any Means Necessary (2004), served as his final release with the label.

Stankonia is the fourth studio album by the American hip hop duo Outkast, released on October 31, 2000, by LaFace Records and Arista Records. The album was recorded in the duo's recently purchased Atlanta recording facility, Stankonia Studios, which allowed for fewer time and recording constraints, and featured production work from Earthtone III and longtime collaborators Organized Noize.