Evergreen Copyrights

2 Live Crew

2 Live Crew is one of the seminal groups in rap history.  Synonymous with controversy, they pioneered the Miami Bass sound in the late 80s, using the Roland TR-808 drum machine as a canvas for their sexually explicit lyrics.  Their breakout album, As Nasty As They Wanna Be, sold two million copies on the strength of such singles as Me So Horny, but due to the sexual nature of the lyrics was labeled as "obscene" and subsequently banned in Florida.  After being arrested for performing live, the group was mired in a high profile courtroom drama that ultimately led to their acquittal in 1992.  In the meantime, the group continued to record and perform, releasing the tongue-in-cheek single Banned In the USA as well as the very first live rap album Live In Concert.  After taking a long hiatus, 2 Live Crew is now reformed and currently recording a new album.  Their music remains an important and vital part of American culture.

69 Boyz

The Florida-based 69 Boyz burst onto the scene with their 1994 double-platinum smash Tootsee Roll, the infamous Miami Bass dance anthem. Rappers Van “Thrill Da Playa” Bryant, Barry “Fast” Wright, Greg “Slow” Thomas and Rottweiler Mike Mike, all born in 1969, released their debut album 199Quad on the heels of the single’s success and are credited with the mainstream acceptance of the Miami Bass genre, along with fellow scene staples 95 South and 2 Live Crew. In 1998, the 69 Boyz released a second album entitled The Wait Is Over, featuring Woof Woof, a track written for the film Dr. Dolittle which peaked at #31 on the Billboard Hot 100. 2069, their third and final album, was released in 2000, one year prior to the 69 Boyz disbanding.

Audio Two (Kirk Robinson)

Kirk "Milk Dee" Robinson is a legendary figure in the hip-hop world, and for good reason. Along with his brother, Nat "Gizmo" Robinson, he released one of the most influential hip hop tracks of all time in 1987: Audio Two's Top Billin'. The funky, braggadocio-filled track has been heavily sampled and referenced over the years by artists including 50 Cent, 2Pac, Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J, and Notorious B.I.G., and was named the #8 greatest rap song by noted critc Henry Adaso. Kirk rediscovered success in 2004 when he produced the breakout hit F*ck It (I Don't Want You Back) for R&B sensation, Eamon, and he returned to the mic in 2007, recording a verse for a remix of 50 Cent's I Get Money.

Beatnuts

During the early 1990s, the Beatnuts remixed the elite of hip-hop artists before recording their own rap-oriented material that was filled with a light touch of jazz, humor, and funk. Their hit singles Reign Of The Tec, Props Over Here, Do You Believe, Off The Books, Watch Out Now, and No Escapin' This listed towards the top of the Hot Rap Singles and Hot Dance Music Sales charts.

Bebe Winans

Bebe Winans is a four-time Grammy award winning gospel and R&B singer, songwriter, producer, arranger of music, radio host, actor and entrepreneur. Hailing from the first family of gospel music, Benjamin “Bebe” Winans began his career as a background singer for The Winans (his four older brothers). He soon joined forces with his sister Cece and released a string of highly successful albums, including 1991’s Different Lifestyles, which won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album. In 1995, Bebe and Cece both decided to pursue solo careers, although a reunion album is currently in the works.

Bruce Fisher

Best known for his collaborations with Billy Preston, Bruce Fisher penned one of the most memorable, most recorded songs in music history with You Are So Beautiful which was famously performed by Joe Cocker. Artists as diverse as Kenny Rogers, The Beach Boys, Pavarotti, Engelbert Humperdinck, and Babyface have all recorded their own renditions of this timeless classic. Other prominent songs in his catalog include Will It Go Round In Circles and Nothing From Nothing, both went to #1 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart in 1973 and 1974 respectively.

Bunny Sigler

Bunny Sigler a/k/a Bundino Sigalucci is best known for innovating Philadelphia Soul, a highly influential genre of music that infused R&B with funk and effectively paved the way for disco and beyond.  Sigler's biggest hits came in 1978 with Let Me Party With You (number 8 R&B and number 43 pop) and Only You (number 11 R&B and number 87 pop). Sigler's timeless compositions have also helped other artists find considerable success over the years, including the O'Jays, The Whispers, Instant Funk, Patti Labelle, and Shirley Jones with songs such as Love, Need and Want You and This Air I Breathe. More recently Sigler's music has been sampled by artists such as Notorious B.I.G., 50 Cent, Outkast and Christina Milian to name but a few, most notably on Nelly's #1 hit Dilemma.

Chaundon (Hall of Justus)

Growing up in South Bronx and constantly being surrounded by Hip Hop, Chaundon began writing rhymes at 13. As a member of the collaborative team Justus League, it wasn’t in this group where he first started performing. As a student at Stevenson High School, he earned his stardom rapping in front of students all over school. Realizing that music was his calling, Chaundon gained a reputation for his lyrical prowess; a reputation that followed him wherever he’s gone since. After graduation and while attending North Carolina Central University, he entered the hip-hop scene, performing at local venues. He has released many mixtapes, including collaborations with 9th Wonder, DJ Drama, and Khrysis. Chaundon’s versatility and expressive voice makes him a favorite among the Hip Hop community.

Dr. Dre

Andre Romelle Young, otherwise known as Dr. Dre, is a Grammy Winning record producer and rapper, as well as an actor, director, label executive and entrepreneur. Known today as one of the dominant figures in West Coast gangsta rap music, he has had many successful hits as a rapper, including Let Me Ride (1992), Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang (1992), and Forgot About Dre (1999). However, he is arguably most famous as an impeccable record producer who has produced hits for Mary J. Blige (Family Affair), 50 Cent (In Da Club), and Eminem (My Name Is, The Real Slim Shady, etc.) among many others. He is currently the CEO of Aftermath Entertainment, and was the former co-owner of Death Row records along with Suge Knight, during which time he introduced the world to 2Pac and Snoop Dogg.

Edwin "Tony" Nicholas

Tony began his professional songwriting career with the 1991 platinum release of Private Line by his co-writer and production partner, Mr. Gerald Levert. With two number one singles and two top ten singles, that success launched the duo on to produce a body of work that includes 17 gold & platinum records with appearances from Mary J. Blige, Barry White, Faith Evans, Joe, 3LW, Johnny Gill, Vanessa Williams, and many more. At the 50th Annual Grammy awards in 2008, Nicholas's song In My Songs won the award for best traditional R&B performance!

Full Force

Full Force began their career as producers of the seminal hip-hop classic Roxanne Roxane by UTFO and their own successful R&B records (including Alice I Want You Just For Me and Ain't My Type Of Hype) and spent the 1980s generating a string of crossover hits for artists such as Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, Samantha Fox and James Brown. They scored again in the 1990s with N Sync and the Backstreet Boys (including their international smash All I Have To Give). The new millennium has seen their vintage work used as source material for more international hits including Nina Sky's Move Ya Body and Black Eyed Peas' Don't Phunk With My Heart.

J-Live

A legend in the underground hip-hop world, Brooklyn MC J-Live burst onto the scene in 1995 with the hit single Bragging Rights. Using soulful, catchy beats as his template, J-Live is known for his insightful, street-smart lyrics, which he delivers with confidence and ease.  Although he was quickly signed to a record deal, his debut album, The Best Part, was delayed for five years due to record label reshuffling, but this only added to his now mythical status. In 2002 his second album, All of the Above was released on the label, Coup D'etat. It featured production by DJ Spinna, Usef Dinero, and DJ Jazzy Jeff. In 2003 J-Live simultaneously released two EPs, Always Has Been and Always Will Be. Always Has Been was a collection of J-Live's six early singles which did not appear on any of his albums. Always Will Beconsisted of 8 new songs. Both EPs were released on the label, Triple Threat Productions. His third LP, The Hear After in 2005 on the label, Penalty (Ryko). In October 2007 J-live released his Reveal The Secret EP on BBE Records.

Joe Scudda (Hall of Justus)

Joseph Samuel Griffin’s unruly nature as a teen led to his leaving home and turned to fortune when he met Justus League producer 9th Wonder through his local DJ work. Soon, Joe was recording songs with many Justus League emcees and producers. From there, Joe began working with HOJ alum and eventually was featured on almost every subsequent HOJ album. Joe’s cameo on Little Brother’s single Lovin It boosted him to fame, and since then, Joe has also performed with non-HOJ members including the Dilated Peoples, Pete Rock, and The Alchemist as well as appearing on the hit FX TV series The Shield.

Keith Brown

Keith Brown writes in a variety of musical styles, deftly switching from country to R&B, and then moving again from pop to hip-hop. Brown has collaborated with such noted performers as Faith Hill, Leigh Nash (Sixpence None The Richer), Keith Urban, and Jamie O'Neil. He has written, produced and arranged for Rascal Flats, Richie Sambora, Desmond Child, Nick Lachey and Rudy Perez, and his work can be heard on the MGM film soundtrack for Uptown Girls. His international hit Caliente held a #1 spot on the charts in both Spain and Portugal in 2003. His debut album This Side of Heaven, co-produced and writen with former Prince and the Revolution guitarist Dez Dickerson, created two #1 songs and three top five hits in the Contemporary Christian market. In 2004, Brown's song Charmed Life was featured in a JC Penney commercial that aired during the 2004 Academy Awards. Brown's song Entertaining Angels is featured on the current release from country music star Mark Wills.

Khrysis (Hall of Justus)

Khrysis (b. Christopher Frederick Tyson) is a main in-house producer for North Carolina rap crew the Justus League. While working at the North Carolina Central University radio station WNCU, Khrysis met League rapper Chaundon, who introduced him to 9th Wonder -- through whom he was able to join the League. Attempting to break out of his mentor’s shadow, Khrysis began producing for non-League artists including Sean Price, Masta Ace, and Jean Grae. Khrysis established his signature combination of drums and intricate melodies with heavy usage of uncut soul samples and spacey key riffs.

Luther Campell (aka Luke)

Luther Campbell, aka Luke, was integral to Miami Bass pioneers 2 Live Crew.   A former concert promoter turned MC, Luke continually sparked controversy and pushed the boundaries of socially acceptable popular music.  Aside from his famously explicit music, he was embroiled in many high-profile legal battles throughout his career.  Most famously, he and his colleagues in 2 Live Crew were literally banned in the state of Florida in 1987 on obscenity charges (which were later dropped).  Despite his reputation as one of the most controversial figures in rap history, Luke created a formidable catalog of music both as a solo artist and with 2 Live Crew, which he helped disseminate through his own record label, Luke Records.

MC Hammer

MC Hammer is credited with bringing rap music into the mainstream when he exploded onto the charts in 1990 with his second album, Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, which sold over 10 million units and became one of the best-selling rap albums of all time. Legions of fans enthused over U Can't Touch This, a song which became a veritable touchstone for the burgeoning rap movement. Other hit singles include Turn This Mutha Out, Too Legit To Quit, Pray, Pump It Up, Have You Seen Her?, It's All Good and Addams Groove.

Michael Jackson

An interesting fact, Michael Jackson is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as “the most successful entertainer of all time”. With 13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles, and sales of over 750 million albums over his long career, it’s not hard to see why. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (for the Jackson 5 and as a solo artist), and has influenced countless artists from younger generations who look up to him as a pop icon. He has numerous classic albums to his name, including Thriller (1982) which remains the highest selling album of all time, with sales of over 100 million copies worldwide, and his 1991 album Dangerous (co-produced by Jackson, Teddy Riley, and Bill Bottrell), which has sold over 32 million copies and is considered the most successful “New Jack Swing” album ever made.

Noble Society

Broadcasting, from Brooklyn, New York, Noble Society creates a musical hybrid of dancehall and hip hop, with a whole lot of reggae thrown in. Sound-ink.com declares them "so good it hurts. It's the New York answer to grime – U.K. style beats with U.S. MCs." Filling the mysterious void of credible reggae artists in the U.S., Noble Society have earned their crown as the new kings of Urban Reggae. Their breakout album, Take Charge, was named Best Reggae album of 2008 on iTunes and the group was featured on the Huffington Post as one of the Top Ten global acts to watch in 2009.

Ostrich Head

A five-piece Hip-Hop collective of music-makes from Los Angeles, CA. Emcees are Calmentz, NoWonder, and Loreaxe. On the turntables are Mes E.Recspin and Waxbukler. The group is strongly influenced by Hip-Hop legends The Pharcyde, De la Soul and A Tribe Called Quest. 'Ohead' frequents the L.A. Club scene, having performed at many of the premier venues. The group is building an increasingly large underground following in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

Poison Clan

With their definitive style of sleazy, club-oriented, and bass-driven rap, Poison Clan is one of the few successful rap groups to come out of the South in the early 90s. The group began as a 2 Live Crew-sponsored act on Luke Records, on which they recorded their first release 2 Low Life Muthas (1990). The album became a modest sensation in the South with its blend of dirty rap, gangsta rap, and Miami bass. However, it was Poison Clan's second album, Poisonous Mentality (1992), and its standout hit, Shake Watcha' Mama Gave Ya, that expanded the group's reach outside of the South. Poison Clan’s five-year run set the stage for the development of the Dirty South movement that would arise later in the decade.

Schoolly D

Jesse Weaver Jr. (aka Schoolly D) changed the course of hip-hop history as a pioneer of Gangsta Rap. He fused hardcore beats with explicit and gritty narratives about urban life in his home-town of Philadelphia. Schoolly D paved the way for the likes of Ice-T and Notorious B.I.G., among others with such songs as Gucci Time, Saturday Night and P.S.K. What Does It Mean?

His music has been heavily sampled over the years, by such artists as The Roots, Jennifer Lopez, Lil' Wayne and by the Chemical Brothers in their 1997 smash Block Rockin' Beats. Younger fans may know Schoolly's work from the Cartoon Networks' wildly successful Aqua Teen Hunger Force, for which he crafted the legendary theme song and contributes voice-overs.

Sean Boog (Hall of Justus)

Since joining North Carolina's Justus League in 2001, rapper Sean Boog has successfully expanded his repertoire to include other critically-acclaimed acts. Following several guest appearances (notably The Foreign Exchange's 2004 album Connected.), Boog formed the Away Team with producer Khrysis. The duo debuted in 2005 with National Anthem, which featured Boot Camp Click and Little Brother and received international press coverage in The Source, XXL, and King Magazine. Since National Anthem, Boog has performed internationally with Little Brother, Boot Camp Click, Tha Liks, and Dilated Peoples. After extensive touring, the Away Team released their sophomore effort Training Day while recording their third album. 

Slavic Soul Party!

Slavic Soul Party! is a group of New York-based jazz musicians who, in the early 2000s, put their own spin on the instrumental folk music of Macedonia and the Balkans. This five-member ensemble brings their own elements of jazz and funk to a traditionally Eastern European style. Fiery brass, throbbing funk grooves, killer Gypsy accordion, and virtuoso jazz chops make Slavic Soul Party! the most danceable Balkan-flavored pop this side of the Adriatic. The Big Easy funk influence on the band's recent album Teknochek Collision adds a welcome laid-back quality to their Balkan-brass sound. The group’s knack for improvisation has inspired countless live performances and a heavy touring schedule of nearly 100 shows a year in the US, Europe, and beyond.

Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg is one of the most instantly recognizable figures in rap music, as well as one of its most endearingly popular personalities. With such diverse hits as Gin and Juice (1993), Still a G Thang (1998), and Drop it Like It’s Hot (2004), he has established longevity through his ability to cross styles and evolve with contemporary hip-hop. His signature swagger and laid-back vocal style is unmistakable, and his fun-loving attitude has made him a pop-culture icon for this generation. He has crossed over into acting on many occasions, and in 2002 produced his own show for MTV entitled Doggy Fizzle Televizzle. Snoop’s tenth studio album, Malice in Wonderland, is set to be released in September 2009.

Steve Diamond

Emmy award winning writer Steve Diamond has written many worldwide hits including I Can Love You Like That, which was recorded for both pop and country audiences by All 4 One and John Michael Montgomery. The song went to #1 on both charts for three weeks for each of these artists, and was nominated for four GRAMMY awards. It garnered Song of the Year at the ASCAP, BMI and NSAI Awards, and Steve was named Songwriter of the Year by American Songwriter Magazine. Diamond has had more than 35 songs featured in movies; his #1 hit for Faith Hill, Let Me Let Go, appeared in the hit film Message In A Bottle, and is featured on Faith Hill – The Hits collection. Superstar Hannah Montana recorded Steve’s I Learned From You with her father Billy-Ray, which has sold in excess of 3 million copies. The song was also featured as the end title to the film Bridge To Terabithia and appeared on the soundtrack. Most recently, Diamond co-wrote According to You, the hit single by pop star, Orianthi. Diamond has also had songs recorded by Britney Spears, Lonestar, Backstreet Boys, Vince Gill, Reba McEntire, 98˚, Nick Lachey, Brooks & Dunn, Faith Hill, Pussycat Dolls among others. Current artists that Diamond is excited to be working with include Sweedish pop star, Agnes Carlsson and Filipina musician, Charice.

Teddy Riley

The acknowledged "King of New Jack Swing", Teddy Riley's urban, dance-oriented music has found a wide range of audiences from the 1980s into the new millennium. Riley's sexy, upbeat R&B style has resulted in numerous hit songs including My Prerogative (Bobby Brown), Just Got Paid (N'Sync), Dangerous (Michael Jackson), No Diggity (Blackstreet), Take Me There (Blackstreet), Make It Last Forever (Keith Sweat), How Ya Like Me Now (Kool Moe Dee) and Rumpshaker (Wreckx-N-Effect).

Tupac Shakur

As the first rapper to ever have a No.1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart and the highest selling rap/hip-hop artist of all time, Tupac has sold more than 67 million copies worldwide, with 38 million units sold in the U.S. alone. His No. 1 single California Love sold more than 2 million copies. Record sales of 2Pac's posthumous albums have exceeded 20 million units. Tupac has garnered 11 platinum albums and 1 gold album. Eight posthumous albums containing previously unreleased material have all been certified platinum with sales of more than a million copies each. Tupac appeared on Forbes' Top Earning Dead Celebrities list in 2002, 2003 and 2004 with earnings of $7 million, $12 million and $5 million respectively. Rolling Stone ranked Tupac as the 86th Greatest Rock N' Roll artist of all time, as well as placed him at No. 6 on their list of 100 Immortal Artists of All Time. VH1 named Tupac as No. 3 in their 50 Greatest Hip Hop Artists series. MTV's show 100 Greatest Videos Ever Made included Tupac's California Love at No. 9.

YoungBlood Brass Band

Deemed “The Midwest’s answer to the Roots” by The New Yorker, YoungBlood Brass Band’s progressive, acoustic, and revolutionary sound has not gone unnoticed. This groundbreaking ensemble of brassmen, who’s founding members hail from Madison, WI, combines traditional New Orleans brass band sound with both jazz and hip hop to create their own innovative style. The group’s emphasis on live, improvised performance has exposed audiences around the world to their incredible energy and raging ambition. Their debut album Unlearn was independently released in 2000 and featured collaborations with rapper Talib Kweli and the underground smash single Ya’ll Stay Up. Their highly anticipated follow-up in 2003, Center:Level:Roar, was released to international acclaim and has led to global tours in front of packed audiences everywhere.