Deftly mixing lush Afrobeats with R&B swagger, Nigerian singer Fireboy DML became a breakout success with the 2019 release of his debut album, Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps. Songs like “Jealous” and “Vibrations” put him on the map ahead of his 2020 follow-up, Apollo, but it was the 2021 Ed Sheeran collaboration “Peru” that brought him widespread international exposure. Born Adedamola Adefolahan in […]
Katy Perry Biography
American pop singer Katy Perry is known for hits like ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ ‘Teenage Dream,’ ‘Firework’ and ‘Dark Horse.’ Who Is Katy Perry? American pop singer Katy Perry initially attempted to break into the music business with a gospel album. Her image radically changed by the time of her 2008 smash single “I […]
Lil Uzi Vert Biography
A rapper who grew up on the beats of Marilyn Manson and Kanye’s 808s & Heartbreak, Lil Uzi Vert emerged from North Philadelphia with a relaxed style that connected the dots between Young Thug, Chief Keef, and the A$AP Mob. After contributing a featured verse to Migos’ number one hit “Bad & Boujee,” he broke […]
Nas Biography
Beginning with his classic debut, Illmatic (1994), Nas has stood tall as one of New York City’s leading rap voices, outspokenly expressing a righteous, self-empowered swagger that has endeared him to critics and hip-hop purists. Whether proclaiming himself “Nasty Nas” or “Nas Escobar” or “Nastradamus” or “God’s Son,” the self-appointed King of New York has […]
Jay-Z Biography
From the projects to the throne, New York rapper, producer, and entrepreneur Jay-Z embodied the quintessential rags-to-riches dream, becoming one of the most successful MCs of his generation while creating an empire that made him one of the richest artists of the era. After debuting in the late ’90s with Reasonable Doubt and In My […]
Kanye West Biography
One of the most influential and critically lauded artists of the early 21st century, Kanye West went from hip-hop beatmaker to worldwide hitmaker as his production work for artists such as Jay-Z led to a major-label recording contract and, ultimately, a wildly successful solo career that counted an unbroken string of chart-topping, multi-platinum albums and […]
Travis Scott Biography
A Houston-born hip-hop artist and producer affiliated with Kanye West’s GOOD Music and T.I.’s Grand Hustle, Travis Scott became known during the early 2010s for his heavily Auto-Tuned half-sung/half-rapped vocal style. Within seven years of his mainstream arrival via West’s Cruel Summer compilation (2012), on which he served as co-producer and featured artist, Scott attained […]
2baba Biography
Known until the mid-2010s as 2face Idibia, Nigerian singer, songwriter, and producer 2baba established himself as one of Africa’s most prominent and successful Afro-pop stars. His career began in Lagos in the late ’90s as a member of the popular hip-hop/R&B trio, Plantashun Boiz alongside bandmates Faze and Blackface Naija. Following the band’s breakup, […]
Burna Boy Biography
With his fusion of dancehall, reggae, Afro-beat, and pop, Burna Boy emerged in the early part of the 2010s as one of Nigeria’s fastest-rising stars. The LeriQ-produced 2012 single “Like to Party” proved to be his breakout track and paved the way for his full-length debut, L.I.F.E, a year later. Over the next five years, […]
Olamide Biography
One of Nigeria’s most popular and prolific rappers, Olamide has scored numerous radio hits and won several awards in his home country. Singing and rapping mainly in Yoruba as well as English, his music blends Afro-pop, dancehall, hip-hop, and other styles. The founder and CEO of record label and event management company YBNL Nation, Olamide […]