Termanology - Bars 4 the Stars feat. Skyzoo and Reks

Feat J Cole

Cover of James Pants - Thin Moon by Mayer Hawthorne

Big Puns popular "Leatherface" redone by the great Dangermouse - Excellent remix that give the song a completely different feel.

Off the album "Strange Journey Volume One" CunninLynguists are a hip hop trio from Lexington, Kentucky. The group currently consists of Deacon The Villain, Natti, and Kno. Their debut LP, Will Rap for Food, was released in October 2001. Their second LP, SouthernUnderground, was independently released April 1, 2003 on Freshchest Records. Guests included Masta Ace, Supastition and others, with production from Domingo, RJD2 and Kno. The group landed a distribution contract with Caroline Distribution in 2004, and Southernunderground was the first project re-released after inking the deal with Will Rap For Food being re-released shortly thereafter in 2005. The group toured throughout the U.S., Canada in 2003, 2004 and 2005, appearing onstage alongside acts like Nappy Roots, Cee-Lo Green of Goodie Mob and touring extensively with People Under the Stairs, Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan and Brand Nubian. CunninLynguists released their third LP, A Piece of Strange, worldwide on January 24, 2006 via Caroline Records and Groove Attack Distribution. It featured guest spots from Cee-Lo Green, Immortal Technique and Tonedeff and is entirely produced by Kno. The release of A Piece of Strange saw the profile for the group rise, as they toured abroad multiple times in support of the release appearing live alongside such acts as Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, The Strokes and more. CunninLynguists released their fourth LP, Dirty Acres on November 27, 2007 through a joint venture between their own label APOS Music and Swedish-based label Bad Taste Records. It features artists such as Devin the Dude, Phonte of Little Brother and Witchdoctor. CunninLynguists made their way across the United States, Europe and Canada in support of the album, headlining the Dirty Acres Tour in 3 parts over the course of 2008. CunninLynguists have been covered in various media outlets including The Source, URB Magazine, Spin, XLR8R, Import Tuner, and The Onion. Their name is a play on the word cunnilingus. Kno and Deacon the Villain are the founding and current members of CunninLynguists and have been found on every CunninLynguists album thus far since the group's inception in March 2000. Deacon and Kno met at Club Kaya in Atlanta, GA at an event for the now defunct Blaze Magazine that included various members of Atlanta's own Dungeon Family. CunninLynguists would later go on to work with various Dungeon Family members such as Cee-Lo Green, Big Rube, Khujo Goodie, EJ The Witchdoctor and Killer Mike, with the latter comparing CunninLynguists' sound to Dungeon Family "in its heyday". Kno, hailing from Georgia and currently residing in Atlanta, has been described as "one of the top loop-miners east of the Mississippi" by URB Magazine. He produced the majority of Will Rap For Food, Southernunderground, A Piece of Strange, Sloppy Seconds 2 and Dirty Acres and has also received acclaim in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and other magazines for his remix of Jay-Z's Black Album, entitled Kno vs. Hov "The White Albulum". Hailing from Versailles, Kentucky, Deacon The Villain is also an established producer. His beats have been used by the likes of KRS-One, King Tee, and J-Ro from Tha Liks, as well as local Kentucky artists such as Rob Jackson and Bonafide Circle. As of January 2006, the duo of Kno and Deacon have begun work as a production duo under the banner A Piece Of Strange Music, currently producing for Devin the Dude, Lil' Scrappy, Immortal Technique and others. Florida-based emcee Mr. SOS was a part of CunninLynguists from July 2002 to October 2004 (appearing mainly on Southernunderground and Sloppy Seconds Volume 1) while Kentucky-based emcee Natti has been involved in the group from November 2004 until the present (appearing mainly on A Piece of Strange, Dirty Acres and Sloppy Seconds Volume 2).

Asheru, born Gabriel Benn, is an African American hip hop artist, educator, and youth activist. He is widely known for performing the opening and closing themes for the popular TV series, The Boondocks, as well as his pioneering and innovative efforts to forward the Hip Hop Education movement. As a youth, many of Asheru’s musical influences came from a wide range of Hip Hop artists such as Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, KRS-One, Public Enemy, N.W.A., Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Native Tongues, Pharoahe Monch, and more, as well as the classic Soul, R&B, and Pop records of the 70’s and 80’s eras that his mother used to play throughout the house. At the age of 16, he graduated from high school and attended the University of Virginia, where he finished in 1996 with a B.A. degree in Anthropology. In college he formed relationships with fellow colleagues, a group of like-minded individuals that shared a similar passion for Hip Hop music and the collective Black experience. After college, one of those colleagues, Wes Jackson, founded an independent Hip Hop label, Seven Heads Entertainment, and in 1996 signed its first group, Unspoken Heard, made up primarily of Asheru and Jackson’s older brother, Robert Jackson, also known as “Blue Black". Asheru and Blue Black went on to release a series of 12” singles and EPs, and in 2001 released their first album, “Soon Come”, a critically acclaimed debut, still widely considered a classic in many Hip Hop circles. In 2003, the group released their second album “48 Months”, followed by the “No Edge Ups in South Africa” album, a compilation album of other 7 Heads artists featuring the hit, “Mood Swing” with Talib Kweli. Asheru, both as a solo artist as well as with the group Unspoken Heard, has gone on to travel extensively throughout Europe, Canada, the US and Japan, performing alongside artists and groups like Common, Mos Def, Jill Scott, Bilal, Ludacris, Edo G, J-Live, Wordsworth, and The Roots, while collaborating and being featured on projects with Hip Hop greats such as Pete Rock, and Jazzy Jeff. His lyrics are categorized by reflection upon the state of affairs of the current-day Black American. Through his music, he demonstrates a desire to improve the attitude of Black people towards liberation through education and self-empowerment. He currently travels with a live band, The ELs, made up of a three (sometimes four)-piece band of accomplished veteran musicians and producers, namely Aquaman, Mr. Hu, and Zo!. The Boondocks Most recently, Asheru collaborated with Aaron McGruder to write and perform several songs for the hit TV series, The Boondocks, including the show’s theme song. Asheru’s contribution to the controversial "Return of the King" episode of the Boondocks series helped him to earn the prestigious Peabody Award for Journalism in 2006, making him the first rapper (emcee) to win such an award. Education Alongside his career as a Hip Hop artist, Asheru has also served as a teacher within Washington, DC Schools since 2001, specializing in curriculum development and arts-based instruction. In 2004, he went on to earn a Masters degree in Education from National-Louis University. He is the founder of his own community arts organization and independent music label, Guerilla Arts Ink, LLC. As an artist-educator, Asheru seeks to train and provide opportunities for artists of all media to deliver direct training and instruction in the classroom, and currently serves as Director of Vocational Arts at Rock Creek Academy in Washington, DC. He continues to advocate and mentor youth in schools and juvenile detention centers all over the country, with his unique message of promoting literacy as an intervention against youth violence, crime, unemployment, and incarceration. In 2005, Asheru co-founded Educational Lyrics, LLC, an independent publishing company that creates culturally relevant cross-curricular teaching materials, the first of which being [H.E.L.P., or the Hip Hop Educational Literacy Program'.][1]. In an effort to bridge the gap between Asheru’s two passions -- music and education, H.E.L.P. is a series of supplemental reading workbooks designed to HELP students of all reading levels through the innovative usage of Hip Hop lyrics for critical analysis, multicultural relevance, and effective literacy instruction.

Artist Soulution's ablum "Shine Through" , close to the Jazz hip-hop album by Cradle . Song features Project Move .

"cash rules everything around me" , whip c.r.e.a.m. by k-os off album "Yes"

Kevin Brereton, better known by his stage name k-os, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. His given name may also be cited as Kheaven, a spelling he later adopted. The alias "k-os" (spelled with a lower case "k"), is pronounced "chaos" and is an acronym for "Knowledge of Self," although in a later interview he also said that it used to stand for "Kheaven's Original Sound." His music incorporates a wide variety of music genres including but not limited to rap, funk, rock, and reggae. The lyrics frequently focus on promoting a "positive message" while at times expressing criticism of mainstream hip hop culture's obsession with money, fame and glorification of violence.[1] A musician as well as a producer, k-os has written and produced nearly every part of all three of his albums. k-os usually performs with a live band, something that is uncommon in the hip hop genre. He sometimes plays guitar and keyboard both during live performances and in the studio.[2] k-os received his first musical exposure with the single "Musical Essence", released in 1993. After the release of his second single "Rise Like The Sun" in 1996 he withdrew from the industry because he was dissatisfied with his musical style. He reappeared briefly in 1999 and released his debut album Exit in 2002. The album received positive reviews but sold relatively few copies. He released his second album Joyful Rebellion in 2004, which received platinum status in Canada. Joyful Rebellion received positive reviews, and Atlantis: Hymns for Disco, was released in 2006. Kevin (K-os) was born at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on February 20, 1972 at 4:20am. He and his two younger brothers Joshua and Andrew Richard were raised by Trinidadian Jehovah's Witness parents. His father was a minister at two congregations in the Greater Toronto Area.[3] K-os moved along with his family to Trinidad while he was attending the third grade. In Trinidad, k-os surrounded himself with music to deal with being away from Canada.[4] Around the same time he also became a vegetarian at 8 years of age.[5] He returned to Canada with his mother in his teen years, taking up residence in Whitby, Ontario, a town east of Toronto. His father temporarily stayed behind in Trinidad to continue his work.[6] His father worked as a computer engineer and became Director of Communications for BWIA, the national Trinidadian airline, while his mother owned a cosmetics company. Growing up, k-os was a fan of artists and groups as diverse as New Order, Depeche Mode, Boogie Down Productions, Slick Rick, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Beatles.[3] He said that he was "insecure" in high school and he pursued his musical ambitions because after performing at an assembly in his high school gym he realized performing attracted people towards him and it made him feel "powerful and... secure".[7] In 1992, he attended Carleton University in Ottawa for one semester to please his father.[8] He returned to Toronto and enrolled into York University. Being friends with Nigel Williams, a member of the band Pocket Dwellers, Nigel encouraged k-os to continue to develop his musical abilities when he was confronted with "difficult forays."[4] Music career While attending York University, k-os gained his first exposure in the music industry in 1993 when he released the single "Musical Essence" sample (help·info) with a music video financed by a VideoFACT grant. The video can be viewed here.[9] He dropped out of the university shortly afterwards. The single was produced with friends Clarence Gruff and Kevin Risto; currently, Risto is one half of the production duo known as Midi Mafia (produced the 50 Cent single "21 Questions").[8] After winning a MuchMusic Video Award for the single, k-os was noticed by NBA player John Salley, who became his manager. With the single gaining moderate success, k-os was invited to perform in the 1995 Hip-Hop Explosion Tour, with other Canadian acts such as Rascalz and Ghetto Concept. Salley and Raphael Saadiq began work with k-os on his planned debut Missing Links,[4] eventually releasing his second single "Rise Like the Sun" in 1996. k-os suddenly withdrew from the music industry in 1996 after receiving an offer from BMG. k-os would later say that during this time he had already completed several albums but was dissatisfied with his music. He described his music as "pretentious and derivative," and stated at the time that he was "still trying to figure out who he was."[3] He continued to live with his manager Salley in Los Angeles. Soon after, Red1 of the Rascalz, who k-os befriended at the 1995 Explosion Tour, invited him to move to Vancouver. There he contributed a verse and chorus lines to the Rascalz Global Warning album, released in 1999. He had also been invited to contribute to Rascalz' groundbreaking single "Northern Touch", but was unable to participate due to other commitments.[10] k-os returned to the music scene by performing at the North by Northeast music festival in 1999. He took stage with the Vancouver band Namedropper.[3] Inspired by Michael Jackson, A Tribe Called Quest, The Beatles, The Roots and Stevie Wonder, k-os worked on a new debut album. He described his new musical focus on "doing stuff really obscure and making music for myself."[11] He recorded a demo tape and began looking for a record company to sign with, eventually settling on Capitol Records. Later, the parent company EMI transferred his record deal to another label, Astralwerks, co-owned by Virgin Records, after some management and scheduling issues.[12] After the transfer k-os was added to the roster of the Toronto based artist management firm Chris Smith Management. 2002–2003 On March 26, 2002, k-os released his debut album Exit in Canada to critical acclaim. The United States release followed the next year on January 28, 2003. The album incorporated several music styles, and was described as a "carefully blended pastiche of hip-hop, soul, rock, R&B, and a touch of reggae" by Stylus Magazine.[13] Billboard Magazine called the album "One of the finest hip-hop records Canada has ever produced."[14] The first single and promotional track for the album was "Heaven Only Knows" sample (help·info). Like the "Musical Essence" single, the video for "Heaven Only Knows" was sponsored by a VideoFACT grant. The second single, "Superstarr Pt. Zero," was then released, which won "Best Music Video" award at the 2003 Urban X-Posure Awards. After the Canadian release of the album, k-os toured with India.Arie across United States to promote his album. Despite receiving positive reviews, Exit sold only 40,000 albums in the U.S.[15] and 27,000 in Canada according to Nielsen SoundScan.[12] The album went on to win several music awards including the "Album Design of the Year" award at the Juno Awards of 2003. k-os won the "Best International Hip Hop Artist" award at the Source Awards the same year. k-os also appeared and performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live. In 2003, k-os collaborated with the The Chemical Brothers on their single "Get Yourself High." The track was nominated for "Best Dance Recording" at the 2005 Grammy Awards. k-os said, on the show "profile" on mtv, that the The Chemical Brothers sent him 5 tracks and he picked the one they wanted him to pick ("Get Yourself High") and he freestyled to it. 2004–2005 Despite suggesting that Exit might be his final album,[16] k-os released his second album Joyful Rebellion on August 24, 2004. The album was well received and became platinum in Canada in February 2005.[17] The album and the second album single, "Crabbuckit" sample (help·info), were rated the most downloaded "Hip Hop/Rap" album and track on the iTunes store in Canada upon their release. The album also earned the number two spot on Rolling Stone critic Karen Bliss' top ten album list for 2004, where she described the artist as a "destined superstar."[18] The album maintained the same formula as Exit; k-os himself later described Joyful Rebellion as being a "rant against the state of hip hop."[19] Joyful Rebellion featured a total of six singles. The debut single, "B-Boy Stance," was followed by "Crabbuckit," "Man I Used to Be," and "Love Song," each accompanied by a music video. The radio exclusive titles "Crucial" and "Dirty Water" were released shortly after. The single "Crabbuckit" went on to be nominated three times at the 2005 Canadian Radio Music Awards. k-os was nominated four times at the 2004 Canadian Urban Music Awards and won two awards for the single "B-Boy Stance". In 2005 k-os received three Juno Awards for the album. In the same year, the single Crabbuckit won the "Best Pop Video" award out of four nominations while Man I Used to Be won "MuchVibe Best Rap Video," "Best Director" and "Best Cinematography" at the annual MuchMusic Video Awards. He won the "Best Songwriter" and "Fan Choice Award" at the 2005 Canadian Urban Music Awards. On November 15, 2005, k-os released the ?Publicity Stunt? DVD. The DVD featured singles and concert footage dating back to 1998[12] and footage from the 2005 concert at the Molson Amphitheatre, Canada's highest attended Hip Hop concert.[20] According to the Canadian Recording Industry Association, the DVD became platinum on February 2006 in Canada.[21] In a relatively quiet dispute, some lyrics from the single "B-Boy Stance" were interpreted as an insult on the Toronto-based rapper K'naan. In the single, k-os rapped "They took cameras to Africa for pictures to rhyme / Over; Oh, yes, the great pretenders," and "Religious entertainers who want to be life savers." K’naan interpreted the lyrics as being aimed at him filming the music video for the single Soobax in Kenya. Friends say that k-os was simply expressing ideas about the LoveMovement (his videproduction team) who shot the video in Kenya and ex manager Sol guy who was managing K'naan at the time. k-os has been said to believe that hip hop allows friends to express their ideas to each other via song. He was very puzzled by Knaan's personal 'public' angle on the lyrics of "B-Boy Stance" especially because his song Revolutionary Avacado came after Knaan's repeated efforts to collaborate with k-os. Later on k-os told younger brother Josh that he believed it was a way for K'naan to 'get attention' very close to the release date of his album and that Sol guy who k-os left to be Managed by Chris Smith management pit the two against each other[22] K’naan responded in the song "Revolutionary Avocado" with the lyrics: "You the all-knowing with a beer bottle / Wishing you was Plato and me Aristotle? / ...Suburban negro turned hip-hop hero / Is there a reason he really hates me, though?".[22] Furthermore K'naan stated in an interview that he thought "k-os was out of line."[22] The two have since spoken and there is no conflict. 2006 Early in 2006, k-os collaborated with the CBC Radio Orchestra to compose "Burning to Shine."[23] A documentary chronicling the production and performance of the song aired on Canadian national television on February 2, 2006 and was titled after the song. k-os then traveled across Canada recording his third album, stopping mainly in Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax. In the proceeding summer, the first single from the upcoming album titled "ELEctrick Heat - the seekwiLL" was released. The single became the "#1 most downloaded Single of the Week" on iTunes.[20] During the year, k-os also recorded a version of John Lennon's song "Jealous Guy" for the Make Some Noise campaign of the human rights organization Amnesty International. Before the release of his third album, Atlantis: Hymns For Disco, k-os wrote derogatory comments on his MySpace page aimed at Jason Richards, a contributing writer at Toronto's NOW magazine, for his review of the album. k-os stated that he was angered by Richards referring to him in the review as a "crossover pop artist disguised as a true-school b-boy".He was also disillusioned when he remembered he had granted an interview to Richards when he was a teenager, and that they had similar small town Trinidadian upbringings. Nervousness about the experimental nature of Atlantis and the passive aggressiveness of Canadian media most likely led to his blow up.[24] Part of the comment called Richards "a black man ... manipulated by his indie rock nerd bosses"[25] and called on him to "eat a dick!".[25] after receiving advice from a psychologist on myspace k-os later removed the comments, stating in an interview that it was a "personal situation"[26] between himself and Richards and he was angered because the two had previously "had many discussions on music."[26] k-os' comments also received attention from the lead vocalist of the band Danko Jones, who wrote to NOW magazine saying that k-os "had too much sunshine massaged up his ass."[27] k-os responded to the letter, making sarcastic remarks discussing a band named "STANKO JONES", which referred to Danko Jones.[27] He also remarked again upon Jason Richards, comparing him to the "Arnold Jackson" character played by Gary Coleman on the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes.[27] Jones stated in an interview that he thought k-os' comments were a "lame response," and that "a five-year-old could come up with something wittier."[27] k-os and Danko shared a rehearsal space and often had in depth conversations during their breaks outside the rehearsal space. He was very disappointed that someone whom he considered a friend spoke out in the press before trying to contacting him first. On October 10, 2006, Atlantis: Hymns For Disco was released in Canada, with a global release scheduled on February 6, 2007. The album went platinum in Canada during December of the same year.[28] Atlantis, written and produced by k-os, featured collaborations with Sam Roberts and Buck 65. The album debuted as number one and number five on the "Digital Albums" and "Current Albums" Canadian charts, respectively.[20] The album reached number five on Music World's top ten in its opening week.[29] While the album continued to merge several musical genres, k-os described the album as being more vocal due to him becoming more comfortable with his singing voice.[30] Atlantis was also described as leaving behind the "social commentaries" and hip hop critique present on his last two albums.[31] Subsequent singles are "Sunday Morning" sample (help·info) and "Flypaper". ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown has used the chorus of "Sunday Morning" as an intro returning from commercial break the past two seasons. k-os was one of the top 3 nominees for the Juno Awards of 2007 with five nominations although failed to win one.[32] 2007–2009 k-os 2007 Vans Warped Tour, in Las Cruces NM, 12JUL07.On February 20, 2007, he performed "Sunday Morning" on the Late Show With David Letterman. Crabbuckit can be heard in the trailer for the 2007 blockbuster Shrek the Third. In 2007, k-os toured with P.O.S., RX Bandits, and Gym Class Heroes on The Darryl Hall For President Tour His 2007 single "Born To Run" was featured in the soundtrack for FIFA 08. His song CatDieseL is featured in the opening of an episode of CSI: Miami titled Bloodline. In 2008 he designed a t-shirt for the Yellow Bird Project to raise money for OneXOne. His 4th studio album, entitled Yes!, was released on April 14, 2009. The first single off the album, "4, 3, 2, 1", was released in December 2008. The second single will be "Burning Bridges". K-Os also held an online contest in 2008-2009 at http://www.indabamusic.com/ in which he provided the public with 11 tracks from the album "Yes!" to be remixed. At the end of the contest, the most voted remixes of each song were selected to be on a remix album of "Yes!" entitled, "Yes It's Yours (Fan Remix Album)" which is set to be released in the Spring of 2009. The 11 contest winners were also awarded $1000 each.

Taalib Johnson (born September 16, 1977) better known by his stage name Musiq Soulchild or Musiq (IPA: ['mju:sɪk]) is a soul artist whose style blends contemporary R&B, soul, funk, alternative, blues, jazz and hip hop. Musiq is the eldest of nine children. “I always saw myself as the black sheep of the family; I was always doing my own thing.” At an early age, Musiq decided he would discontinue his high school education, which proved to make his road to success much more difficult, "I really wish I stayed, cause even though I didn't like it that much I still could've taken advantage of the many resources that being in school has to offer.” When Musiq was 17 he left home to live life on his own terms, finding himself having to depend on the kindness of friends, and sometimes strangers, as he struggled with everyday survival. "Man, I did what I had to, I slept on couches, the bus, the train, the park, whatever, it didn't matter, I just knew things wasn't gonna be that way forever.” It was during that time Musiq started to build a reputation for being musically gifted, beat boxing for MC's, free styling on the open mic circuit, scatting at a jazz club, or just performing a cappella in the streets of Philadelphia, which is where he got the name "Musiq" and later he added "Soulchild" which is intended to respect and represent the legacy and traditions of past great soul stars. Musiq Soulchild released his debut album, Aijuswanaseing (I Just Want to Sing), in 2000, which included the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop single, "Just Friends (Sunny)". Musiq's second single, "Love", spent 22 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Musiq’s sophomore album, 2002's Juslisen (Just Listen), debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Charts and went platinum; "Halfcrazy" and "Dontchange". In 2003, Musiq released his 3rd album, Soulstar. It included the singles "Forthenight" and "Whoknows". After a four year break and changing his management to Solqi Management and his record label to Atlantic Records, in 2007, Musiq's released his fourth album Luvanmusiq (Love and Music) which included the singles "B.U.D.D.Y.", "Teachme", and "Makeyouhappy". According to the singer himself, via his September 18 concert at the Warfield in San Francisco, his fifth album On My Radio will be released on December 2, 2008. The lead single, "Radio" has posted on both Musiq's MySpace page and official website. Musiq Soulchild has had 2 platinum albums, 2 gold albums and 7 hit singles. He has received awards from Billboard, BET, ASCAP, BMI, and Soul Train. Musiq has also earned award nominations from MTV, American Music Awards, NAACP, and 9 Grammy nominations, including 3 for his 2007 album Luvanmusiq. Besides being a successful recording artist, Musiq is notable for his creative and unique way of titling his albums and songs by ignoring the rules of capitalization, punctuation and spelling. He recently performed at the Antigua & Barbuda first Romantic Rhythms Music Festival in the Caribbean which was held from June 12-15,2008 which features legendary artists such as Kenny Rogers, Brian McKnight, Lionel Richie, Keyshia Cole, Maxi Priest, Destra, Heather Headly, Shaggy and many other local artist from the island including The Burning Flames. He has also made guest appearances on rapper Lloyd Banks's album Rotten Apple, Talib Kweli's Eardrum, The Roots's Phrenology, Black Ice's The Death of Willie Lynch and pays tribute to soul music legends Earth Wind and Fire on the tribute album Interpretations: Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire. Soulchild has also appeared on the soundtrack to Tyler Perry's movie Daddy's Little Girls and Ice Cube announced that Musiq will appear on his upcoming album, Raw Footage. He also lent a song from his latest album Luvanmusiq to the soundtrack for Perry's later movie Why Did I Get Married?. He then recorded a remake of Arrested Development's song "People Everyday" with British rapper/singer Estelle for the soundtrack to Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns entitled "People Everyday (Metamorphosis Mix)". Outside of music, he has been featured in television and print ads for McDonald's, Nike, Inc., Coca-Cola, Levi Strauss & Co. and The Gap. He also made a special appearance in The CW's #1 comedy The Game on Monday, October 29, 2007. Saniya Jackson Awards and recognition He has received awards from Billboard, BET, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, BMI, and Soul Train. Musiq has also been nominated for awards by MTV, The American Music Awards, the NAACP, and has had 4 Grammy nominations.

Boot Camp Clik Feat the late , great , Aaliyah , off the "The Wonder Years" . Boot Camp Clik is an American hip hop supergroup from Brooklyn, New York. The group consists of Buckshot (of Black Moon), Smif-N-Wessun, also known as Cocoa Brovaz (Tek and Steele), Heltah Skeltah (Rock and Ruck, aka Sean Price) and O.G.C. (Originoo Gunn Clappaz) (Starang Wondah, Top Dog, and Louieville Sluggah). 1992 to 1996 BuckshotBlack Moon debuted in 1992 with the release of the single "Who Got Da Props?". The song became something of an underground phenomenon, and was also able to receive minor crossover success, charting on the Billboard Hot 100 at #86. The popularity of the single lead to a record deal with Nervous Wreck Records, which released the group's debut album Enta Da Stage in late 1993. The album was produced entirely by Evil Dee and Mr. Walt of Da Beatminerz, and featured the debut of Camp members Smif-N-Wessun, as well as an early appearance from Mobb Deep's Havoc. Enta Da Stage was highly acclaimed and influential over the burgeoning hardcore hip hop scene of its time. Preceding later classics like Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by Wu-Tang Clan, Illmatic by Nas and Ready to Die by The Notorious B.I.G., Enta Da Stage served as a precursor to the resurgence of the New York hip hop scene in the mid-90s. Along with "Who Got Da Props?", the album included other classic rap singles "How Many MC's...", "Buck Em Down" and "I Got Cha Opin (Remix)", the latter becoming the group's second Hot 100 hit. Buckshot and Nervous Wreck Records employee Dru Ha were both elemental in getting Smif-N-Wessun signed to the label, and in early 1994, the duo released their debut single, "Bucktown", which, like Black Moon's "Who Got Da Props?", became an underground phenomenon, and also charted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #93. Following the single's release, "Bucktown" became a popular nickname for Brooklyn. "Bucktown" earned Smif-N-Wessun considerable underground hype for their debut album, Dah Shinin', released in early 1995. The album debuted at #5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and, along with "Bucktown", spawned a number of underground hits and music videos, with "Let's Git It On", "Wrekonize", "Sound Bwoy Bureill", "Wontime" and "Stand Strong". Da Beatminerz, which now also included Rich Blak and Baby Paul, produced the entirety of the album. Camp members Heltah Skeltah and O.G.C. made their debuts on the album, appearing on the tracks "Wontime" and "Sound Bwoy Bureill". Dah Shinin also marked the official formation of the Boot Camp Clik, with all eight members appearing on the posse-cut "Cession at da Doghillee". Heltah Skeltah and Ruste JuxxFollowing the release of Dah Shinin, Camp leader Buckshot and business partner Dru Ha founded Duck Down Records after leaving Nervous Records due to unpaid royalties, and signed both Heltah Skeltah and O.G.C. to the label. In mid 1995, the entire Clik (labeled as "Black Moon & Smif-N-Wessun") appeared on the Gold-certified soundtrack to the film New Jersey Drive, with the song "Headz Ain't Redee". In late 1995, Heltah Skeltah and O.G.C. teamed up to form The Fab 5, and released their debut single "Blah" b/w "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka". The B-Side, "Leflah", became a surprise hit, peaking at #75 on the Hot 100, making it the most successful single released by any Boot Camp member or affiliate. The two groups split up for separate releases in 1996. Heltah Skeltah was the first to release an album, with Nocturnal dropping in June 1996. This was the first Camp-related album not to be produced entirely by Da Beatminerz. Evil Dee and Mr. Walt produced three tracks, while Beatminer-affiliate Baby Paul produced five tracks. Other producers involved in the project include Lord Jamar (of Brand Nubian), Shaleek, Shawn J. Period, Supreme (of the Representativz), and E-Swift (of Tha Alkaholiks). Like Enta Da Stage and Dah Shinin, Nocturnal was widely acclaimed, and has become a classic of underground hip hop. Along with "Leflah", the album featured a pair of minorly successful singles, the dark, harp-led "Operation Lock Down", and the introspective concept track "Therapy". Nocturnal also featured the debut from Camp affiliates Representativz and Illa Noyz, as well as appearances from O.G.C., Buckshot and Vinia Mojica. In the summer of 1996, hip hop superstar 2Pac personally invited Buckshot, Dru-Ha, Tek and Steele to his house in California to record for an album titled One Nation, which was intended to squash the supposed East Coast/West Coast rap conflict. Due to 2Pac's murder in September 1996, the album has never been released, though a number of tracks have leaked, most notably the title-track "One Nation" and "Military Mindz". The latter was later remixed and included on the posthumous 2Pac album Better Dayz. In late-1996, O.G.C. released their debut album Da Storm. led by leader Starang Wondah's charismatic delivery and the tandem rhyming of Louieville Sluggah and Top Dog, the album was popular with underground fans. Though not as successful or as acclaimed as the Camp's past work, the album has still garnered claims of classic status by some. Like Nocturnal, Da Storm featured a wider number of producers, which include E-Swift, Madlib, DJ Ogee, Lord Jamar, Supreme and Shaleek, as well as the usual lineup of Beatminerz members Evil Dee, Mr. Walt and Baby Paul. Album guests included Rock of Heltah Skeltah, Sadat X of Brand Nubian, Sean Black and the Representativz. The album's lead single, "No Fear", was a minor rap hit, but failed to reach the Hot 100, making O.G.C. the only Boot Camp group without a Hot 100 hit single. The album also featured the single "Hurricane Starang" b/w "Gunn Clapp" b/w "Danjer", which failed to make any Billboard chart. [edit] 1997 to 1999 In 1997, the entire Boot Camp came together for the release of their first group album, For the People. Unlike Nocturnal and Da Storm, which used Da Beatminerz sparingly, on For the People the group completely abandoned them, and strayed away from their grimy, sample-heavy basement sound. Instead, Boogie Brown and Buckshot laced the album with live instrumentation production. The new sound did not go over well with fans or critics, causing the album to receive lukewarm reviews and disappointing sales. Instead of only focusing on the core Camp members, the album showcased a wide number of the group's affiliates like Illa Noyz and the Representativz, and also featured debut appearances from BJ Swan, LS, The BTJ's and F.L.O.W. The album's lead single, "Headz Are Reddee Pt. 2" b/w "Down by Law" failed to reach any Billboard singles chart. Following the release of For the People, the Clik's groups split up once again for separate releases. Tek and Steele were the first to return, now recording under the name Cocoa Brovaz, due to a lawsuit over their previous name with the Smith & Wesson firearms company. The Rude Awakening was released in early 1998, and like the Boot Camp album, was met with mixed reviews, and failed to sell a significant amount of units, despite an opening bid at #3 on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts. The singles "Won on Won" and "Bucktown USA" received very little success, and the album's lead single, the Raekwon-assisted "Black Trump", failed to reach any chart. Heltah Skeltah followed in late 1998 with the release of their second album Magnum Force. This album was met with the Clik's harshest reviews yet, with both critics and fans accusing the duo of toning down their hardcore content for more commercial success. The album featured a large amount of guest appearances, including the entire Boot Camp Clik, the Representativz, Doc Holiday, Method Man, Tha Dogg Pound, Outlawz, Anthony Hamilton and the MFC, leaving only five tracks without outside appearances. The album's lead single, "I Ain't Havin' That", utilized a sample from the A Tribe Called Quest track "Hot Sex", and became the group's second Hot 100 hit, peaking at #80 on the chart. Despite the success of the single, sales were limited. After they split from Nervous Records, Black Moon became entangled in a legal battle with the label over the licensing of their group name, which lasted for a number of years. The case was finally settled in 1998, with Duck Down receiving permission to license the name through Nervous. After a five-year hiatus, Black Moon returned in 1999 with their second album, War Zone. The album received moderate sales and good reviews, especially when compared to the Camp's three previous efforts. One factor in its positive reception was the return of Da Beatminerz, who produced the entirety of the album. The group recruited a number of fellow New York emcees for appearances, including Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip and M.O.P. The album's singles "Two Turntables and a Mic" and "This is What it Sounds Like (Worldwind)" received minor commercial success. O.G.C.O.G.C. were the last to return, releasing their second album, The M-Pire Shrikez Back, in mid-1999. Like War Zone, the album received good reviews, but little sales, and almost completely missed the radar commercially, barely cracking the Billboard 200 album chart. The album was produced by the Black Market production crew, and featured appearances from a number of Boot Camp and MFC members. The lead single, "Bounce to the Ounce" b/w "Suspect Niggaz", made little impact, peaking at #94 on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts. Late 1999 saw the release of three more Boot Camp related albums. First, in September, a Duck Down Records compilation album, titled Duck Down Presents: The Album. The compilation received very mediocre reviews and failed to reach any Billboard album chart. The lead single, Black Moon's "Jump Up", was well accepted. In October, Buckshot released his solo debut, titled The BDI Thug, a moniker given to him by 2Pac during the summer of 1996. Like many Camp releases of its era, The BDI Thug received harsh reviews, and sold few copies, partly due to Buck's label being dropped from their distribution deal with Priority Records. Also in October, Camp affiliates the Representativz released their debut, Angels of Death, through Duck Down/Warlock Records. [edit] 2000 to 2005 After being dropped from their Priority distribution deal, the Clik took a lengthy hiatus from the rap game. Heltah Skeltah split-up in 2000, when Rock left Duck Down Records to pursue a solo career. O.G.C. retired (temporarily) as a trio, and has yet to release a third album. The Cocoa Brovaz signed a deal with then-leading independent rap label Rawkus Records, and released a successful single, "Get Up", from the Lyricist Lounge 2 compilation, but never released an album on the label. After dropping the group, Priority released the first Greatest Hits compilation of Boot Camp material, titled Basic Training: Boot Camp Clik's Greatest Hits, featuring 13 singles released between 1992 and 1999. Other than this, the only Clik related releases between 2000 and 2001 were a number of independent vinyl singles from various Boot Camp members. In 2002, Duck Down Records signed a new distribution deal with Koch Entertainment, paving the way for a new Boot Camp Clik group album. The Chosen Few was released in late 2002, featuring seven of the original "Great 8", with Rock being the only absent member. The album was possibly the most acclaimed Boot Camp related release since 1996, receiving strong reviews from a number of sources, including a 4 1/2 Star rating from Allmusic. Sales were moderately strong for an independent album, pushing over 60,000 units. The Chosen Few featured production from Da Beatminerz, as well as other star producers like Hi-Tek, The Alchemist and Bink. Videos for the album's singles "And So" and "Think Back" received rotation on BET's Rap City, and the group also hosted an episode of the program to help promote the release. In early 2003, Duck Down Records released a compilation titled Collect Dis Edition, which was a large collection of the Camp-related singles released during their 2000-2001 album hiatus. In late 2003, Black Moon returned with their third group album, Total Eclipse. Generally well received, the majority of the album was produced by Da Beatminerz, and also featured beats from Moss, Tone Capone, DJ Static, Nottz, Kleph Dollaz and Coptic. The album featured two singles and music videos, "Stay Real" and "This Goes Out to You", the former becoming an underground hit in '03. In early 2004, Black Moon member 5ft was sentenced to four-to-nine years in prison for sale of an illegal substance, delaying any chance of an official Black Moon album for a number of years. Smif-N-WessunAfter switching distributors from Koch to Navarre, Duck Down unveiled their 2005 "Triple Threat" campaign, featuring three new Boot Camp releases. The first was the long delayed solo debut from Heltah Skeltah's Ruck, now going by his birth name Sean Price, Monkey Barz. Largely due to Price's rough, humorous lyrics, the album was the most acclaimed of the three Triple Threat albums, and was named Independent Album of the Year by AllHipHop.com. Monkey Barz saw the reunion of Heltah Skeltah, with Rock appearing on the tracks "Jail Shit" and "Slap Boxing". The second of the Triple Threat albums was a collaboration between Buckshot and Little Brother's 9th Wonder, titled Chemistry. 9th produced all of the album's tracks while Buckshot provided the lyrics, with help from fellow Boot Camp Clik and Justus League members. The album was well-received, but did catch some mixed-reviews from underground audiences. The third and final release in the Triple Threat campaign was the long-awaited third album by Tek and Steele, who had now returned under their original moniker, Smif-N-Wessun. Smif 'N' Wessun: Reloaded was released in September 2005, and received good reviews, it featured the singles "My Timbz Do Work" and "Gunn Rap", as well as the Dead Prez collaboration "Warriorz Heart", and the Boot Camp posse-cut "Get Back". The three Triple Threat releases were met with similar sales, all reaching around 35,000-40,000 units sold. [edit] 2006 to present In early 2006, Duck Down released a DVD titled Video Surveillance, which included nearly every Boot Camp related music video between 1992 and 2005. The single-disc release featured videos for the tracks "Who Got Da Props?", "How Many MC's...", "I Got Cha Opin (Remix)", "Buck Em Down (Remix)", "Bucktown", "Let's Git It On", "Wontime", "Wrekonize (Remix)", "Sound Bwoy Bureill", "Blah", "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka", both the official and an unreleased version of "Operation Lock Down", "Therapy", "No Fear", "Hurricane Danjer", "Headz Are Reddee Pt. 2", "Night Riders", "Won on Won", "Black Trump", "Spanish Harlem", "I Ain't Havin' That", "Two Turntables and a Mic", "This is What it Sounds Like (Worldwind)", "Bounce to the Ounce", "Get Up", "And So", "Think Back", "Stay Real", "This Goes Out to You", "Boom Bye Yeah", "Heartburn/Onion Head", "My Timbz Do Work" and "Gunn Rap". In July 2006, the Boot Camp returned for their third group album, The Last Stand, featuring all eight of the original Camp members. The album was well-received by fans and critics, and was also an independent success, reaching the top 50 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart and the top 20 on the Top Independent Albums chart. The Last Stand featured an all-star production lineup, which included Da Beatminerz, Pete Rock, Large Professor, 9th Wonder, Illmind and Coptic. The first track released from the project, "Trading Places", featuring Smif-N-Wessun and Heltah Skeltah, was also the first music video from the album. "Trading Places" and "Let's Go" were the B-Side to the album's official lead single "Yeah". 2007 saw three more Clik releases. The first was Sean Price's second solo album, Jesus Price Supastar. The album was originally scheduled for released in 2006, but due to a need for increased promotion, was pushed back to an early 2007 date, and released on January 30. The album became the first Clik-related album to reach the Billboard 200 album chart since 1999, and received considerable critical acclaim. The album featured the single "P-Body", and music videos were recorded for "Mess You Made", "One" and "King Kong". The second release was the fourth group release from the Clik, titled Casualties of War, which featured leftovers from The Last Stand recording sessions. The album produced the video "BK All Day", which featured Black Moon's 5ft (recently released from prison) and Ruste Juxx. The third and final release of 2007 was the fourth studio album from Smif-N-Wessun, titled The Album, released on October 23. The Album featured the singles "Gotta Say It" and "Stomp Thru" featuring Rock and Joell Ortiz. The album saw moderate acclaim due to Tek and Steele broadened lyrical topics, but was criticized for mediocre production work. 2007 also saw Duck Down Records pursuing numerous business ventures. Throughout the year, the label broadened their roster, signing deals with Special Teamz, Kidz in the Hall, KRS-One and Diamond D. In November, the group signed a deal with ESPN to record original music for their College basketball programming. The tracks "All Business" by Buckshot, "Getcha Team" by Heltah Skeltah, "Get in the Game" by Tek and "Push It" by Smif-N-Wessun will be played throughout the basketball season [1]. In December, Buckshot was signed on to record the theme for the History Channel's Gangland series [1]. Also in December, Duck Down joined YouTube's exclusive partnered clients list to create their own Duck Down channel on the website [2]. Two releases are currently scheduled for release in 2008. The first will be the second collaboration album from Buckshot and 9th Wonder, titled The Formula. The album will be released on March 18 and will feature the single "No Doubt" [2]. After officially re-signing to Duck Down as a duo, Sean Price and Rock began recording for a Heltah Skeltah reunion album, titled D.I.R.T., an acronym for "Da Incredible Rap Team". This will be the first Heltah Skeltah album released in a decade. The album is scheduled for release on Sept. 30th, 2008, and will feature production from Marco Polo, Evidence and Nottz [3]. A number of other projects are also rumored for release. Sean Price is planning the release of his third solo album, titled Mic Tyson, as well as a collaborative album with Detroit's Black Milk and Guilty Simpson [4]. Heltah Skeltah's Rock has been planning the release of his first solo album, tentatively titled Monstah Musik. In a 2006 interview, Duck Down CEO Dru Ha announced that O.G.C. were not retired, and mentioned the possibility of a group reunion, but made no mention of any recording for a third album. One Nation album which late rapper 2Pac was collaborating with Boot Camp Clik was intended to be released around 1996, in the midst of the East-West Coast Rap rivalry, is going to be released March 20, 2009.