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Tupac Shakur was born Lesane Parish Crooks in Brooklyn, NY in 1971. While still a small child, his mother changed his name to Tupac Amaru after an Inca Indian revolutionary, "Tupac Amaru", meaning "Shining Serpent". "Shakur" means "Thankful To God" in Arabic. From childhood, everyone called him the "Black Prince." Formisbehaving, he had to read an entire edition of The New York Times. When he was two, his sister, Sekyiwa, was born. This child's father, Mutulu, was a BlackPanther who, a few months before her birth, had been sentenced to sixty years for a fatal armored car robbery. With Mutulu away, the family experienced hard times. No matter where they moved-the Bronx, Harlem, homeless shelters- Tupac was distressed. "I remember crying all the time. My major thing growing up was I couldn't fit in. Because I was from everywhere. I didn't have no buddies that I grew up with." By the age of twelve, Tupac had discovered his loves for acting, writing love songs and poetry. As a young teen, his family moved to Baltimore , MD, where he attended The Baltimore School for the Performing Arts studying acting and ballet. At this school, Tupac left a lasting impression on his teachers and was showing tremendous potential. Unfortunately, Tupac was unable to continue his training. He moved to Oakland, California with the rest of his family. That's when Tupac began to, as he called it, "Hang with the wrong crowd." At age fifteen, he fell into rap; he started writing lyrics, walking with a swagger, and milking his background in New York for all it was worth. People in small towns feared the Big Apple's reputation; he called himself MC New York and made people think he was a tough guy. By the time he was twenty, Tupac had been arrested eight times, even serving eight months in prison after being convicted of sexual abuse. In addition, he was the subject of two wrongful-death lawsuits, one involving a six-year-old boy who was killed after getting caught in gang-war crossfire between Shakur's gang and a rival group. Not held back by his lack of formal education, Tupac joined the Rap group Digital Underground as a dancer. Not long before the group achieved award winning success, Tupac released his own album "2Pacalypse Now", which was also a success. The hit single "Brenda's Got A Baby" launched Tupac's career like a rocket. His stunning talent also got him a role in the motion picture, "Juice". Tupac eventually released a second album "Strictly for my N.I.G.G.A.Z.," which was an even bigger success and introduced Tupac's music onto the pop charts. In November of 1994, he was shot five times during a robbery in which thieves made off with $40,000 worth of his jewelry. Shakur miraculously recovered from his injuries to produce his most impressive artistic accomplishments, including 1995's Me Against the World The highlight of Tupac's acting career came when he appeared in "Poetic Justice" besides Janet Jackson. The role made Tupac a household name and showed the world that music may not be Tupac's #1 attribute. In the midst of a role in the movie "Above the Rim" and a Platinum album "Me against the world," Tupac's rising career was snagged. He was brought up on sexual assault charges by a woman he met at a nightclub. Hours before Tupac would be found guilty, Tupac was robbed at gun point by men whose intent and purpose is still uncertain. Tupac was eventually released at over $1 Million in bail. After his release, Tupac answered his critics by releasing his best album, "All Eyes On Me." "All Eyes On Me" has currently sold over 6 million copies, which is revolutionary for a double CD, especially in Hip Hop music. Tupac also had costarring roles in three other films, "Gridlock'd", "Bullet", and "Gang Related." On September 7th, Tupac Shakur was shot by unknown gunmen and died on September 13, 1996. Much of what happened on this night remains a mystery to this very day. This picture was taken minutes before the fatal shooting. Following his passing, Shakur's label released an album, The Don Killuminati, under the pseudonym "Makaveli." The cover depicted Shakur nailed to a cross under a crown of thorns, with a map of the country's major gang areas superimposed on it. In January of 1997, Gramercy pictures released Gridlock'd, a film in which Shakur played the role of a drug addict to mostly good reviews. His final film, Gang Related, was released in 1997, and Death Row is said to have several unreleased recordings in the vaults for potential future release. September 13, 2003 will mark the seventh anniversary of Tupac's passing. ¡°Trillville started because everybody else was being real so we decided to be three times as real,¡± which is trill, says Don P. That¡¯s all fine and dandy, but where in the hell is Trillville? ¡°Trillville is any city, any hood, [and] any state that¡¯s trill about representin¡¯,¡± he continues. ¡°And we fa¡¯trill about representin¡¯ the A-town.¡± As a matter of fact, Trillville kept things so persistently trill, they convinced BME Recordings, Atlanta¡¯s premier indie label, owned by and responsible for the success of artists such as Lil John & The East Side Boyz, to attend one of their packed-out shows. Soon after the i¡¯s were dotted, the t¡¯s were crossed and Trillville had a deal with the power-team that has crunk music eating from the palms of their hands. ¡°They are a movement,¡± describes Lil Jon. ¡°Sorta how Cypress Hill was a voice for weed, Trillville is a voice for anarchy and rebellion. Their focus is on the movement of young people in high school and college. Like heavy metal.¡± Speaking in the lobby of BME¡¯s offices, Don P. explains. ¡°We are going to continue what Lil Jon has established as the King of Crunk. We are goin¡¯ to keep the movement going and the energy moving. As the heirs to the throne we will be known as the Gods of Crunk.¡± Like most rappers and producers, Trillville began their music careers in 1997 within the confines of the public school system. As 9th grade homies Don P., Dirty Mouth, and LA learned of each other¡¯s talents and decided to become a group. Dirty Mouth, the school¡¯s section leader of the snare drumline, had an innate musical talent that lead to writing and spitting rhymes. ¡°I got my name from spittin' dirty rhymes,¡± Dirty claims. ¡°Music has always been apart of what I do. Even in [Morris Brown] college I majored in music production.¡± This caught the attention of Don P. who already owned a keyboard and was making beats to add to his repertoire of being an MC. ¡°Dirty Mouth was writing raps in the 9th grade and I liked his raps,¡± further explains the former Clark-Atlanta University Mass Communications major. ¡°They were pretty cool. I met LA in the 9th grade too. He was a promoter, at first promoting for me and Dirty Mouth. One day he told me he could rap. He got on the mic, we liked it and ever since then we been Trillville.¡± Each concert featured Don P. and Dirty Mouth performing and also showed the savvy promo skills of LA. ¡°I always guaranteed a packed house wherever I promoted,¡± LA boasts. With the trio¡¯s rhyme skills cross-pollinated with the production of Don P., the lyrics of Dirty Mouth, and the promotional skills of LA, Trillville could not be stopped. It was this entrepreneurial spirit that caught the eye of BME. Trillville is tagged as ¡°that young crunk,¡± representing a new revolution in Hip-Hop¡¯s movement. Trillville counts among their musical influences classic artists such as The O¡¯Jays and Earth, Wind, & Fire, along with contemporary artists such as Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz and Three 6 Mafia. ¡°Neva Eva,¡± produced by Lil Jon and Don P. garnered much attention from the Atlanta crunk scene is now getting played nationally and is the first Trillville single and video from the upcoming album. Other songs on their upcoming debut album are ¡°Bedroom,¡± ¡°which is for the ladies,¡± smiles LA. ¡°Stay Low,¡± produced by Lil Jon, is a follow-up to the smash hit single ¡°Get Low.¡± Instead of glorifying the strippers of the shake-ya-booty clubs, it is a cut about robbing and being robbed. ¡°Last Day Of School¡± is the rebellious follow up to ¡°Neva Eva¡± and is produced by Don P. The music of Trillville will not only introduce Don P., Dirty Mouth, and LA to a new fan base, but it highlights a movement that has long since been a part of the ATL-style for over two decades. They are the next generation of crunk and feel that their debut release The King of Crunk & BME Recordings Present Trillville & Lil Scrappy will not only enhance the budding crunk movement, but also further establish Southern hip-hop as its own entity.

As a youth, Micah LeVar Troy grew up in the well-known College Park area of Atlanta, where he was exposed to the street life at an early age. His father, a former drill sergeant turned pastor, made sure Troy was exposed to the church life as well, though. These two often contrasting lifestyles presented a constant dilemma for Troy: he was drawn to street culture and, in particular, his Geto Boys and N.W.A albums, but his father wouldn't allow the music to be played in the family's home. Eventually, Troy began attending Payne College in hopes of becoming a history teacher. There, free of his father's influence, he began devoting himself to rap, and before long he was making his own beats and writing his own rhymes. It didn't take long before Troy put college behind him and funneled his efforts into the rap game. He organized a clique of friends called the Down South Georgia Boys (D.S.G.B.) and went about recording his debut album, We Ready - I Declare War (1999). Peddled out of the trunk, the album became a local success and eventually a regional success without any radio play or national distribution. Next, a much-publicized, drawn-out feud with Master P didn't hurt, and soon Universal Records came knocking and offered Troy a record deal. Led by the single "This tha City," the resulting album, Face Off (2001), did well but enjoyed mostly regional success. Troy's next album, Universal Soldier (2002), extended his reach beyond the South a bit, propelled by the Timbaland-produced lead single, "Are We Cuttin'." He returned with another Universal album in 2004, By Any Means Necessary, and continued to flirt with crossover success without actually crossing over nationally. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

Lil Scrappy, born Darryl Richards, II, is a homegrown Atlantan "discovered" by BME Recordings' (home of Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz) power-team: entertainment attorney Vincent P. Phillips; super-producers Jonathon "Lil Jon" Smith and Rob McDowell; and Hot 107.9's Emperor Searcy. During a high school concert featuring Lil Scrappy performing his hit single "Head-Bussa," over 2000 students chanted, "We some head bussas! We some head bussas! We'll knock a hater out! We some head bussas," while simultaneously punching their right fists in the palms of their left. The virtual hypnosis between Lil Scrappy and the crowd was so amazing it encouraged BME Recordings to ask for a meeting the next day regarding signing opportunities. It wasn't too long after when "Head-Bussa" was in constant radio rotation in Atlanta, Columbus, and Macon, Georgia as well as Columbia, SC. Only a short time after that, Lil Scrappy was performing throughout the southern region of the United States, becoming a household name throughout the South amongst the youth and the over-25ers." Early notoriety afforded Lil Scrappy opportunities to record with southern superstars such as David Banner and Bone Crusher, both featured on "Come On." Scrappy, who is currently touring with BME Recording artists Trillville promoting their upcoming release The King of Crunk & BME Recordings Present Lil Scrappy & Trillville, has also appeared onstage with Lil Jon and Joe Budden during MTV's Sucker Free Concert Series in Louisville, Kentucky. Scrappy has also appeared with Lil Jon on BET's "How I'm Livin"; MTV "Live at the Power Summit" in Puerto Rico as well as The Source Awards this year in Miami. He has performed in front of more than 20,000 in Atlanta at Radio One's Birthday Bash and has been a featured artist on the Dirty South Tour with headliner's Lil Jon, Chingy and David Banner. "My first encounter with Scrappy was in a hole-in-the-wall club," explains Lil Jon. "He is the kind of person that's very charismatic and extremely focused on what he wants. Onstage, he's extremely animated and energetic." Scrappy attended a military academy that taught him to never second-guess his ability to make it as an MC. His influences range from The Gap Band to 8Ball & MJG to Tupac then back to James Brown. And like any rapper worth his rhythm and skills, Scrappy comes hard and he comes crunk. So much so he calls himself the Prince of Crunk, the heir to the King of Crunk. "On my songs you're going to hear some real crunk," brags Lil Scrappy. "You gon' hear some pimpin' and some storytellin' about my life. You gon' hear some off the wall .," he pauses. "You jus gon hear me. It's hard for me to just talk to people," Scrappy exclaims conclusively. "It just comes out in my lyrics." Songs such as "What The Fuck" and "Come On" are clear examples of how Scrappy concocts rhymes that capture his West Atlanta swagger and southern-bred attitude. Armed with an inviting smile and a street-smart personality, Scrappy is no stranger to the honies, nor is the Prince of Crunk shy about expressing himself on the subject. "I'm Just a P-I-M-P," puts it mildly on how Scrappy feels about relationships. Scrappy also appears with Trillville on "Stay Low," the Lil Jon-produced follow-up to the smash single "Get Low." One meeting and immediately you know that there's something special about Lil Scrappy. Two meetings and it's apparent he is a star. On the third time - and there will be a third time if Scrappy has his way - is the charm. But then again, he is the #1 Head-Bussa!

Eric "Eazy-E" Wright was born September 7, 1964, in Compton, CA, a rough part of the Los Angeles metro area that N.W.A. would later make notorious. A high school dropout, Wright turned to drug dealing to support himself, and eventually used the profits to start his own rap label, Ruthless Records, with partner and music-business veteran Jerry Heller. E discovered a major performing talent in the D.O.C., and recruited Ice Cube and Dr. Dre to write songs for his stable of artists. When their composition "Boyz-N-the Hood" was rejected by Ruthless signee HBO, Cube, Dre, and E formed the first version of N.W.A. to record it themselves. Their first album, "N.W.A. and the Posse," was released in 1987 and largely ignored; after a few tweaks of the lineup and the rough-edged subject matter, 1988's "Straight Outta Compton" made N.W.A. into superstars. E seized the opportunity to release a solo project later in the year, titled "Eazy-Duz-It," which would be the only full-length album he would complete; it would sell well over two-million copies. After Ice Cube's bitter departure from N.W.A. toward the end of 1989 (precipitated in part by Heller's business tactics), Eazy-E took over his not inconsiderable share of the rapping and songwriting duties, becoming the group's dominant voice on 1991's "Efil4zaggin." His taste for cartoon-ish vulgarity began to undermine the claims of realistic inner-city reporting that the group had used to defend themselves. Disputes between the members led to N.W.A.'s breakup that summer, and a court battle between Ruthless and Dre's new label Death Row soon followed, with Eazy alleging that Death Row head Suge Knight had coerced Ruthless into releasing Dre from his contract. The case was eventually thrown out, but a bitter feud between Dre and Eazy raged for the next several years; Dre's seminal solo debut "The Chronic" made merciless fun of Eazy. E's 1992 solo EP "5150 Home 4 tha Sick" sold well, but did little to dispel his increasingly cartoon-ish image; he found more success running the Ruthless label, with a roster that included Above the Law, N.W.A. bandmate MC Ren, the poorly received all-female group H.W.A. (Hoez With Attitude), and, eventually, the lucrative Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Eazy addressed his feud with Dre on the 1993 EP "It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa," which famously included an actual photo of Dre wearing makeup and sequins during his World Class Wreckin' Cru days. Still, save for dissing Dre, Eazy didn't seem to have much to say, and despite healthy record sales, his artistic credibility was declining at an alarming rate. Eazy didn't help matters much when, in early 1993, he spoke out in support of Theodore Briseno, the only LAPD officer involved in the Rodney King beating to express displeasure; later in the year, he paid 2,500 dollars to attend a Republican fund-raiser, which his detractors saw as a further betrayal of his roots. In early 1995, Eazy entered the hospital with respiratory difficulties, believing he had developed asthma. The diagnosis was far more serious: he had contracted AIDS. Eazy announced his plight to the public shortly thereafter, winning admiration for his straightforward attitude. Sadly, just a few weeks later, on March 26, 1995, the disease claimed his life. The record he had been working on, "Str8 Off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton," was released posthumously (in unfinished form) later in the year. In 2002, on the seventh anniversary of his death, some previously unreleased material from the Ruthless vaults was released as the EP "Impact of a Legend," which was accompanied by a DVD.
Anyone stepping into a club in the last two years has certainly thrown them bows to the crunk stylings of Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. The Atlanta-based trio of Lil Jon, Big Sam and Lil Bo unleashed the gold-certified Put Yo Hood Up album in 2001, which spawned the smash singles "Bia Bia" (with Ludacris, Too $hort, Big Kap and Chyna White) and the title track (whose rambunctious remix featured Jadakiss and Petey Pablo). Torchbearers to the hip-hop movement known as "crunk", with its signature rowdy choruses and block-rocking beats, Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz return with their fourth, and best, album to date. Simply put, Kings Of Crunk (which features Jadakiss, Mystikal, Petey Pablo, UGK, 8Ball, Krayzie Bone, Pastor Troy, MJG and E-40, among others) will take crunk music from a regional sensation to a national phenomenon. "I’m calling the album ‘The Crunk Chronic?, explains Lil Jon, referring to the landmark Dr. Dre album that introduced the world to Snoop Dogg and launched Death Row Records. "We’ve got so many hot rappers on the album and the production level has stepped up tremendously. It’s just going to be a good all-around album for everybody, from women to men, from black to white. The energy level of all of the songs is just amazing. It’s going to be one of those records where it’s hit after hit after hit." Lead single "I Don’t Give A Fuck" will send crowds into a frenzy, as the bone-crushing beat and the spirited guest shots from Mystikal and Krayzie Bone make this cut one of The East Side Boyz’s best songs to date. "We were recording in Miami, so Mystikal came to Miami, came in the studio and we were all writing together," Lil Jon says. "We wrote the hook while he was writing his rap. We laid the hook down and by the time we finished, he came in and laid his rap. Krayzie Bone came in with all the guys from Bone. We thought he’d be hot on that track and he put his verse down quick." Another effortless collaboration came with "Knockin?Heads Off", which features Jadakiss and Styles. After recording the pounding "Put Your Hood Up" remix with Jadakiss, this lauded member of the LOX, Lil Jon knew that their collaborative magic should strike again. But this time Jon made it more hype, as both Styles P and Jadakiss represent on "Knockin?Heads Off.’’ The results are, as expected, explosive. That’s to say nothing of the dream teaming of Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz with fellow A-Town icon, Pastor Troy. The two forces unite on "Throw It Up," a dramatic ode to Southern hoods. A similar display of Southern pride pops up on the driving "Rep Your City" a punishing posse cut with Petey Pablo, UGK, 8Ball and E-40. "There’s no Southern posse record out, so we wanted to put the best rappers from the South on that joint," Lil Jon says. "We wanted to make a hot record for everybody to represent to." Kings of Crunk 2 Although the majority of Kings Of Crunk maintains the energy of a riot, there are some calmer, more soulful moments. Such is the case with "Diamonds", a guitar-driven cut with MJG and UGK. After collaborating with the two acts extensively, Lil Jon felt it was only right to flip their energy into a hot track for all of his fans in Texas. "We did that song for Texas," says Lil Jon. "The vibe of the track is on some Texas shit, so we did that song for our Texas fans. They love us for that crunk shit, but we also want to show we can rap if we wanted to. The song just felt good. It has a good flow, good transitions, good build-up, the hook is nice and the guitar feels good." With such searing results, it comes as no surprise that Lil Jon & The EastSide Boyz filled their album with guest stars. Everyone wanted to record with them. "Last album, we had a lot of people saying they wanted to be on the album," says Big Sam, who delivers his best performance on "Diamonds". "They wanted to know why we didn’t put them on the album. This time we branched out to everybody we could." Indeed, Kings Of Crunk stands as an artistic advancement of a group who was already at the top of its game. "We wanted to show the growth of us as a group and step up the game as far as production, the hooks and everything," Lil Jon explains. "We’re not really considering ourselves rappers, so we got the best rappers in the game to get on the tracks. We do our chant thing, make the beats and let other people who really rap do the rap. We wanted to work with people who we wanted to work with, who we admire and whose music we admired. We went into it like we‚re going to make a hot-ass album." Truth be told, Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz have been making hot-ass albums for years. The trio emerged in 1996 with their "Who U With", Get Crunk: Da Album and quickly established themselves as one of the South’s hottest hip-hop acts. With Jon handling the beats, Sam and Bo collaborating on the hooks and lyrics, they became a treacherous three, packing that club energy into each of their recordings. With 2000’s We Still Crunk!!, the group returned and became an outright sensation thanks to their party-starting beats, chantable choruses and undeniable energy. Put Yo Hood Up broke the crew on a major level, earning them the respect of hip-hop fans across the country and establishing the crew as the pioneers of crunk. "We brought crunkness to hip-hop," Lil Jon says. "For us to go to New York and do show with Funkmaster Flex at his club, that shows that the crunk thing has really grown. We brought the aspect of putting our records and getting the clubs rowdy." Now, with Kings Of Crunk, there is no choice but to bow down to these musical masters. "Back in the day, we were just making records for Atlanta, for them to get crunk in the club to," Lil Jon says. "Now, we’re making records for the nation and the world to get crunk to." Brace yourself.

G-Unit is a band led by hit-topping rapper, 50 Cent. The ban began with artists 50 cent, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Occasionally the group would use DJs Cutmaster C and DJ Whookid. The group recorded mixed tapes: 50 Cent is the Future, God’s Plan, No Mercy, No Fear, and Automatic Gunfire. They were signed to Interscope Records. The group’s progress was delayed, however, with the release of 50’s hit debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. Soon after, Yayo was sentenced to prison after being charged with gunfire possessions. He was replaced by Young Buck. G-Unit soon released the “G-Unit Remix” to 50 Cent’s single, P.I.M.P. The song featured another hit rapper, Snoop Dog. The video received heavy rotation on MTV. On November 18, 2003 G-Unit released their debut album entitled Beg For Mercy. The album did very well. Prior to the release of the album, the group ran a promotion. One of the albums would contained a golden ticket that would allow the lucky buyer to visit G-Unit and receive a rotating diamond G-Unit necklace (very Charlie and the Chocolate Factory sounding … but with a little twist). G-Unit’s first single off the Beg for Mercy album was “Stunt 101.”

Of the many hardcore rappers to emerge from Memphis during the late '90s, Project Pat certainly stood above his peers. His affiliation with the Three 6 Mafia collective introduced him to many listeners, especially after he guested on the group's hit song "Sippin' on Some Syrup" in 2000. Yet Project Pat (born Patrick Houston, brother to Three 6 Mafia founder Juicy J) made his mark on much of America with a hit song of his own a year later, "Chickenhead." The song -- which features production by Juicy J and DJ Paul along with vocals by La Chat -- became a Dirty South anthem in 2001 and propelled Pat's third album, Mista Don't Play: Everythangs Workin, into the Top Five, an amazing feat for such a hardcore artist. Rap music had long been a part of Pat's life before he soared to national fame in the early 2000s. His brother, Juicy J, co-founded influential Memphis hardcore rap group Three 6 Mafia during the early '90s. Though never an official member of the group, Pat affiliated himself with the Mafia, appearing on such albums as Crazyndalazdayz (1998) and Indo G's Angel Dust (1998). A year later, Pat recorded a solo album of his own for Hypnotize Minds/Loud, Ghetty Green. Though the solo debut didn't propel Pat to superstar status, it did establish him within the growing Dirty South scene, and his follow-up album, Murderers & Robbers (2000), did much the same; though this second album was independently released rather than through Loud. Next came Pat's high-profile appearance on Three 6 Mafia's "Sippin' on Some Syrup," and when that song became a huge hit, the stage was set for one of his own. That hit would be "Chickenhead," a song also featuring La Chat, the successor to Gangsta Boo's position as the token female member of Three 6 Mafia. The song pitted the two against one another in typical Dirty South style: La Chat talking badly about Pat, him calling her a "chickenhead." Such indigenous slang had long been a staple of the Memphis scene, yet "Chickenhead" became an unprecedented success, extending its reach far beyond the South and taking its vernacular with it. Just as his career had reached exciting heights, Pat's longtime legal skirmishes began to catch up with him. During the interim period following the success of "Chickenhead," Pat struggled with legal problems stemming from a January 2001 parole violation, when police pulled him over for speeding and discovered two revolvers. On March 13th of that same year, a federal jury found him guilty of two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He had been on parole for aggravated robbery. Perhaps because of these legal matters, or for whatever reason, Loud continually pushed back the release date for Pat's fourth album, Layin' da Smack Down. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

C-Murder is the younger brother of Master P, the founder and president of No Limit Records. That explains his membership in the No Limit family, the label where nepotism rules, but he's actually one of the stronger rappers on the label. He may stick to the predictable gangsta musical blueprint, but as a rapper, he had an original style and interesting wordplay that separated him from the No Limit pack. C-Murder made his first recorded appearance as a member of Tru, a trio that also featured his brothers Master P and Silkk the Shocker. Their first album, True, was released in 1995 and was followed by Tru 2 Da Game in 1997. During that year, C-Murder appeared on a number of No Limit releases, including Master P's Ghetto D and the I'm Bout It soundtrack. In the spring of 1998, he released his solo debut, Life or Death; Bossalinie followed a year later. In 2000, he reached superstar status, first with his appearance in the 504 Boyz smash hit, "Wobble Wobble"; then with his third and most successful album yet, Trapped in Crime, propelled by the commercial success of its C-Murder/Snoop Dogg/Magic collaboration, "Down for My N's." This album also signaled the launch of Tru Records, C-Murder's new label, which promised to be accompanied by a clothing line and successive releases. His 2002 release, Tru Dawgs, was a test for the label but was preceded by tragedy when C-Murder was arrested for shooting someone in a nightclub. He went to jail right after the album was finished, and was there during the release of the CD. Master P has been a vocal supporter of C-Murder since the incident, claiming that he wasn't involved and it is a case of mistaken identity. Regardless of Master P's support, C-Murder was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on October 1, 2003. Allowed to record from behind bars, the rapper released Truest **** I Ever Said in early 2005.

Just when you've thought you've seen and heard it all, in comes the Ying Yang Twins with their hot single "Whistle While You Twurk", taking the club scene and the Billboard rap charts by storm. With their sizzling debut album, Thug Walkin' a musical stroll through the lives of D-Roc and Kaine the Twins are ready to set the world on fire with their high energy music. "We call the album Thug Walkin' because that's what we're doing every day of our lives, thug walkin'," says Kaine. "Where I come from, real thugs have heart. They listen to reason. They're not fake. Every time they get drunk or high they getting' all loud with somebody. Naw, our definition of a thug is just somebody trying to get through life in the ghetto." The Twins grew up in rough and rowdy East Atlanta, a place that has seen its share of violence and poverty (not to be confused with Atlanta's East Point district). According to the Ying Yang Twins, when they were kids East ATL was a good place to grow up in spite of all the negative things that go on today. "We were raised in East Atlanta, " says Kaine. "It's in the heart of Atlanta. It's a rough hood, but people looked out for one another when we were coming up." Despite the roughness of their of their neighborhood, D-Roc (D'Angelo Holmes) and Kaine (Eric Jackson), who have known each other for six years, found their way out of trouble via music. "D-Roc and Smurf had been in the game way before me," says Kaine. "At the time we were doing this other project called True Dawgs but the record company didn't know what to do with us or our style of music." Back then, the two were drawing inspiration from old school hip-hop as well as Atlanta's town bass scene and synthesizing them into something new. Their music was part of the early beginnings of the 'crunk' phenomenon. Shortly after their deal went sour, the duo made a guest appearance on ATL's legendary DJ Smurf's Dead Crunk LP. After hearing the chemistry between the two on his record, DJ Smurf suggested that they ought to stay together as a group instead of pursuing solo careers. "I came up with the idea for the Ying Yang twins," says Kaine. "I brought it by D-Roc, he liked it, so we ran from there." As the Ying Yang Twins, the crafty duo have been winning over scores of fans with their electrifying shows and guest appearances on DJ Kizzy Rock's Grand Champion and So So Def's Bass Compilation Vol. 4. But it wasn't until the twins dropped their surprise hit "Whistle While You Twurk" an infectious track that has become the national anthem for exotic dancers everywhere that their star really began to shine. "We really just put that song out for the strip clubs in the ATL," says D-Roc. "We didn't plan on that song getting Universal's attention 'cause everybody don't know what Magic City, Blue Flame or Foxy Lady was." In no time, "Whistle While You Twurk" went from being a local hit to occupying the number one spot on the Billboard rap singles chart. Thug Walkin', the Twins' highly charged dynamic debut LP, was recorded in a week and promises to be one of he hottest records of the year. Produced by Beat-In-Azz, Thug Walkin' contains over 70 minutes of high-energy beats and thunderous, gut-wrenching 808 bass. From the explosive opening track, "Ying Yang In This Thang" featuring the Hoodratz, down to the hyper crunk "Whistle While You Twurk" remixes, Thug Walkin' has so much energy that it will jumpstart a dead man's heart. But for those who need to slow down for a pit stop, don't fret. Ying Yang has got you covered with the smooth pimped out playa's anthem "Ballin' G's" and the cruising anthem of the year, "A!" the rowdy laid-back tribute to the Twins' hometown. With their debut LP Thug Walkin', the Ying Yang Twins invite you to take a walk on the thug side of the ATL. They're willing to be that once you take that stroll, it will be a journey you'll never forget.

The rise of Cleveland's Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is a classic example of the American Dream, a group of five young "brothas" who had a goal and would not allow any barriers to stop from attaining this goal. Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone, Wish Bone, Flesh-N-Bone and Bizzy Bone went from being broke, hungry and homeless in 1993 to watching their brand of flowing, rolling, rapid-clip, harmonized rap -- dubbed the "Cleveland Sound" -- hit the top of the charts. In November 1993, they bought one-way Greyhound tickets to Los Angeles determined to prove their talents to their favorite rapper, the late Eric "Eazy-E" Wright of N.W.A. fame. They spent months living on the street, constantly trying to contact Eazy-E, until they finally received a call from him. They rapped for him on the phone. He said he'd get back with them, but never did. When they learned Eazy was doing a show in Cleveland, they hustled up more money for bus tickets and headed back. They found him backstage and after their second audition, Eazy signed them to his Ruthless Records label. Bone's debut single, "Thuggish Ruggish Bone," sold more than 500,000 copies and the video was the cable music channel the Box's most-requested of 1994. Their Ruthless/ Relativity EP debut, Creepin' On Ah Come Up, started moving large quantities shortly after its June 1994 release, shot past triple-platinum sales and became an R&B, and Rap chart topper. As the EP continued its reign atop the charts, the group began work on their debut LP, E. 1999 Eternal. The new album was released in 1995, and proved a great blend of sweet soul harmonies and boulevard mentalities. The album's tribute to their dead homies, called "See You At The Crossroads," became an MTV smash hit, launching them into mainstream radio play. The song took on an unexpected meaning after Eazy-E's March 1995 death. The group's latest efforts have been: BTNHResurrection, was released in 2000 and Thug World Order, released in 2003.