Rick Ross, Ying Yang Twins, Twista, und Murphy Lee

It’s difficult to quite put your finger on how conventional Ross’ pre-hip hop life was, by the genre’s usual standards; he certainly didn’t have the most comfortable of upbringings, but it’s also fair to say that serving as a prison officer - as Ross did for a couple of years in the mid-nineties - is hardly something that’s a common occurrence in a genre of music with a general lack of regard for law enforcement. After addressing that particular issue on his commercial breakthrough record “Deeper Than Rap” in 2009, though - he’d initially denied that the rumours were true - he’s gone on to make himself one of the best-respected and most widely-revered rappers in the world, having been named Hottest MC in the Game by MTV in 2012. He’s probably best-known in the hip hop community for having created his own label, Maybach Music Group; named after his favourite brand of luxury car, Ross has signed the likes of Meek Mill, French Montana and Wale to the imprint.

In terms of his own solo career, Ross’ lyricism has usually focused on the decadent lifestyle he enjoys, with money and material possessions clearly his primary motivation. He frequently offsets that kind of imagery, though, against his struggles as a youngster, both with the law and with his family; it’s this dichotomy that makes him one of his genre’s most compelling artists. 2014’s “Mastermind” met with critical acclaim, even if it didn’t have a single quite as big as his signature song, “Hustlin’” - it’s testament to Ross’ work ethic, though, that it’s not the only new album he’ll release this year, with “Hood Billionaire” being readied, too.

Ying Yang Twins, featuring D-Roc (born De'Angelo Holmes, February 23,1979) and Kaine (born Eric Jackson, December 16th, 1978) broke onto the airwaves with their first single, "Whistle While You Twurk," (2000), peaking at number 17 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Chart. Alongside extensive touring, their debut album came out later that year, titled "Thug Walkin'." Their fist-pumping tracks full of party-vibes drew the attention of A&R man Bryan Leach, which led to the duo signing to TVT Records, having already connected with Lil Jon. However, formalities were not completed before the Ying Yang Twins were to release their second record, "Alley: The Return of the Ying Yang Twins" (2002) which was instead released on Koch, achieving significant popularity with hip-hop fans in the South.

Their first record for TVT, "Me & My Brother" was released in 2003, which went on to be certified Platinum the following year, with their three hit songs "Whats Happnin!," "Naggin" and the collaborations with Lil Jon, "Salt Shaker" and "Kings of Crunk." These two tracks were massive hits that year, receiving extensive airplay and establishing both Lil Jon and the Ying Yang Twins in the Hip-Hop world, breaking into audiences outside of the American South.

Following an appearance on Britney Spears' song, "In the Zone," the duo released their next album, "United State of Atlanta (U.S.A)" (2005), which again dominated urban radio stations. Their success continued with 2006's "Chemically Imbalanced" and their legacy was compiled in 2009's "Legendary Status: Ying Yang Twins Greatest Hits" which featured all of their biggest hits.

Born on 27 November 1973 in Chicago, Illinois, Twista began rapping at the early age of twelve, and in 1992 he released his first album entitled “Runnin’ Off At Da Mouth” under the name Tung Twista.The next album, “Resurrection” was set to be released in 1994, however, due to marketing issues with his label, Atlantic Records, the album was only released in Chicago. Despite the lack of national attention for “Resurrection,” Twista dropped the “Tung” from his stage name and teamed up with producer The Legendary Traxster and Cwal for “Adrenaline Rush.” The album became his first charting album, peaking at Number 77 on the Billboard Hot 200.

In 1998 Twista teamed up with fellow Chicago rappers to form Speedknot Mobstaz; and together, they released “Mobstability.” That same year Twista formed a new label called Legit Ballin’ and released two compilation albums in 1999 and 2001. In the beginning of 2002, he started to work on his next album entitled “Kamikaze” which was later released in 2004. The album debuted at Number One on the American Billboard 200 album chart. One year later followed with “The Day After” and “Adrenaline 2007.” Unfortunately the letter didn’t do as well compared to his previous albums.

Twista released “The Perfect Storm,” his eighth studio album, in 2010. The album featured guest artists such as Waka Flaka Flame, Raekwon, Diddy and Ray J. Twista started to work on his next studio album in 2013 and in 2014 he released the first single of the album “Dark Horse.”