An early friend and collaborator with the boys from Organized Konfusion, O.C. appeared on the video for the duo's 1991 single "Fudge Pudge" and gained a record deal for his smooth, intelligent raps. Born in Brooklyn in 1973, Omar Credle moved to Queens when he was 11, moving into a house across the street from Pharoahe Monch. When Monch formed Organized Konfusion with Prince Poetry, O.C. kept in contact with the group and contributed a rap to "Fudge Pudge" from their self-titled debut. By 1994, O.C. had a deal of his own, though Wild Pitch Records had little money to promote his album debut, Word...Life. He refused to record again for the label and was dropped. He appeared on Organized Konfusion's second LP, Stress: The Extinction Agenda, and the Crooklyn soundtrack, but it was almost two years before O.C. was signed again, this time by the much more viable Payday Records (a subsidiary of PolyGram/EMI). O.C.'s second album, Jewelz, was released in August 1997. Bon Appetit appeared four years later.

John Bush, Rovi

Widely known initially for his work as a producer and MC with the rap group Main Source, Large Professor soon after became a full-time producer working with such acts as Big Daddy Kane and A Tribe Called Quest. Professor originally became involved in rap when he won a tryout held by Main Source members K-Cut and Sir Scratch in 1989. Contributing significantly to the creative direction of the group, Professor eventually broke with Main Source over creative differences. He then lent his hand to albums by some of rap's biggest names, including Eric B. & Rakim, Nas, and Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth. For his full-length solo debut, 2002's 1st Class, Large Professor called in favors from friends including Nas, Q-Tip, and Busta Rhymes. 2008's Main Source featured Big Noyd, AZ, and Styles P.

Steve Kurutz, Rovi

In the mid-'90s, Sean Price, known then as Ruck, and partner Rock dropped their debut album, Nocturnal, as the rap outfit Heltah Skeltah during a time when East Coast hip-hop was delivering mainstream and underground classics left and right. Heltah Skeltah and the rest of their collective, the Boot Camp Clik, never enjoyed the popular success of East Coast acts Wu-Tang Clan or Mobb Deep, but they did receive that same critical acclaim. Source magazine nominated them for Best New Group of 1996. Price, however, was always cast as the sidekick half of the group on account of Rock's gritty and baritone voice despite the fact that they were both masterful lyricists.

By the time of their second release in 1998, Magnum Force, none of this mattered. The album did poorly as was the Boot Camp's record label, Duck Down Records. Priority Records dropped Duck Down from its distribution deal in 2000. Rock left Duck Down to pursue a solo career with DJ Lethal (of House of Pain and Limp Bizkit fame) and his new label, Lethal Dose Records; however, that project folded. Price found himself either in jail or back on the streets of Brooklyn, NY, hustling and selling crack in order to survive. After a few years of hard times, a serious girlfriend, and children, he began appearing on various mixtapes and other albums as a solo artist using his birth name, Sean Price. A notable guest appearance during this period was on "Rising to the Top," a duo with Dipset affiliate Agallah that was featured in the popular video game {*Grand Theft Auto III}.

A reinvigorated Duck Down Records obtained a new distribution deal with Navarre in May 2005 and announced their "Triple Threat" campaign, a three-album collaborative effort with rap collective the Justus League and their in-house producers, 9th Wonder and Khrysis. Monkey Barz, Price's solo debut and first installment of the campaign, was also released in May 2005, attaining very favorable reviews. Upon winning Independent Album of 2005 in both the Source and influential website AllHipHop.com, many began to consider Price to be the Boot Camp's star rapper -- a title usually given to Boot Camp leader Buckshot. His second solo album, Jesus Price Supastar (2007), was received just as favorably as the first, and even prompted some major-label interest in the veteran MC.

Cyril Cordor, Rovi

An alum of late-'80s/early-'90s golden age hip-hop, vicious Queensbridge lyricist Blaq Poet gradually slipped into his reputable underground status as the '90s and 2000s progressed onwards. Known then as MC Poet, he debuted in the mid-'80s with the ill-befitting dance-rap single "The Wopp Sensation." However, he regained ground when he embroiled himself in the Bronx-Queens feud between Boogie Down Productions and Marley Marl's Juice Crew, unleashing the KRS-One dis record, "Beat You Down," in 1987. A few years later, he teamed up with producer and turntablist DJ Hot Day to form the duo PHD; the two recorded for Tuff City, releasing the 12" "I'm Flipping" (1991) and the overindulgently violent and boastful album Without Warning (1991), which contained early guest raps by Queensbridge notables Havoc (of Mobb Deep) and Cormega.

Aside from another PHD single in 1995 on Tuff City, "The Grand P.O.," Poet retreated during the middle of the '90s, save for a few mixtape appearances here and there. But in the late '90s, he helped put together the five-person, all-Queensbridge rap group Screwball, who enjoyed beats from the likes of producer legends Pete Rock and DJ Premier. The group's label, Tommy Boy, had some issues with their rough-and-tumble rap music, especially considering their 1999 singles, "Who Shot Rudy?" (as in at-the-time New York mayor Rudy Giuliani) and "F.A.Y.B.A.N." (an acronym for "F*ck All Y'all B*tch Ass Ni**as"). Regardless, Tommy Boy issued Screwball's full-length debut, Y2K, in 2000. Since then, Poet frequently worked with DJ Premier and joined the roster of Premier's Year Round Records as a solo artist. A number of mixtapes and 12"s were issued before his first LP, Rewind: Deja Screw, hit shelves in 2006.

Cyril Cordor, Rovi

With an impressive resume in rap that includes membership in the legendary Juice Crew (along with Marley Marl, MC Shan, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Roxanne Shante, and Craig G) and a verse on the 1988 classic posse cut "The Symphony," Brooklyn's Masta Ace is truly an underappreciated rap veteran and underground luminary. Two years after "The Symphony," Ace released his debut album Take a Look Around on rap's version of the Motown label, Cold Chillin' Records. While not a huge commercial success the album spawned a hit single and video for "Me and the Biz" which popped up on many popular rap video shows in the late '90s for nostalgia's sake. The album has Marley Marl's keen production aura all over it and also features a guest appearance from the Biz himself. After three years on the hush, Ace returned to the fold in 1993 this time with his crew as Masta Ace Incorporated (Lord Digga and Paula Perry) and dropped Slaughtahouse. The album broke new ground by taking the synthesized West Coast Sound and filtering it through an East Coast mentality. The memorable "Born to Roll," with its tweaked Moog/Kraftwerk bass line, brought Ace some serious commercial attention. In 2000, De La Soul used this classic beat on a remix of "All Good" featuring Chaka Khan. The album also produced a few hits for undergrounders including "Jeep Ass Niguhz" and "Style Wars." The album is highly notable for its cross-coast compatibility. In 1995 Masta Ace Incorporated dropped Sittin' on Chrome, a continuation of the themes on Slaughtahouse and owning an even slicker sound. Using the Isley Brothers' much-sampled "For the Love of You" for the track "I.N.C. Ride" may have offended some of Ace's loyal fans but the song's catchy vibe made it a hit. Sittin' on Chrome is another album chock-full of Jeep beats that doesn't relinquish its standing with underground tastes. "B Side" and "4 the Mind" featuring the Cella Dwellas are also crucial jams. Ace has been known to release sleeper singles that cannot be found on his albums; one of the rarest, 1996's "Ya Hardcore," is a bumping indictment of studio gangsters and thug rap neophytes. The talented survivor in the rap game released a variety of singles in 2000 including "Hellbound," a duet with Eminem marking his 12-plus years of experience in the rap biz. The Disposable Arts album from 2001 was a well-received protest against watered-down rap with some hints that the rapper was retiring. It was all a red herring as he returned in 2004 with the conceptual album A Long Hot Summer. A year later he formed the eMC with rappers Wordsworth, Punchline, and Stricklin.

Michael Di Bella, Rovi

Part of Brooklyn's talented Boot Camp Clik, the powerful tandem of Smif-n-Wessun got their start on Black Moon's classic debut, Enta da Stage, in 1993. Rudeboy MCs Tek and Steele made their presence felt on the cuts "U da Man" and "Black Smif N' Wessun." In early 1994, the crew scored a massive underground hit with "Bucktown," a reference to their violence-plagued Bedford-Stuyvesant stomping grounds and "home of the original gun clappas."

Their debut LP, Dah Shinin', followed soon thereafter, unleashing more heavy artillery from the military-minded BCC. With a canvas of dark, gluttonous beats provided by the gifted Beatminerz production squad, the duo expanded the limits of harsh-sounding, neck-snapping hip-hop by adding a melodic element. The crew released their album during the heyday of one of the most influential independent hip-hop labels of the '90s, Nervous Wreck Records, which many other indies (Rawkus) have patterned themselves around. Their recording moniker alone, Smif-n-Wessun, implies violence, but the weaponry they deploy is also of the verbal variety. Tek and Steele both possess signature flows, the former a bit more straight-laced while the latter showcases West Indian influences. Dah Shinin' is a focused album with a sharp, compacted sound that still contains depth, albeit strictly from the dark side.

Forced to reincarnate themselves after a legal battle with the Smith and Wesson firearm company, the duo resurfaced in 1997 as Cocoa Brovaz, a reference to their heritage and also to their marijuana fixation. Their second album (and first as Cocoa Brovaz), 1998's The Rude Awakening, was a more sprawling and chaotic venture, as well as being a shade more frighteningly dark. Since 1998, the two partners have released a few singles, including "Super Brooklyn," which features a superbly innovative use of a sample from the old {*Super Mario Bros.} {!Nintendo} game.

Michael Di Bella, Rovi

An earnest student of the early-'90s boom-bap technique, underground rap producer Marco Bruno, aka Marco Polo, was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. Bit hard by the hip-hop bug, he enrolled into an audio engineering school in 1999, purchasing his first MPC with his student loans. Once he finished up school, he moved from Canada down to New York and lived in his friend's basement in Queens to get his career started. He began paying his dues as an unpaid intern at the Cutting Room recording studios in Manhattan, which eventually turned into an on-staff management position. He used to play his beats in the office while clientele like Talib Kweli, Fat Joe, and Inspectah Deck came through for recording sessions. One of those passersby, Masta Ace, liked what he heard and added one of Polo's productions ("Do It Man") to his 2004 effort A Long Hot Summer. The song opened up many more opportunities for him, and soon he became an in-house producer for N.Y. indie Soulspazm. He was landing beats for several noteworthy hip-hop artists, including Supernatural, Jean Grae, Immortal Technique, the Boot Camp Clik, and California MC Rasco, who released Polo's first beat CD, Canned Goods, on his Pockets Linted imprint in 2005. When Soulspazm had a falling out with its distributor, the company lined up another joint venture with Rawkus Records. Rawkus championed the ambitious beat-maker and his 2007 production album, Port Authority. With his smooth textures and back-to-basics approach, Polo aptly chose veteran MCs like Kool G Rap, Large Professor, O.C., and Masta Ace to grace various tracks for the LP.

Cyril Cordor, Rovi

As a member of Brand Nubian, Sadat X (born Derek Murphy) was one of the key MCs who related messages inspired by the Five Percent Nation. Two years after Brand Nubian's third album, Everything Is Everything, he made his solo debut with Wild Cowboys, which built on his lyrical reputation on top of tough, jazz-inflected arrangements. The album, featuring production from Diamond D and Buckwild, was a solid solo debut that didn't quite scale the heights of his legacy with Brand Nubian. No Better Way, also released in 1996, improved on the debut and was produced by a cast that opened up to include da Beatminerz and Pete Rock. Sadat teamed back up with Brand Nubian for 1998's Foundation, but he didn't appear again as a solo artist until The State of New York vs. Derek Murphy, an EP released on Relativity in 2000. With a full-time job as a special-education teacher, it took five years before his next album, 2005's Experience & Education, was released, but 2006 saw another full-length, Black October, which was recorded while Sadat X awaited the possibility of prison time for carrying a loaded gun.

Andy Kellman, Rovi

Although his status within Boston's rap underground is legendary, hardcore underground rapper Big Shug is widely known for his long-time affiliation with hip-hop duo Gang Starr and its producer-half, DJ Premier. Deemed top general of the Gang Starr Foundation collective, Big Shug's unrelenting flow and predisposition for menacing rhymes -- personified by his massive and imposing physique -- were best captured in his classic verses on Gang Starr cuts "F.A.L.A" (from 1994's Hard to Earn) and "The Militia" (from 1998's Moment of Truth). Born Cary Guy, the hardcore rapper spent much of his early life in Boston's Mattapan (known locally as "Murdapan") section. Because his mother abandoned his family and his father grappled with alcoholism, Guy had to fend for himself on the streets. The friendship that he eventually made with Gang Starr's MC, Guru, is actually where the origins of Gang Starr lie. Shug stimulated Guru's interest to rhyme in somewhat of a mentoring capacity. However, too embedded in Boston's underbelly of violence and drugs, Shug wound up incarcerated, and Guru moved to New York, taking the Gang Starr name to form one of hip-hop's most innovative groups with DJ Premier. When Shug was let out, he was very inspired by Gang Starr's success. Guru and Premier showed their respects by including him on each of their albums, beginning with Hard to Earn in 1994. Throughout the '90s, Shug recorded a few DJ Premier-produced 12"s for Payday and Chrysalis, but his first full-length record, Who's Hard (2005), didn't appear until well over a decade of being a seasoned veteran. Actually, many of the album's tracks were some of those ten-year-old recordings. In 2007, he signed onto indie rap powerhouse Babygrande to release his follow-up effort, Streetchamp. Unlike the previous album, Shug only took a few beats from DJ Premier, handing most of the production work over to Canadian up-and-comer MoSS.

Cyril Cordor, Rovi

A member of the Wu-Tang family, DJ/producer Mathematics (aka DJ Allah Mathematics) is the man the group members turn to when they want that classic Wu sound, and he is rumored to have drawn the original "W" logo. Born Norman Porter in south-side Jamaica, Queens, Mathematics was exposed to hip-hop culture at an early age. His older brother brought home mixtapes of Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Treacherous Three, Cold Crush Brothers, and others jamming at area block parties. There were no double tape decks at the time, so Mathematics and his brother made copies by pushing two boom boxes together, one playing and one recording.

The future producer originally thought of himself as an MC and imitated Spoonie Gee, Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, and other favorites, but a realization that it was the DJ who controlled the tempo and flow changed everything. Influenced by early greats like Grandmaster Flash, Grand Wizard Theodore, and DJ Charlie Chase, he started DJing block parties in the '80s while his brother hooked him up with future Wu-Tang member GZA. GZA was working with the Cold Chillin' label and needed a DJ, but this was only the beginning of Mathematics' Wu-Tang association.

GZA's family lived around the corner from Mathematics, and one day GZA called the young DJ to go to Queens and watch his cousin shoot a video. The video was for "Ooh I Love You Rakeem" by Prince Rakeem, and Mathematics was shocked to find out Prince Rakeem was actually an old friend, RZA. Over time, RZA taught Mathematics all he knew about production, like how to use samplers and how important it is to have your own voice. At the time, the copyright rules for sampling stated that if you kept a sample under three seconds you didn't have to get label clearance. To avoid seeking clearance, Mathematics sped up old soul records and created a sound that has since become widely imitated. "Wu Banga 101" from Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele, "Rules" from the Wu's Iron Flag, and uncredited work on "Must Be Bobby" from RZA's Digital Bullet are some of Mathematics' major contributions to the Wu world.

In 2003, Mathematics released his first full-length, Love, Hell or Right on his own Quewisha Records label in conjunction with High Times Records. He has also released his own mix CD (available through his website), drawn the artwork for GZA's Liquid Swords album, and written the theme and additional music for Wanda Sykes' television show, Wanda at Large.

David Jeffries, Rovi

Born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI, rapper and producer Bronze Nazareth knew that he always wanted to make and record his own music, he just didn't always have the resources to do so. However, his break came in 1997 while he and his brother Kevlaar 7 were trying to promote their album and Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Cilvaringz liked what he heard and arranged for Bronze Nazareth to come to Wu-Tang's 36 Chambers Studios. RZA was also impressed by the young musician's beats and immediately invited him to join the production team Wu Elements. Bronze Nazareth first appeared on RZA's 2003 Birth of a Prince, and after that he began working with artists like GZA, Ras Kass, Masta Killa, and Black Market Militia. In 2005, Bronze Nazareth appeared on Wu-Tang Meets Indie Culture, put out by Think Differently Music (with producer Dreddy Kruger), a relationship that then led to the release of Bronze Nazareth's first solo album -- featuring himself on rhymes and beats -- 2006's The Great Migration.

Marisa Brown, Rovi

Ignoring the coastal feuds that dominated hip-hop for most of the '90s, the Alchemist (born Alan Maman) began his career in L.A. (he grew up in affluent Beverly Hills) and ended up in New York City. As a teenager, as part of the duo the Whooliganz (with Scott Caan, son of James) and the greater rap collective the Soul Assassins (with Cypress Hill, House of Pain, etc.), he released the single "Put Your Handz Up" on Tommy Boy in 1993, though the Whooliganz' debut full-length, Make Way for the W, was eventually shelved. The Alchemist continued making beats, however, working with and learning from DJ Muggs on 1995's Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom as well as with childhood friend Evidence of Dilated Peoples.

After moving to New York to attend college, Al hooked up with Queensbridge duo Mobb Deep, producing the songs "The Realest" and "Thug Music" from their 1999 record Murda Muzik, a collaboration that led to work with Pharoahe Monch, Royce da 5'9", Fat Joe, Defari, Freddy Foxxx, Ludacris, Big Daddy Kane, and Ghostface Killah, and even rock acts like Linkin Park and Morcheeba. In 2004, the Alchemist released his first solo full-length, 1st Infantry, which, besides featuring his own beats, also had him rapping alongside Stat Quo, the Game, Lloyd Banks, Mobb Deep, and Dilated Peoples, among others, and in 2005, after Eminem's DJ Green Lantern left the Anger Management 3 tour, the Detroit rapper hired Al as his replacement. In 2006, the Alchemist showcased his work with a pair of mixtapes of previously released and unreleased material, The Chemistry Files and No Days Off. After releasing the instrumental collection Rapper's Best Friend in 2007, 2009's Chemical Warfare featured Eminem, Juvenile, Dilated Peoples, and the Lady of Rage. The year 2012 found him releasing volume two of Rapper's Best Friend along with Vodka & Ayahuasca -- a collaborative album with producer/rapper Oh No recorded under the name Gangrene -- and Russian Roulette -- an album built by sampling Russian music.

Marisa Brown, Rovi

Considered the ninth member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Masta Killa (b. Elgin Turner; aliases: High Chief, Noodles) recorded his first rhymes at the end of "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" from the Clan's 1993 seminal debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). He had never seriously written rhymes, let alone rap before then. However, under the tutelage of the GZA, he developed a steadily paced flow that accentuated his intellectual lyrics -- although equally distinctive were his smooth voice and understated demeanor. Because Killa was incarcerated at the time, his closing verse on "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" was his sole contribution to the album, but he always remained in the fold on the set of Wu-Tang solo records that ensued in the mid-'90s, including GZA's Liquid Swords, Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, and Ghostface Killah's Ironman. There was no questioning his status in the Clan after the release of their 1997 album, Wu-Tang Forever, where Killa contributed to numerous tracks, particularly his standout lines on the lead single, "Triumph."

Nonetheless, similar to the plight of Wu-Tang member Inspectah Deck, Killa worked on his solo material for many years before it would actually come out. After two more Wu-Tang full-lengths and a second string of Wu splinter projects, his solo career finally began with No Said Date, released via underground rap label Nature Sounds in 2004. Staying in-house with producers the RZA, Mathematics, and True Master, the album was one of the few Wu-related releases post-Wu-Tang Forever that received critical praise, particularly by Wu-Tang's loyal fan base. Killa returned in 2006 with Made in Brooklyn, working with a more diverse array of underground producers, including MF Doom, Bronze Nazareth, and the legendary Pete Rock.

Cyril Cordor, Rovi

Establishing his own spot among the ranks of East Coast hip-hop's seminal figures, DJ/producer Statik Selektah utilized his turntabling skills and ingenuity in PR and promotions to break some of the region's most promising artists, bearing his own influence on the national mixtape circuit. Born January 23, 1982 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Patrick Baril was exposed to production equipment at a very early age, tinkering with his parents' eight-track machine, cassette recorders, and turntable. By middle school, he was already DJing school functions, but he was inspired to be a true wheels-of-steel artiste after hearing DJ Premier scratch and mix records on Funkmaster Flex's "Hot 97" radio show.

Soon after, at 14 years of age, he purchased his first turntables and mixer. Calling himself DJ Statik (the "Selektah" surname came later), he started to work clubs and private parties up and down the New England coast. In 2000, after living in New Hampshire, he moved back down to Massachusetts to enroll in the audio production program at Boston's New England Institute of the Arts. That same year, Selektah started putting out mixtapes, namely his "Spell My Name Right" series.

With his mixtapes and DJ gigs, Selektah never passed up the opportunity to champion local hip-hop from Boston and the surrounding New England area. In particular, Selektah was responsible for introducing fellow Lawrence, Massachusetts, native Termanology to the East Coast, helming his Hood Politics mixtapes in the mid- to late 2000s. Managing all of these tasks became much easier when he established in 2003 his own PR/marketing firm, ShowOff. In 2006, he turned ShowOff into an official record label, with Termanology's Out the Gate LP as its first release. By this time, though, Selektah's prestige had grown considerably. His radio shows were playing in several places, from London to Mobile, Alabama; he produced beats for many artists, including G-Unit, AZ, and Joell Ortiz; and most importantly, the DJ dished out tons of mixtapes with big name and up-and-coming artists, such as Nas, Q-Tip, John Legend, Royce da 5'9" (The Bar Exam, co-hosted with DJ Premier, a noteworthy standout), and Saigon.

In fourth quarter 2007, Selektah finally got to promote himself and his beats, entirely producing his official Spell My Name Right debut album. His 2010 effort, 100 Proof: The Hangover, featured East Coast veterans (Kool G Rap, M.O.P.), underground favorites (Talib Kweli, Evidence), and up-and-coming lyricists (Wale, Torae). The year 2011 saw collaborations with both Action Bronson (Well-Done) and Termanology (1982/2012), then in 2012 he collaborated with Strong Arm Steady for the Stones Throw album Stereotype.

Cyril Cordor, Rovi

Hip-hop duo Lil' Dap and Melachi -- collectively known as Group Home -- surfaced in 1995 on a compilation called Guru Presents Ill Kids Records, which was released around the same time as their debut album, Livin' Proof. In spite of Guru's championing the duo, Group Home remained silent for a few years, finally reappearing in 1999 with the album A Tear for the Ghetto, which featured cameos from Guru, Steph Lova, and the Jerky Boys.

Steve Huey, Rovi