June is the OFFICIAL celebration of black music.  Black Music Month was originally founded by music moguls Kenny Gamble and Ed Wright in 1978, and with the help of President Jimmy Carter on June 7, 1979, the month of June was officially declared Black Music Month. The influence that black artists and black music have […]

With Black History Month upon us, there may be no better time to reflect on the timeless and seemingly endless contributions that Black people have bestowed upon these United States.

June is Black Music Month, a celebration of African-American musicians, creators, innovators and influencers. For 2018, the Urban One family is highlighting 25 of the most influential musicians of all-time that have contributed to black spaces far and wide, ranging from inspirational, to hip-hop and R&B. Artist: 2Pac Genre: Hip-Hop Quick Highlights: No list about […]

June is Black Music Month, a celebration of African-American musicians, creators, innovators and influencers. For 2018, the Urban One family is highlighting 25 of the most influential musicians of all-time that have contributed to black spaces far and wide, ranging from inspirational, to hip-hop and R&B. Artist: The Notorious B.I.G. Genre: Hip-Hop Quick Highlights: Life […]

Born as Marshall Bruce Mathers III but known as Eminem, in 2018 he is still considered to be one of the best rappers of all time, lyrically, technically and flow wise. Throughout his career, Mr. Slim Shady had 10 number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. He is among the world’s […]

James Todd Smith aka LL Cool J stepped onto the music scene in the mid 80s with his hit single, “I Need A Beat,” this single and Def Jam put them both on the trajectory to stardom. The New York rapper over the course of his almost 3 decade career has proved that he’s a […]

From East Point, GA to world domination, rap duo Outkast changed the way we look at southern Hip Hop. André “André 3000” Benjamin and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton created Outkast  as high school students in 1991. They released their debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik in 1994. The single “Player’s Ball” reached number one on the Billboard. They then honed in on their sound to […]

“You can’t ban the Snowman,” the phrase used to ring out in 2005. By then, Young Jeezy had emerged from the mixtape circuit in Atlanta as a star soon to break out even further. On “Dem Boyz,” the lead single from his one-off album with the group Boyz In The Hood, Jeezy batted leadoff. It’s […]

Follow The Beat On Twitter: In the short amount of time that Puerto Rican Bronx rapper Big Pun was with us, its safe to say he touched the world. Despite being overweight, it never stopped him from pursuing his rap career which prospered from 1997 until his death at age 28 in 2000. Big Pun […]

Follow The Beat On Twitter: Master P helped pave the way for a lot of rappers today. He made it cool to also be an entrepreneur in the 90’s and used his brand to make millions outside of music. He’s responsible for bringing No Limit Records and his hometown New Orleans to the front of the […]

Rick Ross, born William Roberts was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi and later relocated to Carol City, Florida. He had a pretty good High School football career and attended Albany State University on a football scholarship. Ross was initially signed to Suave House Record under the name. Teflon Da Don. His first major appearance was on […]