Amir Ali Said

Howard Tate was a singer and songwriter from Elberton, Georgia.  As a teenager, Tate sang in a gospel group called The Gainors.  They recorded a string of songs during the late '50s, but they didn't find much success.  After his stint with…

Rappin' 4-Tay is a rapper from San Francisco, California who started rhyming in the late '80s.  After high school, 4-Tay made his recording debut on "Don't Fight The Feelin," a song from Too Short's album Life Is Too Short.   Shortly after,…

Jeanette is a Spanish singer who was originally from London, England.  She grew up in Chicago, Illinois and La Habra, California, but she moved to Barcelona, Spain as a teenager.  While in Barcelona, Jeanette learned how to play the guitar,…

Michie Mee is considered a pioneer in Canadian hip hop.  She is an artist of many cultures; she was originally born in Jamaica, raised in Toronto, Canada, and she spent a lot of her teenage years in New York.  At fourteen, she started…

William S. Fischer is a keyboardist, saxophonist, arranger, and composer from Shelby, Mississippi.  In the '50s, he performed with artists like Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, and Muddy Waters.   In the '60s, Fischer was primarily an arranger…

Freddie McGregor is a Jamaican singer and producer from Clarendon, Jamaica.  At seven years old, McGregor performed as a backup singer with the ska duo The Clarendonians.  The Clarendonians included Fitzroy "Ernest" Wilson and Peter Wilson.…

Rich Boy is a rapper from Mobile, Alabama who came up in the mid 2000s.  His most well-known song is his debut single, "Throw Some D's."  I remember when I was in elementary school, "Throw Some D's" was one of the hardest songs out.  The…

O.V. Wright was a blues musician from Lenow, Tennessee who was highly regarded amongst his peers.  Wright started singing in the church as a kid, and by high school, he was the lead singer of the gospel group The Sunset Travelers.   After…

Brotha Lynch Hung is a rapper and producer from Sacramento, California who came up in the '90s.  He started rhyming as a teenager, but at that time, he spent a lot of his time mixing it up in the streets.  In 1993, he released his debut EP,…

The Sweet Things were a vocal trio that formed in Washington, D.C. in the mid '60s.  The trio featured singers Francine Hurd, Dyanne Stewart, and Nancy J. Johnson.  In 1965, they originally made their debut as The Darlettes, but they only…