Amir Ali Said

Hi-Tek is a producer and rapper from Cincinnati, Ohio.  He started his career with Mood, a local hip hop crew from Cincinnati, and he produced most of their debut album, Doom (1997).  While working on the album, he met Talib Kweli, and that…

Cortex is a French band that was formed in 1974 by Alain Minon, Alain Gandolfi, and Jeff Huttner.  One year later, after a two-day session, they released their debut album, Troupeau Bleu.  The album features a combination of jazz, funk, and…

Capone-N-Noreaga (C-N-N) are a hip hop duo from Queens, New York that came up in the late '90s.  The duo features rappers Capone and Noreaga (N.O.R.E.); two friends who met in prison in 1992.  After their release, they started rhyming…

Bobby Hebb was a soul singer from Nashville, Tennessee.  In 1960, he released his debut single, "Night Train to Memphis."   In 1963, Hebb wrote "Sunny;" the song that would ultimately change his life.   According to Hebb, he wrote "Sunny"…

Gigliola Cinquetti is a singer and TV presenter from Verona, Veneto, Italy.  In 1964, at 16 years old, after winning the prestigious Sanremo Music Festival, Cinquetti became the first Italian to win the Eurovision Song Contest.   Her song…

Three Times Dope was a hip hop group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who had a run in the late '80s.  The group included rapper EST, producer Chuck Nice, and DJ Woody Wood.  They were apart of The Hilltop Hustlers, an infamous crew from…

Brenda Lee Eager is a singer and songwriter from Mobile, Alabama.  She grew up in Lower Peach Tree, a small town in Alabama, and she sang in her local choir.  At 17, she sang professionally for the first time at the Kings Club in Prichard,…

Eve is a rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who enjoyed a successful career in the early 2000s.  In 1999, Eve released her debut single, "What Y'all Want;" it peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it reached #1 on the Hot Rap…

Jean Adebambo was a singer from Islington, London, England.  In the early '80s, Adebambo was training to become a nurse.  During this time, she was invited to record two cover songs, "Again," and "Reunited," for the UK-based reggae label…

Angela Bofill is a singer from Brooklyn, New York who grew up in the Bronx.   Her father was Cuban and her mother was Puerto Rican; this multicultural background played a role in many of her records.  Bofill started singing when she was…