Amir Ali Said

Compton's Most Wanted is a hip hop group from Compton, California.  The original group included co-founders MC Eiht and Tha Chill, DJ Mike T, and featured producers DJ Slip and The Unknown DJ.  In 1990, they released their debut album, It's…

Novalis was a progressive rock and Krautrock band from Hamburg, Germany.  The band's namesake came from Novalis, a German poet and philosopher from the Early German Romanticism period.   In 1973, the band released their debut album,…

Alain Goraguer is a jazz pianist, composer, and arranger from Rosny-Sous-Bois, France.  He is known for his work with Boris Vian, Jean Ferrat, and Serge Gainsbourg.  In the '50s, Goraguer worked as an arranger for Vian and Gainsbourg, and…

Dom Kennedy is a rapper from Los Angeles, California.  He was born in Hanford, California, but he grew up in Leimert Park, California.  In 2008, he released his debut mixtape, 25th Hour.  The success of his debut led to a solid following in…

Fausto Papetti was an alto saxophone player from Viggiù, Lombardy, Italy.  He started recording in the '50s, and he released a lot of music in the '60s, but Papetti became more well-known in the '70s.  In the '70s, Papetti became known for…

AZ is a rapper from Brooklyn, NY who enjoyed a solid run in the '90s.  Originally born in Bedstuy, Brooklyn, AZ grew up in East New York, Brooklyn.  He started rhyming when he was a teenager, and he befriended a young Nas in the early '90s.…

Rusty Bryant was a jazz tenor and alto saxophonist from Huntington, West Virginia.  He grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and he later became a staple on the local jazz circuit.  In 1951, after working as a sideman with jazz musicians Tiny Grimes…

Clarence Reid, (a.k.a. Blowfly), was a soul singer and songwriter from Cochran, Georgia.  At around 12, he moved to West Palm Beach, Florida.  He went to high school in Miami, and some time after, he began his musical journey.  In the early…

Beanie Sigel is a rapper from South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He started his career as a battle rapper in Philly.  His ascension through the battle ranks of Philly led to a deal with Roc-A-Fella Records in 1998.  Sigel quickly became a…

Ricky Allen was a blues singer from Nashville, Tennessee.  He started singing in church choirs throughout Nashville before he moved to Chicago in 1958.   In Chicago, he transitioned into the Blues scene.  In 1961, he released his debut…