Amir Ali Said

James Cotton was a blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter from Tunica, Mississippi.  In the early '50s, he started his career as a harmonica player in Howlin Wolf's band.  A few years later, Cotton was recruited by Muddy Waters to…

Black Milk is a rapper and a producer from Detroit, Michigan who's been performing since the early 2000s.  In 2002, his production career started with Slum Village.  He produced a number of songs on their third album, Trinity (Past Present…

David Zé was an Angolan musician who sang in the '60s and the '70s. He was also a political activist, and he played a role in Angola obtaining their independence from Portgual.  In 1975, after Angola became an independent country, Zé was…

Grand Puba is a rapper from New Rochelle, New York who came up in the '80s and the '90s.  In 1984, he started his career with the hip hop group Masters of Ceremony.  After their debut album, Dynamite (1988), failed to achieve commercial…

Makoto Matsushita is a Japanese singer and composer.  His passion for music started in high school, and he studied guitar and music theory in college.  He studied at the Nem Conservatory in Japan, and a lot of his curriculum revolved around…

Major Lance was a soul singer from Winterville, Mississippi who recorded in the '60s, '70s, and '80s.  He was well known for his string of classics in the '60s.  Songs like, "The Monkey Time, "Hey Little Girl," and "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um"…

Headie One is a rapper from Tottenham, London, England.  He grew up on a housing estate in Tottenham called Broadwater Farm (a.k.a. The Farm).   It is one of the most infamous estates in London for its culture, history of rioting, and its…

Ofege was a band from Lagos, Nigeria who recorded in the '70s.   The band featured five members: Melvin Noks (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Paul Alade (bass guitar), Mike Meme (drums), Felix Ijeh (rhythm/tenor guitar), and Dapo Olumide…

Cru was a hip hop group from the South Bronx who had a brief run in the '90s.  The group featured three members: rappers Chadio, The Mighty Ha, and producer Yogi.  Their first feature was on the Changing Faces remix for "We Got It Goin…

Özdemir Erdoğan is a Turkish singer, songwriter, and composer from Istanbul, Turkey.  He was exposed to music at an early age through his mother and his uncle.  His mother was a classical pianist, and his uncle was a pianist and a…