Features

Gábor Szabó was a Hungarian guitarist who made jazz, pop, and rock music.   In 1961, Szabó started his career as a member of Chico Hamilton's quintet.  Chico Hamilton was a famous jazz drummer and a bandleader who made his mark in the '50s…

“Group Home was a group from New York made up of members Lil Dap (from Brooklyn) and Malechi (from the Bronx). In the '90s, they were members of The Gang Starr Foundation.  The Gang Starr Foundation was a separate collective of artists that…

Van Mccoy was a singer, songwriter, and producer from Washington, D.C.  He came up as a songwriter in the '50s and the '60s.  He wrote hits for artists like Gladys Knight & The Pips ("Giving Up), Barbara Lewis ("Baby I'm Yours"), and…

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…