Other Hip-Hop Trends and Figures 1
Latino hip-hop including Fat Joe and his Terror Squad (with Remy Ma, Cuban Linx, et al.) and Haitian-reggae-hip-hop including the Fugees (later performing as solo acts Wyclef Jean, Pras, and Lauryn Hill) have all had considerable success. In addition, Chinese philosophy influenced the formation of several groups, among them the kung-fu styled groups Fu-Schnickens and the Shaolin-inspired collective Wu-Tang Clan (i.e., The Rza, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, U-God, the Gza, Masta Killa, the late Ol' Dirty Bastard, and Cappadonna). A host of other MCs have also come to prominence:
- Bones Thugs-N- Harmony
- 50 Cent
- Fabolous
- Ja Rule
- Jeru the Damaja
- Jurassic 5
- Kid Cudi
- Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz
- Mobb Deep
- Naughty by Nature
- Outsidaz
- Redman
- Soul Assassins
- Souls of Mischief
- Tha Eastsidaz
- The Game
- The Luniz
- Warren G
Numerous contemporary R & B singers have combined hip-hop with R & B, such as the Senegalese-American singer-producer T-Pain, who popularized the use of the Auto-Tune throughout his career. Others who have fused hip-hop music with R & B music and/or neo-soul include:
- Beyoncé
- Keyshia Cole
- Anthony Hamilton
- Keri Hilson
- India Arie
- Alicia Keys
- Ne-Yo
- Rihanna
- Trey Songz
- Musiq Soulchild
- Usher
Around 2004, hip-hop witnessed the entry of artists from global centers who became household names in a field once dominated by U.S.-based acts. A roster of some of these diverse hip-hop voices includes Sri Lankan British act M.I.A., Canadian lyricist Drake, Somalian-Canadian act K'Naan, Nigerian-German hip-hop singer Nneka, Japanese rapper Shing, South African hip-hop star Jean Grae, and Trinidadian hip-hop singer Nicki Minaj.
Hip-hop sensibility, once pioneered by small-scale neighborhood DJ or street-rap music producers, has influenced the entire scope of music production, and hip-hop producers have achieved record mogul status. For example, Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, Timbaland, Prince Paul, the Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo), Swiss Beatz, and Lil Jon have all produced hits for non-hip-hop artists. Meanwhile, hip-hop acts such as Dr. Dre (Aftermath Entertainment), Eminem (Shady Records), Sean "P. Diddy" Combs (Bad Boy Records Entertainment), Jermaine Dupri (So-So Def), Queen Latifah (Flavor Unit Records), Jay-Z (Roc-A-Fella), together with the William Brothers, Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams (Cash Money Records), and Russell Simmons (Def Jam/Rush Communications) have turned independent rap music record labels into multimillion-dollar enterprises. In addition, hip-hop has penetrated the fashion industry on its aesthetic terms with distinct name brands of global recognition, such as Echō, Enyce, FUBU, and clothing lines created by hip-hop artists-Rocawear (Jay-Z), Phat Farm (Russell Simmons), and Sean John (Sean "P. Diddy" Combs)-and famous footwear, including Lugz and Timbaland.