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Download Now! In the span of three short years, Kanye West went from hip-hop beatmaker to worldwide hitmaker, as his stellar production work for Jay-Z led to a major-label recording contract and, ultimately, a wildly successful solo career. West paired his beats with tongue-twisting raps and a self-assured, flamboyant personality. His dapper fashion sense set him apart from many of his rap peers, and his confidence often came across as boastful or even egotistical, albeit amusingly so. This flamboyance, of course, made for good press, something that West enjoyed in spades during his sudden rise to celebrity status. He was a media darling, appearing and performing at countless awards shows (and winning at them, too), delivering theatrical videos to MTV, and mouthing off about whatever happened to cross his mind. He frequently spoke out against the rampant homophobia evident in much rap music, posed for the cover of Rolling Stone as Jesus Christ, and even claimed during a televised Hurricane Katrina fundraiser that "George Bush doesn't care about black people." West courted controversy, no question about it, but his steady presence in the celebrity limelight couldn't eclipse his musical talent. His production abilities seemed boundless during his initial surge of activity, as he not only racked up impressive hits for himself (including "Jesus Walks" and "Gold Digger"), but also collaborated on smash hits with the likes of Jay-Z and Ludacris. As his career progressed throughout the early 21st century, West shattered certain stereotypes about rappers, becoming a superstar on his own terms without adapting his appearance, his rhetoric, or his music to fit any one musical mold.Coming out of left field (i.e., Chicago, a city rarely praised for its hip-hop exports), West was an unlikely sensation and more than once defied adversity. Like so many others who were initially inspired by Run-D.M.C., he began as just another aspiring rapper with a boundless passion for hip-hop, albeit a rapper with a Midas touch when it came to beatmaking. Indeed, it was his beatmaking prowess that got his foot in the industry door. Though he did quite a bit of noteworthy production work during the late '90s (Jermaine Dupri, Foxy Brown, Mase, Goodie Mob), it was West's work for Roc-a-Fella at the dawn of the new millennium that took his career to the next level. Alongside fellow fresh talent Just Blaze, West became one of the Roc's go-to producers, consistently delivering hot tracks to album after album. His star turn came on Jay-Z's classic Blueprint (2001) with album standouts "Takeover" and "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)." Both songs showcased West's signature beatmaking style of the time, which was largely sample-based; in these cases, the former track appropriating snippets of the Doors' "Five to One," while the latter sampled the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back."More high-profile productions followed, and before long word spread that West was going to release an album of his own, on which he planned to rap as well as produce. Unfortunately, that album was a long time coming, pushed back and then pushed back again. It didn't help that West was in a tragic car accident in October 2002 that almost cost him his life. He capitalized on the traumatic experience by using it as the inspiration for "Through the Wire" (and its corresponding video), which would later become the lead single for his debut album, 2004's The College Dropout. As the album was continually delayed, West continued to churn out big hits for the likes of Talib Kweli ("Get By"), Ludacris ("Stand Up"), Jay-Z ("'03 Bonnie & Clyde"), and Alicia Keys ("You Don't Know My Name"). Then, just as "Through the Wire" was breaking big-time at the tail-end of 2003, another West song caught fire, a collaboration with Twista and comedian/actor Jamie Foxx called "Slow Jamz," which gave the rapper/producer two simultaneously ubiquitous singles and a much-anticipated debut album. As with so many of West's songs, the singles were driven by somewhat recognizable sample-based hooks: Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire" in the case of "Through the Wire," and Luther Vandross' "A House Is Not a Home" in the case of "Slow Jamz."In the wake of his breakout success, West earned a whopping ten nominations at the 47th annual Grammy Awards, held in early 2005. The College Dropout won the Best Rap Album award, "Jesus Walks" won Best Rap Song, and a songwriting credit on "You Don't Know My Name" for Best R&B Song award was shared with Alicia Keys and Harold Lilly. Later that year, West released his second solo album, Late Registration, which spawned a series of hit singles ("Diamonds in Sierra Leone," "Gold Digger," "Heard 'Em Say," "Touch the Sky"). The album topped the charts, as did the "Gold Digger" single, and Late Registration eventually won a Grammy for Album of the Year. West's production work continued more or less unabated during this time; particularly noteworthy were hits for Twista ("Overnight Celebrity"), Janet Jackson ("I Want You"), Brandy ("Talk About Our Love"), the Game ("Dreams"), Common ("Go!"), and Keyshia Cole ("I Changed My Mind"). West also founded his own label, GOOD Music (i.e., "Getting Out Our Dreams"), in conjunction with Sony BMG. The label's inaugural release was John Legend's Get Lifted (2004), followed one year later by Common's Be. In addition to all of his studio work, West also toured internationally in support of Late Registration and released Late Orchestration: Live at Abbey Road Studios (2006) in commemoration.After retreating from the spotlight for some time, West returned to the forefront of the music world in 2007 with a series of album releases. Consequence's Don't Quit Your Day Job and Common's Finding Forever, both released by GOOD, were chiefly produced by West; the latter proved to be particularly popular, topping the album chart upon its release in July. And then there was West's third solo album, Graduation, which was promoted well in advance of its September 11 release (a memorable date that pitted Kanye against 50 Cent, who in one interview swore he would quit music if his own album, Curtis, wasn't the top-seller). A pair of singles — "Can't Tell Me Nothing" and "Stronger," the latter an interpolation of Daft Punk's 2001 single "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" — led the promotional push. It became his third consecutive chart-topping album, and its success culminated in eight Grammy nominations. West was the victor in four of the categories, and he performed two songs during the ceremony, including Late Registration's "Hey Mama," chosen in honor of his recently deceased mother. That loss, compounded by a breakup with his fiancée, informed 2008's 808s & Heartbreak, a major change of pace that saw West singing most of his emotionally pained lyrics with the assistance of Auto-Tune. As polarizing as it was, it went platinum. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, most of which was recorded in Hawaii and involved guest vocal spots from the likes of Nicki Minaj, Kid Cudi, Rick Ross, and the RZA, was released in November 2010. It was preceded by the bombastic, King Crimson-sampling single "Power." Follow @KanyeWest on twitter! http://kanyewest.com/ http://www.myspace.com/kanyewest http://www.facebook.com/kanyewest

Download Now! Compton's own the Game (aka Hurricane Game) issued his debut LP, The Documentary, in 2004 through Aftermath/G-Unit/Universal. With everyone from Dr. Dre and 50 Cent to Nate Dogg, Kanye West, and Just Blaze contributing to the album, The Documentary made it clear from the outset that geographic squabbles weren't a part of the Game's agenda. Rapping hadn't been at first, either. Having gotten involved in the drug trade after a rough childhood, it took being shot during a home invasion to cause an epiphany in the Game. Inspired by N.W.A, The Chronic, Doggystyle, and classic albums from 2Pac, the Notorious B.I.G., and Jay-Z, the Game began rapping in 2001 and never looked back. His barbed and bold freestyles caught the ear of Dre, who signed him to Aftermath in 2003 and executive produced his debut. It was delayed a few times, but The Documentary finally dropped in January 2005. Soon the Game and 50 Cent were at war over the former's reluctance to beef with any and every enemy of G-Unit. Freestyles and mixtapes were spawned in amazing amounts from both sides, and every time a truce seemed possible, things fell apart at the last minute. Dr. Dre was stuck in the middle, and while he never publicly denounced the Game, he passed on working with the rapper for his next effort. Despite Dre's absence, the Game's sophomore release kept its original title of Doctor's Advocate when it was released in late 2006. Two years later, LAX was released. With fewer mentions of Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, the uneven album found the rapper moving on from his previous obsessions. After periods of retirement talk, the MC had a change of heart and began recording The R.E.D. Album ("R.E.D." being short for "rededicated"), for a planned 2010 release. Follow @thegame on twitter! http://www.comptongame.com/ http://www.facebook.com/thegame http://www.myspace.com/thegame

Download Now! Born Antoine McColister in Port St. Lucie, FL, Ace Hood was raised by his mother in Deerfield Beach, a part of Miami's metro area. Rap music became his full-time obsession after he suffered a football injury in the tenth grade, effectively putting the kibosh on any professional sports career. By age 17, he was recording tracks for local imprint Dollaz & Dealz and had a few street singles put out, including 2006's "M.O.E." (i.e., "Money Over Everything"). In November of the following year, Ace maneuvered his way into meeting DJ Khaled at local radio station 99 Jamz and handed the Miami mixtape DJ his demo. Within a matter of weeks, DJ Khaled signed Ace, then 19 years old, as the first artist to his newly formed We the Best Music, which obtained distribution through Def Jam a few weeks after that. Ace's Def Jam debut single, the Runners-produced "Cash Flow," featuring Rick Ross and ubiquitous hook singer T-Pain, arrived in early 2008 and turned out to be a smash hit on South Florida radio. A few mixtapes and guest appearances later, he released his first full-length, Gutta, in summer 2008. Ruthless followed the next year and, like its predecessor, peaked at number five on Billboard, Rovi Follow @AceHood on twitter! http://www.myspace.com/acehood http://www.youtube.com/user/AceHoodVEVO http://www.facebook.com/AceHood

Download Now! Born in California but raised in Detroit, rapper Big Sean made big news in 2007 when he signed with Kanye West’s recently formed label, G.O.O.D. Music. Sean had met West through a hip-hop radio station in Detroit. He was just trying to impress the superstar by displaying his freestyle skills, but after Sean’s in-studio performance, West offered him a recording contract and helped set up his debut mixtape, Finally Famous Vol. 1, released in 2007. A second volume arrived in 2009 with a third following in 2010. Follow @BigSean on twitter! VIDEO: http://youtu.be/EeTPi2a2Ld4 http://www.myspace.com/uknowbigsean http://www.youtube.com/user/BigSeanVEVO http://www.uknowbigsean.com http://www.avalonatlanta.com/bigsean.zip

Download Now! When Money Jay boasts that he’s “strapped up like the military,” on his hit single “Death Row,” he isn’t just saying that to be saying it. As the newest soldier on Akon’s Konvict Music label, he is more than equipped to declare war on anybody standing in his path to rap dominance. Born Tysen Bolden in the Bronx, New York, Money Jay moved to Decatur, Georgia at the age of two. His stay-at-home mother and truck driver father sought solace in the South, hoping to raise their family in a safer and slower environment. But trouble knows no borders. “My folks had three other kids so there wasn’t a lot of money to go around,” admits Jay. “Folks used to roast me on my clothes so I wound up getting in a lot of fights. I knew I had to get my own if I wanted to be somebody. So after that, I started hustling.” Whether it was candy or weed, the young Money Jay was already building a reputation as a hustler making money by the time he hit 7th grade. This led to his hanging with and picking up the habits of the older street dealers that he idolized growing up; habits that included carrying guns. In the 9th grade, Jay was expelled from high school for gun possession, which only gave him more free time to roam the streets. A couple of wrong turns eventually landed him on the wrong side of the law a few times. It wasn’t until he saw his close friends and family getting jammed up with years-long bids that he decided that this was not the route he wanted to take. “Everyone around me was getting locked up,” says Jay. “They would call me from jail everyday and I didn’t want to end up in the same boat so I turned to music to try and leave all that illegal bullshit alone.” Like anyone else that’s grown up in the 80′s and 90′s, rap music was a dominant influence on Money Jay’s life. He used to write down raps in school and share them with friends, which led to him actually recording some of his lyrics over beats. By age 16, he built a home studio and started making and distributing his own mixtapes. Though music still wasn't his main focus, the product spread, demand grew and over time Money Jay’s music was getting spins in some of Atlanta’s most popular nightclubs. Ironically, it was a daytime occurrence that led to Jay being in the position he is now. “One day I was out hustling on Glenwood Road, and Akon came to the spot,” remembers Jay. “He got a CD from me, drove off and then came right back saying he wanted to sign me. Even then I wasn’t taking the music serious, and he could tell. But he always told me that I should.” Akon remembers, “As soon as I got in the car, something told me to put his CD on. Once I heard it, I hit a U-turn and went back asking if this was really him rapping. When he told me it was, I wanted to sign him on the spot; but I knew he was still hustling so I let him know that if he got serious, I wanted him on my team.” Akon’s advice fell on deaf ears initially as Jay opted to keep one foot in the streets. It wasn’t until his younger brother was incarcerated that he started paying full attention. Keeping in contact with Akon, Jay finally left the streets alone and let him know he was ready to be a Konvict recording artist. Since then, the musical partnership has been nothing short of promising. The first song from the upcoming CD is Money Jay’s surging single “Death Row.” The track is one part club-banger, one part salute to his brother and closest friends’ legal problems. “One day I was at the crib, watching 2Pac perform “Hit ‘Em Up,” says Jay about the inspiration behind the Sonny Digital-produced banger. “Knowing how I am and what I’ve been through, seeing that performance made me feel like I would’ve been signed with Death Row at their prime.” While Death Row is now a thing of the past, Money Jay aims to keep that spirit alive with his future at Akon’s Konvict Music label. Well equipped with the voice, street cred and most importantly music to become rap’s next big thing, it shouldn’t be long before someone else is watching Money Jay on TV and getting inspired in the same way. Follow @MoneyJayWorld on twitter! MoneyJay.com MoneyJay | Free Music, Tour Dates, Photos, Videos Tysen Bolding | Facebook