Kris Kross were an American hip hop group, consisting of rappers Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith, and producer Jermaine Dupri. Kris Kross was the youngest hip-hop group to gain success, with gold and platinum albums at 12 and 13 years old. Smith and Kelly were discovered by Dupri in 1991 and hit worldwide status the following year with their smash hit debut single, "Jump", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and was certified double platinum as a single. They went on to release three studio albums, with their debut album Totally Krossed Out topping the US Billboard 200, and their following albums, Da Bomb and Young, Rich & Dangerous making it into the Top 20. The duo were also noted for their signature fashion style of wearing their clothes backwards. Kelly died of a drug overdose on May 1, 2013, at the age of just 34.

King of Rock is the second studio album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released on January 21, 1985, by Profile Records. The album was produced by Russell Simmons and Larry Smith. King of Rock became the first rap album to be released on in CD format, and was the third rap album to be certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album saw the group adopting a more rock-influenced sound, with several tracks prominently featuring heavy guitar riffs. The song "Roots, Rap, Reggae" features Yellowman, and was one of the first hybrids of rap and dancehall.

"N.Y. State of Mind" is a song by hip hop recording artist Nas from his debut studio album Illmatic (1994). The song's production was handled by DJ Premier who sampled two jazz songs: "Mind Rain" by Joe Chambers and "Flight Time" by Donald Byrd. Premier additionally scratched up vocal samples from Eric B. & Rakim's "Mahogany" for the song's hook. Nas raps two verses on the song in which he talks about his rapping talent and describes the dangerous environment that is the city of New York over a drum break sample of "N.T." by Kool & the Gang. Nas has attributed the song "Streets of New York" by Kool G Rap as one of the song's primary influences. A sequel to "N.Y. State of Mind" can be found on Nas' 1999 album I Am.... On January 28, 2019, it was certified gold by the RIAA.

Algernod Lanier Washington, better known by his stage name Plies, is an American rapper. Born in Fort Myers, Florida, Plies was a wide receiver on the Miami Redskins football team of Miami University in Ohio for two years in 1995 before embarking on a musical career. After a brief transfer to University of Central Florida, he dropped out and signed with South Florida-based record label Slip-n-Slide Records in 2004; after four mixtapes, he signed a joint venture with Atlantic Records two years later.

American rapper Big Sean has released five studio albums, four mixtapes, thirty-one singles, eight promotional singles, and thirty-nine music videos. In 2008, Big Sean was discovered by American rapper and record producer Kanye West, who signed Sean to his record label GOOD Music—distributed through Def Jam Recordings. Since 2008, after signing a record deal to West's label G.O.O.D. Music, Sean's career continued through his mixtapes such as Finally Famous Vol. 2: UKnowBigSean (2009) and Finally Famous Vol. 3: BIG (2010). While he was releasing these mixtapes, he collaborated on various tracks and/or singles from West, Royce da 5'9" and Chris Brown.

Empire Distribution, Records and Publishing Inc. is an independent American record label, distribution and publishing company founded in 2010 by Ghazi Shami. Based in San Francisco, EMPIRE has offices in New York, London, Lagos, and Johannesburg in addition to recording studios in San Francisco and New York.

Mark D. Ross, better known by his stage name Brother Marquis, was an American rapper and a Miami bass pioneer. Ross was born in Rochester, New York. In his teens, he moved with his mother to Los Angeles, California. By the early 1980s, Ross started to release music and made an impression on DJ and producer David Hobbs. Hobbs was part of the group 2 Live Crew, who had just created the Miami Bass blueprint, and were successful in Florida. This led Ross accepting an invitation to join them. Due to his comedic sensibilities, Ross integrated easily into the direction the group was taking. Alongside Hobbs, Christopher Wong Won, and Luther Campbell, they became the most well-known line up of the group. In 1986, they had a breakthrough with their Gold-certified debut album, The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are.

Durk Derrick Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He initially garnered a local following with the release of his Signed to the Streets mixtape series (2013–2014), whose success led to him to sign with Def Jam Recordings. The label released his debut studio album, Remember My Name (2015) and its follow-up, Lil Durk 2X (2016) to moderate commercial reception before parting ways with the artist in 2018.

Tyquian Terrel Bowman, better known by his stage name Quando Rondo, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He signed with YoungBoy Never Broke Again's namesake record label, an imprint of Atlantic Records shortly after the release of his 2018 single, "I Remember". The song received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and preceded his debut studio album, QPac (2018), which moderately entered the Billboard 200 and contained his second platinum-certified song, "ABG". His second album, Recovery (2023), faintly entered the chart.

Taurus Tremani Bartlett, known professionally as Polo G, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence with his singles "Finer Things" and "Pop Out". His debut album Die a Legend (2019) peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the RIAA.

Dayvon Daquan Bennett, known professionally as King Von, was an American rapper and gangster from Chicago, Illinois, that was affiliated with the Black Disciples gang. He is widely considered one of the most preeminent figures of the drill genre.

Levon James is the second and final mixtape by American rapper King Von. It was released through Only the Family Entertainment/Empire on March 6, 2020. It is a 16-track project in an assortment of drill heavy beats executive produced by Chopsquad DJ and with various others productions from Mike WiLL Made-It, EY3ZLOWBEATZ, Ant Chamberlain, Budda Beats, Blue Nightmare, Dr. Flow, Bruce "Jaggerwerks" Billingy, MVAbeats, Mike Mvjor, JAYSTONBEATS. It has guest appearances from Lil Durk, Booka600, G Herbo, NLE Choppa, Tee Grizzley, YNW Melly, and Yungeen Ace. The project peaked at number 40 on the Billboard 200.

Welcome to O'Block is the debut studio album by American rapper King Von and the only one to be released during his lifetime. It was released on October 30, 2020, through Only the Family and Empire Distribution. Welcome to O'Block was released just a week before King Von was shot and killed on November 6, 2020, after the official release party of the album. The project features chief production from Chopsquad DJ and other producers including Hitmaka, Tay Keith and Wheezy; and guest appearances from Polo G, Lil Durk, Dreezy, Moneybagg Yo, Fivio Foreign and Prince Dre.

"Crazy Story" is a song by American rapper King Von, released on December 6, 2018, as his debut single through Only the Family and Empire Distribution. The song is one of Von's most popular songs and it is considered his breakout hit. It was followed by two sequels: "Crazy Story 2.0" and "Crazy Story, Pt. 3". All three singles appear on Von's mixtape Grandson, Vol. 1 (2019), while "Crazy Story" was included on Only The Family mixtape Only The Family Involved Vol. 2.

"Took Her to the O" is a song by American rapper King Von, released on February 21, 2020, through labels Only the Family and Empire representing the third and last single extracted from his second mixtape Levon James (2020). The song was written by the Chicago rapper and frequent collaborator Chopsquad DJ, with the latter solely producing the beat. The song is among Von's most popular.

"All These Niggas" is a song by American rapper King Von featuring American rapper Lil Durk. It was released on August 5, 2020 as the second single and ninth track from Von's debut studio album Welcome to O'Block (2020). The song was produced by Chopsquad DJ.

Grandson, Vol. 1 is the debut mixtape by American rapper King Von. It was released through Only the Family Entertainment/Empire on September 20, 2019. Executively produced by Chopsquad DJ, it features guest appearances from Lil Durk and Booka600. Production was primarily handled by Chopsquad DJ, but was also produced by, Mac Fly, Murda Beatz, Kid Wond3r, Timmy Da Hitman, Young Chop, and BKH Beats. The project peaked at number 53 on the Billboard 200. The project had 5 singles, "War With Us", "Crazy Story", "Crazy Story Remix ", "What It's Like", and "Crazy Story, Pt. 3."

"Crazy Story (Remix)" or "Crazy Story 2.0" is a song by American rapper King Von featuring American rapper Lil Durk. It was released on May 3, 2019, as a single extracted from Von's first mixtape Grandson, Vol. 1. It represents the direct continuation of "Crazy Story" and the prelude to "Crazy Story, Pt. 3". Crazy Story 2.0 employs the same instrumental of the first piece, that was produced by Mac Fly. The song peaked at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"How It Go" is a song by American rapper King Von as the third single extracted from his debut studio album Welcome to O'Block from 2020. It was released on August 28, 2020. since February 14, 2023 it has been certified gold plaque by Recording Industry Association of America.