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Wikipedia defines Hip-Hop as "a genre of popular music that was originated in the Bronx borough of New York City in the early 1970s by African Americans, having existed for several years prior to mainstream discovery. Hip hop originated as an anti-drug and anti-violence genre, while consisting of stylized rhythmic music (usually built around drum beats) that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted."

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1. Slick Rick (1980s onward)

Starting his rap career at the age of 20 with the group "Doug E and the Get Fresh Crew", Richard Martin Lloyd Walters is a bona fide hip-hop legend, characterised by his eyepatch and his gaudy jewelry. Several of Rick's singles feature intricate storytelling which had become the lyrical blueprint for many rappers in the years to come.
Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjNTu8jdukA

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2. MF Doom (late 1990s onward)

born in the UK as Dumile Daniel Thompson, Doom started his rap career as part of the black nationalist rap ensemble KMT. After his brother, who was also part of KMT, passed away, Thompson took a several year hoatus from Hip-Hop, returning as MF Doom. Inspired by marvel's mask-clad Doctor Doom, MF Doom wasn't just a rap name, but a whole persona, inspired by both Marvel and Adult Swim cartoons. His music, which heavily sampled cartoons, included heavy lyricism and intricate wordplay. However, outside of music nerd forums and the Adult Swim fanbase, MF Doom remained relatively unknown to the mainstream up until his death in late 2021, which caused a younger audience to be exposed to his songs on Instagram and Tiktok.
Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypClJkPhx8o

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3. Lil Wayne (late 1990s onward)

This short, dread-headed, face tatted hip-hop vetern from New Orleans needs no introduction, but I'll give him one for comedic effect. Starting his career at the ripe old age of 14 as part of the hip-hop posse "the Hot Boys", Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. has been one of the main factors in driving hip-hop to be the #1 genre in the United States, with his proteges Drake and Nicki Minaj becoming some of the highest grossing rappers in history.
Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vf4mMCpNY0

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4. Chief Keef (early 2010s onwards)
Keith Farrelle Cozart, known as "Chief Keef" (a slang for smoking weed), is no less than a prophet around Chicago. He started rapping at the age of 16, receiving cosigns from fellow Chicago native Kanye West, as well as 50 Cent and Wiz Khalifa. He pioneered the "Drill" rap genre, a style of gangster rap that prioritized hedonism and real gang activity over wordplay and lyricism, with his lyrics name-dropping dead rivals and threatening whoever tries to take away his hard-earned money. Despite that, Keef has moved to Los Angeles to escape the Chicago lifestyle.
Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWyHZNBz6FE

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5. Playboi Carti (early 2010s onwards)

Like his contemporary, collaborator and influence, Chief Keef, mister Jordan Terrell Carter started rapping in 2011, under the stage name Sir Cartier, later transitioning into Playboi Carti in 2013. He signed to Awful Records in 2014, collaborating with the New York team "A$AP Mob". However, he broke out into mainstream consciousness in 2017 with his single "Magnolia", part of his eponymous debut mixtape. His sound was dreamlike, hazy, atmospheric and at time psychedelic, influenced by the Cloud Rap of the early 2010s. His lyrics contained very little substance and instead focused on hypnotic repitition. His aesthetic pulled a lot from punk rock, and the smae sound carried onto Carti's first album, Die Lit. However, Carti's second album, Whole Lotta Red, released in late 2020, featured a stylistic change, with crazier vocal inflections, and an abbrasive, bass-filled and EDM inspired production, later known as "Rage beats". Carti's aesthetic has become that of a vampire lord, witha whole brand and subculture based around his "Opium" label.
Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRK_in-dkRY
This round we'll be naming your couple's second child, a daughter.

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1 (Slick Rick): Cyrus, Darius, Mithridates, Xerxes, Artaxerxes, Cambyses, Arsaces, Sohrab, Arash, Ciumars, Rostam, Zoroaster,Hormizd.
2 (MF Doom): Simonides, Alexander, Antiochus, Seleucus, Hermodoros, Heliodorus, Nymphodoros, Zenodorus, Athenodorus, Artemidorus, Dionysodorus, Apollodorus, Olympiodorus, Isidorus.
3 (Lil Wayne): Caesar, Julius, Julian, Aurelius, Marcus, August, Nero, Claude, Tiberio, Titus.
4 (Chief Keef): Michael, Manuel, John, Isaac, Constantine, Constans, Basil, Jovian, Arkadi, Justin,
5 (Playboi Carti): Charles, Louis, Lothaire, Guy, Lambert, Arnulfo, Otto, Henry, Conrad, Frederick.

This message was edited 8/4/2023, 3:49 AM