Ninja-Parents Blog

B.o.B: Rapper Bio Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. — born November 15, 1988, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and raised in Decatur, Georgia — briefly appeared to be one of the most commercially gifted young rappers in the industry. Known as B.o.B, he made catchy, melodic rap-pop crossover music that connected with massive mainstream audiences. He then became one of the more unusual cautionary tales in hip-hop history when he publicly and aggressively promoted flat earth conspiracy t

Bubba Sparxxx: Rapper Bio Warren Anderson Mathis — born March 6, 1977, in LaGrange, Georgia — is one of the more genuinely interesting footnotes in early 2000s rap history. Known as Bubba Sparxxx, he brought an Appalachian Southern identity to hip-hop that felt entirely authentic, made two albums with Timbaland that showcased real artistic potential, and then quietly faded from the mainstream. He is a better rapper than most people who dismiss him as a novelty act remember.

Chamillionaire: Rapper Bio Hakeem Temidayo Seriki — born November 28, 1979, in Washington D.C., and raised in Houston, Texas — had one of the most dramatic one-hit trajectories in rap history. Known as Chamillionaire, he released Ridin' in 2006 — one of the biggest rap singles of the decade, winning the Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance — and then gradually disappeared from the mainstream despite genuine talent. He later found success as a technology investor, becoming o

Nelly: Rapper Bio Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. — born November 2, 1974, in Austin, Texas, and raised in St. Louis, Missouri — was the most commercially dominant rapper in the world from 2000 to 2004. Known as Nelly, he had the rare ability to make rap music feel like pure pop fun without losing credibility on the street, releasing a string of multi-platinum albums and hits that seemed inescapable. He then largely disappeared from mainstream relevance, making him one of the great

Lil Kim: Rapper Bio Kimberly Denise Jones — born July 11, 1974, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn — is one of the most influential female rappers of all time. Known as Lil Kim, she emerged from the Junior M.A.F.I.A. collective under the guidance of The Notorious B.I.G. and released a debut album in 1996 that redefined what female rappers were permitted to say, wear, and be. Her impact on hip-hop's aesthetics, gender dynamics, and commercial possibilities is immeasurable. Ea

Nicki Minaj: Rapper Bio Onika Tanya Maraj — born December 8, 1982, in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, and raised in Queens, New York — is the best-selling female rap artist of all time and the first woman to have a standalone #1 rap album in over a decade when Pink Friday arrived in 2010. Known as Nicki Minaj, she built her career through an extraordinary run of mixtapes in the late 2000s and has spent fifteen years as the dominant commercial female voice in hip-hop, desp

DMX: Rapper Bio Earl Simmons — born December 18, 1970, in Mount Vernon, New York, and raised in Yonkers — was one of the most viscerally powerful performers in the history of hip-hop. Known as DMX (Dark Man X), he released two consecutive #1 albums in 1998, became the first artist to have his first five albums debut at number one, and delivered a raw, emotionally exposed style of rap that felt unlike anything else. He died on April 9, 2021, following a heart attack triggere

Ice Cube: Rapper Bio O'Shea Jackson — born June 15, 1969, in South Central Los Angeles — is one of the most formidable lyricists in the history of hip-hop. Known as Ice Cube, he was the primary writer behind N.W.A's most incendiary material, left the group over a financial dispute, and then released one of the greatest debut albums in rap history as his response. He later became one of Hollywood's most bankable stars without ever losing credibility in rap. Early Life Ra

Snoop Dogg: Rapper Bio Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. — born October 20, 1971, in Long Beach, California — is one of the most recognisable human beings on the planet. Known as Snoop Dogg, Snoop Lion, or simply Snoop, he launched his career on one of the most anticipated debut albums in rap history and has maintained cultural relevance for over thirty years through an almost supernatural ability to stay likeable regardless of what era he finds himself in. Early Life Raised

Dr. Dre: Rapper Bio Andre Romelle Young — born February 18, 1965, in Compton, California — is the most influential producer in the history of hip-hop and one of its most successful entrepreneurs. Known as Dr. Dre, he co-founded N.W.A, defined gangsta rap, created the G-funk sound, launched the careers of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Kendrick Lamar, built a $3 billion headphone business, and sold it all to Apple. As a rapper he has released only three studio albums, each

The Notorious B.I.G.: Rapper Bio Christopher George Latore Wallace — born May 21, 1972, in Brooklyn, New York — is universally regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Known as The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, he released two studio albums across a career that was cut devastatingly short when he was murdered in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997 at age 24. Despite releasing only 32 official tracks in his lifetime, his status in rap history is riv

2Pac (Tupac Shakur): Rapper Bio Tupac Amaru Shakur — born June 16, 1971, in East Harlem, New York — is the most commercially successful and arguably the most culturally significant rapper of all time. Known as 2Pac or Makaveli, he released five studio albums across a career that lasted only five years before his murder in Las Vegas on September 13, 1996. Twenty-eight years after his death, he remains the best-selling rap artist in history with over 75 million records sold w

Kanye West: Rapper Bio Kanye Omari West — born June 8, 1977, in Atlanta and raised in Chicago — is one of the most influential and polarising figures in the history of popular music. A producer-turned-rapper who reinvented hip-hop's sonic palette across five distinct eras, he has released multiple albums considered among the greatest ever made while simultaneously making headlines for behaviour that has repeatedly overshadowed his artistry. Early Life Raised on the Sout

Kendrick Lamar: Rapper Bio Kendrick Lamar Duckworth — born June 17, 1987, in Compton, California — is the most critically acclaimed rapper of his generation and one of the most significant artists in the history of American music. The first rapper to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, a Super Bowl halftime headliner, and the man who neutralised Drake's commercial dominance with a single diss track, Kendrick has never made a bad album. Early Life Raised in Compton by pare

Who Is Cassidy? Barry Adrian Reese, known as Cassidy, is a Philadelphia rapper whose technical battle rap credentials were among the best of the mid-2000s mainstream. Hotel (2004) was a top 10 hit. His debut Split Personality debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200. A 2006 vehicular manslaughter conviction interrupted his career. B.A.R.S. (2012) was his comeback album, debuting at #121 with approximately 4,000 copies. Quick Stats Career Overview Cassidy signed to Full Su

Who Is Hurricane Chris? Christopher Dooley Jr., known as Hurricane Chris, is a Shreveport, Louisiana rapper who had a top 10 hit with A Bay Bay in 2007 — when he was seventeen years old. Unleashed (2009) arrived two years later and confirmed there was no second A Bay Bay anywhere in his catalogue. Quick Stats Career Overview Hurricane Chris began recording in Shreveport and A Bay Bay (2007) was picked up by regional radio before going nationally viral on YouTube. It

Who Is Asher Roth? Aaron Roth, known as Asher Roth, is a Pennsylvania rapper who had a top 20 hit with I Love College (2009) — a Weezer-sampling frat-rap anthem that went platinum and briefly made him one of mainstream rap's most commercially anticipated new artists. Is This Too Orange? (2011) confirmed the keg was empty. Quick Stats Career Overview Asher Roth grew up in suburban Pennsylvania, attended West Chester University, and built an online following through M

Who Is Mase? Mason Betha, known as Mase or Ma$e, is a Harlem rapper who left a multi-platinum Bad Boy career in 1999 to become an ordained minister, returned in 2004 with Welcome Back, left again, returned again, and left again. His debut Harlem World (1997) went four times platinum. His career arc is one of rap's most unusual. Quick Stats Career Overview Mase emerged as a standout talent on Puff Daddy's No Way Out (1997) and his own Harlem World (1997), which went

Who Is Mike Jones? Michael Shane Jones, known as Mike Jones, is a Houston rapper whose debut album Who Is Mike Jones? (2005) went platinum on the strength of Still Tippin' — a genuine piece of Houston rap history that placed him alongside Paul Wall and Slim Thug in the mainstream window the Swisha House sound briefly opened. The Voice (2009) arrived four years later to an audience that had moved on. Quick Stats Career Overview Mike Jones built his reputation in Hous

Who Is Blueface? Johnathan Michael Porter, known as Blueface, is a Los Angeles rapper who became famous in 2018 for rapping deliberately off the beat — a quirk that generated viral memes, a Cash Money West signing, and a legitimate hit in Thotiana, which peaked at #8 on the Hot 100 with Cardi B and YG remixes. Find the Beat (2020) sold 13,000 copies in its first week. Quick Stats Career Overview Blueface began uploading to SoundCloud in 2017 and went viral in Octobe