Appendix C - Information about Artists Interviewed

I have done my best to compile information on each artist who contributed to my research.

Ab-Original, a.k.a. Qwazymoto The Gray Ghost, emcees in The Desert Crew, an Arab-American hip-hop group from Cleveland, OH.

Aceyalone is an emcee from Los Angeles, CA. He is affiliated with Freestyle Fellowship, Project Blowed and Haiku D’etat and has a very strong underground following across the United States. (http://www.projectblowed.com/)

Asheru is an emcee from Washington, D.C. most widely known for his work with rhyme partner Blue Black as The Unspoken Heard. He is currently spearheading Guerilla Arts Ink, LLC, an organization dedicated to providing a link between the arts, education, and social service communities through creative and revolutionary means.  (http://www.guerillaartsink.com/)

Blockhead is a producer from Manhattan, NYC. He works with a number of Definitive Jux artists and also has a solo album on Ninja Tune. (http://www.ninjatune.net/blockhead/)

Braille, of the group Lightheaded, is from Portland, Oregon and runs his own label, Hip-hop Is Music. He has been featured on albums from a number of other labels. (http://www.braillehiphop.com/)

Cam-One is originally from Maryland and has been deejayin' since ’95 and has been producing seriously since ’98.  He spins underground hip-hop, golden age, old school, and drum n bass.

Ceschi is an emcee and graffiti writer who grew up in Berkeley, CA and New Haven, CT. He was in the graffiti crew “Innovation Never Ceases” in the mid-90s and is now working with the Hip-hop collectives, LA2ThaBay and Project Blowed. (http://www.anonymousinc.com/)

Dice Raw emcees with the Philadelphia based hip-hop group, The Roots. (http://www.diceraw.com/)

DJ B-Girl, a.k.a. Killa-B, is a DJ, producer and breaker from Seattle, WA representing B-Girl Media and Project Mayhem. (http://myspace.com/bgirl)

DJ Eurok is a member of Washington, D.C. hip-hop group, The Head-Roc Warmachine. (http://www.djeurok.com/)

DJ Kinsley is a DJ and talent scout for Catch And Wreck, a division of Sony Music.

DJ Southpaw is a DJ from New Haven, CT.

DJ Swift is a DJ from New Haven, CT.

Dooley-O was a pioneer in the graffiti crew The Soul Brothers, and is also an emcee and producer. He is regarded as an historically unwavering supporter and cultivator of the Connecticut Hip-Hop scene. (http://www.dooleyo.com)

Head-Roc is an emcee in the Washington, D.C. hip-hop group The Head-Roc Warmachine. (http://www.head-roc.com)

iCON the Mic King is an emcee from Northern Philadelphia who has won several major freestyle rap battle championships and released a number of albums to a strong underground following. (http://www.iconthemicking.com)

Jade Foxx, a.k.a. Mizz Mixtape, is an emcee/singer/actress from Fort Lauderdale, FL.  She was the first artist of the elite Bum Squad DJz, Full Impact All-Starz and hosts/mixes/produces “Tha Foxx Filez” on http://www.HotCityRadio.com. (http://www.jade-foxx.com/)

Jared Ball is a professor at Howard University, pursuing a PhD in Media Studies.  He is also host of Blackademics, a Hip-Hop and politics radio show on WPFW. (http://www.voxunion.com/)

Jean Grae is an emcee who was recently deemed “the best kept secret on New York’s indie hip-hop scene” by Rolling Stone. (http://www.jean-grae.com/)

K.U. most often emcees along side Del the Funky Homosapien of the well-known Bay area crew, Hieroglyphics.

NuSonRize is an emcee from Lynn, MA in the international hip-hop collective, The Sky Beneath Crew. (http://www.theskybeneath.com/)

Opio emcees in the Oakland-based crew Souls of Mischief, a subset of the well-known Bay area crew, Hieroglyphics. (http://www.hieroglyphics.com/)  

Rob Swift, a member of The X-Ecutioners, is one of the most well-known DJs in Hip-Hop, most widely regarded for his Turntablist Title at the 1992 DMC East Coast Championships, and his innovations in the art of scratching. (http://www.x-ecutioners.net/)

Sagacity is an emcee from Rhode Island, who has worked with a number of prominent underground Hip-Hop artists from Hartford, CT.

Self-Suffice is an emcee from Manhattan, NYC and Hartford, CT, who works with The Sky Beneath crew and MF Grimm & the Monsta Island Czars.  He deejays an underground hip-hop radio show on WRTC FM and online radio.  He also founded Rapoets.com, a website to help promote independent hip-hop artists. (http://suffice.rapoets.com/  http://www.daybydayent.com/) (http://www.theskybeneath.com/) 

Skillz, formerly known as Mad Skillz, is an emcee from Virginia who has worked with The Neptunes, Timbaland, Missy Elliot and Clipse.  (http://www.okayplayer.com/feature/skillz/site.html)

Tazzo emcees in the south-central Los Angeles-based live hip-hop/rock/R&B/pop collective The Wylde Bunch. (http://www.wyldebunch.com/)

Young Dame is an emcee and producer in the south-central Los Angeles-based live hip-hop/rock/R&B/pop collective The Wylde Bunch. (http://www.wyldebunch.com/)

Zion, a.k.a. Baba Zumbi, emcees in the Oakland-based hip-hop duo Zion I, accompanied by DJ/producer Amp Live. (http://www.zionicrew.com/) (http://www.myspace.com/zioni)