Today is an All-Star when it comes to birthdays!
No less than 6 big names in hip hop were born today!
The most recent star is that of French Montana's. Founder of Coke Boys Records and its predecessor Cocaine City Records, French was signed as joint-venture record deal with Bad Boy Records and Maybach Music Group.
Montana released his debut mixtape in 2007 and broke through with the single "Choppa Choppa Down" in 2010. He released his debut album Excuse My French in 2013, but it was his second album, Jungle Rules, that peaked at number three on the Billboard 200. The album was supported by the single "Unforgettable", featuring Swae Lee, which became Montana's first song to reach the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Big Pun is frequently cited as one of the best MCs of all time, as he emerged from the underground hip hop scene in the Bronx. In the early 90s, he came to prominence for his work with Fat Joe and the Terror Squad.
Pun made his debut on Fat Joe's Jealous One's Envy, when he signed with Loud Records as a solo artist. He released his Grammy-nominated debut album Capital Punishment in 1998 to critical acclaim and commercial success. It peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200 and became the first solo hip hop record by a Latino artist to go Platinum.
Pepa, is a member of the Grammy Award-winning Salt-N-Pepa. formed in New York in 1985, with Salt, and later adding DJ Spinderella. The duo were signed to Next Plateau Records and released their single "Push It" in 1987. Their debut album, Hot, Cool & Vicious, sold more than 1 million copies in the US, making them the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status. Their fourth album, Very Necessary, sold over 7 million copies worldwide, making it the highest-selling album by a female rap act.
Salt-N-Pepa have sold over 15 million records worldwide, making them one of the bestselling rap acts of all time, male or female, nominated for several Grammys, as the trio won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for their song "None of Your Business". Their success in rap and hip hop culture has earned them the honorific title "The First Ladies of Rap and Hip Hop".
Roxanne Shante, was born and raised in the Queensbridge Projects of Queens, New York, and first gained attention through the Roxanne Wars as part of the Juice Crew. One of the first female MCs to become popular. Following this, the "Roxanne Wars" started, and Shante continued to rap and started touring, releasing a record with Sparky D. Called "Round One, Roxanne Shanté vs Sparky Dee" was released by Spin Records and included six tracks: two original battle tracks, as well as "Roxanne's Profile" by Shante, "Sparky's Profile" by Sparky D and a battle track, in which the two freestyled and dissed each other.
In 1985, Shante battled Busy Bee Starski for the crown of "best freestyle rapper" and went bar for bar, despite losing due to improper judging. Her battle with KRS-One hit its height when KRS-One claimed in "The Bridge Is Over" that Shante was nothing more than a sexual appendage to male rappers. Shante released Bad Sister in 1989, The Bitch Is Back in 1992, and a greatest hits anthology in 1995. She is one of the trailblazers for women in hip-hop.
Sisqó is most prominently known for "Thong Song", and being the lead singer in Dru Hill. Sisqo's successful debut solo album, Unleash the Dragon in 1999, included the hit singles "Thong Song" and "Incomplete". "Thong Song" was a runaway hit, and "Incomplete", were both major hits on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Thong Song" making it to number three, and "Incomplete" going to #1.