Male Rappers and hip-hop artists are known for not only their masterpieces in the world of music.  They are also known for wearing and buying all kinds of BLING and other high priced items such as cars, Crystal, and mansions.

One of the best-known hip-hop/rap groups of today is G-Unit.  G-Unit (a.k.a. Gorilla Unit) was pretty good before 50 Cent but now with him they are HUGE.  The members of G-Unit in the picture on the right are (from left to right) Lloyd Banks, 50 Cent, Olivia, Young Buck, and Tony Yayo.

Outkast is a great hip-hop group made up of two very talented rappers, Andre "3,000" Benjamin and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton.  In the last two years these two have really been making their songs some of the most played on the radio.  They are true rap brothers, though sadly their partnership is said to be coming to an end.

Common is one of the most talented hip-hop artists of all time.  He has 6 gold albums and one soon-to-be platinum.  He's not only on his own albums but he's also on the record called "Be". Which is an honor because there are also songs by the classics Marvin Gaye, Last Poets, John Mayer, and many more.  He not only performs musically but also writes children's books.

One of the richest and most multi-talented career personals of today's hip-hop industry is no other than Jay Z himself.  He is not only a world wide known rapper with 13 albums of his own (1 gold, 4 platinum, 7 multi-platinum) but is also the president and CEO of Def Jam Records. He has a Reebok shoe collection and has his own clothing line, Rokawear.   

Jay Z is now one of the most successful and rich businessmen, even though he has given up his career in rapping.  It was not always this way.  Jay Z (born Shawn Carter) grew up in one of Brooklyn's poorer areas, the Marcy projects.  Jay Z is really living proof of someone who started at the bottom and made his way to the top.

Nas (nickname for Nasir) Jones is one talented musical artist who was born into hip-hop before hip-hop was even born.  Nas was raised in a really bad part of New York Queenbridge.  His father, Olu Dara, was a jazz musician who taught him a lot about hip-hop and music in general.  Nas now spends his time not only in the studio recording but also with his wife and daughter Kelis and Destiny.

Snoop Dogg and Pharrel Williams are two rappers who can make a hit song whenever, wherever.  These two can go from being players at the club to stylish gents on the green.  Though they have a lot in common they have very different accomplishments and backgrounds.  Together their rhymes are unstoppable.

Snoop started 10 years ago as Dr. Dre's shy sidekick but now is the beloved entertainer with 7 solo albums (4 platinum, 3 multi-platinum).  Snoop is in more than 20 films and has his own 'language'.  Pharrel has had many productions with lots of singers that are as different as Jay Z, Brittany Spears, No Doubt, Gwen Stafani, and of course Snoop.  He used to be a behind-stage kind of guy but is now the center of attention and the lady heartthrob.

When Mos Def teamed up with Last Poets it was obvious that hip-hop history would go down.  Mos Def has 4 albums, 1 Obie award, has been in 11 movies, and had roles in 3 plays.  He was born Dante Terrell in Smithin Brooklyn.  The Last Poets have 14 albums together made with a revolving cast of members.  Together they make classic old school rhymes.

A very successful hip-hop producer and rapper is Kanye West.  Kanye, which means "the only one" in Swahili, has produced over 100 songs and has two multi-platinum albums of his own.  He's won three Grammy's for his amazing accomplishments.  He's produced songs for people such as Alicia Keyes, Nas, Jay Z, Ludacris, and many more.

Sean "Diddy" Combs is another multi-talented hip-hop artist.  He has 4 of his own albums; he's the CEO of Bad Boy Entertainment, the producer of more than 70 songs. He has two Grammy's, one clothing line (Sean John), he's been in two films, and has 1 fragrance coming out December 2005.  He is the host and judge of MTV's reality show 'Making the Band'.