Hip hop music has become a truly global phenomenon with such rap and hip hop icons such as Eminem, 50 Cent and Jay Z leading the way with multi platinum album sales. From its humble origins it’s become (along with R&B music) the dominant force in popular music today selling millions of CDs worldwide. It has also become the voice of the streets as hip hop culture and hip hop music videos has influenced everything from fashion to popular television programmes generating billions of dollars in the process. Along with the rap songs themselves Hip hop music videos have become some of the most popular music videos in the world today with several music video channels including BET being launched to cater for its huge popularity. Stars such as Eminem, Lil Wayne, Drake, Kanye West & Nicki Minaj owe their popularity in part to the hugely popularity of Hip hop music videos. From its earliest origins in the US with rap songs & Hip hop music videos such as “The Message” by Grand Master Flash to LL Cool J`s hugely successful singles, albums and Hip hop music videos in the early 1980`s hip hop music has continued to evolve into the most exciting music genre in the world today. With the advent of MTV the first major music video channel the popularity of Hip hop music and in particular Hip hop music videos exploded with groups such as RUN DMC achieving huge popularity due to their classic singles & incredible Hip hop music videos. Several rap stars achieved iconic status during this time including Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G who both still considered rap music legends. These legendary rap music stars paved the way for many of today`s rap music superstars including 50 Cent, Eminem, Drake, Lil Wayne, T.I & Kanye West. Throughout the 1990`s there were two distinct rap sounds the East Coast sound mainly based in New York City which included the Notorious BIG amongst others and the West coast sound which included Tupac, Snoop Dogg & NWA. Several high profile rap artists emerged in the last decade including rap superstar Eminem, Lil Wayne, Drake, Kanye West & new rap sensation Nicki Minaj. These exciting rap superstars breathed new life into the rap world spawning several high profile singles, Hip hop music videos and album releases. Arguably the biggest rap star in the world today is Eminem. This talented Detroit rap star rose to fame when his classic debut album “The Slim Shady LP” hit the stores in 1999. Eminem would go onto release several more multi platinum albums; hit singles & incredible Hip hop music videos in a hugely successful career already spanning more than a decade. His iconic Hip hop music video for his classic single “Stan” and his excellent Hip hop music videos for “The Real Slim Shady” & more recently “Love The Way You Lie” featuring Rihanna has led to huge success on the charts, multi platinum album sales and a number of high profile Grammy Awards. The star`s “Recovery” album released on June 18 2010 has now sold in excess of six million copies worldwide. Hip hop superstar Lil Wayne is the latest rap icon to emerge from the US. The talented rap superstar famous for his dazzling rhymes; classic rap songs and stunning Hip hop music videos scored a massive hit in 2008 with “Lollipop” which spent a massive five weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The iconic rap superstar has also released several multi platinum selling albums since his debut album “The Block Is Hot” was released in 1999. Lil Wayne has also scored several high profile singles successes too including “Got Money”, “A Milli” & most recently the gorgeous ballad “How To Love” with its cool Hip hop music video which peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The star`s iconic Hip hop music videos for songs including “Lollipop” have led to huge popularity on MTV, several huge single releases and multi-platinum album sales. Lil Wayne`s incredible “Tha Carter IV” album released in 2011 sold 963,000 copies in its first week of release spawning the hit singles & Hip hop music videos “6 ft 7 ft” featuring rap sensation Cory Gunz, “John” featuring Rick Ross, “How To Love” & “She Will” featuring Drake. Canadian born rap artist Drake is another star to emerge over recent years. The talented Toronto born star signed a lucrative recording contract worth a reported $2 million dollars in 2009 with Young Money Entertainment. He then released his debut album “Thank Me Later” on June 15 2010. This excellent Drake album spawned the cool singles & Hip hop music videos “Miss Me” featuring rap superstar Lil Wayne, “Fancy” featuring Swizz Beatz & T.I, “Find Your Love” and the excellent Drake song “Over” which featured another stunning Hip hop music video. The talented rap sensation was also featured on several high profile collaborations including “Aston Martin Music” featuring Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj`s excellent single “Moment 4 Life” too. Drake is now expected to release his highly anticipated sophomore album “Take Care” in late 2011. This eagerly awaited disc has already spawned the hit single “Headlines” which featured a cool Hip hop music video. An excellent promotional single “Marvin`s Room” was also released in the summer of 2011 too. The star is also expected to release further singles and more high profile Hip hop music videos in the next few months. Hip hop superstar T.I has emerged over the last few years as the latest rap superstar from the ever competitive rap world. The Atlanta born rap star famous for his cool rhymes; classic rap songs and incredible Hip hop music videos has released seven studio albums to date since his debut album “I`m Serious” dropped in 2001 spawning the hit singles & Hip hop music videos “You Don`t Know Me”, “Bring Em Out”, “Whatever You Like” and his most recent hit “Get Back Up” featuring R&B superstar Chris Brown which featured another excellent Hip hop music video. The talented rap sensation who is often referred to as “the Jay Z Of the South” is scheduled to release his eagerly awaited eighth studio album in 2012. Look out for the first single to be released with a stunning Hip hop music video in the first part of 2012. Kanye West is another rap superstar to emerge over the last decade in the US. The charismatic rap superstar famous for his dazzling rhymes; cool rap songs and stunning Hip hop music videos released his debut album “The College Drop Out” in 2004 and has since release 5 more albums including his 2010 release “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” which spawned the excellent singles & Hip hop music videos “Power”, “Runaway”, “Monster” featuring Nicki Minaj & Jay Z and “All Of The Lights” featuring Rihanna & Kid Cudi which features another stunning Hip hop music video. Kanye West also teamed up with Jay Z to release their much hyped collaboration album “Watch The Throne” too. This eagerly awaited disc which hit the stores on August 5 2011 featured collaborations with Hip hop superstar Pharrell Williams, Swizz Beatz & Beyonce Knowles amongst others and spawned the classic single & Hip hop music video “Otis” which saw its rap music video become a huge favorite on MTV. Kanye West is also expected to release another studio album in 2012 as he continues to create his legacy of one of the few genuine rap music superstars in the world today. Hip hop superstar Jay Z is considered to be one of the most respected rap stars in the world today. This New York born rap legend released his first album “Reasonable Doubt” in 1996 and has since released ten more albums across two decades including the iconic “The Black Album” which featured the classic Jay Z songs & Hip hop music videos “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”, “Change Clothes” featuring Pharrell Williams & “99 Problems”. Jay Z`s album releases also including his classic “The Blueprint 3” album which spawned the classic single & Hip hop music video “Empire State Of Mind” featuring Alicia Keys who`s high profile rap music video became a huge hit on MTV. Other notable album releases include his 2007 release “American Gangster”, his epic rap album “Kingdom Come” released in 2006. The rap music legend who has also released an excellent collaboration album with Kanye West entitled “Watch The Throne” in 2011 is also set to head back into the recording studio to start work on his next studio album which is set to hit the stores in 2012.
