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Spanish rap star Mala Rodríguez rose to fame quickly, working with some of Spain's top hip-hop producers and earning plenty of attention with her socially minded lyrics and strong femininity. She arose from the fertile hip-hop scene of Seville during the late '90s -- known then as La Mala, an indication of the hardcore nature of her early work -- and she relocated to Madrid once her career prospects appeared promising. Her debut album, Lujo Ibérico (2000), released by Universal, established her immediately as one of Spain's more notable rappers. The album included production work by Jota Mayúscula, Supernafamacho, and Dive Dibosso, who are among Spain's top beat-makers, and spawned the popular song "Yo Marco el Minuto," which was featured in the well-known film Lucía y el Sexo (2002). Her notoriety was cemented when the video for "La Niña," a single from her second album, Alevosía (2003), was banned from Spanish TV because of its depiction of a drug-dealing young girl. In time, Rodríguez lightened up her music somewhat and began experimenting with new sounds; however, she remained a potent rapper and thoughtful lyricist, and with the broadening of her music came an increased international appeal.

Born María Rodríguez Garrido in Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, Spain, on February 13, 1979, she grew up in Seville and became involved with the city's thriving hip-hop scene as a teenager. In the late '90s she rose to prominence alongside fellow Sevillian hip-hop acts La Gota Que Colma, SFDK, and La Alta Escuela. Then billed as La Mala, she appeared on La Gota Que Colma's album Mordiendo el Micro ("No Hay Rebaja," "Dando Guerra"), released by Zeroporsiento in 1998; SFDK's Siempre Fuertes ("Una de Piratas"), released by Zona Bruta in 1999; and La Alta Escuela's En Pie de Vuelo ("Espectáculo en la Gancha"), released by Flow Records in 1999. Most notably, she made her solo debut with A Jierro/Toma la Traca, a maxi-single released by Zona Bruta in 1999 (originally planned for release by Zeroporsiento, a Sevillian label for which she'd recorded the tracks). The following year Rodríguez switched to Yo Gano/Superego, a joint label headed by impresario Sergio Aguilar Pereira and based in Madrid, to which she'd moved at age 19. Now billing herself as Mala Rodríguez, in early to mid-2000 she released two further maxi-singles, Yo Marco el Minuto/Tambalea and Tengo un Trato, and appeared on noted Spanish hip-hop producer Jota Mayúscula's album Hombre Negro, Soltero, Busca ("Tirititi Tirititero").

Universal Music Spain was the next label to offer Rodríguez a recording contract, striking a deal with Yo Gano/Superego to release her debut full-length album, Lujo Ibérico, in 2000. Featuring production by Mayúscula, Supernafamacho, and Dive Dibosso, Lujo Ibérico made quite a splash, selling over 50,000 copies and earning gold status. "Yo Marco el Minuto" in turn was featured in Lucía y el Sexo, a popular Spanish film released in 2001 (the soundtrack was released in 2002 by Palm Pictures), while "Afila el Colmillo," a collaboration with Titan, was featured on the Y Tu Mamá También (2002) soundtrack. For her second album, Alevosía (2003), Rodríguez collaborated with the same producers from her debut -- Mayúscula, Supernafamacho, Dive Dibosso -- while over half the tracks featured guests (e.g., Kamikaze, Giggi Mantequilla, Kultama). Universal also released La Niña/Amor y Respeto (2003), a 13-track maxi-single loaded with versions of the co-featured songs, along with previously released songs such as "Yo Marco el Minuto" and "Tengo un Trato." In particular, "La Niña" caused a stir; released as a single, its video was controversial, banned from Spanish TV because it featured a drug-dealing young girl. Alevosía matched the success of its predecessor, going gold.

It would be three years before Rodríguez released her next album via Universal, Malamarismo (2007), during which time she kept busy. Collaborations were numerous, including ones with Mayúscula ("Como un Titere," 2004), R de Rumba ("Fabricante," 2004), Full Nelson ("La Carta," 2005), Akon ("Locked Up [Remix]," 2005), Vico C ("Vamonos Po' Encima," 2005), Kultama ("Nacional e Importación," 2006), Antonio Carmona ("Ay de Ti," 2006), and Calle 13 ("Mala Suerte con el 13," 2007). In 2006, the Spanish film Yo Soy la Juani featured "Por la Noche," a new Rodríguez solo recording, produced by Supernafamacho. A maxi-single was released in conjunction, including several versions of the song as well as a music video. Led by the single "Nanai," Malamarismo followed in 2007, including "Por la Noche" as a bonus track. Relative to past releases, Malamarismo is diverse; rather than feature straightforward hip-hop, the album finds Rodríguez taking some chances stylistically, including collaborations with Mexican pop star Julieta Venegas, Puerto Rican reggaetonero Tego Calderón, and Solo los Solo producer Griffi, among others. ~ Jason Birchmeier

Jon Z is a rapper from San Juan, Puerto Rico whose music is equally influenced by reggaeton and American hip-hop, particularly trap. With an Eminem-esque high-pitched voice and a quirky style, his music often sounds like a Puerto Rican counterpoint to rappers such as Young Thug and Future. Born Jonathan Resto Quiñone in 1991, he first began uploading freestyles to his YouTube channel in 2014. He performed concerts across Puerto Rico and caught the attention of Boy Wonder, who signed him to Chosen Few Emeralds Entertainment. His debut mixtape, The Game Is About to Change, appeared in 2015. Several singles followed, including "0 Sentimientos," "Mentirte," and "Violeta." Over the next two years, Z made numerous guest appearances on tracks by artists like Frankie Roura, Josh D'Ace, and Mackie while issuing singles of his own like "Nunca Me Amo" and "Pali2." His debut album, JonTrapVolta, arrived in 2017. He teamed up with his cousin Ele A El Dominio the following year for the LP Super Saiyan Flow, and in 2019 he collaborated with Baby Rasta on Voodoo. ~ Paul Simpson

Known for his distinctively gravelly voice and unflinching hardcore rhymes, Jadakiss established himself with Bad Boy and Ruff Ryders affiliates the LOX before he made further strides as a solo artist with Ruff Ryders and Def Jam. He started a streak of Top Ten solo albums with Kiss tha Game Goodbye (2001) and continued it with the chart-topping Kiss of Death (2004) (featuring the controversial, Grammy-nominated "Why?"), both of which were certified gold by the RIAA. His releases since then include Top 5 Dead or Alive (2015), the Fabolous collaboration Friday on Elm Street (2017), and Ignatius (2020).

Born Jason Phillips in Yonkers, New York, Jadakiss got his start as a teenage freestyle rapper before joining Sheek Louch and Styles P to form the Warlocks crew, eventually known as the LOX. The trio hit the Top Ten with their first two albums, Money, Power & Respect (1998) and We Are the Streets (2000), released respectively on Bad Boy and Ruff Ryders. Jadakiss then went solo with Kiss tha Game Goodbye. Issued through Ruff Ryders in 2001, it entered the Billboard 200 at number five, highlighted by "We Gonna Make It" (featuring Styles P), Jadakiss' first headlining Top Ten hit on the Billboard rap chart. Three years later, the MC topped the Billboard 200 with Kiss of Death, an album that featured two more Top Ten rap hits with "Why?" (with Anthony Hamilton) and "U Make Me Wanna" (featuring Mariah Carey). Banned by some radio stations and scrutinized by at least one high-profile political commentator for the line "Why did Bush knock down the towers?," "Why?" was nonetheless nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. In 2007, Jadakiss made another move, this time to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records -- through Def Jam -- where he closed out his "kiss" trilogy with Last Kiss. The album, his third straight Top Ten hit, featured guests such as Ne-Yo, Faith Evans, and Swizz Beatz (all on the charting singles), along with the likes of Mary J. Blige, Nas, and Pharrell Williams.

After releasing the 2011 commercial mixtape I Love You (A Dedication to My Fans), Jadakiss dropped "Big Boy Dialogue," which was slated as the lead single from his first true album of the 2010s. However, that effort -- Top 5 Dead or Alive -- wasn't released until 2015, but did just that, debuting at number four on the Billboard 200. A third proper LOX LP, Filthy America...It's Beautiful, arrived in 2016. The following year, Jadakiss teamed up with Fabolous for the collaborative album Friday on Elm Street. Inspired by horror icons Freddy and Jason, the set peaked in the Top Ten and featured guests like Future, Swizz Beatz, and French Montana. Still with Def Jam, Jadakiss released his fifth proper solo full-length, Ignatius, in 2020. The album was titled in tribute to his longtime friend and manager, Ignatius Jackson (aka Icepick Jackson), who died from cancer. ~ Neil Z. Yeung & Andy Kellman

Born Yeifry Severino de la Rosa in 1998, Nino Freestyle is a Dominican rapper. He began to record and perform professionally in his mid-teens, eventually going viral at the national level via his postings on popular social media sites. In 2018 he broke a world record for most words rhymed in a rap song with "Jon Z Challenge," which earned him some international recognition, and released the EP El de los Códigos Virales. In the following years, Nino went on to become one of the leading urban Dominican artists, even if he stuck exclusively to singles -- almost a hundred released between 2018 and 2024, between solo tracks and collaborations. All of his biggest hits belong in this second category, among them "La Vuelta" (2018) with El Fecho and Secreto El Famoso Biberón, "No Hago Coro" (2020) with Ghetto and Farruko (as well as the 2021 remix of the same track featuring El Alfa, Bryant Myers, and Miky Woodz), "Hacerte Mía" (2021) with La Ross María, and "Mala" (2021) with Tokischa. His most recent output has included "Sin Tabú" (2023) and "Travesura" (2024), with Lenny Santos, Boy Wonder CF, Chelsy, and Divino. ~ Mariano Prunes

Vegedream is the stage name of Sachtela Evrard Djedje, a French singer of Ivorian origin whose music is a passionate, sometimes Auto-Tune-heavy blend of rap, R&B, and Afro-pop. Best known for his rousing football-inspired anthem "Ramenez la coupe à la maison," which topped the French charts in 2018, he has additionally found success with his 2019 full-length Ategban and collaborations with artists such as Ninho and Joé Dwet Filé.

Djedje was born in Orléans, France, but spent some of his childhood in Gagnoa, Ivory Coast, which was his father's hometown. He started making music at the age of 18 as a member of French rap group la Synésia, who formed in the early 2010s and signed to Universal, releasing the full-length Conquête du Trône in 2017. Djedje went solo in 2017, using the name Vegedream as a reference to Dragon Ball character Vegeta. Following initial singles "Obscure" and "La fuite," Vegedream released his mixtape Marchand de sable. Inspired by the French national football team's 2018 FIFA World Cup victory, Vegedream issued the single "Ramenez la coupe à la maison" in July 2018. The song hit number one and became an inescapable part of French popular culture. Marchand de sable 2, an expanded version of his debut mixtape, appeared at the end of the year. Debut album Ategban arrived in 2019 and reached the Top Ten of the French chart, helped by the success of the single "Elle est bonne sa mère" (featuring Ninho), which reached number two. He continued releasing singles throughout 2020, including "Juste une fois" and "Pour nous" (featuring Tayc). ~ Paul Simpson

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH, does not have a special annex for Jim Jones, but really ought to. Since common names are bound to cause confusion, it should immediately be mentioned that this is not because of the Kool-Aid-serving cult leader whose lurid Jonestown massacre was something of an inspiration to many rock songwriters. The Jim Jones that ought to be better known even in his hometown is a tireless veteran of local combos, so many that it is often said that Jones has played in every single decent band to come out of the city often called "the mistake by the lake."

The talented musician might possibly be best known as a guitarist, specifically since 1987 with the long-running Pere Ubu group. In this capacity he should be added to the list of roadies who have been promoted up to membership in the bands whose gear they helped schlep, just like bassist Miller "Speedy" Sparks of the Sir Douglas Quintet. Yet prior to Jones' promotion there is an extensive list of musical activities he had been involved with beginning in the '70s, including notorious Cleveland groups such as the Mirrors, the Electric Eels, the Poli-Styrene Jass Band, and Foreign Bodies. In the course of his career he seems to have recorded on almost every instrument common to a rock band, also contributing production and mixing expertise as well as photography to various projects.

His involvement with Pere Ubu began in 1978, when he embarked on American and European tours as part of the crew. During the following decade Jones also recorded with Pere Ubu maestro David Thomas on his solo projects as well as collaborating with the Easter Monkeys and Home and Garden. In 1999 he released a solo project entitled Speaker/Cranker, which primarily featured his keyboard playing. Health problems began to plague Jones during this period, leading to quadruple bypass surgery in 2004. Jones died of a heart attack at his home in Cleveland on February 18th, 2008. ~ Eugene Chadbourne