The following are short descriptions of the groups and organizations which have contributed to the shaping of African American history. These encyclopedia entries serve as a starting point for much more inclusive descriptions and discussions that appear in other sources. For additional information please consult the print or website sources cited in the entry.
The Capitols, an R&B doo-wop trio, originally known as the Three Caps, was formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1962 with a lineup that included principal vocalist and percussionist Samuel George Jr. (born January 23, 1942), guitarist/percussionist Don Storball, whose birth name was Don Norman and … Read MoreThe Capitols (1962-1969)
The Legendary Bronx-bred hip hop duo Camp Lo formed in 1995 in New York City. The Rappers/emcees, Sonny Cheeba (Salahadeen Thomas Wilds), born on April 7, 1973, and Geechi Suede (Saladine Tyrik Wallace), born on August 13, 1973, were both Muslims and started their career … Read MoreCamp Lo (1995- )
Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock are from Harlem, New York. Base was born Robert Ginyard, and DJ E-Z Rock was born Rodney “Skip” Bryce. Coincidentally, they were both born on May 18, 1967, and met in 1977 in the fifth grade, in the same … Read MoreRob Base and DJ E-Z Rock (1986-2014)
Three Six Mafia is a hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee that includes members Paul Duane “DJ Paul” Beauregard, Jordan Michael “Juicy J” Houston III, Lola Chantrelle “Gangsta Boo” Mitchell, Darnell “Crunchy Black” Carlton, Ricky “Lord Infamous” Dunigan, and Robert Cooper “Koopsta Knicca” Phillips. Three … Read MoreThree Six Mafia (1991- )
American Multi-Platinum hip-hop duo 95 South is from Jacksonville, Florida. It was formed in 1993 as a Miami bass group with Artice “AB” Bartley, Carlos “Daddy Black” Spencer, and Jay “Ski” McGowan and named after Interstate 95, which travels through Jacksonville. With personnel changes 95 … Read More95 South (1993- )
A Tribe Called Quest was a pioneer hip-hop ensemble formed in St. Albans, Queens, New York, in 1985. It comprised rapper and principal producer Q-Tipis also known as Kamaal Ibn John Fareed who was born Jonathan William Davis on April 10, 1970; rapper Phife Dawg … Read MoreA Tribe Called Quest (1988-2017)
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is a hip-hop group that includes members Bryon Anthony “Bizzy Bone” McCane II, Charles “Wish Bone” Scruggs, Steven “Layzie Bone” Howse, Anthony “Krayzie Bone” Henderson, and Stanley “Flesh-n-Bone” Howse. The group is credited with popularizing the Hip Hop subgenre Chopper Rap during the … Read MoreBone Thugs-N-Harmony (1991- )
The Floaters began as an R&B quartet, with co-founders Larry Cunningham who was born on June 23, 1951, in Detroit, Michigan, and James Mitchell Jr., formerly lead singer with the Detroit Emeralds, who was born on May 27, 1949, in Perry, Florida. The lineup also … Read MoreThe Floaters (1976-1982; 1990-2019)
The Three Degrees, the Philadelphia Sound female singing group, was formed in 1963 at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They included Fayette Regina Pinkney (born January 10, 1948, Philadelphia) who was the lead singer long with Shirley Porter, and Linda Turner. However, the latter … Read MoreThree Degrees (1963- )
The four century (1460-1860) transatlantic slave trade is responsible for the involuntary migration of 388,000 enslaved Africans to the United States according to historians’ best estimates. However, the U.S. has witnessed a much larger influx of voluntary African migration since the 1960s. Whether it was … Read MoreAfrican Immigration to the United States (1965- )
