Tristan Michael Pelton, Author at

Student Historian

Tristan Michael Pelton is a senior at the University of Washington. He is studying English. He also hosts a local hip-hop oriented radio show on the UW radio station: Rainy Dawg Radio. He has been involved in various pro-underage music programs, particularly as a writer and editor for the all-ages website Mercurialsound.com. He also is vice-president of a local community group which eases the transition from high school to college for local students called Tyee Alum Group. His career goals include writing a book about the history of Seattle hip-hop.

Mary J. Blige (1971- )

When Mary J. Blige was born on January 11, 1971, in The Bronx, New York, few observers would have imagined her becoming one of the most successful rhythm and blues (R&B) artists within a musical world increasingly dominated by hip-hop. Blige’s father abandoned the family when she was four. She … Read MoreMary J. Blige (1971- )

Run-D.M.C.

Pioneer rap group Run-D.M.C. was formed in the Hollis section of Queens, New York in the early 1980s. Rappers Run (born Joseph Simmons on November 14, 1964), D.M.C. (born Darryl McDaniels on May 31, 1964), and DJ Jam Master Jay (born Jason Mizell on October … Read MoreRun-D.M.C.

Public Enemy

Public Enemy, the rap group from Long Island, New York, is one of the most influential groups in the emerging genre of rap music. Borrowing heavily from the rhetoric of black power, a generation earlier, the group achieved both commercial and critical success. Public Enemy … Read MorePublic Enemy

Def Jam Records (1984- )

Def Jam Records, created by hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons, is one of the most successful black-owned record labels in the history of the United States. Its success and influence on music and popular culture are paralleled only by Motown Records in the 1960s and 1970s. … Read MoreDef Jam Records (1984- )

Queen Latifah (1970- )

Born Dana Elaine Owens on March 18, 1970 in Newark, New Jersey, Queen Latifah is the most influential woman in the history of rap music. The Muslim name “Latifah,” which translates roughly to “delicate, sensitive and kind,” was adopted by Owens at the age of … Read MoreQueen Latifah (1970- )

Rap/Hip Hop

Rap Music, and the culture that surrounds rapping itself, hip-hop, is a genre of music and a lifestyle which originated in the housing projects of New York City, New York in the late 1970s but which now has global influence. While not without controversy and … Read MoreRap/Hip Hop

Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

Despite his personal and legal problems in the last two decades of his life, Michael Jackson remains one of the most widely known and successful pop stars of all time. Commercially and critically Jackson, both solo and with his brothers in The Jackson Five, dominated … Read MoreMichael Jackson (1958-2009)

Diddy/Sean Combs (1970- )

Born November 4, 1970 in Harlem, New York, Sean “Diddy” Combs is a multi-platinum selling producer, rapper, and successful record company executive. Combs was raised in Harlem, where his father was killed when Combs was three. His mother moved the family to suburban Mount Vernon, … Read MoreDiddy/Sean Combs (1970- )

Motown Records

Founded in 1959 by former auto-worker and songwriter Berry Gordy, Jr. in Detroit, Michigan, Motown Records would become the most successful black-owned record label in history. After co-writing hits for Smokey Robinson and Jackie Wilson, Gordy purchased a house at 2648 West Grand Boulevard and … Read MoreMotown Records