The Visionaries
Encyclopedia
The Visionaries is an underground hip hop
crew from Los Angeles
, California
. The crew formed in 1995, and have since released four full-length albums on Up Above Records. The crew's six members have collectively released over twenty solo and side projects. They have collaborated and performed with many other hip-hop artists, including Wu-Tang Clan
, Nas
, Common
, Mos Def
, Talib Kweli
, Dilated Peoples
, Taktloss
, De La Soul
, Blackalicious
, Jean Grae
, Psycho Realm
, Playalitical
, Jay Dee aka J Dilla
, and Jurassic 5
. If You Can't Say Love is a single made famous by the video game Blitz: The League
and is from their Pangaea album.
Underground hip hop
Underground hip hop is an umbrella term for hip hop music outside the general commercial canon. It is typically associated with independent artists, signed toindependent labels or no label at all....
crew from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The crew formed in 1995, and have since released four full-length albums on Up Above Records. The crew's six members have collectively released over twenty solo and side projects. They have collaborated and performed with many other hip-hop artists, including Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
, Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, Common
Common (rapper)
Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....
, Mos Def
Mos Def
Dante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...
, Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
, Dilated Peoples
Dilated Peoples
Dilated Peoples is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. The group achieved notability in the underground hip hop community, although they have had little mainstream success in the US, with the exception of the song "This Way," a 2004 collaboration with Kanye West and Xzibit...
, Taktloss
Taktloss
Kingsly Defounga better known under his stage name Taktloss, is a German rap artist. He is known for his atypical rap-style of rhyming and pronouncing words. He is also known outside of Germany because of features and CDs with American acts from the Project Blowed.- Biography :Taktloss is a well...
, De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
, Blackalicious
Blackalicious
Blackalicious is an American hip hop duo from Sacramento, California made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel . They are noted for Gift of Gab's often "tongue-twisting", multisyllabic, complex rhymes and Chief Xcel's "classic" beats...
, Jean Grae
Jean Grae
Jean Grae , born November 26, 1976 is an American hip hop artist who hails from South Africa. She rose to prominence in the underground hip-hop scene in New York City, and has since built an international fanbase.- Early life :...
, Psycho Realm
Psycho Realm
Psycho Realm is an american hip hop supergroup started in 1989 by brothers Sick Jacken and Big Duke from the Downtown, Pico-Union area of Los Angeles. The first recorded Psycho Realm song, "Scandalous", was released on the soundtrack of the film Mi Vida Loca in 1994...
, Playalitical
Playalitical
Playalitical , March 7, 1982 in Denver, Colorado is an American rap artist and the current President and CEO of Illuminated Entertainment Group. Known for his deep raspy voice, traditional lyricism, and word play he discusses lived stories of pimping and hustiling...
, Jay Dee aka J Dilla
J Dilla
James Dewitt Yancey , better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan...
, and Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 was an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1993 from members of two previous groups, Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee by rappers Charles Stewart , Dante Givens , Courtenay Henderson , Marc Stuart , and disc jockeys Mark Potsic and Lucas Macfadden...
. If You Can't Say Love is a single made famous by the video game Blitz: The League
Blitz: The League
Blitz: The League is an American football game by Midway as an unlicensed extension of their NFL Blitz series. Released after the NFL signed an exclusive licensing deal with Electronic Arts, it was released in October 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Lawrence Taylor, who provides voice acting...
and is from their Pangaea album.
Discography
- GalleriesGalleries (album)Galleries is the debut album by The Visionaries, an American hip hop group composed of 2Mex, LMNO, KeyKool, DJ Rhettmatic, Lord Zen, and Dannu.-Track listing:# Highsmen# The Gallery# Audible Angels# Time Is Running Out# Rejoice And Praise...
(Up Above Records; 1998) - Sophomore Jinx (Up Above Records; 2000)
- Pangaea (Up Above Records; 2004)
- We Are the Ones (We've Been Waiting for)We Are the Ones (We've Been Waiting for)We Are The Ones is the fourth album by The Visionaries, an American hip hop group composed of 2Mex, LMNO, KeyKool, DJ Rhettmatic, Lord Zen, and Dannu.-Track listing:# "All We Need"# "In The Good"#* Featuring Ariano# "All Right"...
(Up Above Records; 2006) - Est 1995 (Mixtape) (2007)
Solo Projects
- 2Mex (aka SonGodSuns)
- Words Knot Music (2000)
- B Boys in Occupied Mexico (2001; re-issue 2005)
- Sweat Lodge Infinite (2003)
- Self Titled (2004)
- (As SonGodSuns) Over the Counter Culture (2005)
- My Fanbase Will Destroy You (2010)
- LMNO
- Leave My Name Out (2000)
- Economic Food Chain Music (2004)
- This EP Reminds me of '93 (2004)
- P's & Q's (2005)
- Work Ethic (2007)
- Selective Hearing (2008) collaboration with Kev Brown
- Let Em Know (2009)
- Devilish Dandruff with Holy Shampoo (2009)
- Push That Work (2010)
- Fonk Garden (2010)
- Next in Line (2010)
- Selective Hearing Part 2 (2010) collaboration with Kev Brown
- Determined to Fly (2010)
- Banger Management (2010)
- Tripping On This Journey (2010)
- Blessing in Disguise (2010) collaboration with KeyKool & 2Mex
- No Apologies (2010)
- LMNO is Dead (2010)
- Born again (2011)
- Lord Zen and Dannu (known together as Writer's Block)
- En Route (2001)
- Next Stop (2005)
- R.ēL.Z.M. aka "Lord Zen"
- 50.5.10 (2007) with band LVX Collective
- Love D'LVX (2009) with band LVX Collective
- Wakefull Dead (2007) collaboration with producer DeeSkee
- Key Kool & Rhettmatic
- Kozmonautz (1995)
- DJ RhettmaticDJ RhettmaticDJ Rhettmatic is a member of the Beat Junkies DJ crew. Rhettmatic began his DJ career in 1983 with the DJ group Double Platinum, and was one of the founding members of Beat Junkie crew....
:- Kozmonautz (with Key Kool) (1995)
- World Famous Beat Junkies Vol 2. - DJ Rhettmatic (with the Beat JunkiesBeat JunkiesThe World Famous Beat Junkies is a Hip hop crew of DJs specializing in Turntablism. Established in 1992 in Orange County, California by J-Rocc....
) (1999) - Exclusive Collection (2004)
- Dannu:
- Virgo Summer (2011)