Illicium verum, commonly called Star anise, star aniseed, or Chinese star anise, (Chinese: 八角, pinyin: bājiǎo, lit. "eight-horn" or "eight-corners") is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavor, obtained from the star-shaped pericarp of Illicium verum, a medium-sized native evergreen tree of northeast Vietnam and southwest China. The star shaped fruits are harvested just before ripening.

In Persian, star anise is called badian, hence its French name badiane. In northern India it is called badian khatai. It is said^[who?] that its origin is a place called Khata in China. In Malay it is called "Bunga Lawang". It is widely used in Malay cooking. In Tamil it is called as"அன்னாசி மொக்கு" ("Annachi mokku") and in Malayalam it is called "thakolam".

Star anise contains anethole, the same ingredient that gives the unrelated anise its flavor. Recently, star anise has come into use in the West as a less expensive substitute for anise in baking as well as in liquor production, most distinctively in the production of the liquor Galliano. It is also used in the production of sambuca, pastis, and many types of absinthe. Star anise enhances the flavour of meat.^{[citation needed]} It is used as a spice in preparation of biryani all over the Indian subcontinent. It is widely used in Chinese cuisine, in Indian cuisine where it is a major component of garam masala, and in Malay and Indonesian cuisine. It is widely grown for commercial use in China, India, and most other countries in Asia. Star anise is an ingredient of the traditional five-spice powder of Chinese cooking. It is also a major ingredient in the making of phở, a Vietnamese noodle soup. In India it is used as an ingredient of masala chai.

Daniel Dumile (pronounced /ˈduːmɨleɪ/ DOO-mə-lay; born January 9, 1971) is a hip hop artist who has taken on several stage names in his career, most notably MF Doom, often stylized as MF DOOM, where the "MF" stands for metal face, but metal fingers when using his producing name. He has appeared in several collaborative projects such as Danger Doom (with Danger Mouse) and Madvillain (with Madlib).

Dumile was born on January 9, 1971, in London, England, the son of a Trinidadian mother and Zimbabwean father. He then moved with his family to New York and was raised in the city of Long Beach, New York on Long Island.

As Zev Love X, he formed the group KMD in 1988 with his younger brother DJ Subroc and another MC called Rodan. When Rodan left the group, Zev found another MC to replace Rodan named Onyx the Birthstone Kid.A&R rep Dante Ross learned of KMD through the hip hop group 3rd Bass, and signed the group to Elektra Records.

Dumile and KMD's recorded debut came on 3rd Bass's song "The Gas Face" from The Cactus Album, followed in 1991 with KMD's album Mr. Hood, which became a minor hit through its singles "Peachfuzz", "Who Me?" and heavy video play on cable TV's Yo! MTV Raps and Rap City.

Percy Carey (born 11 June 1970), also known by the stage names MF Grimm and originally Build and Destroy, is an American underground rapper, music producer and Eisner Award-nominated comic book writer from New York City.

Percy Carey grew up in the Upper West Side section of Manhattan. His neighbor, Morgan Freeman, helped arrange for him to be cast as a child actor on Sesame Street, which he did for four years.

"One episode, I lost my tooth, and me and Big Bird had to go through Sesame Street and try to find it," Carey remembers.

Early in his career, he formed a DJ/rapper group called The Gravediggaz, not to be confused with the group of the same name formed by Frukwan, RZA, Prince Paul and Too Poetic. He also collaborated with hip-hop legends like Kool G Rap and KMD.

In 1993, Grimm placed at the World Supremacy Battle, already known as an experienced battle rapper. That year, he released his first 12" single, So Whatcha Want Nigga? and performed at the Jack The Rapper convention on Execution Night, sharing the stage with Lady of Rage, Tupac, and Dogg Pound, in Atlanta.