Boom Bam

Boom Bam (born Gene Heisser, 1971) is one of the founding members of Compton's Most Wanted and underground rap group N.O.T.R.

Heisser was born in Compton, California. He met MC Eiht and Tha Chill while attending Junior High school, and a lifelong friendship developed. In 1987 they created the rap group Compton's Most Wanted and their first album It's a Compton Thang was released in 1989. The group quickly became famous on the West Coast, and international fame soon followed. After the group dissolved in 1993, Boom Bam appeared with MC Eiht on several of his solo projects. Bam, Eiht, and Chill formed N.O.T.R. in 1995. Atlantic Records bought the album and subsequently shelved the entire project. Underground copies of the album are all that survived.

Boom Bam also had a brief movie career with a minor role in the blockbuster hit Menace II Society and in the movie Rhyme & Reason. He also briefly appeared in the backyard scene of Boyz n the Hood.

Later years

Boom Bam is currently in the studio working with Hard Head Productions on his first solo album titled Still Wanted. It is scheduled for release some time in early 2012. The album will be featuring such artists as MC Eiht, and MC Ren of N.W.A.

Major Lazer

Major Lazer is an electronic music group originally created by record producers Diplo and Switch. Switch left in 2011, but Diplo remained, with additional members Jillionaire and Walshy Fire. Their music spans numerous music styles, mixing EDM with reggae, dancehall, electronic, reggaeton, house, and moombahton genres.

Major Lazer has released three full-length albums – Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do, Free the Universe, and Peace Is the Mission, released in 2009, 2013, and 2015, respectively. They have also released an EP entitled Apocalypse Soon in March 2014, which featured vocal contributions from Pharrell Williams and Sean Paul. In addition, Major Lazer has also produced Reincarnated, the debut reggae album by Snoop Dogg under his "Snoop Lion" persona.

Background

2009–11: Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do and Lazers Never Die EP

Formerly made up of DJ Diplo and Switch, the two were introduced after working with M.I.A.. The duo's first album Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do was released on 16 June 2009, on Downtown Records. It was recorded in Jamaica at Tuff Gong Studios. Vocalists such as Santigold, Vybz Kartel, Ward 21, Busy Signal, Nina Sky, Amanda Blank, Mr. Vegas, Turbulence, Mapei, T.O.K, Prince Zimboo, Leftside and others contribute guest vocals to the album, as well as additional production from Afrojack and Crookers. This is the first release to come out of the label partnership between Downtown Records and Diplo's label Mad Decent. Major Lazer ended a US tour last summer.

Ty Dolla Sign

Tyrone William Griffin, Jr. (born April 13, 1985), better known by his stage name Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American hip hop and R&B recording artist from Los Angeles, California. He first gained major recognition in 2010, through his appearance on YG's "Toot It and Boot It," which Ty Dolla Sign wrote and produced for Def Jam Recordings. In the summer of 2013, he signed a record deal with Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang Records and subsequently released the successful Beach House 2 mixtape. He originates from Inglewood, California.

Musical career

2007–11: Career beginnings

The son of musician Tyrone Griffin, a member of Lakeside, Ty Dolla Sign began his music career by learning how to play the bass guitar. Since then, he also learned to play drums, guitar, keyboards and the MPC. Later, he and his partner Kory, signed a record deal with Venus Brown and Buddah Brown Ent, and released a mixtape, titled Raw & Bangin Mixtape Vol 2. The duo also made guest appearances on albums by other artists such as Sa-Ra Creative Partners and Black Milk, where they sang on the song "U" on the latter's 2007 recording Popular Demand. However, that deal began to fall through, causing Dolla Sign and Kory to call it quits with each other.