b. Adelaida Martinez. One of a strange flurry of rapping namesakes to emerge in the late 80s, after the release of U.T.F.O.'s "Roxanne, Roxanne'. This Puerto Rican female MC, based in New York, was arguably the most talented, releasing a powerful deb…

b. Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. The classically trained Jane Child specializes in pleasant synth-pop songwriting, which saw some critics compare her to Prince's more accessible moments. Signed with Warner Brothers Records, the tracks on her self-tit…

The Deele are best-known as the group that brought Babyface b Kenny Edmonds and LA Reid b Mark Rooney to prominence Based in Indianapolis IN Bobby G Summers and LA Reid formed the Deele in the early 80s with lead vocalist Carlos Satin Greene Darnell …

Often neglected next to the adventures of Afrika Bambaataa or Grandmaster Flash, Force M.D.'s (from Staten Island, New York City) were nevertheless a vital component in the early 80s in rap's development. They were originally titled the LDs, working …