b. c.1975. From South Central Los Angeles, Ahmad utilized the half-sung, half-rapped approach invoked by Snoop Doggy Dogg and Domino. He was signed to Giant after rapping freestyle in front of president Cassandra Mills, who signed him on the spot. The rhythm tracks on his debut were built with the help of his high-school friend Kendal Gordy, son of Motown's Berry Gordy. Old soul loops and R&B dominated, and he often revealed the lyrical incisiveness to match. Carefully avoiding the excesses of gangsta rap clich‚s, Ahmad was instead more articulate: "There's millions of ordinary, average, real people there (the South Central ghetto), who are trying to do the right thing and get out of the situation. But a lot of rappers don't touch on that - they just talk about the gangbanging, like it's so great and hunky-dory and glamorous. It's not at all, because I've been to many funerals and I realise that the time has come to stop all this bullshit." His first single, "Back In The Day", emphasized this view, with a discussion on the merits of old-school hip-hop culture.

Listen to Ahmad at Finetune.

• Back In the Day (Remix)

• 2Pac
• The Notorious B.I.G.
• Jay-Z
• Snoop Dogg
• Ice Cube
• OutKast
• Kanye West
• Nas
• Eminem
• LL Cool J
• Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
• 50 Cent
• Ludacris
• Dr. Dre
• De La Soul
• R. Kelly
• Naughty by Nature
• T.I.
• Wu-Tang Clan
• Digable Planets

• Chant3291982
• missbadgirl