Bernard Freeman, better known by his stage name Bun B, (born March 19, 1973). Is an American rapper and formerly one half of the southern hip hop duo UGK.

UGK (short for Underground Kingz) was a Grammy Award-winning hip-hop act from Port Arthur, Texas formed in 1987 by the late Chad "Pimp C" Butler. He then joined with Bernard "Bun B" Freeman who became his longtime partner. They released their first major label album, Too Hard to Swallow in 1992, followed by several other albums charting on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, including the self-titled Underground Kingz album which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in August 2007. The group has also been featured on hit singles by other artists, such as on "Big Pimpin'" by Jay-Z and "Sippin' on Some Syrup" by Three 6 Mafia. On December 4, 2007, Pimp C was found dead in a Hollywood, California hotel room. Pimp C also founded UGK Records in late 2007.

Joseph W. McVey, better known by his stage name Z-Ro, is an American rapper and producer. He has built a reputation as a southern rapper, though this has not developed into widespread popularity outside of the southern United States. The New York Times has called him "one of America's most underrated rappers". His 2006 album I'm Still Livin' was released while Z-Ro was imprisoned for drug possession, to positive reviews. It was called "a great album... powerful" but "relentlessly bleak" by The Village Voice and "one of the best rap albums to come out of Houston" by the Houston Chronicle. His follow-up album, King Of Tha Ghetto: Power, received mixed reviews however, with one review calling the release "unwieldy" and "scattershot". Common themes in Z-Ro's music are crime and poverty, often relating to his personal experience. For example, the music video for Hate You was recorded while he was incarcerated in Harris County jail.

Cory Moore, better known as Cory Mo, is a record producer and songwriter who was born and raised in Houston, Texas and still lives there now. He owns and operates M.A.D. (Money At the Door) Studios with his brother, Mike Mo, and has worked with Texas artists such as UGK, Chamillionaire and Slim Thug there. Although he is known more for his production, it's actually writing and recording his own songs that Moore hopes to bring to the forefront. "People know me for my production more than rapping," he explains. "But I'm a writer at heart because that's what I started doing first. I've been rapping since I was in fifth grade, so I'll forever be a writer." Moore says his inspiration comes from studying the historical contributions of Dr. Dre, Outkast, Geto Boys, Kanye West, Pimp C, and Ice Cube, among others.

Lil' Keke (born Marcus Lee Edwards on March 31, 1972). is a rapper from Houston, Texas and is an original member of the Screwed Up Click. Keke is currently signed to Swishahouse/TF Records.

Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980), better known as Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the popular single from rapper Mike Jones, "Still Tippin'". He began his career with Swishahouse in the late 1990s. After realizing how much money he could make distributing his own mixtapes, he parted ways with Swishahouse on good terms and formed his own independent label, Boss Hogg Outlawz. Slim Thug has since worked with Interscope Records until August 3, 2008, where he went to Koch Records. According to MTV. com, Lupe Fiasco's video for "Hip Hop Saved My Life" was based on Slim Thug's life story. "It is based on Slim Thug cause he is so G, and inspires me," Fiasco revealed. Slim Thug also released the song "Like a Boss" which has now been made into a popular parody by The Lonely Island. Slim Thug dated former Destiny's Child member, LeToya Luckett. In December 2008 a rumour surfaced that the two are back together.

DJ Screw, born Robert Earl Davis, Jr. (July 20, 1971 – November 16, 2000), was a DJ from Houston, Texas.

Mddl Fngz, also known as Middle Fingaz, is a Houston-based rap group formed in 2002 as side project by southern rapper Bun B when partner rapper Pimp C was incarcerated. The group has appeared on several mixtapes as well as Bun B's debut solo album Trill, UGK's album UGK (Underground Kingz), and Bun B's sophomore album II Trill. Members Band.I.T, Bad Azz Bam, and Young Kilo are signed to UGK Records.

Rozz Williams (November 6, 1963 - April 1, 1998), born 'Roger Alan Painter', was an American deathrock vocalist, most famous for fronting the bands Christian Death and Shadow Project, the latter with his then wife, Eva O. He is also cited by some as the founder of American gothic rock as well as a pioneer of deathrock. Other musical projects he was involved in include Daucus Karota, Heltir, EXP and Premature Ejaculation. Williams also recorded several solo albums.

Jay Jenkins (born October 12, 1977) better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper and member of the group Boyz N Da Hood and USDA. He began his career in 2001 under an independent label and joined Boyz N Da Hood in 2005, the same year his solo major label debut Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 was released. Its single "Soul Survivor", which featured Akon, became a top-ten hit in the U.S. The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102 followed in 2006, and The Recession followed in 2008; both albums yielded chart-topping singles. Jeezy has also appeared on numerous other rap and R&B singles such as "Say I" by Christina Millian, "I'm So Paid" by Akon, and "Love In This Club" by Usher, the latter being a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2008.

Levell Crump, better known by the stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, occasional actor, record producer, record label executive, and philanthropist. His stage name is taken from the lead character of the 1970s and 1980s CBS television series The Incredible Hulk.

Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 - October 4, 1970) was an American singer, songwriter, and music arranger, from Port Arthur, Texas. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and later as a solo artist. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Joplin number 46 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and number 28 on its 2008 list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

OutKast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, a city south of Atlanta, Georgia. The duo was originally known as The OKB but later changed its name to OutKast. The group's original musical style was a mixture of Dirty South and G-Funk. Since then, however, funk, soul, pop, electronic music, rock, spoken word poetry, jazz, and blues elements have been added to the group's musical palette. The duo consists of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin (formerly known as Dré) and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. The duo is one of the most successful hip-hop groups of all time, having received six Grammy Awards. Over 25 million copies have been sold of OutKast's eight releases: six studio albums, a greatest hits release, and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, a double album containing a solo album from each member. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is one of only three hip-hop albums to be certified Diamond in the U.S. for shipping over 10 million units. Along with their commercial success, OutKast has maintained an experimental approach in their music and are widely praised for their originality and artistic content.

Brooke Valentine is an American R&B singer-songwriter. She started her musical career as a member of the female group Best Kept Secret. To pursue a solo career, she moved to Los Angeles, California and signed to Subliminal Entertainment/Virgin Records. She released her debut album Chain Letter in March 2005. It sold 340,000 copies in the United States. The album features her hit debut single, "Girlfight" released late 2004, in a collaboration with rappers Big Boi and Lil Jon, a song about tension between two girls which ends up in a catfight. The first single from her second album Physical Education was "D-Girl" ("Dope Girl"), which did not chart, along with a second single, "Pimped Out", in November 2006. The release of the album was canceled during the Capitol & Virgin Records merge in 2007, the future of the project is currently unknown, but this seems to be scrapped and unreleased due to work on her third studio album. Valentine has been in the studio working on her next album, due out in 2009.

Hakeem Seriki (born November 28, 1979), better known by his stage name Chamillionaire is an American rapper, singer and musician from Houston, Texas as well as the CEO of Chamillitary Entertainment. He stated that his aim is to prove that the South can produce quality lyricists. He is also a hook writer and usually sings and harmonizes with himself on his own hooks. Chamillionaire is a founder and original member of The Color Changin' Click. In 2007, he won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for his number-one single "Ridin'", a number-one hit in the United States for two weeks in 2006. He is a former artist on Michael 5000 Watts' Swishahouse label.