3rd Degree

Though he's from South Central Los Angeles, 3rd Degree isn't a run-of-the-mill gangsta rapper. Actually he's anything but that -- more thoughtful than thuggish, more creative than confrontational, he upholds a positive demeanor and radiates hopefulness. That's not to say he lives a sheltered life, of course, for he's as street-smart as they come. Growing up amid Crips and Bloods, gang-bangin' and crack-slangin', the rapper born Wayne Guillory (a French last name, his family originally coming from Louisiana) knows the dark side of urban life, and he knows that's not the path fo...