Redman

Never quite a superstar, Redman was nonetheless one of the most off-the-wall, beloved, and enduring rappers of the '90s and 2000s. Born Reginald Noble in Newark, NJ, he made his initial impact on EPMD's 1990 album Business as Usual and stepped out as a solo artist with 1992's Whut? Thee Album, one of the year's best debuts, rap or otherwise. He blended reggae and funk influences with topical commentary and displayed a terse though fluid vocal style that was sometimes satirical, sometimes silly, and always tough -- an approach that rarely wavered throughout the remainder of his...