Prince's fifth album, 1982's '1999,' brought him his first Top 10 hit, delivering a commercial breakthrough that vindicated years of artistic struggle. It would have been easy to play it safe with the follow-up, but instead of worrying about another hit, Prince went for broke, using what he called his "emotional autobiography" as the inspiration for a film and soundtrack project that could have ended his career just as it was really getting started.The rest, of course, is history. Released to record stores on June 25, 1984, and arriving in theaters a little over a month later, 'Purple Rain'...…Prince's fifth album, 1982's '1999,' brought him his first Top 10 hit, delivering a commercial breakthrough that vindicated years of artistic struggle. It would have been easy to play it safe with the follow-up, but instead of worrying about another hit, Prince went for broke, using what he called his "emotional autobiography" as the inspiration for a film and soundtrack project that could have ended his career just as it was really getting started.The rest, of course, is history. Released to record stores on June 25, 1984, and arriving in theaters a little over a month later, 'Purple Rain'...WW…

Kristian Dowling, Getty ImagesIn hip-hop, the guest feature can serve a wide variety of purposes and often many simultaneously.There are times when the host rapper is playing armchair A&R with the goal of putting on a close friend who typically has few songs to his or her name. Other times, the complete opposite occurs -- some unknown comes on the scene with a verse or chorus from a buzzing or high-profile artist. There is also the posse cut, wherein an MC gathers everyone he or she can to contribute to (usually) a remix that gets decent radio play or Internet attention and then...…Kristian Dowling, Getty ImagesIn hip-hop, the guest feature can serve a wide variety of purposes and often many simultaneously.There are times when the host rapper is playing armchair A&R with the goal of putting on a close friend who typically has few songs to his or her name. Other times, the complete opposite occurs -- some unknown comes on the scene with a verse or chorus from a buzzing or high-profile artist. There is also the posse cut, wherein an MC gathers everyone he or she can to contribute to (usually) a remix that gets decent radio play or Internet attention and then...WW…

Every now and again, the hip-hop community becomes divided over the 10 Rap Commandments with the unspoken law of thou shall not evoke ghostwriters at the center of the debate. The genre, founded at the intersection where honesty meets skill, featured pioneers paving the way for rising MCs by telling street tales in their own words. But as much as hip-hop fans like to credit their favorite rapper's favorite rapper for spitting hardcore lyrics they can relate to, the truth is many rhymers have at one time or another relied on the penmanship of peers or their occasional competitors. Last...…Every now and again, the hip-hop community becomes divided over the 10 Rap Commandments with the unspoken law of thou shall not evoke ghostwriters at the center of the debate. The genre, founded at the intersection where honesty meets skill, featured pioneers paving the way for rising MCs by telling street tales in their own words. But as much as hip-hop fans like to credit their favorite rapper's favorite rapper for spitting hardcore lyrics they can relate to, the truth is many rhymers have at one time or another relied on the penmanship of peers or their occasional competitors. Last...WW…