Game

Entering the gangsta rap scene when the West Coast was losing the dominance it had enjoyed in the early '90s, The Game revived his South Central L.A.

'hood—and proved that it is absolutely possible to become commercially successful without sacrificing an ounce of street cred.

Born Jayceon Terrell Taylor in Compton in 1979, he spent a chunk of his youth in foster care and made a community for himself in the city's gangs.