Wiseguys

Boston may be more well known for its universities than for its ghettos, but a collective of street-smart rappers known as the Wiseguys (WG) hope to put the city on the map for rap music as well. Originally a group of 12 authentic gangsters, this collective signed to Def Jam back in 1997 and recorded a self-titled album that never saw the light of day. Since the late '90s, the group of 12 has been narrowed down to five rappers representing different Boston neighborhoods: Tangg da Juice (Egleston Square), Big Roscoe (Orchard Park Projects), M3 (Corbet Street), Masta Criminal (JP Projects), and Mann Terror (Greenwoon Street). These five starred on Boston production crew Hangmen 3's debut album, No Skits, Vol. 1, bringing a literate sense of harsh yet optimistic post-gangsta mentality to the album.