Palling around with rap gods Kanye West, 88 Keys, John Legend and even Q-Tip (his cousin), it's hard to imagine that East Coast rapper Consequence was ever destined to amount to anything except an A-list rap star. It's no surprise, then, that Consequence has become one of underground rap's favorites, producing hit songs like "Don't Forget Em" and "Grammy Family" while working his connections with the rap industry's greatest names.

A Queens, New York native, Consequence (born Dexter Mills) made his musical debut in 1996 with a cameo on hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest's album Beats, Rhymes and Life. The appearance was partly made possible by the rapper's cousin Q-Tip, but Consequence proved his worth and only experienced a fallout when Quest broke up in 1998. Con swiftly moved on to the pursuit of a solo career, bombing with a '98 release from Elektra that was ultimately shelved. Not to be discouraged, Consequence released a series of mixtapes, one of which, 2004's Take ‘Em to the Cleaners, was found and hosted by superstar Kanye West, who he met in 2002 (also through Q-Tip). The mixtape also featured hip-hop trendsetters Talib Kweli, Common, Little Brother and John Legend, and Consequence paid his dues to West by appearing in the artist's 2004 album The College Dropout.

Continuing a budding friendship with West, Consequence signed with West's G.O.O.D. Music label in 2005, releasing the album A Tribe Called Quence- 1995-2004 the same year. The album's title was significant in regards to its content, which featured old hits, remixes and unreleased songs in Consequence's career up to that point. The rapper also embarked on side projects during this time, opening on tour for Legend on his '06 Once Again tour, and he ultimately came out with his solo debut Don't Quit Your Day Job in 2007.