Name	Tony Touch
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Joseph Anthony Hernandez
Alias	Tony Toca
Born	July 02, 1969New York City, New York, United States
Origin	Brooklyn, New York, United States
Genre	Hip hop, R&B;, Reggae, House, Reggaeton
Occupation	Break dancer, Rapper, DJ, Producer, Actor
Associated acts	Beatnuts, Big Punisher, Fat Joe, Flipmode Squad, Statik Selektah, Sean Paul, B-Real, Nina Sky, DJ Reflex, Soni
Url	Official Website

Tony Touch (born Joseph Anthony Hernandez; July 2, 1969) is an American hip hop break dancer, rapper, DJ, producer and actor of Puerto Rican descent.

Tony Touch began as a B-boy during the rap music renaissance era of the early 80’s. Heavily influenced by pioneers like Crazy Legs and the Rock Steady Crew, Grandmaster Flash, Red Alert, Little Louie Vega and Jam Master Jay, he quickly shifted his interests towards the turntables. Toca is known for legendary mixtapes like the 50 Mcs parts 1, 2 and 3. Included in this series are some of the hottest artist in the game such as KRS One, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, Wyclef, M.O.P, Big L, Mos Def and many more all coming together for one collective piece. This along with the countless other mixtapes, Tony became recognized in the streets and by the industry as the real ‘Mixpate King.’

Tony Toca evolved his mixtapes to record releases. In 2000, Tony released “The Piece Maker” on Tommy Boy Records. This album sold 400,000 units worldwide and featured legendary artists like Big Pun, Cypress Hill, Wu-Tang Clan, Busta Rhymes, Eminem. Gang Starr and much more. The single “I Wonder Why” featuring Total was a hit and the video featured cameos from John Leguizamo, Rock Steady Crew, Grand Master Flash,The Awesome 2, Marley Marl, Dj Premier and more. Since then Tony Toca released “The Piece Maker 2”which also had an all-star line up with features such as P. Diddy, Fat Joe, Sean Paul, Snoop Dogg and legendary Ruben Blades. Toca is also known to represent the urban Latino community to the fullest with his Spanglish lyrics and Salsa roots. It is the result of growing up with Salsa at home and Hip- Hop influence in his lifestyle. in 2005 Tony inked a deal with EMI records and revolutionized the game once again with his Reggaeton album, ReggaeTony. The hit single “Play That Song,” featured Nina Sky and B-real of Cypress Hill. This cd had an All-Star line up such as Tego Calderon, Zion and Lenox, Pitbull, Ivy Queen, NORE, , Voltio, Mexicano, Thirston Howl III and Soni (singer) just to name a few. The album went GOLD and with that success, EMI moved quickly to release 'ReggaeTony 2'. This cd featured more heavyweights including Lumidee, Plan B, Joell Ortiz, Tru Life, Don Chezina and the Beatnuts. To this date Tony has sold over a million records worldwide.

Touch continues to be in demand globally. The proof is in the passport as he has toured over 30 countries including Japan, Australia, Puerto Rico, London, France, Greece, Russia, Brazil, Germany, Columbia, Switzerland, Italy and Cuba…..just to name a few. He’s also acted as tour dj for acts like Cypress Hill, Gurus’s Jazzmatazz, Rock Steady and the Beatnuts. You also may have caught Tony on TV shows such as“Saturday Night Live” and “The Dave Chapelle Show” spinning for Eminem. Don’t forget the radio waves you might have heard him on in New York such as Hot 97, Power 105, and WBLS. In 2004, Eminem and manager Paul Rosenberg closed a deal for their own radio station on Sirius Satellite called Shade 45. Tony Touch was quickly recruited to host TOCA TUESDAYS (every tuesday night) from 8pm to Midnight E.S.T....and to this day can be heard LIVE all over the world.

Discography

2000: The Piece Maker

2004: The Piece Maker 2

2005: ''The Reggaetony Album

External links

Official Website

Tony Touch at Discogs

Tony Touch interview

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:American DJs Category:American house musicians Category:American musicians Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:American rappers Category:American record producers Category:Breakdancers Category:Hip hop DJs Category:Musicians from New York City Category:People from Manhattan Category:Sirius Satellite Radio

Name	John Leguizamo
Caption	Leguizamo at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival
Birth name	Jonathan Alberto Leguizamo
Birth date	July 22, 1964
Birth place	Bogotá, Colombia
Othername(s)	Johnny Legs
Medium	Stand-up, film, television
Nationality	Colombian, Puerto Rican
Active	1984–present
Genre	Improvisational comedy, character comedy, physical comedy, satire, observational comedy, musical comedy
Subject	Mexican-American culture, childhood, self-deprecation, family, friends, sex, marriage, parenting, race relations, racism, human sexuality, everyday life
Spouse	Yelba Osorio (1994-1996) (divorced)Justine Maurer (2003-present) 2 children
Domesticpartner	Carolyn McDermott (1986-1991)
Notable work	FreakSuper Mario Bros.Carlito's WaySpawnMoulin Rouge!ERIce Age

.]] Jonathan Alberto "John" Leguizamo (born July 22, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, voice artist, and producer.

Early life

John Leguizamo was born in Bogotá, Colombia, to a Puerto Rican father, Alberto Leguizamo, and a Colombian mother, Luz. and his maternal grandfather was Lebanese. Leguizamo has mostly described himself as being of Puerto Rican, Amerindian and Mestizo heritage. Leguizamo's father was once an aspiring film director and studied at Cinecittà, but eventually dropped out due to lack of finances. When Leguizamo was four years old, his family emigrated to the United States and lived in various neighborhoods of Queens in New York City, including Jackson Heights. Leguizamo attended the Joseph Pulitzer Middle School (I.S.145) and later the Murry Bergtraum High School. As a student at Murry Bergtraum, Leguizamo wrote comedy material and tested it out on his classmates. He was voted "Most Talkative" by his fellow classmates. After graduating from high school, Leguizamo enrolled at Long Island University C.W. Post Campus where he took theater classes.

Early career

Leguizamo started out as a stand-up comic doing the New York nightclub circuit. In 1984, he made his television debut with a small part in Miami Vice. His other early roles include: an extra in Madonna's Borderline video (1984) playing a friend of Madonna's boyfriend; Mixed Blood (1985); Casualties of War (1989); Die Hard 2 (1990); Hangin' with the Homeboys (1991); the robber in Regarding Henry (1991) and Night Owl (a.k.a. Nite Owl) (1993), which was filmed from 1989-1991.

Film

In 1992, he starred in "Whispers in the Dark" as John Castillo. In 1993 Leguizamo was offered the lead part as Luigi in the film Super Mario Brothers. Although it started his acting career in Hollywood and became one of his memorable roles, it was universally considered a critical and financial failure. However, it provided a boost to his career, allowing him to appear in better comedic roles in the following years, which helped the film reached its cult film status among his fans. That same year, he had a prominent role in Brian De Palma's Carlito's Way as Carlito Brigante's (Al Pacino) nemesis, "Benny Blanco from the Bronx," which also boosted his career in serious roles.

Leguizamo also starred in Romeo + Juliet as Tybalt Capulet, as Violator in Spawn, Cholo in Land of the Dead and Pestario 'Pest' Vargas in The Pest. In 1995, he starred as drag queen Chi-Chi Rodriguez in To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar In 2002, he starred in the movie Empire.

In 2000, Leguizamo played two genies in the Emmy Award winning miniseries Arabian Nights.

To promote the 2001 movie Moulin Rouge!, he appeared on a celebrity edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? with Kelly Ripa, Kevin Sorbo, Alfre Woodard, Martin Short and Chevy Chase. Appearing as the first celebrity to sit in the hot seat, he eventually tried for $125,000, but got the answer wrong. Later in 2002, on the syndicated version, a question about the movie featured his character and Meredith Vieira mentioned that Leguizamo had played Lautrec and had been on the show.

In 2002 he voiced Sid the Sloth for the film Ice Age, eventually repeating it for the sequels and . The game versions of the films used his voice were used for PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, PC, and Mac. In 2003, he voice-acted Globox from . Leguizamo portrayed Paul in the Brad Anderson thriller film Vanishing on 7th Street.

Television

In 1995 Leguizamo was given the unique opportunity to create, executive produce, write, and star in the 1995 Latino-oriented variety show called House of Buggin' on Fox Television. Some audience saw this as the Latino version of In Living Color. The show showcased Leguizamo's well-known ability to assume a wide variety of colorful, energetic characters, but due to poor ratings the show ran less than one season.

During the 2005-2006 television season, Leguizamo joined the cast of the show ER, playing the emotionally disturbed Dr. Victor Clemente, a new attending who is keen on introducing the staff of County General to better ways of treating patients and cutting-edge technology. Clemente, however, was plagued with personal problems and was fired from the hospital near the end of the season. Dr. Clemente's departure from the show was a blessing for Leguizamo. He revealed to CraveOnline that he was not happy working on the television program. "I was depressed doing ER," he admitted, "I started gaining weight, I was eating donuts, I started smoking again. I’m eating McDonald's, things that I know when I’m depressed I do. I tried to kill myself internally."

In 2005, he guest starred on Dora the Explorer as Captain Pirate Piggy. In 2006, Leguizamo starred in the television pilot for Edison, a 2006 CBS drama about an Los Angeles detective (played by Leguizamo) who relied on impersonations and disguises to solve crimes. Other cast members included Currie Graham and Deidrie Henry. Kevin Rodney Sullivan directed from a script by Ron Milbauer and Terri Hughes. Leguizamo and David Hoberman also served as executive producers.

In July 2007, Spike TV aired their drama series The Kill Point, starring Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg and Michael Hyatt. The show was an eight part series revolving around ex war veterans whose bank robbery went wrong, thus ending in a hostage situation. Despite high ratings, The Kill Point was not renewed for a second season.

Broadway and theater

In 1991, he also wrote and took part in the Off-Broadway production Mambo Mouth, where he played seven different characters. Mambo Mouth won an Obie Award and an Outer Critics Award. He was listed as one of 12 "Promising New Actors of 1991" in "John Willis' Screen Worlds Vol. 43".

In 1993, Leguizamo wrote and participated in Spic-O-Rama, where he made fun of the stereotyping of Latinos in the United States. The production won a Drama Desk Award and four Cable ACE Awards.

In 1998, he debuted on Broadway in the production of Freak, which was basically about his whole life experience with his family, how he had a troubled family, and a messed up life. In 2000, it was turned into an HBO film by director Spike Lee. The show won him the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show.

In 2002, he wrote and performed in Sexaholix... A Love Story which explained his love life and how he started his own family.

In June 2010, Leguizamo wrote and participated in Klass Klown]], a semi-autobiographical one-man show based on his memoir Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends: My Life. The show is currently in a test run at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

In November 2010, Leguizamo performed in Ghetto Klown at the Canadian Stage's Berkeley Street Theatre in Toronto, Canada.

The show will open on Broadway in March 2011 at the Lyceum Theatre after John performs an 'unplugged' version of the show under the title John Leguizamo Warms Up at Chicago's Royal George Theatre from February 1–12.

Personal life

Leguizamo married Justine Maurer on June 28, 2003 in a Catholic-Jewish ceremony. They have two children, daughter Allegra Sky (born October 23, 1999) and son Ryder Lee (born December 5, 2000), and live in New York City.

In an interview with Playboy Magazine, Leguizamo notably described how, despite wife Justine being Jewish, he was determined not to adhere to the Jewish tradition of circumcision for boys when they had children. He said: "We talked about it, and I said there's no way they're going to be circumcised, and she was totally cool with it. It's a beautiful thing."

Memoirs

In October 2006, Leguizamo's memoir, Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends: My Life, was released. During an interview on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Leguizamo stated that his memoir was very frank about odd experiences involving other celebrities and co-stars he had worked with. He stated that working with Arnold Schwarzenegger on Collateral Damage was one of the most enjoyable experiences he had as an actor. He also said that Arnold's accent let him say things that others would think were sexist or homophobic if said by someone else, that Steven Seagal was an egotist with diva tendencies, and that Leonardo DiCaprio was a "patron of prostitutes."

As of 2009, Leguizamo has produced over 10 films (including the film Piñero), starred or co-starred in over 75 films, starred on Broadway in several productions winning several awards, made over a dozen TV guest appearances and has helped produce or star in many other similar television shows.

Filmography

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;" |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Film |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Film ! Role ! Notes |- | |1985 | Mixed Blood | Macetero | Film Debut |- | 1989 | Casualties of War | PFC. Antonio Diaz | |- | rowspan=4|1990 | Street Hunter | Angel | |- | Gentille alouette | Ortiz | |- | Revenge | Ignacio, Amador's Cousin | |- | Die Hard 2 | Burke | |- | rowspan=5|1991 | Poison | Chanchi | |- | Hangin' with the Homeboys | Johnny | |- | Out for Justice | Boy in Alley | |- | Regarding Henry | Liquor Store Gunman | |- | N.Y.P.D. Mounted | Unknown Role | TV Movie |- | rowspan=3|1992 | Puerto Rican Mambo (Not A Musicial) | Guess my nationality guy | |- | Whispers in the Dark | John Castillo | |- | Time Expired | Ruby | |- | rowspan=3|1993 | Night Owl | Angel | |- | Super Mario Bros. | Luigi Mario | |- | Carlito's Way | Benny Blanco | |- | rowspan=2|1995 | A Pyromaniac's Love Story | Sergio | |- | To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar | Chi-Chi | Nomination: Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture |- | rowspan=3|1996 | Executive Decision | Captain Rat | |- | The Fan | Manny | |- | Romeo + Juliet | Tybalt | |- | rowspan=3|1997 | The Pest | Pestario "Pest" Vargas | |- | A Brother's Kiss | Lefty | |- | Spawn | Clown/Violator | |- | rowspan=3|1998 | Frogs for Snakes | Zip | |- | Body Count | Chino | |- | Dr. Dolittle | Rat #2 | Voice |- | rowspan=2|1999 | Joe the King | Jorge | |- | Summer of Sam | Vinny | |- | rowspan=3|2000 | Arabian Nights | Genie of the Lamp/Genie of the Ring | TV Movie |- | Titan A.E. | Gune | Voice |- | King of the Jungle | Seymour | |- | rowspan=2|2001 | Moulin Rouge! | Toulouse-Lautrec | |- | What's the Worst That Could Happen? | Berger | |- | rowspan=6|2002 | Empire | Victor Rosa | |- | Collateral Damage | Felix Ramirez | |- | ZigZag | Dean Singer | |- | Ice Age | Sid the Sloth | Voice |- | Point of Origin | Keith Lang | TV Movie |- | Spun | Spider Mike | |- | 2003 | Undefeated | Lex Vargas | |- | 2004 | Crónicas | Manolo Bonilla | |- | rowspan=4|2005 | Assault on Precinct 13 | Beck | |- | The Honeymooners | Dodge | |- | Land of the Dead | Cholo | |- | Sueño | Antonio | |- | rowspan=4|2006 | ''A.K.A. | Sean Edison | TV Movie |- | The Alibi | Hannibal | |- | | Sid the Sloth | Voice |- | The Groomsmen | T.C. | |- | rowspan=4|2007 | Where God Left His Shoes | Frank Diaz | |- | The Babysitters | Michael Beltran | |- | The Take | Felix De La Pena | |- | Love in the Time of Cholera | Lorenzo Daza | |- | rowspan=6|2008 | Paraiso Travel | Roger Pena | |- | The Happening | Julian | |- | Miracle at St. Anna | Enrico | |- | Righteous Kill | Det. Simon Perez | |- | Nothing Like the Holidays | Mauricio Rodriguez | |- | Surviving Sid | Sid | Direct-to-Video |- | rowspan=4|2009 | The Ministers | Dante/Perfecto Mendoza | |- | Rage | Jed | |- | | Sid the Sloth | Voice |- | Gamer | Freek | |- | rowspan=2| 2010 | Repo Men | Asbury | Uncredited |- | Vanishing on 7th Street | Paul | |- | rowspan=3| 2011 | One for the Money | Jimmy Alpha | (filming) |- | Fugly! | Jesse | (filming) |- | The Lincoln Lawyer | TBA | (filming) |- | 2012 | | Sid the Sloth | Voice |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Television |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- | 1986-1989 | Miami Vice | Ivan Calderone/Orlando Calderone/Angelo Alvarez | 3 episodes |- | 2000-2003 | The Brothers Garcia | Narrator | 5 episodes |- | 2004 | Dora the Explorer | Silly Mail Bird | 1 episode |- | 2005-2006 | ER | Dr. Victor Clemente | |- | 2006 | My Name Is Earl | Diego, Catalina's Uncle | 2 episodes |- | 2007 | The Kill Point | Mr. Wolf | 8 episodes |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Broadway |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- | 1991 | Mambo Mouth | Various | |- | 1993 | Spic-O-Rama | Himself | |- | 1998 | Freak | Himself | Won: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show |- | 2002 | Sexaholix... A Love Story | Himself | |- | 2008 | American Buffalo | Walter Cole | |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Video games |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- | 2003 | | Globox | Voice |- | 2006 | | Sid the Sloth | Voice |- | 2009 | | Sid the Sloth | Voice |- |}

See also

Colombian American

Puerto Rican American

List of famous Colombians

List of famous Puerto Ricans

List of hispanophones

References

External links

"Official Broadway Site" Website for the 2008 Broadway Production of American Buffalo starring John Leguizamo, Cedric the Entertainer, and Haley Joel Osment.

Q&A; Sessions: John Leguizamo on The Happening at nocheLatina.com

Vanishing on 7th Street Facebook Page

Category:1964 births Category:Actors from New York City Category:American film actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:American people of Colombian descent Category:American actors of Italian descent Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:Hispanic and Latino American people Category:Colombian people of Lebanese descent Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Hispanic and Latino American actors Category:Living people Category:Obie Award recipients Category:People from Bogotá Category:People from Jackson Heights, Queens Category:Puerto Rican people of Colombian descent Category:Shakespearean actors

Name	Sean Paul
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques
Born	January 09, 1973
Origin	Kingston, Jamaica
Genre	Dancehall,
Occupation	Deejay, musician
Years active	1996–present
Associated acts	Dutty Cup Crew
Label	VP/Atlantic Records
Url

Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques (born January 9, 1973), who performs under stage name Sean Paul, is a Jamaican Grammy winning reggae/dancehall artist who is the former lead vocalist of the Dutty Cup Crew.

Life and career

1973–1996: Early life

Sean Paul was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and spent his early years in Upper Saint Andrew Parish, a few miles north of Kingston. His parents, Garth and Frances, were both talented athletes, and his mother is a well-known painter. His paternal grandfather was a Sephardic Jew whose family immigrated from Portugal, and his paternal grandmother was Afro-Caribbean; his mother is of English and Chinese Jamaican descent. Sean Paul was raised a Catholic. Many members of his family are swimmers. His grandfather was on the first Jamaican men's national water polo team. His father also played water polo for the team in the 1960s, and competed in long-distance swimming, while Sean Paul's mother was a backstroke swimmer. Sean Paul played for the national water polo team from the age of thirteen to twenty-one, when he gave up the sport in order to launch his musical career. He attended the Wolmers High School for Boys, Hillel Acadamey High School, and the College of Arts, Science, and Technology, now known as the University of Technology, where he was trained in commerce with a view to pursuing an occupation in hotel management.

1996–2004: Stage One and Dutty Rock

He made a quick cameo appearance in the 1998 film Belly on stage performing. He made a very successful collaboration with DMX & Mr. Vegas (Here Comes Da Boom) as a soundtrack of the film. In 2000, Sean Paul released his debut album, Stage One with VP Records. In 2002, he began working extensively with a team of producers and choreographers from Toronto, namely Jae Blaze and Blaze Entertainment and announced the release of his second album, Dutty Rock. Pushed by the success of the singles "Gimme the Light" and the Billboard Hot 100 topper, "Get Busy", the album was a worldwide success, eventually selling over six million copies. Simultaneously, Sean Paul was heard on Beyoncé's U.S. #1 single "Baby Boy" and Blu Cantrell's "Breathe", a chart hit in Europe. Both helped to push his reputation further still in the United States.

He appeared on Punk'd, 106 & Park, Sean Paul Respect, Making the Video ("Get Busy", "Gimme the Light", and "Like Glue") and his music videos have been broadcast on MTV and BET. Paul's biggest hits included "Get Busy", "Like Glue", "Gimme the Light", "Baby Boy", and "I'm Still in Love with You"

2005–2008: The Trinity

Sean Paul's third album The Trinity was released in on September 27, 2005. The album produced five big hits, "We Be Burnin'", "Ever Blazin'", "Give It Up to Me","Never Gonna Be The Same" and the U.S. chart-topping smash hit "Temperature" .

The video of "(When You Gonna) Give It up to Me" (featuring Keyshia Cole) was also featured in the movie "Step Up" in 2006.

He was nominated for four awards at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards, including male artist of the year, rap artist of the year, hot 100 single of the year, and pop single of the year for his hit "Temperature". He also won an American Music Award for "(When You Gonna) Give It Up To Me" beating Kanye West and Nick Lachey who were also nominated for the award.

His song "Send It On" from "The Trinity" featured on the 2005 Vauxhall Corsa advert. Sean Paul often contributes his songs to various Riddim Driven albums (by VP Records). In March 2007, he returned to his native Jamaica to perform at the Cricket World Cup 2007 opening ceremony.

Sean Paul appears on the game Def Jam Vendetta as part of Snoop Dogg's crew and again in the game's sequel, .

2009: Imperial Blaze

The newest Sean Paul album entitled "Imperial Blaze" was released on August 18, 2009. The lead single, “So Fine”, which was produced by Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor, premiered on Sean Paul's official website on April 26, 2009.

Speaking to Pete Lewis of 'Blues & Soul' magazine in August 2009, Sean Paul stated that 'Imperial Blaze' "Actually signifies 'The King's Fire'. It's that thing inside of you that gives you the desire to do whatever you do, and be the best in the world at it."

The new album consists of 21 tracks including "So Fine", "Press it Up", "She Want Me", "Private Party" which are party tracks and also love songs such as "Hold My Hand" (feat Keri Hilson), "Lately", "Now That I've Got Your Love" among others. Producers on the album include Don Corleone, Jeremy Harding, and Sean's brother Jason 'Jigzagula' Henriques. on the day of release of the album.

Up until now there have been eight music videos: "Always On My Mind (with Da'Ville)", "Give It To You (with Eve)", "Watch Them Roll", "Back It Up" (with Left Side/Mr. Evil), "(I Wanna See You) Push It Baby" (with Pretty Ricky), "Hit 'Em" (with Fahrenheit and his brother Jason "Jigzagula" Henriques), "Come Over" with Estelle. and also the video of his first single, "So Fine" from the new album.

He has recently been featured in Shaggy's video, "Save A Life", which also includes appearances from Elephant Man and Da'Ville, among others. In an effort to raise money for a children's hospital, Shaggy, Sean Paul and others will be having a benefit concert. All proceeds will go towards getting new equipment and technology 'For Aid to the Bustamante Hospital for Children'. In an interview in 2009 he sais he is planning to release a new album in 2011.

During the premiere for MNET's Big Brother Africa 5: All-Stars on July 18, 2010, he performed his songs "Temperature", "Hold My Hand", and "So Fine".

Discography

Stage One (2000)

Dutty Rock (2002)

The Trinity (2005)

Imperial Blaze (2009)

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards

*2006, Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist (winner)

*2003, Favorite Hip-Hop/Rap Male Artist (nominated)

*2003, Favorite Hip-Hop/Rap Album Dutty Rock (nominated)

BET Awards

*2003, Best New Artist (Nominated)

MTV Romania Music Awards

*2007, Best International Artist (winner)

Grammy Awards

*2010, Best Reggae Album: Imperial Blaze (nominated)

*2006, Best Reggae Album: The Trinity (nominated)

*2004, Best New Artist: (nominated)

*2004, Best Reggae Album: Dutty Rock (winner)

*2004, Best Male Rap Solo Performance: "Get Busy" (nominated)

MOBO Awards

*2009, Best Reggae Act (Winner)

*2006, Best Reggae Act (Winner)

*2005, Best Reggae Act (Nominated)

MTV Video Music Awards

*2006, Best Dance Video "Temperature" (nominated)

*2003, Best Dance Video "Get Busy" (nominated)

*2003, Best New Artist "Get Busy" (nominated)

Soul Train Awards

*2009, Best Reggae Artist (Winner)

*2007, Best Dance Cut "When You Gonna (Give It Up to Me)" (nominated)

References

External links

Official website

Category:1973 births Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Dancehall musicians Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Jamaican Roman Catholics Category:Jamaican male singers Category:Jamaican people of Chinese descent Category:Jamaican reggae singers Category:Living people Category:People from Kingston, Jamaica Category:Jamaican people of English descent Category:Reggae fusion artists Category:People of Jewish descent

Name	Nina Sky
Background	group_or_band
Born	March 13, 1986Queens, New York, United States
Genre	Hip-hop, Reggaeton, R&B;, Dance-pop
Years active	2004–present
Label	Universal (2004–2007)Polo Grounds / J (2007–present)
Url	www.ninaskyhigh.com
Associated acts	Major Lazer, Belly, The Alchemist, Tony Touch, Rick Ross, Prima J, Kenza Farah
Current members	Nicole AlbinoNatalie Albino

{{ external media | align = center | audio1 = You may listen to Nina Sky's "Move Ya Body" here. | audio2 = }} Nina Sky is an American musical duo composed of identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino (born March 13, 1986).

Early life and career

Albino's parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico and were divorced when the girls were younger. They were born in Queens and grew up in the Astoria district of Queens, New York.

Because their stepfather worked as a DJ, the twins were influenced by different types of music. When the sisters were only 7 years old, they wrote their first song, "Sisters", and by the time they were 10, they already knew that they wanted to become singers.

2004–2006: Nina Sky

In 2004, The Jettsonz introduced the girls to Cipha Sounds, a hip hop DJ under the Star Trak label owned by The Neptunes (Pharrell and Chad Hugo). Cipha Sounds was impressed when he heard the girls sing and suggested that they use the "Coolie Dance" riddim. The twins then proceeded to write "Move Ya Body" (along with The Jettsonz, who also produced the record), mixing Caribbean, R&B;, and pop rhythms. Eventually, a demo of the song was made. The demo fell into the hands of Eddie O'Loughlin, the president of Next Plateau Entertainment (which is a division of Universal Records). O'Loughlin signed the twins to a contract and they started working on their debut album.

The single "Move Ya Body" was released on April 27, 2004 and reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Urban music and rhythmic top 40 stations quickly added the song to their play lists, sending the song up the charts. By July 17, "Move Ya Body" had gone to the top 5 on both sides of the Atlantic and had also reached the top 5 of a world combined R&B; chart based on the US, UK, Germany, France and Australia. The song had also reached the top 50 of the Australian charts. On June 29, 2004 they released their first self-titled album, featuring Betty Wright.

The twins, Natalie and Nicole continued to work and promote their music. They have contributed to the reggaeton movement with songs such as "Oye Mi Canto", and "Más Maíz" with artist and producer N.O.R.E. They were also featured artist on Sean Paul's song "Connection" from his album "The Trinity"

2007–present: second album and The Other Side

Nina Sky collaborated with French singer Kenza Farah for the song "Celle Qu'Il Te Faut", and was released in both French and English versions. The video was shot in New York.

Nina Sky was recording on their second studio album, Starting Today. The album was originally due on July 27, 2007. Producers include Stereotypes, Bruno & Phil, Neo da Matrix, Ryan Leslie, Salaam Remi, and more. Guests include Rick Ross and others that have yet to be announced. In late 2007, Nina Sky left their label, Universal, and signed with Polo Grounds Music/J Records.

Nina Sky have also put together remixes of popular songs including J. Holiday's "Bed," Elliott Yamin's "Wait For You" , Cassidy's "My Drink n My 2 Step, and The-Dream's I Love Your Girl" They have also worked with Brooklyn MC Red Cafe on his street album The Co-Op, and The Alchemist on his song "Key To The City"

Nina Sky recently appeared on Major Lazer's album, Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do. They are currently in a battle with their record company Polo Grounds Records, over the release of their new album "Starting Today". They have said they want to be released from their contract with the label because the label no longer supports them.

The duo independently released an 8 track EP for digital download in August, entitled "The Other Side", which features production from DJ Yonny, Salaam Remi, Kidz in the Hall & many more. A re-released hard copy version is in the works, and will include 3 new songs. A video for the lead-single, "You Ain't Got It (Funk That)" was also released.

Discography

Nina Sky (2004)

The Other Side (2010)

Starting Today (TBA)

See also

List of famous Puerto Ricans

List of twins

References

External links

Official Website

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:American female singers Category:Puerto Rican singers Category:Duos Category:Girl groups Category:Identical twins Category:People from Queens Category:American singers of Puerto Rican descent

Name	Mos Def
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Dante Terrell Smith
Born	December 11, 1973Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Origin	Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City
Genre	Alternative hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, actor, singer, activist
Years active	1994–present
Label	Rawkus, Priority, Geffen, Downtown, GOOD Music
Associated acts	Soulquarians, Black Star, Talib Kweli, Native Tongues Posse, Dave Chappelle, Kanye West, The Roots, Blakroc, Gorillaz, Common, Jay Electronica, Curren$y, Immortal Technique

Dante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973) is an American actor and MC known by the stage name Mos Def (). Mos Def started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, who released the album Black Star in 1998. He was a major force in the late 1990s underground hip hop explosion spearheaded by Rawkus Records. As a solo artist he has released the albums Black on Both Sides in 1999, The New Danger in 2004, True Magic in 2006, and The Ecstatic in 2009.

Initially recognized for his musical output, since the early 2000s, Mos Def's screen work has established him as one of only a handful of rappers who have garnered critical approval for their acting work. Mos Def has also been active in several social and political issues and was particularly vocal in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Music career

Mos Def began his music career in 1994 in the short-lived group Urban Thermo Dynamics with his younger brother D.c.Q and younger sister Ces. Despite their contract with Payday Records, the group only had two singles, and their debut album Manifest Destiny was not released until 2004, when it was distributed by Illson Media. In 1996, he emerged as a solo artist and worked with De La Soul and Da Bush Babees, before he released his own first single, "Universal Magnetic", which was a huge underground hit.

Mos Def signed with Rawkus Records and formed the group Black Star with Talib Kweli. They released an album, Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star, in 1998. Mostly produced by Hi-Tek, the album featured the hit singles, "Respiration" and "Definition", which would go on to be featured in VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip-Hop. Mos Def released his solo debut album Black on Both Sides in 1999, also through Rawkus. Around this time he also contributed to the Scritti Politti album Anomie & Bonhomie and Rawkus compilations Lyricist Lounge and Soundbombing.

After the collapse of Rawkus, he signed to Interscope/Geffen Records, which released his second solo album The New Danger in 2004. The New Danger contained a mix of several musical genres, including soul, blues, and rock and roll, performed with his rock band Black Jack Johnson, which contained members of the bands Bad Brains and Living Colour. The singles included "Sex, Love & Money" and the B-side "Ghetto Rock"; the latter went on to receive several Grammy Award nominations in 2004.

Mos Def has drawn some criticism from his fan base about "keeping it real" after he appeared in a commercial that endorsed the GMC Denali sport utility vehicle.

Mos Def's final solo album for Geffen Records, True Magic, was quietly released on December 29, 2006. True Magic features production from The Neptunes, Rich Harrison and Minnesota, among others. The album was released in a clear-case with no cover art. Neither Geffen nor Mos Def himself promoted the album at all, which is the main reason the album was received under the radar.

The song "Crime & Medicine" is essentially a cover of GZA's 1995 single "Liquid Swords", though it contains different verses. Also, the track "Undeniable" samples a version of the Barrett Strong/Norman Whitfield composition "Message from a Black Man". The song "Dollar Day" uses the same beat as Juvenile's "Nolia Clap".

MTV reported that this album isn't a full version, but a teaser/promotional debut. A new version of the album would be released spring 2007, with updated songs and cover art. However, on October 17, 2007, Okayplayer reported, through discussions with Mos Def's management, that these rumors were unsubstantiated. The CD was intended to be released without promotion or cover art, as per Mos Def's request. There would be no future re-release.

On November 7, 2007, Mos Def performed live in San Francisco at a venue called The Mezzanine. This performance was recorded for an upcoming "Live in Concert" DVD. During this performance Mos Def announced that he would be releasing a new album to be called The Ecstatic. He sang a number of new tracks; in later shows, Def previewed tracks produced by Madlib and was rumored to be going to Kanye West for new material. Producer and fellow Def Poet Al Be Back stated that he would be producing as well. The album was released on June 9, 2009; upon its release, only Madlib's production had made the cut, along with tracks by Preservation, The Neptunes, Mr. Flash, Madlib's brother Oh No, a song by J. Dilla, and Georgia Anne Muldrow.

Mos Def is also set to do a duo album with Jay Electronica titled Simpatico. It will contain nine songs.

Mos Def appears alongside Kanye West on the track "Two Words" from The College Dropout album, the track "Drunk And Hot Girls" and the bonus track "Good Night" off West's third major album, Graduation. In 2002, he released the 12" single Fine, which was featured in the Brown Sugar Motion Picture Soundtrack.

Mos Def also appears on the debut album from fellow New Yorkers Apollo Heights on a track titled, "Concern." In October, he signed a deal with Downtown Records and appeared on a remix to the song "D.A.N.C.E." by Justice. Mos Def appeared on Stephen Marley's album Mind Control on the song "Hey Baby." In 2009, Mos Def worked together with Somali rapper K'naan to produce the track "America" for K'naan's album Troubadour.

In April 2008 he appeared on the title track for a new album by The Roots entitled Rising Down. The new single, Life In Marvelous Times, was made officially available through iTunes on November 4, 2008, and is available for stream on the Roots' website Okayplayer.

April 2009 saw him traveling to South Africa for the first time where he performed accompanied by The Robert Glasper Experiment at the renowned Cape Town International Jazz Festival. He enticed his bemused African following with an encore introduced by his own rendition of John Coltrane's "Love Supreme" followed by a sneak preview of the track "M.D. (Doctor)", much to the delight of the fans.

Mos Def also designed two pairs of limited edition Converse shoes. The shoes were released to Foot Locker stores on August 1, 2009 in very limited amounts.

In late 2009, Mos Def created a brand of clothing line with UNDRCRWN called the "Mos Def Cut & Sew Collection." All clothing items will be sold in select stores located around the U.S. and almost exclusively on the UNDRCRWN website. 2009 also found Mos Def among the MCs collaborating with the Black Keys on the first Blakroc album, a project headed by the Black Keys and Damon Dash. Mos Def appeared with Jim Jones and the Black Keys on the Late Show with David Letterman to perform the Blakroc track "Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)".

In March 2010, Mos Def's song Quiet Dog Bite Hard was featured in Palm's "Life moves fast. Don't miss a thing." campaign.

Mos Def features on the first single, "Stylo", from the third Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach, alongside soul legend Bobby Womack. He also appears on the track titled "Sweepstakes".

Mos Def has been an active contributor to the recovery of the oil spill in the Gulf, performing concerts and raising money towards the repair of the damages. In June 2010, he recorded a cover of the classic New Orleans song originally by Smokey Johnson, "" with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Lenny Kravitz and Trombone Shorty.

Influences

Slick Rick Gang Starr and Monster's Ball, Mos re-invigorated his acting career with his performance as a talented rapper who is reluctant to sign to a major label in Brown Sugar. He was nominated for an and a Teen Choice Award.

In 2001, he took a supporting role to Beyoncé Knowles and Mehki Phifer in the MTV movie as Lt. Miller, a crooked cop.

In 2002, he played the role of Booth in Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog, a Tony-nominated and Pulitzer-winning Broadway play. He and co-star Jeffrey Wright won a Special Award from the Outer Critics Circle Award for their joint performance. He also received positive notices as the quirky Left Ear in the blockbuster hit, The Italian Job in 2003.

In television, Mos Def has appeared on Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show, and has hosted the award-winning HBO spoken word show, Def Poetry since its inception. The show's sixth season aired in 2007. He also appeared on the sitcom My Wife And Kids as the disabled friend of Michael Kyle (Damon Wayans).

Mos Def won Best Actor, Independent Movie at the 2005 Black Reel Awards for his portrayal of Detective Sgt. Lucas in The Woodsman. For his portrayal of Vivien Thomas in HBO's film Something the Lord Made, he was nominated for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe, and won the . He also played a bandleader in HBO's Lackawanna Blues. He then landed the role of Ford Prefect in the 2005 movie adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

In 2006, Mos Def appeared in Dave Chappelle's Block Party alongside fellow Black Star companion Talib Kweli, while also contributing to the film's soundtrack. Also, Mos Def was featured as the black banjo player in the infamous "Pixie Sketch" from Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes. He was later edited out of it on the DVD. Additionally, Mos Def starred in the action film 16 Blocks alongside Bruce Willis and David Morse. He has a recurring guest role on Boondocks, starring as "Gangstalicious". He is also set to be in Toussaint, a film about Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, opposite Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes. He made a cameo appearance — playing himself — in the movie .

In 2008, Mos Def starred in the Michel Gondry movie Be Kind Rewind, playing a video rental store employee whose best friend is played by co-star Jack Black. He also portrayed Chuck Berry in the film Cadillac Records, for which he was nominated for a Black Reel Award and an .

In 2009, he appeared in the House episode entitled "Locked In" as a patient suffering from locked-in syndrome. His performance was well-received, with E! saying that Mos Def "delivers an Emmy-worthy performance." He was also in the 2009 film Next Day Air.

He also made an appearance on the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba! as Super Mr. Superhero.

Most recently, he appears in A Free Man of Color, John Guare's play at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre.

Social and political views

By the early 1990s, a brand of socially conscious hip hop that had been pioneered and popularized by Public Enemy, KRS-One, and De La Soul, among others, had been eclipsed in popularity by gangsta rap. Mos Def, as well as Talib Kweli, The Roots, Common, and others, helped socially aware rap music experience something of a comeback in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Mos Def's collaboration with Talib Kweli, Black Star, was released during the aftermath of the deaths of 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. and focused on violence and negativity in hip-hop, in collaboration with other acts that did the same. His music has also made reference to his Islamic faith, and his contention that black artists receive little credit for their role in the birth of rock and roll.

On Mos Def's 2004 album The New Danger, he took his penchant for experimentation to a new level. Most of the songs were more hip-hop flavored stylings of blues and rock, with fewer raps thrown in. This threw off fans who were expecting another full-blown rap album. The New Danger also featured the controversial song, "The Rape Over," a parody of Jay-Z's The Blueprint hit "Takeover". His label made him take the song off releases of the album, citing clearance issues with Jay-Z and The Doors, a band which the song samples. The song has garnered controversy over its veiled reference to Israeli-American record executive Lyor Cohen (the "tall Israeli" who then was head of The Island Def Jam Music Group).

Mos Def and Immortal Technique released a similarly controversial song, "Bin Laden" in 2004, which blamed the Reagan Doctrine and President George W. Bush for the September 11, 2001 attacks. A club remix song, featuring Eminem, was released the following year, in 2005.

In September 2005, Mos Def released the single "Katrina Clap," renamed "Dollar Day" for True Magic, (utilizing the instrumental for New Orleans rappers UTP's "Nolia Clap"). The song is a criticism of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina. On the night of the MTV Video Music Awards, Mos Def pulled up in front of Radio City Music Hall on a flatbed truck and began performing the "Katrina Clap" single in front of a crowd that quickly gathered around him. He was subsequently arrested despite having a public performance permit in his possession.

On September 7, 2007, Mos Def appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher where he spoke about racism against African Americans, citing the government response to Hurricane Katrina, the Jena Six and the murder conviction of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Mos Def also claimed that Al-Qaeda was not responsible for 9/11, and that Al-Qaeda is not responsible for as much terrorism as they are portrayed to be. He appeared on Real Time again on March 27, 2009, and spoke about the risk of nuclear weapons. Mos Def said that he did not listen to any of Osama Bin Laden's messages because he did not trust the translations.

Personal life

In 1996, Def married Maria Yepes. After having two daughters, Chandani and Jauhara Smith, he filed for divorce in 2005. The divorce became final in 2006. Two years later, Def's divorce lawyers Blank Rome sued Def for more than $60,000 in unpaid legal bills.

In October, 2006 Mos Def appeared on 4Real, a documentary television series. Appearing in the episode "City of God," he and the 4Real crew traveled to City of God, a slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to meet Brazilian MC MV Bill and discover the crime and social problems of the community.

He has recently taken up skateboarding and said he's looking to host a skateboarding event in the United Arab Emirates.

Nominations

Black Movie Awards

* 2006 Source Awards

Black Reel Awards

* 2008, Best Supporting Actor: Cadillac Records

* 2003, Best Actor- Independent: Civil Brand

* 2004, Best Supporting Actor: The Italian Job

* 2005, Best Actor TV Movie/Mini-Series: Something the Lord Made

* 2005, Best Indie Actor: The Woodsman (won)

Emmy Award

* 2004, Best Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series: Something the Lord Made

Golden Globes

* 2005, Best Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series: Something the Lord Made

Grammy Awards

* 2005, Best Urban/Alternative Performance: "Sex, Love & Money"

* 2006, Best Urban/Alternative Performance: "Ghetto Rock"

* 2007, Best Rap Solo Performance: "Undeniable"

* 2010, Best Rap Solo Performance: "Casa Bey"

* 2010, Best Rap Album: "The Ecstatic"

* 2011, Best Short Form Music Video: "Stylo" (with Bobby Womack and Gorillaz)

* 2009, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Cadillac Records

* 2003, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Brown Sugar

* 2005, Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series: Something the Lord Made

Discography

1994: Manifest Destiny (with DCQ and Ces as Urban Thermo Dynamics)

1998: Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (with Talib Kweli as Black Star)

1999: Black on Both Sides

2004: The New Danger

2006: True Magic

2009: The Ecstatic

Filmography

Also appeared on "Yo Gabba Gabba", under the screen name "Super Mr.Super Hero"

References

External links

Mos Def / Dante Smith discographies at Discogs.

Mos Def at Geffen Records.

Mos Def Fan Message Board

Category:9/11 conspiracy theorists Category:African American actors Category:African American rappers Category:American vegetarians Category:African American Muslims Category:Living people Category:Rappers from New York City Category:People from Brooklyn Category:Slam poets Category:1973 births Category:Converts to Islam Category:African American converts to Islam

Name	Method Man
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Maslow Smith
Alias	Meth, Tical, Johnny Blaze, Methtical, Shakwon
Born	April 01, 1971
Origin	Staten Island, New York City, New York, United States
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, actor
Years active	1990–present (rapping)
Label	Def Jam
Associated acts	Wu-Tang Clan, Method Man & Redman, Erick Sermon, DMX, LL Cool J
Url

Clifford Smith (born April 1, 1971

4:21... The Day After

.]] Method Man's fourth album, entitled was released in August 2006 with a star lineup of producers featuring Havoc, Erick Sermon, Scott Storch, Allah Mathematics, Mr. Porter, and, most importantly to Meth, RZA. This time around, a more focused Method Man went back to his hip hop roots and both hip hop fans and the media took notice. He did an interview on the ItsHipHop.Tv. Despite this being one of Meth's strongest solo efforts to date, the album failed to do well commercially due to it having no single or video, which Method Man has held discontent towards his own label for. However, he has been touring strongly all over the world to promote the album, and has appeared onstage with fellow Wu-Tang member Inspectah Deck, as well as New York up and comers Saigon, and Gat Murdah. Meth contributed various reasons for the problems between him and his label, Def Jam. While puts most of the blame on personal agendas in the Def Jam offices, Meth did take some blame, himself, for giving into his record label.

In early May 2007, Method Man's camp leaked the street single "New York New York" which became a popular track on the internet.

Blackout! 2

On March 27, 2007, Redman confirmed on BET's Rap City: Tha Bassment that the sequel to How High, How High 2, is currently being written.

In an April 10, 2007 Onion AV Club interview, Redman hinted that there would be a second collaborative album with Method Man, with work beginning in midsummer or early September.

In early 2008, a remake of the Smoothe da Hustler and Trigger tha Gambler classic Broken Language was released to the internet by the duo entitled Broken Language 2008, fueling rumors of a Blackout! sequel coming soon. This rumor was further fueled by the duo while performing in Gainesville, Florida at the University of Florida. A Blackout! 2 LP was scheduled for a December 9, 2008 release but was recently pushed back to the first quarter of 2009, with a new release date on May 19. Bun B has confirmed that he will guest star on Blackout! 2 - in April 2009, a single has been released named City Lights, produced by Nasty Kutt Also producers such as Erick Sermon, Rockwilder and Pete Rock have announced their presence on the album.

The duo has finished their Still High tour with Termanalogy, the Alchemist, and Evidence of Dilated Peoples.

The Crystal Meth

The Crystal Meth is the Method Man's upcoming fifth studio album. The album has no confirmed release date. The Crystal Meth was first announced before Method Man began working on his and Redman's sophomore collaboration album, Blackout! 2. In the liner notes of that album, it was given a scheduled release date for 2009. The album, however, was further postponed until it was later mentioned in an MTV interview it would be released in early 2010. "Number 1 on my shit list right now is Divine from Wu-Tang management. He took something major from me that he had no intention of giving back." Divine is multiplatinum record producer RZA's brother who along with Oli "Power" Grant took over the business end of Wu-Tang around 1997.

Aside from the financial issues, Method Man was unhappy with the decision to bring Wu-Tang into the fashion world for a brief period of time with Wu-Wear, despite the brand being a major money-maker for the group. "When Wu-Wear started making shoes and sneakers and pants, it was shoddy material. I never rocked that shit."

Williams also reported rumors that Method Man had even been having an affair with his wife's doctor. Method Man first heard of this while in recording sessions in Los Angeles.

}}

Sean Combs

During a concert in 2006, Method Man criticized Diddy's decisions on the posthumous The Notorious B.I.G. album, saying that Biggie never would have worked with some of the subpar rappers. "They got niggas on that album Big would have never rocked with," Meth said of the album. "Musically, I ain't fuckin' with Puff Daddy". He also brought up the fact that he was the only other rapper that Biggie chose to have on his debut album Ready To Die. He was featured on the track "The What".

Previously, Diddy had been one of the executive producers for Method Man's 2004 album , to which Meth later voiced his displeasure on the final product.

Fox Television

He starred in a Fox sitcom called Method & Red in late 2004, however after only a short time on the air the show was put on hiatus and never returned. Method Man later complained in the press about Fox's influence on the show's style, claiming that "there's been too much compromise on our side and not enough on their side" and bemoaning the network's decision to add a laugh track. Before the show even aired for the first time, he was telling fans not to bother watching it. He told the newspaper:

Legal issues

On Thursday May 17, 2007 Method Man was arrested in New York City on marijuana charges. His Mercedes-Benz convertible was pulled over at the Battery Tunnel en route to Manhattan, and when he rolled his window down the officer noticed a strong smell of marijuana. "It was like something out of Cheech & Chong. He rolls down the window and the smoke would choke a horse," a source later said. The arresting officer said he noticed two blunts and a plastic bag with more marijuana in plain view. Upon further inspection more marijuana was found under the driver's seat. The arrest was made at about 10 P.M. Thursday night near the Battery Tunnel toll booths on Hamilton Ave. in Carroll Gardens.

He was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, criminal possession of marijuana, operating a motor vehicle under the influence and driving an uninspected motor vehicle. He later made many public service appearances to try to make up for it, most notably at Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn.

On 5 October 2009, Method Man was arrested for income tax violations after turning himself in. He is accused of failing to file income tax returns for the state of New York between 2004 and 2007 and owes nearly $33,000 in taxes.

Acting career

In the early 2000s Method Man began a career in acting. He has had recurring roles in critically acclaimed television shows such as HBO's The Wire in which he plays Prop Joe's nephew Cheese, HBO's Oz as Tug Daniels, The Twilight Zone and . He and Redman hosted a pilot on MTV called Stung. He has made numerous appearances as himself on TV shows such as Mind of Mencia and Chappelle's Show.

Method Man portrays on CSI, a wealthy Las Vegas party promoter who clashes with the CSI team, specifically investigator Nick Stokes, in their investigations involving his clubs or entourage. His first appearance on CSI as Drops was in the 2006 episode "Poppin' Tags". He resumed the role in the 2007 episode "Big Shots" and again in the 2008 episode "Drops Out".

His first prominent role came in 1998 with the film Belly along with fellow rappers Nas and DMX. He has since added many credits to his name, including roles in the films Garden State, One Eight Seven, and many others, with starring roles in the feature films such as How High and Soul Plane. On March 27, 2007 Redman confirmed on BET's show Rap City that the sequel to How High was being written. The script for How High 2 is being written by Dustin Lee Abraham of CSI, who also wrote the first movie. In 2005 Method Man also had a cameo in the horror movie Venom, where he played a deputy who shortly into the movie is killed. He appears in the 2008 movies The Wackness and also, Meet the Spartans.

Method Man stars in the episode "Snitch" of Law & Order SVU as the main antagonist. The episode was first broadcast December 4, 2007.

Method Man has made an appearance in the Def Jam series of video games. In he voiced Blaze, one of the main characters. In , he voiced Gooch, a major character in the storyline. In , He voiced Meth, one of the major characters. He made a guest appearance in the music video for the 2003 "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys, where he played the role of her boyfriend. He also appeared in Beanie Sigel's music video "Feel It in the Air", where Method Man played an undercover cop leading an operation against Sigel.

Method Man has fallen back from pursuing more acting roles after the situation with his sitcom on Fox left a bad taste in his mouth, and now mostly just acts if the project is being handled by a friend of his, as was the case with and The Wire. He also played an arsonist and a wealthy executive as well as main antagonist in an episode of the fox TV show the The Good Guys.

Method Man appears as a hip hop business mogul in an episode of Burn Notice.

Method man had a cameo appearance in the 1997 film Cop Land as a physically violent fleeing criminal that throws Peter Berg's character off of a New York rooftop. Method Man has also appeared in the TV drama Wonderland, as a patient in a mental hospital.

Other work

Method Man appeared in the 1995 documentary entitled The Show. There is a memorable scene in which Method Man, on a train in Japan, gets into an argument with U-God and Ghostface Killah, over camera time, radio interviews, and clothing mishaps.

In 2006, Method Man appeared on the MTV reality game show Yo Momma in the first episode of Season 1.

Method Man is the first of the Wu-Tang Clan to produce a series of eponymous graphic novels for Hachette Book Group USA's imprint Grand Central Publishing (to be followed by GZA and Ghostface Killah).

Discography

; Solo albums

Tical (1994)

(1998)

(2004)

(2006)

The Crystal Meth (2011)

; Collaboration albums

Blackout! (with Redman) (1999)

Blackout! 2 (with Redman) (2009)

Wu-Massacre (with Ghostface Killah and Raekwon) (2010)

Filmography

References

External links

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:1990s rappers Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers Category:Actors from New York City Category:African American film actors Category:African American rappers Category:Def Jam Recordings artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Members of the Nation of Gods and Earths Category:People from Staten Island Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Wu-Tang Clan members

Name	KRS-One
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Lawrence Parker
Alias	KRS, Teacha
Origin	South Bronx, New York, U.S.
Born	August 20, 1965Flatbush, Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, actor, record producer, author
Years active	1981–present
Instrument	Rapping, vocals, turntables
Label	B-Boy, Jive, RCA, Duck Down
Associated acts	Boogie Down Productions, Scott La Rock, Marley Marl, Diamond D, LL Cool J, Chuck D, Public Enemy, Buckshot, Talib Kweli, Immortal Technique
Url	http://www.krsoneinc.com/

Lawrence Kris Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage name KRS-One is an MC and producer. Over his career, he has been known by several pseudonyms including "Kris Parker," "The Blastmaster," "The Teacha," and "The Philosopher." At the 2008 BET Awards, KRS-One was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for all his work and effort towards the Stop the Violence Movement as well as the overall pioneering of hip hop music and culture.

Biography

Born Lawrence Parker in Park Slope, Brooklyn in the fall of 1965, the MC left home at 14 to become an MC and Philosopher. He came to live in a homeless shelter in the South Bronx, where he was dubbed Krishna by residents because of his interest in the Hare Krishna spirituality of some of the antipoverty workers. By the time he met youth counselor Scott Sterling, he was also writing graffiti as KRS-One (Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone). Together he and Sterling, a.k.a. DJ Scott La Rock eventually created Boogie Down Productions, releasing their debut album, Criminal Minded, in 1987. KRS-One has been a vegetarian since his youth.

Boogie Down Productions

In the summer of 1984, KRS-One hit the music scene with a rap group called "Scott La rock and the Celebrity Three" with a record called "Advance". And that was, in a time when most rappers rhymed about cars, jewelry, alcohol, and the latest dance, KRS-One was rhyming about nuclear war prevention. Scott La Rock and the Celebrity Three was composed of Scott La Rock, Levi167, MC Quality, and KRS-One. After legal problems with the head of the label, Scott La Rock and the Celebrity Three were released from their contract. In the winter of 1984, KRS-One wrote a song called "Stop The Violence" although by this time The Celebrity Three had broken up and only KRS-One and Scott La Rock remained. Both realized they had to change the name of the group and they did: the new group was called The Boogie Down Crew.

In 1985, Scott La Rock, a friend of producer/writer Kenny Beck (2 The Limit, Octavia - Pow Wow Records and Mine All Mine, Cashflow - Polygram Records) asked Beck to do a record he had written for his brother Kevin Goldbeck. Since the record was not quite finished being produced yet for [Sleeping Bag Records] and Scott had a real affinity for the sty-lings of Krs-one, Kenny Beck decided to form a group around the three, Kevin (freshly released from New York State Prison), Scott and Krs-one. Their name was 12:41, given that moniker by Beck as that was the time they had completed the final mix. All three plus Beck can be heard rapping on the record. Scott, ever the social worker asked Beck to do this as a way out of the shelter for his friend Krs-one. Of course Kris and Scott wanted to concentrate on their own Boogie Down Crew but first they had to go through this. No one was paid for this project and the small amount budgeted by the label for the product prior to Scott La Rock's and Krs-one's involvement barely covered recording costs. This is why producer David Eng, Snow (Informer) and Inspector Gadget writer and studio owner of Bayside Sound (Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, UTFO was brought in. The original song was written, produced and recorded by Kenny Beck and royalties and claims are being pursued for all parties involved. It was this project that educated Kris and Scott as to the importance of being producers of their music, as well as the artists, so at this point they decided to change the name of their own Boogie Down Crew to Boogie Down Productions.

At the close of 1987, the B.D.P lifestyle got real and Scott La Rock was killed trying to settle a dispute in the Bronx. This shocked the Hip Hop community and as a result rap and violence became a topic in the mainstream press. The rap community thought Boogie Down Productions was over but this only led to new plans for KRS-One. In 1988, KRS-One left B. Boy Records to sign with Jive Records and "By All Means Necessary" was released. Rap music was under a mainstream microscope and KRS-One now was able to release what he and Scott always dreamed about, an album that gave rap a different image. His first video on Jive Records was for "My Philosophy", a song that re-established his presence in the rap world.

KRS-One began his recording career as one third of the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, or BDP, alongside DJ Scott La Rock and Derrick "D-Nice" Jones. They met during a stay KRS-One had at the Bronx Franklin Avenue Armory Shelter. La Rock (real name Scott Sterling) worked as a social worker there. The duo would begin to create music. After being rejected by radio DJs Mr. Magic and Marley Marl, KRS-One would go on to diss the two and those associated with them, sparking what would later be known as The Bridge Wars. Additionally, KRS had taken offense to "The Bridge", a song by Marley Marl's protege, MC Shan (later on, KRS One produced an album with Marley Marl in 2007); the song could be interpreted as a claim that Queensbridge was the monument of Hiphop, though MC Shan has repeatedly denied this claim. Still, KRS "dissed" the song with the BDP record "South Bronx"; next, a second round of volleys would ensue with Shan's "Kill That Noise" and BDP's "The Bridge Is Over". KRS-One, demonstrating his nickname "The Blastmaster", gave a live performance that devastated MC Shan, and many conceded he had won the battle. Many believe this live performance to be the first MC battle where rappers attack each other, instead of a battle between who can get the crowd more hyped.

Parker and Sterling decided to form a rap group together, initially calling themselves "Scott La Rock and the Celebrity Three". That was short-lived, however, as the two peripheral members quit, leaving Parker (now calling himself KRS-One) and Sterling. They then decided to call themselves "Boogie Down Productions", "Success is the Word", a 12-inch single produced by David Kenneth Eng and Kenny Beck was released on indie Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records (under the group name "12:41") but did not enjoy commercial success. Boogie Down Productions released their debut album Criminal Minded in 1987. The album, whose cover pictured BDP draped in ammunition and brandishing guns, is often credited with setting the template for the burgeoning genres of hardcore and gangsta rap. Scott La Rock was killed in a shooting later that year, after attempting to mediate a dispute between teenager and BDP member Derrick "D-Nice" Jones and local hoodlums.

During this time KRS-One also gained acclaim as one of the first MCs to incorporate Jamaican style into hip-hop. Using the Zungazung melody, originally made famous by Yellowman in Jamaican dance halls earlier in the decade. While KRS-One used Zunguzung styles in a more powerful and controversial manner, especially in his song titled "Remix for P is Free", he can still be credited as one of the more influential figures to bridge the gap between Jamaican music and American hip-hop.

Following the fatal shooting of Scott La Rock in 1987, KRS was determined to continue Boogie Down Productions through the tragedy, releasing the album By All Means Necessary in 1988. He was joined by beatboxer D-Nice, rapper Ramona "Ms. Melodie" Parker (whose marriage to Kris would last from 1988 to 1992), and Kris's younger brother DJ Kenny Parker, among others. However Boogie Down Productions would remain Kris's show, and their content would become increasingly political through their subsequent releases , Edutainment, Live Hardcore Worldwide and Sex and Violence.

KRS-One was the primary initiator behind the H.E.A.L. compilation and the Stop the Violence Movement; for the latter he would attract many prominent MCs to appear on the 12-inch single "Self Destruction". As Parker adopted this "humanist", less defensive approach, he turned away from his "Blastmaster" persona and towards that of "The Teacha", although he has constantly used "Blastmaster" throughout his career.

Solo career

in May 2006.]] After five largely solo albums under the name "Boogie Down Productions," KRS-One decided to set out on his own. On his first solo album, 1993's Return of the Boom Bap, Parker worked together with producers DJ Premier, Kid Capri and Showbiz, the latter providing the catchy-yet-hardcore track "Sound of da Police". His second album, 1995's KRS-One, featured Channel Live on "Free Mumia", a song in which they criticize Black Civil Rights Activist C. Delores Tucker among others. Other prominent guest stars on KRS One included Mad Lion, Busta Rhymes, Das EFX and Fat Joe.

In 1991, KRS-One appeared on the alternative rock group R.E.M.'s single "Radio Song", which appeared on the band's album Out of Time, released the same year.

In 1992, Bradley Nowell from Sublime featured an acoustic song named "KRS-One" with his voice and DJ's samplers.

In 1995, KRS organized a group called Channel Live, whose album Station Identification he produced most of, along with Rheji Burrell and Salaam Remi.

In 1997, Parker surprised many with his release of the album I Got Next. The album's lead single "Step into a World (Rapture's Delight)", containing a sample of punk and New Wave group Blondie, was accompanied by a remix featuring commercial rap icon Puff Daddy; another track was essentially a rock song. While the record would be his best-selling solo album (reaching #3 on the Billboard 200), such collaborations with notably mainstream artists and prominent, easily recognizable samples took many fans and observers of the vehemently anti-mainstream KRS-One by surprise. However, in August 1997, Parker appeared on Tim Westwood's BBC Radio 1 show and vociferously denounced the DJ and the radio station more generally, accusing them of ignoring his style of hip hop in favor of commercial artists such as Puff Daddy. Although having not been in the UK since 1991, due to the fact he does not fly, he claimed "to be in touch with the people", and said that "they weren't feeling Westwood, he's a sell out and has sold his soul to the dark side." This sparked controversy in the UK since Radio One was one of the main supporters of the single "Step Into My World" and caused the album to be his best selling. Parker has since visited the UK, most notably in May 2007, in a performance at the Royal Albert Hall where he once again dissed Tim Westwood in a freestyle.

In 1999, there were tentative plans to release Maximum Strength; a lead single, "5 Boroughs", was released on The Corruptor movie soundtrack. However, Parker apparently decided to abort the album's planned release, just as he had secured a position as a Vice-President of A&R; at Reprise Records. The shelved album was again scheduled to be released in 2008, but ultimately an unrelated album entitled "Maximum Strength 2008" was released in its place. He moved to southern California, and stayed there for two years, ending his relationship with Jive Records with A Retrospective in 2000.

Parker resigned from his A&R; position at Reprise in 2001, and returned to recording with a string of albums, beginning with 2001's The Sneak Attack on Koch Records. In 2002, he released a gospel-rap album, Spiritual Minded, surprising many longtime fans; Parker had once denounced Christianity as a "slavemaster religion" which African-Americans should not follow. During this period, KRS founded the Temple of Hiphop, an organization to preserve and promote "Hiphop Kulture". Other releases have since included 2003's Kristyles and D.I.G.I.T.A.L., 2004's Keep Right, and 2006's Life.

The only latter-day KRS-One album to gain any significant attention has been Hip-Hop Lives, his 2007 collaboration with fellow hip hop veteran Marley Marl, due in large part to the pair's legendary beef, but also the title's apparent response to Nas' 2006 release Hip-Hop Is Dead. While many critics have commented they would have been a lot more excited had this collaboration occurred twenty years earlier, the album has been met with positive reviews. KRS One has appeared on several songs with other artists, due to this he has received 9 Gold and 7 Platinum plaques.

KRS One has collaborated with several artists including Canadian Rap group Hellafactz, Jay-Roc N' Jakebeatz and New York producer Domingo among other. He and Domingo publicly squashed their beef that started over financial issues and released a digital single to iTunes on November 25. The single titled "Radio" will also feature Utah up and comer Eneeone and is dedicated to underground MC's that don't get the radio airplay they deserve. In 2009 KRS One guest starred on several albums including Arts & Entertainmen on the song "Pass the Mic" by fellow Hip Hop veterans Masta Ace & Ed O.G and featured on the posse cut "Mega Fresh X" by Cormega (alongside with DJ Red Alert, Parrish Smith, Grand Puba, & Big Daddy Kane) on his album Born and Raised.

KRS One and Buckshot announced that they would be collaborating on an album set to be released in 2009. The first single, ROBOT, was released on May 5, 2009. The music video was directed by Todd Angkasuwan and debuted as the New Joint of the Day on 106 & Park on September 4, 2009. The album leaked on the Internet on September 9, 2009 and released album was released on September 15, 2009. It debuted at #62, making it on The Billboard 200 selling around 8,500 copies its first week and was met with generally positive reviews. Steve Juon of RapReviews.com gave the album a flawless 10 out of 10, claiming "Buckshot and KRS have achieved something rather remarkable here - an album I can't find a single fault with. There's not a bad beat, there's not a whack rhyme, there's not a collaborator on a track that missed the mark, and the disc itself is neither too short nor too long."

In 2010 KRS One was honored along with Buckshot by artists Ruste Juxx, Torae & Skyzoo, Sha Stimuli, Promise, J.A.M.E.S. Watts and Team Facelift to name a few on their mixtape 'Survival Kit' which is an ode to the 2009 album Survival Skills by KRS One and Buckshot. The mixtape was released for free download on DuckDown.com. The album features new version of KRS classics 'South Bronx', 'Sound Of Da Police' and 'MC's Act Like They Don't Know' as well as new versions of well known Buckshot songs and 'Past Present Future' from the Survival Skills album. The MC Fashawn stated in his verse on MC's Act Like They Don't Know that 'I did it to make Kris smile I figured he'd appreciate it'

Most recently, KRS One was featured as the voice of Chris Cringle in the new Nike Most Valuable Puppets commercials. KRS One performed in May 2010 at SUNY New Paltz for their annual "Rock Against Racism" concert,

Stop the Violence Movement

The Stop the Violence Movement was formed by KRS-One in 1988/1989 in response to violence in the hip hop and black communities.

During a concert by Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy a young fan was killed in a fight. Coming soon after the shooting death of his friend and fellow BDP member Scott La Rock, KRS-One was galvanized into action and formed the Stop the Violence Movement. Composed of some of the biggest stars in contemporary East Coast hip hop, the movement released a single, "Self Destruction", in 1989, with all proceeds going to the National Urban League. A music video was created, and a VHS cassette entitled Overcoming Self-Destruction - The Making of the Self-Destruction Video was also released.

"Self-Destruction" was produced by KRS-One and D-Nice of Boogie Down Productions (Hank Shocklee of the Bomb Squad is credited as an associate producer).

Temple of Hip Hop

The Temple of Hip Hop is a ministry, archive, School, and Society (M.A.S.S.) founded by KRS-One. Its goal is to maintain and promote Hiphop Kulture. The Temple of Hip Hop maintains that Hip Hop is a genuine political movement and culture, as it has been accepted by the United Nations as a culture. The Temple of Hiphop calls on all Hip Hop fans to celebrate Hip Hop Appreciation Week, occurring in the third week of May. It encourages DJs and MCs to teach people about the culture of Hiphop, to write more socially conscious songs, and radio stations to play more socially conscious hip hop. Hip Hop Appreciation Week is celebrated on the third week of May each year. Hip Hop History Month (November), founded by the Universal Zulu Nation, is also recognized.

September 11 comments

In 2004, KRS engendered a controversy when he was quoted in a panel discussion hosted by The New Yorker magazine as saying that "we cheered when 9/11 happened". The comment drew criticism from many sources, including a pointed barb by the New York Daily News that called Parker an "anarchist" and said that "If Osama bin Laden ever buys a rap album, he'll probably start with a CD by KRS-One." Parker responded to the commotion surrounding his comments with an editorial written for AllHipHop.com, stating:

In late 2005, KRS was featured alongside Public Enemy's Chuck D on the remix of the song "Bin Laden" by Immortal Technique and DJ Green Lantern, which blames American neo-conservatives, the Reagan Doctrine and U.S. President George W. Bush for the World Trade Center attacks, and indicates a parallel to the devaluation, destruction, and violence of urban housing project communities.

On April 29, 2007, KRS-One again defended his statements on the September 11 attacks when asked about them during an appearance on Hannity's America on the Fox News network stating that he meant that people cheered that the establishment had taken a hit, not that people were dying or had died. He also discussed amongst other things, the Don Imus scandal and the use of profanity in hip-hop.

Gospel of Hip Hop comments

In an interview with AllHipHop about his book "The Gospel of Hip Hop", KRS-One said:

"I’m suggesting that in 100 years, this book will be a new religion on the earth... I think I have the authority to approach God directly, I don’t have to go through any religion [or] train of thought. I can approach God directly myself and so I wrote a book called The Gospel of Hip Hop to free from all this nonsense garbage right now. I respect the Christianity, the Islam, the Judaism but their time is up. ...In a hundred years, everything that I’m saying to you will be common knowledge and people will be like, 'Why did he have to explain this? Wasn’t it obvious?'"

These comments have been referred to by numerous media outlets such as the AV Club who comment that "KRS-One writes 600-page hip-hop bible; blueprint for rap religion" and "KRS-One has never been afraid to court controversy and provoke strong reactions. Now the Boogie Down Productions legend has topped himself by writing The Gospel of Hip Hop: The First Instrument, a mammoth treatise on the spirituality of hip-hop he hopes will some day become a sacred text of a new hip-hop religion". Parker was a graphic designer and fashion entrepreneur. A private memorial service was held on July 18 , which would have been his 24th birthday.

Benefit for first responders

KRS-One spoke at a hip hop benefit concert on September 12, 2009 to benefit the first responders of 9/11 he spoke of non violence to take back the country. The event was presented by the 9/11 group We Are Change based in New York City and SMT Studios.

Awards

VH1

2004, VH1 Hip Hop Honors

BET Hip Hop Awards

2007, I am Hip Hop

2007, Lifetime Achievement

Urban Music Awards

2009, Living Legend Award

Discography

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" !align="center"|Boogie Down Productions !align="center"|Year |- |Criminal Minded |1987 |- |By All Means Necessary |1988 |- | |1989 |- |Edutainment |1990 |- |Live Hardcore Worldwide |1991 |- |Sex and Violence |1992 |- |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" !align="center"|Solo Albums !align="center"|Year |- |''Return of the Boom Bap |1993 |- |''KRS-One |1995 |- |''I Got Next |1997 |- |''A Retrospective |2000 |- |''The Sneak Attack |2001 |- |''Strickly for Da Breakdancers & Emceez |2001 |- |''Spiritual Minded |2002 |- |''The Mix Tape |2002 |- |''Kristyles |2003 |- |''D.I.G.I.T.A.L. |2003 |- |''Keep Right |2004 |- |''Life |2006 |- |- |''Adventures in Emceein |2008 |- |''Maximum Strength |2008 |- |''Back to the L.A.B. |2010 |- |} {| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" !align="center"|Collaborative Albums !align="center"|With !align="center"|Year |- |Hip Hop Lives |Marley Marl |2007 |- |Survival Skills |Buckshot |2009 |- |The Just-Ice and KRS-ONE EP Volume #1 |Just-Ice |2010 |- |Meta-Historical |True Master |2010 |- |Godsville |Showbiz |2011 |- |Return of the Boom Bip |DJ Premier |2011 |- |}

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Year ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Film ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Role |- | 1988 | I'm Gonna Git You Sucka | himself |- | 1993 | Who's the Man? | Rashid |- | 1997 | Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground | Vendor |- | 1997 | Rhyme & Reason | himself |- | 2000 | Boricua's Bond | |- | 2000 | Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme | himself |- | 2002 | The Freshest Kids | himself |- | 2003 | 2Pac 4 Ever | narrator |- | 2003 | Beef | himself |- | 2003 | Hip-Hop Babylon 2 | himself |- | 2003 | Soundz of Spirit | himself |- | 2003 | 5 Sides of a Coin | himself |- | 2003 | MuskaBeatz | himself |- | 2004 | War on Wax: Rivalries In Hip-Hop | himself |- | 2004 | The MC: Why We Do It | himself |- | 2004 | Beef II | himself |- | 2004 | And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop | himself |- | 2004 | Hip-Hop Honors | himself |- | 2004 | Keep Right | himself |- | 2005 | Zoom Prout Prout | himself |- | 2006 | A Letter to the President | himself |- | 2008 | | himself |- | 2009 | Good Hair | himself |- |}

Books

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" !align="center"|Book !align="center"|Year |- |Break the Chain KRS-ONE | 1994 |- |The Science of Rap (self published, 1996, out of print) | 1996 |- |Ruminations (Welcome Rain Publishers, July 25, 2003, out of print) | 2003 |- |The Gospel of Hip Hop: The First Instrument | 2009 |}

See also

Suicide, it's a suicide

References

External links

KRS-One Official Site

KRS-One MySpace Profile

Rolling Stone bio

Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:American graffiti artists Category:American vegetarians Category:Hip hop activists Category:Jive Records artists Category:Koch Records artists Category:American rappers of Jamaican descent Category:People from the Bronx Category:People from Brooklyn Category:Rappers from New York City Category:1990s rappers

Name	Gilbert Gottfried
Caption	Gottfried at the 1991 Emmy Awards
Birth date	February 28, 1955
Birth place	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, film, television
Nationality	American
Active	1980–present
Genre	Satire, crude humor, blue comedy, improvisational comedy, black comedy, insult comedy
Subject	Religion, race relations, racism, pop culture, sex
Spouse	Dara Kravitz (2007-present)
Notable work	Saturday Night LiveComedy Central RoastsHost of USA Up All NightMr. Peabody in Problem ChildIago in AladdinDigit in CyberchaseAflac Duck in the Aflac commercials

Gilbert Gottfried (born February 28, 1955) is an American actor, voice actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his trademark comedic persona of speaking in a loud, grating tone of voice. He has played numerous roles in film and television, perhaps most notably voicing the parrot Iago in Disney's Aladdin (1992), and co-starred in the Problem Child movies. He is also known for voicing Digit in the children's cartoon/educational math-based show Cyberchase and the Aflac duck.

Career

Early career (1980–1994)

At age fifteen, Gilbert Gottfried began doing amateur stand-up in New York City and, after a few years, became known as "the comedian's comedian." In 1980, the popular NBC late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live was being retooled with a new staff and new comedians; the producers noticed Gottfried and hired him as a cast member. During the 1980–1981 season, Gottfried's persona in SNL sketches was very different from his later characterization; he rarely (if ever) spoke in his trademark screeching, obnoxious voice and never squinted. During his 12-episode stint, he was given very little airtime and seldom used in sketches. Gottfried recalls a lowpoint was having to play a corpse in a sketch. Despite this, he had one recurring character (Leo Waxman, husband to Denny Dillon's Pinky Waxman on the recurring talk show sketch, "What's It All About?") and two celebrity impersonations: David A. Stockman and controversial film director Roman Polanski.

Although not a regular, he also appeared in the short-lived 1992 TV series The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys and voiced a crazed dentist "Dr. Bender" and his son Wendell on the show The Fairly OddParents and the voice of Jerry the Belly Button Elf on Ren and Stimpy. He is notably known for his voice-overs as ducks or other birds—when asked how he prepared for his role of Iago (Aladdin) in Aladdin, he said "I did the whole DeNiro thing. I moved to South America! I lived in the trees!" (An inside joke on the series has Iago running in terror when his face resembles Gilbert Gottfried.) In 1993 he was interviewed by Chris Aable at the "B Minus Movie Awards" along with David Cassidy and Gary Coleman. Gottfried's interview aired on Chris Aable's cable TV show "Hollywood Today" in 1994 and is now part of his video "America's Craziest Home Videos". He was a co-host of the Saturday edition of USA Up All Night with Rhonda Shear.

He frequently parodies rabbis and cantors, making up atonal gibberish prayers and compositions on the spot. Gilbert is known for his impression of Andrew Dice Clay...or "Dice Gottfried".

Gottfried famously told the venerable Aristocrats joke at a Friars Club roast of Hugh Hefner just three weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Gottfried's quick wit saved what could have been a notorious disaster. He began his monologue joking that he had intended to catch a plane, but couldn't get a direct flight because "they said they have to connect with the Empire State Building first." Audience members nervously responded with gasps and cries of "Too soon!". Gottfried first thought this was relating to the speed of his joke. Gottfried then abandoned his prepared remarks and launched into the Aristocrats joke, effectively winning back the audience and having roaster Rob Schneider literally falling out of his chair laughing. When the laughter and applause had subsided, Gottfried commented, "They might have to clean this up for TV," to more laughter and applause. Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza used Gottfried's monologue as a segment in their 2005 film, The Aristocrats.

Recent work (2006–present)

Gottfried was part of an online advertising campaign for Microsoft's Office XP software, showing, in a series of Flash-animated cartoons, that the Clippy office assistant would be removed. In 2006, Gottfried topped the Boston Phoenix's tongue-in-cheek list of the world's 100 Unsexiest Men. In April 2006, Gottfried performed with the University of Pennsylvania's Mask and Wig Club in their annual Intercollegiate Comedy Festival. Also in 2006, he made an appearance on the Let's Make a Deal portion of Gameshow Marathon (as a baby in a large high chair, he says "Hey Ricki, I think I need my diaper changed!"), and in the Dodge Viper in the big deal (where he tells the contestants "What were you thinking?!" because neither one picked it). He also guest-starred in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy as Santa Claus in the one-hour Christmas Special. He voiced Rick Platypus in an episode of My Gym Partner's a Monkey entitled "That Darn Platypus". Furthermore, Gottfried appeared as Peter's horse in an episode of Family Guy entitled "Boys Do Cry". He also guest-starred in Hannah Montana as Barny Bittmen. In January 2009, Gottfried worked again with David Faustino (Bud Bundy from Married with Children) for an episode of Faustino's show Star-ving.

Personal life

On December 6, 2006, Gottfried announced on The Howard Stern Show that he was engaged and that his fiancée, longtime girlfriend Dara Kravitz, was pregnant. Gottfried and Kravitz were married on February 3, 2007. They have two children, a daughter and a son.

Filmography

Saturday Night Live: various sketches (1980–1981)

Beverly Hills Cop II: Sidney Bernstein (1987)

Hot to Trot: Dentist (1988)

The Adventures of Ford Fairlane: Johnny Crunch (1990)

Look Who's Talking Too: Joey (1990)

Superboy: Nick-Nack (1990)

Problem Child: Mr. Peabody (1990)

Problem Child 2: Mr. Peabody (1991)

Night Court (TV series): as Oscar Brown (1991)

Aladdin: Iago the Parrot (voice) (1992)

Highway to Hell: Hitler (1992)

Bonkers: Two-Bits (1993–1995)

Problem Child (TV series): Mr. Peabody (1993)

Return of Jafar: Iago the Parrot (voice) (1994)

Thumbelina: Berkeley Beetle (voice) (1994)

: Burt Banner (1994)

Double Dragon (1994)

Beavis and Butthead: Gus Baker (1994)

Duckman: (recurring role) Art DeSalvo (1994–1997)

Married... With Children: Ship Happens: Part 2 (1995)

Adventures in Wonderland (Tv series) : Pie Noon (1995)

: Dr. Peabody (1995)

The Cosby Show patient (1987)

Bump in the Night: Stink Bug (1995)

Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat: Additional Characters (1995–1996)

Aladdin (TV series): Iago the Parrot (1994–1995)

Aladdin and the King of Thieves: Iago the Parrot (1996)

Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Roy (1996)

In the House: Mr. Comstock (1996)

: Mr Mxyzptlk (1996–2000)

Adventures from the Book of Virtues (1996)

Big Bag (Troubles the Cat segment) (1996)

''Def Jam's How to Be a Player (1997)

Bear in the Big Blue House: Large Possum (voice) (1997)

Noddy: Jack Frost (1998)

Hercules: Cilon (1998)

Dr. Dolittle: Compulsive Dog (voice) (1998)

Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (TV series): As himself in episodes 503 and 506 (1999)

: the voice of Jerry Seinfeld and Patrick Swayze (2000)

Mad TV: special appearance, one episode (1997)

Timon & Pumbaa (TV series): The Woodpecker

Fairly Odd Parents: Dr. Bender/Wendel (2001–2005)

Disney's House of Mouse and Mickey's House of Villains: Iago the Parrot

Kingdom Hearts: Iago the Parrot (2002)

Kingdom Hearts II: Iago the Parrot (2006)

- Season Two, Episode: Last Laugh:Comic (2003)

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: Duck (2004)

Celebrity Deathmatch :As himself in episode Gottfried in the Arena''

Cyberchase: Digit and Widget (2002–present)

The Aristocrats (2005)

Back by Midnight (2002): Security Guard

Becker: A plastic surgeon

Meet Wally Sparks: Harry Karp

Ren & Stimpy: Jerry the BellyButton Elf (voice)

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: various sketches

Son of the Beach: Noccus Johnstein in both "Chip's A Goy" and Hamm Stroker's Suck My Blood:(2002)

VH1's Celebrity Paranormal Project and I Love Toys

Billy and Mandy Save Christmas: Santa Claus (voice)

Farce of the Penguins: "I'm Freezing My Nuts Off" penguin (voice) (2007)

Family Guy: Peter's horse (voice)

My Gym Partner's a Monkey: Rick Platypus (voice)

: El Cerdo (voice)

Hannah Montana Season 2 Episode "(We're So Sorry) Uncle Earl": Barney Bitman (2008)

VH1's I Love the New Millennium 4 Episodes (2008)

The Emperor's New School 2.season 11 Episodes (12.03.2007)

The Comedy Central Roast: Bob Saget (2008)

The Replacements: Himself (2008)

Gilbert Gottfried: Dirty Jokes (1 hour Showtime Special) (2008) - live stand-up performance in Manhattan, NY. Gottfried promises 'the dirtiest joke ever told'

The Lindabury Story (2009)

The View - Horny the Dwarf (Joy's Month in ReView)

The Weird Al Show: himself

Pyramid: Himself (Celebrity Guest)

Hollywood Squares: Himself (Regular)

The Comedy Central Roast: Joan Rivers (2009)

Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy Himself (2009)

Back at the Barnyard: Security System (2009)

Jack and the Beanstalk (2010 Film): Grayson (2010)

'Til Death Guest starred as Tommy (2010)

Stripperland (2010)

The Comedy Central Roast: David Hasselhoff (2010)

Robotomy: Tickle Me Psycho (2010)

The Super Hero Squad Show:Green Goblin , Hobgoblin (2011)

Commercials

Aflac: The Aflac Duck (voice)

ShoeDini: (voiceover) The ShoeDini is, as he describes it in the commercial, "a shoe horn on a stick".

Public Service Announcment: He is the voice of Seymour Smoke, the talking smoke detector.

Voiced the talking shadow puppet mascot in a series of Subway commercials in 2000.

References

External links

The Official Site of Gilbert Gottfried

Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American Jews Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American voice actors Category:Jewish comedians Category:People from Brooklyn

Name	Fat Joe
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Joseph Cartagena
Born	August 19, 1970 Around the release of All or Nothing, Fat Joe became involved in a highly publicized feud with another New York City-based rapper 50 Cent, who attacked Fat Joe in his song "Piggy Bank". His most popular song in which he performed was his Remy Ma duet "Lean Back" with Terror Squad. The song was a number-one hit in the summer of 2004.
Name	Fat Joe
Date of birth	August 19, 1970

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:1990s rappers Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers Category:American entertainers of Cuban descent Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:D.I.T.C. members Category:Hispanic and Latino American rappers Category:Imperial Records artists Category:Rappers from New York City Category:People from the Bronx Category:Terror Squad members Category:Virgin Records artists

Name	Defari
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	D.A. Johnson Jr.
Alias	Heru or Ruby
Origin	Los Angeles, California
Instrument	Voice
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	musician
Years active	1995 - present
Label	Tommy Boy, High Times, ABB Records
Associated acts	Westcoast Kings, Likwit MCs, Dilated Peoples, Dr. Dre, KPL ALLSTARS Deejay Crew

D.A. Johnson Jr., also known as Defari, is a West Coast hip hop artist. Primarily, he is a solo artist, additionally he is a member of the Likwit Junkies, a rap duo with DJ Babu of Dilated Peoples. He was born at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of California, Berkeley. He began DJing as a young kid in 1982. He was more focused on emceeing, and by 1995, released his first single "Bionic" on Oakland based ABB Records. With the help of E-Swift of Tha Alkaholiks, by 1999, Defari recorded his first album, released on Tommy Boy Records.

Defari taught world history and geography at Inglewood High School in Inglewood, California, and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley. and a master's degree from Columbia University in New York City. He stopped teaching in 1998 and he currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Discography

Solo

With Likwit Junkies

References

External links

Category:African American rappers

Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people

Name	Bros
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Camberley, Surrey, England
Genre	Dance-pop
Years active	1986–1992
Label	CBS (GBR, 1987–1994)
Past members	Matt GossLuke GossCraig Logan

Bros (abbreviation of the word 'brothers', and pronounced to rhyme with 'cross') were a British band active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, consisting of twin brothers Matt Goss and Luke Goss along with Craig Logan. Formed in 1986, they were managed by former Pet Shop Boys manager Tom Watkins.

History

Their first single, "I Owe You Nothing", was released in 1987 on CBS. The second, "When Will I Be Famous?" reached number two in the United Kingdom. Their first album, Push, was released in 1988.

The group achieved a total of 11 top 40 singles and 3 Top 20 albums in the United Kingdom, making them one of the biggest acts in British music between 1988 and 1992. They reached number one when "I Owe You Nothing" was reissued in 1988. They continued having hits throughout the late '80s, including "Cat Among The Pigeons", a UK #2 single in 1989 and "Chocolate Box", which made #9 on the chart in autumn 1989.

Logan left the band in 1989, and the Goss brothers continued touring. A second album, The Time was released in 1989 followed by Changing Faces in 1991 before the band split in 1992.

Matt Goss started his solo career in 1995 and has enjoyed more chart success with singles such as "The Key". He recorded a duet "This Pain" with long time friend Denise Pearson of Five Star in 1997, although the song never saw commercial release. He was one of the chefs on Gordon Ramsay's Hells Kitchen (ITV). Luke Goss appeared in West End musicals throughout the 1990s and has also appeared in several movies since 2000, including Blade II, The Man, and . He also recorded several singles, including "Sweeter Than The Midnight Rain" with his 'Band Of Thieves', and was briefly signed to One Little Indian records.

After his stint with the group, Logan worked as a producer for Kim Appleby before going on to work as a commercial manager for EMI records and then as a manager for Pink. In 2006, he became Managing Director of Sony Music Entertainment's RCA Label Group (UK).

In 2010 Logan left RCA Label Group (UK) in order to form a new company, Logan Media Entertainment (LME).

Matt Goss now lives in Los Angeles, and continues to record and tour. He recorded the vocals for "Firefly", a single from Paul Oakenfold and in January 2010 began has his own show at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas

Reformation

On 1 July 2008, BBC Radio 1 DJ Carl Sharrock officially announced that Matt Goss had spoken to the other members of the band and in principle they had agreed to reform. However, on 14 September 2010, Matt Goss stated that the band would not be reforming in the near future, stating that the moment had passed.

Trivia

Craig Logan was briefly engaged to Dannii Minogue.

Musician Scott Davidson, who played keyboard for Bros went on to become Chairman of Bristol City Football Club.

Rob Ferguson owner of Transcend Media Group acted as personal manager to both Matt and Luke Goss at various times.

The songs on the first album were written by their producer Nicky Graham working under the pseudonym "The Brothers".

Discography

Singles

Albums

1988 Push (UK #2, SUI #3, AUS #4, NOR #6, GER #6, AUT #14, SWE #29)

1989 The Time (UK #4, GER #34, SWE #42, AUS #34)

1991 Changing Faces (UK #18)

2004 The Best of Bros (UK #128)

Video albums

1988 The Big Push Tour Live (VHS)

1989 Push Over (VHS)

2004 The Big Picture (DVD)

References

External links

Bros discography at Discogs.

Matt Goss Official Website.

Matt Goss Official Forum.

Matt Goss News Blog.

Matt Goss Twitter Page.

Category:BRIT Award winners Category:English pop music groups Category:British boy bands

Name	Big Pun
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Christopher Rios
Alias	Big Punisher
Born	November 10, 1971New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	February 07, 2000White Plains, New York, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop
Years active	1993–2000
Label	Loud
Associated acts	Terror Squad, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Joe, Wyclef Jean, Cam'ron

Christopher Rios (November 10, 1971 – February 7, 2000), better known by his stage name Big Pun (short for Big Punisher), was a Puerto Rican rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s. He first appeared on albums from The Beatnuts, on the track "Off the Books" in 1997, and on Fat Joe's second album Jealous One's Envy in 1995, on the track "Watch Out", prior to signing to Loud Records as a solo artist. Big Pun's career was cut short in 2000 at age 28 when he died of a heart attack.

Biography

Early life

Rios grew up in New York City's South Bronx neighborhood and is of Puerto Rican descent. By all accounts from Pun's family, his early years were very difficult, including witnessing his mother's drug abuse, his father's death, and a stepfather who was very hard on Pun. According to his grandmother, Pun would become angry and self-destructive, punching holes in the walls of his family's apartment. He used video games as an outlet for his frustration. His favorite video game was Bad Dudes. Rios dropped out of high school and for some time was homeless staying in abandoned buildings or at friends' homes.

Music career

During the 1980s, Big Punisher was already a rapper. At this point Big Pun was operating under the alias Big Moon Dawg. Rios met fellow Puerto Rican and Rutland rapper Fat Joe in 1995 and made his commercial debut on Joe's second album, Jealous Ones Envy, in addition to appearing on a b-side to Joe's "Envy" single, "Fire Water" and "Watch Out."

Later, "I'm Not a Player" (featuring an O'Jays sample) was supported by a significant advertising campaign and became an underground hit.

In 1997 producer Knobody's production partner Sean C took advantage of his new role as A&R; at Loud Records to play Knobody's tracks to Big Pun. Suitably impressed the rapper hired Knobody to remix "I'm Not a Player"., peaking at #5 on the Billboard 200. Capital Punishment was also nominated for a Grammy, but lost out on the award to Jay-Z's .

Big Pun became a member of Terror Squad, a New York-based group of rappers founded by Fat Joe, with most of the roster supplied by the now-defunct Full a Clips Crew who released their debut album The Album in 1999.

In 1999 he co-starred in the Albert Pyun-directed ghetto-movie Urban Menace, alongside his frequent collaborator Fat Joe.

Death

Excluding his adolescence, Big Pun struggled with his weight for most of his life; his weight fluctuated in the early 1990s between obese and morbidly obese. Big Pun enrolled in a weight-loss program in North Carolina, in which he lost 80 pounds, but he eventually quit the program before completing it, returning to New York and gaining back the weight he had lost. On February 7, 2000, Big Pun suffered a fatal heart attack and respiratory failure while temporarily staying with family at a Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains, New York during a home renovation. Pun was pronounced dead at the hospital after paramedics could not revive him. Big Pun was at his highest weight at the time of his death, being 698 pounds.

Posthumous works

His second album, Yeeeah Baby, completed before his death , was issued as scheduled in April 2000. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard charts and earned gold record status within three months of its release. A posthumous compilation album, Endangered Species, was released in April 2001. Endangered Species collected some of Pun's "greatest hits," previously unreleased material, numerous guest appearances, and remixed "greatest verses." As with his other albums, it also peaked in the top ten of the Billboard 200, reaching #7, but didn't sell as much as the previous Pun albums had.

Big Punisher was featured with Fat Joe on Duets: The Final Chapter, an album of tracks featuring the Notorious B.I.G, also deceased. The track "Get Your Grind On" begins with a Big Pun radio interview in which he said he would perform a duet with Biggie at the gates of heaven. Punisher was also featured on a track from the revived Terror Squad's second album, True Story, on the track "Bring 'Em Back" with Big L.

On May 2, 2001, a Bronx City Council committee stalled plans to rename a small portion of Rogers Place in honor of Big Pun because of distaste over Big Pun's lyrics, which according to The New York Times "include profanity and references to violence and drug dealing".

Sony Records has been considering releasing a second posthumous album featuring unreleased material, but the project is being delayed by Sony. Liza Rios also held an auction in 2005 for her deceased husband's Terror Squad medallion, citing financial difficulties in the wake of Pun's death, and again claiming to have not received any royalty checks for Pun's posthumous album sales (save for a small check from the sales of Endangered Species).

Big Pun: The Legacy documentary

A tribute documentary was released on September 15, 2009. The film contains multiple interviews with artists, actors, close friends and others whose lives were touched by Big Pun, as well as rare exclusive performances and scene interviews with Big Pun himself. The film also features appearances by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Snoop Dogg, DMX, Method Man, U-God, Liza Rios, Xzibit, Cuban Link, Swizz Beatz, DJ Skribble, Chino XL and many more. Film is directed by Vladimir "DJ Vlad" Yudin. It is distributed through Vivendi Universal and The Soundtrack is released through Legacy/Columbia Records, Sony Music.

Discography

Studio albums

1998: Capital Punishment

2000: Yeeeah Baby

Posthumous albums

2001: Endangered Species

Filmography

Moesha (1998) – Himself (as Big Punisher)

Thicker Than Water (1999) – Punny

Urban Menace (1999) – Crow

Whiteboyz (1999) – Don Flip Crew (uncredited)

Boricua's Bond (2000) – Himself (as Big Punisher)

Still Not a Player (2002) – Himself (archive footage)

Big Pun Live (2002) – Himself (archive footage)

(2009) – Himself (archive footage)

References

External links

Category:1971 births Category:2000 deaths Category:1990s rappers Category:2000s rappers Category:American dance musicians Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:Cardiovascular disease deaths in New York Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:Hispanic and Latino American rappers Category:People from the Bronx Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Terror Squad members