Name	Clipse
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States
Genre	Hip hop
Years active	1992–present
Label	Elektra (1997–1998)Arista (2001–2004)Jive (2004–2007)Star Trak (2001–present)Re-Up (2004–present)Columbia (2009–present)GOOD (2010–present)
Associated acts	The Neptunes, Re-Up Gang, Fam-Lay, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West
Url	www.clipseonline.com
Current members	MalicePusha T

Clipse is a critically acclaimed Virginia Beach, Virginia-based hip hop duo. Formed in 1992 by brothers Malice (Born Gene Thornton in 1973) and Pusha T (Born Terrence Thornton in 1977), the group is affiliated with multi-platinum production team The Neptunes.

History

Exclusive Audio Footage (1993–1999)

The Thornton brothers were born in The Bronx, New York City and raised in Norfolk, Virginia. They formed the group Jarvis in 1992, and were introduced to Pharrell Williams, one half of the production team The Neptunes, in 1993. Impressed with their lyrical talents, Williams formed a working relationship with the duo. He eventually helped them secure a recording contract with Elektra Records in 1997. Under Elektra, and with The Neptunes handling its production, Clipse recorded its debut album, Exclusive Audio Footage. The group's first single, "The Funeral", helped to generate fan interest in the album, but failed to make a significant commercial impact. With "The Funeral" deemed a failure, Exclusive Audio Footage itself was shelved indefinitely. Clipse was released from its record contract shortly thereafter.

Lord Willin' (2001–2002)

In early 2001, Williams signed the duo to Arista Records through his recently established Star Trak Entertainment imprint. Clipse released its commercial debut Lord Willin' on August 20, 2002. The album opened at #1 on Billboard's Top R&B;/Hip-hop Album chart and #4 on the Billboard Hot 200, fueled by the strength of the first two singles, "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time", which peaked at #30 and #19 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. Third single "Ma, I Don't Love Her" (featuring Faith Evans) was a modest hit, reaching #86 on the Hot 100. On October 1, 2002—only a month after its release—Lord Willin' was certified gold by the RIAA. Clipse made another dent in the rap music world that year by providing rhymes for Justin Timberlake's first solo single, "Like I Love You," another Neptunes-produced crossover radio hit, as well as "What Happened to That Boy" with Birdman.

Hell Hath No Fury (2003–2006)

In late 2003, Clipse began recording material for its second album, Hell Hath No Fury. However, further work on the album ground to a halt in 2004, when Arista Records was dissolved into its sister label Jive Records as part of a larger merger between Sony Music Entertainment and BMG. Due to contractual requirements, Clipse was forced to stay on Jive, while Star Trak and the rest of its roster moved to a new home at Interscope Records.

While Clipse resumed work on the album, and eventually finished its recording, the duo became increasingly frustrated with Jive, as the label overlooked them in favor of the more "pop" oriented acts on its roster, causing numerous delays in the release of Hell Hath No Fury. As delays continued, the group asked for a formal release from its contract. When Jive refused to grant this request, the duo sued the label. While the litigation took place, Clipse released new mats We Got It 4 Cheap mixtape series. The mixtapes featured Clipse and two Philadelphia rappers: long-time friend Ab-Liva (of Major Figgas) and newcomer Sandman, known collectively as "The Re-Up Gang".

On May 9, 2006, Clipse finally reached an agreement with Jive Records to release the album through its own label, Re-Up Records, along with Jive. After two more changes in its release date (originally August 29 and then October 31) Hell Hath No Fury was finally released on November 28, 2006. It spawned two singles: "Mr. Me Too" with Pharrell Williams and "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)" with Slim Thug. While the album received a great deal of critical acclaim, its sales were modest, at 78,000 in the first week. The hip hop magazine XXL gave the album a "XXL" rating, marking it as a five-star album. Only five albums had previously received that honor. In 2010, Rhapsody (online music service) named the album one of the top "coke rap" albums of all time.

Columbia Records (2007–present)

In a May 19, 2007 interview with Eye Weekly, Clipse revealed that the group had been officially released from its recording contract with Jive. After this, the duo began discussions with several record labels, eventually signing with Columbia Records on October 26, 2007. On August 8, 2008, the duo released the Re-Up Gang's self-titled debut studio album through Koch Records. The album's first single, "Fast Life", was produced by Scott Storch. The single was originally slated for the duo's third album, but they felt it would be better used for the Re-Up Gang album. Only Malice and Pusha-T appear on the track. After the release, Sandman left the group.

In November 2008, Clipse announced the launch of their fashion line, Play Clothes. A mixtape called Road to Till the Casket Drops was released on December 1, 2008 in promotion of the line.

The follow-up to Hell Hath No Fury, titled Til the Casket Drops, was released in December 2009. In a departure from the group's previous works, which only featured production from the Neptunes, the album features production from Sean "Diddy" Combs' production team The Hitmen, and DJ Khalil. The album did not fare as well commercially as the group's first two albums, peaking at #41 on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart. At a concert on April 30, 2010, Malice announced that he and Pusha T will release solo albums later in the year. As of September 12, 2010, Pusha T has confirmed to MTV that he has signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music label.

Discography

1999: Exclusive Audio Footage

2002: Lord Willin'

2006: Hell Hath No Fury

2009: Til the Casket Drops

Awards and Nominations

Hip-Hop Nation Awards

(2002) Best Rap Song with Group "When the last time" ft. Pharrell & Kelis – Nominated

(2002) Best New Artist – Nominated

(2006) Best Rap Song with Group "Mr. Me Too" ft. Pharrell – Nominated

References

External links

Official website

Clipse at MTV

Malice interview with Peak Street Magazine (2010) http://peakstreet.com/post/1514877190/malice

Category:African American musical groups Category:East Coast hip hop groups Category:People from New York City Category:People from the Bronx Category:People from Virginia Beach, Virginia Category:Southern hip hop musicians Category:Sibling musical duos Category:Musicians from Virginia Category:Rappers from Virginia

Name	Kanye West
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Kanye Omari West
Born	June 08, 1977Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genre	Hip hop
Instrument	Vocals, keyboards, sampler, percussion, synthesizer
Occupation	Producer, rapper, musician, singer
Years active	1996–present
Label	GOOD Music, Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam
Associated acts	Go Getters, Child Rebel Soldier, Jay-Z, Common, John Legend, Kid Cudi, Pusha T, Mr Hudson, Pusha T, Big Sean
Url

Kanye Omari West (; born June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Janet Jackson. His style of production originally used pitched-up vocal samples from soul songs incorporated with his own drums and instruments. However, subsequent productions saw him broadening his musical palette and expressing influences encompassing '70s R&B;, baroque pop, trip hop, arena rock, folk, alternative, electronica, synth-pop, and classical music.

West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008, and his fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010. His five albums have received numerous awards, including a cumulative twelve Grammys, All have been very commercially successful, with 808s & Heartbreak becoming his third consecutive #1 album in the U.S. upon release. West also runs his own record label GOOD Music, home to artists such as John Legend, Common and Kid Cudi. West's mascot and trademark is "Dropout Bear," a teddy bear which has appeared on the covers of three of his five albums as well as various single covers and music videos. About.com ranked Kanye West #8 on their "Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers" list. On May 16, 2008, Kanye West was crowned by MTV as the year's #1 "Hottest MC in the Game." On 17 December 2010, Kanye West was voted as the MTV Man of the Year by MTV.

Early life

Kanye West was born in Atlanta, Georgia, where he lived with his parents. When he was three years old, his parents divorced, and he and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois. West's mother, Dr. Donda West, was a Professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, and the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University before retiring to serve as West's manager. He was raised in a middle-class background, attending Polaris High School in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois after living in Chicago. When asked about his grades in high school, West replied, "I got A's and B's. And I'm not even frontin'".

West attended art classes at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, and also enrolled at Chicago State University, but dropped out to focus on his music career.

Music career

Early career (1996–2003)

Kanye West's first career productions came on Chicago rapper Grav's 1996 debut album Down to Earth. West produced eight tracks on the album. While the album didn't attract much attention and would be the only album released by Grav, West would soon be producing for higher profile artists. In 1998-1999 he produced for well known artists such as Jermaine Dupri, Foxy Brown, Goodie Mob, and the group Harlem World.

West got his big break in the year 2000 however when he began to produce for artists on Roc-a-Fella Records. He produced the well received Jay-Z song "This Can't Be Life" off of the album . West would later state that to create the beat for "This Can't Be Life" he sped up the drum beat from Dr. Dre's song "Xxplosive".

After producing for Jay-Z earlier, West’s sound was featured heavily on Jay-Z's critically acclaimed album The Blueprint, released on September 11, 2001. Jay-Z admitted that Roc-A-Fella was initially reluctant to support West as a rapper, claiming that he saw him as a producer first and foremost. Multiple record companies felt he was not as marketable as rappers who portray the "street image" prominent in hip hop culture. West's faith is apparent in many of his songs, such as "Jesus Walks", which became a staple at his benefit performances, such as the Live 8 concert. These songs were featured on West's debut album, The College Dropout, which was released on Roc-A-Fella Records in February 2004, and went on to receive critical acclaim. The album also defined the style for which West would become known, including wordplay and sampling. During 2003 West also co-produced songs for British singer Javine Hylton, even appearing in the music video to Real Things playing the love interest of Javine.

West was involved in a financial dispute over Royce Da 5'9"'s song "Heartbeat", produced by West and released on Build & Destroy: The Lost Sessions. West maintains that Royce never paid for the beat, but recorded to it and released it; hearing him on the beat, the original customers decided not to buy it from West. After the disagreement, West vowed to never work with Royce again. Other Kanye West-produced hit singles during the period The College Dropout was released included "I Changed My Mind" by Keyshia Cole, "Overnight Celebrity" by Twista and "Talk About Our Love" by Brandy. Like its predecessor, the sophomore effort garnered universal acclaim from music critics. Late Registration topped countless critic polls and was revered as the best album of the year by numerous publications, including USA Today, Spin, and Time. Rolling Stone awarded the album the highest position on their end of the year record list and hailed it as a "sweepingly generous, absurdly virtuosic hip-hop classic." The record earned the number one spot on the Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll of 2005 for the second consecutive year. Late Registration was also a commercial success, selling over 860,000 copies in its first week alone and topping the Billboard 200. Grossing over 2.3 million units sold in the United States alone by year's end, Late Registration was considered by industry observers as the sole majorly successful album release of the fall of 2005, a season that was plagued by steadily declining CD sales. The sophomore album earned eight Grammy Award nominations including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for the song "Gold Digger". The album is certified triple platinum.

On August 22, 2005, the MTV special All Eyes On Kanye West aired, in which West spoke out against homophobia in hip-hop. He claimed that hip-hop has always been about "speaking your mind and about breaking down barriers, but everyone in hip-hop discriminates against gay people." He then reflected on a personal experience. He said that he had a "turning point" when he realized one of his cousins was gay. He said regarding this experience: "This is my cousin. I love him and I've been discriminating against gays." He drew comparison between African Americans' struggle for civil rights and today's gay rights movement. The following year, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, West further expounded his experiences with and views on the relationship between the black and gay communities.

In September 2005, West announced that he would release his Pastelle Clothing line in spring 2006: "Now that I have a Grammy under my belt and Late Registration is finished, I am ready to launch my clothing line next spring." The current status of this project is unknown. In that year, West produced the hit singles "Go" by Common and "Dreams" by The Game.

Graduation (2007)

.]] In 2007, it was announced that West would be starring in a series directed by Larry Charles. He has been working on the pilot episode for the past two years with Larry Charles and Rick Rubin. He also had this to say on January 14: "I wouldn't do something as cliché as a reality show. At least give me the credit for being more creative than that. It's a situational half-hour comedy. It's fictional, and loosely based on my life. " West also collaborated with Japanese hip-hop group Teriyaki Boyz to produce the single "I Still Love H.E.R.," a reference to Common's 1994 single "I Used to Love H.E.R.". Further to this, during a radio appearance in early 2007, West, like many of his peers, recorded an impromptu freestyle to the popular song "Throw Some D's." The song that to all other rappers was about automobile rims, was used by West to comically refer to D-cup breasts. Because of the unexpected success of the song, West went on to make a video for the freestyle, in which he is seen playing his 'Old Ass Cousin'.

West was also featured in a new song called "Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been)". It was believed to be a single for, Graduation, because he is featured on the track, but Nike quickly explained that it was for the Nike Air Force 1's anniversary. It was meant only to be an exclusive track for the company.

On March 25, 2007, he and his father Ray West supported World Water Day by having a "Walk for Water" rally. After a two-year break, West has returned to being a fashion columnist in lifestyle magazine Complex. On July 7, 2007, West performed with The Police and John Mayer at the American leg of Live Earth. West hosted the August 17 edition of British comedy- variety show The Friday Night Project.

In July 2007, West changed the release date of Graduation, his third album, from September 18, 2007, to the same release date as 50 Cent's album Curtis, September 11, 2007. 50 Cent later claimed that if Graduation were to sell more records than Curtis, he would stop releasing solo albums. However, 50 Cent would later dispel his comments. The album has been certified double platinum. Guest appearances included T-Pain, Mos Def, and Lil Wayne.

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On August 26, 2007, West appeared as himself on the HBO television show Entourage which he used as a platform to premier his new single "Good Life" during the end credits. On September 9, 2007, West performed at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, losing in every category he was nominated for; he gave an angry speech immediately afterward. (see "Controversies" section)

Following the MTV stint, West was nominated in eight Grammy Award categories for the 50th annual Grammy Awards. He won four of them, including Best Rap Album for Graduation and Best Rap Solo Performance for "Stronger" from Graduation. During the four-hour televised Grammy Awards ceremony, West also performed two songs: "Stronger" (with Daft Punk) and "Hey Mama" (in honor of his recently deceased mother).

Glow in the Dark Tour, 808s & Heartbreak (2008–09)

in Chicago]]

West kicked off the Glow In The Dark Tour in Seattle at the Key Arena on April 16. The tour was originally scheduled to end in June in Cincinnati but was extended into August. Over the course of the tour West was joined by a varying group of opening acts, including Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, N.E.R.D., DJ Craze, and Gnarls Barkley. On June 15, West was scheduled to perform a late night set at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. His performance started almost two hours late and ran for half of its alloted time, angering many fans in the audience. West later wrote an outraged entry on his blog, blaming the festival organizers as well as Pearl Jam's preceding set, which ran longer than expected.

On September 7, West debuted a new song "Love Lockdown" at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. "Love Lockdown" features no rapping and only singing using an auto-tune device. This song appears on West's fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. The new album was expected to be released on December 16, but West announced on his blog on September 24, 2008, that he had finished the album and would be releasing it sometime in November, earlier than previously scheduled. In early October, West made a surprise appearance at a T.I. concert in Los Angeles, where he stated that 808s & Heartbreak was scheduled to be released on November 25, though it was actually released on the 24th, and that the second single is "Heartless". The album was another number one album for West, even though the first week numbers fell well short of Graduation with 450,145 sold.

Along with Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Leona Lewis, and others, West performed at the American Music Awards ceremony on November 23. That same night he won two AMA awards, including Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album for Graduation and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Male Artist. West performed at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August 2008, along with Wyclef Jean and N.E.R.D. in support of Barack Obama. On January 20, 2009, Kanye West performed at the Youth Inaugural Ball hosted by MTV for Obama's inauguration.

On February 17, 2009, West was named one of Top 10 Most Stylish Men in America by GQ. The next day, February 18, 2009, West won International Male Solo Artist at The Brit Awards 2009. West was not in attendance but accepted his award with a video speech, saying "Barack is the 'Best Interracial Male' but I'm proud to be the Best International Male in the world.

In April 2009, Kanye West recorded a song called "Hurricane" with 30 Seconds to Mars to appear on their album This Is War, but was not released due to legal issues with both record companies. The song was eventually released on the deluxe version of This Is War, titled "Hurricane 2.0".

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Watch the Throne (2010–present)

In May 2010, West made an animated television guest appearance on Fox's animated television series The Cleveland Show (a spin-off of Family Guy) as the voice behind "Kenny West", a rival of Cleveland Brown's son. In his first episode he performed in a rap battle with Cleveland's son. The producers stated working with West was a very good experience and a reason they chose him was because they knew he was a fan of Family Guy. Kenny West re-appeared in the season 2 premiere of The Cleveland Show.

West spent the first half of 2010 in Honolulu, Hawaii, working on his new album with the working title "Good Ass Job", later named My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, released on November 22, 2010. West has cited Maya Angelou, Gil Scott-Heron and Nina Simone as his musical inspirations for this album. Outside production is said to come from RZA, Q-Tip, Pete Rock, and DJ Premier. West also had Justin Vernon flown into his studio on Oahu after seemingly expressing interest in sampling one of Bon Iver's songs; Vernon proceeded to feature on a number of new tracks, including "Lost In The World," which features Vernon's vocal line from Woods.

On May 28, the Dwele-assisted first single from the album, entitled "Power", leaked to the Internet. On June 30, the track was officially released via iTunes. The upcoming music video was quoted as being "apocalyptic, in a very personal way" by the director Marco Brambilla.

On September 12, 2010, West performed a new song, "Runaway" featuring Pusha T, at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Shortly after the performance, Kanye revealed he was working on a 35 minute short film based around the song. The movie is said to be influenced by film noir and concerns a fallen phoenix whom Kanye falls in love with. The short film debuted consecutively on VH1, MTV, and BET on October 23, 2010.

Watch The Throne, an upcoming collaborative studio album by West and Jay-Z, is scheduled to be released by Def Jam Recordings in 2011. It has been under production since August 2010 as part of West's GOOD Friday initiative of releasing new songs every Friday between August 20 and Christmas 2010. West said through a recent interview with MTV that the album is "going to be very dark and sexy, like couture hip hop. He appeared at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, performing the track "Lost in the World" from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. On January 6, 2011, Kanye announced via Twitter that the first official single from Watch the Throne would be a song called "H.A.M" produced by Lex Luger. The song was released on January 11, 2011.

Personal life

Relationships

Kanye West and designer Alexis Phifer ended their 18-month engagement in 2008. The couple had been dating on and off since 2002, with West eventually proposing in August 2006. According to a friend, the couple's relationship had been straining, significantly influenced by the sheer amount of time and attention West was dedicating to his current concert tour. "It's always sad when things like this end, and we remain friends," Phifer told People.

West was also in a high profile on/off relationship with Amber Rose from 2008 until the summer of 2010.

Mother's death

On November 10, 2007, West's mother, Donda West, died of complications from cosmetic surgery involving abdominoplasty and breast augmentation. TMZ reported that Beverly Hills physician Andre Aboolian had advised Donda West not to have surgery because of a health condition that placed her at risk for a heart attack. He had previously been under scrutiny by the medical board. Adams appeared on Larry King Live on November 20, 2007 but left before speaking. Two days later, he appeared again, with his attorney, stating he was there to "defend himself." He said that the recently released autopsy results "spoke for themselves". The final coroner's report January 10, 2008 concluded that Donda West died of "coronary artery disease and multiple post-operative factors due to or as a consequence of liposuction and mammoplasty."

The funeral and burial for Donda West was held in Oklahoma City on November 20, 2007. West held his first concert following the funeral at The O2 in London on November 22. He dedicated a performance of "Hey Mama", as well as a cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", to his mother, and did so on all other dates of his Glow in the Dark tour.

At a December 2008 press conference in New Zealand, West spoke about his mother's death for the first time. "It was like losing an arm and a leg and trying to walk through that," he told reporters.

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger passed the "Donda West Law," a legislation which makes it mandatory for patients to provide medical clearance for elective cosmetic surgery.

Musical style and influences

(left)]] At the start of his career, Kanye West's production style often used pitched-up vocal samples, usually from soul songs, with his own drums and instruments. His first major release featuring his trademark vocal sampling style was "This Can't Be Life", a track from Jay-Z’s . West said he sped up the drum beat of Dr. Dre's "Xxplosive" to use as a replacement for his drums on "This Can't Be Life". and has said on numerous occasions that Wu-Tang rappers Ghostface Killah and Ol' Dirty Bastard were some of his all-time favorites, "Wu-Tang? Me and my friends talk about this all the time... We think Wu-Tang had one of the biggest impacts as far as a movement. From slang to style of dress, skits, the samples. Similar to the [production] style I use, RZA has been doing that." RZA himself has spoken quite positively of the comparisons, stating in an interview for Rolling Stone, "All good. I got super respect for Kanye. He came up to me about a year or two ago. He gave me mad praising and blessings... For people to say Wu-Tang inspire Kanye, Kanye is one of the biggest artists in the world. That goes back to what we say: 'Wu-Tang is forever.' Kanye is going to inspire people to be like him."

While his use of sampling has lessened over time, West's production continues to feature distinctive and intricate string arrangements. This characteristic arose from him listening to the English trip hop group Portishead, whose 1998 live album Roseland NYC Live, with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra inspired him to incorporate string sections into his hip hop production. Though he was unable to afford live instruments beyond violin riffs provided by Israeli violinist Miri Ben-Ari around the time of his debut album, its subsequent commercial success allowed him to hire his very own eleven-piece string orchestra. For a time, West stood as the sole current pop star to tour with a string section. Both a fan and supporter of indie culture, West uses his official website to promote obscure indie rock bands, posting up music videos and mp3s on a daily basis. This musical affinity is mutual, as West has collaborated with indie artists such as Santigold, Peter Bjorn and John and Lykke Li while his songs have gone on to be covered countless times by myriad rock bands.

Other ventures

Business ventures

In August 2008, West revealed plans to open 10 Fatburger restaurants in the Chicago area; the first was set to open in September 2008 in Orland Park. The second followed in January 2009, while a third location is yet to be revealed, although the process is being finalized. His company, KW Foods LLC, bought the rights to the chain in Chicago. Additionally, West planned to launch his fashion career, and applied for internships with major European fashion houses. He is due to release his own clothing line called Past Tell in 2009. He also collaborated with Nike to release his own shoe, Air Yeezys.

On January 22, 2009, during Paris Fashion Week, West introduced his first shoe line designed for Louis Vuitton. The line was released in summer 2009.

Philanthropy

West started the "Kanye West Foundation" in Chicago in 2003. On August 24, 2007, West hosted the inaugural benefit concert to launch the foundation's partnership with Strong American Schools. It is focused on helping Latino and African American children stay in school and to get a proper education through grade school, high school, and college. The foundation also helps children to stay in high school by finding a path through music. West has contributed over $500,000 to his foundation. The foundation has also been called the "Donda West Foundation".

Kanye West has appeared and participated in many fundraisers, benefit concerts, and has done community work for Hurricane Katrina relief, the Kanye West Foundation, the Millions More Movement, 100 Black Men of America, a Live Earth concert benefit, World Water Day rally and march, Nike runs, and a MTV special helping young Iraq War veterans who struggle through debt and PTSD a second chance after returning home.

Controversies

Media

West has had several controversies throughout his career. On September 2, 2005, during a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief on NBC, A Concert for Hurricane Relief, West was a featured speaker. When West was presenting alongside actor Mike Myers, he deviated from the prepared script. Myers spoke next and continued to read the script. Once it was West's turn to speak again, he said "George Bush doesn't care about black people." At this point, telethon producer Rick Kaplan cut off the microphone and then cut away to Chris Tucker, who was unaware of the cut for a few seconds. Still, West's comment reached much of the United States. Bush stated in an interview that the comment was "one of the most disgusting moments” of his presidency.

In January 2006, West again sparked controversy when he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in the image of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns.

Award shows

Later in 2006, West had his first of a number of incidents involving music award events. After the 2006 Grammy nominations were released, West said he would "really have a problem" if he did not win the Album of the Year, saying, "I don't care what I do, I don't care how much I stunt — you can never take away from the amount of work I put into it. I don't want to hear all of that politically correct stuff." On November 2, 2006, when his "Touch the Sky" failed to win Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards, West went onto the stage as the award was being presented to Justice and Simian for "We Are Your Friends" and argued that he should have won the award instead. Hundreds of news outlets worldwide criticized the outburst. On November 7, 2006, West apologized for this outburst publicly during his performance as support act for U2 for their Vertigo concert in Brisbane. He later spoofed the incident in the season premiere of Saturday Night Live. On September 9, 2007, West suggested that his race had to do with his being overlooked for opening the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in favor of Britney Spears; he claimed, "Maybe my skin’s not right." West was performing at the event; that night, he lost all 5 awards that he was nominated for, including Best Male Artist and Video of the Year. After the show, he was visibly upset that he had lost at the VMAs two years in a row, stating that he would not come back to MTV ever again. He also appeared on several radio stations saying that when he made the song "Stronger" that it was his dream to open the VMAs with it. He has also stated that Spears hasn't had a hit in a long period of time and that MTV exploited her for ratings.

On September 13, 2009, during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards while Taylor Swift was accepting her award for Best Female Video for "You Belong with Me", West went on stage and grabbed the microphone to proclaim that Beyoncé's video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", nominated for the same award, was "one of the best videos of all time". He was subsequently removed from the remainder of the show for his actions. When Beyoncé later won the award for Best Video of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", she called Swift up on stage so that she could finish her acceptance speech. and by President Barack Obama, who called West a "jackass" in an off the record comment. In addition, West's VMA disruption sparked a large influx of Internet photo memes with blogs, forums and "tweets" with the "Let you finish" photo-jokes. He posted two apologies for the outburst on his personal blog; one on the night of the incident and the other the same day he appeared on The Jay Leno Show, on September 14, 2009, where he apologized again. After Swift appeared on The View two days after the outburst, partly to discuss the matter, West called her to apologize personally. Swift said she accepted his apology. In September 2010, West wrote a series of apologetic tweets addressed to Swift including "Beyonce didn't need that. MTV didn't need that and Taylor and her family friends and fans definitely didn't want or need that" and concluding with "I'm sorry Taylor." West also revealed he had written a song for Swift and if she didn't accept the song, he would perform it himself.

Legal issues

In December 2006, Robert "Evel" Knievel sued West for trademark infringement in West's video for "Touch the Sky." Knievel took issue with a "sexually-charged video" in which West takes on the persona of "Evel Kanyevel" and attempts flying a rocket over a canyon. The suit filed in federal court claims infringement on his trademarked name and likeness. Knievel also claims the "vulgar and offensive" images depicted in the video damage his reputation. The suit seeks damages and to stop distribution of the video. West's attorneys argued that the music video amounted to satire and therefore was covered under the First Amendment. Just days before his death in November 2007, Knievel amicably settled the suit after being paid a visit from West, saying, "I thought he was a wonderful guy and quite a gentleman."

On September 11, 2008, West and his road manager/bodyguard Don Crowley were arrested at Los Angeles International Airport and booked on charges of felony vandalism after an altercation with the paparazzi in which West and Crowley broke the photographers' cameras. West was later released from the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Division station in Culver City on $20,000 bail bond. On September 26, 2008 the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said it would not file felony counts against West over the incident. Instead the case file was forwarded to the city attorney's office, which charged West with one count of misdemeanor vandalism, one count of grand theft and one count of battery and his manager with three counts of each on March 18, 2009. West's and Crowley's arraignment was delayed from an original date of April 14, 2009. West was arrested again on November 14, 2008 at a hotel near Gateshead after another scuffle involving a photographer outside a nightclub in Newcastle Upon Tyne. He was later released "with no further action", according to a police spokesperson.

Discography

; Studio albums

The College Dropout (2004)

Late Registration (2005)

Graduation (2007)

808s & Heartbreak (2008)

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

; Live albums

''Late Orchestration (2006)

(2010)

; Collaboration albums Watch The Throne (2011) (with Jay-Z)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Kanye West at Beatbuggy

Category:1977 births Category:1990s singers Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:African American rappers Category:African American singers Category:American bloggers Category:American hip hop record producers Category:American music video directors Category:American pop musicians Category:American record producers Category:Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Chicago State University alumni Category:Electro-hop musicians Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Hip hop musicians Category:Hip hop singers Category:Living people Category:Mercury Records artists Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:Rappers from Chicago, Illinois Category:Roc-A-Fella Records artists Category:World Music Awards winners

Name	Big Sean
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Sean Michael Leonard Anderson
Born	March 25, 1988Santa Monica, California, US
Origin	Detroit, Michigan, US
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, songwriter, model
Years active	2005 – present
Label	GOOD Music, Def Jam
Associated acts	Kanye West, Pharrell, Mike Posner, Chip tha Ripper
Url

Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988) is an American hip hop artist who primarily goes by the stage name Big Sean. He was born in Santa Monica, California and moved to the Detroit, Michigan area at two months of age. Big Sean signed with Kanye West's GOOD Music in 2007, and then in 2008 signed with Def Jam Recordings. He has been featured in The Source and the Detroit Metro Times.

Early life

Sean was raised by his mother, where he would grow up with his little cousins Chris Jinkins and Gregg Pluta in Southwest Detroit. In his early childhood Sean attended Detroit Waldorf School for the arts. After eighth grade, Sean briefly attended Marietta High for his Freshman year, before returning to the Detroit Area. He later met Sean Menifee, an older teen who mentored him after recognizing his wordplay skills. Since Sean was much smaller than his mentor, many called him "Big Sean" when referring to him as an ironic joke. He attended Cass Technical High School.In his later years in high school, Sean gained a valuable relationship with Detroit hip hop station 102.7 FM; he would show his rhyming skills on a weekly basis as part of a rap battle contest held by the station.

Music career

In 2005, Kanye West was doing a radio interview at 102.7 FM. Hearing about this, Sean headed over to the station to meet West and perform some free-style. Initially Kanye was reluctant to hear the emcee, however he gave Sean 16 bars to rap for him, eventually according to Big Sean "As we get to the entrance of the radio station ... we stopped in the middle of the doorway. He starts looking at me and bobbing his head,". He left a demo-tape as well. Two years later, West finally signed Big Sean to GOOD Music. His musical rap/singing style and lyrical delivery has influenced many top rappers in the game, such as Lil Wayne and Drake.

Finally Famous Vol 1: The Mixtape (2007)

On September 21, 2007, Big Sean released his first official mixtape Finally Famous: The Mixtape. His hit single, "Getcha Some", produced by WrighTrax, attained media attention and led to articles in The Source and the Detroit Metro Times. He also recorded a music video for "Getcha Some", which was directed by Hype Williams. The mixtape also featured the song "Get Em" (produced by 93 P).

Finally Famous Vol. 2: UKNOWBIGSEAN (2009)

Sean released a second mixtape hosted by Mick Boogie on April 16, 2009, called U Know Big Sean. It features the songs "Million Dollars" Getcha Some" & "Desire, Want & Need."

''Finally Famous Vol. 3: B.I.G. (2010)

Sean released a third mixtape hosted by Don Cannon on August 31, 2010 called Finally Famous Vol.3 B.I.G. Features include Bun B, Chip tha Ripper, Curren$y, Say It Aint Tone, Tyga, Drake, Mike Posner, Suai, Chuck Inglish, Asher Roth, Dom Kennedy, Boldy James, and Chiddy Bang. The mixtape includes 20 tracks.

Finally Famous (2011)

It will be Sean's debut album and includes Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Mr Hudson, Game, Chiddy Bang, Pusha T of Clipse, Rick Ross, The-Dream, Drake, Tyga, Eminem, Wale, and Mike Posner with production from Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Posner, No I.D., The Olympicks, Tricky Stewart, Chiddy Bang member Xaphoon Jones and The Neptunes. Big Sean also recorded a song for the album titled "Way Out" featuring Mr. Hudson. An unauthorized leak of his collaboration with Drake, called "Made" made its way to the net on April 30, 2010. In an interview with TheHipHopUpdate.com on May 1, Big Sean expressed his disappointment over the leak, calling it an unfinished version both musically and verse wise. The first single of his "Finally Famous" Album was What U Doin' (Bullshittin')(produce by The Olympicks) release on August 3 on iTunes. Big Sean's official Facebook page, he confirmed that on September 14, 2010, his debut album Finally Famous & Consequence's Cons TV will be released. On the 31st of August, Big Sean tweeted that the album was not coming out on September 14, but it will still be coming out sometime in 2011. In a recent interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio, he discussed the role Kanye West and No I.D. have had in the development of the albums sonic direction as well as the challenges of being inside the studio with West.

Style and clothing

In late October 2008, Big Sean was featured in The Source and headlined the "Style" section of the magazine. In the article Sean talks about his own personal style and states that his favorite clothing brands are 10. Deep, Billionaire Boys Club, and Bape. Big Sean also posed in the Winter 2008 Billionaire Boys Club lookbook. Big Sean is also a consistent representative of Ti$A clothing and hats, along with Chris Brown and Tyga. Ti$A is a vintage company run by Big Sean's fellow G.O.O.D Music recording artist Taz Arnold. Big Sean also goes to a small store in Royal Oak, Michigan called, "Burn Rubber" This store offers many styles of his clothing that he wears now. Big Sean is also a follower in the clothing style: Rosewood.

Discography

Studio albums

(2011)

Mixtapes

(2007)

(2009)

(2010)

Appearances

Chip tha Ripper - Fat Raps ft Curren$y & Big Sean

Chris Brown - Shit Got Damn ft Big Sean

Chris Brown - Glitter ft Big Sean

Chris Brown - What U Doin' ft Big Sean

French Montana - I'm On It ft Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa & Nipsey Hussle

Kanye West - Paranoid Remix ft Big Sean, Kid Cudi & Mr Hudson

Kanye West - Looking For Trouble ft Big Sean, Pusha T, J. Cole & CyHi The Prynce

Kanye West - See Me Now ft Big Sean, Beyonce & Charlie Wilson

Kanye West - Good Friday ft. Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Big Sean & Charlie Wilson

Kanye West - Don't Look Down ft Mos Def, Big Sean & Lupe Fiasco

Fly Union ft. Big Sean - Poe'd Up

Mike Posner - Cooler than Me ft Big Sean

Malik Yusef - V.E.R.S.E (Very Entertaining Recitals Spit Effortlessly) (featuring Big Sean, Anna Maria Cardinalli)

Mike Posner - Speed of Sound ft Big Sean

Mike Posner - Bring Me Down ft Big Sean & Freddie Gibbs

Mike Posner - "Smoke and Drive ft. Big Sean"

Royce da 5'9 - My Own Planet ft Big Sean

Tommy Lee - I'm A Loser ft Lil Wayne, Joell Ortiz, Sparkdawg, Big Sean, J-Son & Sum 41

Wale - Wonder Why ft Big Sean, Kenn Star & Mike Posner

YG - Big Krit Big Sean & Ty$

Videography

"Get'cha Some"

"Million Dollars"

"What U Doin (Bullshitting)"

"Highrise"

"Supa Dupa Lemonade"

"Okay"

"Supa Dupa"

"Final Hour"

"Too Fake" (feat. Chiddy Bang)

"Ambiguous" (feat. Mike Posner)

"Crazy"

References

External links

HipHopGame April 2008 Interview

HipHopAtLunch Interview

TheHipHopUpdate May 2010 Interview

Conspiracy Worldwide Radio October 2010 Uncensored Interview

Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:American rappers Category:African American rappers Category:Waldorf school alumni

Name	Willow Smith
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Willow Camille Reign Smith
Alias	Willow
Born	October 31, 2000 Los Angeles, California,United States
Genre	R&B;, hip hop, pop, dance-pop
Occupation	Actress, singer, dancer
Years active	2007–present
Label	Roc Nation
Associated acts	Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith
Url

Willow Camille Reign Smith (born October 31, 2000), who has released a recording as Willow, is an American child actress and singer who is the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. She made her acting debut in 2007 in the film I Am Legend and later appeared in alongside Abigail Breslin. She received a Young Artist Award for her performance.

Apart from her acting she launched a music career in the fall of 2010 with the release of her single "Whip My Hair" and signing to Jay-Z's record label Roc Nation. The single peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Smith one of the youngest solo artists in history to do so.

Personal life

She is the daughter of musician-actor Will Smith and actress Jada Pinkett-Smith. Her older brothers are Jaden Smith and Trey Smith, also child actors. In conjunction with Hasbro, she and her brothers are youth ambassadors for Project Zambia, which helps children orphaned by AIDS in Zambia.

Acting career

Smith presented an award at the Kid's Choice Awards. She made her acting debut in I Am Legend alongside her father. Her next film, , was released on July 2, 2008.

Music career

In June 2010, Smith's mother Jada Pinkett Smith announced in an interview on Lopez Tonight that Smith would be releasing an album. Her first single, "Whip My Hair" leaked on September 7, 2010. She is now signed with Jay-Z's label, Roc Nation. Miss Smith performed the song, "Whip My Hair", on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest on December 31st, 2010.

Filmography

Discography

Singles

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Category:2000 births Category:2010s singers Category:Actors from Los Angeles, California Category:African American actors Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:American people of Jewish descent Category:American people of Native American descent Category:American people of Portuguese descent Category:Creole peoples Category:Living people Category:Musicians from California Category:People from Los Angeles, California

Name	The Neptunes
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop, pop, dance, funk rock, dancehall
Years active	1990–present
Label	Star Trak
Associated acts	N*E*R*D, Clipse, Jay-Z, Kenna, Snoop Dogg, Game, N.O.R.E., Diddy, Kelis, Child Rebel Soldier, Gwen Stefani
Current members	Pharrell WilliamsChad Hugo

The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for some successful hip hop, R&B; and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s.

The Neptunes' sound is a distinctive brand of off-kilter, stripped-down electronic funk. Along with Timbaland and Dr. Dre they were the driving force behind many of the musical characteristics of late-1990s/2000s hip-hop, with sounds from Middle Eastern and Asian music including percussion and woodwind.

Taking his cue from Dr Dre, Pharrell has further pushed the role of the producer into the public eye, singing and (later) rapping on records and appearing in videos, unlike his production partner Chad, and sometime vocal partner Shay Haley who tended to stay behind the scenes.

The Neptunes are estimated to have a net worth of $155 million.

Biography

Pharrell and Chad met at a summer camp from the school of The Gifted and Talented in Virginia Beach, where Williams was a drummer and Hugo played tenor saxophone. They were also both members of a marching band; Pharrell played kettle drum and Chad was a student conductor. In 1990 Chad and Pharrell formed a 4-piece "R&B; type" group along with friends Shay and Mike Etheridge, which they named The Neptunes. Upon entering a local talent contest, they were discovered by Teddy Riley, whose studio was close to Pharrell's school. After graduating from high school, they signed with Riley as a group.

Through working with Riley, Pharrell went on to write a verse for Wreckx-N-Effect's 1992 #2 (billboard hot 100) hit "Rump Shaker". In 1994, Hugo and Williams had established themselves formally as a production duo under the previously used name "The Neptunes", and produced "Tonight's The Night" from Teddy Riley's group BLACKstreet's self-titled debut. Over the next three years they continued to produce occasionally. Some of the production, such as for SWV (1996) and Total (1996), had little resemblance to what would become their distinctive sound, while other songs such as Mase's 1998 No.8 (Billboard hot 100) hit "Lookin' At Me" (from the Harlem World album, 1997) showed clear signs the Neptunes sound was developing.

Their first major production hit, and the most clear beginning of the distinctive Neptunes sound, came with N.O.R.E.'s "Superthug" in 1998, reaching #36 on the Billboard Hot 100, and gaining them widespread attention for the first time. The duo then went on to work heavily with Kelis, producing her first album Kaleidoscope and Ol' Dirty Bastard's record Got Your Money, on which Kelis is featured. They achieved huge commercial success with tracks like Jay-Z's "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)", Mystikal's "Shake Ya Ass", and then-newly-renamed Diddy's single "D.I.D.D.Y". Other notable hits during their commercial rise were Busta Rhymes' "Pass The Courvoisier pt. 2" and Usher's "You Don't Have to Call".

Kelis was one of several artists whose careers Hugo and Williams have helped launch; artists such as the Clipse, Vanessa Marquez and Justin Timberlake's solo career were also closely tied to the Neptunes' involvement. They have also helped re-launch the careers of Snoop Dogg, Robin Thicke and Mystikal.

In 2001, The Neptunes gained their first worldwide hit with Britney Spears' single, "I'm A Slave 4 U", which reached #1 in several countries in Europe and South America. The following year they reached #1 in the U.S. with Nelly's single, "Hot in Herre". In August of the same year, The Neptunes were named "Producers of the Year" at both The Source Awards and the Billboard Music Awards.

In 2003, they released a self-credited album called The Neptunes Present... Clones, featuring songs and remixes from various Star Trak artists. This album topped the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart.

The Neptunes went home with two Grammy Awards in 2004, one for "Producer of the Year, Non-Classical", and another for "Best Pop Vocal Album" for their work on Justin Timberlake's No.2 Billboard hit Justified. They also gained their first UK #1, again with Nelly, and Flap Your Wings.

A survey in August 2003 found the Neptunes produced almost 20% of songs played on British radio. A similar survey in the US had them at 43%.

Vocals

Many Neptunes productions feature a hook with Pharrell singing falsetto, including Jay-Z's "Excuse Me Miss", Jadakiss' "Hot Sauce To Go", Kelis' "Flashback", and Snoop Dogg's "Beautiful". Pharrell also adds his own rhymes to his productions, including "Drop It Like It's Hot" in 2004 and "Can I Have It Like That" from his solo debut album In My Mind. Sometimes he is credited as a featured artist and other times he is not.

Synthesizers

Another signature sound found on Neptunes productions are their distinctive use of synth lines. Examples include the sharp unfiltered sawtooth bass on Busta Rhymes' As I Come Back or Kelis' Milkshake, the heavily phased strings in Jay-Z's "Excuse Me Miss (Remix)", and hard clavi sounds which is used in N.E.R.D's "Lapdance" reminiscent of those associated with rayguns or video game sound effects from the 8-bit era. The synthesizers they use include a MicroKorg, and a Minimoog Voyager.

Studio equipment

There has been much speculation about their tools of the trade. For sequencing they use the Korg 01/W, for drum sounds they use the sampling keyboard Ensoniq ASR-10, their sound modules include the Roland JV 1080 and JV 2080 and for basslines and filtering they have used the MicroKorg. They are also well known for using the Korg Triton and incorporating live percussion and acoustic instruments into their music.

Discography

Awards and nominations

Name	The Neptunes
Awards	5
Nominations	17
Grammyw	3
Grammyn	11
Award1	Billboard R&B;/Hip-Hop Awards
Award1w	2
Award1n	6

The duo has received numerous awards, such as from the Grammy Awards, where they have been nominated every year from 2004 to 2007. The Neptunes have received three Grammy Awards: "Producer of the Year, Non-Classical", "Best Pop Vocal Album" for Justified, and "Best Rap Song" for "Money Maker". Overall, The Neptunes have received five awards from 17 nominations.

Billboard R&B;/Hip-Hop Awards

The Billboard R&B;/Hip-Hop Awards are sponsored by Billboard magazine and is held annually in December.

|- |rowspan="2"| 2002 ||rowspan="2"| The Neptunes || Songwriter of the Year || |- | Producer of the Year || |- |rowspan="2"| 2003 ||rowspan="2"| The Neptunes || Songwriter of the Year || |- | Producer of the Year || |- | 2004 || The Neptunes || Producer of the Year || |- |rowspan="2"| 2009 || The Neptunes || Producer of the Decade||

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States.

|- |rowspan="6"| || The Neptunes || Producer of the Year, Non-Classical || |- | Justified || Best Pop Vocal Album || |- | "Frontin'" || Best Rap/Sung Collaboration || |- |rowspan="2"| "Beautiful" || Best Rap/Sung Collaboration || |- | Best Rap Song || |- | "Excuse Me Miss" || Best Rap Song || |- |rowspan="2"| ||rowspan="2"| "Drop It Like It's Hot" || Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group || |- | Best Rap Song || |- | || The Neptunes || Producer of the Year || |- |rowspan="2"| || "Money Maker" || Best Rap Song || |- | In My Mind || Best Rap Album ||

References

External links

Star Trak Entertainment The Neptunes' own label.

N-E-R-D.com: Official website of N*E*R*D News, biography, photos, tour information, and forum. The URL "theneptunes.com" was seized by domain name prospectors. See also: cybersquatting.

Billionaire Boys Club Pharrell's clothing line.

theneptunes.org The Neptunes #1 fansite.

Alyssa Bernal An artist under the label Star Trak Entertainment.

Category:The Neptunes Category:American pop music groups Category:American hip hop groups Category:American dance music groups Category:Musical groups established in 1990 Category:Musical groups from Virginia Category:Southern hip hop groups Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Record production teams Category:Songwriting teams

Name	Swizz Beatz|Img = Swizz beatz at hot 97 summer jam 2007.jpg
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Kasseem Dean
Born	August 30, 1978 The Bronx, New York, United States
Instrument	Keyboard, sampler
Occupation	Record producer, rapper, record executive, painter, artist
Years active	1998–present
Genre	Hip hop
Label	Full Surface, Ruff Ryders, Atlantic
Associated acts	DMX, Alicia Keys, Eve, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Drag-On, Cassidy, T.I., G-Unit
Url	http://swizzbeatzonline.com

Kasseem Daoud Dean (born August 30, 1978), better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, and rapper. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records.

Early life

Kasseem Daoud Dean was born to an African American Muslim father and a Puerto Rican Christian mother. Dean didn't see much of his father, a postal worker, due to his parents being separated, and was raised by his mother. He was born and raised in the southwestern area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. It was there where he spent most of his childhood, first encountered Hip hop and began deejaying. He began deejaying after he got some equipment from his stepfather and his uncles. He later relocated to Atlanta as a teenager due to having too many fights at Harry S. Truman High School; there he started to work for his uncles, Joaquin and Darrin Dean, who were co-CEOs of the Ruff Ryders label. Forgoing the practice of using samples, he mostly used the Korg Trinity and Triton Keyboards and tried to accentuate the performance aspect of his music. The next five years would find him landing hit after hit and becoming more in demand with each production.

Career

1998-2002: Ruff Ryders and Full Surface

With his uncles (Chivon, Dee, and Waah Dean) involved with the Ruff Ryders label, he began to produce tracks at the age of 16. He sold his first beat at 17 which became DMX's hit single "Ruff Ryders' Anthem". In 2001 at the age of 23 he established his own record label, Full Surface, in a joint venture with Clive Davis of J Records. The first artist signed was Philadelphia-based rapper Cassidy. But it wasn't until Swizz's first compilation album, 2002's Swizz Beatz Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories, that he started to get notices for his production style and interesting ideas and Cassidy began to get attention. He released two singles "Guilty" and "Bigger Business", both charted on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs and were accompanied by music videos.

2003-2006: Super producer status and mainstream success

Swizz Beatz along with being associated with Ruff Ryders & Roc-A-Fella Records, began to produce for artists from labels such as Elektra Records, Atlantic Records, Epic Records, Def Jam Recordings, and Bad Boy Entertainment and his career largely grew from that point. Swizz Beatz produced hit songs for many elite rap, hip-hop soul and R&B; artists of that time, such as DMX ("Party Up (Up in Here)"), Beyoncé ("Check on It", "Ring the Alarm"), T.I. ("Bring 'Em Out"), Styles P ("Good Times"), Cassidy ("Hotel", "I'm a Hustla"), Busta Rhymes ("Touch It") and many more.

In 2003 he began to expand his label; Big Tigger, Keith Sweat, Bounty Killer and Yung Wun were all in talks to signing with Full Surface but in the end only Yung Wun was signed. Yung Wun, whom Swizz took under his wing and was executive producer of his album, The Dirtiest Thirstiest and co-produced the lead single "Tear It Up''.

In 2006 he became a partner involved in the popular clothing company Kidrobot, a creator and retailer of limited-edition art toys and apparel.

2007–present: One Man Band Man, new ventures and Haute Living

In February 2007, the producer mixed the music for design duo Heatherette's Fall 2007 New York Fashion Week runway show. On August 21, 2007, Swizz Beatz released his second solo album, titled One Man Band Man. The album sold 45,000 records in its first week and includes singles "It's Me Bitches" and "Money in the Bank".

In 2007 Swizz Beatz signed longtime friend Drag-On, legendary Cleveland-based rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, and former Ruff Ryder member Eve to his label.

April 24, 2009 Swizz Beatz did a promo song for Hennessy Black, entitled "When I Step In The Club". A video was made and was directed by Hype Williams.

In 2009, Swizz Beatz produced many popular singles including "Nasty Girl" by Ludacris featuring Plies, "Who's Real" by Jadakiss featuring OJ da Juiceman, "Million Bucks" by Maino, "Million Dollar Bill" by Whitney Houston, "I Can Transform Ya" by Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and "On to the Next One" by Jay-Z .

Although in 2010 on his twitter Swizz Beatz renamed his album three times. He first announced he was calling it King Issues but later on that day settled on The Perception of Greatness, and on August 23 while in a studio session with Mary J. Blige in New York City, Swizz unveiled his new album title Haute Living, stating that it's the perfect phrase to represent what he's all about. The album will be released under his actual contract with Everest Entertainment/Atlantic/Warner, who signed the rapper in August 2010. Confirmed guest appearances include Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Bono, Lenny Kravitz, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige and John Legend.

Swizz Beatz also was named the first "Producer in Residence" at New York University. This will last from the 2010-2011 academic year.

In 2010, inspired by Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Fridays series, Swizz Beatz launched his own series of free weekly mp3s titled Monster Monday. The first song, "DJ Play that Beat" featuring Estelle, was released on October 25. Other Monster Monday tracks include features from Rakim, Pusha T, DMX, Busta Rhymes and Pharrell.

On twitter in 2010, Swizz Beatz revealed his new sneaker line with Reebok.

Personal life

In 2004, he married R&B; singer Mashonda Tifrere, together they have two children, Prince Nasir Dean (born 2000), Kassem Dean Jr. (born 2007). In April 2008, they announced their plans to divorce after four years of marriage. Rumors have since surfaced online suggesting singer Alicia Keys was involved in the break-up, but Swizz has since then stated this is not true. In May 2009, Swizz Beatz admitted to having a relationship with Alicia Keys. He explained that he's kept their relationship under wraps because he didn't want to upset Mashonda and says that what he and Keys have is "so precious." Beatz' divorce from Mashonda was finalized on May 7, 2010.

In May 2008, singer and producer Jahna Sebastian gave birth to a daughter, Nicole, whom Swizz Beatz had fathered. In May 2010 Beatz confirmed he was engaged to singer Alicia Keys, and that Keys was pregnant with Beatz' fourth, and her first child. During the time of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the couple took part of a union and had the unborn child blessed in a Zulu ceremony, which took place in the Illovo suburb of South Africa. Keys and Swizz Beatz held a wedding celebration on the French island of Corsica on July 31, 2010. Alicia Keys gave birth to their son, Egypt Daoud Ibarr Dean, on October 14, 2010.

Swizz Beatz not only collects paintings but also paints on his own free time. He donates the money he earns from his paintings to the Children's Cancer & Blood Foundation.

Awards and nominations

2009: Urban Music Awards Best Producer (won)

Grammy Awards

*2010, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group "On to the Next One" [Nominated]

*2010, Best Rap Song "On to the Next One" [Nominated]

*2010, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group "Fancy" [Nominated]

Discography

; Studio Albums

One Man Band Man (2007)

Haute Living (TBA)

; Compilation Albums

G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories (2002)

Ryde or Die Vol. 1 (1999)

References

External links

Official website

Interview, HitQuarters Jun 02

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz Engaged? PopEater, January 27, 2010

Meet Alicia Keys' secret boyfriend, Swizz Beats NY Daily News, May 17, 2009

Category:1978 births Category:African American rappers Category:African American Muslims Category:American record producers Category:African American record producers Category:American hip hop record producers Category:American Muslims Category:Living people Category:People from the Bronx Category:Ruff Ryders artists Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers

Name	Ryan Leslie
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Anthony Ryan Leslie
Alias	R-Les
Born	September 25, 1978
Origin	Harlem, New York
Instrument	guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums, vocals, trumpet
Genre	R&B;, hip hop, Crossover R&B;
Occupation	music producer, singer-songwriter, musical arranger, rapper
Alma mater	Harvard
Years active	2000–present
Label	NextSelection Lifestyle Group/Casablanca Records/Universal Republic
Associated acts	Cassie, Fabolous, Keri Hilson , Jadakiss, Booba, Jim Jones, LL Cool J, Lloyd Banks
Url	http://www.ryanleslie.com/

Anthony Ryan Leslie (born September 25, 1978, in Washington, D.C.) is a Grammy nominated American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, entrepreneur, and singer. Founder of the media company NextSelection Lifestyle Group, Leslie has produced singles for a number of artists in a variety of genres ranging from R&B;/Hip-Hop to Pop to Gospel. From 2005–2006 he had his most commercial success to date with NextSelection/Bad Boy/Atlantic recording artist Cassie and her single "Me & U". Leslie's debut album, Ryan Leslie (2009), features the songs "Diamond Girl," "Addiction," and "How It Was Supposed To Be."

Biography

Ryan Leslie was born into a multicultural (mixed race) family. Leslie is the oldest son of mother (Evangeline) Mooi Leslie who is of Caribbean Dutch, Chinese, and African descent, and father Clement Leslie who is from Barbados and of Irish ancestry, raised in Trinidad. His parents were Salvation Army officers who frequently relocated for work. Ryan has lived in various states, cities, and countries. At an early age, Leslie taught himself how to play the piano. He developed the ability to recite music, as well as arrange chords to create songs. At the age of 14, Leslie scored a 1600 on his SATs—a perfect score—while attending Bear Creek High School, in Stockton,California. In 1993 he applied to four University of California campuses as well as Stanford, Yale and Harvard. In his application essays he explained his interest in matriculating from his junior year in high school without having earned a diploma. He was accepted to all except Yale. He ultimately decided to attend Harvard College. During his commencement ceremonies, Ryan delivered the prestigious Harvard Oration.

Music

During his freshman year at Harvard, Leslie devoted many hours per week to creating and developing music in a studio basement on campus. He taught himself basic production skills and also developed a musical style. As the semesters progressed, Leslie spent more and more time in the school's studio molding his craft. Eventually, Leslie moved back home with his parents in Phoenix where he convinced them to take out a loan for a production studio so that he could pursue music full-time. He vowed to his family that he would pay back the $15,000 loan one day, even if it meant going back to school and getting a job. For the next several months, Leslie worked towards developing a distinct sound. During this period, Ryan has said that he ate and slept very little. In the summer of 2003, Ryan landed a production internship with producer Younglord. He has said in interviews that he considers this 30-day internship the jump-start of his career in the music industry. Within the first week, Leslie produced the song “Keep Giving Your Love To Me” that would later be performed by Beyoncé for the Bad Boys II soundtrack. The soundtrack was supervised by Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was impressed by Leslie’s production style and offered him a management contract upon meeting him.

Under the management of Combs, Ryan worked on various Bad Boy projects including releases from Loon, Cheri Dennis, B5, New Edition and Danity Kane. During that time, Leslie also co-produced a record for Britney Spears. Also in 2003, Leslie was introduced by his then attorney Ed Woods to Tommy Mottola. Mottola soon became a mentor of Ryan’s and offered him a publishing deal with Aspen Songs and a recording contract with Casablanca, Mottola's imprint distributed by Universal Music Group. Under the mentorship of Mottola and Combs, Ryan signed then-aspiring model Cassie Ventura to his imprint, NextSelection in 2005.

Debut album, Transitions, & Leaving Label

Ryan Leslie returned to the studio in 2006 to record a new debut album. The lead single, "Diamond Girl", was released in December 2007. The video for "Diamond Girl" was premiered on BET’s 106 & Park, and released on Leslie’s YouTube channel with a special behind the scenes clip. In November 2007, he released a video for a song named "I-R-I-N-A" that was produced in-house and released through his YouTube channel as well.

His second single, "Addiction," features pop singer and protege Cassie with a rap cameo from long-time collaborator, rapper Fabolous. The song was officially released in August 2008.

His third single, "How It Was Supposed To Be," also has two music videos: a rock version and a military take on the so ng, Leslie's directorial debut and co-directed by model Tyson Beckford. The single was released March 23, 2009. After many setbacks, his self-titled album, Ryan Leslie, was finally released on February 10, 2009. Leslie wrote, arranged, produced, and performed every song on his album. Notable instrumentalists on his debut set include Tommy Mottola, Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, and Brent Paschke.

Ryan Leslie enamored old and new fans alike (June 23) during the first of two back-to-back performances at New York City's Bowery Ballroom. The R&B; singer/rapper/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist—who parted ways with former label Universal Motown last month—celebrated his new-found independence with performances of former hits like "Addicted" and "How It Was Supposed to Be," as well as two new tracks: "Glory" and "Maybachs and Diamonds."

"Never had a top ten, but they still respect my art," Ryan Leslie sang during "Glory," which is slated to be included on his third release, "Les Is More" -- his first independent album following 2009's self-titled debut and "Transition." "Maybachs and Diamonds" is a slow, groovy tune about flourishing his partner with more than just material things, like "Maybachs and Diamonds."

Initially, Leslie had a four-album deal with Universal, but toward the end of that contract, "Universal was interested in reshaping my deal to more of a 360, and they actually made a counter-offer from the initial recording fund," Leslie tells Billboard.com. "At that point I saw that as a window to potentially branch off and try something that was going to be new and dynamic."

While Leslie didn't make any formal announcements about his departure from Universal Motown during the set, he took some subtle jabs at his previous label home. "I've always wanted to play these songs but I couldn't before," he said while singing "Guardian Angel." "I always felt like this song should be a single. Ryan Leslie Produced a song for Samyr De Souza

Online presence

Leslie is considered a pioneer for his sharp online marketing skills. His intuitiveness of the shift in technology has kept him ahead of the game with establishing an online presence. Leslie’s blog, YouTube channel, MySpace page and most recently Twitter have been the biggest contributors to his growing fanbase. Leslie releases content that brings fans into his lifestyle as a musician. His videos have become some of the most popular on YouTube, bringing accolades such as "Top 10 Most Subscribed Users". backstage passes to his concerts, and invitations to have dinner with him. His energy and creative spontaneity have earned him the respect from those inside and outside of the music industry. On his website/video diary, there is a clip featuring artists such as Boyz II Men, Chrisette Michelle, Musiq Soulchild, Keri Hilson, Christina Milian, and David Banner praising him for the inspiration they’ve received from his videos.

Prior to his 2009 MySpace Release concert, Leslie encouraged aspiring musical artists to utilize digital media while marketing themselves.

NextSelection Lifestyle Group

While working as a producer, Leslie went on to create NextSelection Lifestyle Group, his music-media company. Ryan signed his first artist, Cassie in 2005. Under Ryan’s guidance, Cassie went on to become one of the fastest rising R&B; acts that year. Her breakout smash "Me & U" (written and produced by Leslie) spent 20 weeks on the Top 40 and went on to reach number three on the Billboard Hot 100, selling over a million digital units. Me & U also went on to become one of the biggest records in the history of Atlantic Records.

Recently, Ryan signed Krys Ivory as his newest act under NextSelection. He also signed Youtube star Mia Rose.

Discography

Studio Albums

2005: Just Right (Shelved)

2007: Used to Be (Mixtape)

2009: Ryan Leslie

2009: Transition

2011: Les Is More

Awards/Nominations

BET Awards

*2009, Best Male R&B; Artist [Nominated]

*2009, Best New Artist [Nominated]

Grammy Awards

*2011, Best Contemporary R&B; Album: Transition (Nominated)

Soul Train Awards

*2009, Best New Artist [Nominated]

Academic Awards

2010, AMBLE Vanguard Award from Harvard College

References

External links

Ryan Leslie Discography & Production

Ryan Leslie on Soulrnb.com French Artist Page

Category:1978 births Category:Hip hop record producers Category:American record producers Category:American singers Category:American rappers Category:American people of Chinese descent Category:American people of Dutch descent Category:American people of Barbadian descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Living people Category:American Internet personalities Category:YouTube video producers Category:People from Harlem Category:People from Washington, D.C. Category:African American rappers Category:African American record producers Category:African-American businesspeople

Name	Pharrell Williams
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Pharrell Williams
Alias	Pharrell, Skateboard P
Born	April 05, 1973
Origin	Virginia Beach, Virginia,
Instrument	Vocals, rapping, drums, piano, keyboards, guitar
Voice type	Countertenor
Genre	Hip hop, rock, pop, funk, R&B;
Occupation	Record producer, singer-songwriter, rapper, multi-instrumentalist, fashion designer
Years active	1990–present
Label	Star Trak, Interscope
Associated acts	The Neptunes, N.E.R.D, Child Rebel Soldier, Clipse, Snoop Dogg, Game
Url	www.pharrellwilliams.com

Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973), commonly known as simply Pharrell, is an American recording artist, producer, musician and fashion designer. He and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing pop, hip hop and R&B; music. He is also the lead vocalist and drummer of rock band N.E.R.D, which he formed with Hugo and childhood friend Shay Haley. He released his debut single "Frontin'" in 2003 and followed up with his debut album In My Mind in 2006.

As part of The Neptunes, Williams has produced numerous hit singles for various music artists. The production duo have earned three Grammy Awards amongst ten nominations. He is also the co-founder of the clothing brands Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream Clothing.

Life and career

1973–1991: Early life

Pharrell Williams was born on April 5, 1973, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was born eldest of three sons to Carolyn, a teacher, and Pharoah Williams, a handyman. He met Chad Hugo in a seventh grade summer band camp where Williams played the keyboards and drums and Hugo played tenor saxophone. They were also both members of a marching band; Williams played the snare drum while Chad took the role of student conductor. Along with Hugo, Williams attended Princess Anne High School where they played in the school band; that is where he got the name Skateboard P.

In the 1990s, Hugo and Williams formed a 4-piece "R&B; type" group along with friends Shay Haley and Mike Etheridge, which they named The Neptunes. They later entered a high school talent show where they were discovered by Teddy Riley, whose studio was next to Princess Anne High School. After graduating from high school, they signed with Riley as a group.

1992–2001: Career beginnings

Through working with Teddy Riley, Williams went on to write a verse for Wreckx-N-Effect's 1992 hit "Rump Shaker". That same year, he also performed a small rap solo on SWV's second hit, "Right Here (UK Remix)". In 1994, Hugo and Williams had established themselves formally as a production duo under the previously used name "The Neptunes", and produced "Tonight's The Night" from Blackstreet's self-titled debut. Over the next three years they continued to produce occasionally. Some of the production had little resemblance to the trademark Neptunes sound present today. However, some like Mase's 1997 song "Lookin' At Me" from his album Harlem World, and the most definite beginning of the so-called distinctive "Neptunes sound", came with N.O.R.E.'s "Superthug" in 1998, reaching number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, and gaining them widespread attention for the first time. In 1999, the duo then worked heavily with Kelis, producing her first album Kaleidoscope in its entirety and Ol' Dirty Bastard's Nigga Please, followed by Mystikal's hit single, "Shake Ya Ass".

2001–2004: In Search Of..., Clipse and Fly or Die

In 2001, The Neptunes produced Britney Spears' single, "I'm a Slave 4 U" gaining their first worldwide number one. The same year, N.E.R.D, consisting of Williams, Hugo and Haley, released their first album, In Search Of..., in Europe, where the first Kelis album was better received. The album sounded very much like their previous production work; the group decided that they should make their work as N.E.R.D sound different, and re-recorded the album, with the rock band Spymob. Williams and Hugo met rap duo Clipse in Virginia Beach in 1993, where they were signed to Arista Records through Williams' Star Trak Entertainment imprint.

Then in 2002 their re-produced album was released worldwide, and The Neptunes reached number one in the U.S. with Nelly's single, "Hot in Herre". In August of the same year, The Neptunes were named "Producers of the Year" at both The Source Awards and the Billboard Music Awards. Clipse released their commercial debut album, Lord Willin' in August 2002. The album opened at number one on the Billboard Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number four on the Billboard 200, fueled by the strength of its first two singles, "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time", which peaked at number 34 and number 19 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Neptunes released a self-credited album called The Neptunes Present... Clones in 2003, featuring songs and remixes from various artists. This album topped the U.S. Billboard 200 Albums Chart. The Neptunes and Williams specifically were also kept in public eye largely due to ties with Jay-Z, producing several hit singles for him and landing two tracks on his album The Black Album. The track "Frontin'" was a big hit (the 34th biggest single of 2003 according to Billboard magazine). A survey in August 2003 found the Neptunes produced almost 20 percent of songs played on British radio at the time, a survey in the US had them at 43 percent.

On May 16, 2007, for seven days only, the first of two expected collaborations with Madonna, entitled "Hey You", was made available for free download from the MSN website. MSN, in conjunction with Madonna, donated 25 cents for each of the first one million downloads to the Alliance for Climate Protection, in support of Live Earth. Later that year, Williams performed songs at the Concert for Diana on July 1, 2007. Then, on July 7, 2007, he performed at the Brazilian leg of Live Earth in Rio de Janeiro.

A second album, entitled Out of My Mind, was recorded with his newly formed band "The Yessirs" featuring Questlove of The Roots. However, Williams' record label did not think that a companion album to the first would sell well. He also produced Beyoncé's rendition of "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend". He then wrote and produced "Why Should I Be Sad" on Britney Spears' fifth studio album, Blackout. He also produced two songs from The Hives album, The Black and White Album, titled "Well All Right!" and "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.".

In April 2008, Madonna released her eleventh album, Hard Candy, which featured vocals from Williams and production from The Neptunes on several tracks. Later in June, an article in NME revealed that Williams is very interested in producing The Strokes' fourth album. Williams, along with other musicians, is to work on a remix album for Maroon 5's Call & Response.

Pharrell worked with Colombian artist Shakira on the songs 'Did It Again', 'Why Wait', 'Good Stuff' and 'Long Time' for her sixth studio album, She Wolf. The album was released in October 2009.

It has been revealed that Williams will collaborate with Lindsay Lohan on her upcoming third studio album Spirit in the Dark. He will also provide guest vocals on the album's first single, "Playground".

In September 2009, it was announced that Williams co-wrote and produced a song titled "Fresh Out The Oven" for Jennifer Lopez. The song was released as a buzz single from Lopez's upcoming seventh studio album Love?, which is due for release in the Summer of 2010.

In October 2009, it was announced that he would make a guest appearance on French indie/electronic rapper Uffie's debut album, due out in early 2010.

He has also worked with rapper Snoop Dogg and singer Brandy on the song "Special" in Snoop Dogg's album Malice 'n' Wonderland.

Pharrell has been featured on an unofficial remix/mash-up of "Arab Money" featuring Busta Rhymes.

Pharrell and Kid Cudi collaborated on an untitled song for Kid Cudi's second studio album Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr.Rager. Cudi described the song as a "club hit".

In late 2009, Pharrell also started working with the multi-Platinum recording artist "Game" (previously known as The Game) for his fourth studio album known as "The R.E.D. Album".

In July 2010, Pharrell Williams composed one of the soundtracks in the movie Despicable Me at the Hollywood Studio Symphony.

He will be featured on Gucci Mane's sophomore album "* on a track called Haterade alongside "Nicki Minaj".

He will also be featured on Swizz Beatz upcoming album "Haute Living".

Musical style

, September 30, 2008.]] Williams has a vocal range of a countertenor. Critics often say that Williams has the inability to rap or sing well, but point out that his singing is better than his rapping. Alasdair Lees of The Independent felt that Williams "strives for the Prince effect", but sounds like Bobby Valentino "on work experience".

Williams has encompassed a broad range of genres, including hip hop, R&B;, pop, rock, and funk. His lyrics often pertain to his childhood, family, religious faith and sexuality. In the album review for Seeing Sounds by N.E.R.D, Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone felt he learned nothing from his lyrics except that Williams was sexually aroused.

Williams has stated that he does not have any direct influences, but has expressed his admiration of several recording artists, including Michael Jackson, J Dilla, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Rakim and Q-Tip. Williams described A Tribe Called Quest's 1990 album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, as a "turning point" in his life, which "made me see that music was art". He has also worked on furniture with Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin and a French manufacturer, Domeau & Pérès. One of his works, a molded plastic seat with human legs, was created because he "wanted to know what it was like to be in love." The chair depicts a sexual scene with a pair of female legs and male legs.

Pharrell recorded four songs for the computer animated film Despicable Me. Some of the songs are used in the trailers, and are also in the movie.

Personal life

He often wears a New Era Cap and was voted the "Best Dressed Man in the World" in 2005 by Esquire magazine. He is a fan of the science fiction series Star Trek, as indicated by his consistent use of the Vulcan salute to signify his label name, Star Trak. He also enjoys the works of the late astronomer and science lecturer Carl Sagan, whom he calls "a genius". Williams is a skateboarder and has a half-pipe inside his home. In April 2009, Williams underwent a skin procedure to have most of his tattoos removed.

Discography

In My Mind (2006)

Awards and nominations

{|class="wikitable" |- | colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|Grammy Awards |- !Year !Category !Genre !Title !Result |- |rowspan=6|2004 |Producer of the Year (with Chad Hugo) |N/A |— | |- |Best Pop Vocal Album |Pop |Justified | |- |Best Rap/Sung Collaboration |Rap |"Frontin'" (with Jay-Z) | |- |Best Rap/Sung Collaboration |Rap |"Beautiful" (with Snoop Dogg) featuring Terrence Campbell | |- |Best Rap Song |Rap |"Beautiful" (with Snoop Dogg) | |- |Best Rap Song |Rap |"Excuse Me Miss" (with Jay-Z) | |- |rowspan="2"|2005 |Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group |Rap |"Drop It Like It's Hot" (with Snoop Dogg) | |- |Best Rap Song |Rap |"Drop It Like It's Hot" (with Snoop Dogg) | |- |rowspan=2|2007 |Best Rap Song |Rap |"Money Maker" (with Ludacris) | |- |Best Rap Album |Rap |In My Mind | |}

References

External links

Official website

Category:1973 births Category:African American rappers Category:African American rock musicians Category:American alternative rock musicians Category:American countertenors Category:American fashion designers Category:American funk musicians Category:American hip hop musicians Category:American record producers Category:American rhythm and blues musicians Category:American rock musicians Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:N.E.R.D members Category:People from Virginia Beach, Virginia Category:The Neptunes Category:Rappers from Virginia

Name	Funkmaster Flex
Background	non_performing_personnel
Birth name	Aston George Taylor, Jr.
Alias	Flex
Born	August 05, 1968The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Origin	The Bronx, New York
Instrument	Turntable, Sampler
Genre	Hip hop, R&B;
Occupation	DJ, producer singer, rapper, musician, host
Years active	1987–present
Label	Loud/RCA/BMG RecordsDef Jam/IDJMG/Universal RecordsE1/Koch Records
Url	www.funkmasterflex.com

Aston George Taylor Jr. (born August 5, 1968) He plays hip-hop, R&B;, old school, back in the day, 80's, reggae, dancehall and reggaeton. He is on air Monday to Thursday from 7 PM to 12 AM. For Friday and Saturday he is on the air from 10 PM to 2 AM. He is featured on ESPN NFL 2K5 and .

Taylor was born in the Bronx, New York, his father a sound system DJ. He has also hosted All Muscle with Funkmaster Flex and Funkmaster Flex Car Wars on ESPN, as well as Fast Machines with Funkmaster Flex. He is returning to MTV in 2010 with Full Throttle.

He is also host of the Funkmaster Flex Custom Car and Bike Shoe Tour.

Controversy

2Pac

In November 22, 2010, Funkmaster Flex was caught in large controversy when a video leaked on YouTube of him dissing 2Pac on stage, saying such things like "I don't fuck with 2pac" "get off his dick!" and saying that The Notorious B.I.G. is better. He has gotten response from people such as Outlawz, Nutt-So, Crooked I, and his half-brother Mopreme Shakur

Discography

Flex has released several mixtape albums:

(1995)

(1997) (Gold)

(1998) (Gold)

The Tunnel (collaboration with Big Kap) (1999) (Gold)

Vibe Hits, Vol. 1 (2000)

(2000) (Gold)

The Mix Tape, Vol. 5: 60 Minutes of Funk (2002)

My Lifestyle (2002)

Fastlane, Part 1 (2002)

Fastlane, Part 2 (2002)

Funkmaster Flex Car Show Tour (2005)

Singles

Let Me Clear My Throat (with DJ Kool)

Production

1997

Armand Van Helden - Enter the Meatmarket

12. "6 Minutes of Funk"

Yvette Michele - My Dream

03. "Summer Love"

05. "Crazy"

06. "Every Day & Every Night"

11. "The First Time"

13. "I'm Not Feeling You"

1998

Pras - Ghetto Supastar CD2

02. "Here We Go"

Video game appearances

Funkmaster Flex lent his voice to the videogame, ESPN NFL 2K5 , he is also unlockable as a Free Agent fullback in the game.

References

External links

Funkmaster Flex at Discogs

Category:American DJs Category:Hip hop DJs Category:Mixtape DJs Category:New York City nightlife Category:People from the Bronx Category:Def Jam Recordings artists Category:Loud Records artists Category:E1 Music artists Category:1968 births Category:Living people

Name	Cory Gunz
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Peter Panky, Jr.
Born	June 22, 1987 Bronx, New York, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper
Years active	2004–present
Label	Casablanca Records, Def Jam, Island Def Jam, Young Money, Cash Money, After Platinum Records, Universal Motown
Associated acts	Peter Gunz, DJ Drama, Lil Wayne, Young Money
Url	}}

Cory Gunz (born June 22, 1987) is a rapper, the son of rapper Peter Gunz. Gunz is currently signed to Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, After Platinum Records and Universal Motown. He is a native of the Bronx. He was first signed by Tommy Mottola to Casablanca Records and Def Jam Recordings.

More recently, Jay-Z shepherded him into a joint venture through The Island Def Jam Music Group. He was featured on a remix of Rihanna's "If It's Lovin' That You Want". Gunz The Apprentice 3 - Season Finale has amassed over 55,000 listens on the mixtape website Datpiff. He also contributed a verse to the original version of Lil Wayne's A Milli before it was replaced with new verses by Wayne for the album version. In early 2010 Cory Gunz inked a deal with Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, After Platinum Records and Universal Motown. Gunz has also worked with actor and musician Nick Cannon.

Mixtapes

2005: ''The Apprentice Vol. 1

2005: The Apprentice Vol. 2

2006: The Apprentice Vol. 3 - Season Finale

2008: The Best Kept Secret

2009: Youngest in Charge (with Square Off)

2009: Gangsta Grillz: Heir to the Throne (with DJ Drama)

TBA: Bring the Gunz Out: The Preview

TBA: Son of a Gun

Singles

Solo singles

{|class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2"|Year ! rowspan="2"|Song ! colspan="3"|Chart positions !rowspan="2"|Album |- !width="40"|U.S. !width="40"|U.S. R&B; !width="40"|U.S. Rap |- |align="center" rowspan=2|2008 | "Richer Than Richie" |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=2|The Best Kept Secret |- | "Get Right Tonight" (featuring Ryan Leslie) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |- |align="center" rowspan=2|2009 | "Turn Me Up" (featuring Veli) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=1|non-album single |- | "Like You Don't Know" |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=1|The Commencement |- |}

Featured singles

{|class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2"|Year ! rowspan="2"|Song ! colspan="3"|Chart positions !rowspan="2"|Album |- !width="40"|U.S. !width="40"|U.S. R&B; !width="40"|U.S. Rap |- |align="center" rowspan=2|2010 | "Dirty Girl" (Aaron Fresh featuring Cory Gunz) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=1|Fresh N Up |- | "6 Foot 7 Foot" (Lil Wayne featuring Cory Gunz) |align="center"|9 |align="center"|16 |align="center"|8 |rowspan=1|Tha Carter IV |- |}

References

External links

Myspace

http://mixtapes-download.com http://mixtapes-download.com

Category:Cash Money Records artists Category:1987 births Category:African American rappers Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Living people