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, Interscope
Associated acts	N*E*R*D, Clipse, Jay-Z, Kenna, Snoop Dogg, Game, N.O.R.E., Diddy, Kelis, Child Rebel Soldier, Gwen Stefani, Slim Thug
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 numerous 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 with sounds from Middle Eastern and Asian music including percussion and woodwind.

Pharrell sings and (later) raps on records and appears in videos, unlike his production partner Chad, and sometimes vocal partner Shay Haley, who tends 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.

The Neptunes sound

Their 'sound' is mostly synthesizer riffs, Sampling Keyboard and modules. The Neptunes sound was first heard on Noreaga's 1998 track "Superthug", although not their first production, the song made it officially known as "The Neptunes Sound".

Drums

A Neptunes production is typically characterized by flat, punchy drum machine sounds and the use of module presets. "Grindin'" was a drum track that paid tribute to Eric B. & Rakim's song of the same nature, "My Melody". Justin Timberlake's "Like I Love You" paid tribute to the drums of the funk era, where the loop consisted of various snare sounds. On Busta Rhymes' "Light Yo Ass On Fire" they used a heavy chorus effect on the rhythm track suggesting an industrial or robotic theme. They have used the popular Roland TR-808 drum sound on such songs as LL Cool J's and Jamie Foxx's collaboration "Best Dress" but later production work introduced 'live' drum sounds similar to the ones they would frequently use under their N*E*R*D guise.

The Neptunes' engineer, in an interview with Sound on Sound magazine, revealed many of their production techniques. In reference to their drums he said, "Williams will play a standard drum kit, then I will cut 16 bars of it into a loop, before using the same method for other instruments including guitars. That's where a lot of the feel of their records comes from — it's not just machines and loops."

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 sound found on Neptunes productions are their distinctive use of synth lines (popularized by Dr.Dre in the early 1990's with his G-funk sub-genre). 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

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	Lupe Fiasco
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Wasalu Muhammad Jaco
Alias	Lupe Fiasco
Born	February 16, 1982Chicago, Illinois, United States
Instrument	Rapping, piano, keyboards
Genre	Hip hop, alternative rock
Occupation	Rapper, songwriter, record producer, CEO
Years active	2000–present
Label	1st & 15th, Atlantic
Associated acts	Child Rebel Soldier, Japanese Cartoon, Matthew Santos, B.o.B, All City Chess Club
Url

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, artist, producer and CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. He also performs as the frontman of post punk band Japanese Cartoon under his real name.

Raised in Chicago, Fiasco developed an interest in hip-hop after initially disliking the genre for its use of vulgarity. He adopted the name Lupe Fiasco and began recording songs in his father's basement, and joined a group called Da Pak. The group disbanded shortly after its inception, and Fiasco soon met rapper Jay-Z who helped him sign a record deal with Atlantic Records. In 2006, Fiasco released his debut album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor on the label, to commercial and critical acclaim. He then released his second album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, in December 2007. The single "Superstar" became a hit, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. His latest album, Lasers, was released on March 8, 2011 after several release date delays.

In addition to music, Fiasco has pursued other business ventures, including fashion. He runs two clothing lines, "Righteous Kung-Fu" and "Trilly & Truly"; he has also designed sneakers for Reebok. He has also been involved with charitable activities throughout his career, including the Summit on the Summit expedition, and in 2010 he recorded a benefit single for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Life and career

1982–98: Early life

Fiasco was born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco on February 16, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois. Born of West African descent, he was one of nine children of Shirley, a gourmet chef, and Gregory, an engineer. His father, who was a member of the Black Panther Party, was a prolific African drummer, karate teacher, operating plant engineer, and owner of karate schools and army surplus stores. Fiasco was raised Muslim on the West side of Chicago on Madison Terrace housing project. At the age of three, Fiasco began taking martial arts classes.

His parents divorced when he was five, and he went on to live with his mother, but his father still remained prevalent in his life. "After school, my father would come and get us and take us out into the world--one day, we're listening to N.W.A, the next day we're listening to Ravi Shankar, the next day, he's teaching us how to shoot an AK-47, the next day, we're at karate class, the next day, we're in Chinatown...". In sixth grade, he went to live with his father in Harvey, Illinois. His father lived next door to a crack house and taught Fiasco to use guns to defend himself from drug dealers. Early in his career, he went by stage names Little Lu and Lu tha Underdog. Growing up, Fiasco was given the nickname "Lu", the last part of his first name, by his mother. "Lupe" is an extension of this nickname, which he borrowed from a friend from high school. "Fiasco," he says, "came from the Firm album. They had the song, 'Firm Fiasco'. I just liked the way it looked on paper." He also said of his name, "I simply like the way the word looked (Fiasco). You know how rappers always have names like MC Terrorist—like they're 'terrorizing' other rappers? I knew fiasco meant a great disaster or something like that, but I didn't realize that the person named Fiasco would be the disaster, and that you should be calling other MCs fiascos--not yourself. I was moving real fast at the time, and it kind of humbled me in a sense. It taught me like, 'Yo, stop rushing, or you're going to have some fiascos.' So I just kept it. It's like a scar, I guess, a reminder to not over think or overrun anything ever again." Fiasco later described the experience, saying "We had a song out about cocaine, guns, and women, and I would go to a record store and look at it and think, 'What are you doing?' I felt like a hypocrite. I was acting like this rapper who would never be judged, and I had to destroy that guy. Because what Lupe Fiasco says on this microphone is going to come back to Wasalu Jaco. When the music cuts off, you have to go home and live with what you say." After turning away from gangsta rap, he developed a greater appreciation of the lyricism of Jay-Z and Nas. His mother also gave him a record of The Watts Prophets, one of the first bands to use spoken words with music and would become the basis of rap.

Fiasco later signed a solo deal with Arista Records, but was dropped when president and CEO L. A. Reid was fired.

He remixed another one of West's songs, "Diamonds from Sierra Leone", and renamed it as "Conflict Diamonds". This caught West's attention, and he asked Fiasco to perform on his song "Touch the Sky" off his album Late Registration. The song, which sampled Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up", became a hit in the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #42. After this success his first single "Kick, Push" was released earlier than expected. The song was a love story about two lovers sharing a passion for skateboarding. It would go on to be nominated for two 2007 Grammy Awards. The single, and its accompanying music video, helped Fiasco get attention in the hip-hop community. During this time, he had guest appearances on singles on Tha' Rayne's "Kiss Me" and "Didn't You Know" and also K Foxx's 2004 "This Life". He also released the song "Coulda Been" on a compilation of MTV's Advance Warning.

2006–08: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor and The Cool

Jay-Z assisted him in the production of what would become his debut album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. The title is, as Fiasco says, "The title reflects on me being Muslim and being from the streets. In Chicago, instead of having bodegas like in New York, the majority of the corner stores are called 'Food and Liquors.' The store is where everything is at, whether it be the wino hanging by the store, or us kids going back and forth to the store to buy something. The 'Food' is the good part and the Liquors is the bad part. I try to balance out both parts of me...Food to me represents growth and progression. You eat food and you get strength. You need it to live. Liquor is not a necessity; it is a want. It destroys you. It breaks you down. I can see why it's prohibited in Islam...I've always felt like liquor represents the bad, the food represents the good, and everyone is made up of a little of both." His single "Kick, Push" became very popular, and was featured in the videogame NBA Live 2007. As his popularity steadily increased, so did anticipation for his upcoming album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. The album was officially released on September 19, 2006. The album featured production from Jay-Z, Kanye West, Mike Shinoda, The Neptunes, Prolyfic, and more. Singles from the album were "Kick, Push," "I Gotcha" and "Daydreamin'" featuring Jill Scott. The critically lauded album was later nominated for three Grammy Awards including Best Rap Album. Fiasco won "Best Urban/Alternative Performance" for "Daydreamin". In the same year, he was voted by GQ magazine as the "Breakout Man of the Year." He also received four BET Hip Hop Award nominations, and it made it to No. 8 on Billboard 200 and No.2 on Billboard Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

In 2007, Fiasco announced his second album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, a concept album that expands on the story of the track of the same name on his first album. While recording the album, Fiasco's father died of type II diabetes and his business partner, Charles "Chilly" Patton, was convicted of attempting to supply heroin and was sentenced to 44 years in prison. These events greatly affected Fiasco and the subsequent themes discussed on the album. The song has also been featured in HBO's Hard Knocks TV show. The album's second single (released in the UK in April 2008) was "Paris, Tokyo" - a song based around Fiasco's experiences of touring the world between his first and second albums.

Also in 2007, it was revealed that Fiasco, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams had formed a group known as Child Rebel Soldier. CRS initially released one single, entitled "US Placers" and featuring a Thom Yorke sample. In October 2010, as part of Kanye West's G.O.O.D Friday's, a second song titled "Don't Stop" was released. In an interview with MTV, posted on his blog, Lupe said that a full length CRS album would depend on fan demand. The three appeared on the Glow in the Dark Tour together, though under separate billing.

In an interview with The Village Voice, Fiasco revealed that he was writing a novel about a window washer aptly titled Reflections of a Window Washer. In 2008, Fiasco and his band 1500 or Nothin joined West's Glow in the Dark Tour, which also features Rihanna and N.E.R.D. The tour stopped in several cities, including his hometown of Chicago. In 2008, MTV named Fiasco the 7th Hottest MC in the Game and announced that he was remixing The Cool with French electro house act Justice. Fiasco's "Superstar" has been included in the video game Lips.

2009–present: Lasers

Fiasco announced at a Chicago concert late in 2008 that his next and most likely final album will be a three disc album called LupE.N.D. and that the first disc "Everywhere" would come out in June 2009. On January 30, 2009, Lupe Fiasco originally announced that LupE.N.D. will be postponed indefinitely. Instead, he would release three albums; The Great American Rap Album in June 2009, two following albums in December 2009 and June 2010, with LupE.N.D. following afterward. However, it was announced by Fiasco that his next album would instead be titled, "We Are Lasers"; yet later his official rep announced and confirmed that it would instead be titled simply "Lasers". On June 26, Fiasco announced at the Chicago Theater that the album would be released fourth quarter 2009, most likely in December. The album's first single, "Shining Down," features Matthew Santos and is produced by Soundtrakk. The single was released on July 7, 2009. On January 26, 2010, a new song called "I'm Beamin" was released. "I'm Beamin" will be on the upcoming Lasers; Fiasco referred to the song as a 'taste' of what is coming. There are a few snippets of songs that have been released as of August 24, 2009, unofficially titled "Army Girl," "Ladies And Gentlemen," and "2 Ways." On October 7, 2009, Lupe released a song in response to the release of MTV's 2009 "Top 10 Hottest MC's List," on which he was absent. Lupe stated that the track, entitled "Fire", would prove that he belonged in the number 1 spot on the following year's list.

In October 2009, Fiasco released two new freestyles, "Turnt Up" and "Say Something". Both freestyles were included on his official mixtape , released on November 26, 2009. The mixtape also included beats from Diddy's "Angels", Lil Wayne's "Fireman," Slaughterhouse's The One, and Radiohead's "The National Anthem." Lupe Fiasco has also contributed vocals to Chris Brown's song "Girlfriend" on his 2009 album Graffiti and has provided a guest verse on the song "Past My Shades" from Atlanta rapper B.o.B's 2010 album, .

Fiasco announced on Twitter that the new album is complete and is waiting for release from Atlantic Records. Fans waiting on the album have put together an online petition demanding that Atlantic Records release Lasers, due to the fact the album was announced last year and still does not have a release date. The petition garnered considerable attention on hip hop blog sites as well as attaining over 5,000 signatures on its first day. It has since reached over 28,000 signatures. In response to the petition, Fiasco released a song titled "B.M.F-Building Minds Faster" as a gift for his fans. The story was featured on many sites, including CNN, and MTV in which Fiasco said 'I love to see this petition. It brought me to tears a couple of times'.

In April 2010, in association with Pharrell, Fiasco formed the hip-hop group All City Chess Club. It includes himself as well as Asher Roth, B.o.B., The Cool Kids, Charles Hamilton, Blu, Diggy Simmons, Wale, J. Cole, & Dosage. They have so far made one song, a remix of Lupe's "I'm Beamin", which features Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton, The Cool Kids, Blu, Diggy Simmons, B.o.B & Dosage.

On July 16, 2010, Fiasco, under his real name Wasalu Jaco, released his post-punk band Japanese Cartoon's debut album In The Jaws Of The Lords Of Death. He created the album while waiting for Atlantic Records to release his upcoming album, and stated that Japanese Cartoon was influenced by a variety of musical genres, saying, "I’ve always been a fan of all music. My favorite songs aren’t hip-hop songs, they’re songs from Queen like "Somebody To Love". Hip-hop is just something I actually know how to do. But I always had aspirations to participate in other forms of music. Once I got to create some hip-hop, it was like, 'Okay, what am I going to do now?' So my artistic side was like, 'Yo, let’s do some rock music.'" That snippet/song had the album titled Food & Liquor II (TGARA). This led to speculation that "Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album," would be Lupe's follow-up to Lasers.

On August 23, Fiasco released "Go to Sleep" in its entirety. While performing at Wake Forest University's Alumni Weekend Concert in Winston-Salem, NC on October 8, Fiasco revealed to the crowd that the album would be released in early March. On October 15, Fiasco and his fans protested outside the Atlantic Records headquarters in New York City for the release of his third studio album, Lasers. After the long haul, Atlantic has announced a release date of March 8, 2011. The first single off of Lasers, "The Show Goes On", was released on October 26, 2010 via Lupe's official website. The song samples the song "Float On" by Modest Mouse. It was released to iTunes on November 9, 2010, and debuted at #57 on the Billboard Hot 100. The entire album was released on March 8, 2011, on which day it was the #1 album on iTunes. Producers involved on the album include Alex Da Kidd; King David "The Future"; and Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis. Featured artists include Skylar Grey; Trey Songz; and John Legend.

Philanthropy and business ventures

on July 7, 2008.]] In 2001, Fiasco co-founded with Charles "Chilly" Patton 1st & 15th Entertainment (or "FNF", named after the traditional twice-monthly paycheck dates), Although Fiasco was initially to serve as vice-president, he became CEO after Patton was convicted on drug charges. Fiasco and singer Matthew Santos were two of the most recognizable signed artists. In November 2009, Fiasco announced he would get "rid of the entire First and Fifteenth Record Label. Me and Sarah Green are the only artists on the label, like I got rid of the whole label. It was just such a ‘this isn’t right for you right now. This isn’t gonna work for you right now. You need to be focused on you. Do you really want that, do you really have the capacity to do it?’

In 2005, he founded "Righteous Kung-Fu", a company that designs fashions, sneakers, toys, video games, comic books, and graphics for album covers and skateboard decks. He has also sponsored a skateboard team and has endorsements from DGK Skateboards.

In January 2006, Fiasco signed with major footwear and apparel corporation Reebok becoming part of the "O.G" marketing campaign, where rap artists such as Lil Wayne and Mike Jones designed their own personal colorway of the Reebok "O.G" model. Fiasco also runs his own fashion label under the name "Trilly & Truly". Together with Le Messie of FALSE from Singapore he also runs a collaborative clothing line called "Fallacy Of Rome".

In 2009, Fiasco performed in The People Speak, a documentary feature film that employs musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States.

On January 7, 2010, Fiasco joined musician Kenna, actress Jessica Biel, and other celebrities and activists for an expedition to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro called Summit on the Summit to raise awareness of the billions of people worldwide who lack access to sanitary drinking water.

On January 20, 2010, Fiasco released a track called "Resurrection" with Kenna in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The song, part of a compilation released through the charity Music for Relief, aimed to encourage donations for immediate relief and long-term recovery following the devastating disaster.

Discography

Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor (2006)

Lupe Fiasco's The Cool (2007)

Lasers (2011)

Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album (2011)

See also

List of awards and nominations received by Lupe Fiasco

References

External links

Lupe Fiasco at Allmusic

Lupe Fiasco at Rolling Stone

Lupe Fiasco at Metacritic

Lupe Fiasco on Twitter

Lupe Fiasco, Word Star — Lupe Fiasco interview with Chicago

Category:1982 births Category:African American Muslims Category:African American rappers Category:American hip hop record producers Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Rappers from Chicago, Illinois Category:Living people Rappers Category:Rappers Category:2010s rappers

Name	Solange Piaget Knowles
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Solange Piaget Knowles
Alias	Solange Knowles-Smith
Born	June 24, 1986Houston, Texas, U.S.
Instrument	Vocals, keyboards, percussion
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, DJ
Genre	R&B;, pop, soul, hip-hop
Years active	2001–present
Label	Columbia, Music World, Geffen
Associated acts	Destiny's Child, Beyoncé
Url

Solange Piaget Knowles (born June 24, 1986), who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American recording artist, actress and model. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B; group Destiny's Child. Showing an interest in music recording at an early age, she eventually broke into the music scene at 16. She has released two studios albums: Solo Star in 2003 and Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams in 2008, which peak at number nine in the US Billboard 200 chart.

Aside from recording, Knowles has ventured into film, modeling, and entrepreneurship. She co-launched the junior apparel collection Deréon, a sister line to House of Deréon that was established by her mother and sister. Knowles has been compared to her sister by the media, but she dismisses the notion, saying they are artistically different.

Early life

Knowles was born on June 24, 1986, in Houston, Texas, to Mathew and Tina Knowles. Solange is the second child of Mathew and Tina, and the younger sister of Beyoncé. Her father is African American and her mother is Creole (of African American, Native American, and French descent). Her maternal grandparents are Lumis Beyincé and Agnéz Deréon, (a seamstress). As a child, Knowles studied dance and theater. At the age of five, she made her singing debut at an amusement park. She began writing songs at the age of nine. At 13, she decided to pursue recording, but her parents initially advised her to wait. During the group's opening stint for American pop singer Christina Aguilera's tour, Knowles temporarily replaced Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland after Kelly broke her toes backstage during a costume change. When Knowles was 16, her father, who was then also her manager, signed her to his recording company, Music World Entertainment. In 2002, she was featured on Lil Romeo's second studio album Game Time, singing portions of Luther Vandross-penned "So Amazing" on the single "True Love", and on Rowland's debut solo album Simply Deep, for which she also wrote the title track and "Alone". In 2001 she also appeared as Lil' Bow Wow's date in the music video for his single "Puppy Love".

In June 2003, Mathew Knowles excitedly announced that he was considering adding Solange to Destiny's Child when the group reunited in 2004, thus turning them into a quartet for the first time since short-lived member Farrah Franklin left in 2000. Mathew Knowles said he was testing the reactions, and, judging by what he had heard, "it seems like a good idea". Later in August, however, Beyoncé said it was only a rumor and Destiny's Child would remain a trio. Rowland added, "She's a Solo Star," namedropping Knowles' debut album.

At the age of 14, Solange Knowles started working on her debut album Solo Star, which involved American producers such as Jermaine Dupri, The Neptunes, Linda Perry and Timbaland among others. The album is primarily uptempo R&B;, although Knowles said there are pop, rock, reggae and hip hop influences. including its lead single, "Feelin' You (Part II)". The song failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100, but reached number three on both the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles Sales and Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. Solo Star was released on January 21, 2003 in the United States, where it debuted at number 49 on the Billboard 200 and reached number 23 on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Solo Star had a mixed critical reception: William Ruhlmann of Allmusic called it a "state-of-the-art contemporary R&B; album", but deemed Knowles "lost somewhere in the mix". As of mid-2008, the album had sold 112,000 copies domestically according to Nielsen Soundscan. When she was married, her family moved to Idaho, and, while staying there, resumed writing songs including the singles "Get Me Bodied" and "Upgrade U" off her sister's second solo album, B'Day. Knowles earned the R&B; and Hip-Hop Song accolade for "Get Me Bodied" at the 2008 ASCAP Awards. She had also written songs for Destiny's Child, and members Rowland and Michelle Williams.

After the divorce, Knowles returned to Houston to began working on her second album. Knowles renewed her management, signing a record deal with Geffen and a publishing deal with EMI. Knowles finished working on her second studio album in 2008 and titled the project Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams. It includes production by Cee-Lo Green, Soulshock & Karlin and Mark Ronson as well as an appearance by Bilal. A collection of 1960s- and 1970s-influenced songs, it is seen as a departure from her pop-oriented debut, with what Billboard magazine called "more of a modern twist on hip-hop and R&B; flecked with tinges of blues and jazz". The album was positively received by critics, some of whom considered it far better than her debut. The album's lead single, "I Decided", was released in April 2008, and reached the top of the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play; In support of the album, Knowles began the Solange Presents Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams Tour in Britain in November 2008.

Knowles announced, via her blog HadleyStreetJournal.com, that she will be releasing a series of mixtapes, to coincide with the album. The first mixtape, "I Can't Get Clearance...", includes the leaked track "Fuck the Industry (Signed Sincerely)". On this record, Knowles expresses her views on the current state of the music industry. The lyrics to the song name check some major artists such as Mary J. Blige, Ashanti, Keyshia Cole, and Beyoncé, although she made a point of stating that it does not have "a negative light to any of [them]".

2009–present: Third studio album

In an interview with MTV in 2009, Knowles revealed that she was determining the type of sound for the follow up to Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams. Knowles also parted ways with the Interscope-Geffen-A&M; record label group. She will now release her third studio album independently. Early in 2010, Knowles traveled to Australia to work with Australian rock band, Midnight Juggernauts on her third studio album Knowles plans to release the album in summer as revealed on her official twitter account in 2009 She also revealed on her twitter account that she rented a house in Santa Barbara, California to get into a certain state of mind while writing and making music On 7 May 2010, Knowles made a guest appearance on the popular children show, Yo Gabba Gabba! for a "Mothers Day Special" where she performed an original song called, "Momma Loves Baby". In an interview with Vibe on 7 July 2010, Knowles said she suffered "a little bit of a breakdown" while recording her new album: "I literally gave up my sanity for a while to do this record. [...] We literally were waking up in the morning and just making music all day and all night. [...] It just started to wear on me in so many different ways. I started having these crazy panic attacks." Knowles explained how she made sacrifices "mentally, emotionally and financially", and continued, "It’s more than an album to me. It’s a transitional time in my life." Regarding the musical direction of the album, she said the inspiration came from New Wave music and stated, "This is a dance record, but the lyrics can get pretty dark at times.". She recorded a charity song called "Kenya" with Chris Taylor.

Other ventures

Aside from recording, Knowles ventured into film, modeling, and entrepreneurship. According to her father Mathew Knowles, her goal of merging music and film was part of the overall plan for her career. Knowles appeared as a nubile teenager in the 2004 comedy film Johnson Family Vacation, starring alongside American actors Cedric the Entertainer, Vanessa Williams and Bow Wow. In 2006, she starred as a cheerleading captain in the film , the third installment of the Bring it On series, alongside American actress and singer Hayden Panettiere. What little critical reaction the low-budget, direct-to-DVD movie got was negative, and Knowles was described as an "affordable young starlet". Knowles uses her full name for her acting, rather than just the first name she uses when singing; for Bring It On: All or Nothing, she was billed as Solange Knowles-Smith, reflecting her married state at the time.

Knowles also appeared in several television series. In 2002, she lent her voice for the character Chanel, the cousin of the protagonist Penny Proud, in the episode "Behind Family Lines" to the animated television series The Proud Family. In 2004, she guest starred in the episode "The Catch" to the sitcom One on One.

Knowles and sister Beyoncé model for their families' clothing line, House of Deréon, named after their grandmother, Agnéz Deréon. She also helped launch Deréon, a junior apparel collection and a sister line to House of Deréon. Both sisters model for Deréon, and are featured in most of Deréon's marketing campaigns. They were featured in a "Got Milk?" campaign ad, while still wearing House of Deréon. In 2008, Knowles was named as ambassador for Giorgio Armani's younger diffusion line, Armani Jeans. Armani said Knowles epitomizes the style, which is a "vision of a young, independent, casual lifestyle with a strong and cool, fashion sensibility".

Knowles has been promoting Baby Jamz, a hip hop-styled toy line for pre-schoolers. It was inspired by her son, Julez, who is fond of hip hop music. Knowles has partly expressed regret that she bore a child at an early age, but calls her son the greatest unplanned blessing. A song she wrote for her baby, "An Ode to Marvin", was included on Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams.

After Daniel Julez' birth, the family moved to Moscow, Idaho, where Knowles' husband continued studying in college. — which was purposely set as the album's opening track to show their differences. In her review for the album, Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone magazine referred to the lyrics a declaration of independence. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Knowles commented: "People think there should be this great rivalry between us, but there's never been any competition. There's a big age gap and we are two very different characters."

References

External links

Official blog

Category:1986 births Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Actors from Houston, Texas Category:African American actors Category:African American female singers Category:African American singer-songwriters Category:American film actors Category:American musicians of French descent Category:American people of Native American descent Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American singers of Native American descent Category:American soul singers Category:American vegetarians Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Destiny's Child Category:English-language singers Category:Living people Category:Louisiana Creole people Category:Musicians from Houston, Texas Category:Neo soul singers Category:Sony BMG artists

Name	Robin Thicke
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Robin Charles Thicke
Alias	Thicke
Born	March 10, 1975 Los Angeles, California, United States
Genre	R&B;, soul, hip hop Pop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, record producer, actor, musician
Instrument	Vocals, piano, guitar
Years active	1994–present
Label	Nu America, Star Trak, Interscope
Spouse
Acts	The Neptunes, Pharrell, Lil Wayne, Game
Url

Robin Charles Thicke (; born March 10, 1975) is a multi-platinum American R&B; Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B; sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Mary J. Blige and others. Thicke was also acknowledged for his work in popular albums such as Confessions and Tha Carter III.

Early life

Thicke was born March 10, 1977. His mother is Days of Our Lives actress and singer Gloria Loring and his father is Canadian actor Alan Thicke. They divorced when he was seven. Throughout his childhood, he would be exposed to music by Bruce Springsteen courtesy of his father, as well as Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston courtesy of his mother.

Music career

Early years

Before his days as a singer-songwriter, Thicke had written songs for 3T's "Sexual Attention" and collaborated with Jordan Knight, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on several songs in Knight's 1999 album Jordan Knight. He also co-wrote a song for Christina Aguilera's debut album called "When You Put Your Hands On Me". As an artist, he recorded and performed solely under his surname, Thicke. He would continue to do so until 2005.

Songwriting, producing and collaborations

Thicke began his songwriting career by penning hits for popular artists. The Thicke original "When I Get You Alone" was performed by Guy Sebastian, the winner of the first Australian Idol 2003, during the competition and at the Idol Grand Final. "When I Get You Alone" was a popular song choice for Sebastian; he put the live idol performance on his four-times platinum debut single "Angels Brought Me Here"; it was the fastest selling single in Australia debuting at #1 and immediately breaking an Aria record. In 2004, Thicke co-wrote with Guy Sebastian, the #1 Hit "Out With My Baby" from Sebastian's sophomore album, Beautiful Life. Thicke also produced this single for Sebastian. Thicke was involved in three tracks on Beautiful Life. Other songs Thicke contributed to on the album include "Fiend for You", co-written with Sebastian, and "How", a Robin Thicke original included on the track listing. During this same year, he wrote a song with the singer and actress Raven-Symoné for the album This Is My Time, with the song "Set Me Free".

In April 2007, Thicke co-wrote a song with Mexican-American singer Angela Via called "Wrong for You", a single from Via's forthcoming album. That same year, Thicke appeared on 50 Cent's album Curtis, which was released on September 11, 2007, on a song called "Follow My Lead". He worked with Ashanti on her fourth studio album, The Declaration, which was released on June 3, 2008. Also that year, Thicke reunited with Lil Wayne and was featured on his album Tha Carter III on a track entitled "Tie My Hands", which Thicke also produced.

At the 2009 Grammy Awards, Thicke was most recently recognized for his work on Lil Wayne’s sixth studio album Tha Carter III, as well as Jennifer Hudson’s self titled debut album. Thicke wrote and produced the song "Tie My Hands" on Tha Carter III, which went on to win Best Rap Album. Thicke wrote and produced the song "Giving Myself" for the album Jennifer Hudson, which went on to win Best R&B; Album.

2002–2004: Early commercial success

In 2000, Thicke, who simply went by his last name, went to work on material for his debut album, initially entitled Cherry Blue Skies. The album focused more on soul, than his pop-offerings for other artists.

In 2002, Thicke released his debut single "When I Get You Alone". The track samples Walter Murphy's "A Fifth of Beethoven", which itself is a disco rendition of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. The music video for the song features an unshaven Thicke with long, wild hair as a courier racing through the streets of Manhattan on a bicycle. It received some rotation on MTV2 and BET's Rated Next and was spun moderately on pop and urban radio, peaking at #49 on Radio & Records Pop chart. Globally, however, "When I Get You Alone" became a chart success when it peaked within the top 20 in Australia, Belgium, and Italy, and reached the top ten of the singles charts in New Zealand and the top three in the Netherlands. The tune was featured for the soundtrack of Agent Cody Banks.

The moderate success was enough to signal the release of the album, with its name changed to A Beautiful World. Despite the release of a second single, "Brand New Jones", the album received very little promotion, and debuted at a low number 152 on the US Billboard 200, eventually selling 63,000 copies.

Runner-up Blake Lewis performed "When I Get You Alone" during the 2007 season of American Idol when the top 3 chose a song to sing. Lewis has often put Robin Thicke in his list of musical influences in interviews and on the American Idol website. The song was also performed on Glee during the season 2 episode "Silly Love Songs".

2005–2007: The Evolution of Robin Thicke

In 2005, Thicke performed as a guest on the remix of Will Smith's song, "Switch". After being signed to The Neptunes label, Star Trak, he began working on his second album entitled The Evolution of Robin Thicke. The first single, "Wanna Love U Girl", featured producer Pharrell and experienced chart success on urban radio in the United Kingdom. For the video, Thicke changed his appearance, cutting off his trademark long hair. In 2006, a remix version of the song was filmed with rapper Busta Rhymes. Nearly a year after the single was released, the album was released on October 3, 2006. The Evolution of Robin Thicke includes songs with Lil' Wayne and Faith Evans (on "Got 2 Be Down"), as well as Pharrell. To promote the album Thicke toured with India.Arie, and then opened for John Legend in late 2006.

His second single, the ballad "Lost Without U", began getting a lot of radio airplay in Urban & Rhythmic stations towards the end of 2006 and early 2007. With the assistance of radio airplay the song became his breakout hit, reaching as high as number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs, the first Caucasian male artist to top that chart since George Michael. With album sales over 1.5 million copies sold domestically after the re-release as a Deluxe Edition (with three new bonus tracks) on February 13, 2007, The Evolution of Robin Thicke became a commercial success in the United States.

The album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Billboard Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart, Thicke also performed a one off UK concert in London's Koko Arena on September 24, 2007.

As of February 10th, 2009, the album was certified Double-Platinum by the RIAA.

2008–09: Something Else and other projects

Thicke released his third solo album, entitled Something Else, on September 30, 2008. It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 charts and sold nearly 140,000 records the first week. The first single from the album was "Magic" a further expansion of the R&B; sound that powered his 2006 breakthrough, The Evolution of Robin Thicke. "Magic" went on to peak at number two on the Urban AC charts. "Magic" was also used in the evening gown competition of Miss Universe 2008 in Viet Nam. He followed this success with the second single, "The Sweetest Love", which also peaked at number two on the Urban AC charts and remained in the top five for twelve consecutive weeks.

Speaking in October 2008 to UK R&B; writer Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul, Thicke explained his reasons for titling his third album Something Else:

During another interview Thicke elaborated:

Thicke recently appeared on an episode of ABC's The Bachelor to perform “Magic” and “The Sweetest Love” for the remaining female contestants. Thicke wrote and produced a track for the movie Precious, a film based on a novel by Sapphire, in which his wife Paula Patton also stars. He is currently co-headlining a U.S. tour with Jennifer Hudson, which began March 31, 2009 in Albany, New York, and wraps up 25 shows later in Biloxi, Mississippi. At the start of the tour, Thicke released "You're My Baby" as the official third single from Something Else, despite filming and releasing a music video for the track "Dreamworld".

Earlier in 2009, on October 14, Leighton Meester's debut single "Somebody to Love", featuring Thicke, was released.

Thicke told MTV he was glad to have Lil Wayne on the album. He also pointed out that he was featured on Lil Wayne's last two albums, and Lil Wayne was on his last two albums. "We're kind of good luck charms for each other", he said.

Thicke appeared on ABC's New Year's Rockin' Eve on January 1, 2010 and performed three songs from Las Vegas, in a pre-recorded segment. It is confirmed that he, along with Melanie Fiona, will set to go on The Freedom Tour with Alicia Keys.

Thicke will be on tour with Jennifer Hudson, with whom he toured in 2009, in 2011.

Discography

A Beautiful World (2003)

The Evolution of Robin Thicke (2006)

Something Else (2008)

Sex Therapy (2009)

Filmography

According to the Robin Thicke website, Robin Thicke has signed on with Fox for a film that is to be out in 2011.

Personal life

On June 11, 2005, Thicke married his high school sweetheart, actress Paula Patton, whom he met in a teen club at the age of 14. It was announced at an Alicia Keys concert in Los Angeles at the Staples Center that the couple had their first child, a boy named Julian Fuego Thicke, on April 6, 2010.

Thicke has said he does not like it when his music is called "blue-eyed soul", calling the label "small-minded and stereotypical."

In the fall of 2010, Robin Thicke spent several weeks in New York City recording and living in a rented SoHo apartment which he had converted into a makeshift professional studio.

Tours

The Beyoncé Experience As an opening act for the North American leg.

Jennifer Hudson and Robin Thicke Co-Headline Tour.

The Freedom Tour As an opening act for the tour along with Melanie Fiona.

Robin Thicke with special guest Miguel in Houston, Texas.

Awards and nominations

Recording artist

Songwriting and production

References

External links

Official website

Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American pop singers Category:Musicians from California Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:Grammy Award winners Category:American people of Canadian descent Category:Blue-eyed soul singers Category:Interscope Records artists

Name	Jared Evan
Born	September 21, 1989
Background	solo_singer
Origin	Nassau County, New York, United States
Genre	Hip hop, rock, pop
Label	Zone 4, Interscope
Management	BRND MGMT

Jared Evan, is an American musician, singer/songwriter, producer, rapper. He was born on September 21, 1989 in Nassau County, New York. He is currently signed to Zone 4 under Interscope Records. The song "Frozen" which Jared wrote and produced, appeared on the Lebron James documentary soundtrack entitled "Music Inspired by More Than a Game". Jared's debut street single "In Love With You" produced by Polow Da Don, made its TV debut on the HBO series Entourage on 8/22/10.

Biography

Jared Evan grew up in Great Neck, New york playing the drums, hoping for the chance to one day become the next Keith Moon. With his introduction to music at a very young age, Jared soon began to experiment with several instruments, and taught himself how to play a number of them. Jared's early years were filled with difficult personal issues and music provided a fresh outlet. Eventually, Jared later became heavily influenced by older seminal Hip Hop artists such as the Wu-Tang Clan, Mos Def, The Roots, Kool G Rap, Tribe Called Quest, KRS-One, Pete Rock, DJ Premier and others. Jared soon began to fuse his new passion with his old. Taking musical cues from his rock influences such as Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Radiohead, Sublime, The Who and others.

Jared began to produce, sing and rhyme over new genre blending beats while introducing heavily melodic hooks to create classic sounding songs with groundbreaking undertones. Soon, others began to take notice. In 2008 at the age of 19, Jared won the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival’s Spit 16 competition curated by The Source (magazine). Jared was invited to open the festival and his performance immediately caught the attention of attendees, MC’s and the press. Matt Graham (now his manager) formerly of The FADER and now owner of BRND MGMT was one of those attendees. Off of the strength of his performance, Jared was invited to perform several shows including an opening gig for Lupe Fiasco in the fall of 2008.

At that point Jared returned to the studio to begin to hone his sound and complete his mixtape entitled “Radio In My Head”. Upon completion of the first draft of the mixtape, Graham put it in the hands of his friend and Hip Hop superstar director, Rik Cordero. Rik said this about Jared after hearing the mixtape “Jared meshes Hip Hop lyrics, electronic and post punk influences with classic rock to create a truly unique sound.” Rik and Jared immediately began to create visually stunning music videos to compliment Jared’s provocative sound. These videos were then circulated to the top music executives and within weeks Jared had several major label offers.

In June 2009, Jared decided to sign with Zone 4/Interscope, with the support of industry giants like Jimmy Iovine, Polow da Don, and Jimmy Douglass. In October 2009, Jared was featured in Billboard Magazine as an "Under the radar artist with the potential to break into the big time", and has also been featured in an exclusive interview by The Source, and on E!: Entertainment Television

Discography

Albums

Radio in My Head (2009) [Mixtape]

"Back And Fourth" (2011) [Mixtape]

"Untitled" (2011)

Singles

"In Love With You" (Street Single, August 24, 2010)

External links

Official Site of Jared Evan

Jared Evan Music on MySpace

Jared Evan Is Ready To Make Major Noise (Billboard Article)

Exclusive: Introducing Jared Evan (The Source Interview)

Urbanian Exclusive: Jared Evan

With New Mixtape, Jared Evan is Ready to Hit the Big Time

Jared Evan -- About to Pop

References

Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Living people Category:1988 births

Name	Asher Roth
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Asher Paul Roth
Born	August 11, 1985
Origin	Morrisville, Pennsylvania
Occupation	Rapper
Years active	2008—Present
Genre	Hip hop
Associated acts	Kid Cudi, B.o.B, Chester French, Nottz
Label	Schoolboy/SRC/Universal Records
Url

Asher Paul Roth (born August 11, 1985) is an American rapper. He was signed to a joint venture between Scooter Braun's Schoolboy Music and Steve Rifkind’s SRC Records. His first professional release was on June 13, 2008, when the DJ Drama and Don Cannon-helmed The GreenHouse Effect Mixtape was released for free via Roth’s Web site. Roth was featured on the cover of XXL magazine’s annual Top 10 Freshmen: Hip-Hop’s Class ’09 issue. Roth's debut album, Asleep in the Bread Aisle, was released on April 20, 2009.

Early life

Asher Roth was born and raised in Morrisville, a small town about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia. His mother, Elizabeth (née McConnell), is a yoga instructor, and his father, David Roth, is the executive director of a design firm. His mother has Scottish ancestry and his paternal grandfather was Jewish. He attended Pennsbury High School. Growing up, Roth was exposed to little hip-hop in his family, with his parents preferring "The Temptations, Earth, Wind & Fire ... Bruce Springsteen and Dire Straits." According to Roth:

The first CD I ever bought was Dave Matthews Band's Crash...That is how suburban I am...I finally got into hip hop in '98 when I heard the Annie sample with Jay-Z....When I wrote my 'A Milli' freestyle, that was me listening to 10 years of hip hop and not relating to it at all. Like, Damn I don’t sell coke. Damn, I don’t have cars or 25-inch rims. I don't have guns. I finally got to a point where I had the confidence to do this thing myself, and I was making music for me. And it turns out, a lot of people feel the same way I do.

Asher has also stated that:

"I was always from the outside looking in," says Roth. "Hip-hop has always been very influential in the ‘burbs, [but] it’s just a matter of where we could relate to it. You find a lot of kids that are really confused. You look at them and they’re dressed out of character. They don’t look right. I figured out, I don’t have to dress this way, but I can still love hip-hop."

Upon graduation, Roth entered West Chester University and became an Elementary Education major, while continuing to record verses over other peoples’ beats. During sophomore year, Roth posted some of his verses on his MySpace page and sent a Friend Request to Scooter Braun, an Atlanta-based promoter and former VP of Marketing for Jermaine Dupri's So So Def. One week after speaking to Braun, Roth flew down to Atlanta and was immediately signed by Braun, who subsequently became his manager. Roth would eventually sign a joint venture between Braun's Schoolboy Music and Steve Rifkind, chairman of SRC/Universal Records. On June 13, 2008, Roth put out his first professional release, the Don Cannon and DJ Drama-helmed The Greenhouse Effect mixtape, via the Internet. This resulted in Roth being the second white rapper to be featured on Drama and Cannon’s influential Gangsta Grillz series.

Asleep in the Bread Aisle

Sometime in mid 2008, Roth announced he would be making a full studio album and it would be released sometime in early 2009. He started recording in late 2008, and continued into 2009. The first single released was titled, "I Love College", which received many hits across North America. His second single was titled, "Lark on my Go-Kart". After the 2 singles were released, Roth's studio album, Asleep in the Bread Aisle, was released on April 20, 2009. He supported his album with a nationwide tour with B.o.B. and Kid Cudi. Asher also joined Blink-182 in the second half of their reunion tour in the fall of 2009.

The Spaghetti Tree

After finishing touring in 2009 and a second mixtape, Seared Foie Gras with Quince and Cranberry, work has begun on Asher's second studio album. From his friend Boyder's YouTube page, he has been seen working with producers Pharrell and Nottz. The album release is expected sometime in 2011. Asher promoted G.R.I.N.D. (Get Ready it's a New Day), the first single off of his new album, The Spaghetti Tree by traveling to different radio stations around the country. Asher Roth revealed four tracks on his upcoming album in a XXL article. One features Game, one is produced by Swizz Beatz and another is titled "Run it Back".

Personal accomplishments

Roth's lyrics characteristically center around what have been called "middle-class minutiae, some also consider them to be a joke."

Discography

Studio albums

Asleep in the Bread Aisle (2009)

The Spaghetti Tree (To be released - 2011)

Mixtapes

The GreenHouse Effect (2008)

Seared Foie Gras with Quince and Cranberry (2010)

EPs

Just Listen (2005)

The Rawth EP (With Nottz) (2010)

Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

*Best New Artist ("I Love College") [Nominated]

*Best Hip Hop Video ("I Love College") [Nominated]

References

External links

Official Web Site

Facebook

Category:People from Bucks County, Pennsylvania Category:Rappers from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Universal Records artists Category:Scooter Braun Category:West Chester University of Pennsylvania alumni Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers