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	Mike Posner
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Michael Posner
Birth date	February 12, 1988
Birth place	Detroit, Michigan, United States
Origin	Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Genre	Second Wave synthpop, electropop, dance pop, hip hop
Instrument	Vocals, piano
Years active	2005-present
Label	J Records
Url

Michael Posner (born February 12, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. Posner released his debut album, 31 Minutes to Takeoff, on August 10, 2010. The album includes the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 single "Cooler Than Me", as well as his second single, "Please Don't Go".

Early life

Posner was raised in Southfield, Michigan. His father, an attorney, is Jewish, and his mother is Catholic. Posner attended Detroit Catholic Central High School his freshmen year of high school, then transferred to and graduated from Groves High School and went on to graduate from Duke University. While in Michigan, Posner worked with artist Dean Kane from Rochester Hills, MI. However, following high school, Posner left Dean Kane's studio for college. and graduated in 2010 with a degree in sociology and a certificate in markets and management.

Career

Working with Don Cannon and DJ Benzi, Posner released his second mixtape, A Matter of Time (the first mixtape being Reflections of a Lost Teen), from his dorm room at Duke University in March 2009. In July 2009, Posner signed a deal with J Records (RCA/Sony). He chose to return to Duke after signing his record deal, and toured on the weekends while at the same time recording for his debut album. Posner's second mixtape One Foot Out the Door, hosted by Clinton Sparks, was released on October 27, 2009. The mixtape was accompanied by a web series also entitled One Foot Out the Door which aired bi-weekly from September 30, 2009 until December 2009. During this time, he hired his manager, Daniel Weisman of Elitaste Inc., who also manages Wale.

31 Minutes to Takeoff, his debut album was released on August 10, 2010. The first single from the album, "Cooler Than Me", produced by Gigamesh, climbed the Billboard Hot 100 to reach No. 6 before going on to attain global success. He performed at Bonnaroo and the 2010 Warped Tour in the summer. A second single, "Please Don't Go", was issued on July 20, 2010.

Posner performed on national television for the first time on the talk show Last Call with Carson Daly on Tuesday, 27 October 2009. He also performed his song "Cooler Than Me" on America's Got Talent on July 28, 2010. He also performed at John Barleycorn in Schaumburg, Illinois, on July 31, on Live with Regis and Kelly on August 3, and on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on August 4. He performed "Cooler Than Me" on The Wendy Williams Show on August 5, 2010, and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on August 9, 2010. Mike Posner has collaborated with artists like Kid Cudi, Wale, Big Sean, Bun B, One Be Lo, Eric Holljes, and 3OH!3.

Discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes

Singles

^A To be released January 18, 2011.

Music videos

References

External links

Recording Institute of Detroit Home Page

Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:2010s singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American hip hop musicians Category:American male singers Category:American people of Jewish descent Category:Duke University alumni Category:English-language singers Category:Hip hop singers Category:J Records artists Category:Musicians from Detroit, Michigan Category:People from Southfield, Michigan

Name	Wiz Khalifa
Img alt	Wiz Khalifa holding a microphone
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Cameron Jibril Thomaz
Alias
Born	September 08, 1987Minot, North Dakota, United States
Origin	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper
Years active	2005–present
Label	Rostrum, Warner Bros., Atlantic
Associated acts	Curren$y, Snoop Dogg
Url	www.wizkhalifa.com

Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007. His eurodance-influenced single, "Say Yeah", received urban radio airplay, charting on the Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Tracks charts in 2008. His single "Black and Yellow" has become a big hit in 2010, reaching number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Early life

Khalifa was born on September 8, 1987 in Minot, North Dakota to a mother and a father serving in the military. Khalifa lived in Germany, England, and Japan before settling in Pittsburgh where he attended Taylor Allderdice High School. He includes Camp Lo, The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony among his influences.

Career

Khalifa released his first mixtape, Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania, in 2005. The mixtape led to his first full length album entitled Show and Prove in 2006. Khalifa was declared an "artist to watch" that year in Rolling Stone magazine.

In 2007, Khalifa signed to Warner Bros. Records and released two mixtapes through Rostrum Records: Grow Season, hosted by DJ Green Lantern and released on July 4, 2007, and Prince of the City 2, released on November 20, 2007. His debut Warner Bros. single "Say Yeah" reached number 25 on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 music chart and number 20 on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks. The song samples "Better Off Alone" by Alice Deejay. Khalifa's vocals from "Say Yeah" appear near the end of Pittsburgh mash up producer Girl Talk's 2008 album, Feed the Animals, over music from Underworld's "Born Slippy", Usher's "Love in This Club", and the Cure's "In Between Days". Khalifa appeared with The Game, David Banner and Play-n-Skillz at U92's Summer Jam at the USANA Amphitheatre in West Valley City, Utah on August 2, 2008. Khalifa released the mixtapes Star Power in September 2008, and Flight School in April 2009 on Rostrum Records.

Khalifa parted ways with Warner Bros. Records in July 2009 after numerous delays in releasing his planned debut album for the label, First Flight. Khalifa stated to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that, "I learned a lot during my time there and matured as an artist during the process. I'm happy to be moving on with all of my material and having the chance to be in control of my next moves".

in New York City in April 2010.]] Continuing his association with Rostrum Records, Khalifa released the single "Teach U to Fly", and the mixtape How Fly, a collaboration with New Orleans rapper Curren$y, on August 9, 2009. Khalifa introduced a more melodic style on the mixtape, alternating between singing and rapping. He opened for Wu-Tang Clan member U-God at the 2009 CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. Khalifa released the mixtape Burn After Rolling on November 2, 2009, where he raps over familiar beats from other artists, including the songs "If I Were A Boy" and "Diva" by Beyoncé, "Walking on a Dream" by Empire of the Sun, "Luchini AKA This Is It" by Camp Lo, and "Best I Ever Had" by Drake. Khalifa released his second album, Deal or No Deal, on November 24, 2009.

Khalifa performed at Emo's in Austin, Texas in March 2010 as part of the 2010 South by Southwest Music Festival. He appeared on the cover of XXL magazine that same month, for the magazine's annual list of Top 10 Freshman, which included Donnis, J. Cole, Pill, Freddie Gibbs, and Fashawn. Wiz Khalifa was named 2010 "Rookie Of The Year" by "The Source", with alongside Rick Ross, "The Man Of The Year". He toured with rapper Yelawolf on a 20-date tour, the Deal Or No Deal Tour. Khalifa released the free mixtape Kush and Orange Juice for download on April 14, 2010. Due to Khalifa's devoted grassroots fan base, the mixtape became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter with the hash tag #kushandorangejuice, and "Kush and Orange Juice download” ranked No. 1 on Google’s hot search trends.

Citing music industry insiders, New York magazine wrote that Khalifa signed with Atlantic Records in April 2010, although the rapper didn't confirm it. He stated to AllHipHop in June 2010 that he was working on a new album, but was weighing his options and hadn't yet decided on a label to distribute it. Khalifa confirmed to MTV on July 30 that he was signing an Atlantic Records deal.

in August 2010.]] Khalifa was featured in a remix and video for the 2010 Rick Ross single "Super High", alongside Curren$y. He guested on the mixtape Grey Goose, Head Phones, and Thirsty Women by St. Louis rapper M.C, and was featured on the track "The Breeze (Cool)" on rapper Wale's August 2010 mixtape More About Nothing. Khalifa was named MTV's Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2010, winning with nearly 70,000 votes, and beating out finalists Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, Travis Porter, and Diggy Simmons.

Khalifa appeared at the Soundset 2010 festival in May 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, alongside Method Man & Redman, Del the Funky Homosapien and Hieroglyphics, Atmosphere, Murs, Cage, and others. He also performed at the 2010 Rock the Bells festival, along with hip hop veterans Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, Lauryn Hill, A Tribe Called Quest, Rakim, KRS-One, Jedi Mind Tricks and Slick Rick. Khalifa declined an invitation to tour with rapper Drake and launched his own "Waken Baken" tour, a 50-city national tour with rapper Yelawolf. The tour, scheduled to last from September to November 2010, has, as of October, sold out every venue. On November 2010, during his "Waken Baken" tour at East Carolina University, Wiz Khalifa was arrested for possession and trafficking of marijuana. He was then released the next morning after a $300K bail, and is looking to resume with his tour. Khalifa performed in a cypher during the 2010 BET Hip-Hop Awards. He recited his verse from the song, "The Check Point", from his mixtape with Curren$y, How Fly. Khalifa released "Black and Yellow", his first single for Rostrum/Atlantic, produced by Stargate, which has received radio airplay. The single reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100; the title of the song refers to the colors of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Khalifa will release his debut album with Atlantic Records in 2011. He appeared with Curren$y on the track "Scaling the Building" on producer Ski Beatz' 2010 album, 24 Hour Karate School. Khalifa's fanbase is known as the Taylor Gang, named after his love of Chuck Taylor All-Stars shoes.

Discography

;Studio albums

Show and Prove (2006)

Deal or No Deal (2009)

TBA (2011)

References

External links

Wiz Khalifa at MTV

Category:1987 births Category:Military brats Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers Category:African American rappers Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:People from Minot, North Dakota Category:Rappers from Pennsylvania Category:Warner Bros. Records artists

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	Lil Wayne
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.
Born	September 27, 1982New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Instrument	Vocals, Guitars
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, CEO
Years active	1992–present
Associated acts	Big Tymers, Birdman, Drake, Cash Money Millionaires, Hot Boys, Juelz Santana, Kevin Rudolf, T-Pain, Young Money, Eminem
Label	Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Motown
Url

Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (born September 27, 1982), better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included rappers Juvenile, B.G., and Turk. Hot Boys debuted with Get It How U Live! that year. Lil Wayne gained most of his success with the group's major selling album Guerrilla Warfare, released in 1999. Also in 1999, Lil Wayne released his Platinum debut album Tha Block Is Hot, selling over one million copies in the U.S.

Although his next two albums Lights Out (2000) and 500 Degreez (2002) were not as successful (only reaching Gold status), Lil Wayne reached higher popularity in 2004 with Tha Carter, which included the single "Go D.J." Wayne also appeared on the Destiny's Child top ten single "Soldier" that year. In 2005, the sequel to Tha Carter, Tha Carter II, was released. In 2006 and 2007, Lil Wayne released several mixtapes and appeared on several popular rap and R&B; singles.

His most successful album, Tha Carter III, was released in 2008 which went on to sell over 1 million copies in the U.S. its first week of release. It included the number-one single "Lollipop" and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Lil Wayne released his debut rock album, Rebirth, in 2010 to primarily negative reception from critics. The album eventually went gold. In March 2010, Lil Wayne began serving an 8 month prison sentence in New York after being convicted of criminal possession of a weapon stemming from an incident in July 2007. While in jail he released another album entitled I Am Not a Human Being in September 2010, featuring Young Money artists such as Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Twist.

Early life

Lil Wayne was born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. and grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. Carter was born when his mother, a chef, was 19 years old. His parents were divorced when he was 2, and his father permanently abandoned the family. Carter enrolled in the gifted program of Lafayette Elementary School and in the drama club of Eleanor McMain Secondary School. In the summer of 1991, he met Bryan Williams, rapper and owner of Cash Money Records. Carter recorded freestyle raps on Williams's answering machine, leading him to mentor the young Carter and include him in Cash Money-distributed songs. He also recorded his first ever collaboration album True Story with rapper B.G.. At the time, Carter was 11, and B.G. was 14, and was billed as "The B.G.'z". When he was 12, he played the part of the Tin Man in his middle school drama club's production of The Wiz. At age 13, he accidentally shot himself with a .44 caliber gun, with the bullet missing his heart by two inches.

Music career

1997–99: The Hot Boys

In 1997, Carter joined the Hot Boys along with rappers Juvenile, B.G., and Turk. At age 15, Carter was the youngest member at that time. Hot Boys' debut album Get It How U Live! was released the same year, followed in 1999 by the group's major-label debut Guerrilla Warfare, Carter was also featured on Juvenile's single "Back That Azz Up", which reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. Let 'Em Burn, a compilation album of unreleased tracks recorded during 1999 and 2000, came out in 2003, several years after the group disbanded. It reached No. 3 on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 14 on the Billboard 200.

Carter's debut solo album Tha Block Is Hot at age 17 featured significant contributions from the Hot Boys and was certified 2x platinum, climbing to No. 3 on the Billboard album charts. and also became a Top Ten hit. Critics pointed to the lack of coherent narratives in his verses as evidence that he had yet to mature to the level of his fellow Hot Boys. The lead single was "Get Off The Corner" which was noticed for an improvement in lyrical content and style, it also received a music video. The second single which received less attention was "Shine" featuring The Hot Boys. Near the release of Lights Out, Lil Wayne was featured on the single, "1# Stunna" with Big Tymers and Juvenile, which rose to 24th place on the Hot Rap Tracks charts.

In 2001, Lil Wayne was shot in the chest in Florida after "some groupies" fired two shots through his tour bus window. He recalled the incident in 2008 interview: 'It [the bullet] 'didn’t go all the way in, ’cause the window slowed it down.' The lead single was "Way Of Life" which like the album failed to match the success of his previous singles. After the release of 500 Degreez, he was featured in the single "Neva Get Enuf" by 3LW.

2004–07: Tha Carter, Tha Carter II and collaborations

In the summer of 2004, Wayne's album Tha Carter was released, marking what critics considered advancement in his rapping style and lyrical themes. In addition, the album's cover art featured the debut of Wayne's now-signature dreadlocks. After the release of Tha Carter, Lil Wayne was featured in Destiny's Child's single "Soldier" with T.I., which peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. Hot 100 and the U.S. R&B; Charts. The song Get Something (featuring Mannie Fresh) was supposed to appear on the album but failed to make the cut, however the music video was released.

Tha Carter II, the follow-up to the original Tha Carter album, was released in December 2005, this time without production by longtime Cash Money Records producer Mannie Fresh, who had since left the label. Tha Carter II sold more than 238,000 copies in its first week of release, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and went on to sell 2,000,000 copies world wide. The lead single, "Fireman," became a hit in the US, peaking at 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other singles included "Grown Man", "Hustler Muzik", and "Shooter" (featuring R&B; singer Robin Thicke). Lil Wayne also appeared on a remix of Bobby Valentino's "Tell Me", which rose to No. 13 on the U.S. R&B; Charts.

In 2005, Lil Wayne was named president of Cash Money, and in the same year he founded Young Money Entertainment as an imprint of Cash Money. However, as of late 2007, Lil Wayne reported that he has stepped down from the management of both labels and has handed management of Young Money over to Cortez Bryant.

on July 23, 2007]]

In 2006, Lil Wayne collaborated with rapper Birdman for the album Like Father, Like Son, whose first single "Stuntin' Like My Daddy", reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Instead of a follow-up solo album, Lil Wayne reached his audience through a plethora of mixtapes and guest appearances on a variety of pop and hip-hop singles. and Vibe

Despite no album release for two years, Lil Wayne appeared in numerous singles as a featured performer, including "Gimme That" by Chris Brown, "Make It Rain" by Fat Joe, "You" by Lloyd, and "We Takin' Over" by DJ Khaled (also featuring Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, and Birdman), "Duffle Bag Boy" by Playaz Circle, "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" by Wyclef Jean (also featuring Akon), and the remix to "I'm So Hood" by DJ Khaled (also featuring T-Pain, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Fat Joe, Birdman, and Rick Ross). All these singles charted within the top 20 spots on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Rap Tracks, and Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs charts. On Birdman's 2007 album 5 * Stunna, Lil Wayne appeared on the singles "100 Million" and "I Run This" among several other tracks. Wayne also appeared on tracks from albums Getback by Little Brother, American Gangster by Jay-Z, and Graduation by Kanye West and Insomniac by Enrique Iglesias. "Make it Rain", a Scott Storch production that peaked at number 13 on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for 2008.

Vibe magazine ranked a list of 77 of Lil Wayne's songs from 2007 and ranked his verse in DJ Khaled's "We Takin Over" as his best of 2007, with "Dough Is What I Got" (a freestyle over the beat of Jay-Z's "Show Me What You Got") from Da Drought 3 the second song. The New Yorker magazine ranked him "Rapper of the Year", In 2008 he was named "Best Rock Star Alive" by Blender magazine

2008–09: Tha Carter III and We Are Young Money

Initially planned to be released in 2007, Tha Carter III's largest delay came after the majority of the tracks were leaked and distributed on mixtapes, such as "The Drought Is Over Pt. 2" and "The Drought Is Over Pt. 4". Lil Wayne initially decided to use the leaked tracks, plus four new tracks, to make a separate album, titled The Leak. The Leak was to be released December 18, 2007, with the actual album being delayed until March 18, 2008, The release of The Leak in this format never came to fruition, but an official EP titled The Leak and containing five tracks was released digitally on December 25, 2007.

Tha Carter III was released on June 10, 2008, selling more than a million copies in its first week of release, the first to do so since 50 Cent's The Massacre in 2005. The first single "Lollipop", featuring Static became the rapper's most commercially successful song at that point, topping the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first Top 10 single for Lil Wayne as a solo artist, as well as his first No. 1 on the chart. His third single from Carter III', "Got Money" featuring T-Pain, peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 100. Along with his album singles, Lil Wayne appeared on R&B; singles "Girls Around the World" by Lloyd, "Love In This Club, Part II" by Usher, "Official Girl" by Cassie, "I'm So Paid" by Akon, "Turnin' Me On" by Keri Hilson, and "Can't Believe It" by T-Pain; rap singles "My Life" by The Game, "Shawty Say" by David Banner, "Swagga Like Us" by T.I., "Cutty Buddy" by Mike Jones, All My Life (In the Ghetto) by Jay Rock and the remix to "Certified" by Glasses Malone; and pop single "Let It Rock" by new Cash Money artist Kevin Rudolf. On July 14, 2008, the Recording Industry Association of America certified Tha Carter III two times platinum. In an October 2008 interview with MTV News, Lil Wayne announced plans to re-release this album with all new tracks, including a duet with Ludacris and remixes of "A Milli". concert in Vancouver in January 2009.]]

The lineup for New Orleans' 2008 Voodoo Experience concert, held in October, featured Lil Wayne. Jonathan Cohen of Billboard magazine reported that the event would mark his biggest hometown headlining set of his career. Lil Wayne stated that he would reunite with Hot Boys alongside Juvenile, Turk, and B.G. They plan to release an album after B.G.'s solo album Too Hood to Be Hollywood was completed. Wayne also performed as the 2008 Virgin Mobile Music Fest with Kanye West, performing the remix of "Lollipop" with West and also lip-syncing to Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You". Lil Wayne also performed at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards with Kid Rock ("All Summer Long"), Leona Lewis ("DontGetIt (Misunderstood)") and T-Pain ("Got Money"). On the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, he performed "Lollipop" and "Got Money". He later performed at the homecoming rally at Vanderbilt University and the 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards with 12 nominations. He won the "MVP" title at the BET Hip Hop Awards and seven others. It was revealed that M.I.A. dropped out of performing on the tour due to her pregnancy, however Jay-Z is expected to perform with Wayne on the song "Mr. Carter" at select shows.

On November 11, 2008, Wayne became the first hip-hop act to ever perform at the Country Music Association Awards. He played alongside Kid Rock for the song, "All Summer Long", in which Wayne did not rap but instead inaudibly strummed guitar strings alongside the guitarist in Kid Rock's band. Shortly after, Wayne was nominated for eight Grammys – the most for any artist nominated that year. Wayne was then named the first ever MTV Man of the Year at the end of 2008. He won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance for "A Milli", Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for his appearance in T.I.'s single "Swagga Like Us", and Best Rap Song for "Lollipop". Tha Carter III won the award for Best Rap Album.

DJ Drama stated that there would be a third installation of the Dedication mixtape series with Lil Wayne, who insisted that it will would be a full album under the title. However despite the fact Wayne wanted to release Dedication 3 as an album, it was released as a mixtape on November 14, 2008.

MTV listed Lil Wayne number two on their 2009 list of the Hottest MCs In The Game.

On December 23, 2009, Wayne released a collaboration album with Young Money, with the first single confirmed as "Every Girl". The second single is "BedRock", featuring Lloyd. The third single is "Roger That". On May 24, 2010, the album was certified gold by the RIAA with over 500,000 copies sold.

Wayne is featured on the song, "Revolver", with Madonna for her 2009 greatest hits album, Celebration. He was also featured on a Weezer song, "Can't Stop Partying", on their 2009 album, Raditude.

2008–present: Rebirth, I Am Not a Human Being, and Tha Carter IV

In late 2008, Wayne stated that he would re-release The Carter III with leftover tracks and call it Rebirth, several months later, however, he announced Rebirth would instead release as his debut rock album, maintaining its title as Rebirth. To support the release of Rebirth and a collaboration album with Young Money Entertainment, Wayne headlined the 'Young Money Presents: America's Most Wanted Music Festival'... a United States and Canada–only concert tour which started on July 29, 2009. The Rebirth album was originally scheduled for a April 7, 2009 release, however after numerous delays, the album was released on February 2, 2010. For the anticipation of Rebirth, Wayne was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone.

"Prom Queen", the first official single, debuted on January 27, 2009 immediately after a live Internet broadcast on Ustream of his concert in San Diego. "Prom Queen" peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. On December 3, 2009, Lil Wayne's second single from the album, "On Fire", was released on iTunes. "On Fire" was produced by Cool & Dre with Lil Wayne playing the guitar with the aid of Pro Tools. "On Fire" peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. "Drop the World", which features Eminem, is the third single from the album. Following Tha Carter III's achievement of selling over 2 million copies, becoming 2008's best-selling record, Wayne re-signed with Cash Money Records for a multi-album deal. Wayne said Tha Carter IV will be released in 2009 just before the holidays. Birdman had previously stated that Tha Carter IV would be packaged with Rebirth as a double disc album. However, Wayne denied this idea saying that "Tha Carter IV deserves Tha Carter IV". He went on to say that We Are Young Money may be packaged with Rebirth. However, it was later confirmed that Rebirth and We Are Young Money will be released separately and that Tha Carter IV will be released during 2011. He started from scratch on Tha Carter IV since getting released from jail. He recorded his first track since being released from jail and it was described as being "a 2010 version of A Milli'' on steroids." The album is set to feature multiple guests, including Tech N9ne. The album will be released February 2011. The first single "6 Foot 7 Foot" featuring Cory Gunz was released on December 15, 2010. It was available for digital download on iTunes December 16, 2010. The song is produced by Bangladesh, who also produced Lil Wayne's single A Milli in 2008. Tha Carter IV is expected for release in Winter 2011.

Future projects

He has announced several possible upcoming projects, including a collaboration album I Can't Feel My Face with rapper Juelz Santana that has been in production for several years. He has discussed a possible R&B; album titled Luv Sawngz, for which he will heavily rely on a vocoder. He has also talked with singer Lloyd about doing a collaboration album in the future. On June 19, 2008, Lil Wayne and T-Pain formed a duo called T-Wayne and planned to release an album. On June 8, 2010, Drake confirmed that he and Wayne are planning to release a joint album in the future. Lil Wayne and Baby will release a second Like Father, Like Son album around Fathers Day 2011. Wayne and Drake will release a collaboration album sometime in the near future.

Television and film career

Lil Wayne was a guest debater going up against Skip Bayless on the "1st & 10" segment on the January 6, 2009 edition of ESPN First Take. On February 10, 2009 he also appeared on ESPN's Around the Horn and beat out veterans Woody Paige, Jay Mariotti and fellow New Orleanian Michael Smith to win that show's episode. Wayne is set to produce and compose music for the film Hurricane Season. A documentary of Lil Wayne titled The Carter was released at the Sundance Film Festival. Prior to the 2009 Grammy Awards, Wayne was featured in an interview with Katie Couric. He then appeared on an April 24 episode of The View – talking about his GED and addictions. In September 2009, Wayne was profiled in an episode of VH1's Behind the Music and was a presenter of the 2009 MTV Movie Awards.

Personal life

Family

Lil Wayne has four children. His first child, daughter Reginae, was born when he was 15, Internet rumours started circulating in August 2008 that Wayne's daughter had died in a car crash, which however he quickly cleared up as false saying "Please allow me to dispel any rumors or speculations and report that my daughter is alive, healthy and surrounded by family who care and love her dearly. The rumors are completely false and unfounded; neither Reginae nor any other member of my family has been involved in any car accident." His second child, Dwayne III, was then born on October 22, 2008 at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. His third child, Lennox Samuel Ari, was born to actress Lauren London on September 9, 2009. He had his fourth child, Neal, on November 30, 2009 with singer Nivea.

In a CBS interview with Katie Couric, Wayne described why he goes by the name of "Wayne" instead of his given name, Dwayne. Carter explained, "I dropped the D because I'm a junior and my father is living and he's not in my life and he's never been in my life. So I don't want to be Dwayne, I'd rather be Wayne". Couric asked Wayne if his father knew of this and Wayne replied with a smile, "He knows now". He also revealed on The View that he switched to the University of Phoenix and majored in psychology taking online courses. An article in Urb magazine in March 2007 asserted that Wayne had been earning high grades at Houston.

Sports and musical interests

In an interview with Blender magazine, Lil Wayne revealed one of his favorite bands from childhood to be rock group Nirvana, and cites them as a major influence in his music.

On September 24, 2008, Lil Wayne published his first blog for ESPN in their issue, ESPN The Magazine. Wayne revealed he was a fan of tennis, the Green Bay Packers, the Boston Bruins, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Red Sox. Wayne has continued writing for ESPN, notably reporting at the ESPN Super Bowl party.

Lil Wayne made his debut on ESPN's daily sports round table show Around The Horn on February 10, 2009.

Along with Mack Maine, Wayne was in attendance of Game 3 of the opening round NBA playoff series between the Denver Nuggets and the home team New Orleans Hornets on April 25, 2009.

Religion

Lil Wayne is a practicing Christian, who takes time to read the Bible regularly. He then asked the Newark crowd if they also believed, and they responded affirmatively with a roar.

According to his Rikers Island inmate ID and prison records, Wayne is specifically a Roman Catholic.

Philanthropy

On February 19, 2008, Lil Wayne and Cortez Bryant revisited their alma mater McMain Secondary School to get students to design an invitation to the gala introducing Lil Wayne's nonprofit One Family Foundation. The website Change.org states: "The mission of One Family Foundation, Inc. is to empower urban youth by engaging them in opportunities to cultivate their talents and skills, educating them to become productive and economically self-sufficient, and motivating them to dream beyond their circumstances."

Drug use and arrests

Wayne told CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric on her All Access Grammy Special in 2009 that he enjoys smoking marijuana recreationally. He also stated that he is "not addicted" to drinking purple drank (codeine cough syrup) any longer, like some claimed he was. He has been arrested for use or possession of marijuana and other drugs.

Following a performance at Qwest Arena in Boise, Idaho, Lil Wayne was arrested October 5, 2007 on felony fugitive charges after Georgia authorities accused the rapper of possessing a controlled substance. The incident was later described as a "mix-up" and the fugitive charges were dropped.

On January 23, 2008, Lil Wayne was arrested alongside two others. His tour bus was stopped by Border Patrol agents near Yuma, Arizona. A K-9 Unit recovered of marijuana, almost of cocaine, of MDMA, and $22,000 in cash. Lil Wayne was charged with four felonies: possession of narcotic drug for sale, possession of dangerous drugs, misconduct involving weapons and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was granted permission to travel outside of the state and remain out of custody on the $10,185 bond he posted. On May 6, 2008, Wayne returned to court in Arizona to plead not guilty to the charges. A bench warrant was issued on March 17, 2010 when Lil Wayne didn't show for a final trial management conference. However, the rapper was already in prison, serving a year-long sentence in Rikers on weapons charges. On June 22, 2010 Wayne plead guilty to the charges. As part of the plea deal he may serve 36 months of probation. On June 30, 2010, he was sentenced to 3 years probation.

On December 18, 2009, Wayne and 11 others were detained at the Falfurrias, Texas border patrol checkpoint after an unknown amount of marijuana was found on two of his tour buses.

New York weapon case

On July 22, 2007, Lil Wayne was arrested in New York City following a performance at the Beacon Theatre; the New York City Police Department discovered Lil Wayne and another man smoking marijuana near a tour bus. After taking Lil Wayne into custody, police discovered a .40 caliber pistol on his person. The gun, which was registered to his manager, was in a bag located near the rapper. He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and marijuana.

On October 22, 2009, Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. He was due for sentencing in February 2010 and was expected to receive a one-year jail sentence, but on February 9, 2010, Lil Wayne's attorney announced that the sentencing was delayed until March 2 due to dental surgery, which was performed on February 16. The surgery included eight root canals, the replacement of several tooth implants, as well as the addition of a few new implants and work on his remaining original teeth.

On March 2, 2010, sentencing was postponed again when the courthouse reported a fire in the basement.

On March 8, 2010, Lil Wayne was sentenced to a year in prison, which he served in Rikers Island. His lawyer said the rapper expected to be held in protective custody, separated from other prisoners. He was released on good behavior. However, in May 2010 Wayne was found by Rikers Island correctional staff to be in possession of contraband (an MP3 player, charger, and headphones). However at that time, it was reported by MTV and HipHopDX (and later confirmed) that Lil Wayne was to be released four months early in November.

In April 2010, Lil Wayne's friends created a website called Weezy Thanx You, which publishes letters written by Wayne in prison. In the first letter, titled "Gone 'til November", the rapper described his daily routine, saying he works out a lot, and reads the Bible every day.

Lawsuits

In February 2009, production company RMF Productions filed a $1.3 million lawsuit against Wayne, following a $100,000 advance payment for three shows, all of which were cancelled by the artist.

On October 2009, Lil Wayne, Birdman, Cash Money Records and various music distribution outlets were sued for copyright infringement by Thomas Marasciullo, who claims his voice was used without permission. The rappers asked him to record some "Italian-styled spoken word recordings" in 2006. The lyrics were allegedly used on "Respect" and other tracks from the rappers' collaboration album Like Father, Like Son and Birdman's 5 * Stunna.

Public references by Barack Obama

Lil Wayne has been referenced in public speeches by President Barack Obama on at least two occasions, in mixed contexts. Speaking to a largely African-American audience during a general election campaign town hall speech in Georgia, then-U.S. Senator Obama exhorted children to stay in school and achieve their dreams through education and perseverance instead of hoping for shortcuts to fame and riches, stating: "You are probably not that good a rapper. Maybe you are the next Lil Wayne, but probably not, in which case you need to stay in school."

After assuming the Presidency, Obama later echoed this theme of personal and familial responsibility—and the difficulty of achieving Lil Wayne's lyrical skills or success—during an address to a meeting commemorating the 100th anniversary of the NAACP, telling the audience:}}

Obama also mentioned listening to Lil Wayne on his iPod:

Discography

; Studio albums

1999: Tha Block Is Hot

2000: Lights Out

2002: 500 Degreez

2004: Tha Carter

2005: Tha Carter II

2008: Tha Carter III

2010: Rebirth

2010: I Am Not a Human Being

2011: Tha Carter IV

Filmography

Awards

References

External links

Lil Wayne at MTV

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:1990s rappers Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers Category:21st-century American criminals Category:African-American Catholics Category:African American rappers Category:American dance musicians Category:American shooting survivors Category:Cash Money Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Hip hop singers Category:People convicted of drug offenses Category:Rappers from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:University of Houston alumni Category:World Music Awards winners

Name	Kid Cudi
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi
Born	January 30, 1984 Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Origin	Brooklyn, New York, United States
Genre	Hip hop, alternative rock, neo-psychedelia
Occupation	Rapper, singer, songwriter, actor
Years active	2003–present
Label	Dream On, GOOD Music, Universal Motown
Associated acts	Chip tha Ripper, Kanye West, Asher Roth, Jay Z, Ratatat
Url

Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), better known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), sometimes stylized as KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs charts. "Day 'n' Nite" is part of Cudi's debut album .

Early life

Kid Cudi was born in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up in suburban Shaker Heights and Solon. Mescudi attended Shaker Heights High School for two years, transferred to Solon High School, and earned his GED. Later, Mescudi studied film at the University of Toledo then dropped out after a year.

Music career

Mescudi first began rapping towards the end of high school, inspired by alternative hip hop groups such as The Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest. The mixtape quickly caught the attention of Kanye West, leading him to sign Mescudi to GOOD Music later that year.

Kid Cudi was featured on Kanye West's 2008 album, 808s & Heartbreak, helping to write "Heartless" which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and singing with West on the track "Welcome to Heartbreak", which peaked at #87 on the Pop 100, music videos for both songs have been released. Cudi was then tipped as an artist to watch for in medias such as Rolling Stone, Vibe, The Source, XXL and BBC News's Sound of 2009 poll of up-and-coming acts. MTV News also reported on Cudi on a series of reports MCs To Watch In 2009.

in New York City, July 2008.]]

His first television appearance was at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, alongside good friends Travis Barker and the late DJ AM. On February 17, 2009, he appeared on Snoop Dogg's MTV talk show Dogg After Dark performing "Day 'n' Nite" at the end of the show. Two days later on February 19, 2009, Cudi appeared on BET's 106 & Park with Kanye West to debut the video of "Day 'n' Nite". On March 16, 2009 Kid Cudi performed on mtvU's Spring Break special, and the next day he performed three songs on NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly. He has also appeared as a musical guest on The Late Show with David Letterman, Conan and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Kid Cudi also made a cameo appearance next to Solange in the video for the song "T.O.N.Y." in February 2009, and later in the Black Eyed Peas' video for "I Gotta Feeling", with disc jockey David Guetta. He has also appeared on numerous magazine covers including Complex (August/September 2009, October/November 2010, URB (August 2009) and XXL (October 2009).

2009–present: Man on the Moon series

Cudi's debut album was released on Universal Motown Records on September 15, 2009 and sold 104,419 copies in the first week and charted at #4. The album's first single was Day 'N' Nite, and is Kid Cudi's greatest commercial success thus far, the song charting well both in the U.S. and in Europe. The song was also ranked #15 the list of the Best 25 Songs of 2009 by Rolling Stone. The next single from the album was "Make Her Say" (originally titled "I Poke Her Face"), which features a sample from the acoustic version of Lady Gaga's song "Poker Face" and performances by Kanye West and Common. The album has now officially reached Gold status selling over a half million copies. The album also received positive reviews from critics. The Boston Globe praised the experimental uniqueness of the album, writing, "It's spacey, adventurous, and ridiculously intriguing if only because it's so different. ...Supposedly Cudi and West made a lot of music together with sci-fi movies playing silently in the studio, and listening to Man on the Moon pretty much corroborates it. It's an album in its own orbit."

in Santa Clara, California, on September 26, 2009.]]

On February 25, 2009, Cudi self-leaked a "teaser trailer" for the upcoming film using his song "Sky Might Fall" in the background, later he posted that he made the trailer himself and was in talks to possibly make it official. With Emile, Cudi produced an exclusive single called "Switchin Lanes" for the video game , part of its "South Central Premium Upgrade" downloadable content (DLC) which came out March 19, 2009 for the PlayStation 3 and March 27, 2009 for the Xbox 360.

During the summer of 2009, Cudi joined rapper Asher Roth for the Great Hangover concert tour. Kid Cudi then featured on the highly anticipated Jay-Z album The Blueprint 3, on the song "Already Home". Kid Cudi was nominated for three 2010 Grammy Awards for his singles, "Day 'n' Nite" and "Make Her Say". Kid Cudi appeared on Snoop Dogg's More Malice deluxe album, in the song "That Tree". Kid Cudi has also teamed up for tracks with such artists as T.I., Vampire Weekend, Shakira, Johnny Polygon, Mr. Hudson, A-Trak, Talib Kweli, Robin Thicke, MGMT, 3OH!3, Dan Black and Kevin Rudolf. On April 20, 2010, Kid Cudi announced that the name of his second album has been changed from Cudder and the Revolution of Evolution to . The album is due for an November 9, 2010 release. Cudi has also recently been featured on the song "Memories" with David Guetta. The song peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100.

On June 11, 2010, Kid Cudi was arrested in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, and charged with felony criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance after an alleged incident with him and a 24-year-old woman. Despite his arrest, he was released and made it to Manchester, Tennessee the next day in time to play at Bonnaroo Music Festival. On September 24, 2010, he was sentenced to two days of community service after pleading guilty in court to the possession of cocaine. The following evening, Cudi performed songs off his upcoming album for the Details @ Midnight event at Cedar Lake Studios in Manhattan. In Complex's October/November issue, Cudi admitted to using cocaine to get through interviews. He said he has stopped using it.

Cudi's sophomore album, , A promotional single, "REVOFEV", was released from the album in early 2010. The official lead single, "Erase Me" featuring Kanye West, was released for airplay on June 30, 2010. The single was officially released on iTunes on August 24, 2010 and debuted at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 earning the status of "Hot Shot Debut".

Cudi appeared as himself in the 10th episode of the 8th season of the CW TV show One Tree Hill dated November 29.

Other ventures

Kid Cudi is currently starring in the new HBO comedy series How to Make it in America, produced by Mark Wahlberg. Cudi has also made an impact in the fashion world with Bape awarding Cudi his own t-shirt in September 2009 and using him as their main model for the summer 2010 collection in reward for his music and past employment there when living in New York City. He was also named the "Most Stylish New Yorker" in February 2010 by Time Out New York.

Discography

Studio albums

(2009)

(2010)

Official Mixtapes

A Kid Named Cudi (2008)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:African American rappers Category:African American singers Category:American rappers of Mexican descent Category:Electro-hop musicians Category:Hip hop singers Category:Native American rappers Category:Native American singers Category:People from Brooklyn Category:People from Shaker Heights, Ohio Category:People from Solon, Ohio Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Rappers from Ohio Category:Musicians from Ohio Category:University of Toledo alumni Category:Wonky Pop acts Category:People from Cleveland, Ohio

Name	Clinton Sparks
Background	non_performing_personnel
Born	Dorchester, Massachusetts
Origin	Randolph, Massachusetts
Genre	Hip hop, Electro, Hip house, Electro hop, Electro house, Electropop, Electronic dance, Dance-pop, R&B;, Pop
Occupation	DJ, record producer
Years active	2001–present
Label	Get Familiar, Interscope
Associated acts	Ludacris, Diddy, Plies, Akon, Pitbull, D-Block, Colby O'Donis, Bun B, E-Dub, B.G., Lil' Flip, Kanye West, Kardinal Offishall, Busta Rhymes, Shawnna
Url	www.clintonsparks.com

Clinton Sparks Born Sept 18th 1979 is a Boston native U.S. radio, mixtape & Club DJ, Television & radio personality,recording artist as well as a music writer & producer.

Biography

Clinton Sparks is a Boston-based DJ who has made a fast and noisy splash on the hip-hop scene through several shows on terrestrial and satellite radio. Prior to the release of his first proper album, Maybe You Been Brainwashed is an introduction to the rest of the world via that tried and true standard, the mixtape.

He produced the second single off the Notorious B.I.G.'s song Hold Ya Head featuring Bob Marley. He is known to the public via satellite radio, terrestrial radio and mixtapes. He has a weekly radio show named SmashTime Radio which can be heard on Eminems Sirius Satellite Radio channel Shade 45 ,nationwide. He also has a separate syndicated weekly radio show also called Smashtimeradio on terrestrial radio which is #1 on his hometown of Bostons flagship station WJMN Jam'n 94.5 Boston, and on many other radio stations around the world from Australia, Belgium, Holland, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada and the U.S.

He released his first and only retail CD Maybe You've Been Brainwashed in 2005 on Koch records, which he produced entirely himself.

Together with Prince Paul and Dante Ross, Sparks appeared on the series finale of the VH1 reality show The (White) Rapper Show, where he sat on the three-judge panel that decided the winning contestant.

On March 6, 2007, Sparks showed up on Boston's Jam'n 94.5 morning show and had an interview about signing his record deal with DTP/Def Jam. He was asked about talking about certain rappers, along with becoming Diddy's official tour DJ. Diddy knew about Clinton but did not know he was white when he met him. Diddy shook hands with [Sparks] black agent by mistake.

In 2007, he signed a deal with the E! Channel to be the new music correspondent on The Daily 10 show every Tuesday at 7:30 ET. Clinton is closely involved with Karmaloop TV as a music correspondent as well. He also signed an endorsement deal with Pepsi and is part of the Pepsi DJ division. He tours heavily around the world DJing parties and events from Hong Kong to Hollywood. He produced and co-wrote Akon's single "Sorry, Blame it on Me" and Colby O'Donis' single titled " Dont Turn Back" as well as 3 other records on the album. He also produced "Call up the Homies by Ludacris Feat: Game off Ludacris "Theatre of the Mind" album & wrote & produced a song on Beyonce's new album. Clinton also created & DJ'd Smashtime Saturdays @ Body English in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas every week along W/ the E! channels Daily ten hosts Sal Masekala, Catt Sadler & Ben Lyons creating a wildly successful party in 08 & 09. He now holds the Saturday night residency in the Hard rock Hotel & Casinos in Las Vegas newest club "Vanity".In May 2009 Clinton produced the title track for rapper Bun Bs album II Trill which debuted #2 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart. He recently wrote & produced music which will be on upcoming albums for Akon, Beyonce, Ludacris , Sean Kingston, Plies, Flo-Rida as well as his upcoming albums which will be releases in 2010. Clinton also wrote & produced 2 records on actress/singer Leighton Meester of Gossip Girl fame 1 in which he performs on the record in a duet. He recently joined forces w/ his DJ friend DJ Snake from Paris, France to form a group called "Logan De Gaulle" in which they will release an album full of Dance/electro production. Their 1st single will feat singer/actor Tyrese & is titled "Take me Away",video available @ clintonsparks.com .Most recently Clinton produced & co-wrote Pitbulls current billboard charting single titled "Shut it Down". Clinton also has an endorsement deal w/ Ciroc, P Diddys vodka company & is prominently featured in the Chester French Feat; Diddy & jadakiss video for the Clinton Sparks inspired song "Ciroc Star" . In addition to being the music correspondent for The Daily ten on E!, Clinton also can be seen weekly on yahoo.com getting viewers familiar w/the weekly music news, album releases & the top 5 records of the week countdown. Clinton will be dropping his debut single as an artist featuring Jermaine Dupri & DJ Class titled "Favorite DJ" 1st quarter of 2010. A lot of music has recently surfaced on the internet featuring Clinton Sparks as an artist. One record is titled "Take A Chance" which is Akons record & Features CLinton singing the hook & was produced by David Guetta as well as another song with Mike Posner & Big Sean titled "Ambiguous" where Clinton raps a verse. Clinton Sparks most recently signed an exclusive recording contract w/ Interscope records as an artist. He will be releasing his album in 2011 on Interscope/Get Familiar records. He also just recently launched smashtimeradio.com which is the website that supports his worldwide syndicated radio show & is in the works to launch his own talk/variety show on the upcoming karmalooptv cable network.

Albums/Mixtapes

A wide selection of his mixtapes are available free to download via his website, ClintonSparks.com

Get Familiar Volumes 1-8

Get Familiar Blends Volumes 1-7

SmashTime Blends Volume 8

SmashTime Blends Volume 9

The Mixtapes of Tomorrow

Clinton Sparks & DJ Warrior: Coast Control

Clinton Sparks Presents One Foot Out the Door with Mike Posner

DJ Radio & Clinton Sparks Beanie Sigel & Jadakiss: Brotherly Love

Clinton Sparks, The Wayans Bros.: White Chicks Like Mixtapes, Too

DJ Kay Slay & Clinton Sparks: Kill Yourself, Part 1

Clinton Sparks & DJ Rukiz Shyne: If I Could Start From Scratch

Clinton Sparks Jay-Z: Concert on Smash

Clinton Sparks, Clipse & The Re-Up Gang:

Clinton Sparks, Clipse & The Re-Up Gang:

Clinton Sparks & DJ E-Rock: Welcome To The U.S. of Bay

Clinton Sparks & Beanie Sigel: SP2: The Movie Mixtape

Clinton Sparks, DJ Kay Slay, Saigon: The Return of the Yardfather

Maybe You've Been Brainwashed

The Pulling Strings Mixtape (with Miri Ben-Ari)

Clinton Sparks Presents Touch the Sky (with Kanye West)

Anger Management 3 (with Shade 45)

Welcome to Bad Boy (with Diddy)

Block Music: The Mixtape (with Shawnna)

Block Starz Music Presents West Coast Block Starz

New Crack City: The Mixtape (with Busta Rhymes)

Clinton Sparks, Big Mike, Hi-Tek: Teknologically Advanced

SmashTime Radio Vol. 1 Starring Kanye West

Clinton Sparks & Consequence: The Cons, Volume 4: Finish What You Started

Clinton Sparks & Grafh: MySpace Jumpoff

Clinton Sparks w/Damon Dash & DJ Kay Slay: Grafh - Classic

SmashTime Radio Vol. 2 Starring 50 Cent & Samuel L. Jackson

SmashTime Radio Vol. 3 Starring Rick Ross, Yung Joc, Paul Wall & T.I.

Clinton Sparks & DJ Boogie, Pharoahe Monch: The Awakening

SmashTime Radio: Shade 45 Anniversary Edition

Clinton Sparks & Tommy Lee: Hip-Pop Rock Star

SmashTime Radio Vol. 5 - Def Jam Edition Starring Jay-Z, Fabolous, Young Jeezy, Ne-Yo & Lloyd

Clinton Sparks Presents: Do the Right Thing (with Kardinal Offishall)

Clinton Sparks & Talib Kweli Blacksmith Street Album

Clinton Sparks & Diddy - Hip-Pop Rockstar II

Clinton Sparks & Talib Kweli - Get Familiar (The Blacksmith Mixtape Street Album)

Kardinal Offishall - Akon - Clinton Sparks Present: Limited Time Only

Fall Out Boy - CitizensFOB Mixtape: Welcome to the New Administration

Chester French & Clinton Sparks - Jacques Jams, Vol. 1: Endurance - Get Familiar with Chester French

Smashtimeradio Vol 6. Las Vegas edition w/ Lil'Jon

Clinton Sparks, DJ Snake aka Logan De Gaulle vs. Pitbull "Shut It Down" mixtape

Clinton Sparks & Donnis - Fashionably Late

Clinton Sparks & Hyper Crush

CLinton Sparks & Christian Rich

Ludacris - Down in tha Dirty

Ludacris - Theater of the Mind

Rebelution

Bun B - II Trill

* Category:American DJs Category:People from Boston, Massachusetts Category:Mixtape DJs Category:Hip hop record producers Category:1968 births Category:Living people