Group	Shan
Poptime	6 million (est.)
Region1
Region2
Rels	Theravada Buddhism, Animism
Langs	Shan, Burmese, others
Related	Kula, Thai, Lao, Tai peoples

The Shan (}}; , ; ; ) are a Tai ethnic group of Southeast Asia. The Shan live primarily in the Shan State of Burma (Myanmar), but also inhabit parts of Mandalay Division, Kachin State, and Kayin State, and in adjacent regions of China and Thailand. Though no reliable census has been taken in Burma since 1935, the Shan are estimated to number approximately 6 million.

The capital of Shan State is Taunggyi, a small city of about 150,000 people. Other major cities include Thibaw (Hsipaw), Lashio, Kengtung and Tachileik.

Ethnicity

The Shan people as a whole can be divided into five major groups: #The Tai Yai () or "Shan Proper" #The Tai Lue (), located in Sipsong Panna (China) and the eastern states #The Tai Khuen (), the majority of Keng Tung #The Tai Neua (), mostly in Dehong (China) #The Tai Khamti, mostly in Assam and Manipur

Culture

and kinnari dance]]

The majority of Shan are Theravada Buddhists, and the Shan constitute one of the four main Buddhist ethnic groups in Burma; the others are the Bamar, the Mon and the Rakhine.

Most Shan speak the Shan language and are bilingual in Burmese. The Shan language, spoken by about 5 or 6 million, is closely related to Thai and Lao, and is part of the family of Tai languages. It is spoken in Shan State, some parts of Kachin State, some parts of Sagaing Division in Myanmar, parts of Yunnan, and in parts of northwestern Thailand, including Mae Hong Son Province and Chiang Mai Province {p. The two major dialects differ in number of tones: Hsenwi Shan has six tones, while Mongnai Shan has five. The Shan script is an adaptation of the Mon script via the Burmese script. The Shan have inhabited the Shan Plateau and other parts of modern-day Myanmar as far back as the 10th century AD. The Shan kingdom of Mong Mao (Muang Mao) existed as early as the 10th century AD but became a Burmese vassal state during the reign of King Anawrahta of Pagan (1044-1077).

After the Pagan kingdom fell to the Mongols in 1287, the Tai-Shan peoples quickly gained power throughout South East Asia, and founded:

Many Ava and Pegu kings of Burmese history between the 13th and 16th century were of (partial) Shan descent. The kings of Ava fought kings of Pegu for control of Irrawaddy valley. Various Shan states fought Ava for the control of Upper Burma. The states of Monyhin (Mong Yang) and Mogaung were the strongest of the Shan States. Monhyin-led Confederation of Shan States defeated Ava in 1527, and ruled all of Upper Burma until 1555.

The Burmese king Bayinnaung conquered all of the Shan states in 1557. Although the Shan states would become a tributary to Irrawaddy valley based Burmese kingdoms from then on, the Shan Saophas retained a large degree of autonomy. Throughout the Burmese feudal era, Shan states supplied much manpower in the service of Burmese kings. Without Shan manpower, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, for the Burmans alone to achieve their much vaunted victories in Lower Burma, Siam, and elsewhere. Shans were a major part of Burmese forces in the First Anglo-Burmese War of 1824-1826, and fought valiantly--a fact even the British commanders acknowledged.

After the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885, the British gained control of the Shan states. Under the British colonial administration, the Shan principalities were administered separately as British protectorates with limited monarchical powers invested in the Shan Saophas.

After World War II, the Shan and other ethnic minority leaders negotiated with the majority Bamar leadership at the Panglong Conference, and agreed to gain independence from Britain as part of Union of Myanmar. The Shan states were given the option to secede after 10 years of independence. The Shan states became Shan State in 1948 as part of the newly independent Burma.

General Ne Win's coup d'état overthrew the democratically elected government in 1962, and abolished Shan saopha system.

Politics

The Shan have been engaged in an intermittent civil war within Burma for decades. Two main Shan armed insurgent forces operate within Shan State: the Shan State Army/Special Region 3 and Shan State Army/Restoration Council of Shan State. In 2005 the SSNA was effectively abolished after its surrender to the Burmese government, some units joined the SSA/RCSS, which has yet to sign any agreements, and is still engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Burma Army. During conflicts, the Shan are often burned out of their villages and forced to flee into Thailand. There, they are not given refugee status, and often work as undocumented labourers. Some of the worst fighting occurred in 2002 when the Burmese Army shelled the Thai border town of Mae Sai, south of Tachileik, in an attempt to capture members of the SSA's Southern Faction who had fled across the Nam Ruok. While in July of that same year, in the Shan Township of Mong Yawng, the killing of a member of an NGO by the Burmese Tatmadaw, and the subsequent closure of the border to Thailand, caused an evacuation of the surviving members across the Mekong River to Laos. This evacuation was aided by members of the Shan State Army, and in turn brought tighter measures restricting foreign aid in the area as violence increased.

Whether or not there is an ongoing conflict, the Shan are subject to depredations by the Burmese regime; in particular, young men may be conscripted into the Burmese Army indefinitely, or enslaved to do road work for a number of months--with no wages and no food. The horrific conditions inside Burma have led to a massive exodus of young Shan males to neighbouring Thailand, where they typically find low-paid work in construction. However unsatisfactory these conditions may be, all of these refugees are well aware that at least they are being paid for their work, and that every day spent in Thailand is another day that the Burmese regime cannot repress or enslave them. Some estimates of Shan refugees in Thailand run as high as two million,an extremely high number when compared with estimates of the total Shan population at some six million.

Independence and exiled government

His Royal Highness Prince Hso Khan Fa (sometimes written as Surkhanfa in Thai) of Yawnghwe lives in exile in Canada. He is campaigning for the Burmese regime to respect the traditional culture and indigenous lands of the Shan people, and he works with Shan exiles abroad to provide schooling for displaced Shan children whose parents are unable to do so. He hopes to provide Shan children with some training in life skills so they can fend for themselves and their families in the future.

In addition, opinion has been voiced in Shan State, in neighbouring Thailand, and to some extent in farther-reaching exile communities, in favour of the goal of "total independence for Shan State." This came to a head when, in May 2005, Shan elders in exile declared independence for the Federated Shan States.

The declaration of independence, however, was rejected by most other ethnic minority groups, many Shan living inside Burma, and the country's leading opposition party, the National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Despite this dissenting opinion, the Burmese Army is rumoured to have conducted a crackdown on Shan civilians as a result of the declaration. Shan people have reported an increase in restrictions on their movements, and an escalation in Burmese Army raids on Shan villages.

See also

Tai peoples

Khun Sa

Notes

References

Susan Conway, The Shan: Culture, Art and Crafts (Bangkok, 2006).

External links

H.R.H. Prince Hso Khan Pha of Yawnghwe

Shan Relief Foundation

Shan Human Rights Foundation

Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN)

Shan language page from Ethnologue site

Photos of Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) military outposts along the border of Thailand, Chiang Rai province

Help without Frontiers

Shan Tradition Rules in a Northern Thai Town Sai Silp, The Irrawaddy, April 5 2007

http://www.claudiawiens.com/englisch/vorlage_e.html Claudia Wiens, a photo essay about tribal people in Shan State

Thai Yai cultural dance at Mae Hong Son, Thailand

Category:Tai peoples Category:Ethnic groups in Burma Category:Ethnic groups in Vietnam Category:Ethnic groups in China Category:Ethnic groups in Thailand Category:Ethnic groups in Cambodia Category:Buddhist communities

Smiley Culture (real name David Emmanuel) is a British reggae singer and DJ. During a relatively brief period of fame and success, he produced two of the most critically acclaimed reggae singles of the 1980s.

Career

Emmanuel, born and raised in South London, is the son of a Jamaican father and South American mother. He was educated at Tulse Hill School. Prior to his recording career he worked as a DJ with the Saxon Studio International reggae soundsystem, where he met and worked with a number of other reggae artists, including Maxi Priest, Papa Levi and Tippa Irie. Signed to the London based reggae record label, Fashion Records, his first single "Cockney Translation" (1984) was a Jamaican's guide to the East End dialect - "Cockneys have names like Terry, Arfur and Del Boy/We have names like Winston, Lloyd and Leroy." It picked up considerable airplay on BBC Radio One but only reached the lower end of the UK Singles Chart. Simon Reynolds has often cited this song in his writings, arguing that it presaged the creation of a new hybrid accent in which white East Londoners would adopt many terms of black origin.

Emmanuel had more success with his next single, "Police Officer", released towards the end of 1984. This was the supposedly autobiographical tale of how Emmanuel was arrested for the possession of cannabis, but then let off when the police officer recognised him as a famous reggae artist. In spite of the subject matter - and possibly because mid 1980s radio station bosses in the UK did not understand the terms 'ganja' and 'sensimilla' - the single was a Top 20 hit and earned Emmanuel two appearances on BBC Television's flagship music programme, Top of the Pops. The record, although humorous, did have a serious aspect, in that it highlighted the way black people often feel they are unfairly treated by the police.

After this he signed to major label Polydor, but his work for them - including the album Tongue in Cheek, and the accompanying single "Schooltime Chronicle" - did not replicate the chart success of "Police Officer".

In 1986 Emmanuel enjoyed a brief flirtation with the cinema when he made a cameo appearance in the film, Absolute Beginners.

On 28 September 2010 he was charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine at Croydon magistrates court in London.

"Cockney Translation" was one of the choices of novelist and poet Michael Rosen when he appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.

Discography

Albums

Tongue in Cheek (1986), Polydor

Singles

"Cockney Translation" (1984)

"Police Officer" (1984) - UK #12

"Cockney Translation" (re-issue) (1985) - UK #71 "Schooltime Chronicle" (1986) - UK #59

"Mr. Kidnapper" (1986), Polydor

See also

List of reggae musicians

List of Polydor Records artists

List of performers on Top of the Pops

References

External links

Smiley Culture information at answers.com

Lyrics to "Police Officer"

Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:English people of Jamaican descent Category:British male singers Category:British reggae musicians

Name	Shan Foster
Nickname	"Sugar Shan"
Position	Shooting guardSmall forward
Height ft	6
Height in	6
Weight lbs	205
League	Serie A
Team	Eldo Caserta
Birth date	August 20, 1986
Birth place	Laurel, Mississippi
Nationality	American
Highschool	Bonnabel,Kenner, Louisiana
College	Vanderbilt University
Draft	51st Overall
Draft year	2008
Draft team	Dallas Mavericks
Career start	2008
Awards	2008 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Recipient 2008 Associated Press Second Team All-America 2005 Freshman All-SEC (coaches)2006 First Team All-SEC (coaches)2006 Second Team All-SEC (AP)2007 Second Team All-SEC (coaches) 2008 First Team All-SEC (consensus) 2008 SEC Player of the Year (consensus)

Shan Donte Foster is an American professional basketball player. Foster played shooting guard for the Commodores college basketball team at Vanderbilt University. He is the school's all-time leader in both points and three-point baskets made, and is also among the Southeastern Conference's all-time leaders with consecutive games with a made three-pointer. Foster was selected as an Associated Press second team All-American for the 2007-2008 college basketball season. He was announced as the winner of the 2008 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award at the 2008 Final Four.

Foster graduated from Vanderbilt on May 9, 2008 with a degree in human and organizational development. On June 26, 2008, Foster was drafted into the NBA by the Dallas Mavericks with the 51st overall pick.

High school career

Shan Foster was born in Kenner, Louisiana, where he attended Bonnabel High School and served as the basketball team's captain his sophomore through senior years. While playing at Bonnabel his senior year, Foster garnered First Team All-State, All-Metro Most Valuable Player, All-City and All-District honors while averaging a double-double (23.4 points and 10 rebounds). Under Foster's leadership the Bonnabel Bruins finished an impressive 21-9 and claimed their district's title. Foster's success was not limited to the basketball court, as he also made his school's academic honor roll.

College career

After picking Vanderbilt over Kansas, Notre Dame, Illinois, and LSU, Foster was immediately placed in the Commodores starting line-up. During his freshman year, Foster shot a blistering 44.5% from behind the three-point line and averaged 9.2 points a game. Foster improved his game for his sophomore year, averaging 15.9 points a game, and then 15.6 points per game as a junior. It was during his junior year that the Commodores, led by SEC Player of the Year Derrick Byars, finished the regular season a surprisingly strong 20-11 and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before being eliminated by the Georgetown University Hoyas.

Going into his senior year, Foster was regarded as one of the deadliest long-range shooters in the NCAA and named an All-American candidate. Foster, with the help of freshman phenom Andrew Ogilvy, led the Commodores to their best start in school history at 16-0 before falling to the Kentucky Wildcats in double overtime at Rupp Arena on January 12, 2008. Foster would ensure that the loss was avenged, however, when, a month later, he scored 20 points against the Wildcats during their visit to Nashville en route to a crushing 93-52 victory that was Kentucky's worst loss since 1989, and their worst conference loss ever. Also that season, Foster would score a game-high 32 points to lead the Commodores to a 72-69 victory over the then top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers at Memorial Gymnasium. This marked the second time in Foster's career that Vanderbilt had knocked off the top-ranked team in the nation, the other instance occurring a year earlier when Vanderbilt defeated the eventual NCAA Tournament Champion Florida Gators 83-70, also at Memorial Gym.

Foster hit nine consecutive three-pointers (including a 22-footer and a 25-footer), all of which were contested, and unleashed a career-high 42 points on the visiting 25th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs, including the game-winning basket, to push then 16th-ranked Vanderbilt to a 86-85 overtime victory which gave the Commodores their first undefeated season at Memorial since the 1992-1993 season. The point total tied for second-highest single-game performance in Vanderbilt men's basketball history.

Foster will play for the Mavericks in the NBA Summer League in 2010.

Awards and recognition

2008 SEC Player of the Year (Consensus)

2008 Rivals.com First Team All America

2008 CBS Second Team All America

2008 Dickie V All Solid Gold Third Team

2008 Sports Illustrated Third Team All America

2008 Associated Press Second Team All-American

2008 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Winner

See also

List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career 3-point scoring leaders

References

External links

Shan Foster's ESPN college profile

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:American basketball players Category:American expatriate basketball people in Italy Category:Basketball players from Louisiana Category:Basketball players from Mississippi Category:Dallas Mavericks draft picks Category:People from Laurel, Mississippi Category:Shooting guards Category:Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball players Category:Basketball players at the 2007 Pan American Games

Name	Moodymann
Background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth name	Kenny Dixon Jr.
Alias	MoodyKDJJan
Genre	House, Disco, Jazz, Electronica
Years active	1992 - Present
Label	KDJ Planet EPeacefrogMahogani music
Associated acts	3 Chairs

Kenny Dixon Jr also known as Moodymann is a techno/house musician based in Detroit, Michigan. He creates a thoroughly hybrid form of techno/house dance music, jazz, soul, disco and funk via his innovative use of reworked riffs, samples (including old movie soundtrack samples mainly culled from the old blaxploitation and b-movie genres), and grooves taken from Detroit's historically influential jazz, R&B;, soul, funk, and disco scene. He is outspoken on the current state of dance music, decrying the lack of black techno and the white domination of the genre.

His sets often feature him playing hidden from the crowd, the dj booth covered in white sheets. He is also known to stop records while they are playing to talk to the crowd.

Moodymann is a strong supporter of the vinyl preservation society, in most his gigs he would stop the music, scratch the vinyl on the decks then lift the record and refer to the crowd informing them how his women prefer 12".

Discography

Studio Albums

1997 Silentintroduction

1998 Mahogany Brown

2000 Forevernevermore

2003 Silence in the Secret Garden

2004 Black Mahogani

2008 Det.riot '67

2009 Anotha Black Sunday

DJ Mixes

2006 The Moodymann Collection

KDJ

References

See also

Moodymann discography at Discogs.

Moodymann discography at Twoplayer.

Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:American techno musicians Category:American house musicians Category:Club DJs

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

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

Biography

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

Boogie Down Productions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Solo career

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stop the Violence Movement

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

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

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

Temple of Hip Hop

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

September 11 comments

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

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

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

Gospel of Hip Hop comments

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

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

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

Benefit for first responders

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

Awards

VH1

2004, VH1 Hip Hop Honors

BET Hip Hop Awards

2007, I am Hip Hop

2007, Lifetime Achievement

Urban Music Awards

2009, Living Legend Award

Discography

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

Filmography

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

Books

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

See also

Suicide, it's a suicide

References

External links

KRS-One Official Site

KRS-One MySpace Profile

Rolling Stone bio

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

Name	Jay Chou
Tradchinesename	周杰倫
Simpchinesename	周杰伦
Pinyinchinesename	Zhōu Jiélún
Origin	Republic of China (Taiwan)
Birthdate	January 18, 1979
Birthplace	Linkou, Taipei County (now New Taipei City), Taiwan
Othername	Director Chou (周董)
Occupation	Singer, musician, songwriter, composer, record producer, rapper, deejay, music video director, film director, music arranger, model, screenwriter and actor
Genre	R&B;, C-hip hop, C-pop, C-rock
Instrument	Piano, violin, cello, guitar, drum, guzheng, bass guitar, keyboard, pipa, erhu, harmonica
Label	Sony Music Taiwan (2008–present)JVR Music (2007–present)Alfa Music (1999–2007)
Yearsactive	2000–present
Parents	周耀中 (father)葉惠美 (mother)
Influenced	Nan Quan Mama
Religion	Buddhist
Website	jay2u.comjvrmusic.com
Hongkongfilmwards	Best New Performer2006 Initial DBest Original Film Song2007 "Chrysanthemum Terrace" (Curse of the Golden Flower)
Goldenhorseawards	Best Newcomer2005 Initial DOutstanding Taiwanese Film of the Year2007 SecretBest Original Song2007 "The Secret That Cannot Be Told" (Secret)
Mtvasiaawards	Favorite Artist, Taiwan2002, 2005
Goldenmelodyawards	Best Mandarin Album2001 Jay2002 Fantasy2004 Ye Hui MeiBest Music Video2009 "Mr. Magic" (Capricorn)Best Song of the Year2008 "Blue and White Porcelain" (On the Run)2009 "Fragrant Rice" (Capricorn)Best Composer2002 "Love Before A.D." (Fantasy)2008 "Blue and White Porcelain" (On the Run)Best Producer2002 Fantasy
Awards	World Music AwardsBest-Selling Chinese Artist2004, 2006, 2007, 2008Shanghai Film Critics Awards2007 Best Actor (Curse of the Golden Flower)

Jay Chou () (born January 18, 1979) is a Taiwanese musician, singer, music and film producer, actor and director who is one of the biggest stars in Asia and is a 4-time winner of the World Music Award. He is well-known for composing all his own songs and songs for other singers. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for popular Chinese singers. Although he was trained in classical music, Chou combines Chinese and Western music styles to produce songs that fuse R&B;, rock and pop genres, covering issues such as domestic violence, war, and urbanization.

In 2000 Chou released his first album, titled Jay, under the record company Alfa Music. Since then he has released one album per year except in 2009, selling several million copies each. His music has gained recognition throughout Asia, most notably in regions such as Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and in overseas Asian communities, winning more than 20 awards each year. He has sold more than 28 million albums worldwide up to 2010. He debuted his acting career in Initial D (2005), for which he won Best Newcomer Actor in both the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Golden Horse Awards, and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor by Hong Kong Film Awards for his role in Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). He produced the theme song for the film Ocean Heaven starring Jet Li. His career now extends into directing and running his own record company JVR Music.

Life and career

Jay Chou grew up in Linkou, Taipei County (now New Taipei City), Taiwan. Both his parents were secondary school teachers: his mother Ye Hui Mei () taught fine arts while his father Zhou Yao Zhong () was a biomedical researcher. His mother noticed his sensitivity to music and took him to piano lessons at the age of three. Meanwhile, he found himself a job as a waiter. Without his knowing, his friend had entered both their names in a talent show called Super New Talent King. Chou played the piano accompaniment for his friend, whose singing was described as "lousy". Although they did not win, the show's host Jacky Wu—an influential character in Taiwan's entertainment business—happened to glance at Chou's music score and was impressed with its complexity. Wu hired him as a contract composer and paired him with the novice lyricist Vincent Fang. has been popularized to describe his trademark cross-cultural music and his insistence on singing with relaxed enunciation. Taipei Times once described the meaning of "Chou Style": "In what has become the archetypal Chou style, Taiwan's favorite son blends pop, rap, blues and a smorgasbord of esthetic elements of world music to create his dream-like never-never land ..."

He regularly fuses traditional Chinese instruments and styles with R&B; or rock to form a new genre called "Zhongguo feng" (), which literally means "China wind", some of which are written in the Pentatonic Scale as opposed to the more common seven-note scale (Diatonic Scale) to accentuate an oriental style. Besides his own culture, he also incorporated Spanish guitar in "Red Imitation" (), American techno/electronica in "Herbalist's Manual" (), rap with subtle classical music undertones in "Reverse Scales" (), and Bossanova style in "Rosemary" (), to name a few. Sound effects from everyday life are frequently woven into his music, such as bouncing ping pong balls, touch tone phone dialing, helicopter blades, dripping rain, and radio static noise (concrete music).

His formal musical training is evident by the use of classical textures in his compositions. For example, counterpoint was used in "Perfection" () and "Sorry" (), while polyphony can be found in "The Wound That Ends War" () and "Twilight's Chapter Seven" ().

Chou's albums have been noted for the lack of change compared to his earlier works, yet he firmly stated that he will not alter his style: "They say I've been standing still ... but this is the music I want, and I don't see what I want by moving ahead." which he also insisted will not change; however, recently he has adopted clearer pronunciation for certain songs, particularly more traditional "Zhongguo feng" songs, such as "Faraway" () and "Chrysanthemum Terrace" ().

Lyrics

Strictly speaking, Chou is more often a singer-composer than a lyricist. Several "regulars" write the lyrics for most of his music, but the content and style is unified with his own personality and image, covering a diverse range of topics and ideas. Vincent Fang accounts for more than half of the lyrics in his albums, helping to establish an important element in Chou's music: the use of meaningful, imagery- and emotionally-rich lyrics, sometimes written in the form of ancient Chinese poetry with reference to Chinese history or folklore. In addition to writing romantic hits, he also touches on war, the Bible, sports, and martial arts. Vivian Hsu is a singer herself and has helped with Chou's earlier hits, while Huang Jun Lang () is noted for his work surrounding unusual themes (such as a detective story and chess game).

Chou himself has written lyrics for many a ballet dancer, but has also discussed societal ills such as drug addiction in "Coward" () and loss of the rural countryside to urbanization in "Terrace fields" (). Domestic violence discussed in "Dad, I am back" () received a great deal of commotion since he was the first to bring up this taboo subject in Sanscript music, which helped solidify his status as a pioneer and a unique pop singer capable of approaching serious issues. In the songs "Maternal grandmother" () and "Listen to Mother" (), he voiced his high regard for family values. He addressed personal issues about his failure to enter university in "Split" (), his resentment towards the paparazzi in "Besieged From All Sides" (), and highlighted the importance of individuality in "Popular Imitation" (). "Rice Fragrance" (), a song from his 9th album Capricorn encourages people not to give up their dreams even when facing difficulties in life.

Collaborations

Chou began as a songwriter for other singers and continued this area of work even after he debuted his own career in singing. He has composed frequently for Jolin Tsai, Landy Wen, and occasionally for other Taiwanese singers such as Coco Lee, S.H.E, Vivian Hsu, Leehom Wang, Will Liu, Valen Hsu, and Hong Kong pop stars Edmond Leung, Gigi Leung, Jordan Chan, Edison Chen, Karen Mok, Leo Ku, Eason Chan, and Joey Yung, as well as a one-time collaboration with Howard Su. He has also written for singers outside of his generation—over one dozen songs for his mentor Jacky Wu, later also for Taiwanese singer Jody Chiang, and Hong Kong singers Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Lui Fong (), Aaron Kwok, and Kenny Bee.

He initiated the band Nan Quan Mama in 2004, selecting band members and overseeing their album production. The group has been noted for sounding too similar to their mentor; as a result, Chou has reduced his involvement in the band, but continues to help increase their exposure to mass audiences by inviting them as guests performers for his own concerts and music videos.

He has performed live duets with Landy Wen, and former girlfriend news anchor Patty Hou, but only two studio recordings of duets have been formally placed in his own albums: "Coral Sea" () in 2005 with Lara Veronin (of Nan Quan Mama) and "Faraway" () in 2006 with Fei Yu-Ching, who began his career in the 1970s. Besides working with singers, Chou's longest-running collaboration is with lyricist Vincent Fang, as they both started their careers in the music field in 1998. The compilation album Partners () featured 12 songs, each consisting of Chou's musical and Fang's lyrical compositions. Fang has written the words to more than 40 of Chou's songs, was the chief editor of Chou's book Grandeur de D Major (), and is now Chou's business partner (together with Chou's manager JR Yang) for the record company JVR Music. Jay Chou was also featured in Cindy Yen's (袁詠琳) song "Sand Painting" (畫沙) released in October 2009.

Other works

Movie career

Chou formally entered the film industry in 2005 with the release of the movie Initial D (頭文字Ｄ). He has since acted in three other movies, directed one film and more than a dozen music videos. Chou, who once said "I live because of music", ventured into movies because he felt the need for a new challenge. As fans have grown concerned that movies will compromise his music career, Chou has repeatedly reassured that movies are a source of inspiration and not a distraction; at the same time, he realizes the need to balance both careers and maintain his place in the music field to garner the continued support of fans.

Acting

in January 2008]] Entry into acting was an unexpected move for Chou. In 2005, Chou's first role as the lead actor in Initial D served two purposes: to launch his acting debut, and to increase his exposure to Japanese audiences. This film is based on the Japanese comic Initial D, where Chou played Takumi Fujiwara, a gifted touge racer who is quiet and rarely shows expression. Some reviewers criticized his bland acting while others felt he performed naturally, but only because the character’s personality closely mirrored his own. His performance in Initial D won him Best Newcomer Actor in Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards. Chou’s second film was Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). As a supporting character, he drew much of the attention of Chinese reporters; Chou’s involvement in this movie was announced in its own press conference, separate from the meeting held for Chow Yun-fat, Gong Li, and the other actors. Chou portrayed Prince Jai, the ambitious second eldest prince and general of the Imperial army whose personality epitomizes Xiao (孝), the Chinese virtue of filial piety. In this internationally-released film, North American audiences saw Chou for the first time. According to Chinese movie critics, comments about his acting ranged from "lacks complexity" to "acceptable," but was critically praised by Western reviewers. His performance in Curse of the Golden Flower was nominated Best Supporting Actor in the Hong Kong Film Awards. In the 2008 film Kung Fu Dunk, Chou portrayed a kung fu student and dunking prodigy, and the film earned over ¥100 million (US$14.7 million). Chou was cast to portray Kato in The Green Hornet, directed by Michel Gondry and slated for release in January 2011, after Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow withdrew from the project.

Directing

featuring Chou as a director for the first time.]] Chou's acquired his first directing experience in 2004 through music videos. He initially experimented with a song by the group Nan Quan Mama titled "Home" () where he was involved throughout the entire process from research to editing. After learning the difficulties of being a director, he refused to direct again even at the request of his record company. However, his interest resurfaced again as he directed music videos for 4 of the 12 songs in own album November's Chopin in 2005, and later television advertisements. By 2006, he had taken responsibility for the storyboard, directing, and editing of music videos for all his songs.

In February 2007, Chou finally directed his first movie Secret. The story he wrote is based loosely on his relationship with a high school girlfriend, with a plot focused on music, love, and family. He stars as the lead actor of the film with Kwai Lun-Mei‎ as the female lead, and Hong Kong veteran actor Anthony Wong as Chou’s father. Despite previous experience in filming music videos, Chou admits that movies are more challenging due to storyline and time constraints.

In 2005, Jay Chou played the male lead in Initial D, but according to reports, he will be back to direct the sequel, while Andrew Lau, who was a co-director of the first Initial D, will take on the role of the producer.

Book: Grandeur de D Major

Chou published his first book titled Grandeur de D Major () on November 25, 2004. This 200-page book features a prologue written by his family, friends, and co-workers; the main section is a compilation of his personal attitudes, philosophies, and recollections of childhood experiences along with pictures from his music videos, many of which have never been released; and lastly, a list of the artist's major awards, musical and lyrical compositions, and discography. For the usually low-profile singer, this book revealed his personality and convictions that has served as the basis of his musical and public image. He demonstrated a strong appreciation of family values with an especially deep connection with his mother and maternal grandmother. His confidence and dedication towards music is evident as he dedicated 2 out of 7 chapters to music: the current state of the industry, his composition methodology, and the importance of individualism to his success in music. This pride is contrasted against his modesty and self-assessed naivety about many aspects in life, particularly regarding relationships and marriage.

Endorsements

In contrast to the United States where a negative connotation is placed on celebrities who endorse commercial products ("selling out"), in Asia, acquiring endorsement contracts with major brands are positive testaments of star-status. Chou has been a spokesperson for popular brands such as Pepsi (2002–2007), Panasonic (2001–2005), Motorola (since 2006), M-Zone/China Mobile (since 2003), Levi's (2004–2005), Deerhui (sporting goods, since 2003), and Metersbonwe Group (casual wear, since 2003), Colgate (2004–2005), popular computer game (2002), science and nature magazine National Geographic (2005). To maximize the celebrity branding effect, advertisements are nearly always linked to his music and TV commercials are occasionally directed by him. Recently, Jay is promoting Sprite with Angela Chang. In the commercial, he can be seen performing magic tricks.He also worked as a spokesperson for Shiatzy Chen.

Media and public relations

Public image

Despite living under continual media scrutiny, Chou's public image has changed little over the years as he emphasizes individuality as his "personal philosophy". In his music, this is also evident as he fuses Chinese and Western styles and explores topics unconventional for a pop singer, which have been described as "authentic" and "revolutionary". The media describes a hard-working perfectionist who is occasionally regarded as competitive and a "control freak". but also points at his musical talent. modest, and views filial piety as "the most important thing". In-line with his aim to present a positive image, he is a non-smoker, non-drinker, and does not go to nightclubs. Government officials and educators in Asia have awarded him for his exemplary behaviour, designated him a spokesperson in the youth-empowerment project "Young Voice" in 2005 and an anti-depression campaign in 2007, His lyrics for two songs has been incorporated into the school syllabus to inspire motivational and filial attitudes. In November 2007, Chou was criticized for attending the funeral of Taiwanese gang leader Chen Chi-li to console Chen's son Chen Chuhe, whom Chou met while filming Kung Fu Dunk.

Accolades

From the launch of his music career in 2000, Jay Chou has won more than 350 singer, singer-songwriter, and producer awards in Asia. The highly coveted Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan awarded "Best Album" for his debut CD Jay (2000) in 2001, and five awards (including "Best Album", "Best Composer", and "Best Producer") in the following year for the album Fantasy (2001). However, failure to win "Best Album" for three consecutive years has left him disheartened with award ceremonies. Although he continues to win more than 20 awards per year from various organizations in Asia, Chou has stated he will rely more on album sales as an indicator of his music's quality and popularity. In 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008, he was awarded Best-Selling Artist in China by World Music Awards for the albums Common Jasmin Orange, Still Fantasy and ''On the Run.

Response to the news media and paparazzi

As with other stars, Chou has expressed a strong dislike of the paparazzi. In the early years of his career, unwanted attention by the media was usually dealt with by avoidance. In-line with his quiet nature, he frequently wore baseball caps and hoods while lowering his head and evading eye contact during interviews. He openly calls the paparazzi "dogs" and tabloids "dog magazines", as shown in his lyrics for "Besieged From All Sides" (). The media have also accused Chou of evading compulsory military service by feigning to suffer from ankylosing spondylitis. Later that year he was acquitted after providing the relevant medical records and letters from the army confirming a lawful exemption from draft dated before the start of his music career.

Despite constant harassment and stalking by the media, he does acknowledge that not all media attention is unwelcome. Coverage by international journals and news agencies such as Time, and Reuters At the end of 2009, he was included on JWT's annual list of 100 Things to Watch in 2010.

Fanbase

It is difficult to estimate the size and global spread of Chou's fanbase. Jay's fanbase originated and grew extensively in his native country, Taiwan. The Mandarin-speaking populations of Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and China make up a significant percentage of Chou's fans. Despite rampant piracy issues in this region of Asia, particularly in China, every album Chou has released so far has surpassed 2 million sales. According to Baidu, the most popular internet search engine in China, Chou is the number one searched male artist in 2002, 05, 06 and 07.

In Hong Kong, he has been the best-selling Mandarin artist for the past 4 years. According to a 2004 survey in five Chinese urban centers for children ages 9 to 14, 1 in 6 named Chou as their favorite idol; he was also reported as the favorite singer of youths aged 8 to 25 in a study conducted in seven Asian countries (2006). He has a solid fanbase throughout Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

Currently, Chou remains largely unknown outside of Asia, except in cities with large Chinese immigrant populations such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. He has held concerts in major venues such as the Acer Arena (Sydney - July 3, 2009), MGM Grand (Las Vegas—December 25, 2002), Galen Center (Los Angeles—December 24, 2007) and the Air Canada Centre (Toronto - December 18, 2008. His intention to increase his prominence in the Western world beyond Chinese audiences is clear. In 2006, Chou composed and sang the theme song for Fearless, a movie released in major theatres in most English-speaking countries, though the impact to his fame has been minimal. His role in Curse of the Golden Flower (limited release) marks his acting debut in North America. Despite having a supporting but important role in the story's plot, the North American version of the official posters only featured a view of his back, greatly contrasting the Asian versions where his face and name were clear and placed between the leading actor and actress. Although Chou is still far from being well-known to English audiences, this movie has brought him international exposure.

Chou has won the Favorite Male Artist of the 20th Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan. He did not attend the event to collect the award because he was on tour in China at the time.

Discography

Artist	Jay Chou
Studio	10
Live	3
Compilation	3
Ep	4
{| class	"wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
November 7, 2000|| jay 周杰倫同名專輯|| ! colspan	"2" | 1.1
September 1, 2001|| fantasy 范特西|| ! colspan	"2" | 2.8
July 19, 2002|| eight dimensions 八度空間|| ! colspan	"2" | 3
November 2, 2007|| on the run 我很忙 || ! colspan	"2" | 2.2
October 14, 2008|| capricorn 魔杰座 || ! colspan	"2" |

Studio albums

Jay 周杰倫同名專輯 (November 7, 2000)

Fantasy 范特西 (September 1, 2001)

The Eight Dimensions 八度空間 (July 19, 2002)

Ye Hui Mei 葉惠美 (July 31, 2003)

Common Jasmin Orange 七里香 (February 3, 2004)

November's Chopin 十一月的蕭邦 (November 1, 2005)

Still Fantasy 依然范特西 (September 5, 2006)

On the Run 我很忙 (November 2, 2007)

Capricorn 魔杰座 (October 14, 2008)

The Era 跨時代 (May 18, 2010)

Live albums

The One Concert Live (Includes The Eight Dimensions MV VCD) (October 28, 2002)

2004 Incomparable Jay Concert Live 無與倫比演唱會 2004 (Includes Common Jasmin Orange MV VCD) (January 21, 2005)

Jay 2007 the World Tours Concert Live CD+DVD (January 30, 2008)

Compilations

Partners—Music by Jay Chou and lyricist Vincent Fang (April 26, 2002)

Initial J: Jay Chou's Greatest Hits (August 31, 2005)

Secret 不能說的秘密(August 14, 2007)

Extended plays

Fantasy 范特西 Plus EP (December 21, 2001)

Hidden Track 尋找周杰倫 EP (November 11, 2003)

Fearless 霍元甲 Huo Yuan Jia (January 27, 2006)

Curse of the Golden Flower 黃金甲 (December 11, 2006)

Other works

Nun-chuks 雙截棍 Shuang Jie Kun—Single (April 9, 2002)

Neoprint 大頭貼—Single, no official release

JIII MP3 Player—MP3 player endorsed by Jay Chou featuring songs from Initial D movie, three old demos and a personal message from Jay (June 26, 2005)

Qian Shan Wan Shui 千山萬水—Official song for the Beijing 2008's Olympic Games (May 2008)

Filmography

Films

Television series

Notes

a. Examples of Chou's "Zhong guo feng" R&B;: "East Wind Breaks" (東風破), "Hair Like Snow" (髮如雪), "Faraway" (千里之外). Examples of "Zhong guo feng" rock: "Nunchucks" (雙截棍), "Dragon Fist" (龍拳), "Golden Armor" (黃金甲). b. Examples of sound effects used in Chou's music: ping pong balls in "Class2 Grade3" (三年二班), touch-tone phone dialing in "Blue Storm" (藍色風暴), helicopter blades in "My Territory" (我的地盤), dripping rain in "You Can Hear" (妳聽得到), and radio static noise in "Nocturne" (夜曲). c. Examples of Oriental-style lyrics by Vincent Fang: "Shanghai 1943" (上海一九四三), "Wife" (娘子), and "Chrysanthemum Flower Platform" (菊花台). d. Examples of romantic lyrics by Vincent Fang: "Love Before Anno Domini" (愛在西元前), "Nocturne" (夜曲), "Common Jasmin Orange" (七里香), and "Perfectionist" (完美主義) . e. Vincent Fang's lyrics discuss war in "The Last Campaign" (最後的戰役) and "Wounds That End War" (止戰之殤), the Bible in "Blue Storm" (藍色風暴), sports in "Bullfight" (鬥牛) and "Class2 Grade3" (三年二班), and martial arts in "Nunchucks" (雙截棍) and "Ninja" (忍者). f. Examples of Vivian Hsu's work: "Adorable Woman" (可愛女人), "Tornado" (龍捲風), and "Simple Love" (簡單愛). g. Unusual themes of Huan Jun Lang's lyrics: detective story in "Twilight's Chapter Seven" (夜的第七章), a chess game in "Checkmate" (將軍). h. Examples of romantic lyrics by Jay Chou: "Black Humor" (黑色幽默), "Silence" (安靜), "Iron Box Of An Island" (半島鐵盒), "Fine Day" (晴天), "Excuse" (藉口), "Black Sweater" (黑色毛衣), and "White Windmills" (白色風車). i. "Snail" (蝸牛) and "Listen To Mother's Words" (聽媽媽的話) j. Golden Melody Awards: "…the Chinese pop music industry's equivalent of the Grammy Awards in the US are held annually to award professionals making music in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka and any of Taiwan's Aboriginal languages." k. A similar book was published in Japanese, titled Grandeur de D major—Jay Chou Photo Essay (ISBN 4-901873-50-4).

References

External links

;Official Jay Chou at JVR Music Jay Chou Official Website 周杰倫官方網站 ;Other

Category:1979 births Category:Living people Category:People from New Taipei Category:Taiwanese actors Category:Taiwanese Mandopop singer-songwriters Category:Taiwanese film actors Category:Taiwanese film directors Category:World Music Awards winners Category:Best New Performer HKFA

Name	Atif Aslam
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Muhammad Atif Aslam
Alias	Aadee
Born	Wazirabad, Gujranwala, Pakistan March 12, 1983
Origin	Lahore, Pakistan
Instrument	Guitar
Genre	Hip Hop,Romance,Rock
Occupation	Musician, Singer, Lyricist, Actor
Years active	2002-present
Label	Pakistan - Fire Records India - Tips
Associated acts	Strings, Jal, Hadiqa Kiyani, Shreya Ghoshal, Alka Yagnik, Sachin Gupta, Pritam, Alisha Chinai
Religion	Islam (Sunni)
Url	Official Website
Current members	Asad Mobeen Shah Sameer Rasheed
Past members	Mahmood Rehman Omer Nadeem Haider Haleem Syed Ammar Masood

Atif Aslam (}}, born Mohammad Atif Aslam; 12 March 1983 in Wazirabad, Gujranwala, Pakistan) is a Pakistani pop singer. He is widely recognized in South Asia and has given several hit songs such as Aadat, Woh Lamhe, Tere Bin, Kuch Is Tarah, Pehli Nazar Mein, Tera Hone Laga Hoon, Tu Jaane Na, Tere Liye, Meri Kahani and Jalpari. He is best known for his powerful vocal belting technique. In 2008, he was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan.

Early life and education

Atif Aslam was born in 1983 in Wazirabad, Gujranwala, Pakistan.

He studied at PAF College, Lahore where he completed his F.Sc (Pre-engineering) with the class of 2001. He used to be the main attack bowler of his college cricket team and represented his college in various other cities and ultimately got selected in under 19 National cricket team of Pakistan. He won his first singing competition on Independence Day celebrations in the college. He then went to the University of Central Punjab and completed his Bachelors in Computer Science.

Aslam is single and currently lives in Lahore (Pakistan) with his family.

Atif has recently joined Twitter, his official id is www.twitter.com/itsaadee

Music career

Jal

He used to sing at the college canteen when his friends urged him to participate in the singing competition on Independence Day celebrations at PAF College Lahore in 1998. He performed there and won the competition. Thereafter, he also won several other college competitions.

He met Goher- a guitarist who became his future Jal band-mate, at his college. Together they practiced and started doing mini-concerts for their friends. Atif used to perform on the songs of Junoon and Strings at these concerts. They started performing in their college, McDonalds, Uncle Bubba's Rabba Dabba and other restaurants. Thus began the original line up of Jal.

Jal recorded their first song Aadat at Mekal Hassan's Studio. The song became popular on different musical websites in Pakistan and was also aired on major radio stations of Pakistan like City FM 89, FM 100, Mast FM 103, FM 105 etc. The video for this song was released on ARY Digital and The Musik and then it was played on almost all the channels.

Solo career

After leaving Jal due to personal differences, Atif released his first solo album, Jal Pari on 19 July 2004, under Sound Master and IC records. Its promoters declared it to be the best selling album of that year within just 5 months of its release. Besides his native country, he also became popular in India and his career took off to fame in both the countries. In the meantime he also cleared his Bachelors in Computer Science (Hons.) from the University of Central Punjab. His second album, Doorie was released on 22 December 2006.

His first major concert was at Al Hamra Hall, Mall Road Lahore where he performed during the break of a stage drama Moulin Rouge. On 14 April 2007, Atif performed in Royal Albert Hall. His first international concert was at W. StarDreamz Entertainment Group during his tour of USA and Canada with RDB and Annie.

Aslam began work on his fourth album Shabnam in January 2009 which was completed on early 2010. He announced plans to release the album on October 2010 to The Daily Express but due to the country's on-going flood problem, he decided to postpone the project further. In a November 2010 interview he said, "I'm working on the Guns n' Roses international project and a NGO [project] so I have no time at the moment to work on release my album".

Atif also mentioned in a press conference held in Karachi that he will be working on an international project titled The Dreamer Awakes, alongside American rock band Guns n' Roses. The song will be released in Summer 2011.

Bollywood

Atif has also sung many songs for Bollywood films, like Pehli Nazar Mein in Race, Tere Bin in Bas Ek Pal, Bakuda Tum Hi Ho in Kismat Konnection, Tera Hone Laga Hoon and Tu Jaane Na in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, all of which have been very well-received by the Indian audience.

His last Indian venture was Prince in which he sang four songs, Tere Liye, Aa Bhi Ja Sanam, Kaun Hoon Main and O Mere Khuda.

He also performed background vocals for scenes in Prince.

Hollywood

Atif Aslam's three songs featured in the Hollywood film, Man Push Cart. While Aadat is the main track, Ehsaas and Yaqeen are the other tracks. These songs are taken from his debut album, Jalpari. Atif is the 3rd Pakistani singer after Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Strings to be featured in any Hollywood movie.

Acting career

Atif is expected to make his acting debut in the second film of well acclaimed Pakistani director Shoaib Mansoor. The film titled Bol is set to release in 2011. The film will also star famous Pakistani TV anchor Mahira Khan. Atif plays the role of a doctor in the film. The film has completed shooting and is now proceeding with its post production works. According to reports, Atif will play a supporting role of a doctor, whilst another newcomer will play the lead role in the film.

Controversies

Jal controversy

After the release of the song Aadat by Jal, there were disputes within the band about Atif's brother being the band's manager. At this point Atif broke off from the band to do his own solo album. His solo album was released a few weeks before the release of the Jal's album, Aadat. As both the albums shared certain tracks, such as Aadat, Wo Lamhey, Rangon Mein and Dil Harey, an unofficial war over rights began between both the groups. Goher Mumtaz sued Atif for using the name Jal in his album title cunningly (Jal Pari, meaning mermaid).

Discography

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Character Name ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Industry ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- |2011 |Bol |Mustafa |Lollywood |Atif's acting début |- |}

Singles

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;" |- bgcolor="#B0C4DE" align="center" ! No. !! Song !! Co-Singer |- | 1 || Meri Hamjoliyan || None |- | 2 || Yunhi || None |- | 3 || Teriyaan Yaadan || None |- | 4 || Ab Khud Kuch Karna Padega || Strings |- | 5 || Haath Uthao (For Flood Victims) || None |- | 6 || Lambi Judai || None |- | 7 || Dosti || None |- | 8 || Intezaar (Upcoming Track On Eid) || None |- |}

Bollywood/Lollywood Songs

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;" |- bgcolor="#B0C4DE" align="center" ! No. !! Song !! Film !! Co-Singer |- | 1 || Woh Lamhe || Zeher || None |- | 2 || Aadat || Kalyug || None |- | 3 || Tere Bin || Bas Ek Pal || None |- | 4 || Pehli Nazar Mein || Race || None |- | 5 || Bakhuda Tumhi Ho || Kismat Konnection || Alka Yagnik |- | 6 || Tera Hone Laga Hoon|| Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani || Alisha Chinai |- | 7 || Tu Jaane Na || Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani || None |- | 9 || O Mere Khuda || Prince || Garima Jhingon |- | 10 || Tere Liye || Prince || Shreya Ghoshal |- | 11 || Kaun Hoon Main || Prince || None |- | 12 || Aa Bhi Jaa Sanam || Prince || None |- | 13 || Rona Chaditta ( Mahi Mahi ) || Mel Karade Rabba || None |- | 14 || Hona Tha Pyar|| Bol || Faiza Mujahid |- | 15 || Aaj Bol Do|| Bol || Hadeeqa Kyani |- | 16 || Untitled Song|| F.A.L.T.U || None |}

Jingles for advertisement

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;" |- bgcolor="#B0C4DE" align="center" ! No. !! Song !! Co-singer/band |- | 1 || Jee Lay For Warid Glow || None |- | 2 || Allahu Akbar For Olpers Qawwali|| Davood Ali |}

Coke Studio

In 2009, Atif Aslam sang five songs for Pakistani music show called Coke Studio.

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;" |- bgcolor="#B0C4DE" align="center" ! Year !! Episode !! Song Name !! Co-Singer |- | 2009 || 1 || Jal Pari || None |- | 2009 || 2 || Kinara || Riaz Ali Khan |- | 2009 || 3 || Wasta E Pyar Da || None |- | 2009 || 4 || Mai Ni || None |- | 2009 || 5 || Humain Kya Hua || None |}

Awards

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;" |- bgcolor="#B0C4DE" align="center" ! Year !! Group !! Award !! Result |- | rowspan="5" | 2005 || Indus Music Awards || Best Lyrics Aadat || |- | Indus Music Awards || Best Song Aadat || |- | Indus Music Awards || Best Composition Aadat || |- | Sahara Sangeet Awards || Best Playback Singer || |- | Sahara Sangeet Awards || Best Debut Singer || |- | rowspan="3" | 2006 || The Musik Awards || Most Wanted Male || |- | Lux Style Awards || Best Album Doorie || |- | Filmfare Awards || Best Playback Singer (Male) Woh Lamhe - Zeher || |- | rowspan="2" | 2007 || Lycra MTV Style Awards || Most Stylish Person in Music || |- | Filmfare Awards || Best Playback Singer (Male) Tere Bin - Bas Ek Pal || |- |rowspan="3" | 2008 || Lux Style Awards || Most Well Dressed Celebrity - Police Dress|| |- | The Musik Awards || Most Wanted Male || |- | Government of Pakistan || Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Medal of Distinction) || Awarded |- | rowspan="2" | 2009 || International Indian Film Academy Awards || Best Playback Singer (Male) Pehli Nazar Mein - Race || |- | Star Screen Awards || Best Playback Singer (Male) Pehli Nazar Main - Race || |- | rowspan="3" | 2010 || Filmfare Awards || Best Playback Singer – Tu Jaane Na || |- | IIFA Awards || Best Playback Singer (Male) – Tu Jaane Na || |- | GIMA Awards || Best Playback Singer (Male) – Tu Jaane Na || |- |}

References

External links

Official Website

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:Punjabi people Category:Bollywood playback singers Category:People from Gujranwala District Category:Pakistani film singers Category:Urdu-language singers Category:Punjabi-language singers Category:Pakistani pop singers Category:Pakistani singers Category:Tamgha-e-Imtiaz