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

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

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

Early life

Knowles was born on June 24, 1986, in Houston, Texas, to Mathew and Tina Knowles. Solange is the second child of Mathew and Tina, and the younger sister of Beyoncé. Her father is African American and her mother is Creole (of African American, Native American, and French descent). Her maternal grandparents are Lumis Beyincé and Agnéz Deréon, (a seamstress). As a child, Knowles studied dance and theater. At the age of five, she made her singing debut at an amusement park. She began writing songs at the age of nine. At 13, she decided to pursue recording, but her parents initially advised her to wait. At the age of 15 Knowles replaced a departed dancer and performed with her sister's group Destiny's Child on tour. During the group's opening stint for American pop singer Christina Aguilera's tour, Knowles temporarily replaced Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland after Kelly broke her toes backstage during a costume change. When Knowles was 16, her father, who was then also her manager, signed her to his recording company, Music World Entertainment.

Music career

2001–2003: Early career and ''Solo Star''

Managed by her father Mathew, Knowles' first foray into the music business was in 2001 as the lead singer, backed with Destiny's Child, on the title theme song for the animated television series ''The Proud Family''. She also was a featured performer on "Hey Goldmember" for the soundtrack to the 2002 film Austin Powers in Goldmember, as well as a backup singer on the track "Little Drummer Boy" on her sister's group's 2001 holiday album ''8 Days of Christmas''. In 2002, she was featured on Lil Romeo's second studio album ''Game Time'', singing portions of Luther Vandross-penned "So Amazing" on the single "True Love", and on Rowland's debut solo album ''Simply Deep'', for which she also wrote the title track and "Alone". In 2001 she also appeared as Lil' Bow Wow's date in the music video for his single "Puppy Love".

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

At the age of 14, Solange Knowles started working on her debut album ''Solo Star'', which involved American producers such as Jermaine Dupri, The Neptunes, Linda Perry and Timbaland among others. The album is primarily uptempo R&B;, although Knowles said there are pop, rock, reggae and hip hop influences. Knowles co-wrote and co-produced some of the 15 tracks in the album, including its lead single, "Feelin' You (Part II)". The song failed to enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but reached number three on both the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles Sales and Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. ''Solo Star'' was released on January 21, 2003 in the United States, where it debuted at number 49 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and reached number 23 on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart. ''Solo Star'' had a mixed critical reception: William Ruhlmann of Allmusic called it a "state-of-the-art contemporary R&B; album", but deemed Knowles "lost somewhere in the mix". As of mid-2008, the album had sold 112,000 copies domestically according to Nielsen Soundscan.

2004–2008: Career break and ''Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams''

After the release of her debut album, Knowles started acting in films followed by a career break. When she was married, her family moved to Idaho, and, while staying there, resumed writing songs including the singles "Get Me Bodied" and "Upgrade U" off her sister's second solo album, ''B'Day''. Knowles earned the R&B; and Hip-Hop Song accolade for "Get Me Bodied" at the 2008 ASCAP Awards. She had also written songs for Destiny's Child, and members Rowland and Michelle Williams. In 2004, while pregnant with son Daniel, she made a cameo appearance in Destiny's Child's music video for "Soldier".

After the divorce, Knowles returned to Houston to began working on her second album. Knowles renewed her management, signing a record deal with Geffen and a publishing deal with EMI. Knowles finished working on her second studio album in 2008 and titled the project ''Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams''. It includes production by Cee-Lo Green, Soulshock & Karlin and Mark Ronson as well as an appearance by Bilal. A collection of 1960s- and 1970s-influenced songs, it is seen as a departure from her pop-oriented debut, with what ''Billboard'' magazine called "more of a modern twist on hip-hop and R&B; flecked with tinges of blues and jazz". The album was released on August 26, 2008 in the United States. By December 2008, the album had sold over 114,000 copies according to Nielsen Soundscan. The album was positively received by critics, some of whom considered it far better than her debut. The album's lead single, "I Decided", was released in April 2008, and reached the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play; ''Rolling Stone'' magazine labelled it her breakthrough single. In support of the album, Knowles began the Solange Presents Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams Tour in Britain in November 2008.

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

2009–present: Third studio album

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

Other ventures

Aside from recording, Knowles ventured into film, modeling, and entrepreneurship. According to her father Mathew Knowles, her goal of merging music and film was part of the overall plan for her career. Knowles appeared as a nubile teenager in the 2004 comedy film ''Johnson Family Vacation'', starring alongside American actors Cedric the Entertainer, Vanessa Williams and Bow Wow. She provided a song for its soundtrack—"Freedom", a collaboration with the Houston-based funk-jazz band Drop Trio. Although the reviews were generally negative, Knowles earned praise from ''Variety'' magazine: "Solange Knowles is nearly as dazzling as big sister Beyoncé and does little more than smile winningly in her first bigscreen outing." In 2006, she starred as a cheerleading captain in the film ''Bring It On: All or Nothing'', the third installment of the ''Bring it On'' series, alongside American actress and singer Hayden Panettiere. What little critical reaction the low-budget, direct-to-DVD movie got was negative, and Knowles was described as an "affordable young starlet". Knowles uses her full name for her acting, rather than just the first name she uses when singing; for ''Bring It On: All or Nothing'', she was billed as Solange Knowles-Smith, reflecting her married state at the time.

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

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

Knowles has been promoting Baby Jamz, a hip hop-styled toy line for pre-schoolers. It was inspired by her son, Julez, who is fond of hip hop music. She is the executive producer of the CD, composed of updated hip hop inspired nursery rhymes, which is featured in all of the toys.

Also, Knowles has been known for her work in the award-winning children's TV show, ''Yo Gabba Gabba!''. She performed "When I Hear Music" during the live performance when it toured the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. She also performed "Mama Loves Baby" during a 2010 episode called "Baby".

She was announced as the new face of Rimmel London.

Personal life

Knowles, at age 17, married Daniel Smith in February 2004. Knowles met Smith at a high school party through mutual friends. He was in high school at the time and Knowles was 13 and in middle school; they called themselves high school sweethearts. On October 18, 2004, Knowles gave birth to their son, Daniel Julez Smith, Jr. Knowles has partly expressed regret that she bore a child at an early age, but calls her son the greatest unplanned blessing. A song she wrote for her baby, "6 O' Clock Blues", was included on ''Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams''.

After Daniel Julez' birth, the family moved to Moscow, Idaho, where Knowles' husband continued studying in college. In October 2007, Solange confirmed in an interview with ''Essence'' magazine that she and Smith had divorced. Both of them co-parent the child. After the divorce, Knowles and her child moved to Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, where they established their new home.

Artistry

Knowles cites as her influences Motown girl groups such as The Supremes and The Marvelettes, and Martha Reeves, lead singer of Martha and the Vandellas. She also listened to the music of English pop singer Dusty Springfield, and according to Knowles, her "greatest music influence" is her mother, Tina Knowles, who was a one-time member of the 1960s harmony group The Veltones.

Knowles says her first passion is writing songs. She has been doing this since she was nine years old, and has collaborated with a number of songwriters and producers. — which was purposely set as the album's opening track to show their differences. In her review for the album, Jody Rosen of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine referred to the lyrics a declaration of independence. In an interview with the ''Daily Mail'', Knowles commented: "People think there should be this great rivalry between us, but there's never been any competition. There's a big age gap and we are two very different characters." In another interview, Knowles said that she would not live by her sister's level of stardom, stressing that she and Beyoncé are artistically different, even stating that blogger Teddy Birmingham was "disrespectful" for saying she was living in her sister shadow on his website "Teddytalks" in June 2009. Beyoncé was unwilling to bring her sister into the recording industry, reasoning that it "involves a lot of pressure". Knowles countered by saying, "It's good to have her advice, but we really have different goals".

Discography

''Solo Star'' (2003)

''Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams'' (2008)

TBA (2011)

Filmography

''Intimate Portrait'' ''The Proud Family'' ''Soul Train'' ''One On One'' ''Listen Up ''Ghost Whisperer''

		!Title	!Role	!Notes
2001	|	Herself	1 Episode
rowspan=3	2002	|	Chanel	1 Episode
''Taina''	Rachel
''Taff''	Herself
rowspan=4>2003	|	Herself	1 Episode
''The 30th Annual American Music Awards''	Herself
''The Today Show''	Herself
''The Brothers Garcia''	Herself
rowspan=2	2004	|	Charlotte	1 Episode
''Johnson Family Vacation''	Nikki Johnson
2005	(TV series)	Listen Up!''	Erika
2006	''Bring It On: All or Nothing''	Camille
2008	|	Singer	Uncredited 1 Episode
2010	''Yo Gabba Gabba''	Herself	1 Episode
2011	''Blondie: The Florence Ballard Story''	Diana Ross	Supporting

Awards and nominations

|- |rowspan="2" align="center"|2009 |rowspan="2"|Solange Knowles |BET Award for BET Centric Award | |- |Soul Train Music Award for Best New Artist |

References

External links

Official blog

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

bs:Solange de:Solange Knowles es:Solange Knowles fr:Solange Knowles ko:솔란지 놀스 id:Solange Knowles it:Solange Knowles nl:Solange Knowles ja:ソランジュ no:Solange Knowles pl:Solange Knowles pt:Solange Knowles ro:Solange Knowles simple:Solange Knowles fi:Solange Knowles sv:Solange Knowles tr:Solange Knowles

name	Tyra Banks
birth name	Tyra Lynne Banks
birth date	December 04, 1973
birth place
occupation	Model ActressTalk show host
height
haircolor	Dark Brown
eyecolor	Brown
measurements	34D-24-35½
years active	1991–present
website	Tyra Banks web site
agency	IMG Models
salary	$23 million (2008) }}

Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973) is an American supermodel, media personality, actress, occasional singer, and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model in Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo, and New York, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough. Banks is the creator and host of the UPN/The CW reality television show ''America's Next Top Model'', co-creator of ''True Beauty'', and host of her own talk show, ''The Tyra Banks Show.''

Early life

Tyra Banks was born in Inglewood, California, the daughter of Carolyn (née London), a medical photographer, and Donald Banks, a computer consultant. The couple divorced in 1980, when Banks was 6 years old. However, the relationship between her parents, and between her and her brother Devin Banks (born 1968), stayed friendly. Later, Carolyn married Clifford Johnson; she now goes by Carolyn London-Johnson. Banks attended John Burroughs Middle School and graduated in 1991 from Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. She was accepted by USC and UCLA but declined to attend, instead pursuing a career in modeling.

Career

Modeling

Banks began modeling in the 11th grade. She later went to Paris, France to do some runway modeling. Within Banks' first week in Paris, she was booked for twenty-five shows. She has done extensive print and/or runway work for fashion/advertising giants, such as Anna Sui, CoverGirl, Bill Blass, Chanel, Victoria's Secret, and Yves Saint Laurent. She has appeared on the covers of high-fashion magazines such as ''Vogue'', ''Harper's Bazaar'', ''Cosmopolitan'', and ''Elle''.

Banks was the first African American woman on the covers of ''GQ'' and the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue''. In 1997, she received the VH1 award for Supermodel of the Year. That same year, she became the first-ever African American chosen for the cover of the Victoria's Secret catalog.

In 1998, Banks authored a book entitled ''Tyra's Beauty, Inside and Out''. The book was advertised as a resource for helping women to make the most out of their natural beauty.

Banks retired from modeling in May 2005 to concentrate on her television career. She walked the runway for the final time at the 2005 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

In 2010, Banks re-signed with her former modeling agency IMG Models.

Move into television and film

Banks's television career began on the fourth season of ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', in which she played lead character Will Smith's old friend Jackie Ames. She made seven appearances in the series. Other TV credits include ''Felicity'', ''MADtv'', ''Nick Cannon's Wild 'n Out'' (in which she was featured as a special guest host and team captain) and ''The Price Is Right'' (guest-starring as a "Barker's Beauty"). She also appeared as a guest in the animated talk show ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' in an episode entitled "Chinatown."

Tyra Banks started her own production company ''Bankable Productions'', which produced ''The Tyra Banks Show'', ''America's Next Top Model'', and the 2008 movie ''The Clique''.

Currently, Banks can be seen on television as the hostess, judge and executive producer of The CW Television Network show ''America's Next Top Model''. In addition, she hosted ''The Tyra Banks Show'', a daytime talk show aimed at younger women, which premiered on September 12, 2005, and ran until May 28, 2010.

In 2008, Banks won the Daytime Emmy Award for her work and production on ''The Tyra Banks Show''. In late-January 2008, Banks got the go-ahead from The CW Television Network to start work on a new reality television series based on fashion magazines called ''Stylista''. The show premiered on October 22, 2008.

In 2009, she was honored by Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) with the Excellence in Media Award.

Banks's first big screen role came in 1994, when she co-starred in the drama ''Higher Learning''. She then co-starred with Lindsay Lohan in the Disney film ''Life-Size'', playing a doll named Eve who comes to life and has to learn how to live in the real world. Other notable roles include ''Love Stinks'' (1999), ''Love & Basketball'' (2000), ''Coyote Ugly'' (2000) and ''Halloween: Resurrection'' (2002). She and Miley Cyrus poke fun at the excesses of the Hollywood lifestyle with a battle over a pair of shoes in ''Hannah Montana: The Movie'' (2009).

Banks appeared in the fourth episode of the third season of ''Gossip Girl'' playing Ursula Nyquist, a larger-than-life actress who works with Serena.

Music

Banks has appeared in several music videos, including Michael Jackson's "Black or White", Tina Turner's "Love Thing", Mobb Deep's "Trife Life", George Michael's "Too Funky" (with fellow supermodel Linda Evangelista) and Lionel Richie's "Don't Wanna Lose You". In 2004, she recorded her first single, "Shake Ya Body," which had a music video featuring the final six contestants on ''America's Next Top Model, Cycle 2''. The video was world-premiered on UPN, but the single turned out to be a failure. On ''America's Next Top Model, Cycle 2'' Banks said, "Singing has been a passion of mine for a long, long time...six years on the down low - been ducking in and out of studios cutting tracks." Later, on her talk show, she said, "I can't believe I wasted six years of doing something that I didn't finish...I was almost able to release my album ''T.Y.R.A.'', but since my music career hit rock bottom, I quit."

Banks released a single with NBA player Kobe Bryant, entitled "K.O.B.E.," which was performed on NBA TV. She also has a single on the soundtrack to Disney Channel's Original Movie ''Life-Size'' called "Be A Star."

Books

Banks announced in May 2010 that she would be writing a novel, called ''Modelland'', loosely based on her own modelling experience. Scheduled to be released in September 2011, it is the first of a planned three-part series. On an interview with ''Good Morning America'', Banks stated that ''Modelland'' is the story of four girls who are accepted into an "exclusive" modelling school in the world of Modelland.

''Love Stinks ''Love & Basketball'' ''Halloween: Resurrection'' ''Mr. Woodcock'' ''Tropic Thunder'' ''Hannah Montana: The Movie'' ''MADtv'' ''America's Next Top Model'' ''American Dreams'' ''The Tyra Banks Show'' ''Gossip Girl (TV series)

colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Film
		! Film	! Role	! Notes
1995	''Higher Learning''	Deja
1999	|	Holly Garnett
rowspan=3	2000	|	Kyra Kessler
''Life-Size''	Eve Doll
''Coyote Ugly (film)	Coyote Ugly''	Zoë
rowspan=2	2002	|	Nora Winston
''Eight Crazy Nights''	Victoria's Secret Gown
2007	|	Herself	Cameo
2008	|	Herself	Cameo
2009	|	Herself in Women's Shoe Department	Cameo
colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;">Television
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
1993	''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air''	Jackie Ames	*Where There's a Will, There's a Way: Part 1	*All Guts, No Glory	*Father of the Year	*Blood Is Thicker Than Mud	*Fresh Prince After Dark	*Take My Cousin... Please	*You've Got to Be a Football Hero
rowspan=2	1999		Jane Scott	*A Good Egg	*Kissing Mr. Covington	*One Ball, Two Strikes
''Just Shoot Me!''	Herself	*Nina Sees Red: Part 1	*Nina Sees Red: Part 2
2000	|	Katisha Latisha Parisha Farisha Johnson	TV series	*Episode #5.17	*Episode #5.25
2003–present	|	Host	Reality TV series created, judged and hosted by Banks
rowspan=2	2004	|	Carolyn Gill	TV series	*Chasing the Past
''All of Us''	Roni	*O Brother, Where Art Thou?
2005–2010	|	Host	Talk show
2009	Gossip Girl''||	Ursula Nyquist	TV series,season 3	*Dan de Fleurette

Further education

In 2011, Banks enrolled in the Owner/President Management Program (OPM) at the Harvard Business School.

Philanthropy

In 1999, Tyra Banks established the TZONE program, which aimed at leadership and life skills development. The program was created for the primarily disadvantaged teen girls in the greater Los Angeles area, and involves sending teens to a week-long overnight camp outside of LA, where Tyra personally lived among and bonded with the campers.

In 2005, TZONE transformed from a camp into a public charity, the Tyra Banks TZONE Foundation, with a mission which honors TZONE's camp origins, and seeks to create a larger “sisterhood” among girls and young women. It makes grants to grassroot organizations, and supports organizations that serve women and girls ages 13–35.

References

External links

''The Tyra Banks Show'' website

''The New York Times'' Profile/Interview

Category:1973 births Category:African American film actors Category:African American models Category:African American female models Category:African American female singers Category:African American television personalities Category:American entertainment industry businesspeople Category:American female models Category:American game show hosts Category:American television producers Category:American television talk show hosts Category:Models from California Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:Living people Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area Category:GLAAD Media Awards winners

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background	solo_singer
birth name	Percy Miller
alias	Lil' Romeo, Rome, Romeo
born	August 19, 1989
origin	New Orleans, Louisiana
genre	Hip hop
occupation	RapperModelBasketball playerEntrepreneurActor
college	USC
years active	2001–present
label	No Limit (2001–2002) Priority (2001–2002) The New No Limit (2002–2004) Universal (2002–2003) E1 (2004–2005) Guttar Music (2005–2006) Take A Stand (2007–present) The Next Generation (CEO) (2010–present) No Limit Forever (CEO) (2010–present)
website	http://romeoforever.com }}

Percy Romeo Miller, Jr. (born August 19, 1989), better known by his stage name Romeo (previously Lil' Romeo), is an American rapper, actor, basketball player, entrepreneur, and model. He is the son of rapper and entrepreneur Master P and former rapper Sonya C. He is the nephew of rappers C-Murder and Silkk the Shocker and the brother of singer Cymphonique. As a rap musician, Miller has released three studio albums and two compilation albums.

Early life

Romeo Miller was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the son of entertainer and entrepreneur founder P. Miller whose career was at its peak at the time. Romeo was signed to No Limit at the age of 5 after he wrote a rap to his dad.

Music career

''Lil' Romeo'' (2001)

He then released his debut album 7 years later titled after his original alias ''Lil' Romeo''. This offering contained the hit single "My Baby" that charted No. 1 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-hop Singles. The album peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and No. 5 on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums, and was certified certified Platinum by the RIAA for the sales of 1,300,000. Also in 2001 he was featured on his uncle Silkk the Shocker's remix single of "That's Kool", which was also featured on his own album.

''Game Time'' (2002–2003)

In 2002, a year later after his debut album, Miller put out his second studio album, ''Game Time''. It peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard 200 and No. 10 on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums. It spawned the billboard charting single "2-Way" that charted to No. 66 Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs. It also spawned the album second single "True Love" which charted at No. 16 under the Hot 100 Singles. Though not as successful on the charts as Miller's debut album It still was successful in sales certified 2x Platinum, selling 2,430,785 copies making this Miller's highest selling album.

''Romeoland'' (2004–2007)

In 2004, miller released his third studio album ''Romeoland,'' which was not as successful as his last two albums, but still managed to be certified Gold selling over 459,000 copies in the United States. It was also the last studio album to feature Miller billed as Lil' Romeo. In 2005 Romeo along with his brother Valentino Miller who was known as Young V at that time and their three cousins C-Los, Lil' D & Willie J formed the group Rich Boyz & released their debut album ''Young Ballers: The Hood Been Good to Us''. In 2006 Miller released a compilation album entitled ''Greatest Hits'' the album featured all of his hit songs when Miller was billed as Lil' Romeo. In 2006 Romeo released the two albums ''Lottery'' & ''God's Gift'' on the new label owned by himself and his father Master P, entitled Guttar Music. ''Lottery'' served as Millers first independent release while ''God's Gift'' served as a soundtrack to a movie with the same name. ''God's Gift'' was also Miller's first album to use the name Romeo and to have explicit language. The two albums were also known for containing Miller's single "U Can't Shine Like Me" which was a direct response to Bow Wow, who fans thought dissed Miller in his song "Fresh Azimiz". In 2007 Miller released a collaboration album with his father Master P titled ''Hip Hop History'' it sold 32,000 records worldwide.

''Intelligent Hoodlum'' (2008–present)

In 2008 Miller stated he was working on his fourth studio album entitled ''Gumbo Station''. On June 17, 2008 Miller released the first single from the album which was "Get Low wit It" which featured Akon & his brother Valentino Miller it failed to gain success on the Billboard charts. On March 3, 2009 Romeo released a compilation entitled ''Get Low LP'' that contained songs that were supposed to be on ''Gumbo Station''. It debuted at No. 149 on the Billboard 200 and as of May 5, 2009 it has sold over 20,000 copies. In 2010 Romeo confirmed that he was still working on his fourth studio album but he changed the name of the album to ''The College Boy''. Romeo then announced that the title of the album was going to be ''I Am No Limit''. On January 19, 2010 Romeo released the first promotional single for the album entitled "Tell Me A Million Times" that featured Tempo. Then on January 26, 2010 Romeo released the second promotional single for the album entitled "Ice Cream Man Jr." which was a tribute to his dad Master P. On February 16, 2010 Miller released his debut mixtape ''Patience Is A Virtue'' to promote the album. Then on March 2, 2010 Romeo released two EPs to promote the album which were the ''Famous Girl'' & ''Monster/Practice''. Also In 2010 Miller debuted his newly founded record label The Next Generation Entertainment with his new group the College Boyys. They released a collaboration album on May 25, 2010 entitled ''Spring Break'' which sold over 200,000 copies worldwide. Miller also on this day released three singles which were "You" that featured D'Anna & Lil Twist, "She Bad" that featured Millers cousins Lil' D & Black Don & "They Dont Know" but all of the singles failed to reach the charts. Romeo also performed at the 2010 Hip Hop Honors along with his brother Valentino Miller, his cousins Lil' D & Black Don, & his uncle Silkk The Shocker, along with Trina, Gucci Mane & Mystikal to honor his dad Master P & No Limit Records. In late 2010 Romeo relaunched No Limit as No Limit Forever Romeo also confirmed that he has changed the name of the album from ''I Am No Limit'' to ''Intelligent Hoodlum''. In 2011 It Is confirmed that Romeo is going on a new tour with his dad Master P & his uncle Silkk the Shocker the tour is entitled ”No Limit Forever International". On January 11, 2011 Romeo released his EP ''Dont Push Me''. On May 3, 2011 Romeo released the first official single from ''Intelligent Hoodlum'' which is "Famous Girl (Remix)" which is really the mastered version of the original it still features appearances from Sean Kingston & Miller's cousin Black Don. On August 19, 2011 Romeo released his ''I Am No Limit'' mixtape which was originally supposed to be his fourth studio album before it got changed but Miller just decided it would be best to just release it as a mixtape for his fans.

Other ventures

Acting career

Miller started his acting career with a cameo appearance in the 2001 film ''Max Keeble's Big Move'', as himself. He later co-starred with Jessica Alba, Mekhi Phifer and Zachary Isaiah Williams in the film ''Honey'' (2003). In ''Honey'', his character was Benny, a young boy looking for a break. Also in 2003, he voiced himself on an episode of the animated series, ''Static Shock'', to which he had performed the theme song. He co-starred with his dad in a movie called ''Uncle P'' in 2005. He also starred in another movie with Zachary Isaiah Williams, ''God's Gift'', which came out in 2006. Recently, he made a cameo appearance, as himself, in ''Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide'' as a rapping coach for the teachers. Then in 2007 he starred in film ''ASL'' as himself, Rome, alongside Forrest Lipton and Zachary Isaiah Williams who played the young Romeo; Lil Romey and had also previously starred with Romeo in ''Honey'' and Nickelodeon's ''Romeo!''. He guest-starred as a rapper accused of murder in the 2010 CBS series, ''The Defenders'' and acted in the highly successful film, ''Jumping the Broom'', released in May 2011. In 2011, he also starred in TV commercials for McDonald's & ICDC Colleges.

Fashion designer

On July 24, 2010 Romeo launched his own clothing line titled "College Boyys", which has also been promoted by Miller & his new group the College Boyys. It has also been promoted by artists such as Justin Bieber, Big Time Rush & Jaden Smith. Romeo stated

Basketball career

Name	Percy Miller, Jr.
College	USC
Conference	Pac-10
Sport	Basketball
Position	Point guard
Career start	2008 2010
Nickname	Romeo, Prince P
Jersey	15
Height ft	5
Height in	11
Weight lb	170
Nationality	American
Birth date	August 19, 1989
Birth place	New Orleans, Louisiana
Highschool	Beverly Hills High School
tournaments	y
tournament list	2009 NCAA Tournament
color	DarkRed
fontcolor	Gold }}

Romeo was invited, in the summer of 2006, to the Reebok-sponsored ABCD Camp, which is considered the premier basketball camp in the United States. The Teaneck, New Jersey-based ABCD Camp is an invitation-only basketball showcase previously attended by high-profile players including Kobe Bryant, Stephon Marbury, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. Surrounded by future NBA players such as O. J. Mayo, Derrick Rose, and Kevin Love, Miller looked out of place and averaged less than 2 points a game throughout the camp. ''The Wall Street Journal'' made an article on March 8, entitled "A Hot Prospect," cites Sonny Vaccaro, the longtime director of the ABCD Camp, as explaining, "he invited Romeo Miller to the 2006 camp, primarily as a favor to Percy Miller, whom he knew from the club basketball circuit." In the article, Vaccaro indicated, "If you're looking for the profile of an athlete who plays basketball at USC, he's not it."

On April 13, 2007, Miller verbally committed to the University of Southern California (USC) and signed a letter of intent on November 19, 2007.

Miller, a 5'11" point guard, was a four year starter at Beverly Hills High School. As a junior during the 2005–2006 high school season he averaged 13.9 points and 5.6 assists per game. As a senior during the 2006–2007 high school season he averaged 8.6 points and 9.0 assists per game.

According to ''The Wall Street Journal'', it appears the decision to grant Miller a full scholarship at USC was largely driven by his relationship with friend and teammate Demar DeRozan, the 6-foot-6 All-American forward who was rated as the number five prospect in the country on Scout.com. ''The Wall Street Journal'' reported Coach Tim Floyd as saying, "Last April...Percy Miller called while driving both players from a tournament in Fayetteville, Ark...Percy Miller said 'Demar and Romeo are ready to make their decision, and would you like to have them both on scholarship?'...'I said absolutely.'" Miller and DeRozan began playing in the 2008–2009 season.

Miller had a disappointing career at USC. In his two seasons as a Trojan, he played a total of 19 minutes in 9 games and scored a total of 5 points.

Modeling career

On December 27 Romeo modeled for a new 2011 calender. On April 10, 2011 Miller modeled for the April issue of ''TROIX'' magazine. On April 12, 2011 Miller modeled again for some new pictures. He also modeled with the singer-songwriter Chynna Terrell.

Dancing with the Stars

After originally withdrawing from season two of ''Dancing with the Stars'' due to an injury, Romeo competed in season 12. He was partnered with professional dancer, Chelsie Hightower. They were eliminated from the show on May 10, 2011 and finished in the Top 5, one week before the semi-final.

rowspan="2"	Week #
	style="text-align: center; background:#faf6f6;"|Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Romeo"
	2		Quickstep/ "You're the One That I Want"		7		8		8		Safe
	style="text-align: center; background:#faf6f6;"
	style="text-align: center; background:#faf6f6;"
	style="text-align: center; background:#faf6f6;"
	6		Waltz/ "My Heart Will Go On"		10		9		9
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f"|Cha-Cha-Cha/ ""Born This Way""Samba/ "Say Hey (I Love You)"
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f"|Tango/"Hold It Against Me"Salsa/"Tequila"

In week 7, Donnie Burns was the guest judge and scored the dances.

Personal life

Miller attended Beverly Hills High School in Beverly Hills, California. Romeo sponsors "Loco Tonic", an energy drink he mentions in his newer songs. In 2008, Romeo was ranked No. 18 in the most fit men in the world.

Discography

;Studio albums

''Lil' Romeo'' (2001)

''Game Time'' (2002)

''Romeoland'' (2004)

''Intelligent Hoodlum'' (2012)

;Independent albums

''Lottery'' (2006)

;Collaboration albums

''Young Ballers: The Hood Been Good to Us'' (2005) (with Rich Boyz)

''Hip Hop History'' (2007) (with Master P)

''Spring Break'' (2010) (with College Boyys)

''TBA'' (2012) (with College Boyys)

''TBA'' (2012) (with Resq3)

;Mixtapes

''Patience Is A Virtue'' (2009)

''I Am No Limit'' (2011)

Filmography

;Films

''Honey (2003 film) ''Still 'Bout It'' ''God's Gift (film) ''Uncle P'' ''The Pig People'' ''Down and Distance'' ''Jumping the Broom (film)

Year
2001	''Max Keeble's Big Move''	Himself
2003	Honey'' ||	Benny	Main Role
rowspan="2">2004	|	M.J.	Main Role
''Decisions''	Jamal
rowspan="2"	2006	God's Gift'' ||	Romeo	Main Role
''Don't Be Scared''	Unknown
rowspan="2"	2007	|	Corey Miller	Main Role
''Crush On U''	Rome
2009	|	TJ	Main Role
2010	|	Darren Sheehan	Main Role
rowspan="2"	2011	Jumping the Broom'' ||	Sebastian	Support Role
''Wolf Boy''	''2120''

;Television

''Oh Drama!'' ''The Hughleys'' ''Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration'' ''Raising Dad'' ''American Music Awards of 2002 ''Proud Family'' ''One on One (TV series) ''Static Shock'' ''All Grown Up!'' ''Romeo!'' ''Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide ''Out of Jimmy's Head ''The Defenders (2010 TV series) ''The Bad Girls Club (season 6) ''Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 12) ''The Cape ''Reed Between the Lines'' ''Charlie's Angels (2011 TV series)

Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
2001	''The Brothers García''	Ty
2001	|	Musical Guest	Television special
2001	|	Himself
2001	|	Himself
2002	|	Marvin
2002	The 29th Annual American Music Awards'' ||	Himself
2002	|	Himself	"A Hero For Halloween" (episode 24, season 1)
2003	One on One'' ||	Eric	"Spy Games"
2003	|	Himself	Recorded the final theme song for the series.
2003	|	Lil Q	"It's Cupid, Stupid" (episode 8, season 1)
2003–2006	|	Romeo "Ro" Miller	Main Role/Starring as ''Romeo''.
2005	|	Rapping teacher	"Guide to: Emergency Drills and Late Bus" (episode 21, season 2)
2008	|	Himself	"Lunch Tables" (episode 13, season 1)
2010	The Defenders ||	Killa Diz	"The Defenders – Nevada v. Killa Diz"
2011	The Bad Girls Club: Season 6'' ||	Himself	Guest appearance on the reality show (episode 10)
2011	Dancing With the Stars: Season 12 '' ||	Contestant	Romeo was originally supposed to be competing in season 2 but due to a injury he was unable & his dad Master P filled in for him
2011	|	Gangster	Season 1, Episode 9 – "Razer".
2011	|	Darius	Season 1, Episode 5 – "Let's Talk About Competition"
2011	Charlie's Angels'' ||	Royal's son	Season 1, EpisRode 7 – "Royal Angels"

Felipe Solis is schedule to appear in Romeo's new reality show Romeo & Juliet

Awards and nominations

Billboard Music Awards

*2001, Rap Artist of the Year (Winner)

*2001, Music Videos: ''My Baby'' (Winner)

*2002, R&B;/Hip-Hop: ''My Baby'' (Winner)

Kids Choice Awards

*2004, Favorite Television Actor – Male for: ''Romeo!'' (Nominated)

*2005, Favorite Television Actor – Male for: ''Romeo!'' (Winner)

*2006, Favorite Television Actor – Male for: ''Romeo!'' (Nominated)

Teen Choice Awards

*2004, Choice Breakout Movie Star – Male for: ''Honey'' (Nominated)

Black Reel Awards

*2004, Choice Breakout Movie Star – Male for: ''Honey'' (Nominated)

Young Artist Awards

*2005, Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actor: Romeo! (Nominated)

NAMIC Vision Awards

*2005, Best Comedic Performance: ''Romeo!'' (Nominated)

Image Awards

*2005, Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Program – Series or Special: ''Romeo!'' (Nominated)

References

External links

Official website

USC Athletics Player Biography: No. 15 Percy Miller

http://www.miniature-englishbulldogs.com/celebritypuppies.htm

Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:African-American businesspeople Category:African-American fashion designers Category:African American film actors Category;African American child actors Category:African American actors Category:African American models Category:African American rappers Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American film actors Category:American male models Category:American voice actors Category:Businesspeople in fashion Category:E1 Music artists Category:No Limit Records artists Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Beverly Hills, California Category:People from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:Rappers from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:Rappers from Los Angeles, California Category:University of Southern California alumni Category:USC Trojans men's basketball players

da:Romeo Miller de:Romeo (Rapper) es:Lil' Romeo fr:Lil' Romeo it:Lil' Romeo no:Romeo Miller pl:Lil' Romeo pt:Romeo Miller fi:Romeo (rap-artisti) sv:Romeo (artist) th:โรมีโอ มิลเลอร์ tr:Lil’Romeo

Name	Dirty Projectors
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Brooklyn, New York
Genre	Experimental music, indie rock, math rock, afro beat, Afro prog, New prog, avant-garde
Years active	2002–present
Label	Domino Records Dead Oceans Marriage Records Western Vinyl States Rights Records
Website	http://www.dirtyprojectors.net/
Current members	Dave LongstrethNat BaldwinAmber CoffmanAngel DeradoorianHaley DekleBrian Mcomber
Past members	Rostam BatmanglijSam BernsteinAnneli ChamblissEmily CheegerAlex FarrillAdam ForknerWill GlassSpencer KingmanEzra KoenigCharlie LookerHank MillerJames SumnerWes MilesSusanna WaicheJake Longstreth }}

Dirty Projectors are a Brooklyn-based experimental rock band led by Dave Longstreth. They have released seven full-length albums through 2010. The band currently consists of Longstreth, Amber Coffman (vocals, guitar), Angel Deradoorian (vocals, keyboard, samples, guitar, bass), Brian McOmber (drums), Nat Baldwin (bass), and Haley Dekle (vocals).

Biography

Longstreth's first album, ''The Graceful Fallen Mango'', was released in 2002 under his own name and introduced his distinctive use of song arrangements and his combination of lo-fi and hi-fi production. The album was a project Longstreth began as a freshman while studying at Yale University. With the help of Adam Forkner of Yume Bitsu, Longstreth recorded and released ''The Glad Fact'' on the Western Vinyl label under the name "The Dirty Projectors." In 2005, the band released ''The Getty Address'', a concept album about musician Don Henley that features extensive orchestral and choral accompaniment. The diverse, stripped-down ''New Attitude EP'' followed in 2006 and featured inklings of the band's later vocal interplay and guitar work.

In 2007, the band released ''Rise Above'', an album of Black Flag songs as re-imagined from memory. The album introduced the band's distinctive contrast between Longstreth's vocals and the harmonies of Amber Coffman and Susanna Waiche, who was later replaced by Angel Deradoorian. In support of the album, the band performed songs for a Take-Away Show acoustic video session shot by Vincent Moon.

In April 2008, The Dirty Projectors signed with Domino Records, and the label announced the release of their next full-length album, ''Bitte Orca'', for June 9, 2009. That year, the band also collaborated with David Byrne on the song "Knotty Pine" for the compilation album, ''Dark Was the Night'' produced by the Red Hot Organization. Byrne joined the Dirty Projectors onstage to perform this song, along with "Ambulance Man," another collaborative track not included on the compilation, at the "Dark Was the Night Live" concert at New York City's Radio City Music Hall on May 3, 2009. “Stillness Is the Move” was the first single released from "Bitte Orca", a West African - R&B; influenced hybrid, sung by Coffman. The song was inspired by the Wim Wenders film “Wings of Desire”.

On May 8, 2009, members of Dirty Projectors collaborated with Björk to perform an original composition by Longstreth, written for five voices and acoustic guitar, as part of a charity concert to benefit Housing Works, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing shelter for homeless men, women, and children suffering from AIDS. The concert was held at the Housing Works Bookstore & Café in downtown New York City.

The band was to release a new EP in September 2009 entitled ''Temecula Sunrise''. While the EP was never released, two of its tracks, "Ascending Melody" and "Emblem of the World," were released as a free download single by the band in early 2010.

Amber Coffman was featured on "Hold On", a track from Rusko's debut album, OMG, released in June 2010 by Diplo's Mad Decent record label.

In June 2010, Dirty Projectors announced the release of Mount Wittenberg Orca, a digital-only EP with Björk. The album, based on the artists' previous collaboration in 2009, was released on June 30.

Dirty Projectors released an expanded edition of Bitte Orca on September 28, 2010. The double album included live performances, several B-sides, and a Bob Dylan cover.

Musical Style

While often associated with the late 2000s New York indie rock scene, critics have likened The Dirty Projectors to musicians from many genres. For example, critics have compared them to New Wave artists David Byrne and Squeeze, pop stars Beyoncé and Mariah Carey, and Progressive rock musicians Frank Zappa and Yes. In a 2009 interview, Longstreth embraced some such comparisons but expressed a strong dislike for classic rock, commenting, "Steely Dan is a band I’m not that into," "I’m not a huge Yes guy," and "Frank Zappa I fucking hate."

Discography

!Year	!Title	!Label
	''The Glad Fact''	Western Vinyl
	''Morning Better Last!''	States Rights Records
	''Slaves' Graves and Ballads''	Western Vinyl
	''The Getty Address''	Western Vinyl
	''Highlights from the Getty Address''
	''New Attitude EP''	Marriage Records
		Dead Oceans
	''Bitte Orca''	Domino Records
	''Ascending Melody''	Domino Records
	''Mount Wittenberg Orca (w/ Björk)''	Digital Only

References

External links

Dirty Projectors Domino Records page

Dirty Projectors Western Vinyl page

Useful Chamber - a Dirty Projectors resource

[ Dirty Projectors at Allmusic]

Dirty Projectors in concert on NPR Music

Dirty Projectors on ''Beyond Race Magazine (BRM).''

Dead Oceans Page

Dirty Projectors & Björk on the Rob da Bank show

Category:Alternative rock groups from New York Category:American indie rock groups Category:Musical groups established in 2002

fr:Dirty Projectors ko:더티 프로젝터스 ja:ダーティー・プロジェクターズ sr:Dirty Projectors

Name	Twin Shadow
Birth name	George Lewis
Background	solo_singer
Origin	New York City, USA
Genre	New Wave
Label	Terrible Records/4AD
Website	}}

Twin Shadow is the stage name of American musician George Lewis Jr. Lewis was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Florida. Around 2000 Lewis moved to Boston where he started the band Mad Man Films, releasing two records independently. Around 2006, Lewis relocated to Brooklyn, NY and adopted the Twin Shadow moniker. In 2010 he released his debut album ''Forget'', produced by Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear. The album has been described as "steeped in 1980s new wave", "building from streaks of haunting synth textures", having "sophisticated melodies", "R&B; intimacy", and "poetic lyrics", and "hazily new wave-tinged pop". Twin Shadow was the Rolling Stone 'Band of the Week' on October 7, 2010.

Twin Shadow has been confirmed to play Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April, Sasquatch Music Festival in May 2011, San Miguel Primavera Sound in May 2011 and Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in June 2011 . He will be supporting Florence and the Machine at certain performances during her 2011 U.S. Tour.

Discography

Studio albums

''Forget'' (2010)

References

External links

Rolling Stone Band of the Week

Twin Shadow at 4AD Records

Category:Living people Category:American musicians