name	BET Awards
description	Best in African American and other minorities music, acting, sports, and others
presenter	Black Entertainment Television
country
year	June 19, 2001 }}

The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET. BET commissioned Artist/Sculptor and Hip Hop culture icon Carlos Mare139 Rodriguez to design the Award sculpture.

Locations

The inaugural ceremonies in 2001 were held at the Paris resort on the Las Vegas Strip. From 2002 through 2005, the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood hosted the ceremonies. Since 2006, the awards have been held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Host cities

!Year!!Date !!Venue !! Host City !!Host !!Video of the Year Winner
2001	June 19, 2001	Paris Las Vegas			"Ms. Jackson" performed by OutKast
2002				"Pass the Courvoisier, Part II" performed by Busta Rhymes featuring P. Diddy & Pharrell
2003
2004	June 29, 2004	"Hey Ya!" performed by OutKast
2005		Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith	"Jesus Walks" performed by Kanye West
2006	June 27, 2006			Damon Wayans	"Be Without You" performed by Mary J. Blige and "Gold Digger" performed by Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx
2007	June 26, 2007	Mo'Nique	"Irreplaceable" performed by Beyoncé
2008	June 24, 2008	DL Hughley	"International Players Anthem (I Choose You)" performed by UGK featuring OutKast
2009	June 28, 2009	Jamie Foxx	"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" performed by Beyoncé
	June 27, 2010	Queen Latifah
2011	June 26, 2011	Kevin Hart	"Look at Me Now (Chris Brown song)

Award Categories

R&B;

Hip Hop

Gospel

Mary Mary

Group

New Artist

Collaboration

Music Video

Viewer's Choice

Centric Award

Acting

Movie

Sports

Lifetime Achievement & Humanitarian

The BET Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian Award recipients, along with the nominees for other categories are announced in a press conference. At the awards ceremony a mini-documentary is shown covering the honorees' life. The awards are given out separately.

The BET Lifetime Achievement Award is given a veteran artist or group who has made notable contributions to the music industry. The honoree is paid tribute to by current popular singers who perform the honoree's most recognized songs. The honoree will usually perform themselves after being paid tribute.

In 2002, at the second annual BET Awards, the category for the BET Award Humanitarian Award was created. The Humanitarian Award is given a celebrity [[philanthropist who donates their time and money to a charitable cause.

BET Most Nominated/Winning Artist

Below are the current rankings for the Most wins, nominated (male) & (female) artist of the BET Award History.

Most Wins as of 2011

Rank	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
Artist		BeyoncéSerena WilliamsKanye WestLil' Wayne	Missy ElliottAlicia Keys	OutKastLeBron JamesLudacris		Busta RhymesRihannaHalle BerryTaraji P. HensonDenzel WashingtonT.I.
Total Wins	9 wins	7 Wins	6 Wins	5 wins	4 wins	3 wins

Most Nominations as of 2011- This is a list of the 10 most nominated performers, athletes & actors. Beyoncé is currently the most nominated performer with 29 nominations.

Rank

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

10th

Artist

Beyoncé

Jay-Z

Kanye West

Lil' Wayne

Alicia KeysLudacris

T.I.Jamie Foxx

Mary J. BligeRihanna

Snoop DoggSerena Williams

Nicki Minaj

Total Nominations

29 nominations

25 nominations

21 nominations

19 nominations

17 nominations

14 nominations

13 nominations

12 nominations

11 nominations

10 nominations

BET Awards 2010

It was announced on Tuesday, May 18, that Queen Latifah would host the tenth-anniversary awards. The ceremony aired live on Sunday, June 27 at 8:00pm/7:00ct. The ceremony was live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. Kanye West was the show's opening act. Eminem made his much anticipated comeback performance. Prince received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Justin Bieber became the youngest person to be nominated for Best New Artist and the fifth Caucasian ever to be nominated for a BET award (the first being Eminem in 2001, the second being Justin Timberlake in 2003, the third being Paul Wall in 2006 and the fourth being Robin Thicke in 2007).

Chris Brown gave an energized tribute to his idol Michael Jackson. He became emotional as he attempted to perform "Man in the Mirror". Rapper Nicki Minaj was the big winner taking home 3 Awards; Minaj also stirred up online controversy. It was speculated that Minaj was lip synching. She later cleared things up via her Twitter account saying: "U could hear me in the auditorium but apparently not in TV land." she went on to sarcastically thank the sound man.

BET Awards 2011

Performers

The artists who have performed at the 2011 BET Awards are:

EVE

Alicia Keys

Chris Brown

Jill Scott

Lil Wayne

Drake

Beyoncé

Kelly Rowland

Mary Mary

Donnie McClurkin

DJ Khaled

Ace Hood

Rick Ross

Trey Songz

Mary J. Blige

Cee Lo Green

Queen Latifah

Bruno Mars

Busta Rhymes

Soulja Boy

Mali Music

References

External links

2011 BET Awards website

Category:American music awards Category:American television awards Category:Awards established in 2001 Awards Category:Lifetime achievement awards

de:BET Awards ko:BET 어워드 it:BET Awards nl:BET Awards ja:BETアワード pl:BET Awards pt:BET Awards tr:BET Ödülleri zh:黑人娱乐电视大奖

Name	Heavy D
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Dwight Myers
Birth date	May 24, 1967
Origin	Mount Vernon, New York
Genre	Hip hop, New Jack Swing, R&B;
Occupation	Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, Actor
Years active	1986–present
Label	Uptown, MCA
Associated acts	Heavy D & the Boyz }}

Dwight Myers (born May 24, 1967), better known as Heavy D, is a Jamaican American actor, rapper, singer and former leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a hip hop group which included G-Whiz (Glen Parrish), "Trouble" T. Roy (Troy Dixon), and Eddie F (born Edward Ferrell). The group maintained a sizable audience in the United States through most of the 1990s. He has recently ventured into reggae music and can now be described as a reggae fusion artist.

Biography

Myers was born on May 24, 1967 in Jamaica. His family moved to Mount Vernon, New York, when he was a young child.

Heavy D & the Boyz were the first group signed to Uptown Records; their debut, ''Living Large'', was released in 1987. The album was a commercial success, though ''Big Tyme'' was a breakthrough that included four hits. Trouble T. Roy died at age 22 in a fall on July 15, 1990, in Indianapolis. Dixon's passing led to a tribute on the follow-up platinum album, ''Peaceful Journey''. Pete Rock & CL Smooth created a tribute to Trouble T. Roy called "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" which is regarded as a hip-hop classic.

Heavy D & the Boyz gained even more fame by singing the theme song for the television program ''In Living Color'' and also ''MADtv'', and Heavy D performed the rap on Michael Jackson's hit single "Jam." However, the group's next album, ''Blue Funk'', was not marketed as well as their previous albums, but is widely viewed as an underrated gem. Heavy D then began focusing on his acting, appearing in the television shows ''A Different World'', ''Roc'' and ''Living Single'' before returning the music charts with ''Nuttin' But Love''. After appearing in the off-Broadway play ''Riff Raff'' at Circle Repertory Company, Heavy D returned to recording with the hit ''Waterbed Hev''. In 2005, the Will Smith movie ''Hitch'' played the song "Now That We Found Love" during the ending scene where a wedding party does a line dance, and gave Heavy D & the Boyz a lot of exposure, sending many viewers to the web to find out more about the song and the group.

He then appeared in the film ''Life'', before being in the cast of the television show ''Boston Public''. In 2002, Heavy D had a supporting role as an FBI agent alongside Omar Epps in the movie adaptation of Dave Barry's novel Big Trouble. In 2003 he starred in the supporting cast for the sit-com ''The Tracy Morgan Show'' as Bernard. In 1997, Heavy D collaborated with B.B. King on his duets album ''Deuces Wild'' rapping in the song "Keep It Coming." He also has a small role in the 1999 Oscar-nominated movie ''The Cider House Rules''. In 2005, Heavy D appeared as Sid in the hit Fox drama Bones, as the owner and bartender at Wong Fu's. In 2006, he appeared in the motion picture, Step Up, as Omar. Heavy D also appeared as Bo-Kane in the 1995 film ''New Jersey Drive''. Heavy D has now released a new reggae album via iTunes, called ''Vibes''.

Heavy D was referred to in the song "Juicy" by the Notorious B.I.G. and in " Da Girls They Love Me" by underground rapper R.A. the Rugged Man. He also appears as the bouncer in the music video for "One More Chance" by Notorious B.I.G. In the song "Choppa on Da Back Seat" by Lil Wyte he says that " I got Heavy D Tied up on my couch, Face down with a rifle wound bleeding out his mouth".

Heavy D also played a part in the film "Big Trouble" as an FBI agent.

Discography

''Living Large'' (1987)

''Big Tyme'' (1989)

''Peaceful Journey'' (1991)

''Blue Funk'' (1993)

''Nuttin' But Love'' (1994)

''Waterbed Hev'' (1997)

''Heavy'' (1999)

''Vibes'' (2008)

''Love Opus'' (2011)

References

External links

Category:American hip hop record producers Category:Rappers from New York City Category:American rappers of Jamaican descent Category:Reggae fusion artists Category:People from Westchester County, New York Category:MCA Records artists Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:American film actors Category:American television actors

da:Heavy D & The Boyz de:Heavy D. & the Boyz es:Heavy D fr:Heavy D it:Heavy D & the Boyz

name	Wiz Khalifa
alt	Wiz Khalifa holding a microphone
background	solo_singer
birth name	Cameron Jibril Thomaz
alias
born	September 08, 1987Minot, North Dakota, United States
origin	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
genre	Hip hop
occupation	Rapper, Singer
years active	2005–present
label	Rostrum, Warner Bros., Atlantic
associated acts	Tinie Tempah, Snoop Dogg,Rick Ross, Curren$y, Big Sean, Fashawn, Mac Miller
website	wizkhalifa.com
notable instruments	}}

Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007. His eurodance-influenced single, "Say Yeah", received urban radio airplay, charting on the Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Tracks charts in 2008. Khalifa parted with Warner Bros. and released his second album, ''Deal or No Deal'', in November 2009. He released the mixtape ''Kush and Orange Juice'' as a free download in April 2010; he then signed with Atlantic Records. He is also well-known for his debut single for Atlantic, "Black and Yellow", which peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut album for the label, ''Rolling Papers'', was released on March 29, 2011.

Early life

Khalifa was born on September 8, 1987 in Minot, North Dakota, to a mother and a father serving in the military. His parents divorced when Khalifa was about three years old. His parents' military service caused him to move on a regular basis. Khalifa lived in Germany, England, and Japan before settling in Pittsburgh where he attended Taylor Allderdice High School.

His stage name is derived from khalifa, an Arabic word meaning "successor", and wisdom, which was shortened to Wiz when Khalifa was fifteen. Khalifa stated to spinner.com that the name also came from being called "young Wiz 'cause I was good at everything I did, and my granddad is Muslim, so he gave me that name; he felt like that's what I was doing with my music." He got his stage name tattooed on his 17th birthday. He includes Camp Lo, The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony among his influences.

Career

2005-08: Early mixtapes and ''Show and Prove''

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

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

Khalifa parted ways with Warner Bros. Records in July 2009 after numerous delays in releasing his planned debut album for the label, ''First Flight''. Khalifa stated to the ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' that, "I learned a lot during my time there and matured as an artist during the process. I'm happy to be moving on with all of my material and having the chance to be in control of my next moves". Khalifa appeared with Girl Talk, Modey Lemon, Donora, Grand Buffet, and Don Caballero at the Amphitheatre at Station Square in Pittsburgh on July 31, 2009, where he announced that his relationship with Warner Bros. was over.

2009-10: ''Deal or No Deal''

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

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

2010: Signing with Atlantic Records

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

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

Khalifa appeared at the Soundset 2010 festival in May 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, alongside Method Man & Redman, Del the Funky Homosapien and Hieroglyphics, Atmosphere, Murs, Cage, and others. He also performed at the 2010 Rock the Bells festival, along with hip hop veterans Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, Lauryn Hill, A Tribe Called Quest, Rakim, KRS-One, Jedi Mind Tricks and Slick Rick. Khalifa declined an invitation to tour with rapper Drake and launched his own "Waken Baken" tour, a 50-city national tour with rapper Yelawolf. The tour, scheduled to last from September to November 2010, has, as of October, sold out every venue. On November 2010, during his "Waken Baken" tour at East Carolina University, Wiz Khalifa was arrested for possession and trafficking of marijuana. He was then released the next morning after a $300K bail, and resumed his tour. Khalifa performed in a cypher during the 2010 BET Hip-Hop Awards. He recited his verse from the song, "The Check Point", from his mixtape with Curren$y, ''How Fly''.

2010-11: Mainstream success and ''Rolling Papers''

Khalifa released "Black and Yellow", his first single for Rostrum/Atlantic, produced by Stargate, which has received radio airplay. The single was peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; the title of the song refers to the colours of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Khalifa will release his debut album with Atlantic Records in 2011. He appeared with Curren$y on the track "Scaling the Building" on producer Ski Beatz' 2010 album, ''24 Hour Karate School''. Khalifa's fanbase is known as the Taylor Gang, named after his love of Chuck Taylor All-Stars shoes.

On March 29, 2011, Khalifa released his first studio album, ''Rolling Papers''. The album debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, with first-week sales of 197,000 copies in the United States.

On June 26, 2011, Khalifa was nominated and won Best New Artist at the BET Awards of 2011.

Khalifa collaborated with the prolific British rapper Tinie Tempah whom Tinie announced in an interview with Rolling Stone that his next single is to be called "Till I'm Gone" and would feature Wiz Khalifa and is to be produced by Stargate. The single and the video song were released at the end of June 2011.

Personal life

Thomaz is dating Amber Rose, the former girlfriend of Thomaz's fellow hip-hop star Kanye West. He is also personal friends with rapper Yelawolf, and fellow Pittsburgh rapper, Mac Miller.

Discography

;Studio albums

''Show and Prove'' (2006)

''Deal or No Deal'' (2009)

''Rolling Papers'' (2011)

References

External links

Wiz Khalifa at MTV

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

bs:Wiz Khalifa ca:Wiz khalifa cs:Wiz Khalifa da:Wiz Khalifa de:Wiz Khalifa es:Wiz Khalifa fa:ویز خلیفا fr:Wiz Khalifa hr:Wiz Khalifa it:Wiz Khalifa he:ויז קאליפה nl:Wiz Khalifa ja:ウィズ・カリファ no:Wiz Khalifa pl:Wiz Khalifa pt:Wiz Khalifa ro:Wiz Khalifa ru:Wiz Khalifa simple:Wiz Khalifa sh:Wiz Khalifa fi:Wiz Khalifa sv:Wiz Khalifa vi:Wiz Khalifa zh:维兹·卡利法

Name	Kelly Rowland
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Kelendria Trene Rowland
Born	February 11, 1981
Origin	Houston, Texas
Genre	R&B;, pop, hip hop, dance
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress, model, entertainer, dancer, television host
Years active	1990–present
Label	Columbia, Universal Motown
Associated acts	Destiny's Child
Website	}}

Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American recording artist, actress, dancer, songwriter and model who rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child. She has sold around forty million albums and twenty million singles with the group, and more than four million solo albums and eighteen million solo/featured singles. In total she has sold 82 million records worldwide.

Rowland began her solo career in 2002 with the release of her debut album ''Simply Deep'', which contained influences of alternative-R&B; and rock music. It included her joint worldwide number-one single "Dilemma" with rapper Nelly, as well as subsequent singles "Stole", "Can't Nobody" and "Train on a Track". Following the group's disbandment in 2005, Rowland released her second solo effort, ''Ms. Kelly'' in 2007. Considerably less successful than its predecessor, the album produced the hit singles "Like This" and "Work". In 2009, Rowland scored her second number-one hit with French DJ, David Guetta on the single, "When Love Takes Over". The song earned her a second Grammy Award as a solo artist, and resulted into their 2010 joint single, "Commander". This was Rowland's third number-one hit on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart and first offering from her third album ''Here I Am''. In 2011, Rowland's single "Motivation" featuring Lil Wayne reached number-one on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs charts.

Apart from her work in music, Rowland has also launched a career in film and television. In 2002, she made her debut with guest stints on sitcom series such as ''The Hughleys'' and ''Taina'', prior to appearing in the big-screen movies like the horror film ''Freddy vs. Jason'' (2003) and the romantic comedy ''The Seat Filler'' (2004). In 2009, she served as the host of the first season of the Bravo competition series ''The Fashion Show'' alongside Isaac Mizrahi. In 2011, Rowland joined the judging panel on the eighth series of the British reality television competition ''The X Factor''.

Life and career

1981–1997: Early life and career beginnings

Kelendria Trene Kamasia Rowland was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the daughter of Doris Rowland Garrison and Christopher Lovett. When she was seven, her mother took her and left her father, who was an abusive alcoholic.

At the age of eight, she relocated to Houston. Rowland was placed into a rapping and dancing group, along with friends Beyoncé Knowles and LaTavia Roberson. Originally named Girl's Tyme, they were eventually cut down to six members. West coast R&B; producer, Arne Frager, flew into Houston to see them and eventually brought them to his studio, The Plant Recording Studio, in Northern California. the biggest talent show on national TV at that time.

To manage the group, Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father, resigned in 1995 from his job as a medical-equipment salesman. He dedicated his time and established a "boot camp" for their training. At this time Rowland moved in with the Knowles. Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993. Rehearsing in Tina Knowles' hair styling salon and their backyards, the group continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B; girl groups of the time. They auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to Elektra Records, only to be dropped months later, before they could release an album.

1997–2002: Breakthrough with Destiny's Child

Taken from a passage in the Biblical Book of Isaiah, the group changed their name to Destiny's Child in 1993. Together, they performed in local events and, after four years on the road, the group was signed to Columbia Records in late 1997. That same year, Destiny's Child recorded their major label debut song, "Killing Time", for the soundtrack to the 1997 film, ''Men in Black''. The following year, the group released their self-titled debut album, spawning hits such as "No, No, No". The album established the group as a viable act in the music industry, amassing moderate sales and winning the group three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. The group rose to stardom after releasing their multi-platinum second album, ''The Writing's on the Wall'', in 1999. The record features some of the group’s most widely known songs such as "Bills, Bills, Bills", Jumpin' Jumpin' ", and "Say My Name," which became their most-successful song at the time, and would remain one of their signature songs. "Say My Name" won the Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and the Best R&B; Song at the 2001 Grammy Awards. ''The Writing's on the Wall'' sold more than 13 million copies worldwide, essentially becoming their breakthrough album.

thumb|upight|right|Destiny's Child performing their 2000 hit "Say My Name" during their farewell concert tour, Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It. Along with their commercial successes, the group became entangled in much-publicized turmoil involving the filing of a lawsuit by Luckett and Roberson for breach of contract. The issue was heightened after Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin appeared on the video of "Say My Name", implying that Luckett and Roberson had already been replaced. Eventually, Luckett and Roberson left the group. Franklin would eventually fade from the group after five months, as evidenced by her absences during promotional appearances and concerts. She attributed her departure to negative vibes in the group resulting from the strife. After settling on their final lineup, the trio recorded "Independent Women Part I", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film, ''Charlie's Angels''. It became their best-charting single, topping the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for eleven consecutive weeks. The success cemented the new lineup and skyrocketed them to fame. Later that year, Luckett and Roberson withdrew their case against their now-former band mates, while maintaining the suit against Mathew, which ended in both sides agreeing to stop public disparaging.

Later that year, while Destiny's Child was completing their third album ''Survivor'', Rowland appeared on the remix of Avant's single "Separated" which reached the top spot of the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. Survivor, which channeled the turmoil the band underwent, spawned its lead single of the same name, which was a response to the experience. The song went on to win a Grammy Award for Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The themes of "Survivor", however, caused Luckett and Roberson to refile their lawsuit; the proceedings were eventually settled in June 2002. Meanwhile, the album was released in May 2001, debuting at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with 663,000 units sold. To date, ''Survivor'' has sold over ten million copies worldwide, over forty percent of which were sold in the US alone. The album also spawned the number-one hit—"Bootylicious". After releasing their remix album, ''This Is the Remix'' (2002), the group announced their temporary break-up to pursue solo projects.

2002–05: ''Simply Deep'', ''Destiny Fulfilled'' and group disbandment

150px|left|upight|thumb|Rowland in 2003. Still with Destiny's Child, Rowland teamed up with rapper Nelly in 2002 to record the chorus and bridge vocals on the track "Dilemma" for his album ''Nellyville''. Released as the album's second single, the song rose to one of the most successful singles of the year, topping many charts worldwide, and saw Rowland establishing herself as a solo artist, winning her a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and a Billboard Award the following year.

Originally due in early 2003, the success of the collaboration caused the label to advance the release date of her debut solo album, ''Simply Deep'', which Rowland rushed within three weeks to get done. The album has a mixture of alternative-R&B; and rock music. Featuring production contribution by Mark J. Feist, Big Bert, Rich Harrison, and singers Brandy and Solange Knowles providing background vocals, the album took Rowland's solo work further into an alternative music mixture, which Rowland described as a "weird fusion [of] a little bit of Sade and a little bit of rock." Released stateside in October 2002 and internationally in 2003, ''Simply Deep'' peaked at number twelve on the ''Billboard'' 200 in the US, where it was eventually certified gold by the RIAA for more than 600,000 copies sold. Released to even bigger success in international territories, the album topped the UK Albums Chart and became a gold-seller in Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and other countries, resulting into a worldwide sales total of 2.5 million copies. In her review for ''Simply Deep'', Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian wrote, "Thanks to the ubiquitous 'Dilemma', a song that practically peeled off its clothes on the spot, Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland is no longer a mere backing vocalist for Beyoncé Knowles."

The album yielded three singles. "Stole", a rock pop-influenced mid-tempo track about loss, was released as the album's lead single and became an international top ten, peaking at number two in Australia and the United Kingdom, where it remains her highest-charting solo single to date. Stateside, the song failed to capitalize on the success of "Dilemma", reaching the top thirty only. The album's second single, an up-tempo track entitled "Can't Nobody", charted significantly lower in the US, but enjoyed top twenty success throughout Australia and parts of Europe, where it became another top five hit on the UK Singles Chart. Final single "Train on a Track" was featured on the soundtrack of the romantic comedy film ''Maid in Manhattan'' (2003) but failed to chart or sell noticeably, except for the UK again, where it became her fourth consecutive top twenty entry.

After a three-year journey that involved concentration on individual solo projects, Rowland rejoined Beyoncé Knowles and Michelle Williams for Destiny's Child's fourth studio album ''Destiny Fulfilled'', released in November 2004. The album hit number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, and spawned "Lose My Breath", "Soldier", "Girl", and "Cater 2 U" as notable mainstream records. In support of the album, Destiny's Child embarked on the 2005 Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It world tour, which started in April and ran through September. On the Barcelona, Spain visit, the group announced their disbandment after the end of their final North American leg. In October 2005, the group released a compilation album, entitled ''#1's'', including all of Destiny's Child's number-one hits and most of their well-known songs. The greatest hits collection also includes three new tracks, including their final single "Stand Up for Love". Destiny's Child was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2006. According to Time Magazine, they were recognized as the world's best-selling female group of all time.

That same year, Rowland was featured on American rapper Trina's hit single "Here We Go", the lead single of the ''Glamorest Life'' album (2005). The song peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, successfully becaming another top twenty entry in Finland, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom with the collaboration.

2006–08: ''Ms. Kelly''

Rowland's second solo album, ''Ms. Kelly'', was released in June 2007. Not as successful as its predecessor, the album produced the hit singles "Like This" and "Work". Originally entitled ''My Story'', the album's first version was actually scheduled for a June 2006 release, but the singer, her management and Columbia Records decided to shelve the album last minute to re-work a version with a different vibe as the singer considered the final tracklisting "too full of midtempos and ballads." Rowland eventually consulted additional producers to collaborate on the album, renamed ''Ms. Kelly'', including Billy Mann, Scott Storch, and Atlanta-based Polow da Don, who contributed to the single "Like This", a collaboration with rapper Eve, to the album. A moderate success around the globe, the song reached the top ten in Canada, Ireland, Slovenia and the United Kingdom. Upon its release, ''Ms. Kelly'' debuted at number two on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with moderately successful first week sales of 86,000 copies. Outside the United States, the album widely failed to reprise the success of ''Simply Deep'', barely reaching the top forty on the majority of all charts it appeared on, except for the United Kingdom where it opened at number thirty-seven. Rowland had been working on the conception of her second solo album on and off since 2004, with some of her early recordings — such as the Bryan Michael Cox-produced "Bad Habit" — even being used on the Destiny's Child's albums ''Destiny Fulfilled'' (2004) and ''Destiny's Child: Live in Atlanta'' (2006). The album's first draft, entitled ''My Story'', saw her actually writing and recording with a wider range of well-known contemporary R&B; producers and artists as she wanted to go "in the urban, more R&B; route [in general]" with the album, involving Big Tank, Patrick "J. Que" Smith, Rich Harrison, Rodney Jerkins, and Robin Thicke. Female rappers Remy Ma and Shawnna also lent their voices to guest parts. Anxious to avoid hasty productions as on previous album ''Simply Deep'', Rowland took a wider role in the production of the album: she co-wrote the majority of the songs and shared ideas in which one to produce. "I wrote a lot on this record [...] and it's especially from me [to my fans]," she said of the album. "It's more R&B; [...] and it definitely has a feel-good vibe to it as well." A few months before the scheduled release of ''My Story'' however, Rowland felt the album was not going into the direction she had previously envisioned, and thus, she asked to revamp the album. "It was basically a list of songs that I put together about the past three years of my life, with love and relationships," she said of the original track listing. "And I remember listening to the record, and I was just like, 'I don't want this to be too deep to where, you know, [I] lose people.' And the record was too full of midtempos and ballads, so I wanted to bring it up a little bit." Rowland eventually consulted new producers to collaborate on the album, including Mysto & Pizzi, Sean Garrett, Scott Storch, Polow da Don, and rapper Eve. In addition, the singer decided to rename the album. "I really put my heart and soul into this record," she said, "and not only am I excited that everyone's going to hear the music, I'm looking forward to people getting to hear the real me. That's the reason I called the album ''Ms. Kelly''. Because the title is all about respect, being an adult and that's how I feel about my life, and my music." Rowland cited former bandmate Beyoncé Knowles, and singers Brandy and Whitney Houston as major inspirations while recording her album. In continued support of the album, Rowland released the album cuts "Ghetto" and "Work" as singles, respectively. While the Snoop Dogg-featured "Ghetto" underperformed stateside, the latter became a top ten hit in most European markets including France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. In 2008, a reissued version of the album, branded ''Ms. Kelly Deluxe'', received a release. Its lead single is the previously unreleased Bobby Womack cover "Daylight", a collaboration with Travie McCoy (of alternative rap group Gym Class Heroes) that reached the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart. By April 2008, ''Ms. Kelly'' had managed to sell just over 1.2 million copies worldwide. Also in 2008, Rowland recorded a single with French singer Nâdiya, an uptempo urban pop track entitled "No Future in the Past", for which a video was shot in Miami, Florida during July 2008.

2009–present: New management, label and ''Here I Am''

In February 2009, a duet with Italian singer Tiziano Ferro, entitled "Breathe Gentle", was released as a single and reached the top ten of the Italian Singles Chart and the Dutch Singles Chart. Also, in early 2009, Rowland ended her professional relationship with both manager Mathew Knowles and former label Columbia Records to explore other ventures. Her first step was the house collaboration "When Love Takes Over", the lead single of French DJ David Guetta's 2009 studio album ''One Love'', for which Rowland contributed vocals on three tracks. The song was released in April 2009 and saw major international success, peaking at number-one in several countries around the globe. The same year, it was announced that Rowland had drafted Jeff Rabhan as her new manager.

In 2010, Rowland signed up to record the MTN theme song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South African, "Everywhere You Go", featuring an all-star supergroup of international artists called Rhythm of Africa United. Rowland also continued touring Europe, Asia and Australia as a solo artist throughout late 2009 and early 2010, including a performance as one of the headlining acts of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras party with George Michael also headlining. She was also part of the world tour Supafest, which took place in 2010, touring the major cities in the world.

Despite being without a label for almost one year, Rowland embarked on the recording sessions for her third studio album ''Here I Am'' and it was during one of these recording sessions that she caught the attention of label boss Sylvia Rhone which led to the signing of a new record deal with Universal Motown Records, and later switching to Universal Republic Records Since then she has been completing the project which Rowland described as containing a lot of "up-tempo tracks" and being "a mixture of different sounds that express me and where I’m at right now in my career". The album is known to include collaborations with David Guetta and Rico Love which includes the album's lead single "Commander". It was Rowland's third number-one hit on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. In addition, Dr. Luke, Ester Dean and Ne-Yo with StarGate are respectively responsible for the American album's two U.S. lead singles, "Rose Colored Glasses" and "Grown Woman". Others working on the album included American record producer, Jim Jonsin who described the Rowland's new sound as Donna Summer-esque, Andre Merrit and Brian Kennedy. In addition, Rowland also worked with Tinie Tempah on his single "Invincible," taken from his album ''Disc-Overy'', and reunited with rapper Nelly on the single "Gone" from his album entitled ''5.0''. She also appeared on Italian DJ Alex Gaudino's single "What a Feeling", released in March 2011. Rowland released her single "Motivation" featuring Lil Wayne in April 2011, it reached number 1 on the R&B;/Hip-Hop Charts for 7 weeks.

In August 2011 Kelly went back into the studio to start her new album Rico Love told Rap-Up.com that kelly is plotting a return to the studio to prep her next project.“I’m starting Kelly’s new album soon,” reveals Love, who penned the smash “Motivation” and several other cuts off Rowland’s third album. “While she’s on tour, I’m gonna be writing records for her new album. We can kinda roll that out and drop her new single in late spring. Excited about that.”

Other ventures

Film and television career

Rowland branched out into acting with a guest stint on the sitcom ''The Hughleys'' in 2002, before appearing in other UPN shows such as ''Eve'' and ''Girlfriends'' in the years of 2003 and 2006 respectively. Having played the role of Tammy Hamilton, an ambitious 21-year-old apprentice to realtor Toni (Jill Marie Jones) in latter sitcom, Rowland initially hoped her three-episode stint would expand to a larger recurring role, but as the show was moved to The CW network the following year plans for a return eventually went nowhere. Also in 2003, she appeared in ''American Dreams'' as Martha Reeves of Martha & The Vandellas, singing a version of the group's single "Nowhere to Run".

In 2003, Rowland made her big screen debut in the slasher film ''Freddy vs. Jason'', a crossover film directed by Ronny Yu. Cast as one of the female leads, she portrayed Kia Waterson, the frank best friend of lead character Lori Campbell, played by Monica Keena. Released to generally mixed reviews from critics, the movie topped the U.S. box office, gaining $36.4 million on its first weekend. Budgeted at $25 million, the film became a financial success, resulting in a worldwide box office total of $114.3 million.

The following year, Rowland returned to the big screen, this time for a lead role in the romantic comedy ''The Seat Filler'', starring opposite Duane Martin and Shemar Moore. Executive produced by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, the film hit theaters in the summer of 2005 and debuted at number eighteen at the box office top twenty. It eventually earned a total domestic gross ticket sales of $10.2 million. In the film, for which she recorded two songs, Rowland played a pop star who falls for an awards-show seat filler in which she mistakes for a high-profile entertainment attorney. Released to a limited number of festivals only, the film went straight to DVD in 2006.

In October 2007, Rowland auditioned for the role of Louise, Carrie Bradshaw's assistant, in the 2008 film adaptation of HBO's comedy series ''Sex and the City''. The part eventually went to Jennifer Hudson. In fall 2007, Rowland appeared as a choirmaster on the NBC reality show ''Clash of the Choirs''. Rowland was among superstars like Michael Bolton, Patti LaBelle, Nick Lachey, and Blake Shelton. Rowland's choir finished fifth in the competition. In 2009, she was cast to host Bravo's reality competition series ''The Fashion Show'' alongside Isaac Mizrahi. The series premiered on May 7, 2009.

On 30 May 2011, Rowland was confirmed as a judge for the eighth series of British television show ''The X Factor''.

Philanthropy

Rowland and the Knowles family founded the Survivor Foundation, a charitable entity set up to provide transitional housing for 2005 Hurricane Katrina victims and storm evacuees in the Houston, Texas area. The Survivor Foundation extended the philanthropic mission of the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth, a multi-purpose community outreach facility in downtown Houston. Also in 2005, Rowland and Knowles lent their voices to a collaboration with Kitten K. Sera, entitled "All That I'm Lookin for." The song appeared on ''The Katrina CD'' album, whose proceeds went to the ''Recording Artists for Hope'' organization.

In 2006, Rowland joined other artists such as Pink and Avril Lavigne in ads for so-called empowerment tags for the ALDO Fights AIDS campaign, which went on sale exclusively at ALDO stores and benefited the YouthAIDS initiative. In 2007, Rowland, along with stars such as Jessica Simpson and the cast of ''Grey's Anatomy'' autographed pink Goody Ouchless brushes that were made available for auction on eBay, with all proceeds going to Breast Cancer Awareness. In addition, the singer teamed up with Kanye West, Nelly Furtado and Snoop Dogg to design a Nike sneaker for another eBay auction. All proceeds went to AIDS Awareness.

In 2008, Rowland officially became ambassador for MTV's Staying Alive Foundation, which aims to reduce discrimination against HIV and AIDS victims. She has since visited projects in Tanzania and Kenya to promote the charity, and underwent a HIV and AIDS test in Africa to raise awareness of the deadly diseases. In March 2009, she spearheaded a bone marrow drive. As reported, Rowland also is readying a new charity called I Heart My Girlfriends, which will serve as an interactive support system for teenage girls.

In 2009, Rowland connected with Serve.MTV.com, MTV’s platform to connect young people with local volunteerism opportunities, for a series of on-air PSAs. From battling homelessness to beautifying impoverished neighborhoods to saving whales, Rowland was joined by the likes of Cameron Diaz, will.i.am, and Sean Kingston as they discuss causes they volunteer to support, and urge young people to join with their friends in making civil service a part of their lifestyle. Also in 2009, Rowland along with fellow singers Alesha Dixon and Pixie Lott created T-shirts for River Island in aid of the Prince's Trust, profits from which help change young lives. In March 2010 Rowland launched her brand new charity, I Heart My Girlfriends. According to Rowland’s official website, the charity focuses on self-esteem, date violence prevention, community service, abstinence, sports, drug and alcohol and smoking avoidance, obesity, disabilities, education and more. On April 26, 2010, she was at Grand Ballroom's "City of Hope - Spirit of Life Awards" for a charity event.

Discography

''Simply Deep'' (2002)

''Ms. Kelly'' (2007)

''Here I Am'' (2011)

Tours

2003: Simply Deeper Tour

2007: Ms. Kelly Tour

2010: Supafest

2011: F.A.M.E. Tour (as a opening act for North America)

Awards and nominations

! Year	! Type	! Award	! Result
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
	[[MTV Europe Music Awards	Best Song ("When Love Takes Over" with David Guetta)
	ASCAP Women Behind the Music Awards	Outstanding Women in the Music Industry
	Best Pop Dance Track ("When Love Takes Over")
Best House/Garage Track ("When Love Takes Over")
Best Music Video ("When Love Takes Over")
MTV Video Music Awards Japan	Best Dance Video ("When Love Takes Over")
NRJ Music Awards	Song of the Year ("When Love Takes Over")
World Music Awards	World's Best Single ("When Love Takes Over")
Best Solo Artist

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"|Cinema |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- | 1999 || ''Beverly Hood'' ||Girl #2 || Cameo appearance |- | 2003 || ''Freddy vs. Jason'' || Kia Waterson || Supporting role |- | 2004 || ''The Seat Filler'' || Jhnelle || Lead role |- | 2008 || ''Astérix at the Olympic Games'' || Herself || Cameo appearance |- | 2011 || ''The Goree Girls'' || Jill || Supporting Role |- |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! colspan="6" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"|Telefilms |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- | 2002 || ''The Hughleys || Carly || 3 episodes |- | 2002 || ''Taina || Nicole || 1 episode |- | rowspan="2"| 2003 || ''American Dreams'' || Martha Reeves || 2 episodes |- | ''Eve'' || Cleo || 1 episode |- | 2006 || ''Girlfriends'' || Tammy Hamilton || 3 episodes |- | rowspan="2"| 2011 || ''Single Ladies'' || DJ Denise Phillips || 1 episode |- | ''Bag of Bones (Stephen King Mini Series)'' || Blues Singer || 2 episodes |- |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"|Television |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |2007 || ''Clash of the Choirs'' || Choirmaster || Reality series |- |2009 || ''The Fashion Show'' || Co-host || Reality series |- |2011 || ''The X Factor'' || Judge || Talent show |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"|Television guest appearances |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- | 1997 || ''Smart Guy'' ||Herself || "A Date With Destiny" cameo with Destiny's Child |- |rowspan="6"|2010 || ''Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business'' || Herself; Guest appearance || 2 episodes |- | ''The Spin Crowd'' || Herself; Guest appearance || 1 episode |- | ''X Factor Germany'' || Herself; Mentor || 2 episodes |- | ''X Factor Australia'' || Herself; Mentor || 2 episodes |- | ''La La's Full Court Wedding'' || Herself; Guest Appearance || 1 episode |- |''The A-List: New York''|| Herself; Guest Appearance || 1 episode |}

References

External links

Category:1981 births Category:Actors from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Actors from Texas Category:African American actors Category:African American female singers Category:American child singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:Destiny's Child members Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Musicians from Texas Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:People from Houston, Texas Category:People from Sugar Land, Texas Category:The X Factor judges Category:The X Factor (UK)

bg:Кели Роуланд cs:Kelly Rowland da:Kelly Rowland de:Kelly Rowland es:Kelly Rowland fa:کلی رولند fr:Kelly Rowland id:Kelly Rowland it:Kelly Rowland he:קלי רולנד sw:Kelly Rowland lv:Kellija Roulenda lt:Kelly Rowland hu:Kelly Rowland nl:Kelly Rowland ja:ケリー・ローランド nap:Kelly Rowland no:Kelly Rowland pl:Kelly Rowland pt:Kelly Rowland ro:Kelly Rowland ru:Роуленд, Келли simple:Kelly Rowland sk:Kelly Rowlandová sr:Кели Роуланд fi:Kelly Rowland sv:Kelly Rowland th:เคลลี โรว์แลนด์ tr:Kelly Rowland vi:Kelly Rowland zh:凯莉·罗兰

Name	Trey Songz
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Tremaine Aldon Neverson
Alias
Born	November 28, 1984Petersburg, Virginia, United States
Instrument	Vocals, keyboards, sampler
Genre	R&B;, Hip-hop
Occupation	Singer–songwriter, record producer, actor
Years active	2004–present
Label	Atlantic, Songbook
Associated acts	Drake, Troy Taylor, Twista, Juvenile, Bun B, Rick Ross, Plies
Website	www.treysongz.com }}

Tremaine "Trey" Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), better known by his stage name Trey Songz, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. His debut album, ''I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005, while his second album, ''Trey Day'', was released in 2007. His third album, ''Ready'', was released in 2009 while his fourth studio album, ''Passion, Pain & Pleasure'', was released on September 14, 2010.

Life and career

1984–2004: Early life

Songz was born Tremaine Aldon Neverson on November 28, 1984, in Petersburg, Virginia. Raised as a military brat, Songz did not have aspirations to have a musical career as a child due to his shyness, saying "Singing wasn't a reality for me, until other people started noticing I sounded good." He recognized his vocal abilities at the age of 14 in 1998. Reluctant to sing, he began performing with encouragement by friends and family in high school. Record producer Troy Taylor discovered Songz during a talent show in 2000, which led him to signing a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 2002. After graduating from high school in 2002, Songz moved to New Jersey to begin recording his debut album, though recording didn't actually begin until 2003.

2004–2006: ''I Gotta Make It''

While recording his debut album in 2004, Songz released multiple mixtapes under the alias ''Prince of Virginia''. One of the mixtapes featured an "answer track" to R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet", entitled "Open the Closet". The song gave Trey some notoriety. His debut album, ''I Gotta Make It'' was released on July 26, 2005. It debuted at #20 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 40,000 copies in its first week of sales. It has sold 300,000 records in the US, but was never certified by the RIAA. Songz's debut single, ''Gotta Make It'', featuring Twista, was released in March 2005 and reached #87 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #21 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs. It garnered success in the R&B;/urban community but failed to make a mark in mainstream music. The album's second and final single, ''Gotta Go'', was released in July 2005 and reached #67 on the Hot 100 and #11 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming even more successful than his debut single in the R&B;/urban community and in the mainstream community. After promotion for his debut concluded, he was featured on the lead single from Twista's fifth album, ''The Day After''. The single, "Girl Tonite", reached #14 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming a huge hit.

2007–2008: ''Trey Day''

In mid-2006, Songz began work on a follow-up album to his debut with longtime collaborator Troy Taylor and also employed hitmakers Bryan-Michael Cox, Danja, Stargate (production team) and R. Kelly to help create the album. Trey aimed for the album to be more mainstream-oriented than his debut album. His second studio album, ''Trey Day'', was released on October 2, 2007. The album reached #11 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 73,000 copies in its first week. It has since sold 400,000 records in the US, becoming his second album not to be certified by the RIAA. The album was going to be released on May 8, 2007, but was continually delayed in order for a successful single to precede the album, as the lead single failed to impact charts. His second album was preceded by the lead single, "Wonder Woman", which was released in February 2007. It reached #54 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but failed to impact the Hot 100. Because of the single's failure, his second album was delayed from May 2007 to October 2007. The album's second single, "Can't Help but Wait", was released in August 2007 and was released to promote his second album and the film ''Step Up 2 the Streets'' soundtrack as a single for it. The single reached #14 on the Hot 100, and #2 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It became Songz's first Top 20 hit on the Hot 100, and helped to boost his second album's sales. The single was also nominated for Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance at the 2008 50th Grammy Awards. The third single from the album, "Last Time", was released in January 2008 and reached #69 on the Hot 100, and #9 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The fourth and final single from the album, "Missin' You", was released in May 2008, but failed to chart completely. In mid-2008, Songz was nominated for a BET Award for Best Male R&B; Artist but didn't win the award.

2009–2010: ''Ready''

In late 2008, Trey began work on his third studio album with Bryan-Michael Cox, Sean Garrett, Stargate and Troy Taylor and aimed for the record to be more mature than his first two. Before releasing his third album, Songz released a mixtape titled ''Anticipation'' in June 2009 through his blog, which featured songs from his third album. Another mixtape from Trey was released in the summer of 2009, called ''Genesis''. ''Genesis'' was a collection of Trey Songz's first recordings when he was fifteen years old and was released to show his fans the dedication that he had to making a record when he was young. Trey released his third studio album, ''Ready'', on August 31, 2009. The album reached #3 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 131,000 copies in its first week. These are his best first week sales to date and the album was his first to reach the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. The album has since sold over 800,000 records in the US, earning a Gold certification from the RIAA in February 2010, becoming his first album to be certified by the RIAA. The lead single from the album, "I Need a Girl", was released in April 2009 and reached #5 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop songs chart and #59 on the Hot 100, becoming an R&B;/urban hit but not a mainstream hit. A promotional single, "Successful", featuring rapper Drake, was released in June 2009 and reached #17 on the Hot 100, becoming Songz's third Top 20 hit. The single also served as the second and final single from Drake's EP, ''So Far Gone''. The second official single from his third album, "LOL Smiley Face", featuring Soulja Boy Tell 'Em and Gucci Mane, was released in August 2009 and reached #51 on the Hot 100 and #12 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The third single from the album, "I Invented Sex", featuring Drake, was released in October 2009 and reached #42 on the Hot 100 but #1 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming his first single to top that chart. Like the first two singles from the album, it achieved success in the R&B;/urban community but only some mainstream success. charted within the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and topped the R&B; chart. The fourth single from the album, "Say Aah", featuring rapper Fabolous, was released in January 2010 and reached #9 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single has become Trey's highest charting single on the Hot 100 and one of his most successful singles on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The fifth and final single from the album, "Neighbors Know My Name", was released in February 2010 and reached #43 on the Hot 100 and #4 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. A sixth single, "Yo Side of the Bed", was going to be released in June 2010, but its release was canceled due to unknown reasons. A music video, featuring singer Keri Hilson, was filmed and released, however. Songz was also the opening act for Jay-Z on his Jay-Z Fall Tour in late 2009. The album was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B; Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards in 2010, but lost to Beyoncé's ''I Am... Sasha Fierce''. On April 1, 2010, he recorded an episode of MTV Unplugged, which aired on April 26, 2010. A documentary-series about Trey, ''Trey Songz: My Moment'', began in June 2010 to positive reviews and high ratings. The 10-part series will end in August 2010 and follows Trey during his time as opening act on Jay-Z's Jay-Z Fall Tour in late 2009.

2010–2011: ''Passion, Pain & Pleasure''

Songz's fourth studio album, ''Passion, Pain & Pleasure'', was released on September 14, 2010. Trey began work on the album in early 2010 with Sean Garrett, Troy Taylor and Stargate and has stated that the album will be his most personal to date. The album was completed in July 2010. The album's lead single, "Bottoms Up", featuring female rapper Nicki Minaj, was released on July 27, 2010 and has reached number twenty-four on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart and was shared enough on Facebook to appear as a trending video on ItsTrending. Its video was filmed on July 31, 2010 and is pending release. Trey also filmed the video for the album's second single, "Can't Be Friends", on August 1, 2010. "Can't Be Friends" was released as the album's second single in August 2010. Songz embarked on the ''Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour'' on August 6, 2010 with singer Monica. The tour is his first headlining tour to date and consists of shows in venues that seat 3,000 to 5,000 people. Songz also contributed the song "Already Taken" to the ''Step Up 3D'' soundtrack, which was released on July 27, 2010. He filmed a video for the song, which was released in July 2010. The leading lady in the video is former girlfriend and professional dancer Helen Gedlu. Songz appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. Songz performed at BET Awards 2011 which broadcasted on June 26, 2011.

In July 2011, he was cast in ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D'' as Ryan, the male lead role.

2011-Present: Chapter 5

On August 18th, 2011, It was announced Songz will be working on his fifth studio titled ''Chapter 5''. In a interview Trey said The album, which will act as the follow-up to ‘Passion, Pain, & Pleasure’, is said to be nearing completion. He also carried on to say "It’s my sixth year in the game so I’ve been here for a while now. You can expect the best me you’ve ever heard. I don’t have any release dates in mind right now but I’m just making music and enjoying myself in the studio and having fun. When I get to a place where I feel comfortable saying a date or all of that, people will definitely know. I have a few dream collaborations on that album that I want, but they say if you blow out your candle and make a wish you can’t tell people what you ask for or it won’t come true."

Discography

''I Gotta Make It'' (2005)

''Trey Day'' (2007)

''Ready'' (2009)

''Passion, Pain & Pleasure'' (2010)

''Chapter 5'' (TBA)

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" !style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Year !style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Title !style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Role !style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Notes |- |2008 |''Queen of Media'' |DJ I.V. |film |- |2009 |''Lincoln Heights'' |Himself |Episode: "Relative Unknown" |- |2010 |''Preacher's Kid (film)'' |small role |- |2010 |''When I Was 17'' |Himself |Interview-like show, about what he did when he was 17 |- |2010 |''Trey Songz: My Moment'' |Himself |Interview-Documentary show, following him around on tour with Jay-Z. |}

Awards and nominations

{|class="wikitable" !Year !Award !Result |- |rowspan="3"|2008 |BET Award for Best Male R&B; Artist | |- |Grammy Award for Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance for "Can't Help but Wait" | |- |Ozone Award for Best R&B; Artist | |- |rowspan="1"|2009 |Soul Train Awards for Best Collaboration "Successful" | |- |rowspan="5"|2010 |Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B; Album for "Ready" | |- |BET Award for Best Male R&B; Artist | |- |BET Award for Best Collaboration for "Say Ahh" w/ Fabolous | |- |BET Award for Best Collaboration for "Successful" w/ Drake | |- |BET Award for Viewer's Choice for "Say Ahh" w/ Fabolous | |- |rowspan="2"|2011 |BET Award for Best Male R&B; Artist | |- |BET Award for Coca-Cola's Viewer's Choice for "Bottom's Up" | |}

References

External links

Official website

Category:1984 births Category:African American actors Category:African American musicians Category:African American singers Category:American actors Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American tenors Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Living people Category:Military brats Category:People from Petersburg, Virginia Category:Musicians from Virginia

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