:''Not to be confused with Drama (rapper).''

Coordinates	39°44′21″N104°59′5″N
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Tyree Cinque Simmons
Alias	Drama Boy
Birth date	April 22, 1978
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania/
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	DJ, record producer
Years active	2001–present
Label	E1 Music, Aphilliates Music Group, TM3 Records
Associated acts	Don Cannon, T.I., Lil Wayne, Willie the Kid, Smokey, Roscoe Dash, Wiz Khalifa, Trey Songz, Fabolous
website	GangstaGrillz.com }}

Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978 in, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) better known as DJ Drama is an American hip hop artist and the official DJ for Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist T.I... He is best known for producing mixtapes, including the successful "Gangsta Grillz" series and ''Dedication 2'', which the ''New York Times'' called one of the "10 best recordings of 2006".

DJ Drama, Don Cannon, and DJ Sense founded Aphilliates Music Group in 2003. The Aphilliates Music Group inked a label deal with Asylum Records in 2006, signing rapper Willie the Kid. As of January 2011, The Aphilliates now operates as its own entity, due to DJ Drama recently cutting ties with La the Darkman and Embassy Entertainment.

Music career

DJ Drama's debut album, ''Gangsta Grillz: The Album'', was released in December 2007 on the Grand Hustle label. The album's first street single, "Takin Pictures", was released in 2007 and featured Young Jeezy, Willie the Kid, Jim Jones, Rick Ross, Young Buck and T.I., while the first single, "5000 Ones", featuring Nelly, T.I., Yung Joc, Willie the Kid, Young Jeezy and Twista, debuted on BET. The second single, "The Art of Storytellin' Part 4", was released in 2008 and featured OutKast and Marsha Ambrosius. In 2009, DJ Drama released his second album entitled ''Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 2)'', the first single was "Day Dreaming", which featured Akon, Snoop Dogg and T.I. The second single was "Ridiculous", which featured Gucci Mane, Yo Gotti, Lonnie Mac and OJ da Juiceman. Both singles were released in 2009. DJ Drama will release his third studio album, ''Third Power'', in 2011. The Gangsta Grillz album reunites DJ Drama and Don Cannon who had gone their separate ways for a few years after a lot of fighting and arguing as business partners. He is married to video vixen Summer Walker.

Film career

DJ Drama has appeared in T.I.'s ''ATL'' in 2006, and T-Pain's ''Freaknik: The Musical'' in 2010.

Discography

Albums

{|class="wikitable" !rowspan=2|Year !rowspan=2|Title !colspan=4|Chart positions !rowspan=2|Sales |- !width=40|US !width=40|US R&B; !width=40|US Rap !width=40|US Comp |- |2007 |''Gangsta Grillz: The Album''

Released: December 4, 2007

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

|align=center|26 |align=center|3 |align=center|2 |align=center|29 |

US: 320,000+

|- |2009 |''Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 2)''

Released: May 19, 2009

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

|align=center|26 |align=center|5 |align=center|4 |align=center|26 |

US: 75,000+

|- |2011 |''Third Power'' Released: October 4, 2011

Label: Aphilliates/E1

|align=center colspan=5|

To be released

|}

Singles

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !rowspan="2"|Year !rowspan="2"|Song !colspan="3"|Chart positions !rowspan="2"|Album |- !width="40"|US !width="40"|US
R&B; !width="40"|US
Rap |- |2007 |align="left"|"5000 Ones"
(featuring Nelly, T.I., Yung Joc, Willie the Kid, Young Jeezy, Diddy & Twista) |align="center"|— |align="center"|73 |align="center"|— |rowspan="2"|''Gangsta Grillz: The Album'' |- |2008 |align="left"|"The Art of Storytellin' Part 4"
(featuring OutKast & Marsha Ambrosius) |align="center"|— |align="center"|91 |align="center"|— |- |rowspan="2"|2009 |align="left"|"Day Dreaming"
(featuring Akon, Snoop Dogg, & T.I.) |align="center"|— |align="center"|88 |align="center"|— |rowspan="2"|''Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 2)'' |- |align="left"|"Ridiculous"
(featuring Gucci Mane, Yo Gotti, Lonnie Mac, & OJ da Juiceman) |align="center"|— |align="center"|104 |align="center"|— |- |rowspan="2"|2011 |align="Left"|"Oh My"
(featuring Fabolous, Wiz Khalifa & Roscoe Dash) |align="center"|95 |align="center"|18 |align="center"|12 |rowspan="2"|''Third Power'' |- |align="left"|"Words of Advice"
(featuring Lil Wayne, Mack Maine & Kevin Cossom) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |}

Awards

BET Hip Hop Awards

*DJ of the Year (Nominated)

Ozone Awards

*2008, Best Mixtape (''Hood Generals'') with BG (Won)

*''Note: The award was a tie with Chamillionaire's Mixtape Messiah 3''

References

Notes

Interview with DJ Drama's sister after the January 16th raid, Mixtapeshow.net, January 27, 2007

April 2007 Interview, Allhiphop.com, April 2007

Jeff Leeds, "Cracking down on mixtape CDs", New York Times, January 22, 2007

Samantha M. Shapiro, "Hip-hop outlaw (industry version)", New York Times Magazine, February 18, 2007

"Exclusive: DJ Drama Q&A;", Rhapsody.com, January 11, 2008

External links

Gangsta Grillz website

The Aphilliates

DJ Drama at MTV

[

[ [

[[Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Hip hop DJs Category:Mixtape DJs Category:People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

de:DJ Drama es:DJ Drama pl:DJ Drama fi:DJ Drama sv:DJ Drama

Coordinates	39°44′21″N104°59′5″N
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

de:Trey Songz es:Trey Songz fr:Trey Songz hr:Trey Songz it:Trey Songz he:טריי סונגז sw:Trey Songz mk:Треј Сонгз nl:Trey Songz ja:トレイ・ソングス no:Trey Songz pl:Trey Songz pt:Trey Songz simple:Trey Songz fi:Trey Songz sv:Trey Songz tr:Trey Songz zh:崔·颂

Coordinates	39°44′21″N104°59′5″N
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

Coordinates	39°44′21″N104°59′5″N
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Jeffery Johnson, Jr.
Born	Little Rock, Arkansas April 02, 1990
Height	5'11
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genre	Hip Hop
Occupation	Rapper, Vocalist
Years active	2009–present
Label	MyndState, Zone 4, MusicLine Group, Interscope
Associated acts	Soulja Boy, Wale , J. Holiday, Waka Flocka Flame, T-Pain, Fabolous, Wiz Khalifa Big Sean, Kanye West, DJ Drama, Mishon, Maino
Website	Roscoe Dash website }}

Jeffery Johnson, Jr. (born April 2, 1990), better known by his stage name Roscoe Dash, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia.

Career

Major label success

Roscoe Dash is currently a part of Interscope Records. His debut album, ''Ready Set Go!'', was set to release on October 5, 2010 according to his recent mixtape Demolition 2020. However, it currently has no release date after a couple pushbacks. Dash and fellow record acts are collaborating on a new mixtape called "Jigger What: The Next Level." It is scheduled to be released on his website this summer. Roscoe Dash released his third mixtape ''Dash Effect'' on August 3, 2011. During the summer of 2009, Roscoe Dash, along with a few other singers including Drew Mann, performed at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia for a celebration of a popular radio station. The radio station, Hot 107.9, held a concert called "Birthday Bash" for thousands of people.

Personal life

|source=Roscoe Dash, on what motivated him to start rapping.}} Johnson is the oldest of his siblings. He has a brother, two half-sisters, and two stepbrothers. Johnson also has a daughter.

Discography

Studio albums

+ List of albums, with selected chart positions	scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:10em;"	Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
! scope="col" style="width:2.2em;font-size:90%;"	! scope="col" style="width:2.2em;font-size:90%;"	! scope="col" style="width:2.2em;font-size:90%;"
''Ready Set Go!''		* Release date: TBA	* Label: GME, MusicLine, MMI, 2010: ''Demolition 2020 "With DJ Kutthroat" 2011: ''Dash Effect (With DJ Drama & DJ Kutthroat) Singles Year Title Chart positions Album ! style="width:40px;" ! style="width:40px;" ! style="width:40px;" style="text-align:left style="text-align:left;" rowspan="1" Other charted songs Year Title Chart positions Album ! style="width:40px;" ! style="width:40px;" ! style="width:40px;" As featured performer Year Title Chart positions Album ! style="width:40px;" ! style="width:40px;" ! style="width:40px;" style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" style="text-align:left;" References External links [[Category:African American rappers">Zone 4 (record label)	* Format: [[Compact disc	TBR	TBR	TBR

Mixtapes

2010: ''Can't Catch the Lambo "With DJ Kutthroat"

2010: ''Demolition 2020 "With DJ Kutthroat"

2011: ''Dash Effect (With DJ Drama & DJ Kutthroat)

Singles

Year	Title	Chart positions	Album
! style="width:40px;"	! style="width:40px;"	! style="width:40px;"
style="text-align:left
				style="text-align:left;" rowspan="1"

Other charted songs

Year	Title	Chart positions	Album
! style="width:40px;"	! style="width:40px;"	! style="width:40px;"

As featured performer

Year	Title	Chart positions	Album
! style="width:40px;"	! style="width:40px;"	! style="width:40px;"
	style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
	style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
				style="text-align:left;"

References

External links

[[Category:African American rappers Category:Rappers from Atlanta, Georgia Category:Living people Category:1990 births

Coordinates	39°44′21″N104°59′5″N
Name	Derek Pike
Background	solo_singer
Genre	Music Video, Commercial
Years active	2008–present
Production co.	Three/21 Films
Website	Official Website }}

Derek Pike is a highly sought after 23 year old American music video director and photographer. In May 2010 he graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where he majored in Film and Television. In high school he attended Carrabassett Valley Academy and wanted to become a professional snowboarder. He walked on to the NYU soccer team his freshman year. He is known for his wide range of music videos, from high concept guerrilla to glossy big budget videos.

He is half British and half Japanese-American.

In August of 2011, Derek signed with UK based music video production company Shameless at Park Village and is repped by Alexa Haywood of FreeAgentUK.

Selected filmography

"Road Runner" - Imelda May (2011) (music video)

"Monumental" - Smif-n-Wessun & Pete Rock feat. Tyler Woods (2011) (music video)

"Anything to Survive" - Freddie Gibbs feat. Freeway (2011) (music video)

"For the Record" - T.Shirt (2011) (music video) *Twitter Contest Winner*

"Keep it Warm for Ya" - Freddie Gibbs & Statik Selektah (2011) *Recorded, shot, and edited over a 24 hr period*

"Oh My" - DJ Drama feat. Fabolous, Wiz Khalifa & Roscoe Dash (2011) (music video) *MTV Jam of the week (5/27/11)*

"Magazine Girl" - New Boyz (2011) (music video)

"Too Cool to Care" - New Boyz (2011) (commercial)

"Momma Miss America" - Laws (2011) (music video)

"Butter Knives" - Raekwon (2011) (music video)

"Ferryboat Killaz" - Raekwon (2011) (music video)

"Embers" - Jared Evan (2011) (music video)

"I Need a Dollar" (version 2) - Aloe Blacc (2011) (music video)

"Ex-Girl" - Emilio Rojas feat. Mickey Factz (2011) (music video)

"Greatest Story Never Told" – Saigon feat. Just Blaze (2011) (music video)

"Fly Lullaby" - The Kid Daytona (2010) (music video)

"So Buttery" - The Kid Daytona (2010) (music video)

"Take Aim" - The Kid Daytona feat. Freddie Gibbs & The Kickdrums (2010) (music video)

"Cocaine Trafficking" – Sheek Louch feat. Jadakiss & Styles P (2010) (music video)

"Jungle Music" – Sheek Louch (2010) (music video)

"Remember Me" – Sheek Louch (2010) (music video)

"I Want it All" – Saigon (2010) (music video)

"You Make Me Sick" – Saigon (2010) (music video)

"For My Dawgs" – Waka Flocka Flame (2010) (music video)

"Speakers on Blast" – Skyzoo (2010) (music video)

"A Different League" - Thee Tom Hardy feat. Skyzoo (2010) (music video)

"One for the Money" - Thee Tom Hardy feat. Donnis (2010) (music video)

"Off the Radar" - Thee Tom Hardy feat. Euro (2010) (music video)

"Hold You Down" (remix) - Laws feat. Big K.R.I.T. & Emilio Rojas (2010) (music video)

"Frisbees" – Skyzoo (2010) (music video)

"Story of No One" – 6th Sense (2010) (music video)

"Better Late Than Never" – Outasight (2010) (music video)

"Don't Stand So Close" – Consequence feat. Styles P (2010) (music video)

"Down this Road" – Consequence feat. Maino (2010) (music video)

"Sin City" - Mr.Finley (2010) (music video)

"Blowin Dat Endo" - Mr.Finley (2010) (music video)

"Life is Short" – Consequence feat. Statik Selektah (2010) (music video)

"Night Train" – Joell Ortiz feat. Novel (2010) (music video)

"It's Cold" – Saigon (2010) (music video)

"Vacancy Album Trailers" – Brutha (2010) (trailers)

"Def Jam / Serato 25th Anniversary Vinyl Pack" – feat. Nick Cannon, DJ Enuff, Cipha Sounds (2010) (commercial)

"2009 Rap Up" – Skillz (2010) (music video)

"Air Born" – The Kid Daytona feat. Bun B (2009) (music video)

"Fatherhood" – Saigon feat. Lokz (2009) (music video)

"Aye Aye Aye" – Saigon (2009) (music video)

"Grown Thangz" – Young Chris (2009) (music video)

"24k Rap" – J Dilla feat. Havoc and Raekwon (2009) (music video)

"Anxiety Attacks" – Tame One (2009) (music video)

"Dirty Genes" – Mojoe (2008) (music video)

References

DJ Drama Calls Oh My a Limitless Drug - mtv.com - 5/30/11

Y'all Respect the One that Got Shot - decaturdan.com - 4/14/11

Video Static: "Greatest Story Never Told" - videostatic.com - 1/17/11

Shooting Classics - qthequestion.com - 11/12/10

Interview: Derek Pike - juiceonline.com - 08/23/10

Derek Pike Interview - blog.nicholaspatten.com - 06/17/10

MC Saigon and Video Director Derek Pike - timeoutny.com - 04/28/10

Derek Pike: The Right Direction - amalgamdigital.com - 09/25/09

The Volume: On set with The Kid Daytona feat. Bun B directed by Derek Pike - timeoutny.com - 09/11/09

NYU senior Derek Pike directs new The Kid Daytona Video - nyulocal.com - 09/11/09

External links

Derek Pike

Twitter

Blog

Category:Living people