In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for ''time'', plural: ''tempi'') is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.

Measuring tempo

The tempo of a piece will typically be written at the start of a piece of music, and in modern music is usually indicated in beats per minute (BPM). This means that a particular note value (for example, a quarter note or crotchet) is specified as the beat, and the marking indicates that a certain number of these beats must be played per minute. The greater the tempo, the larger the number of beats that must be played in a minute is, and, therefore, the faster a piece must be played. Mathematical tempo markings of this kind became increasingly popular during the first half of the 19th century, after the metronome had been invented by Johann Nepomuk Mälzel, although early metronomes were somewhat inconsistent. Beethoven was the first composer to use the metronome, and in 1817 he published metronomic indications for his (then) eight symphonies. Some of these markings are today contentious, such as those on his "Hammerklavier" Sonata and Ninth Symphony, seeming to many to be almost impossibly fast, as is also the case for many of the works of Schumann.

With the advent of modern electronics, BPM became an extremely precise measure. Music sequencers use the BPM system to denote tempo.

As an alternative to metronome markings, some 20th century composers (such as Béla Bartók and John Cage) would give the total execution time of a piece, from which the proper tempo can be roughly derived.

Tempo is as crucial in contemporary music as it is in classical. In electronic dance music, accurate knowledge of a tune's BPM is important to DJs for the purposes of beatmatching.

Musical vocabulary for tempo

Whether a music piece has a mathematical time indication or not, in classical music it is customary to describe the tempo of a piece by one or more words. Most of these words are Italian, because many of the most important composers of the 17th century were Italian, and this period was when tempo indications were first used extensively.

Before the metronome, words were the only way to describe the tempo of a composition. Yet after the metronome's invention, these words continued to be used, often additionally indicating the mood of the piece, thus blurring the traditional distinction between tempo and mood indicators. For example, ''presto'' and ''allegro'' both indicate a speedy execution (''presto'' being faster), but ''allegro'' also connotes joy (from its original meaning in Italian). ''Presto'', on the other hand, indicates speed as such.

Additional Italian words also indicate tempo and mood. For example, the "agitato" in the ''Allegro agitato'' of the last movement of George Gershwin's piano concerto in F has both a tempo indication (undoubtedly faster than a usual ''Allegro'') and a mood indication ("agitated").

Understood tempo

In some cases (quite often up to the end of the Baroque period), conventions governing musical composition were so strong that no tempo had to be indicated. For example, the first movement of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 has no tempo or mood indication whatsoever. To provide movement names, publishers of recordings resort to ad hoc measures, for instance marking the Brandenburg movement "Allegro", "(Allegro)", "(Without indication)", and so on.

In Renaissance music most music was understood to flow at a tempo defined by the tactus, roughly the rate of the human heartbeat. Which note value corresponded to the tactus was indicated by the mensural time signature.

Often a particular musical form or genre implies its own tempo, so no further explanation is placed in the score. Thus musicians expect a minuet to be performed at a fairly stately tempo, slower than a Viennese waltz; a Perpetuum Mobile to be quite fast, and so on. Genres can be used to imply tempos; thus Ludwig van Beethoven wrote "In tempo d'un Menuetto" over the first movement of his Piano Sonata Op. 54, although that movement is not a minuet. Popular music charts use terms such as "bossa nova", "ballad", and "Latin rock" in much the same way.

It is important to remember when interpreting these words that not only have tempos changed over historical time, and even in different places, but sometimes even the ordering of terms has changed. Thus a modern largo is slower than an adagio, but in the Baroque period it was faster.

==Beats per minute== Beats per minute (BPM) is a unit typically used as a measure of tempo in music.

The BPM tempo of a piece of music is conventionally shown in its score as a metronome mark, as illustrated to the right. This indicates that there should be 120 crotchet beats (quarter notes) per minute. In simple time signatures it is conventional to show the tempo in terms of the note duration on the bottom. So a 4/4 would show a crotchet (or quarter note), as above, while a 2/2 would show a minim (or half note).

In compound time signatures the beat consists of three note durations (so there are 3 quavers (eighth notes) per beat in a 6/8 time signature), so a dotted form of the next note duration up is used. The most common compound signatures: 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8, therefore use a dotted crotchet (dotted quarter note) to indicate their BPM.

Exotic time and particularly slow time signatures may indicate their BPM tempo using other note durations.

Beats per minute became common terminology in disco because of its usefulness to DJs, and remain important in the same genre and other dance music.

In this context the beats measured are either crotchets (quarter notes) in the time signature (sometimes called down-beats, although the term is ambiguous), or drum beats (typically bass-drum or another functionally similar synthesized sound), whichever is more frequent. Higher BPM values are therefore achievable by increasing the number of drum beats, without increasing the tempo of the music. House music is faster around 120-128 bpm (from regular house music to UK Garage), and Jungle music generally ranges between 150-180 bpm. Psytrance is almost exclusively produced at 145 BPM, whereas Speedcore and Gabber music both frequently exceed 180 bpm.

Extreme BPM

More extreme BPMs are achievable at the same underlying tempo with very fast drum patterns, often expressed as drum rolls. Such compositions often exhibit a much slower underlying tempo, but may increase the BPM by adding additional percussive beats. Extreme music subgenres such as speedcore and cybergrind often strive to reach excessively high BPM rates. The use of extreme tempo was very common in the fast bebop jazz from the 1940s and 1950s. A common jazz tune such as "Cherokee" was often performed at quarter note equal to or sometimes exceeding 368 BPM. Some of Charlie Parker's famous tunes (Bebop, Sha Nuff, Donna Lee) have been performed at 380 BPM plus. John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" was performed at 374 BPM.

Beatmatching

Beatmatching, a tool amongst DJs, concerns the speeding up or down of a record in order to match the BPM of a previous track so both can be seamlessly mixed.

DJs often beatmatch the underlying tempos of recordings, rather than their strict BPM, particularly when dealing with high BPM tracks. A 240 BPM track, for example, will normally match the beat of a 120 BPM track without slowing down or speeding up, because both are likely to have an underlying tempo of 120 crotchets (quarter notes) per minute. Thus, some soul music (around 75-90 beats per minute) can be mixed well with a drum and bass beat (from 150-185 beats per minute).

Normally, the pitch and BPM of a track are linked: spin a disc 10% faster and both pitch and tempo will be 10% higher. Software processing to change the pitch without changing the tempo, or vice-versa, is called time-stretching or pitch-shifting. While it works fairly well for small adjustments (± 20%), the result can be noisy and unmusical for larger changes.

Measures per minute

Measures per Minute (MPM) or bars per minute is another way to measure the speed of music: the number of measures in one minute. It is commonly used in ballroom dance music.

Italian tempo markings

The definitions of the Italian tempo markings mentioned in this section can be found in the Harvard Dictionary of Music and/or the online Italian-English dictionary, both of which are listed in Sources.

Basic tempo markings

All of these markings are based on a few root words. By adding an ''-issimo'' ending the word is amplified/made louder, by adding an ''-ino'' ending the word is diminished/made softer, and by adding an ''-etto'' ending the word is endeared. The metronome marks are broad approximations. Note: Metronome markings are a guide only and depending on the time signature and the piece itself, these figures may not be appropriate in every circumstance.

''Larghissimo'' — very, very slow (20 bpm and below)

''Grave'' — slow and solemn (20-40 bpm)

''Lento'' — slowly (40–60 bpm)

''Largo'' — broadly (40–60 bpm)

''Larghetto'' — rather broadly (60–66 bpm)

''Adagio'' — slow and stately (literally, "at ease") (66–76 bpm)

''Adagietto'' — rather slow (70–80 bpm)

''Andante Moderato'' — a bit slower than andante

''Andante'' — at a walking pace (76–108 bpm)

''Andantino'' – slightly faster than andante

''Moderato'' — moderately (101-110 bpm)

''Allegretto'' — moderately fast (but less so than allegro)

''Allegro moderato'' — moderately quick (112–124 bpm)

''Allegro'' — fast, quickly and bright (120–139 bpm)

''Vivace'' — lively and fast (˜140 bpm) (quicker than allegro)

''Vivacissimo'' — very fast and lively

''Allegrissimo'' — very fast

''Presto'' — very fast (168–200 bpm)

''Prestissimo'' — extremely fast (more than 200bpm)

Additional Terms: ''A piacere'' — the performer may use his own discretion with regard to tempo and rhythm; literally "at pleasure"

''L'istesso tempo'' or ''Lo stesso tempo'' — at the same speed

''Tempo comodo'' — at a comfortable (normal) speed

''Tempo di...'' — the speed of a ... (such as ''Tempo di valse'' (speed of a waltz), ''Tempo di marcia'' (speed of a march))

''Tempo giusto'' — at a consistent speed, at the 'right' speed, in strict tempo

''Tempo semplice'' — simple, regular speed, plainly

Common qualifiers

''alla'' — in the manner or style of, as in:

*''alla breve'' — in short style, i.e., duple time, with the half note (minim) rather than the quarter note (crotchet) as the beat; cut time; 2/2 instead of 4/4; often marked as a semicircle with a vertical line through it (see Time signature)

''alla marcia'' — in the manner of a march (e.g., Beethoven, op. 101)

*''all' ongarese'' — in Hungarian style

''alla (danza) tedesca'' — in the style of the Ländler (ca. 1800), and similar dances in rather quick triple meter (see Beethoven, op. 79, op. 130)

*''alla turca'' — in the Turkish style, that is, in imitation of Turkish military music (Janizary music), which became popular in Europe in the late 18th century (e.g., Mozart, K. 331, K. 384)

*''alla zingarese'' — in the style of Gypsy music

''assai'' — very much, as in ''allegro assai'', quite fast

''ben'' — well, as in ''ben marcato'' (well marked or accented)

''con bravura''— with skill ''con brio'' — with vigor and spirit

''con fuoco'' — with fire

''con moto'' — with motion

''deciso'' — decidedly, decisively

''fugato'' — in fugal style, usually part of a non-fugal composition; such passages often occur in the development sections of symphonies, sonatas, and quartets

''in modo'' — in the manner of, in the style of: ''in modo napolitano'' (in Neapolitan style), ''in modo di marcia funebre'' (in the manner of a funeral march)

''meno'' — less, as in ''meno mosso'' (less quickly)

''appena'' — almost none, as in ''appena forte'' (almost not at all loud)

''misterioso'' — mysterious

''molto'' — much, very, as in ''molto allegro'' (very quick) or ''molto adagio'' (very slow)

''non troppo'' — not too much, e.g. ''allegro non troppo'' (or ''allegro ma non troppo'') means "fast, but not too much"

''non tanto'' — not so much

''più'' — more, as in ''più allegro'' (more quickly); used as a relative indication when the tempo changes

''piuttosto'' — rather, as in ''piuttosto allegro'' (rather quick)

''poco'' — slightly, little, as in ''Poco adagio''

''poco a poco'' — little by little

''polacca'' — generic name for Polish dances, usually the polonaise, as in ''tempo di polacca''; note, however, that the "Polacca" in Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 shows little resemblance to the polonaise

''primo'' — principal or early, as in ''tempo primo'', the same tempo as at the beginning

''quasi'' — almost, nearly, as if (such as ''Più allegro quasi presto'', "faster, as if presto")

''senza'' — without, as in ''senza interruzione'' (without interruption or pause), ''senza tempo'' or ''senza misura'' (without strict measure)

''sostenuto'' – sustained, prolonged

''subito'' — suddenly

Note: In addition to the common ''allegretto,'' composers freely apply Italian diminutive and superlative suffixes to various tempo indications: ''andantino,'' ''larghetto,'' ''adagietto,'' and ''larghissimo.''

Mood markings with a tempo connotation

Some markings that primarily mark a mood (or character) also have a tempo connotation:

''Affettuoso'' — with feeling/emotion

''Agitato'' — agitated, with implied quickness

''Appassionato'' — to play passionately

''Animato'' — animatedly, lively

''Brillante'' — sparkling, glittering, as in ''Allegro brillante'', ''Rondo brillante'', or ''Variations brillantes''; became fashionable in titles for virtuoso pieces

''Bravura'' - broadly

''Cantabile'' — in singing style (lyrical and flowing)

''Dolce'' — sweetly

''Energico'' — energetic, strong, forceful

''Eroico'' — heroically

''Espressivo'' — expressively

''Furioso'' — to play in an angry or furious manner

''Giocoso'' — merrily, funny

''Gioioso'' — joyfully

''Grandioso'' — magnificently, grandly

''Grazioso'' — gracefully

''Lacrimoso'' — tearfully, sadly

''Lamentoso'' — lamenting, mournfully

''Leggiero'' — to play lightly, or with light touch

''Maestoso'' — majestic or stately (which generally indicates a solemn, slow march-like movement)

''Malinconico'' — melancholic

''Marcato'' — marching tempo, marked with emphasis

''Marziale'' — in a march style, usually in simple, strongly marked rhythm and regular phrases

''Mesto'' — sad, mournful

''Morendo'' — dying

''Nobilmente'' — nobly (in a noble way)

''Patetico'' — with great emotion

''Pesante'' — heavily

''Sautillé/ Saltando'' — jumpy, fast, and short

''Scherzando'' — playfully

''Sostenuto'' — sustained, sometimes with a slackening of tempo

''Spiccato'' — slow sautillé, with a bouncy manner

''Tenerezza'' — tenderness

''Tranquillamente'' — adverb of tranquillo, "calmly"

''Trionfante'' — triumphantly

''Vivace'' — lively and fast, over 140 bpm (which generally indicates a fast movement)

===Terms for change in tempo===

Composers may use expressive marks to adjust the tempo:

''Accelerando'' — speeding up (abbreviation: ''accel.'')

''Allargando'' — growing broader; decreasing tempo, usually near the end of a piece

''Calando'' — going slower (and usually also softer)

''Doppio movimento'' — double speed

''Meno mosso'' — less movement or slower

''Mosso'' — movement, more lively, or quicker, much like ''più mosso'', but not as extreme

''Più mosso'' — more movement or faster

''Precipitando'' — hurrying, going faster/forward

''Rallentando'' — gradual slowing down (abbreviation: ''rall.'')

''Ritardando'' — less gradual slowing down (more sudden decrease in tempo than rallentando)(abbreviation: ''rit.'' or more specifically, ''ritard.'')

''Ritenuto'' — slightly slower; temporarily holding back. (Note that the abbreviation for ritenuto can also be ''rit.'' Thus a more specific abbreviation is ''riten.'' Also sometimes ''ritenuto'' does not reflect a tempo change but a character change instead.)

''Rubato'' — free adjustment of tempo for expressive purposes

''Stretto'' — in faster tempo, often near the conclusion of a section. (Note that in fugal compositions, the term ''stretto'' refers to the imitation of the subject in close succession, before the subject is completed, and as such, suitable for the close of the fugue. Used in this context, the term is not necessarily related to tempo.)

''Stringendo'' — pressing on faster

While the base tempo indication (such as ''allegro'') appears in large type above the staff, these adjustments typically appear below the staff or (in the case of keyboard instruments) in the middle of the grand staff.

They generally designate a ''gradual'' change in tempo; for immediate tempo shifts, composers normally just provide the designation for the new tempo. (Note, however, that when ''Più Mosso'' or ''Meno Mosso'' appears in large type above the staff, it functions as a new tempo, and thus implies an immediate change.) Several terms, e.g., ''assai'', ''molto'', ''poco'', ''subito'', control how large and how gradual a change should be (see Common qualifiers).

After a tempo change, a composer may return to a previous tempo in two different ways:

''a tempo'' - returns to the base tempo after an adjustment (e.g. "ritardando ... a tempo" undoes the effect of the ritardando).

''Tempo primo'' or ''Tempo I'' - denotes an immediate return to the piece's original base tempo after a section in a different tempo (e.g. "Allegro ... Lento ... Moderato .... Tempo I" indicates a return to the Allegro). This indication often functions as a structural marker in pieces in binary form.

These terms also indicate an immediate, not a gradual, tempo change. Although they are Italian, composers typically use them even if they have written their initial tempo marking in some other language.

Tempo markings in other languages

Although Italian has been the prevalent language for tempo markings throughout most of classical music history, many composers have written tempo indications in their own language. The definitions of the tempo markings mentioned in this section can be found in the Harvard Dictionary of Music and/or the online foreign language dictionaries which are listed in Sources.

French tempo markings

Several composers have written markings in French, among them baroque composers François Couperin and Jean-Philippe Rameau as well as Claude Debussy, Olivier Messiaen, Maurice Ravel and Alexander Scriabin. Common tempo markings in French are:

''Au mouvement'' — play the (first or main) tempo.

''Grave'' — slowly and solemnly

''Lent'' — slowly

''Modéré'' — at a moderate tempo

''Moins'' — less, as in ''Moins vite'' (less fast)

''Rapide'' — fast

''Très'' — very, as in ''Très vif'' (very lively)

''Vif'' — lively

''Vite'' — fast

Erik Satie was known to write extense tempo (and character) markings by defining them in a poetical and literal way, as in his Gnossiennes.

German tempo markings

Many composers have used German tempo markings. Typical German tempo markings are:

''Langsam'' — slowly

''Lebhaft'' — lively (mood)

''Mäßig'' — moderately

''Rasch'' — quickly

''Schnell'' — fast

''Bewegt ''— animated, with motion One of the first German composers to use tempo markings in his native language was Ludwig van Beethoven. The one using the most elaborate combined tempo and mood markings was probably Gustav Mahler. For example, the second movement of his Symphony No. 9 is marked ''Im Tempo eines gemächlichen Ländlers, etwas täppisch und sehr derb'', indicating a slowish folk-dance–like movement, with some awkwardness and much vulgarity in the execution. Mahler would also sometimes combine German tempo markings with traditional Italian markings, as in the first movement of his sixth symphony, marked ''Allegro energico, ma non troppo. Heftig, aber markig'' (Energetically quick, but not too much. Violent, but vigorous).

Tempo markings in English

English indications, for example ''quickly'', have also been used, by Benjamin Britten and Percy Grainger, among many others. In jazz and popular music charts, terms like "fast", "laid back", "steady rock", "medium", "medium-up", "ballad", and similar style indications may appear.

Tempo markings as movement names and compositions with a tempo indicator name

Often, composers (or music publishers) will name movements of compositions after their tempo (and/or mood) marking. For instance the second movement of Samuel Barber's first String Quartet is an "Adagio".

Some such movements may start to lead a life of their own, and become known with the tempo/mood marker name, for instance the string orchestra version of the second movement of Barber's first string quartet became known as ''Adagio for Strings''. A similar example is Mahler's most famous work - the Adagietto from his Symphony No. 5. Another is Mozart's ''Alla Turca'' (here indicating the Janissary music type of mood of the final movement of Mozart's 11th Piano Sonata, K. 331)

Sometimes the link between a musical composition with a "tempo" name and a separate movement of a composition is less clear. For instance Albinoni's ''Adagio'', a 20th century creative "reconstruction" based on an incomplete manuscript.

Some composers chose to include tempo indicators in the name of a separate composition, for instance Bartók in ''Allegro barbaro'' ("barbaric Allegro"), a single movement composition.

Rushing and dragging

When performers unintentionally speed up, they are said to ''rush''. The similar term for unintentionally slowing down is ''drag''. Musicians generally consider unintentional tempo drift undesirable, and these terms thus carry a negative connotation. Therefore neither ''rush'' nor ''drag'' (nor their equivalents in other languages) are often used as tempo indications in scores. Mahler is a notable exception. For example, he used ''schleppend'' (dragging) as part of a tempo indication in the first movement of his Symphony No. 1.

See also

Alla breve

As Slow As Possible

Half time (music)

Multitemporal music

Stop-time

References

Sources

Books on tempo in music:

Music Dictionaries:

Apel, Willi, ed., ''Harvard Dictionary of Music'', Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1969. ISBN 9780674375017

Sadie, Stanley; John Tyrrell, eds. (2001). ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', 2nd edition. NewYork: Grove's Dictionaries. ISBN 1561592390.

External links

Research group specializing in rhythm, timing, and tempo, University of Amsterdam

Tempo indications in Mozart's music

Tempo Terminology, Virginia Tech department of music

Tempo variation among and within 300+ recorded performances of Beethoven's 'Eroica' Symphony

Dolmetsch article on tempo

All8.com's - Beats Per Minute counter ''Tap computer key to the beat''

Category:Units of frequency Category:Rhythm Category:Italian loanwords Category:Musical terminology

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name	Nicki Minaj
background	solo_singer
birth name	Onika Tanya Maraj
birth date	December 08, 1982
birth place	Saint James, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
origin	South Jamaica, Queens, New York, USA
genre	Hip hop, R&B;, pop
occupation	Rapper, singer-songwriter
years active	2002–present
label	Cash Money Records, Young Money Entertainment, Universal Republic Records, Universal Motown
associated acts	Young Money
website	}}

Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1982), known by her stage name Nicki Minaj (), is a Trinidadian-born American musician. She was born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, and moved to Queens when she was five.

After releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009 and being signed to Young Money Entertainment in August 2009, Minaj released her debut album, ''Pink Friday'' in November 2010. It quickly became a commercial success, peaking at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and being certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) a month after its release. She became the first artist to have seven singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at the same time. Her second single, "Your Love", reached #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Rap Songs chart, making Minaj the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since 2002. She also became the first female artist to be included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List. Minaj was named the 2011 ''Rising Star'' by ''Billboard''.

Early life

Maraj was born in 1982 in Saint James, a suburb of Trinidad and Tobago's capital city Port of Spain. Her parents are of mixed Indian and Afro-Trinidadian ancestry and she lived in Saint James with her grandmother until age five, because her parents were looking for a place to live in the Queens borough of New York City at the time. Her mother would occasionally visit, and one day, when Minaj was five, her mother picked her up to move to Queens. According to Minaj, her father drank heavily, took drugs, and once tried to kill her mother by setting the house on fire.

She attended Elizabeth Blackwell Middle School 210, where she played the clarinet. She graduated from LaGuardia High School. At LaGuardia, a school specializing in music and the visual and performing arts, Minaj participated in the drama program. She had initially planned to sing at LaGuardia, but lost her voice on the day of the audition.

Career

2007–09: Mixtapes and Young Money

Minaj released her first mixtape in 2007 after releasing ''Playtime Is Over'' with ''Dirty Money Records''. She released another mixtape on July 7, 2008, titled ''Sucka Free'', under the label ''Be''. On April 18, 2009, Minaj released a third mixtape and appeared in ''XXL'' magazine. She won the Female Artist of the Year award at the 2008 Underground Music Awards. Minaj released ''Beam Me Up Scotty'', another mixtape, in April 2009 under the label of ''Trapaholics Records''; it received positive coverage on both BET and MTV.

In August 2009, Minaj signed a record deal with Young Money Entertainment, with distribution from Universal Motown Records, after fellow American rapper Lil Wayne discovered her and secured the record deal. She then had a solo rap verse in their single "BedRock," which became a commercial success, reaching #2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Minaj also appeared on "Roger That", which charted at #56. The song, and in particular Minaj, received positive reviews from critics. Both songs were included in Young Money Entertainment's debut collaborative studio album ''We Are Young Money'', which was released in December 2009. The album charted in the top ten on the ''Billboard'' 200, reaching #9 and later receiving a Gold Certification by the RIAA.

2010–present: ''Pink Friday'' and ''Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded''

After a major record label bidding war, Young Money Entertainment announced on August 31, 2009 that Minaj had been released a 360 deal with the label in which she retains and owns all of her 360 rights – including merchandising, sponsorships, endorsements, touring and publishing. In an interview with 95.8 Capital FM, Rihanna stated that after the two collaborated on "Raining Men" from her album ''Loud'' that the duo would be teaming up together for a possible second collaboration on Minaj's ''Pink Friday''. Hip-hop rap artist and producer Kanye West was also confirmed for the album. On August 3, 2010 Minaj revealed on a Ustream.tv channel that the album's name would be ''Pink Friday'', in reference to Black Friday.

''Pink Friday'' was released on November 19, 2010 in both standard and deluxe versions. A buzz single, "Massive Attack", was released in April. In August, Minaj released "Your Love" as the first official single from her debut album. The single peaked at 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, 7 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart and topped the Rap Songs chart. Minaj became the first female artist to be included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List and the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since 2002. In October 2010, Minaj became the first artist to have seven songs on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart simultaneously. Minaj released a joint single with The Black Eyed Peas front man, will.i.am titled, "Check It Out", which is Minaj's most successful single to date in Europe. "Right thru Me" was released September 24, 2010; the music video was released in late October. "Moment 4 Life" was released as the fourth single. The track featured Canadian rapper Drake and was released on December 7, 2010, becoming a success on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The single peaked at number 5 on the Hot Rap Songs. The album gained a Platinum certification in the United States a month after the release. It was hinted by Simon Cowell that Minaj would join the judging panel of the American version of the ''The X Factor.'' Starting in June 2011, Minaj will be supporting ''Pink Friday'' by serving as an opening act along with Jessie and the Toy Boys and Nervo on Britney Spears' sixth concert tour, the Femme Fatale Tour, in support of her seventh studio album, ''Femme Fatale''. She also was featured on the official remix of Spears' track "Till The World Ends" along with Spears and singer Kesha, which charted at number 3 in the US in April 2011. "Super Bass" was released from ''Pink Friday'' in May 2011, the single charted within the top 10 in many countries including; United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada and more. The song gained positive reviews from critics. Minaj will voice a character in the 3D animated film, ''Ice Age: Continental Drift'', as an unknown character. Minaj is also featured on French disc jockey David Guetta's 2011 album, ''Nothing but the Beat'' on "Where Them Girls At" and "Turn Me On". She will be featured alongside Madonna and M.I.A on an upcoming single from Madonna's twelfth studio album, for which a music video has been directed by Megaforce.

On November 22, 2011, Minaj announced via Twitter that her sophomore album, ''Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded'', is currently in the works set to be released on April 3, 2012. The first single from the album, titled "Roman in Moscow," was released on December 2, 2011.

Musical style and image

Image

In an interview with ''Vibe'' Minaj discussed her sexual image stating, "[w]hen I grew up I saw females doing certain things, and I thought I had to do that exactly. The female rappers of my day spoke about sex a lot... and I thought that to have the success they got, I would have to represent the same thing. When in fact I didn’t have to represent the same thing." In an interview with ''Interview'', Minaj commented on her sexual image again stating, "I made a conscious decision to try to tone down the sexiness, I want people—especially young girls—to know that in life, nothing is going to be based on sex appeal. You’ve got to have something else to go with that.” Minaj has a tattoo in Chinese characters that reads "" (''shangdi yu ni chang zai'') on her left arm, meaning, "God is always with you."

Alter egos

While growing up, Minaj's home life was often chaotic, with her parents constantly fighting. As a means of escape, she would create characters and live her life through them. In an interview with ''New York'' she stated, "To get away from all their fighting, I would imagine being a new person. 'Cookie' was my first identity – that stayed with me for a while. I went on to 'Harajuku Barbie,' then 'Nicki Minaj'. Fantasy was my reality."

For her debut album, Minaj created another alter-ego named "Roman Zolanski". She stated that in songs like "Bottoms Up" with Trey Songz it is not Minaj rapping, but instead Roman Zolanski, and claims that Roman is her "twin sister". She claims that he was born inside her, out of rage, and becomes him when she is angry. She has also said 'He is a demon inside her'. Roman has been compared to Eminem's alter ego Slim Shady, and on the song "Roman's Revenge" from ''Pink Friday'', Minaj and Eminem collaborate, using these alter egos. On the collaboration, she said "The new album is going to have a lot of Roman on it ... And if you're not familiar with Roman, then you will be familiar with him very soon. He’s the boy that lives inside of me. He's a lunatic and he's gay and he'll be on there a lot." Roman also has a "mother" called "Martha Zolanski", who also appeared on the song Roman's Revenge, with a British accent. Martha appears in the video for "Moment 4 Life" where she appears to be Minaj's magical Godmother. In songs such as "All I Do Is Win (Remix)" it is Minaj rapping. Minaj stated that on her debut album, fans will get to "meet" Nicki, Roman and Onika.

On November 18, 2010 Minaj assumed a different alter-ego named "Nicki Teresa". Wearing a colorful scarf around her head, she went around as the "healer to her fans" as she visited them at The Garden of Dreams Foundation at Fuse studios in New York City. Minaj made an appearance on ''Lopez Tonight'' on December 6, 2010 and presented a different alter-ego for the Spanish-inspired occasion, named "Rosa" (pronounced Rrrrrosa).

Influences

Minaj has stated that artists who have influenced her musical style include Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Lil Wayne, Lauryn Hill, Jadakiss, Natasha Bedingfield, Foxy Brown, Lil' Kim and Missy Elliott. She was also inspired by Janet Jackson, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Jones M.I.A and Cyndi Lauper.

Personal life

While some songs and interviews have implied that Minaj is bisexual, she has said that she does not date nor have sex with women, but added in an interview with ''Out'' magazine, "I don’t date men either." In an interview with ''Vibe'' she commented, "I just embrace all people of all lifestyles and I don’t tell them they are bad people. And I say girls are beautiful and girls are sexy and they need to be told that, and if they don’t have anyone to tell them that and mean it, I’m gonna tell them that. But I feel like people always wanna define me and I don’t wanna be defined." She reiterated her dislike of being labeled in an interview with ''Out'', saying: "The point is, everyone is not black and white. There are so many shades in the middle, and you’ve got to let people feel comfortable with saying what they want to say when they want to say it."

During an interview in the May 2010 issue of ''Details'', Minaj was asked if she felt hip-hop was becoming more gay-friendly. She responded, "I think the world is getting more gay-friendly, so hip-hop is too. But it's harder to imagine an openly gay male rapper being embraced, people view gay men as having no street credibility. But I think we'll see one in my lifetime."

In July 2011, Minaj's cousin Nicholas was murdered near his home in Brooklyn, New York City.

Discography

''Pink Friday'' (2010)

See also

List of awards and nominations received by Nicki Minaj

Notes

References

External links

Category:Nicki Minaj Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:African American female singers Category:African American rappers Category:American musicians of Indian descent Category:American people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Category:Female rappers Category:Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Category:Hip hop singers Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:People from Queens Category:People from Port of Spain Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Singers from New York City Category:Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to the United States Category:Trinidad and Tobago musicians Category:Trinidad and Tobago people of Dougla descent Category:Young Money Entertainment artists

ar:نيكي مناج bg:Ники Минаж ca:Nicki Minaj cs:Nicki Minaj da:Nicki Minaj de:Nicki Minaj et:Nicki Minaj es:Nicki Minaj eu:Nicki Minaj fa:نیکی میناژ fr:Nicki Minaj ko:니키 미나즈 hr:Nicki Minaj id:Nicki Minaj it:Nicki Minaj he:ניקי מינאג' lv:Niki Minaža lt:Nicki Minaj hu:Nicki Minaj mk:Ники Минаж nl:Nicki Minaj ja:ニッキー・ミナージュ no:Nicki Minaj pl:Nicki Minaj pt:Nicki Minaj ro:Nicki Minaj ru:Ники Минаж sq:Nicki Minaj simple:Nicki Minaj sr:Ники Минаж fi:Nicki Minaj sv:Nicki Minaj tl:Nicki Minaj tr:Nicki Minaj vi:Nicki Minaj zh:妮琪·米娜

name	Fat Joe
background	solo_singer
birth name	Joseph Antonio Cartagena
born	August 19, 1970New York City, New York, U.S.
alias
genre	Hip hop
occupation	Rapper
years active	1992–present
label	Terror Squad Entertainment, Relativity, Atlantic, Imperial, E1
associated acts	Big Punisher, Buju Banton, Busta Rhymes, D.I.T.C., R. Kelly, KRS-One, Lil Wayne, Raekwon, Rick Ross, Jadakiss, Terror Squad, Big L
website	www.myspace.com/fatjoe }}

Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad.

Fat Joe's first album was ''Represent'', released in 1993, followed by ''Jealous One's Envy'' in 1995. From 1998 to 2006, he was signed to Atlantic Records, releasing four albums under the label, ''Don Cartagena'' in 1998, ''Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)'' in 2001, ''Loyalty'' in 2002, and ''All or Nothing'' in 2005. Around the release of ''All or Nothing'', Fat Joe became involved in a highly publicized feud with another New York City-based rapper 50 Cent, who attacked Fat Joe in his song "Piggy Bank". His most popular song in which he performed was his Remy Ma duet "Lean Back" with Terror Squad. The song was a number-one hit in the summer of 2004.

Starting in 2006, when his album ''Me, Myself, & I'' was released, Fat Joe was signed to Imperial Records, which distributes through Terror Squad Entertainment. His follow up album was''The Elephant in the Room'', which was released in 2008; ''Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 (J.O.S.E. 2)'', the sequel to ''Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)'', was released in October 2009. His tenth album The Darkside Vol. 1 was released on July 27, 2010.

Early life

Fat Joe was born on August 19, 1970 in the southern Bronx area of New York City, where he was raised by parents of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. He lived in public housing and began stealing at a young age to support his family. He also states that he was a bully in his childhood. His brother introduced him to rap music. As a teenager, he was highly influenced by fellow Latino rapper Big Pun. Fat Joe explained the rapper's influence on him by saying "Latinos before us who had the opportunity to do it just didn't know how to do it. They came in trying to do this black music, waving flags. [But] we're trying to kick in the doors for other Latinos and represent our people, and it shows."

Music career

1992 - 1995: Early years

Under stage name Fat Joe da Gangsta and part of the Diggin' in the Crates (D.I.T.C.) rap group, Cartagena was signed to Relativity Records in the early 1990s, recording material and working with many artists who he would later sign to his own label. In 1993, his debut album Represent was released, featuring production from The Beatnuts, Diamond D, Lord Finess, and others. Its lead single, "Flow Joe" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart; other minor singles from the album included "Watch the Sound" and "This Shit is Real".

In 1995, Fat Joe released his second studio album, Jealous One's Envy, which peaked at #71 on The Billboard 200 and at #7 on Top R&B;/Hip Hop Albums. The album featured a guest appearance from KRS-One and production from Diamond D. The lead single was Success, which did not chart, but his second single, "Envy" peaked at #8 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. The success of this album led Fat Joe to be featured on the remix of LL Cool J's single I Shot Ya along with Foxy Brown, Keith Murray and Prodigy of Mobb Deep.

1998 - 2005: Signing to Atlantic Records, Terror Squad, feud with 50 Cent

Released in 1998, ''Don Cartagena'' was Joe's third album and his first for Atlantic Records. It peaked on The Billboard 200 at #7 and #2 on Top R&B;/Hip Hop albums, eventually being certified gold by the RIAA.

The album featured two hit singles "Bet Ya Man Can't Triz", and "Don Cartagena". Guest appearances included Nas, Diddy, Big Pun, Raekwon, Jadakiss, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Within the album, Fat Joe debuted his own group Terror Squad that consisted of the late Big Pun, as well as Cuban Link, Triple Seis, Prospect, Armageddon and later Remy Ma. Joe himself acknowledged, in an interview with HipHopGame.com, that he has received criticism for releasing only one solo album by a former Terror Squad member, Remy Ma, as well as barely featuring original members Prospect and Armageddon on "True Story." Terror Squad singer Tony Sunshine has had possible album release dates pushed back over three years, and Joe had stated that artists Prospect and Armageddon have not released solo albums yet as the result of them being "really lazy". Former Terror Squad member Triple Seis also went on record when asked who had written Fat Joe's lyrics, stating that he and Pun were Joe's ghostwriters, and asserts that Joe continues to hire ghostwriters. In 1999, he appeared on Jennifer Lopez's single "Feelin' So Good" from her ''On the 6'' album with late rapper Big Pun.

Fat Joe released his fourth album ''Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)'' in 2001, featuring production from the then-popular Irv Gotti. The album featured a star-studded line up from the likes of Ashanti , Ja Rule, N.O.R.E., Busta Rhymes, Petey Pablo, M.O.P., Ludacris, R. Kelly, Buju Banton, and artists from his Terror Squad label. The lead single "We Thuggin'" featuring R. Kelly was a big hit in late 2001, but would not reach the level of the Irv Gotti-produced "What's Luv?" which was a massive hit in early 2002 and featured The Inc. superstars Ja Rule and Ashanti. The album was Fat Joe's biggest hit as it was successful from its January release all the way into May, being certified platinum. However, Fat Joe's fifth album ''Loyalty'', out in 2002 and featuring production from Irv Gotti, was not as successful.

In 2003, Fat Joe was featured in the pop single "I Want You" by Mexican singer Thalía. The same year, he and Tony Sunshine performed the single "Crush Tonight" from ''Loyalty'' on the Comedy Central program ''Chappelle's Show'', hosted by comedian Dave Chappelle.

Despite the setback, Fat Joe scored a number-one hit in 2004 with his group Terror Squad, collaborating with Remy Ma on the Scott Storch production "Lean Back" from the album ''True Story ''. The song was criticized twice by conservative columnist L. Brent Bozell III for its extensive use of obscenity. However, Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic called the song "a perfect club-ready duet between Joe and Remy Ma that boasts a trademark Scott Storch beat and a memorable singalong hook and dance-along step".

Three years later, in 2005, Fat Joe released his sixth album ''All or Nothing'', noted for featuring the popular diss track "My Fofo", aimed at fellow New York rapper 50 Cent, who had dissed Joe for recording with Ja Rule. ''All or Nothing'' spawned the singles "So Much More" and "Get It Poppin" featuring Nelly, also with guest appearances from Eminem, Mase, Remy Ma, Mashonda, and R. Kelly. Responding to "My Fofo", 50 Cent attacked Fat Joe in his song "Piggy Bank" from his 2005 album ''The Massacre''. Fat Joe subsequently attacked 50's street credibility and called him a "coward" on a phone interview with Kay Slay of New York City hip-hop radio station WQHT. The conflict carried on at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, while Fat Joe introduced the reggaeton act featuring Daddy Yankee, Joe remarked, "I feel safe with all the police protection—courtesy of G-Unit." Shortly after, when MTV switched to a commercial break, 50 Cent directed an obscenity at Joe, and 50 Cent jumped on stage as Fat Joe was leaving.

2006 - 2008: Me, Myself & I, The Elephant in the Room, the 50 Cent feud continued, and more

''Me, Myself & I'', released in 2006, is Fat Joe's seventh album. It was his first album released on his new deal with Virgin Records. It featured the hit single "Make It Rain" with southern rapper Lil Wayne, followed by "No Drama (Clap and Revolve)". Fat Joe did a freestyle cipher segment for VH1's "Freestyle 59" competition in October 2006 prior to the VH1 Hip Hop Honors featuring New Jersey emcee Neuse.

In June 2007, the Reverend Michael Pfleger targeted Fat Joe as among several rappers he believed promoted misogyny in his billboard campaign "Stop Listening to Trash", which was launched June 18, 2007 throughout Chicago, Illinois, where Pfleger preaches. Also that month, Fat Joe was featured in the DJ Khaled singles "We Takin' Over" alongside Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Birdman, and Lil Wayne and the remix to Khaled's "I'm So Hood" with Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Ludacris, and Birdman. Verbal disputes between Fat Joe and 50 Cent continued during this time period: in September 2007, on the BET program ''Rap City'', 50 Cent accused Fat Joe of being cowardly for not willing to confront him, but Fat Joe dismissed this claim as nonsense. Later in January, 50 Cent released another Fat Joe diss, called "Southside Nigga (I'm Leaving)". At the end of January 2008, Fat Joe and his longtime accountant Brian Dittrich both denied rumors spreading on the Internet that Fat Joe owed the IRS in taxes.

Fat Joe's eighth solo studio album ''The Elephant in the Room'' was distributed by Imperial Records, a division of Capitol Records and Terror Squad Entertainment, and released on March 11, 2008; its lead single was "I Won't Tell" featuring singer J. Holiday. The album debuted at the sixth position on the Billboard Hot 100. "Ain't Sayin' Nuthin'" followed and featured Plies.

On March 20, 2008, shortly after record sales were released for Fat Joe's new album The Elephant in the Room, 50 Cent released a video via his YouTube account, which features the "funeral" of Fat Joe, which shows 50 Cent crying in the fake footage. 50 Cent then talks about Fat Joe's record sales, and states that he ended Fat Joe's career (like he says he did to Ja Rule's) and that his mixtape blew out Fat Joe's album.

2009: Jealous Ones Still Envy 2

Fat Joe's ninth solo studio album is to be titled ''J.O.S.E. 2'' and released towards the end of June 2009. The project reprises the title of Joe’s 2002 RIAA-Certified Platinum release, ''Jealous Ones Still Envy'', and will mark Joe’s third release since bringing his Terror Squad imprint to the EMI family in 2006. For this album, Joe has reached out to many artists, landing assists from Ron Browz, Fabolous, Lil' Kim, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, and Akon. Producers include Jim Jonsin, The Inkredibles, and frequent collaborator StreetRunner. "One", featuring Akon, was the first single. The album was released on October 6, 2009 and sold 11,000 copies in its first week. It debuted on The Billboard 200 at #73.

2010: Signing to E1 Music and The Darkside

In January 2010, Fat Joe announced that he was working on a new album, ''The Darkside Vol. 1''. MTV News reported that Fat Joe intended "all the material...to be much harsher" than his previous album. Production comes from The Alchemist, Cool & Dre, Streetrunner, DJ Premier, Scoop DeVille, Just Blaze, Scram Jones, Raw Uncut and DJ Infamous with guest appearances by Busta Rhymes, Trey Songz, Lil Wayne, R Kelly, Clipse, Cam'ron, Rico Love, Too $hort, TA and Young Jeezy. The first single from ''The Darkside Vol. 1'' is "(Ha Ha) Slow Down," which features Young Jeezy. The second single off the album is "If It Ain't About Money" and features Trey Songz.

On March 28, 2010 Fat Joe signed a record deal with E1 Music. ''The Darkside Vol. 1'' was released on July 27, 2010 and sold approximately 12,000 copies in the first week and entered the Billboard 200 at #27.

On August 6, 2010 Fat Joe was interviewed on MTV RapFix Live by Sway. Fat Joe announced in the interview that he plans to record 2 more volumes of ''The Darkside'' and then retire.

2011 - Present: Darkside Vol. 2 mixtape and new album

In an interview with XXL Magazine on September 21, 2011 Fat Joe stated Darkside Vol. 2 is going to be his first ever official mixtape and will feature the Mark Henry produced songs ''Massacre on Madison'' and ''Drop a Body'' both of which were released earlier in the year. Joe went on to say he is also working on an album which is yet to be named but the first single will be called ''Another Round'' produced by Cool and Dre and Young Lad and will feature Chris Brown

Personal life

Family

Fat Joe currently lives in Miami and is married with three children.

Community work

Fat Joe has been back to his old school in the Bronx, New York to donate computers for the students.

In 2008 He attended the grand opening of the Hip Hop Soda Shop in Miami which was community outreach project set up by Ben Chavis for the youth to hang out and do things such as record music, use the computers and play on Xbox 360s.

At a "School is Cool" assembly in Public School 5 in Jersey City, New Jersey on June 11, 2009, Fat Joe was a speaker.

Weight loss

By 1996, he weighed 300 pounds. In 2005, ''Stuff'' magazine and ''ContactMusic.com'' profiled Fat Joe's weight loss efforts.

In 2011, Fat Joe unveiled his latest weight loss efforts in the video for his song Drop a Body after shedding 88 pounds off his previous weight of 350 pounds. He has said although he loves to eat KFC, McDonald’s and other less healthy foods he had to stop due to losing several friends, including former Terror Squad member Big Pun to obesity and he wanted to stay alive to see his children grow up. He lost the weight without the help of supplements and fad diets by combining 2 hour cardio and weight lifting sessions with proper eating habits. Instead of Burger King, KFC, and McDonald’s, he opted for smaller portioned meals of fruit, vegetables, and lean meats.

Basketball

Fat Joe is a huge fan of the New York Knicks and was involved in convincing Amar'e Stoudemire to sign with them.

Fashion

In the late 90's Fat Joe set up a clothing store called Halftime, a barber shop and a fashion label called FJ560.

Fat Joe is also an avid sneaker collector, which could be seen in an episode of Bobbito Garcia's show "It's the Shoes".

His Favourite sneaker brand is Air Jordan

Legal issues

On September 8, 1998, Fat Joe and Big Pun were arrested on assault charges for hitting a man with a baseball bat and stealing the man's gold chain on June 14 that year.

Joe was arrested again on May 12, 2002 for allegedly fighting with another man at B.B. King's Blues Club in Times Square, but the charges were dropped on January 10, 2003.

In two murder cases, Fat Joe has been named a witness:

Joe's former bodyguard, Jose Mulero (also known as Sing Sing), was arrested on September 17, 2004 for the April 15, 1994 shooting death of 16-year-old Ernesto Rivera at a Bronx nightclub. Responding to a subpoena, Fat Joe claimed to have heard the shooting and seen people fleeing the scene, but investigators argued that he was standing closer to Mulero, by a door.

Miami Beach police also named Fat Joe as a witness in a Memorial Day double homicide outside David's Cafe II in South Beach. Jermaine ''Wufgang'' Chamberline of Miami Gardens was accused of shooting Lessli Paz and Joey Navarro to death on that morning; Fat Joe and the two victims were sitting in a rented Cadillac Escalade parked outside the restaurant when a fight broke out between passengers and another man.

Discography

Studio Albums

''Represent'' (1993, as Fat Joe da Gangsta)

''Jealous One's Envy'' (1995)

''Don Cartagena'' (1998)

''Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)'' (2001)

''Loyalty'' (2002)

''All or Nothing'' (2005)

''Me, Myself & I'' (2006)

''The Elephant in the Room'' (2008)

''Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 (J.O.S.E. 2)'' (2009)

''The Darkside Vol. 1'' (2010) ''Unknown'' (TBA)

Filmography

''Thicker Than Water'' (1999) - Lonzo Medina

''Prison Song'' (2001)

''Empire'' (2002)

''Scary Movie 3'' (2003) - ''As Himself''

''Happy Feet'' (2006) - voice of Seymour

See also

List of famous Puerto Ricans

Latin hip hop

List of number-one dance hits (United States)

List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

External links

Official website (archived from 2009)

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:American entertainers of Cuban descent Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Diggin' in the Crates Crew members Category:Hispanic and Latino American rappers Category:Imperial Records artists Category:Rappers from New York City Category:People from the Bronx Category:Terror Squad members

ar:فات جو cs:Fat Joe da:Fat Joe de:Fat Joe es:Fat Joe fr:Fat Joe fy:Fat Joe ko:팻 조 it:Fat Joe he:פאט ג'ו sw:Fat Joe hu:Fat Joe nl:Fat Joe ja:ファット・ジョー no:Fat Joe pl:Fat Joe pt:Fat Joe ro:Fat Joe ru:Fat Joe fi:Fat Joe sv:Fat Joe tr:Fat Joe uk:Fat Joe

name	Barrington Levy
background	solo_singer
birth date	April 30, 1964
origin	Clarendon, Jamaica
genre	Reggae, dancehall, reggae fusion, ragga Jungle
years active	1976–present
label	MCA Records
website	www.barringtonlevy.net
notable instruments	}}

Barrington Levy (born 30 April 1964, Clarendon, Jamaica) is a reggae and dancehall artist from Jamaica.

Career

In 1976, Levy formed a band with his cousin, Everton Dacres, called the Mighty Multitude; the pair released "My Black Girl" in 1977. Levy established his solo career the next year with "A Long Time Since We Don't Have No Love"; though the single was a failure, the fourteen year old was a popular performer at Jamaican dancehalls. In 1979, Levy met Henry "Junjo" Lawes and Hyman Wright, both record producers, and recorded several singles with the Roots Radics, including "Al Yah We Deh", "Looking My Love", "Englishman", "Skylarking", "Wedding Ring Aside" and "Collie Weed", all of which became hits and established Levy's career. Levy's next few singles were similarly successful, including "Shine Eye Girl", "Wicked Intention", "Jumpy Girl", "Disco Music", "Reggae Music", "Never Tear My Love Apart", "Jah", "You Made Me So Happy" and "When You're Young and in Love". Levy then recorded several duets with Toyan, Jah Thomas and Trinity, and appeared at Reggae Sunsplash in 1980 and 1981. Although albums were not terribly important in Jamaica at the time, Levy released four albums before 1980: ''Shaolin Temple'', ''Bounty Hunter'', ''Shine Eye Gal'' (United Kingdom) and ''Englishman'', a critically acclaimed record. His success led to many earlier studio and sound system performances being reissued without his consent, releases he described as "joke business".

By the time his 1980 album ''Robin Hood'' was released, Levy was one of the biggest Jamaican stars, and saw his international fame growing as well, especially in the United Kingdom. Taking a break from albums, Levy then released a series of hit singles, including "Mary Long Tongue", "In the Dark", "Too Poor", "I Have a Problem", "Even Tide Fire a Disaster", "I'm Not in Love", "You Have It", "Love of Jah", "Under Mi Sensi", "Tomorrow Is Another Day", "Robberman", "Black Roses", "My Woman" and "Money Move". He began working with Paul "Jah Screw" Love and toured the UK in 1984, where he enjoyed a big hit on the reggae charts with "Under Mi Sensi", which was followed by the crossover hit "Here I Come", which reached number 41 in the UK Singles Chart in 1985. He returned to LPs with ''Lifestyle'' and ''Money Move'', followed by a British hit album called ''Here I Come''; Levy received the Best Vocalist prize at the British Reggae Awards in 1984. The late 1980s saw Levy, now in his twenties, slow down his recorded output, though he continued to perform and record regularly, and played at Sunsplash every year from 1987 to 1995. His fortunes were revived by two cover versions of Bob Andy songs - "My Time" and "Too Experienced", both produced by Jah Screw, and he was signed by Island Records in 1991 for the ''Divine'' album. In 1991 he returned to the UK chart with "Tribal Base", a single by Rebel MC featuring Levy and Tenor Fly, which reached number 20. In 1993, Levy tried to break in the United States with the ''Barrington'' album, produced by Lee Jaffe, Andre Betts and Sly & Robbie, but it failed to give him the breakthrough he wanted and his relationship with MCA Records was short-lived.

In the 1990s, Levy continued to release periodic hits in Jamaica, and more rarely in the UK, although his vocals were sampled and used in many underground and released jungle tunes. In 1998, he released ''Living Dangerously'', which included a collaboration with one of Jamaica's most prolific deejays, Bounty Killer, and with Snoop Dogg. The release was one of Levy's most successful since the start of the 1990s, and saw him finally achieve some success in the US. Levy performed on two tracks on Long Beach Dub All Stars 1999 album ''Right Back'', and also played a few shows with the band. He was featured on a 1999 track by the Rascalz titled "Top Of The World", also featuring K-os. Levy also appeared on two singles by rapper Shyne (notably Shyne's 2000 debut single, "Bad Boyz"), and on a track for drum and bass artist Aphrodite's 2000 album ''Aftershock''. "Here I Come" returned to the charts in 2001, with a new version by Levy and Talisman P reaching number 37 in the UK.

In 2004, he contributed to a track on the album ''White People'' by Handsome Boy Modeling School, a project by Prince Paul and Dan the Automator. He also did some collaborations with Slightly Stoopid on their 2005 album ''Closer To The Sun''. Most recently, Levy made a guest appearance on the single "No Fuss" by Red-1 of the Rascalz, from his 2007 album ''Beg For Nothing''.

"Here I Come" is also featured in ''Saints Row 2'' and ''Grand Theft Auto San Andreas''.

He also appeared on a demo for Jadakiss' latest album ''The Last Kiss'' called ''Hard Times''

Discography

Albums

''Bounty Hunter'' (1979) Jah Life

''Shine Eye Gal'' (1979), Burning Sounds

''Englishman'' (1979), Greensleeves

''Robin Hood'' (1980), Greensleeves

''Doh Ray Me'' (1980), JB

''Run Come Ya!'' (1981), Jah Life

''21 Girls Salute'' (1982), Jah Life

''Poor Man Style'' (1983), Trojan

''Lifestyle'' (1983), GG's

''Teach Me Culture'' (1983), Live & Learn

''Money Move'' (1983), Powerhouse

''Here I Come'' (1984), Greensleeves

''Barrington Levy Meets Frankie Paul'' (1984), Ariwa - with Frankie Paul

''Barrington Levy'' (1984), Clocktower

''Prison Oval Rock'' (1985), Volcano

''Open Book'' (1985), Tuff Gong

''Clash Of The 80s'' (1986), Cornerstone - with Cocoa Tea

''Love the Life You Live'' (1988), Time

''Live and Learn Presents Beres Hammond and Barrington Levy'' (1990), Live & Learn - with Beres Hammond

''Divine'' (1991), Island/Mango

''Turning Point'' (1992), Greensleeves

''Barrington'' (1993), MCA

''Duets'' (1995), RAS - also released as ''DJ Counteraction'' (1995), Greensleeves

''Time Capsule'' (1996), RAS - recorded 1982

''Living Dangerously'' (1998), Breakaway

''Too Experienced: The Best of Barrington Levy'' (1998)

''Wanted'' (2005), 2B1 - CD+DV

''The Lost Mixes From King Tubbys Studio'' (2005)

''Teach The Youth'' (2008)

References

External links

Official website

Discography

Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:Dancehall musicians Category:Jamaican songwriters Category:Jamaican reggae singers Category:Reggae fusion artists Category:Jamaican male singers Category:People from Clarendon Parish Category:Trojan Records artists

da:Barrington Levy de:Barrington Levy es:Barrington Levy fr:Barrington Levy it:Barrington Levy ht:Barrington Levy hu:Barrington Levy pt:Barrington Levy sv:Barrington Levy

Name	Lito y Polaco
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Carolina, Puerto Rico
Birth name	Rafael Sierra (Lito)Rafael Omar Polaco Molina (Polaco)
Alias	El Duo Mas ViolentoLos Reyes De La TiraeraLos Mas Duros
Birth date	September 30, 1979 (Lito) November 1, 1976 (Polaco)
Genre	Rap, Reggaeton, Gangsta rap, Hardcore rap
Years active	1992–present
Label	Rompe Cuello RecordsTáltaro Records
associated acts	Daddy Yankee, Hector El Father, Yomo, Nicky Jam
Website	}}

Rafael Sierra (Lito) (born September 30, 1979) and Rafael Omar Polaco Molina (Polaco) (born November 1, 1976) comprise a duo hip hop group from Carolina, Puerto Rico.

Musical career

They formed part of the original members of DJ Eric Industry, alongside MC Ceja, Glory, Felo Man and his father TNT.

Both Lito and Polaco were in the process of recording their debut solo albums entitled ''De La Calle Pa' La Calle'' and ''El Táltaro'' respectively, this last one has never been released.

In Late 2007 on a radio show it was announced that the legendary duo will return with a new album, ''La Institucion''.

Current Duo

Polaco

Polaco began his career in 1992 alongside Prieto Valdez on the cd called The Noise from DJ Negro. They both formed the duo Polaco & Prieto until Polaco and DJ Eric's crew started a lyrical war against DJ Negro and The Noise crew, and that is when Prieto broke from the duo. Prieto started a small war with Polaco after his song "Que Ellos Se Creen" which was featured on The Noise 7 in 1997. Polaco responded in the song "Que Vas Hacer" which came out on the production Gargolas 2 in 1999. Although having not gotten along with him for many years Polaco seems to have resolved his differences with Gringo even to the point of supporting him by making a guest appearance on Gringo's solo album El Independiente.

Awards

The duo's ''Mundo Frío'' album was nominated for ''Billboard'''s Latin Rap Album of the Year but lost to ''El General Is Back'' by El General.

Discography

Discography As A Duo

''Masacrando MC's'' (2000)

''Los Éxitos Vol. 1'' (2000)

''Mundo Frío'' (2002)

''Fuera de Serie'' (2004)

''Fuera de Serie Live'' (2005)

As Lito MC Cassidy

''De La Calle Pa' La Calle'' (2007)

Polaco

El Táltaro (2007)

El Undertaker (2009)

Singles

Singles As A Duo

Jenga Jenga (1998)

Testimonio De La Calle (2001)

Maniática Sexual (2001)

Mundo Frío (2002)

Piensan (2002)

Rosando Con Mi Piel (feat. Nicky Jam) (2002)

Esta Noche Quiero Darte (feat. Speedy) (2002)

Mírate Al Espejo (2002)

La Gritona(2002)

Si Ella Es Brava (2003)

Los Cerdos (2003)

Ojos de Diabla (feat. Divino) (2004)

Gata Traicionera (feat. Jacob) (2004)

Ella Vive Sola (feat. La Secta AllStar) (2004)

Mis Chavos (2008)

Respeto(Official Remix) (2011)

Lito MC Cassidy's Singles

Bocon (2005)

Vender Droga (2005)

Me Converti en un Criminal (2006)

Los Matamos Como En Hollywood (ft. Toxic Crow, Cromo) (2006)

Hot Shit (2006) (Tiraera a Raphy Pina)

Te Sacamos Alas (2009)

La Republica (2010)

Fin Del Mundo (ft. H-Merced) (2010)

Ambición Callejera (ft. Algenis) (2010)

Polaco's Singles

Con Rabia (2005)

La Desordená (2005)

Fuetazo (2006)

Volvio La Era De La Tiraera (Tiraera a Don Omar, Arcangel) (2006)

Here We Go Yo Remix (ft.Wisin & Yandel, Hector "El Father", Yomo & Jay Z) (2006)

R.I.P. Arcangel (Tiraera a Arcangel) (2007)

Romper Culo (2007)

La Última (Sepultura a Arcangel) (2008)

Palgo (Pentagono: Return)(2008)

El Mundo Es Nuestro (ft. Cosculluela, Yomo, J-King & Maximan, Latin Crew, Syko "El Terror" & Chyno Nyno) (2008)

Bienvenido A Mi Mundo (Remix) (ft.Nova & Jory, Cosculluela, Guelo Star, Ñejo, Eloy, Zion, Franco "El Gorila", MC Ceja, Chyno Nyno & Syko "El Terror")

Si La Vida Me Trata Mal (ft. Endo & Lele) (Official Remix) (2010)

Si No Te Dejas Ver (ft. Los Santos) (2010)

References

Category:Reggaeton duos Category:Puerto Rican male singers Category:Puerto Rican reggaeton artists

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