name	Missy Elliott
background	solo_singer
birth name	Melissa Arnette Elliott
alias	Misdemeanor, Missy Elliot
born	July 01, 1971Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.
instrument	Vocals
genre	Hip hop, R&B;
occupation	Rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, actress, dancer, designer
years active	1991–present
label	The Goldmind, East West, Elektra, Atlantic, Violator
assiocated acts	Timbaland, Magoo, Playa, Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Jodeci, Skillz
website	}}

Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), is an American recording artist, producer, singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and clothing line designer.

A five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have six albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one double platinum for her 2002 album ''Under Construction''. Elliott is known for a series of hits and diverse music videos, including "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)", "Hot Boyz", "Get Ur Freak On", "One Minute Man", "Work It", "Pass That Dutch", and "Lose Control". In addition, she has worked extensively as a songwriter and producer for other artists, both alone and with her fellow producer and childhood friend Timbaland, with whom she received her first production credit on R&B; singer Ginuwine's 1996's album ''Ginuwine...the Bachelor''.

Early life

Elliott was born on July 1, 1971, in Portsmouth, Virginia. She is the only child of mother Patricia, a power-company coordinator, and father Ronnie, a Marine. At the age of four in 1975, she wanted to be a performer, though she knew no one took her seriously, as she was always the class clown. While her father was a Marine, the family lived in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in a mobile home. Elliott enjoyed school for the friendships she formed and had little interest in school work, though an IQ test classified her above average and she was able to jump two years ahead of her class. This made her feel increasingly isolated, so she purposely failed all her classes, eventually returning to her age-appropriate class. When her father returned from the Marines, they moved back to Virginia, where they lived in a vermin-infested shack.

Elliot's childhood was strongly affected by domestic abuse. At the age of eight, Elliott was raped nearly every day by a 16 year old cousin, until an aunt discovered the abuse almost a year later. Elliott had an abusive father who beat her mother every day and beat Elliott once. At one point, he pulled a gun on them and they were forced outside naked. Elliott refused to stay over at any of her friends' homes for the fear that she would return and find her mother dead. When Elliott was fourteen, she and her mother finally escaped from the father. Her mother told her to pack her things and go to the bus stop as usual. When her father drove past on his way to work, her mother picked Elliott up and took her home to where family relatives were loading the family possessions into a U-Haul truck, leaving her father with only a fork, a spoon, a cup and a blanket. Elliott and her father occasionally talk, but she claims she hasn't forgiven him. She later stated "When we left, my mother realized how strong she was on her own, and it made me strong. It took her leaving to realize."

Recording career

Early career

In the early 1990s, Elliott formed an R&B; group, called Fayze (later renamed Sista), with friends LaShawn Shellman, Chonita Coleman, and Radiah Scott. She recruited her neighborhood friend Timothy Mosley as the group's producer and began making demo tracks. In 1991, Fayze caught the attention of Jodeci member and producer DeVante Swing by performing Jodeci songs a cappella for him backstage after one of his group's concerts. In short order, Fayze moved to New York City and signed to Elektra Records through DeVante's Swing Mob imprint, also renaming the group ''Sista''. Elliott took Mosley — whom DeVante re-christened Timbaland — and their friend Melvin "Magoo" Barcliff along with her.

All 20-plus members of the Swing Mob — among them future stars such as Ginuwine, Playa, and Tweet — lived in a single two-story house in New York and were often at work on material both for Jodeci and their own projects. While Elliott wrote and rapped on Raven-Symoné's 1993 debut single, "That's What Little Girls Are Made Of", she also contributed songwriting duties, credited and uncredited, to the final two Jodeci albums ''Diary of a Mad Band'' (1993) and ''The Show, The After Party, The Hotel'' (1995). Timbaland and DeVante jointly produced a Sista album, entitled ''4 All the Sistas Around da World'' and completed in 1994. Though videos were released for the original and remix versions of the single "Brand New", the album was shelved and never released. One of the group's tracks, "It's Alright" featuring Craig Mack, did however make the cut on the soundtrack of the 1995 motion picture ''Dangerous Minds''. But by the end of 1995, Swing Mob had folded and many of its members dispersed; Elliott, Timbaland, Magoo, Ginuwine, and Playa remained together and collaborated on each others' records for the rest of the decade.

After Swing Mob

After leaving Swing Mob, Elliott and Timbaland worked together as a songwriting/production team, crafting tracks for acts including SWV and 702, but the most notable of them was Aaliyah. The pair wrote and produced nine tracks for Aaliyah's second album, ''One in a Million'' (1996), among them the hit singles "If Your Girl Only Knew", "One in a Million", "Hot Like Fire", and "4 Page Letter". Elliott contributed background vocals and/or guest raps to nearly all of the tracks on which she and Timbaland worked. ''One in a Million'' went double-platinum and made stars out of the production duo.

Elliott and Timbaland continued to work together for other artists, later creating hits for artists such as Total ("What About Us", 1997), Nicole Wray ("Make It Hot", 1998), and Destiny's Child ("Get on the Bus", 1998), as well as one final hit for Aaliyah, "I Care 4 U" before her death in 2001.

Elliott began her career as a featured vocalist rapping on Sean "Puffy" Combs's Bad Boy remixes to Gina Thompson's "The Things That You Do", (which had a video featuring cameo appearances by Notorious B.I.G and Puff Daddy), MC Lyte's 1996 single "Cold Rock a Party" (backup vocals by Gina Thompson), and New Edition's 1996 single "You Don't Have to Worry." Combs had hoped to sign Elliott to his Bad Boy record label. Also that year Elliott appeared on the Men of Vizion's remix of "Do Thangz" which was produced by Rodney Jerkins (coincidentally the producer of the original version of "The Things That You Do").

She instead signed a deal with EastWest Records, a division of Elektra Entertainment Group at that time, in 1996 to create her own imprint, The Goldmind Inc., for which she would record as a solo artist. Timbaland was again recruited as her production partner, a role he would hold on most of Elliott's solo releases.

Missy also appeared in LSG's song "All the Time" with Gerald Levert, Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, Faith Evans, and Coko in 1997 on Levert Sweat Gill classic album. The same year, she rapped in "Keys To My House" with old friends group LeVert.

''Supa Dupa Fly''

In the center of a busy period making guest appearances and writing for other artists, Elliott's debut album, ''Supa Dupa Fly'', was released in mid-1997; the success of its lead single "The Rain" led the album to be certified platinum. The success was also a result of the music videos of her single releases which had been directed by Harold "Hype" Williams, who created many groundbreaking hip hop videos at the time. The album was also nominated for Best Rap Album at the 1998 Grammy Awards, but lost to Puff Daddy's ''No Way Out''. The year also saw Elliott perform live at the MTV Video Music Awards show on a remix to Lil' Kim's "Ladies Night" with fellow rappers Da Brat, Angie Martinez and TLC-rapper Left Eye.

In 1998, Elliott continued her successful career in the background as a producer and writer on Total's single "Trippin'", as well as working with several others in the hip-hop and R&B; communities. The same year, Elliott also produced and made a guest appearance on Spice Girl Melanie B's debut solo single, "I Want You Back", which topped the UK Singles Chart.

''Da Real World''

Although a much darker album than her debut, Elliott's second album was just as successful as the first, selling 1.5 million copies and 3 million copies worldwide. She remarked, "I can't even explain the pressure. The last album took me a week to record. This one took almost two months…I couldn't rush it the second time because people expect more." ''Da Real World'' (1999) included the singles "All n My Grill", a collaboration with Nicole Wray and Big Boi (from OutKast), a remix to "Hot Boyz" and "She's a Bitch". Also in 1999, Elliott was featured, alongside Da Brat, on the official remix to the popular Mariah Carey single "Heartbreaker".

''Miss E… So Addictive''

Missy Elliott next released ''Miss E… So Addictive'' in 2001. The album spawned the massive pop and urban hits "One Minute Man", featuring Ludacris and Trina, and "Get Ur Freak On", as well as the international club hit "4 My People" and the less commercially-successful single *"Take Away"*. The double music video for "Take Away/4 My People" was released in the fall of 2001, shortly after the 9-11 terrorist attacks and the death of Elliott's good friend Aaliyah in August. The "Take Away" video contained images of and words about Aaliyah, and the slow ballad acted as a tribute to her memory. The remainder of the video was the more upbeat "4 My People", contained scenes of people dancing happily in front of American flags and Elliott dressed in red, white and blue. Though "Take Away" was not a success on radio, "4 My People" went on to become an American and European club hit due to a popular techno Basement Jaxx remix in 2002.

Tweet's appearance on Elliott's "Take Away" as well as her cameo at Elliott's house on ''MTV Cribs'' helped to create a buzz about the new R&B; singer. Tweet's own debut single, "Oops (Oh My)", was co-written by Elliott and released through Goldmind in February 2002. The single was a top ten hit, thanks partially to Elliott's songwriting and guest rap, and to Timbaland's unusual production on the track. Elliott co-produced the Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa and Pink cover of "Lady Marmalade" for the ''Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film'' album, which went to number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 2001.

''Under Construction''

For her next outing, Elliott and Timbaland focused on an old school sound, utilizing many old school rap and funk samples, such as Run DMC's "Peter Piper" and Frankie Smith's "Double Dutch Bus" (in "Work It" and "Gossip Folks", respectively). Elliott's fourth album, 2002's ''Under Construction'' (see 2002 in music), included the aforementioned singles "Work It", Elliott's second biggest hit to date, and the successful duet with Ludacris, "Gossip Folks". As the "Work It" video had done during 2002, "Gossip Folks" became one of the most-played music videos on MTV, MTV2, MTV Jams, and BET in 2003. It received significantly less attention than "Work It" at urban radio, but was embraced by the dance community, as well as the mainstream, due to a Fatboy Slim remix. Although not released as single and with no video, "Pussycat", peaked at number 77 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album is known as the best selling female rap album ever with 2.1 million copies sold in the United States. In 2003, ''Under Construction'' received Grammy nominations for Best Rap Album and Album of the Year.

''The New York Times'' called ''Under Construction'' "this year's best hip-hop album."

''Under Construction'' also included a track called "Back In The Day", a nostalgic ode to old school hip hop music and fashion that featured guest vocals from Jay-Z and Tweet. A video was shot and an article on MTV.com was posted, but the video was never released.

Early 2003, Elliott produced the "American Dream Remix" (featuring Tweet's additional vocals) of Madonna's single "American Life". In the summer of 2003, Elliott was the featured rapper on Timbaland & Magoo's long-awaited return single, "Cop That Shit"; the song was a modest hit at urban radio.

For the soundtrack to the Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Beyoncé Knowles movie by the same name, Elliott produced "Fighting Temptation" (featuring herself, Beyoncé, Free and MC Lyte) which reached the number one spot in Japan but failed to chart in the U.S. Hot 100.

''This Is Not a Test!''

A year after Elliott's most successful album to date was released, Elliott felt pressured by her label to release another album, hoping to capitalize on her recent success. Elliott's singles, "Pass That Dutch" and "I'm Really Hot", from her fifth album, ''This Is Not a Test!'' (released November 2003), both rose the urban charts. However, both were not as successful at pop radio in comparison to many of her previous efforts. Elliott has since stated "''This Is Not A Test!'' came out extremely too quickly for me. I didn't want it to come out when it did."

Also in 2003, Elliott was featured on Wyclef Jean's "Party to Damascus" and Ghostface Killah's "Tush" singles, the latter of which became a minor 2004 dance hit, and had a pivotal role in the film ''Honey'', starring Jessica Alba. Gap approached Elliott later in the year to co-star in a commercial with Madonna, which received much media attention. Elliott furthered her relationship with Madonna by performing the controversial 2003 MTV Video Music Awards show opening alongside Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

In 2004, Elliott was featured on Ciara's hit single "1, 2 Step", with her verse interpolating Teena Marie's single, "Square Biz".

Elliott premiered her own reality show on the UPN Network, ''The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott'' in mid-2005. Although the series never made impressive ratings, it did maintain a solid audience. The winner, Jessica Betts, has yet to release an album or single, which was the prize of the show.

''This Is Not A Test'' sold 143,600 in its first week of being released and sold 690,000 copies in the United States and has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

''The Cookbook''

Following her less than usual sales from her previous album, Elliott wanted to "give people the unexpected" by utilizing producers other than Timbaland and a "more to the center" sound not as far left as her other music. Her sixth solo album, ''The Cookbook'' was released in July 2005 and debuted at number two on the U.S. charts. Its first single, "Lose Control", which featured Ciara and Fatman Scoop, became a Top 5 hit in the early summer (peaking at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100), and the other album tracks featured guest appearances from Mike Jones, Fantasia, M.I.A., Slick Rick, Mary J. Blige, and Pharrell. The video for "Lose Control" garnered Elliott six 2005 MTV VMA award nominations, ultimately winning two awards in the categories Best Dance Video and Best Hip-Hop Video in August 2005. After the VMA's, Elliott released "Teary Eyed" which charted lowly, although the video charted on MTV's ''TRL'' for a few weeks, and BET's ''106 & Park'' for a few days. "Teary Eyed" is one of the few tracks that showcase Elliott with her talented ability to also sing well.

In early September, Elliott tore her Achilles tendon while shooting the music video for her song "We Run This", requiring surgery and a long recovery, thus dampening promotion efforts for ''The Cookbook''. In November 2005, Elliott won Best Female Hip Hop Artist at the 2005 American Music Awards, defeating colleagues Lil' Kim and Trina. Also in November, Elliott's remixed version of Ashlee Simpson's "L.O.V.E." (from her second album, ''I Am Me'') was included on the CD single.

In December 2005, Elliott was nominated for five Grammy Awards, including two for "Lose Control" (Best Short Form Video, which she won and Best Rap Song), one for ''The Cookbook'' (Best Rap Album), one for writing Fantasia's "Free Yourself" (Best R&B; Song), and one for "1, 2 Step" with Ciara (Best Rap/Sung Collaboration). Elliott was also nominated for Best International Female Artist at the 2006 BRIT Awards.

In early 2006, Elliott's single and video for "We Run This" was released with heavy airplay on VH1, MTV, and BET. It served as the lead single for the soundtrack to the gymnastics-themed film ''Stick It''.

Missy Elliott was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Rap Solo Performance category for "We Run This".

The Cookbook received overall favorable reviews from critics and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, (RIAA), selling 645,000 copies in the United States and received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album.

''Respect M.E.''

''Respect M.E.'', Elliott's first greatest hits album, was released outside the United States and Canada on September 4, 2006, only in South Africa, Australia, Europe, Japan, and Brazil. The collection became her second top ten album in the UK and her highest charting album to date, peaking at number seven there. According to the BPI, it has been certified Gold for sales of over 100,000 units in the UK and 500,000 copies world wide. In 2007, the album became available in Best Buy stores in the US.

The album cover shows Missy Elliott riding a Friesian horse with a dark, cloudy background. The M.E. can be understood as either the word 'me' or could be referring to Missy Elliott. "Respect M.E." is also the name of her clothing line produced by Adidas. "Take Away" did not make the album cut but was replaced with the more successful Basement Jaxx dance remix of "4 My People".

Elliott was an honoree of the 2007 VH1 Hip Hop Honors. In honor of her career, many artists performed some of her biggest hits. Timbaland and Tweet performed "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)", Eve and Keyshia Cole performed "Hot Boyz" and "Work It", Fatman Scoop and Ciara performed "Lose Control", and Nelly Furtado performed "Get Ur Freak On (The Remix)." The show aired October 8, 2007.

Block Party

In January 2008, Ching-a-Ling was released as the lead single for the Step Up 2 the Streets soundtrack. Shake Your Pom Pom, produced by Timbaland, is also on the soundtrack. Both songs may appear on Elliott's forthcoming album.

In an interview with Elle Magazine in June 2009, Missy Elliott announced an Autumn 2009 release of Block Party, her seventh studio album, but was later pushed back a 4th time to 2010. She reveals that "there are a lot of great collaborations on the record, but I can only give one away right now, and that's Lil Wayne."

Elliott's seventh studio album will also feature production from Timbaland, Danja, Pharrell Williams, Souldiggaz, T-Pain, Sef Millz & Mista Raja of Coalition Forces and Pointguard.

Missy Elliott hints to Billboard.com that "this album is probably more musical and melodic than my previous ones. A lot of my albums are really hip-hop-driven, with tinges of other music genres. But this album is hip-hop, with a sort of U.K. hip-hop sound to it." When asked why she chose the title "Block Party", she replies that "because there are a lot of dance joints on there. It's one of those albums you can play out in the streets."

In the Summer of 2010, Elliott embarked on a 2 part Tour which included such continents as Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

On June 7, 2010, Missy Elliott performed at VH1's Hip Hop Honors: The Dirty South to do a tribute to long-time collaborator and friend Timbaland. Her performance included the hits "Get Ur Freak On" and "Work It", both produced by Timbaland.

On August 18, 2010, Missy Elliott revealed via Twitter that she will release "Blow Ya Whistle" as an upcoming single from the long-awaited album.

Missy and Timbaland both hint via their Official Twitter pages (@MissyElliott, @Timbaland007) that 2011 will be the year they release new music.

On August 6th, 2011, it was announced that Missy would feature on the remixes of Katy Perry's single Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) the singles would be released on radio on August 8th.

Biographical film

In 2005, it was announced that there are plans to make a biographical film about the life story of Elliott and is to be shown in theaters. Producers include Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal, and the film is being written and directed by Diane Houston. In mid-June 2007, Elliott said she was still working on the script with Diane Houston in order "to come up with the right stuff 'cause I don’t want it to be watered down. I want it to be raw and uncut the way my life was" Initially, it seemed Timbaland wouldn't be a part of the movie. When Missy asked him, he refused, citing he felt it dramatized his character; "the movie is about her life, her story, that goes deeper than putting me into the movie". However, Timbaland has since stated that he would reconsider if she could get others, including Ginuwine & Magoo to sign on.

Personal life

Elliott has also said that she wants to start a family, but is afraid of giving birth. She states, "I don't know if I can take that kind of pain [of labor]. Maybe in the year 2020 you could just pop a baby out and it'd be fine. But right now I'd rather just adopt. "

In June 2011, Elliott told People Magazine that her absence from the music industry was due to an autoimmune disorder known as Graves disease. She experienced severe symptoms from the condition, and explained that she could not even hold a pen up to write songs. After treatment, her symptoms have stabilized and she has announced that she would like to get back to her career.

Charity work

For the reality show ''The Road to Stardom'', there was a contest for viewers to create a public service ad for the Break the Cycle fund. In 2004, Missy Elliott joined forces with MAC Cosmetics to promote their "Viva Glam" campaign. In addition to the ad campaign, Elliott promoted the MAC Viva Glam V lipstick from which 100% of the sale goes to the M.A.C AIDS Fund.

In 2007, Elliott appeared on an ABC's Extreme Makeover and awarded four scholarships for a weight loss program to four underprivileged teens.

Discography

; Albums

''Supa Dupa Fly'' (1997)

''Da Real World'' (1999)

''Miss E... So Addictive'' (2001)

''Under Construction'' (2002)

''This Is Not a Test!'' (2003)

''The Cookbook'' (2005)

''Block Party'' (2011)

; Tours

''Lilith Fair'' (1998)

''Verizon Ladies First Tour'' (with Beyoncé and Alicia Keys) (2004)

'' Europe Tour '' (2010)

; Compilation Albums

''Respect M.E.'' (2006)

; DVDs

''Hits of Miss E… The Videos Vol.1'' (2001)

''Recipe of Hits: Music Video Anthology'' (2005)

Filmography

Television

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Episode |- |1997 |''Family Matters'' |Herself |"Original Gangster Dawg" (season 9, episode 203) |- |1998 |''The Wayans Bros.'' |Herself |"The Kiss" |- |2003 |Eve |Herself, Guest appearance |"Missy Elliott In The Place" |- |2005 |''MTV Cribs'' |Herself | |- |2005 |''The Road to Stardom'' |Herself | |- |rowspan="2"|2008 |''Ego Trip's Miss Rap Supreme'' |Herself |Season 1 |- |''America's Best Dance Crew'' |Herself, Guest Judge |"Missy Elliott "Shake Ya Pom Pom" Challenge" (season 2, episode 7) |- |2010 |''What Chilli Wants'' |Herself |- |2011 |"Behind the Music" |Herself |}

Films

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role |- |2001 |''Pootie Tang'' |Diva |- |2003 |''Honey'' |Herself |- |rowspan="2"|2004 |''Fade to Black'' |Herself |- |''Shark Tale'' |(Singing Voice) |- |2005 |''Just for Kicks'' |Herself |}

See also

List of awards and nominations received by Missy Elliott

Notes

References

External links

Category:1971 births Category:American songwriters Category:African American actors Category:African American rappers Category:American record producers Category:African American record producers Category:African American female singer-songwriters Category:African American musicians Category:African American songwriters Category:American dance musicians Category:American female singers Category:American hip hop record producers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Female rappers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Hip hop singers Category:Living people Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Portsmouth, Virginia Category:Rappers from Virginia Category:Southern hip hop musicians Category:Swing Mob artists Category:Woodrow Wilson High School (Portsmouth, Virginia) alumni

bg:Миси Елиът cs:Missy Elliott da:Missy Elliott de:Missy Elliott es:Missy Elliott fa:میسی الیوت fr:Missy Elliott fy:Missy Elliott ko:미시 앨리엇 hr:Missy Elliott id:Missy Elliott it:Missy Elliott he:מיסי אליוט ka:მისი ელიოტი sw:Missy Elliott lt:Missy Elliott nl:Missy Elliott ja:ミッシー・エリオット no:Missy Elliott pl:Missy Elliott pt:Missy Elliott ro:Missy Elliott ru:Элиот, Мисси simple:Missy Elliott sh:Missy Elliott fi:Missy Elliott sv:Missy Elliott th:มิสซี เอลเลียต tr:Missy Elliott

Name	MC Lyte
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Lana Michele Moorer
Born	October 11, 1971Brooklyn, New York
Occupation	Emcee-songwriter, narrator, mentor, actress
Genre	Hip hop, R&B;
Years active	1986–present
Label	DuBose Music GroupFirst Priority MusicElektra Records
Website	MC Lyte.com }}

MC Lyte (born Lana Michele Moorer; October 11, 1971) is an American rapper who first gained fame in the late-1980s becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album with 1988's critically acclaimed ''Lyte as a Rock''.

Early life

Lyte was born Lana Michelle Moorer in 1971. Raised in Brooklyn, Lyte began rapping at the age of 12. Two of her brothers later formed the hip-hop duo, Audio Two, which later helped to collaborate on Lyte's records. Lyte recorded her first song, "I Cram to Understand U (Sam)", in 1986. Lyte had originally written the song in 1984. The song, about a relationship that fell apart due to the protagonist's lover's crack addiction, got her notice from First Priority, who signed Lyte in late 1987. Soon after she was signed with Atlantic Records by its VP Sylvia Rhone.

Musical career

Her first album, ''Lyte as a Rock'', was released in September 1988 and was noted for the hit "Paper Thin" and the battle rap, "10% Dis", which was a response from then-Hurby Azor associate Antoinette. Both rappers released battle records against each other. Lyte followed her debut with 1989's ''Eyes on This'', which spawned the hits "Cha Cha Cha" and "Cappucino". Both albums were notable for Lyte's uncensored lyrical matter. Lyte sweetened up a little on 1991's ''Act Like You Know'', noted for its new jack swing sound and the hit single, "Poor Georgie". Lyte's fourth album, 1993's ''Ain't No Other'', became her first to reach gold status and was notable for her first top 40 pop hit, "Ruffneck". Lyte became a featured artist on hits by Janet Jackson and Brandy in 1994.

Two years afterwards, Lyte's fifth album, ''Bad As I Wanna B'', featured production from Jermaine Dupri and Sean Combs and featured the hits "Keep On, Keepin' On" and "Cold Rock a Party", which featured then up-and-coming rapper, songwriter and producer Missy Elliott. This album was her first with East West Records and became successful after the aforementioned singles became big hits with "Keep On Keepin' On" peaking at the top ten and "Cold Rock a Party" peaking at number-eleven. It was her second gold album. Her 1998 follow-up, ''Seven & Seven'', however, wasn't as successful and she left East West by the end of the decade. Lyte released the independently produced record The Undaground Heat featuring Jamie Foxx , in 2003, notable for the song, "Ride With Me". The single was nominated for both a Grammy and a BET award.

Acting career

Lyte has been featured on television as herself on such shows as ''MTV Unplugged'', ''In Living Color'', ''Moesha'', ''New York Undercover'', ''My Wife and Kids'',and ''Sisters in the Name of Rap''. She has also acted on TV as a character (not as "MC Lyte") in such shows as ''In the House'', ''Get Real'', ''Half & Half'', and ''The District''.

Her first acting role was in 1991, an off Broadway theater play entitled Club Twelve, a Hip-hop twist on The Twelfth Night alongside Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Lisa Nicole Carson. After she acted in a film was in the 1993 movie titled ''Fly by Night'', starring alongside Jeffrey Sams, Ron Brice, and Steve Gomer. Since then she has also starred other films, such as ''A Luv Tale'' (1999), ''Train Ride'' (2000), ''Civil Brand'' (2002) and ''Playa's Ball'' (2003).

Other activities

In 1996 Lyte began what is now a very successful voice over career. She has voiced campaigns with several corporate brands. Lyte also voiced a short-lived BET show called "The Boot" and has just signed on to become a voice for the branding of the ''STARZ'' network.

In 2007 Lyte joined the cast of MTV's Celebrity Rap Superstar and coached Shar Jackson to a hip hop mc victory in a mere 8 weeks. During that same time Lyte hit the road in between shooting and joined The Roots for a nationwide VH1 House of Blues Tour.

She has also recently opened Shaitel, a Los Angeles boutique that specializes in accessories from belts to sunglasses. "We sell a mixture of new and vintage [items]," explains Lyte. "We also have a few signature pieces that are done just for the store. We boast to bring a little New York flavor out here to California."

In February 2006, her diary, as well as a turntable, records, and other assorted ephemera from the early days of hip hop, were donated to the Smithsonian Institution. This collection, entitled "Hip-Hop Won’t Stop: The Beat, The Rhymes, The Life" is a program to assemble objects of historical relevance to the hip hop genre from its inception.

In October 2006, MC Lyte was one of the honored hip hop artists on VH1's annual award show ''Hip Hop Honors''. She was joined by fellow female MC's Da Brat, Remy Ma, and Lil' Kim as they performed some of her tracks, "Cha Cha Cha," "Lyte as a Rock," "Paper-Thin," and "Ruffneck." She previously took part in the MTV reality series ''Celebrity Rap Superstar'' as the mentor of ''Moesha'' actress Shar Jackson. She is also an honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

In 2005, she released two songs produced by Richard "Wolfie" Wolf called "Can I Get It Now" & "Don't Walk Away" (with Meechie), both available at the iTunes store. In 2007, she released a song called "Mad at Me" available at the iTunes store. In 2008, she released two songs called "Juke Joint" (on both UK & US) & "Get Lyte" (exclusive to US) available at the iTunes store. In 2009, she released a song at the iTunes store called "Brooklyn."

MC Lyte's song "My main aim" is the title song for the console and computer game 'NBA Live 2005' by 'EA sports'.

Discography

References

External links

Official website

blog

blog

MC Lyte Interview, 9/15/09

Category:1971 births Category:African American musicians Category:African American rappers Category:Female rappers Category:Living people Category:Musicians from New York Category:People from New York City Category:Rappers from New York City

de:MC Lyte fr:MC Lyte id:MC Lyte sw:MC Lyte pl:MC Lyte pt:MC Lyte

name	Keyshia Cole
background	solo_singer
birth name	Keyshia Myeshia Johnson
alias	KC, The Princess of Hip-Hop Soul
birth date	October 15, 1981
origin	Oakland, California, U.S.
instrument	Vocals
genre	R&B;, hip hop, soul, hip hop soul
occupation	Singer–songwriter, actress
years active	2004–present
label	A&M;, Geffen
associated acts	Snoop Dogg, Pharrell, Monica, Faith Evans, Eve, Jadakiss, Chink Santana, Kanye West, Missy Elliot, Lil' Kim, Amina Harris, Too $hort, Anthony Hamilton, Diddy, Nicki Minaj, Tank, Timbaland
website	www.keyshiacole.com }}

Keyshia Myeshia Cole-Gibson (born October 15, 1981) is an American recording artist from Oakland, California. She gained nationwide success when she released her platinum selling debut, ''The Way It Is'' in June 2005. Her sophomore album ''Just Like You'' came in production shortly after that and was released in September 2007. Her third studio album, ''A Different Me'' was released on December 16, 2008 and is certified Gold for selling 900,000+ units in the United States. She also achieved moderate success for her reality/documentary series ''Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is'' which aired on BET from 2006-2008 which gave a close look at Cole's career and personal life with her biological mother and sister. In December 2010, she released her fourth studio album, Calling All Hearts.

Career

Early life

Keyshia Myeshia Cole was born on October 15, 1981 in Oakland, California, where she was also raised. Cole was born to Francine "Frankie" Lons and Sal, her deceased father. She was later adopted by Yvonne Cole and her husband's family-friends who raised her since the age of two. Along with her brother Sean, Keyshia was first introduced to the music industry at the age of 12, when she met and recorded with MC Hammer. She later formed a friendship with Tupac Shakur, who promised to help start her singing career before he died unexpectedly. Cole moved to Los Angeles when she was 18 to pursue a music career. In 2002, she attracted the attention of A&M; Records executive Ron Fair, who signed her and began mentoring her. She would later release a mixtape in 2004.

Before being signed, Cole collaborated with artists from her native Bay Area, among them D'Wayne Wiggins of Tony Toni Tone and Messy Marv.

In anticipation of her debut album, Keyshia and DJ Green Lantern released a mixtape, ''Team Invasion Presents Keyshia Cole'', in June 2005. It featured appearances by Shyne, Remy Ma, Fat Joe and Ghostface Killah. The mixtape was composed mostly of songs recorded over popular hip-hop instrumentals, including 2Pac's "I Get Around", Nas' "Ether", Mobb Deep's "Shook Ones (Part II)" and Scarface's "Guess Who's Back", among others. The singles "(I Just Want It) To Be Over", a remix of "I Changed My Mind", and "I Should Have Cheated" were also included.

2004–2005: ''The Way It Is''

Cole's debut single, "Never", featuring Eve, was released on March 23, 2004 to promote the soundtrack to the film, ''Barbershop 2: Back in Business''. The single failed to chart, and Cole proceeded to record her debut album for the rest of 2004 and into early 2005. "Never" eventually became the final song on ''The Way It Is''.

On November 9, 2004, Cole released her first single, "I Changed My Mind", featuring Kanye West. The single reached #71 in the US, and was not a huge hit for Cole. The second single from the album, "(I Just Want It) To Be Over", was released on April 5, 2005, and reached #1 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 (#101).

Cole completed her debut album in early 2005. ''The Way It Is'' was released on June 21, 2005. It debuted at number six on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 89,000 copies in the first week of release. It has since sold 1.5 million copies in the US, receiving a Platinum certification from the RIAA.

The third single from the album, "I Should Have Cheated" was released on August 3, 2005, and reached #30 on the Hot 100. The fourth and final single, "Love" was released on January 6, 2006 and reached #19 on the Hot 100. It has been regarded as Cole's "breakthrough single" by many.

2006-2007: ''Just like You''

Cole began work on her second album in early 2006, shortly after the release of her debut album. She was featured on the single "Last Night" by Diddy, which was the third single from his fourth studio album, ''Press Play''. The recording of her second album was documented on her reality TV show, ''Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is'' in late 2006 and early 2007.

Cole's second album, ''Just like You'', was due for a release on July 8, 2007, but wasn't released until September 25, 2007. It featured the singles "Let It Go" featuring Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim, "Shoulda Let You Go" featuring Amina, "I Remember", and "Heaven Sent". Other guest artists included Too $hort, Anthony Hamilton, Young Dro, and T.I.

''Just like You'' debuted at #2 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 281,000 copies in its first week, and has proceeded to sell 1.6 million copies in the US, earning a Platinum certification from the RIAA, like her debut. The album was nominated for four Grammys, Best Contemporary R&B; Album and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2008 Grammy Awards and Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance and Best R&B; Song at the 2009 Grammy Awards, however Cole failed to win any of them.

The lead single from the album, "Let It Go", featuring Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim, was released on June 19, 2007. The single is Cole's most successful single to date, as it reached #7 in the US and #1 on US Hip/Hop R&B; charts. The second single, "Shoulda Let You Go", featuring and introducing Cole's best friend Amina, was released on October 19, 2007, and was mildly successful, by reaching #41 in the US.

The third single from the album, "I Remember" was released on December 5, 2007. The single was highly successful, by reaching #24 in the US. The fourth and final single was the critically acclaimed "Heaven Sent", was released on March 7, 2008. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart for nine weeks, and #28 in the US.

Cole was featured on Jaheim's third single, "I've Changed", off his fourth album, ''The Makings of a Man''.

2008–2009: ''A Different Me''

In 2008, Cole made guest appearances on songs such as "I Got a Thang for You" with rapper Trina on her album ''Still Da Baddest'' and "Boyfriend/Girlfriend" with hip-hop band C-Side on their album ''Class In Session''. She also made a guest appearance in the music video for "She Got Her Own", by singers Ne-Yo Jamie Foxx and in the song "Game's Pain" by Compton-based rapper The Game.

Cole is also featured on the charity song "Just Stand Up", which was released in August 2008 and raises money for cancer research along with various pop, hip-hop, and R&B; artists that year. As a result of SU2C fund raising endeavors, the SU2C scientific advisory committee, overseen by the American Association for Cancer Research was able to award 73.6 million dollars towards novel, groundbreaking cancer research.

Cole embarked on the I Am Music Tour with Keri Hilson, Lil' Wayne, and T-Pain from December 2008 to February 2009.

She released her third studio album, ''A Different Me'', on December 16, 2008. It debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 322,000 copies in its first week. The album has gone on to sell over 950,000+ copies in the US, and 5,000,000+ worldwide receiving a gold certification from the RIAA. The album was preceded by lead single "Playa Cardz Right", featuring the late rapper 2Pac, which was released on October 28, 2008, and reached #63 on the Hot 100. The second single from the album, "You Complete Me", was released on January 20, 2009, and reached #62 on the Hot 100, making the first and second singles mild hits.

Cole released the third and final single from the album, "Trust", a duet with Monica, on May 5, 2009, and reached #5 on the Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and #70 on the US Hot 100. The fourth single from ''A Different Me'' was confirmed as "This is Us", and was due for a release in September 2009, but it was never released.

For promotion towards ''A Different Me'', Cole went on her first headlining tour, A Different Me Tour in summer of 2009 with opening acts, Keri Hilson, The-Dream, and Bobby Valentino.

Cole was on the cover of the March 2009 issue of ''Vibe'', and was on the cover of the Summer 2009 final double-cover issue of ''King''. Keyshia and Yvonne Cole appeared on the June issue of ''Sister 2 Sister'' magazine.

In 2009, she also made a guest appearance on Keri Hilson's "Get Your Money Up" from her debut album ''In a Perfect World…''. Keyshia began work on her fourth studio album in early 2009 also with Jasmyne. In September 2009, Cole was featured on the remix of R. Kelly's single "Number One" along with T-Pain. She is also currently listed as one of the inspirations for Pepsi: We Inspire. Cole also worked with Gucci Mane on the song "Bad, Bad, Bad" from ''The State vs Radric Davis''.

2010-present: ''Calling All Hearts''

On June 27, 2010 she returned to the spotlight for her first televised appearance since the birth of her son, filling in for Hayley Williams to sing the chorus to B.o.B.'s "Airplanes (Part II)", featuring Eminem during the 2010 BET Awards. Cole featured on Faith Evans album ''Something About Faith''.

In August 2009, Keyshia Cole announced that she was beginning work on her fourth studio album ''Calling All Hearts'' which was released on December 21, 2010.

This album contains featured tracks from artists such as Timbaland, Nicki Minaj, Tank and Faith Evans. As a special feature, Cole's mother, Dr. Yvonne Cole, is featured on the album as well. In September 2010, Cole stated that her fourth studio album will be released on December 21, 2010. The album's first single, entitled "I Ain't Thru", features Nicki Minaj and was released by Keyshia herself via Twitter on October 15, 2010. She released the video to "I Ain't Thru" on 106 and Park along with "Long Way Down" which Interscope Records did not release as a commercial single.

In February 2011, Cole released her third single from "Calling All Hearts", Take Me Away, to urban radio after being chosen in a poll by her fans on Twitter. Cole performed the single on January 19, 2011 on Conan" after releasing Imani Entertainment as her management. The single's video, directed by Taj Stansberry, premiered on VEVO on April 18, 2011 and was also released on 106 and Park on the same day. The song has since then peaked on the Billboard US Hot R&B;/Hip Hop Songs at #27.

To promote "Calling All Hearts", Cole was a part of the Love Letter tour with R. Kelly and Marsha Ambrosius.

She has disclosed that her new management is Kevin Liles.

Reality TV

''Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is''

In 2006, BET broadcast a reality show/documentary entitled Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is to show Keyshia's life in making music, touring, and being with her family. Although being a rating success, the show failed to promote her debut, The Way It Is as the album stayed at selling 1.5 million units. In conjunction with her sophomore album release, Just Like You, BET began airing the second season on October 30, 2007. The show premiered to record breaking ratings for BET. It is the top returning series premiere in BET history, as well as the number one original series premiere of the year. A reported 2.9 million viewers and 2.0 million households watched the season 2 finale. It is now the #1 series telecast in BET history. Season 3 of the series was filmed in Summer 2008 and premiered on November 11, 2008 and featured the process of recording and touring for Keyshia's third album, A Different Me. The show was rumored to be having a fourth season, however; Cole has concluded that there will not be a fourth season. On Tuesday, August 25, 2009, Cole's mother and sister debuted their own reality show titled ''Frankie & Neffe'' on BET. Their show's season finale aired on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.

''Family First''

In mid-July, Keyshia tweeted that she, her husband Daniel, and James DeBose will be launching a new reality TV show entitled ''Family First'' which began shooting shortly after the announcement. During the six episode series, Keyshia Cole will be crafting her follow up album to "Calling All Hearts" (2010). "I just kind of lay out all my emotions then we start from there. I usually work with big name producers and stuff like once all from my heart and soul is out that I need to get out," Keyshia said. Aside from a look into the making of her yet to be titled album, Keyshia Cole and husband, Daniel "Boobie" Gibson, plan to re-wed during the taping of Family First.

Personal life

In 2006, Cole dated rapper Young Jeezy, but the relationship ended after she declined a marriage proposal from him.

In March 2009, Cole began dating Daniel Gibson of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. and became engaged to him on January 1, 2010. On February 4, 2010, the pregnant Cole was hospitalized for precautionary reasons. On March 1, 2010 Cole was admitted into the hospital with labor pains. One of Keyshia's closest friends, R&B; singer Monica, confirmed the labor situation via her official twitter page.

On March 2, 2010, Cole gave birth to her first child, a boy, named Daniel Hiram Gibson Jr. On May 21, 2011, Cole and Gibson went to Cleveland for a private wedding ceremony. Cole stated on her Twitter that she is having an official wedding ceremony when she is done with her touring. Cole currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio and Johns Creek, Georgia.

Musical style

Keyshia is known differently for the way she uses her vocals. She is a soprano with a 2.5/3 octave. Her voice is favored because it is said, mostly by critics, that it is powered by angst. She grew up listening to Shirley Murdock, As We Lay being one of her favorites, Tupac, and Janet Jackson. She considers Mary J. Blige and Brandy to be the biggest of her many musical inspirations.

Discography

''The Way It Is'' (2005)

''Just like You'' (2007)

''A Different Me'' (2008)

''Calling All Hearts'' (2010)

Tours

Sweatsuit Tour (opening for Nelly) (2005)

Dreamin' Tour (performing with Young Jeezy) (2007)

Double Up Tour (opening for R.Kelly) (2007)

I Am Music Tour (opening for Lil Wayne) (2008)

A Different Me Tour (headliner) (2009)

Love Letter Tour (opening for R. Kelly) (2011)

Filmography

Television

Year	Title
2005	''All of Us'' (Guest Appearance)
2006	''The Shop'' (Guest Appearance)
2006–2008	''Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is''
	''Snoop Dogg's Father Hood'' (Guest Appearance)
''Paris Hilton's My New BFF'' (Guest Appearance)
''BET's 106 and Park (Guest Appearance)
''BET Awards

Films

''How She Move'' (2008) - Herself

Awards and nominations

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Year	Award/nomination
rowspan="3"	2005
Vibe Award Nomination for ''R&B; Voice of the Year'' & ''Vibe Vixen''
NAACP Image Awards Nomination for ''Best New Artist''
	BET Awards Nomination for ''Best Female R&B; Artist'' & ''Viewer's Choice''
Soul Train Awards Nomination for ''Best Female R&B;/Soul Single'' & ''Best Female R&B;/Soul Album''
American Music Awards Nomination for ''Favorite Female Artist''
	Soul Train Music Awards Nomination for ''Best Female R&B;/Soul Single''
Urban Music Awards Nomination for ''Best Collaboration 2007''
BET Awards Nomination for ''Best Collaboration''
Win ASCAP Award for ''R&B;/Hip Hop Song'' ("Love")
	Grammy Awards Nomination for ''Best Rap/Sung Collaboration'' ("Let It Go")
Grammy Awards Nomination for ''Best Contemporary R&B; Album'' (Just Like You)
BET Awards Nomination for ''Best Female R&B; Artist''
BET Awards Nomination for ''Best Collaboration'' ("Let It Go")
BET Awards Nomination for ''Viewer's Choice Award''
Early Entertainment Awards Win for ''Video of The Week'' (Heaven Sent)
	Grammy Awards Nomination for ''Best R&B; Song'' (Heaven Sent)
Grammy Awards Nomination for ''Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance'' (Heaven Sent)
BET Awards Nomination for ''Best Female R&B; Artist''
American Music Award Nomination for ''Favorite Female R&B;/Soul Artist''
Soul Train Music Award Nomination for ''Best Collaboration'' (Trust feat. Monica)

References

External links

Official website

Category:1981 births Category:African American female singer-songwriters Category:American adoptees Category:American hip hop musicians Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American sopranos Category:Living people Category:Musicians from California Category:People from Oakland, California Category:Reality television participants

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Name	Lil' Kim
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Kimberly Denise Jones
Born	July 11, 1975New York City, New York, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, actress, model
Years active	1994–present
Label	Queen Bee, Universal
Associated acts	Junior M.A.F.I.A., Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Twista, 50 Cent, Scott Storch
Website	}}

Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1975), better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who was a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A..

Jones was born and raised in Brooklyn, living much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. As a teenager, Kim would rap for fun, being heavily influenced by other female MC'S like MC Lyte and Lady of Rage. When word got to The Notorious B.I.G. that she could rhyme, he made the pint sized femcee spit a freestyle for him on the spot. Impressed with her, he took her in and she began her music career in 1995 with the group Junior M.A.F.I.A., whose debut album ''Conspiracy'' generated three hit singles. In late 1996, her solo debut album ''Hard Core'' was released. ''Hard Core'' was certified double platinum and spawned three consecutive #1 rap hits that included: "No Time" "Not Tonight (Ladies Night remix)" and "Crush on You", a record for a female rapper. Her following albums, ''The Notorious K.I.M.'' (2000) and ''La Bella Mafia'' (2003), both were certified platinum by the RIAA, making Kim the only female rapper besides Missy Elliott to have at least 3 platinum albums. Kim solidified her star power in 2001, when "Lady Marmalade", a song Kim was featured on, went to #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. That made her the first female rapper to earn a #1 on that chart. In 2005, she served a year long prison sentence for lying to a jury about her friends' involvement in a shooting four years earlier. During her incarceration, her fourth album ''The Naked Truth'' was released. Lil' Kim returned to the public spotlight in 2009 with an appearance on ''Dancing with the Stars''.

Early life

Jones was born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of the New York City borough Brooklyn to parents Linwood Jones and Ruby Mae. At the age of 9, her parents separated, and her father raised her until he expelled her from home when she was a teenager. Thus, she lived with her friends and even on the streets. While struggling through her personal life, Kim met The Notorious B.I.G., who was a key figure in both her personal and artistic life, particularly when Wallace had gained popularity and influence through his relationship with Bad Boy Records.

Music career

Early career with Junior M.A.F.I.A.

In 1994, B.I.G. was instrumental in introducing and promoting the Brooklyn based group, Junior M.A.F.I.A., which included Lil' Kim. The group's first and only album was titled ''Conspiracy''. Three hit singles came from ''Conspiracy'': "Player's Anthem" (peaked at #7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart and #2 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart), "I Need You Tonight" (#43 R&B;, #12 Rap), and "Get Money" (#17 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, #4 R&B;, #2 Rap). The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified ''Conspiracy'' Gold on December 6, 1995, marking sales of 500,000 units. "Player's Anthem" was Gold, and "Get Money" went Platinum (sales of a million units).

''Hard Core'' (1996)

After a year with Junior M.A.F.I.A., Jones began a solo career by making guest performances on R&B; albums and recording her debut album, ''Hard Core'', which was released in November 1996. The album peaked at #11 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and #3 on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart. ''Hard Core'' was RIAA-certified double platinum on March 14, 2001 after having been certified Gold on January 6, 1997 and Platinum on June 3, 1997. The album's lead single "No Time", a duet with Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs (who would later change his stage name to "P. Diddy" and then "Diddy"), reached the top spot of the ''Billboard'' Hot Rap Tracks chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA. The following single, "Crush on You", reached #6 on the Hot 100 and #2 on the rap chart. A remix of the album's track "Not Tonight" saw Lil' Kim team up with Missy Elliott, Angie Martinez, Da Brat and Left Eye of TLC. The song was part of the soundtrack to the Martin Lawrence movie ''Nothing To Lose'', nominated for a Grammy Award, and certified Platinum. In one stockholders' meeting of Warner Bros. Records, activist C. Delores Tucker criticized the label "for producing this filth," referring to perceived graphic sexual content in Kim's lyrics, and labeling them "gangsta porno rap".

''The Notorious K.I.M.'' (2000-2002)

From 1998 to 2000, Kim continued her road to stardom under the management of B.I.G.'s best friend, Damion "D-Roc" Butler's "Roc Management", touring and modeling for various fashion and pop culture companies including Candies, Versace, Iceberg, and Baby Phat. In 1998, she performed in P. Diddy's "No Way Out" tour. In the same year, she launched her own label Queen Bee Entertainment and even though she had not had an album of her own released, she was seen on dozens of remixes and guest appearances on other artist's records. On June 27, 2000, Kim released her second album ''The Notorious K.I.M.'' The album marked a new image and revamped look for the rapper. Despite the limited success of its singles, the album reached #4 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and #1 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It was certified platinum by the RIAA. It was on this LP that the well-known hip-hop feud between Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown blossmed.

In 2001, Lil' Kim teamed up with Christina Aguilera, Pink, and Mýa to remake "Lady Marmalade", which was originally written about a bordello in New Orleans and performed by the group Labelle (which included diva Patti LaBelle) 25 years earlier. The song was recorded for the ''Moulin Rouge!'' film soundtrack, released in April 2001, and stayed #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for five weeks. The song also went to #1 in 50 countries around the world. This was a big accomplishment for female rap, as well as for Kim, who scored her first #1 Hot 100 hit and became the first female rapper in history to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. "Lady Marmalade" also garnered Kim her first Grammy Award.

Lil' Kim also performed in two international hit singles. "In the Air Tonite", a remix of the Phil Collins song "In the Air Tonight" and duet with Collins, was released as a single from the Collins tribute album ''Urban Renewal''. "Kimnotyze" is the lead single of record producer DJ Tomekk's compilation album ''Beat Of Life, Vol 1''. It was released in Switzerland, Austria and Germany only. The song was successful, becoming Lil' Kim's third consecutive Top 10 hit in Germany after her number 1 hit "Lady Marmalade".

In 2002, Lil' Kim recorded a new entrance theme for then World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Women's Champion Trish Stratus entitled, "Time to Rock 'n Roll", which was used during broadcasts, until Stratus' retirement. The single was released on ''WWE Anthology'', a compilation of entrance theme music to various professional wrestling superstars.

''La Bella Mafia'' (2003)

On March 4, 2003, Kim released her third critically acclaimed album, ''La Bella Mafia''. Highly rated (4.5 mics) by music magazine ''The Source'', ''La Bella Mafia'' spawned the hit "The Jump Off" featuring Mr. Cheeks, which climbed to number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The single "Magic Stick", feat. 50 Cent, hit #2 on the Hot 100 without a video ever being shot.

''La Bella Mafia'' debuted at #5 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Kim was nominated for five Source Awards and won two ("Female Hip-Hop Artist of the Year", and "Female Single of the Year"). This album also got two Grammy Award nominations: Best Female Rap Solo Performance ("Came Back For You") and Best Rap Collaboration ("Magic Stick"). She was also nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with singer Christina Aguilera for the song "Can't Hold Us Down", from Aguilera's album ''Stripped''.

Greg Thomas, an English professor at Syracuse University, began teaching "Hip-Hop Eshu: Queen B@#$H Lyricism 101". Kim herself was a guest speaker at the school. Professor Thomas considered Kim's lyrics "the art with the most profound sexual politics I've ever seen anywhere." David Horowitz criticized the course as "academic degeneracy and decline". Lil' Kim also made an appearance on the multi-platform videogame ''Def Jam: Fight for NY.'' Kim provided voice-overs for her part in the storyline, where the player may fight an opponent to have Lil' Kim as his girlfriend.

''The Naked Truth'' (2005-2008)

Kim released a fourth album, ''The Naked Truth,'' on September 27, 2005, while serving a federal prison sentence (see below). It earned her a 5 mic rating from ''The Source'', making her the only female rapper to ever receive a 5 mic rating. The album debuted at #6 on the ''Billboard'' 200 charts, giving Kim her Third Top 10 debut on the charts. ''The Naked Truth'' did not sell as well as her previous works, selling less than 400,000 copies. Kim has said that her prison sentence left her with no time to promote the project. There have been many rumors about a re-release of ''Truth'' but to no avail.The music video for ''The Naked Truth'''s first single, "Lighters Up" was number one on BET's ''106 & Park'' for two weeks. "Lighters Up", was a Top Ten hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The single also reached #76 on the German Single Chart, #12 on the UK Top 75 and #4 on the Finland Single Chart. The second single, "Whoa" was released on February 17, 2006. It reached No. 22 on Airplay. ''The Dance Remixes'' extended play was also released in 2005. Kim also made appearances on the show Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search For The Next Doll and Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious in 2007 and 2008. ''Ms. G.O.A.T.'', an acronym for "''Greatest Of All Time''", is the debut mixtape by Lil' Kim. It was officially released on June 3, 2008 and was produced by Mister Cee and DJ Whoo Kid, DJ's from New York City. Among critics, the album has received generally positive reviews. It has been called a representation of Lil' Kim's return to the streets. Tito Salinas of ''All Hip Hop'' says "Lil’ Kim shows that her time behind bars did not rust all of her swag away" on ''Ms. G.O.A.T.'' On the other hand, Ehren Gresehover of ''New York Mag'' says that although one of the tracks "The Miseducation of Lil' Kim" is not bad, he wished that it was Lauryn Hill who was making a comeback instead.

''5th Studio Album'' (2009-present)

On March 10, 2009, the song "Girls" by the Korean singer, Seven featuring Lil' Kim was released through digital stores for his U.S. debut single. Kim appeared in the music video that was released on the same day. "Girls" was produced by Darkchild. On March 24, 2009, Kim released the song "Download" featuring R&B; singers T-Pain and Charlie Wilson. It was written by Lil Kim and T-Pain and produced by Trackmasters. The song samples "Computer Love" by Zapp. Peaking at number 21 on the Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It eventually made it to the top 10 US Urban Radio airplay and climbed to #10. In December 2010, Kim filmed music videos for the second and third singles from her fifth studio album releasing in 2011.

Kim confirmed in January, 2011 that she would be releasing her next album which is currently untitled in 2011. Kim is working with producer Dr. Dre and 50 Cent on her album. Kim is expected to make a guest appearance on a track from 50 Cent's upcoming studio album as well as Dr. Dre's 2011 album Detox and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins' album ''Still Cool''. Kim released a mixtape titled Black Friday on February 14, 2011. In a recent radio interview at 99 Jamz, Kim stated that her upcoming book, "The Price of Loyalty", is on hold to coincide with the release of her fifth studio album, to be release in the next coming months. It was announced by Kim that the upcoming and lead single to her next studio album, is titled "Looks Like Money", and is produced by Rockwilder. On June 19, Kim preformed along side G-Unit member Shawty Lo and hinted a possible working relationship with G-Unit Records. Kim is also featured along with Rick Ross on a track titled "Anything (To Find You)", by R&B; singer Monica, off her upcoming album "New Life", but her verse was removed due to contractual issues.

Other ventures

Lil Kim: Countdown to Lockdown

On March 9, BET premiered the show ''Lil Kim: Countdown to Lockdown,'' which was filmed before Kim headed to prison. The show became the highest rated premiere in BET history, with 1.7 million viewers. In May 2006, Debbie Harry released a Lil' Kim tribute song called "Dirty and Deep" in protest of her conviction. The song is available free from the Deborah Harry Home Page.

Dancing With the Stars

Lil' Kim appeared on the eighth season reality show ''Dancing with the Stars,'' which began airing on March 9, 2009. She was paired with professional dancer Derek Hough until the dance couple was eliminated on May 5, 2009, putting her at fifth place from all thirteen contestants that season. During the second week of the season, judge Len Goodman said that she "''must have a bionic booty''," a nickname that came due to her performance of the selected dance that evening.

Legal issues

On March 17, 2005, Kim was convicted of three counts of conspiracy and one count of perjury for lying to a Federal grand jury about her friends' involvement in a 2001 shooting outside the Hot 97 studios in Manhattan. During the trial of her co-manager, Damion "D-Roc" Butler, and her bodyguard, Suif "Gutta" Jackson, a former member of the hip-hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A, she testified not to have known they were at the scene. However, video footage from a security placed all three at the scene, exiting the building. This directly contravened testimony before the grand jury. Butler and Jackson have since pled guilty to gun charges. Jackson was sentenced, in U.S. District Court, to twelve years in federal prison as part of plea bargain in which he admitted to firing at least twenty rounds during the incident. The length of the sentence was said to have been influenced by his previous gun-related convictions. In July 2005, Kim was sentenced to a one year and a day in prison, thirty days home detention upon release from custody, and three years of probation. She served the entirety of her sentence at the Federal Detention Center, Philadelphia in Center City, Philadelphia. She was released on July 3, 2006, after serving approximately 10 months. Kim, Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Register #56198-054, was released from BOP supervision on August 2, 2006.

Discography

''Hard Core'' (1996)

''The Notorious K.I.M.'' (2000)

''La Bella Mafia'' (2003)

''The Naked Truth'' (2005)

TBA (2011)

Filmography

;Films {|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role |- |1997 |''Gangstresses'' |Herself |- |1999 |''She's All That'' |Alex |- |2001 |''Zoolander'' |Herself |- |2002 |''Juwanna Mann'' |Tina Parker |- |rowspan="2"|2003 |''Those Who Walk in Darkness'' |Soledad |- |''Gang of Roses'' |Chastity |- |rowspan="2"|2004 |''Nora's Hair Salon'' |Herself |- |''You Got Served'' |Herself |- |rowspan="2"|2005 |''Lil' Pimp'' |Sweet Chiffon (voice) |- |''There's a God on the Mic'' |Herself |- |2008 |''Superhero Movie'' |Xavier's daughter |}

;Television

''V.I.P. (as freedom fighter) (1999)

''DAG'' (as Gina Marie) (2001)

''Moesha'' (as Diamond) (2001)

''The Parkers'' (as herself) (2001)

''American Dreams as Shirley Ellis (October 12, 2003)

''Lil Kim: Countdown to Lockdown'' (2006)

''The Game'' (as herself) (2007)

''Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll'' (2007)

''Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious'' (2008)

''Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 8)'' (2009)

Awards

Grammy Awards

*1997: Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Ladies Night (Not Tonight remix)" (with Missy Elliott, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Da Brat, and Angie Martinez) (nominated)

*2002: Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Lady Marmalade" (WINNER)

*2003: Best Female Rap Solo Performance for "Came Back for You" (nominated)

*2003: Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Can't Hold Us Down" (with Christina Aguilera) (nominated)

*2003: Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Magic Stick" (with 50 Cent) (nominated)

*2008: Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let It Go" (with Keyshia Cole & Missy Elliott) (nominated)

MTV Video Music Awards

*1998: Viewer's Choice for "All About The Benjamins" (with P. Diddy and others)

*2001: Video of the Year for "Lady Marmalade"

*2001: Best Video from a Film for "Lady Marmalade"

My VH1 Awards

*2001: Favorite Video ("Lady Marmalade")

*2001: Is It Hot In Here Or Is It Just My Video? ("Lady Marmalade")

Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards

*1997: Best Video by a Female - Rap/R&B; ("Crush On You")

*1999: Best Video by a Female - Rap/R&B; ("Not Tonight (remix)")

Source Awards

*2003: Female Artist of the Year

*2003: Female Single of the Year "The Jumpoff"

Teen Choice Awards

*2001: Choice Song of the Summer ("Lady Marmalade")

MOBO Awards

*2003: Most Stylish Artist of the Year

Radio Music Awards

*2001: Song of the Year Top 40 Pop Radio-"Lady Marmalade"

TMF Awards-Belgium

*2001: Video of The Year-"Lady Marmalade"

TMF Awards-Netherlands

*2001: Video of The Year-"Lady Marmalade"

ALMA Awards

*2002: Outstanding Song- Motion Picture Soundtrack "Lady Marmalade"

ASCAP Music Awards

*2002: Song of the Year-"Lady Marmalade"

MTV Japan Awards

*2002: Best Choreography "Lady Marmalade"

MVPA Video Awards

*2002: Best Styling In A Video-"Lady Marmalade"

VIBE Awards

2005: Album of the Year ''The Naked Truth'' (nominated)

BET Awards

*2006: Best Female Hip-Hop Artist (nominated)

*2008: Best Song "Let It Go" (nominated)

*2010: Best Female Hip-Hop Artist (nominated)

American Music Awards

*2003: Best Female Hip-Hop Artist

*2005: Best Female Hip-Hop Artist (nominated)

References

External links

Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century American criminals Category:American dance musicians Category:American perjurors Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Female rappers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Pseudonymous rappers

cs:Lil Kim da:Lil' Kim de:Lil’ Kim es:Lil' Kim fr:Lil' Kim fy:Lil' Kim ko:릴킴 it:Lil' Kim nl:Lil' Kim ja:リル・キム no:Lil' Kim nn:Lil' Kim pl:Lil' Kim pt:Lil' Kim ro:Lil' Kim ru:Lil’ Kim simple:Lil' Kim fi:Lil' Kim sv:Lil' Kim tr:Lil' Kim

name	Katy Perry
background	solo_singer
birth name	Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson
alias	Katy Hudson
birth date	October 25, 1984
birth place	Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
genre	Pop, rock, gospel
occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano
years active	2001–present
label	Red Hill, Island, Columbia, Capitol
website	}}

Katy Perry (born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson; October 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents. Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a career in music. As Katy Hudson, she released a self-titled gospel album in 2001, which was unsuccessful. She later recorded an album with production team The Matrix and completed the majority of a solo album from 2004–05, the later of which was never released. Perry is the first female artist to get five hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in one year.

After signing with Capitol Music Group in 2007, her fourth record label in seven years, she adopted the stage name Katy Perry and released her first Internet single "Ur So Gay" that November, which garnered public attention but failed to chart. She rose to fame with the release of her second single "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008, which went on to top international charts. Perry's first mainstream studio album ''One of the Boys'' followed later that year and subsequently became the 33rd-best selling album worldwide of 2008. It was accredited platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America, while "I Kissed a Girl" and her second single "Hot n Cold" both received multi-platinum certifications.

Her second studio album ''Teenage Dream'' was released in August 2010 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album included the Billboard chart-toppers "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", and "E.T." and most recently "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". The album produced five Hot 100 toppers, making ''Teenage Dream'' only the second album—after Michael Jackson's ''Bad''—to do so. With "E.T." at number one on the chart of May 12, 2011, Perry became the first artist in history to spend 52 consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Perry was a guest judge on the seventh series of British television show ''The X Factor'', has released a fragrance called "Purr", and voices Smurfette in the 2011 film ''The Smurfs''. Perry had a long relationship with Travie McCoy; she married Russell Brand on October 23, 2010.

Early life and career

1984–2006: Early life and career beginnings

Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in Santa Barbara, California to Keith, a West Coast scenester in the 1960s, and Mary Hudson (née Perry), an evangelist who grew up in Southern California and had "a tempestuous first marriage in Zimbabwe". Perry has German, Portuguese, Irish, and English ancestry. She is the second child of two pastors. She has an older sister and younger brother. Perry's mother's aunt and uncle were screenwriter Eleanor Perry and director Frank Perry.

Perry was incorporated into her parents' ministry and sang in their church between the ages of nine and seventeen. She grew up listening to gospel music, was not allowed to listen to what her mother called "secular music", and attended Christian schools and camps. As a child, Perry learned how to dance in a recreation building in Santa Barbara. She was taught by seasoned dancers and began with swing, Lindy Hop, and jitterbug. She took her GED after her freshman year at Dos Pueblos High School and decided to leave school in the pursuit of a career in music. Perry initially started singing "because [she] was at that point in [her] childhood where [she] was copycatting [her] sister and everything she [would do]." Her sister practiced with cassette tapes, while Perry took the tapes herself when her sister was not around. She rehearsed the songs and performed them in front of her parents, who suggested she take vocal coaching. She grabbed the opportunity and began taking lessons at the age of nine and continued until she was sixteen. She later enrolled in at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and studied Italian opera for a short period of time.

At the age of 15, Perry's singing in church attracted the attention of rock veterans from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to polish her writing skills. In Nashville, Perry started recording demos and was taught by country music veterans on how to craft songs and play guitar. Perry signed to the Christian music label Red Hill, under which she recorded her first album at the age of 15. Performing as Katy Hudson, she released the self-titled Gospel-rock album in 2001. The album was unsuccessful, however, after the label ceased operations at the end of 2001. She later changed her surname to Perry, her mother's maiden name, because "Katy Hudson" was too close to film actress Kate Hudson.

At the age of 17, Perry left her home for Los Angeles, where she worked with Glen Ballard on an album for record label Island. Growing up listening to mostly gospel music, Perry had few references when she began recording songs. Asked by the producer with whom she would like to collaborate, Perry had no idea. That night, she went with her mother to a hotel. Inside, she turned on VH1 and saw producer Glen Ballard talking about Alanis Morissette; Ballard produced Morissette's ''Jagged Little Pill'', which had had a "huge influence" on Perry. She expressed interest in working with Ballard to her initial collaborator, who arranged a meeting for her with Ballard in Los Angeles. Perry presented one her songs to Ballard, and received a call back a day later. Ballard then helped Perry develop her songwriting over the next few years. The album was due for release in 2005, but ''Billboard'' reported it also went nowhere. Perry was dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group. Some of Perry and Ballard's collaborations included "Box", "Diamonds" and "Long Shot", were posted on her official MySpace page. "Simple", one of the songs she recorded with Ballard, was released on the soundtrack to the 2005 film ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants''.

Perry signed to Columbia Records in 2004. However, the label was not amenable with her vision, not putting her in the "driver's seat". Instead, one of Columbia's ideas was to pair Perry with the record production team The Matrix, who was working on an album, to serve as its female vocalist. Although the album was later shelved, she caught the attention of the music press: Her burgeoning music career led to her being named "The Next Big Thing" in October 2004 by ''Blender'' magazine. With no album project ongoing, Perry began recording her own. Eighty percent completed, however, Columbia decided not to finish it and dropped her off the label. While waiting to find another label, she worked in an independent A&R; company called Taxi Music. In 2006, Perry was featured in the tail-end of the video to P.O.D.'s single "Goodbye for Now". She made a cameo appearance in Carbon Leaf's video, "Learn to Fly". She also appeared in other videos like Timbaland's "If We Ever Meet Again" and more. There were other videos she was included in too.

2007–09: ''One of the Boys'' and ''MTV Unplugged''

While in the process of being dropped by Columbia in 2006, the company's publicity executive Angelica Cob-Baehler enthusiastically recommended Perry to Virgin Records chairman Jason Flom. At the time Flom was leading a complete revival in fortunes at the label and looking to crown recent achievements by breaking a global pop act. Despite mixed reactions from fellow Virgin executives, Flom became convinced that Perry could be that breakthrough star, and at the start of 2007 extended discussions with Columbia resulted in Katy Perry signing to the newly created Capitol Music Group, a merger between Virgin and Capitol. As part of the deal, the label secured the masters to the unfinished album, recorded while at Columbia, that would go on form a significant part of her official mainstream debut album, ''One of the Boys''. The Columbia recordings were seen by Flom as being "very strong but lacking an undeniable smash or two that would work both at U.S. pop radio and internationally" and so one of the executive's first actions after completing the signing was to set up a collaboration between Perry and the writer-producer Dr. Luke. The results were the songs "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold". Establishing her image was one of the immediate concerns of her management. A campaign was started in November 2007 with the release of the video to "Ur So Gay", aimed at introducing her to the music market. A digital EP led by "Ur So Gay" was later released to create online buzz and press story. This was a successful move that resulted in bringing Perry to the attention of Madonna, who mentioned her on KISS FM and KRQ's ''JohnJay & Rich'' morning show in Arizona. On March 10, 2008, she appeared as herself on the ABC Family television series, ''Wildfire'', on the episode "Life's Too Short".

She went on the next step of promoting the album, undertaking a two-month tour of radio stations. The album's official lead single, "I Kissed a Girl", was released on May 6, 2008. Perry's A&R;, Chris Anokute, told HitQuarters the song and its controversial theme met with strong resistance at the label, "People said, 'This is never going to get played on the radio. How do we sell this? How’s this going to be played in the bible belt?'" Anokute said that they needed the support of one of the label's radio promoters to convince people to believe in the record otherwise Perry would have likely been dropped again. Capitol's SVP of Promotions Dennis Reese saw the vision and helped push the single on national radio. The first station to pick it up and take a chance was The River in Nashville. After playing it for three days they were innundated with enthusiastic calls. With the song climbing atop the charts, Perry embarked on the annual Warped Tour music festival, which her management used to "establish her as a credible performer and make sure she wasn't seen as just a one-hit wonder." The single was a commercial success, peaking at number one for seven weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It has since become a major worldwide hit, topping charts in 30 countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. On June 12, 2008, Perry appeared as herself on the daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', posing for the cover to the June 2008 issue of the fictional magazine ''Restless Style''. Perry also performed backing vocals on the song, "Another Night in the Hills" from Gavin Rossdale's 2008 solo album ''Wanderlust''.

''One of the Boys'' was released on June 17, 2008 to mixed critical reviews. The album has reached number nine on the ''Billboard'' 200, and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Perry released her second single, "Hot n Cold", which became her second top three single in dozens of countries around the world, including the United States where it reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as well as topping the charts in Germany, Canada, and Denmark. After Perry wrapped up her appearance at the Warped Tour, she went on tours in Europe. She later launched her first headlining tour, the Hello Katy Tour, in January 2009. "I Kissed a Girl" earned Perry a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Perry was nominated in five categories at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best New Artist and Best Female Video, but lost to Britney Spears. She won Best New Act at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, which she co-hosted, and Best International Female Artist at the 2009 BRIT Awards. On February 9, 2009, both "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold" were certified three-time platinum by Recording Industry Association of America for individual digital sales of over three million. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Perry in its 2010 version as the "Best Start on the US Digital Chart by a Female Artist," for having her first two singles sell over two million digital copies.

The Matrix's self-titled debut album, which features Perry, was later released via the team's label, Let's Hear It, during Perry's solo tour. When the release date was scheduled, "I Kissed a Girl" had been charting well. Matrix member Lauren Christy spoke to Perry about the decision, but she wanted to hold the release until the fourth single of ''One of the Boys'' had been dispatched. Despite their communication, ''The Matrix'' was released on January 27, 2009, via iTunes Store. thumb|left|upright|Perry performing in June 2009 In December 2008, Perry apologized to British singer Lily Allen for remarks in which she called herself a "skinnier version" of her, saying she meant it as a joke. Allen retaliated and told a British radio station that she "happen[ed] to know for a fact that she [Perry] was an American version" of her because their record company needed "to find something controversial and 'kooky'" like her.

On May 16, 2009, Perry performed at the opening ceremony of the annual Life Ball in Vienna, Austria. In June 2009, lawyers acting for Katy Perry opposed the recent trademark of Australian fashion designer Katie Perry who uses her own name to market loungewear. Some media outlets reported this as a lawsuit, which Katy Perry has denied on her blog. Katie Perry the designer reports on her blog that at a hearing with IP Australia on July 10, 2009, the singer's lawyers withdrew their opposition to the trademark. During the summer of 2009 Perry filmed a cameo appearance for ''Get Him to the Greek''; her scene, in which she kisses her future fiancé Russell Brand was cut, and does not appear in the final film. Discussing the issue with MTV, Perry hypothesized there may have been some fear that seeing the two make out would have taken viewers out of the experience. In 2009, Perry was featured on two singles: a remix of Colorado-based band 3OH!3's song "Starstrukk" in August (the idea for the collaboration came after Perry's tour that featured 3OH!3 as the supporting act). The song was released over iTunes on September 8, 2009; and "If We Ever Meet Again", the fourth single off Timbaland's album ''Shock Value II'' in December. In October 2009, ''MTV Unplugged'' revealed that Perry was one of the artists to perform for them, and that she would be releasing a live album of the performance, including two new tracks, "Brick by Brick" and Fountains of Wayne cover "Hackensack". The album was released on November 17, and includes both a CD and a DVD.

2010–present: ''Teenage Dream'' and Film debut

Perry appeared as a guest judge alongside Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh during the Dublin audition stage of the seventh series of the British television show ''The X Factor'' on June 28, 2010 (later televised on August 28). She was one of the many celebrities chosen to fulfil the role of judge whilst Dannii Minogue was on maternity leave. She later returned to the show on October 17 to perform "Firework". Perry's second mainstream studio album was titled ''Teenage Dream'' and was released in August 2010. The first single from the album was titled "California Gurls". The single peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was the fastest rising single from a Capitol Records artist since Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" in 1967. The cover art for ''Teenage Dream'' is a painting by Will Cotton in which depicts Perry lying naked on clouds of cotton candy; resembling the shots of Perry in the video for "California Gurls". The booklet of the physical edition of the album, in keeping with the theme of cotton candy, has a cotton candy scent. The album's second single "Teenage Dream" was released in July 2010. "Firework" is the album's third single.

Perry appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. She was nominated for two awards, including the Best Female Video and Best Pop Video for "California Gurls", and presented the award of "Best Male Video" with Nicki Minaj to Eminem. On September 14, she returned to her old high school, Dos Pueblos High School, where she performed a short set for the school's students. Perry performed "Hot n Cold" with Elmo from ''Sesame Street'', which was originally to appear on the forty-first-season premiere of the educational children's program on September 27, 2010. However, four days before the scheduled airing, Sesame Workshop announced, "In light of the feedback we've received on the Katy Perry music video ... we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of ''Sesame Street'', which is aimed at preschoolers. Katy Perry fans will still be able to view the video on YouTube." The main reason was that parents complained about what appeared to be a great amount of cleavage shown by her dress. Perry shot the video for ''Firework'' in Budapest in September 2010. An open casting call drew an unprecedented 38,000 applicants. She proceeded to perform at a concert in Budapest on October 1, her first concert in Central and Eastern Europe. Perry released a perfume named "Purr" in November. It comes in a cat-shaped bottle, and is available through Nordstrom stores. ''Teenage Dream'' led Perry to nominations four awards at the 2011 Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Teenage Dream", and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "California Gurls". Following the Grammys, Perry released "E.T." as the fourth single from the album. The single was a remixed version featuring Kanye West. The music video for "E.T." was directed by Floria Sigismondi and features Shaun Ross as the main love interest. In June 2011, Perry released the fifth single, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". A remixed version featuring American rapper Missy Elliot was released in early August. The single has topped U.S. download and radio charts. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 on August 17, 2011, making Perry the first female artist ever to have five #1 singles from one album. Katy Perry appeared at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2011. She was nominated for ten awards, received the most nominations of the ceremony and was the only singer in history to have four different music videos shown on various categories, eventually winning three of those, including Video of the Year for "Firework", Best Collaboration and Best Special Effects for "E.T.".

On September 17, 2011, Perry hits the 69th consecutive weeks in the Top 10.

On September 23 she attended the opening day of the 2011 Rock in Rio festival, which was extended to October 2. During the show, produced one of the most striking scenes of the event, when he called to the scene ''Júlio César de Salvo'', a fan who was an anonymous until then. The man, who became known as "''Júlio de Sorocaba''", became an instant celebrity when he was "harassed" by the singer with a kiss, getting the opportunity to give back also one another. The fact made ​​headlines in most Brazilian television news programs, including the Fantástico and the Jornal Nacional, including therefore becoming a trend topic, not just in Twitter, but at Internet in general.

Artistry

Musical style and themes

Perry has a contralto vocal range. Perry's first album is of the gospel music genre. She related that her perspective in music was "a bit enclosed and very strict", and everything she did was church-related. Her second album, ''One of the Boys'', is described as "secular" and "rock," and reflects a departure from her religious musical roots. Her next album ''Teenage Dream'' featured more pop songs in the vein of ''Boys''. Among Perry's musical influences are Alanis Morissette, pop rockers Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Shirley Manson, and Freddie Mercury, the late frontman of the British band Queen. In her tribute to Mercury on what would have been his 65th birthday, Perry stated; "Without you I wouldn't be making music or doing what I do because your lyrics inspired me as a 15 year old girl." She was especially inspired by the Queen song, "Killer Queen" to pursue a career in pop music after her first album. She also described Morissette's album, ''Jagged Little Pill'' as having influenced her music profoundly; even going on to work with Morissette's collaborator on the album, Glen Ballard because of that.

Perry is artistically involved in her projects, especially in the writing process. Since she could play guitar, she would start writing songs at home and present it to her producers. Perry is mostly inspired by specific moments of her life. She said it is easy for her to write songs about heartbreak. Most of the themes in ''One of the Boys'' deal with heartbreak, teen adventure, and "puking into toilets". Perry's mother reportedly told British tabloid ''Daily Mail'' that she dislikes her daughter's music, calling it "shameful and disgusting". Perry said her mother was misquoted and told MTV that it was false information. Her songs "Ur So Gay" and "I Kissed a Girl" have received negative reactions from both religious and gay sectors. The songs have been respectively labeled as being homophobic and promoting homosexuality, as well as "lez ploitational". MTV mentioned criticism suggesting that Perry is using "bi-curiosity" as a way to sell records. Perry responded to the controversy surrounding "Ur So Gay": "It's not a negative connotation. It's not, 'you're so gay,' like, 'you're so lame,' but the fact of the matter is that this boy should've been gay. I totally understand how it could be misconstrued or whatever ... It wasn't stereotyping anyone in particular, I was talking about ex-boyfriends."

Public image

Perry is known for her unconventional style of dress. It is often humorous, bright in color, and reminiscent of different decades, and she frequently used fruit-shaped accessories, mainly watermelon, as part of her outfits. Since the Teenage Dream era, Perry has included more glamorous and food-related outfits in her wardrobe. Having learned dancing at an early age, she fantasized about having her own style. Perry's transformation into an artist began with fashion, inspired by American film actress Dominique Swain's portrayal in 1997 film adaptation of the novel ''Lolita''. She defines her fashion style as "a bit of a concoction of different things". Johnny Wujek, Perry's stylist, described her style, upon meeting her for the first time, as "very colorful and vintage". Her fashion has caught the attention of designers. In June 2008, a publicity photo that showed Perry posing with a switchblade was criticized. The picture was defended as only an effort to give Perry a "sexy, harder edge". The criticism leveled at her was mocked by Perry who subsequently posed with a spoon instead. She has appeared in FHM Magazine's 100 Sexiest Women poll twice, ranking at No.23 in 2009 and No.37 in 2010.

She was ranked 7th in ''Rolling Stone'''s global Queen of Pop poll in July 2011.

Personal life

Perry has been generally associated with three men: Matt Thiessen, Travie McCoy, and Russell Brand. She dated Relient K frontman Matt Thiessen for a few years. Thiessen has worked on Teenage Dream. Perry dated Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy, whom she met in a recording studio in New York. They broke up in December 2008.

Perry first met British comedian Russell Brand in the summer of 2009 when Perry filmed a cameo appearance for Brand's film ''Get Him to the Greek''. Perry and Brand began dating after meeting again in September 2009 at the MTV Video Music Awards, where Brand, as host, remarked, "Katy Perry didn't win an award and she's staying at the same hotel as me, so she's gonna need a shoulder to cry on. So in a way, I'm the real winner tonight." The couple became engaged in December 2009 while vacationing in India. Perry stated that she plans to take dual British citizenship. "One of the first things I'll do is apply for dual citizenship. I'm not too sure if I have to take a test as I've not had time to look into it. But England is like my second home". Perry and Brand married on October 23, 2010 in a traditional Hindu ceremony near the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan, India, where Brand had proposed.

In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'' she said, "I am sensitive to Russell taking the Lord's name in vain and to Lady Gaga putting a rosary in her mouth. I think when you put sex and spirituality in the same bottle and shake it up, bad things happen."

Discography

''Katy Hudson'' (2001)

''One of the Boys'' (2008)

''Teenage Dream'' (2010)

Tours

Warped Tour 2008 (2008)

Hello Katy Tour (2009)

California Dreams Tour (2011)

Filmography

Television

!Year	!Title	!Role	Notes
	''''	Herself	Episode 8914
	Herself
	''American Idol''	Guest judge
	Guest judge
''Sesame Street''	Herself	Online special (deleted from televised episode due to viewer controversy)
''The Simpsons''	Herself	1 episode, "The Fight Before Christmas"
2011	''How I Met Your Mother''	Honey	1 episode, "Oh Honey"
2011	''America's Got Talent''	Guest Judge	July 27 (Season 6, Qtr Finals 3 results)

Films

!Year	!Title	!Role	class="unsortable"	Notes
	''Get Him to the Greek''	Herself	Deleted sceneUncredited
''Out in the Desert''	Herself	Post-production
	2011		Smurfette	Voice

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from California Category:American bloggers Category:American Christians Category:American contraltos Category:American dance musicians Category:American female guitarists Category:American female pop singers Category:American film actors Category:American musicians of German descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Portuguese descent Category:American pop rock singers Category:American pop singer-songwriters Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Brit Award winners Category:Capitol Records artists Category:English-language singers Category:Female rock singers Category:Musicians from California Category:People from Santa Barbara, California Category:Singers from California Category:The X Factor judges

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