Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Eddie Murphy
birth name	Edward Regan Murphy
birth date	April 03, 1961
birth place	Brooklyn, New York, United States
medium	Film, Television, Stand-up, Music, Books
nationality	American
active	1976–present
genre	Observational comedy, Musical comedy, Black comedy, Satire, Physical comedy
subject	Race relations, Racism, African American culture, Marriage, Everyday life, Current events, Pop culture, Human sexuality
influences	Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Peter Sellers, Redd Foxx
spouse	Nicole Mitchell (1993–2006) (divorced) 5 childrenTracey Edmonds (2008) (annulled)
domesticpartner	Melanie Brown (2006–07) 1 child
othername	Fred Braughton, Edward "Eddie" Regan Murphy, Edie Murphy, Edward Regan Murphy, Eddy Murphy
notable work	Axel Foley in ''Beverly Hills Cop'' Various on ''Saturday Night Live''''Shrek'' series
website	}}

Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician.

Box office takes from Murphy's films makes him the second-highest grossing actor in the United States. He was a regular cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1980 to 1984 and has worked as a stand-up comedian. He was ranked #10 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.

He has received Golden Globe Award nominations for his performances in ''48 Hrs'', ''Beverly Hills Cop'' series, ''Trading Places'', and ''The Nutty Professor''. In 2007, he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of soul singer James "Thunder" Early in ''Dreamgirls''.

Murphy's work as a voice actor includes Thurgood Stubbs in ''The PJs'', Donkey in the ''Shrek'' series and the dragon Mushu in Disney's ''Mulan''. In some of his films, he plays multiple roles in addition to his main character, intended as a tribute to one of his idols Peter Sellers, who played multiple roles in ''Dr. Strangelove'' and elsewhere. Murphy has played multiple roles in ''Coming to America'', Wes Craven's ''Vampire In Brooklyn'', the ''Nutty Professor'' films (where he played the title role in two incarnations, plus his father, brother, mother, and grandmother), ''Bowfinger'', and 2007's ''Norbit''.

Early life

Murphy grew up in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Lillian, was a telephone operator, and his father, Charles Edward Murphy, was a transit police officer and an amateur actor and comedian. His father died when he was young. When Murphy's single mom became ill, the eight-year-old Eddie Murphy and his older brother lived in foster care for one year. In interviews, the actor and comedian says that his time in foster care was influential in developing his sense of humour. Later Murphy and his older brother Charlie were raised in Roosevelt, New York by his mother and stepfather Vernon Lynch, a foreman at an ice cream plant. Around the age of 15, Murphy was writing and performing his own routines, which were heavily influenced by Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor.

Career

Stand-up comedy

Murphy performed stand-up at the same Bay Area Comedy Club as Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg. His early comedy was characterized by frequent swearing and sketches lampooning a diverse group of people (including WASPs, African Americans, Italian Americans, overweight people, and gays). This racy content was akin to that of Richard Pryor, whom Murphy has credited as his inspiration to enter comedy; however, in his autobiography, ''Pryor Convictions'', Pryor wrote that he found Murphy's comedy at times excessively insensitive. Murphy later apologized for insensitive jokes about gays and HIV. The stand-up shows ''Delirious'' and ''Raw'' have been recorded and released.

1980s acting career

Murphy first earned attention as a regular actor at ''Saturday Night Live'', and was credited with helping revitalize the series during its first true slump in quality in the early 1980s. Some of his notable characters included a grown version of the Little Rascals character Buckwheat, impoverished but street-wise children's show host Mr. Robinson (a spoof of Fred Rogers, who found it amusing), and Gumby, a harshly cynical version of the animated character; Murphy's take on the latter character spawned one of SNL's many catchphrases, "I'm Gumby, dammit!" Although Buckwheat was his most popular character, Murphy asked that he be retired because the actor grew tired of people asking him to "Do Buckwheat! Do Buckwheat!"; the character was assassinated on camera in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

In 1982, Murphy made his big screen debut in the film ''48 Hrs.'' with Nick Nolte. ''48 Hrs.'' proved to be a hit when it was released in the Christmas season of 1982. Nolte was scheduled to host the December 11, 1982 Christmas episode of ''Saturday Night Live'', but became too ill to host, so Murphy took over. He became the only cast member to host while still a regular. Murphy opened the show with the phrase, "Live from New York, It's the Eddie Murphy Show!" The following year, Murphy starred in ''Trading Places'' with fellow ''SNL'' alumnus Dan Aykroyd. The movie marked the first of Murphy's collaborations with director John Landis (who also directed Murphy in ''Coming to America'' and ''Beverly Hills Cop III'') and proved to be an even greater box office success than ''48 Hrs''. In 1984, Murphy starred in the successful action comedy film ''Beverly Hills Cop''. The film was Murphy's first full-fledged starring vehicle, originally intended to star Sylvester Stallone (who later tweaked the script as his own starring vehicle ''Cobra'' in 1986). ''Beverly Hills Cop'' grossed over $230 million at the box office and is 40th in the list of all-time total U.S. box office grosses (4th-highest amongst "R" rated films), after adjusting for inflation, .

In 1984, Murphy appeared in ''Best Defense'', co-starring Dudley Moore. Murphy, who was credited as a "Strategic Guest Star", was added to the film after an original version was completed but tested poorly with audiences. ''Best Defense'' was a major financial and critical disappointment. When he hosted ''SNL'', Murphy joined the chorus of those bashing ''Best Defense'', calling it "the worst movie in the history of everything". Murphy's ''Trading Places'' co-star Dan Aykroyd had originally written the character of Winston Zeddemore in ''Ghostbusters'' specifically for Murphy, but he was unable to commit at the time due to the ''Beverly Hills Cop'' shooting schedule. The part ultimately went to Ernie Hudson. Murphy was also offered a part in 1986's ''Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'', a role that, after being heavily re-written from comic relief to love interest, ultimately went to future ''7th Heaven'' star Catherine Hicks. By this point Murphy's near-exclusive contract with Paramount Pictures rivaled ''Star Trek'' as Paramount's most lucrative franchise.

In 1986, Murphy starred in the supernatural comedy, ''The Golden Child''. ''The Golden Child'' was originally intended to be a serious adventure picture starring Mel Gibson. After Gibson turned the role down, the project was offered to Murphy as it was subsequently rewritten as a partial comedy. Although ''The Golden Child'' (featuring Murphy's "I want the knife!" routine) performed well at the box office, the movie was not as critically acclaimed as ''48 Hrs.'', ''Trading Places'', and ''Beverly Hills Cop''. ''The Golden Child'' was considered a change of pace for Murphy because of the supernatural setting as opposed to the more "street smart" settings of Murphy's previous efforts. A year later, Murphy reprised his role of Axel Foley in the Tony Scott-directed ''Beverly Hills Cop II''. It was a box office success, grossing over $150 million. Producers reportedly wanted to turn the ''Beverly Hills Cop'' franchise into a weekly television series. Murphy declined the television offer, but was willing to do a film sequel instead.

Murphy was one of the last movie actors to sign an exclusive contract with a studio. In this case, it was Paramount Pictures, which released all of his early films.

Singing career

Murphy is also a singer and musician, having frequently provided background vocals to songs released by The Bus Boys. As a solo artist, Murphy had two hit singles, "Party All the Time" (which was produced by Rick James) and "Put Your Mouth on Me" in the mid-1980s (although he actually started singing earlier in his career, with the songs "Boogie In Your Butt" and "Enough Is Enough", the latter being a parody of Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer's 1979 song, "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)". They both appear on his 1982 self-titled comedy album.) "Party All the Time" was featured on Murphy's 1985 debut album ''How Could It Be'', which included a minor follow-up R&B; hit in the title track, a duet with vocalist Crystal Blake. This track was written by Rusty Hamilton and was produced by Stevie Wonder's cousin Aquil Fudge after a brief falling out and bet with Rick James. In 2004, VH-1 and ''Blender'' voted "Party All the Time" number seven among the "50 Worst Songs of All-Time." Sharam used a sample of the song for the UK #8 hit "PATT (Party All The Time)" in 2006.

Murphy recorded the album ''Love's Alright'' in the early 1990s. He performed in a music video of the single "Whatzupwitu", featuring Michael Jackson. He recorded a duet with Shabba Ranks called "I Was a King". In 1992, Murphy appeared in Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" video alongside Magic Johnson and Iman.

Though uncredited, Murphy provided vocal work on ''SNL'' castmate Joe Piscopo's comedy single, "The Honeymooners Rap." Piscopo impersonated Jackie Gleason on the single, while Murphy provided an imitation of Art Carney.

In ''Coming to America'', he imitated Jackie Wilson when he sang "To Be Loved", but because the character he was playing had a thick accent, he had to sing it in character. In later years, Murphy performed several songs in the ''Shrek'' film franchise. In the first film, he performed a version of "I'm a Believer" in the film's final scene; in ''Shrek 2'' he performed Ricky Martin's hit "Livin' La Vida Loca" along with co-star Antonio Banderas.

Murphy's all-time favorite singer is Elvis Presley.

Career slump

From 1989 until the mid 1990s, box office results for Murphy's films dropped, hitting a low point with the critically panned ''Beverly Hills Cop III'' (1994), a movie Murphy would ultimately denounce during an appearance on ''Inside the Actors Studio'', although he did find minor box office success with ''''Boomerang'''', ''Another 48 Hrs.'' and ''Vampire In Brooklyn''. ''Harlem Nights'' featured Murphy, who had previously been known only as a performer, as director, producer, star, and co-writer, with his brother, Charlie Murphy, as well as supporting roles for Murphy's comic idols Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor.

During this period Murphy was criticized by filmmaker Spike Lee for not using his show business stature to help black actors break into film, despite Murphy's films (especially those he produced) often being populated with predominately black casts (''Coming To America, Harlem Nights, Boomerang, Vampire In Brooklyn, Life''). Many black actors who would later gain wider recognition make early appearances in Murphy films such as Damon Wayans in ''Beverly Hills Cop'', Halle Berry and Martin Lawrence in ''Boomerang'', Samuel L. Jackson and Cuba Gooding Jr. in ''Coming to America,'' Dave Chappelle in ''The Nutty Professor'' and Chris Rock in ''Beverly Hills Cop II''.

Although Murphy has enjoyed commercial success since ''Saturday Night Live'', he has never attended cast reunions or anniversary specials, nor did he participate in the making of the ''Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live'' retrospective book by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller (2002).

Comeback and image makeover

Murphy's box office results began to recover in 1996, starting with ''The Nutty Professor''. He followed with a series of very successful family-friendly movies like ''Mulan'', ''Dr. Dolittle'' and its sequel, the ''Shrek'' series, ''Daddy Day Care'', and ''The Haunted Mansion'', along with ''Nutty Professor II: The Klumps''. However, most of his movies meant for more adult audiences performed moderately; ''Metro'', ''I Spy'', and ''Showtime'' all ended to gross less than $40 million domestically, ''Holy Man'' performed poorly, grossing less than $13 million, and ''The Adventures of Pluto Nash'' is on record as one of the biggest theatrical money-losers of all time, grossing just $7 million worldwide on a reported $110 million budget. A notable exception to this run of poorly received adult-themed films was the Frank Oz comedy ''Bowfinger'', also starring Steve Martin. The film garnered generally positive critical reviews, and grossed $66 million at the box office.

In 2006, he starred in the motion picture version of the Broadway musical ''Dreamgirls'' as soul singer James "Thunder" Early. Murphy won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award in that category. Several reviews for the film highlighted Murphy's performance while he received some pre-release Academy Awards buzz. Murphy was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on January 23, 2007, but lost to Alan Arkin for his performance in ''Little Miss Sunshine''. ''Dreamgirls'' was the first film distributed by Paramount Pictures to star Murphy (who once was on an exclusive contract with the studio) since ''Vampire in Brooklyn'' in 1995.

In 2007, Murphy was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As a result of Viacom's acquisition of Dreamworks SKG, Paramount distributed his other 2007 releases: ''Norbit'' and ''Shrek the Third''. He starred in the 2008 film ''Meet Dave'' and the 2009 film ''Imagine That'' for Paramount Pictures.

Murphy will also co-star in ''Tower Heist'', Brett Ratner's heist movie. Murphy stars as part of a group of hardworking men who find out they have fallen victim to a wealthy business man's Ponzi scheme, and conspire to rob his high-rise residence. Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, and Casey Affleck are also starring in the film. Brian Grazer is producing the picture for his Imagine Entertainment shingle, and will be distributed by Universal Pictures on November 4, 2011.

Personal life

Family

Murphy has been married twice (second one not legal) and has a total of eight children:

Murphy's first and oldest child was by Paulette McNeely: son Eric Murphy (born on 10 July 1989). He also has a child by Tamara Hood: son Christian Murphy (born on 29 November 1990).

Murphy began a longtime romantic relationship with Nicole Mitchell (born January 5, 1968) after meeting her in 1988 at an NAACP Image Awards show. They lived together for almost two years before getting married at the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel in New York City on March 18, 1993. Murphy and Mitchell had five children together: Bria L. Murphy (born November 18, 1989), Myles Mitchell (born November 7, 1992), Shayne Audra (born October 10, 1994), Zola Ivy (born December 24, 1999) and Bella Zahra (born January 29, 2002). In August 2005, Mitchell filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences". The divorce was finalized on April 17, 2006.

The Murphy family currently resides in Long Island, New York.

Following his divorce from Mitchell, in 2006, Murphy began dating former Spice Girl Melanie B, who became pregnant and stated that the child was Murphy's. When questioned about the pregnancy in December 2006 by ''RTL Boulevard,'' Murphy told Dutch reporter Matthijs Kleyn, "I don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, sir". Brown gave birth to a baby girl, Angel Iris Murphy Brown, on Murphy's 46th birthday, April 3, 2007. On June 22, 2007, representatives for Brown announced in ''People'' that a DNA test had confirmed that Murphy was the father. Brown has stated in an interview that Murphy has not sought a relationship with Angel.

Murphy exchanged marriage vows with film producer Tracey Edmonds, former wife of Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, on January 1, 2008, in a private ceremony on an island off Bora Bora. It was announced on January 16, 2008, that they never legally wed, had decided to forgo legalizing their union, and had instead chosen to remain friends.

Legal problems

According to Murphy's childhood friend Harris Haith in his book, ''Growing Up Laughing With Eddie'', long before Murphy did any writing for ''Coming to America'', Art Buchwald had approached Paramount Pictures with the idea for a similar film. His material was rejected, but the information was retained by Paramount. They liked Buchwald's idea but did not see fit to pay him and saved it for use later down the road. Some years later, Paramount presented the idea of ''Coming to America'' to Eddie and gave him the contract. Murphy wrote a screenplay that came to light exactly as it aired on the silver screen. In 1988, Buchwald sued Murphy and Paramount Pictures, but Murphy was not found liable because Paramount had received the material.

In May 1997, Murphy was stopped by police with a transvestite prostitute in his car shortly before the release of ''Holy Man'', causing him a number of public relations problems.

Charitable work

Murphy has donated money to the AIDS Foundation, and cancer, education, creative arts, family/parent support, health and homeless charities. He has donated to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, various cancer charities and $100,000 to the Screen Actors' Guild's strike relief fund.

Filmography

''Trading Places'' ''Eddie Murphy Delirious'' ''Best Defense'' ''The Golden Child'' ''Beverly Hills Cop II'' ''Coming to America'' ''Harlem Nights'' ''Another 48 Hrs.'' ''Boomerang (1992 film) ''Beverly Hills Cop III'' ''Vampire in Brooklyn'' ''The Nutty Professor (1996 film) ''Metro (1997 film) ''Mulan (1998 film) ''Life (film) ''Nutty Professor II: The Klumps'' ''Shrek'' ''Showtime (film) ''Daddy Day Care'' ''Shrek 2'' ''Dreamgirls (film) ''Norbit'' Donkey (Shrek) ''Meet Dave'' ''Imagine That (film) ''Shrek Forever After'' ''Tower Heist''

colspan=4 style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	''48 Hrs.''	Reggie Hammond
1983	|	Billy Ray Valentine	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1983	|	Himself	Also Producer
rowspan="2"	1984	|	Lieutenant T.M. Landry
''Beverly Hills Cop''	Axel Foley>Det. Axel Foley
1986	|	Chandler Jarrell
rowspan="2"	1987	|	Axel Foley>Det. Axel Foley
''Eddie Murphy Raw''	Himself
1988	|	Prince Akeem/Clarence/Randy Watson/Saul
1989	|	Quick (real name Vernest Brown)	Also Director and Writer
1990	|	Reggie Hammond
rowspan="2"	1992	Boomerang'' ||	Marcus Graham
''The Distinguished Gentleman''	Thomas Jefferson Johnson
1994	|	Axel Foley>Det. Axel Foley
1995	|	Maximillian/Preacher Pauly/Guido	Also Producer
1996	The Nutty Professor'' ||	Professor Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/ Lance Perkins/Cletus 'Papa' Klump/ Anna Pearl 'Mama' Jensen Klump/ Ida Mae 'Granny' Jensen/Ernie Klump, Sr.	Also Producer Saturn Award for Best Actor National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1997	Metro'' ||	Insp. Scott Roper
rowspan="3"	1998	Mulan'' ||	Mushu	(voice)
''Dr. Dolittle (film)	Doctor Dolittle''	Doctor Dolittle>Dr. John Dolittle
''Holy Man''	G
rowspan="2"	1999	Life'' ||	Rayford "Ray" Gibson	Also Producer
''Bowfinger''	Kit Ramsey/Jeffernson 'Jiff' Ramsey
2000	|	Professor Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/ Lance Perkins/Cletus 'Papa' Klump/ Anna Pearl 'Mama' Jensen Klump/ Ida Mae 'Granny' Jensen/Ernie Klump	Also Producer Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
rowspan="2"	2001	|	Donkey (Shrek)>Donkey	(voice) Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated – Black Reel Award: Best Supporting Actor
''Dr. Dolittle 2''	Doctor Dolittle>Dr. John Dolittle
rowspan="3"	2002	Showtime'' ||	Officer Trey Sellers
''The Adventures of Pluto Nash''	Pluto Nash/Rex Crater
''I Spy (film)	I Spy''	Kelly Robinson
rowspan="2"	2003	|	Charles "Charlie" Hinton
''The Haunted Mansion (film)	The Haunted Mansion''	Jim Evers
2004	|	Donkey (Shrek)>Donkey	(voice)
2006	Dreamgirls'' ||	Dreamgirls (film)#Cast>James 'Thunder' Early	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Central Ohio Film Critics Association for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Black Reel Award: Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
rowspan="2"	2007	|	Norbit Rice/Rasputia Latimore-Rice/Mr. Wong	Also Producer
''Shrek the Third''	Donkey ||(voice)Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
2008	|	Starship Dave Ming-Chang (Spacecraft), Captain
2009	Imagine That'' ||	Evan Danielson
2010	|	Donkey (Shrek)>Donkey	2011 Kids' Choice Awards>Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
2011	|	Leo "Slide" Dalphael

Television

''Eddie Murphy Delirious ''What's Alan Watching?'' ''Dangerous - The Short Films'' ''The PJs'' ''Shrek the Halls'' ''Donkey's Christmas Shrektacular''

colspan=4 style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980–1984	''Saturday Night Live''
1983	Eddie Murphy: Delirious'' ||
1989	|
1993	|	Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh	Remember the Time music video
1999–2001	|	Thurgood Stubbs	Voice Nominated – Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production (1999) Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) (1999)
2007	|	Donkey (Shrek)>Donkey	TV special Voice Nominated – Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production
2010	|	Donkey (Shrek)>Donkey	TV special Voice

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Peak chartpositions
		! width="40"	! width="40"
1982	align="left"	* Release date: 1982	* Label: CBS Records	97	—
1983	align="left"	* Release date: 1983	* Label: CBS Records	35	10
1985		* Release date: 1985	* Label: CBS Records	26	17
1989		* Release date: 1989	* Label: CBS Records	70	22
1993		* Release date: February 23, 1993	* Label: Motown Records	—	80

Compilation albums

! Year	! Album details
1997	''Greatest Comedy Hits''	* Release date: May 27, 1997	* Label: Columbia Records
1998	''All I Fuckin' Know''	* Release date: April 28, 1998	* Label: Sony BMG

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions					Album
		! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"
1982		—	56	—	—	—
		2	8	19	3	87
	—	63	—	—	—
		27	2	—	—	—
	—	75	—	—	—
		—	61	—	—	64
	—	74	—	—	—
	—	—	—	—	—

Awards/nominations

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Award	Year	Category	Work	Outcome
Academy Awards	2007			Nominated
	1999	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production	''The PJs''	Nominated
2001	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production	''Shrek''	Won
2008	Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production	''Shrek the Halls''	Nominated
BAFTA Awards	2002		''Shrek''	Nominated
	2000	Best Actor in a Motion Picture	''Bowfinger''	Nominated
2002		''Shrek''	Nominated
2007		Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2007			Won
Central Ohio Film Critics Association	2007	Best Supporting Actor		Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	2007			Nominated
rowspan=4	1983	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Variety or Music Series	''Saturday Night Live''	Nominated
	Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program	''Saturday Night Live''	Nominated
	''Saturday Night Live''	Nominated
1999		''The PJs''"He's Gotta Have It"	Nominated
	1983		''48 Hrs.''
1984		''Trading Places''
1997
1985		''Beverly Hills Cop''
2007		Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture>Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture		Won
	2005	Best Voice from an Animated Film	''Shrek 2''	Nominated
2008	Best Voice from an Animated Film	''Shrek the Third''	Won
2011	Best Voice from an Animated Film	''Shrek Forever After''	Won
	1997	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture		Nominated
2007	Actor in a Supporting Role		Nominated
National Society of Film Critics Awards	1997			Won
Online Film Critics Society Awards	2007			Nominated
	1996	rowspan=2
2001	''Nutty Professor II: The Klumps''
	1997			Won
2002		''Shrek''	Nominated
			rowspan=2	Won
	Nominated

References

External links

Eddie Murphy on Discogs

Maxim Rated Top SNL performer

Category:1961 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American voice actors Category:Actors from New York City Category:African American film actors Category:African American comedians Category:African American singers Category:African American television actors Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American screenwriters Category:American video game actors Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:People from Bushwick, Brooklyn Category:People from Nassau County, New York Category:Saturn Award winners Category:Annie Award winners

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Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
Name	50 Cent
Background	solo_singer
Alias	5-0
Birth name	Curtis James Jackson III
Origin	South Jamaica, Queens, New York, United States
Birth date	July 06, 1975
Birth place	South Jamaica, Queens, New York, United States
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, Businessman, Actor
Years active	1997 – present
Label	Shady, Aftermath, Interscope
Associated acts	G-Unit, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Sha Money XL, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo
Website	}}

Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), better known by his stage name 50 Cent (often pronounced "fitty cent"), is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums ''Get Rich or Die Tryin''' (2003) and ''The Massacre'' (2005). His album ''Get Rich or Die Tryin''' has been certified six times platinum by the RIAA.

Born in South Jamaica, Queens, Jackson began drug dealing at the age of twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic. After leaving drug dealing to pursue a rap career, he was shot at and struck by nine bullets during an incident in 2000. After releasing his album ''Guess Who's Back?'' in 2002, Jackson was discovered by rapper Eminem and signed to Interscope Records. With the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre, who produced his first major commercial successes, Jackson became one of the world's highest selling rappers. In 2003, he founded the record label G-Unit Records, which signed several successful rappers such as Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo.

Jackson has engaged in feuds with other rappers including Ja Rule, Nas, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Cam'ron, Puff Daddy, Rick Ross, and former G-Unit members The Game and Young Buck. He has also pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film ''Get Rich or Die Tryin''' in 2005, the Iraq War film ''Home of the Brave'' in 2006, and ''Righteous Kill'' in 2008. 50 Cent was ranked as the sixth best artist of the 2000s by ''Billboard'' magazine. The magazine also ranked him as the fourth top male artist and as the third top rapper behind Eminem and Nelly. ''Billboard'' magazine also ranked him as the sixth best and most successful Hot 100 Artist of the 2000s and as the number one rap artist of the 2000s. ''Billboard'' ranked his album ''Get Rich or Die Tryin''' as the twelfth best album of the 2000s and his album ''The Massacre'' as the 37th best album of the 2000s. As of September 2011, 50 Cent is working on his fifth studio album, which is set to be released in 2012.

Early life

Curtis Jackson III grew up in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, in New York City. He grew up without a father and was raised by his mother, Sabrina, who gave birth to him at the age of fifteen.

Sabrina, a cocaine dealer, raised Jackson until the age of twelve, when she was killed in 1988. Twenty-seven at the time, she became unconscious after someone drugged her drink. She was then left for dead after the gas in her apartment was turned on and the windows shut closed.

After her death, Jackson moved into his grandparents' house with his eight aunts and uncles. He recalls, "My grandmother told me, 'Your mother's not coming home. She's not gonna come back to pick you up. You're gonna stay with us now.' That's when I started adjusting to the streets a little bit".

Jackson began boxing around the age of eleven.

At fourteen, a neighbor opened a boxing gym for local kids.

"When I wasn't killing time in school, I was sparring in the gym or selling crack on the strip", he recalled. In the mid 1980s, he competed in the Junior Olympics as an amateur boxer. He recounts, "I was competitive in the ring and hip-hop is competitive too... I think rappers condition themselves like boxers, so they all kind of feel like they're the champ". At the age of twelve, Jackson began dealing narcotics when his grandparents thought he was at after-school programs. He also took guns and drug money to school. In the tenth grade, he was caught by metal detectors at Andrew Jackson High School. He later stated, "I was embarrassed that I got arrested like that... After I got arrested I stopped hiding it. I was telling my grandmother [openly], 'I sell drugs.'"

Following time spent in a correctional boot camp, Jackson adopted the nickname "50 Cent" as a metaphor for "change". The name was derived from Kelvin Martin, a 1980s Brooklyn robber known as "50 Cent". Jackson chose the name "because it says everything I want it to say. I'm the same kind of person 50 Cent was. I provide for myself by any means".

Music career

1996–2000: Early career

Jackson started rapping in a friend's basement where he used turntables to record over instrumentals. In 1996, a friend introduced him to Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC who was organizing his label Jam Master Jay Records.

Jay taught him how to count bars, write choruses, structure songs, and how to make a record. Jackson's first official appearance was on a song titled "React" with the group Onyx on their 1998 album ''Shut 'Em Down''. He credited Jam Master Jay as an influence who helped him improve his ability to write hooks. Jay produced Jackson's first album; however, it was never released.

In 1999, after leaving Jam Master Jay, the platinum-selling producers Trackmasters took notice of Jackson and signed him to Columbia Records. They sent him to a studio in Upstate New York where he produced thirty-six songs in two weeks. Eighteen were included on his unofficially released album, ''Power of the Dollar'' in 2000. He also started the now-defunct Hollow Point Entertainment with former G-Unit affiliate Bang 'Em Smurf.

Jackson's popularity started to increase after the successful but controversial underground single, "How to Rob", which he wrote in half an hour while in a car on the way to a studio. The track comically explains how he would rob famous artists. He explained the reasoning behind song's content as, "There's a hundred artists on that label, you gotta separate yourself from that group and make yourself relevant". Rappers Jay-Z, Kurupt, Sticky Fingaz, Big Pun, DMX, Wyclef Jean and the Wu-Tang Clan replied to the song and Nas, who received the track positively, invited Jackson to travel on a promotional tour for his ''Nastradamus'' album. The song was intended to be released with "Thug Love" featuring Destiny's Child, but two days before he was scheduled to film the "Thug Love" music video, Jackson was shot and confined to a hospital due to his injuries.

2000–01: Shooting

On May 24, 2000, Jackson was attacked by a gunman, alleged to be Darryl "Hommo" Baum, outside his grandmother's former home in South Jamaica, Queens. He went into a friend's car, but was asked to return to the house to get jewelry.

His son was in the house, while his grandmother was in the front yard. Upon returning to the back seat of the car and already seated, another car pulled up nearby. An assailant then walked up to Jackson's left side with a 9mm handgun and fired nine shots at close range. He was shot nine times: in the hand (a round hit his right thumb, to where the bullet passed through and out his little finger), arm, hip, both legs, chest, and his face (his left cheek). The face wound resulted in a swollen tongue, the loss of a wisdom tooth, and a small slur in his voice. His friend also sustained a gunshot wound to the hand. They were driven to the hospital where Jackson spent thirteen days.

Baum, the alleged shooter, was killed three weeks later.

Baum was also Mike Tyson's close friend and bodyguard.

Jackson recalled the incident saying, "It happens so fast that you don't even get a chance to shoot back.... I was scared the whole time.... I was looking in the rear-view mirror like, 'Oh @#!*% , somebody shot me in the face! It burns, burns, burns.'" In his autobiography, ''From Pieces to Weight: Once upon a Time in Southside Queens'', he wrote, "After I got shot nine times at close range and didn't die, I started to think that I must have a purpose in life... How much more damage could that shell have done? Give me an inch in this direction or that one, and I'm gone". He used a walker for the first six weeks and fully recovered after five months. When he left the hospital, he stayed in the Poconos with his then-girlfriend and son. His workout regime helped him attain his muscular physique.

While in the hospital, Jackson signed a publishing deal with Columbia Records. However, he was dropped from the label and "blacklisted" in the recording industry because of his song "Ghetto Qu'ran".

Unable to find a studio to work with in the U.S, he traveled to Canada. Along with his business partner Sha Money XL, he recorded over thirty songs for mixtapes, with the purpose of building a reputation.

According to Shady Records A&R; Marc Labelle in an interview with HitQuarters, Jackson shrewdly used the mixtape circuit to his own advantage saying, "He took all the hottest beats from every artist and flipped them with better hooks. They then got into all the markets on the mixtapes and all the mixtape DJs were messing with them." Jackson's popularity rose and in 2002, he released material independently on the mixtape, ''Guess Who's Back?''. Beginning to attract interest, and now backed by G-Unit, Jackson continued to release music including ''50 Cent Is the Future''. The mixtape revisited material by Jay-Z and Raphael Saadiq.

2002–2009: Rise to fame

In 2002, Eminem listened to a copy of Jackson's ''Guess Who's Back?'' CD. He received the CD through Jackson's attorney, who was working with Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg. Impressed with the album, Eminem invited Jackson to fly to Los Angeles, where he was introduced to Dr. Dre. After signing a $1 million record deal, Jackson released the mixtape, ''No Mercy, No Fear''. It featured one new track, "Wanksta", which was put on Eminem's ''8 Mile'' soundtrack. He was also signed to Chris Lighty's Violator Management and Sha Money XL's Money Management Group.

In February 2003, Jackson released his commercial debut album, ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'''. Allmusic described it as "probably the most hyped debut album by a rap artist in about a decade". ''Rolling Stone'' noted the album for its "dark synth grooves, buzzy keyboards and a persistently funky bounce" with Jackson complementing the production in "an unflappable, laid-back flow".

It debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 872,000 copies in the first four days. The lead single, "In da Club", which ''The Source'' noted for its "blaring horns, funky organs, guitar riffs and sparse hand claps", broke a ''Billboard'' record as the most listened-to song in radio history within a week.

Interscope granted Jackson his own label, G-Unit Records in 2003. He signed Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and Young Buck as the established members of G-Unit. The Game was later signed under a joint venture with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment.

In March 2005, Jackson's second commercial album, ''The Massacre'', sold 1.14 million copies in the first four days-the highest in an abbreviated sales cycle- and peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 for six weeks.

He became the first solo artist to have three singles on the ''Billboard'' top five in the same week with "Candy Shop", "Disco Inferno", and "How We Do". ''Rolling Stone'' noted that "50's secret weapon is his singing voice - the deceptively amateur-sounding tenor croon that he deploys on almost every chorus".

After The Game's departure, Jackson signed singer Olivia and rap veterans Mobb Deep to G-Unit Records. Spider Loc, M.O.P., 40 Glocc and Young Hot Rod later joined the label. Jackson expressed interest in working with rappers outside of G-Unit, such as Lil' Scrappy of BME, LL Cool J from Def Jam, Mase from Bad Boy, and Freeway of Roc-A-Fella, some of whom he recorded with. In September 2007, he released his third album ''Curtis'', which was inspired by his life before ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'''. It debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 691,000 units in the first week, behind Kanye West's ''Graduation'', whom he had a sales competition with, as both albums were released on the same day.

He confirmed on TRL on September 10, 2008 that his fourth studio album, ''Before I Self Destruct'', will be "done and released in November".

On May 18, 2009, Jackson released a song entitled "Ok, You're Right". The song was produced by Dr. Dre and was included in ''Before I Self Destruct''.

In Fall 2009, 50 Cent appeared in the new season of VH1's Behind The Music.

On September 3, 2009 months upon the release of his "Before I Self Destruct" album 50 Cent posted a video for the Soundkillers' Phoenix produced track "Flight 187" which introduced his mixtape, the 50th LAW, and was also featured as a bonus track on his iTunes release of Before I Self Destruct. The song ignited speculation that there was tension between rapper 50 Cent and Jay Z for Jackson's comments in the song.

2010 – present

In an interview with the British entertainment website ContactMusic, 50 Cent announced that he was working on a dance album named ''Black Magic''. 50 Cent said he was inspired by the European nightclubs. "First they played hip-hop which suddenly changed to uptempo songs, known as Eurodance". He went on The Invitation Tour in the summer of 2010, in support of ''Before I Self Destruct'' album, and the then shelved ''Black Magic'' album. He "recorded 20 songs to a whole different album concept" before he put those to the side and did something different.

50 Cent revealed that he wanted his new album to have the same "aggression" as his debut record, ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'''.

He later tweeted that the album was "80 percent done", and stated that fans can expect the album in the summer of 2011; however, the album has been delayed to 2012 at the earliest, due to tensions and disagreements at Interscope Records, Later 50 Cent said that he will release his album in November 2011 and it has also been confirmed that "Black Magic" will not be the album's title. 50 Cent has already confirmed that Eminem will appear on the album, but he also confirmed that he has been working with new producers such as Boi-1da and Alex da Kid. Cardiak, who produced Lloyd Banks' “Start It Up”, also confirmed that he had produced a song for the upcoming album.

DJ Whoo Kid confirmed in an interview that 50 Cent was filming a new movie with Robert DeNiro in New Orleans.

50 Cent released the first song from his fifth studio album, titled "Outlaw", to the Internet on June 16, 2011.

The single was produced by Cardiak.

It was released to iTunes on July 19, 2011, although 50 Cent confirmed through his Twitter account that the song was not the album's first single.

50 Cent is set to release a book titled ''Playground''.

Unlike his previous literary efforts — which focus on his life story and the rules of power — this time he's aiming at a teen audience with a semi-autobiographical novel about bullying. According to a statement from the book's publisher, the first-person novel is slated for release in January 2012 and will tell the story of a 13-year-old schoolyard bully "who finds redemption as he faces what he's done."

50 Cent has promised to deliver his fifth studio album album over the past few years, but the LP may be delayed until 2012. In a series of tweets, 50 Cent explained that him and his label Interscope Records aren’t on the same page on how to roll out the album and that he’s delaying its release until they see eye to eye.

50 Cent later suggested that his album will be releasing in November 2011, along with his headphone line ''SMS by 50''.

50 Cent spoke to MTV in relation to the possibility of leaving Interscope Records. "I don't know," 50 told MTV News when asked if he would ink back with Interscope once his five-album deal was fulfilled. "It will all be clear in the negotiations following me turning this actual album in. And, of course, the performance and how they actually treat the work will determine whether you still want to stay in that position or not."

On June 20, 2011, 50 Cent announced that he will release an LP titled ''Before I Self Destruct II''. The announced sequel to his 2009 LP is suggested to be released after his fifth studio album.

On June 26, 2011, 50 Cent planned to shoot a music video for the lead single from his fifth studio album titled ''I'm On It''. However, the music video never surfaced.

50 Cent spoke to Shade45 in relation guest appearances for his fifth studio album. "I did four songs in Detroit with Eminem. I did two with Just Blaze, a Boi-1da joint, and I did something with Alex da Kid. We made two that are definite singles and the other two are the kinds of records that we been making, more aimed at my core audience, more aggressive, more of a different kind of energy to it."

In September 2011, 50 Cent released a song titled "Street King Energy Track #7" in attempt to promote his charitable energy drink ''Street King''.

On September 28, 2011, it was confirmed that 50 Cent is shooting a music video for his lead single from his fifth studio album titled "Girls Go Wild", which features Jeremih.

On October 26, 2011, 50 Cent announced that his fifth studio album will be released in December 2011.

Other ventures

Jackson has established himself in a variety of fields. In November 2003, he signed a five-year deal with Reebok to distribute a "G-Unit Sneakers" line as part of his G-Unit Clothing Company. He provided the voice-over as the protagonist in the video game ''50 Cent: Bulletproof'', which was released for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and the PlayStation Portable.

Its sequel, ''50 Cent: Blood on the Sand'', was released in early 2009. He worked with Glacéau to create a vitamin water drink called Formula 50. In 2007, Coca-Cola purchased Glacéau for US$4.1 billion. ''Forbes'' estimated Jackson, who owns a stake in the company, earned $100 million from the deal after taxes. He has teamed up with Right Guard to launch a body spray called Pure 50 RGX Body Spray and a condom line called Magic Stick Condoms, in which he planned to donate part of the proceeds to HIV awareness.

Jackson has signed a multi-year deal with Steiner Sports to sell his memorabilia.

In 2005, Jackson made a cameo appearance on ''The Simpsons'' episode "Pranksta Rap", in which he makes light of his legal troubles. The same year, he starred alongside Terrence Howard in the semi-autobiographical film ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'''. He starred in the 2006 film ''Home of the Brave'', as a soldier returning home from the Iraq War, traumatized after killing an Iraqi woman.

Jackson is working on a role as a fighter in an Angola State Prison in ''Spectacular Regret'' alongside Nicolas Cage, and starred opposite Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in 2008's ''Righteous Kill'', a movie regarding a police death.

He also started the film production companies G-Unit Films in 2007 and Cheetah Vision in 2008.

In August 2007, Jackson announced plans to launch a dietary supplement company in conjunction with his movie ''Spectacular Regret''.

In August 2005, shortly before appearing in ''Get Rich or Die Tryin''', Jackson published an autobiography entitled ''From Pieces to Weight: Once upon a Time in Southside Queens''. In it, Jackson explores the cultural and economic forces that led him to sell cocaine and crack, details his entrepreneurship as a drug-dealer and then as a rapper, and reflects on his own ethos and on society.

On January 4, 2007, Jackson launched his G-Unit Books imprint at the Time Warner Building. He also co-wrote ''The Ski Mask Way'', a novel about a small-time drug dealer who attempts to rob his employers, which is to be turned into a film. Jackson said he read Robert Greene's ''The 33 Strategies of War'' and worked with the author on a book titled ''The 50th Law'', an urban take on ''The 48 Laws of Power''. In May 2008, Jackson met billionaire Patrice Motsepe to forge a joint venture selling 50 Cent-branded platinum.

In 2008, Jackson started a reality television show on MTV titled ''50 Cent: The Money and the Power''; the winning contestant, Ryan Mayberry, won a $100,000 investment from Jackson.

On September 8, 2009, he published his book ''The 50th Law''.

In 2010, Jackson's film company Cheetah Vision landed $200 million in funding.

In July 2011, 50 Cent revealed his initiative to provide food for millions of people in Africa by 2016. 50 Cent teamed up with Pure Growth Partners to launch a charitable energy drink called ''Street King'' that will help aid in combating world hunger. For every purchase of Street King, a portion of the sales will go to providing a daily meal to an underprivileged child around the world. The partnership coincides with Fiddy’s mission statement of feeding a billion people in Africa over the next five years.

“50 Cent and I share a common vision: To address the world’s problems through smart and sustainable business models,” said Chris Clark, the founder and CEO of Pure Growth Partners. “With the rampant starvation in Africa and hunger afflicting children worldwide, we need socially responsible businesses that affect real change now more than ever.”

50 concurs, stating, “I’m inspired by Clarke’s vision and innovative approaches to tackling serious issues. It’s our mission with Street King to really change children’s lives around the world.”

Jackson founded SMS Audio, selling headphones with the name Street by 50. He has pledged to donate a portion of the sales to charity.

Personal life

Jackson has a tattoo of "Marquise" with an axe on his right biceps. "The axe is 'cause I'm a warrior. I don't want him to be one, though," he explains. He also has "50", "Southside", and "Cold World" inscribed on his back because "I'm a product of that environment. It's on my back, though, so it's all behind me."

Family

On October 13, 1997, Jackson's then-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins gave birth to a son, Marquise Jackson.

The birth of his son changed Jackson's outlook on life: "When my son came into my life, my priorities changed, because I wanted to have the relationship with him, that I didn't have with my father." He credited his son for inspiring his career and being "motivation to go in a different direction".

Politics

In 2005, Jackson expressed support for President George Walker Bush after rapper Kanye West criticized him for the slow response in assisting the Hurricane Katrina victims.

If his felony convictions did not prevent him from voting, he claimed he would have voted for Bush.

He later stated that Bush "has less compassion than the average human. By all means, I don't aspire to be like George Bush."

Wealth

In 2007, Jackson was the second wealthiest performer in the rap industry, behind Jay-Z. He resides in Farmington, Connecticut, in the former mansion of ex-boxer Mike Tyson.

He put the mansion for sale at $18.5 million to move closer to his son who lives in Long Island with his ex-girlfriend. On October 12, 2007, the Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut declared it "50 Cent Curtis Jackson Day". He was honored with a key to the city and an official proclamation.

One of his homes in New York purchased for 2.4 million dollars in January 2007 and at the center of a lawsuit between Jackson and ex-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins caught fire on May 30, 2008 while he was out of town filming for a movie in Louisiana.

In December 2008 Jackson told the Canadian press that he had been affected by the recession, losing several million dollars in the stock market as an investor. He also went on to say that he had been unable to sell his Connecticut mansion and pushed ''Before I Self-Destruct'' back because of the recent economic downturn.

Legal issues

On June 29, 1994, Jackson was arrested for helping to sell four vials of cocaine to an undercover police officer. He was arrested again three weeks later when police searched his home and found heroin, ten ounces of crack cocaine, and a starter gun.

He was sentenced to three to nine years in prison, but managed to serve six months in a shock incarceration boot camp where he earned his GED. Jackson said that he did not use cocaine himself, he only sold it.

His ex-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins sued Jackson for $50 million, claiming that he said that he would take care of her for life; the suit, which includes 15 claims was later dismissed by a judge, calling it "an unfortunate tale of a love relationship gone sour."

50 Cent was sentenced to two years probation on July 22, 2005 from an incident in May 2004 when 50 Cent jumped into the audience after being hit with a water bottle. He was charged with three counts of assault and battery.

Lawsuits

On July 21, 2007, Jackson filed a $1 million lawsuit against advertising company Traffix Inc. of Pearl River, New York for using his image in a promotion which he claims threatens his safety.

He became aware of the internet ad after one of his staff members saw it on a MySpace page. According to court documents, the ad features a cartoon image of the rapper and the message: "shoot the rapper and you will win $5000 or five ring tones guaranteed".

Though the ad did not use his name, the image allegedly intended to resemble him, suggesting he endorsed the ad.

The lawsuit calls it a "vile, tasteless and despicable" use of 50 Cent's image that "quite literally calls for violence against him". The lawsuit seeks for unspecified punitive damages and a permanent injunction against the use of his image without permission.

In November 2009, 50 Cent won in a lawsuit against Taco Bell over the fast food chain using his name to promote the brand without his permission.

Feuds

How to Rob

50 Cent said that he intended the single to be a joke, and not meant to disrespect anybody. Nevertheless, a number of rappers mentioned on the song responded on record.

The comments made towards the Wu-Tang Clan were responded to on the Ghostface Killah album ''Supreme Clientele'' on a track called "Ghost Deini" and even more directly on a skit called "Clyde Smith" which included one of the Wu-Tang Clan members talking about how they intended to harm the rapper, which is identifiable as Raekwon when the track is sped up. A supposed diss song, "Who the Fuck Is 50 Cent", which circulated the web in the beginning of 2001 was rumored to be by the Clan, but was proven to be recorded by Polite of American Cream Team (Raekwon's then-side project).

Jay-Z also reacted to the comments in the track called "It's Hot (Some Like It Hot)", off the album ''Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter'':

"Go against Jigga yo' ass is dense I'm about a dollar, what the fuck is 50 Cents?"

Sticky Fingaz responded to the diss with the track "Jackin' for Beats."

"The real 50 from Brooklyn god bless he got outed You just a fake clown who front and rout about it."

Big Pun responds to this track on his album ''Yeeeah Baby'', in the song "My Turn."

"And to the 50 Cent Rapper, very funny – get your nut off, 'cuz in real life, we all know I'd blow your motherfucking head off...If I'm gonna write a song, it'll be about how I had to beat your mothafuckin' ass. And that'll be the name of the motherfucker: 'That's Why I Had To Beat Your Motherfucking Ass', featuring Tony Sunshine."

Kurupt responded on the diss track "Callin' Out Names."

"Now it's 50 mc's that ain't worth shit Get ya ass kicked 50 times, beat to 10 cent"

Wyclef Jean responded on the song "Low Income", from his 2000 album, ''The Ecleftic''.

"I stay so hungry that if 50 Cent came to rob me he'd be part of my charity."

The Inc.

Before signing with Interscope, Jackson engaged in a well-publicized dispute with rapper Ja Rule and his label The Inc.. Jackson claims that a friend robbed Ja Rule of his jewelry and that Ja Rule accused him of setting it up. However, Ja Rule claimed the conflict stemmed from a video shoot in Queens because Jackson did not like seeing him "getting so much love" from the neighborhood. In March 2000, while at The Hit Factory studio in New York, Jackson had an altercation with Murder Inc. associates. He was treated for three stitches after receiving a stab wound. Rapper Black Child claimed responsibility for the stabbing, saying he acted in self-defense because he thought someone reached for a gun.

An affidavit by an IRS agent suggested that Murder Inc. had ties to Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, a New York drug lord who was suspected of being involved in the murder of Jam Master Jay and the shooting of Jackson. An excerpt of the affidavit read:

In an interview with MTV, Ja Rule acknowledged his defeat against 50 Cent and stated that his new album, The Mirror, will not be continuing any past feuds that he has engaged in. He said: There was a lot of things I wanted to say, and I didn't want there to be any bitter records on the album. Because I'm not bitter about anything that happened [in the past few years].

Fat Joe, Nas & Jadakiss

Before releasing ''The Massacre'', Jackson recorded a song "Piggy Bank", a response to Ja Rule's song "New York", which was leaked before the album's release. The song takes aim at rappers including Fat Joe, Nas, and Jadakiss. Fat Joe responded with a song, "My Fofo", accusing Jackson of taking steroids, hiding in his home, and being jealous of The Game. Jadakiss also responded with a song, "Checkmate", and said that Jackson was trying to "create a buzz for his new album". The "Piggy Bank" music video portrays animated caricatures of Jadakiss (as a Ninja turtle), Fat Joe (as King Hippo from ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out''), Nas (as a kid chasing a "milkshake" truck in a Superman costume), and The Game (as Mr. Potato Head). He also disses all of them on the beef version of his single "Window Shopper" Kelis, Nas's then-wife, responded to the song on her single "Bossy". Nas later responded with "Don't Body Ya Self (MC Burial)." Nas later dissed 50 on the song "Street Ridaz" on Game's mixtape "Brake Lights".

Sean Combs

Jackson spoke negatively about Bad Boy Entertainment mogul Sean Combs and recorded a song, "Hip-Hop", revealing the reasons behind his negative feelings: primarily, a contract dispute over Mase. In the song, he implied that Diddy knew about The Notorious B.I.G.'s murder and threatened to expose him through former associates. The feud was resolved, with both rappers appearing on MTV's ''TRL'' and ''Sucker Free'', respectively, stating that there were no longer problems. The feud reignited in 2010 with 50 Cent dissing Diddy, saying his music "sucks".

Cam'ron

On February 1, 2007, Cam'ron and Jackson had a live argument on ''The Angie Martinez Show'' on Hot 97 radio. Jackson commented that Koch Entertainment was a "graveyard", meaning major record labels would not work with their artists. Cam'ron then ridiculed the record sales of G-Unit members Lloyd Banks and Mobb Deep by stating that Jim Jones outsold their albums despite being signed to an independent label and that his group, The Diplomats, had a distribution deal from several labels. Both rappers released "diss" songs with videos on YouTube. Jackson suggested in "Funeral Music" that Cam'ron is no longer able to lead The Diplomats and that Jim Jones should take his place. Cam'ron responded with "Curtis" and "Curtis Pt. II", in which he makes fun of Jackson's appearance, calling him "a gorilla, with rabbit teeth". Jackson responded by releasing "Hold On" with Young Buck.

Game

Although he was close with The Game, before The Game released his debut album ''The Documentary'', they soon became at odds. After its release, Jackson felt The Game was disloyal for saying he did not want to participate in G-Unit's feuds with other rappers and even wanting to work with artists they were feuding with. He also claimed that he wrote six songs on the album and was not receiving proper credit for his work, which The Game denied.

Jackson later dismissed The Game from G-Unit on Hot 97 radio. After the announcement, The Game, who was a guest earlier in the evening, attempted to enter the building with his entourage. After being denied entry, one of his associates was shot in the leg during a confrontation with a group of men leaving the building. When the situation escalated, both rappers held a press conference to announce their reconciliation. Fans had mixed feelings as to whether the rappers created a publicity stunt to boost the sales of the albums they had just released. Nevertheless, even after the situation deflated, G-Unit criticized The Game's street credibility. The group denounced The Game and announced that they will not be featured on his albums. During a Summer Jam performance, The Game launched a boycott of G-Unit called "G-Unot".

After the performance at Summer Jam, The Game responded with "300 Bars and Runnin'", an extended "diss" aimed at G-Unit as well as members of Roc-A-Fella Records on the mixtape ''You Know What It Is Vol. 3''. Jackson responded through his "Piggy Bank" music video, which features The Game as a Mr. Potato Head doll and also parodies other rivals. Since then both groups continued to attack each other. The Game released two more mixtapes, ''Ghost Unit'' and a mixtape/DVD called ''Stop Snitchin, Stop Lyin''.

Jackson posted a cover of The Game's head on the body of a male stripper for "Hate It or Love It (G-Unit Radio Part 21)" mixtape, as a response to The Game displaying pictures of G-Unit dressed as Village People. Although he was signed to Aftermath Entertainment, The Game left the label and signed with Geffen Records to terminate his contractual obligations with G-Unit (although others claim Jackson pressured Dr. Dre to kick him off). G-Unit member Spider Loc had also began to insult The Game on various songs. In addition, The Game released "240 Bars (Spider Joke)" and "100 Bars (The Funeral)" both attacking G-Unit, Spider Loc and others. Jackson's response was "Not Rich, Still Lyin'" where he mocks The Game. Lloyd Banks replied to the Game on a Rap City freestyle booth session. The Game quickly released a "diss" record called "SoundScan" where The Game pokes fun at Lloyd Banks' album ''Rotten Apple'' falling thirteen spots on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and disappointing second week sales. Lloyd Banks replied on his mixtape ''Mo' Money In The Bank Pt. 5: Gang Green Season Continues'' with a song called "Showtime (The Game's Over)". Lloyd Banks states that Jackson wrote half of The Game's first album ''The Documentary'' and pokes fun at The Game's suicidal thoughts.

In October 2006, The Game extended a peace treaty to Jackson, which was not immediately replied to. However, a couple days later, on Power 106, he stated that the treaty was only offered for one day. On The Game's album, ''Doctor's Advocate'', he claims that the feud is over on a few of the songs.

In July 2009, The Game stated the beef was squashed with help from Michael Jackson and Diddy, and he apologized for his actions during the beef. Tony Yayo said that neither Jackson (50 Cent) or G-Unit would accept his apology. Since then, The Game continued his old "G-Unot" ways at live concerts. Jackson released "So Disrespectful" a diss song on ''Before I Self Destruct'' targeting Jay-Z, The Game and Young Buck. Game later responded with the song "Shake", poking fun of the music video for 50's single "Candy Shop", quote, "Me and 50 aint agreeing on shit so I had to (Shake) Aint no telling what he putting in that protein (Shake) Seen the candy shop video look at this nigga (Shake) And thats the same shit that made the nigga Young Buck (Shake)". He also takes shots at Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo, in which he says, "I'm surprised that Lloyd Banks and Yayo didn't (Shake) Wasn't selling no records Jimmy Iovine said (Shake)". Game also dissed G-Unit several times on the song "400 Bars".

In September 2011, 50 Cent dissed Game on the song "Love, Hate, Love", in which Game responded to on his twitter, saying he was going to diss him back after his tour was finished, quote:

Rick Ross

In January 2009, Rick Ross started a feud with 50 Cent because he supposedly looked at him the wrong way at the BET Awards. However, Jackson told news sources that he did not even remember seeing Rick Ross there. In late January, a track entitled "Mafia Music" by Rick Ross, leaked onto the Internet. There were several lines that seem to diss Jackson. Days later, Jackson released "Officer Ricky (Go Head, Try Me)" in response to Rick Ross's disparaging remarks on his "Mafia Music" song. The next day Rick Ross appeared on Shade 45, and told Jackson to come up with something better in 24 hours.

Before going to Venezuela, Jackson uploaded a video entitled "Warning Shot", where he warns Rick Ross: ''"I'ma fuck your life up for fun"''. In addition, Jackson released the first of a series of "Officer Ricky" cartoons. Early February, Jackson once again made a video which he uploaded to YouTube where he interviews "Tia", the mother of one of Rick Ross's children. She verifies his being a correctional officer and claims his whole persona is fake and fraudulent. On Thursday, February 5, 2009, The Game, who Jackson has a long-standing "beef" with, called up Seattle's KUBE 93 Radio Station. When asked about the beef between Jackson and Rick Ross, The Game sided with Jackson and said that things are not looking good for Rick Ross. However, he offered to help Rick Ross get out of this situation, stating ''"Rick Ross, holla at your boy, man,"'' and ''"50 eating you'', boy."

On his album ''Deeper Than Rap'', Ross references Jackson in the song "In Cold Blood". A video for the song was released that portrayed Jackson's mock funeral. Upon release, Ross stated that he has ended Jackson's career.

In an interview, Jackson said: "Rick Ross is Albert From CB4. You ever seen the movie? He's Albert," he added. "It never gets worse than this. You get a guy that was a correctional officer come out and base his entire career on writing material from a drug dealer's perspective such as "Freeway" Ricky Ross."

Lil Wayne

After hearing word that Lil Wayne had prepared a song for him after 50 made some unkind remarks, 50 lashed out at Wayne first on August 17, 2007 with the song "Part Time Lover". Wayne never really responded to the song, although a 50 Cent diss track called "Louisianimal" did leak much later on November 17, 2008. Jackson responded to Lil Wayne in January 2009 in a song entitled "Play This On The Radio". As of August 14, 2009, the controversy between Jackson and Lil Wayne seems to have ended after Jackson appeared and performed at Lil Wayne's America's Most Wanted Musical Festival stop in Anaheim, California.

Young Buck

''Main article: 50 Cent vs. Young Buck''

After numerous rumors of a "beef" within G-Unit, Jackson officially dismissed Young Buck from the group, in 2008. He later assured that he was still signed with the label. Numerous slander songs then arose on the internet from both camps, with Young Buck appearing in a music video of former rival The Game. Jackson then leaked a taped phone conversation between himself and Young Buck, which showed one of the true reasons for the falling out; Jackson was owed money by the Southern rapper. Young Buck later stated the conversation took place over a year before the leak. The two camps have since released a multitude of songs against each other, with the feud settling down by 2009, with Young Buck stating he's been working on his latest album, which is still to be released under the G-Unit label.

Discography

''Get Rich or Die Tryin''' (2003)

''The Massacre'' (2005)

''Curtis'' (2007)

''Before I Self Destruct'' (2009)

''Fifth studio album'' (2012)

Awards and nominations

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	''50 Cent: The New Breed''	Himself	Documentary DVD
2005		Marcus	Film debut
2006		Jamal Aiken	Supporting Role
	''Righteous Kill''	Spider	Supporting Role
	Clarence	Supporting Role
''50 Cent: The Money and the Power''	Himself	TV series (one episode: "Choose Your Crew Wisely")
	''Streets of Blood''	Stan Johnson
	Himself	TV series (Season 6, Episode 3: "One Car, Two Car, Red Car, Blue Car")
	Thigo
''Caught in the Crossfire''	Tino	Executive producer
		Jimy
	Rich
	Lionel	Supporting Role
	Himself
		Black	Post-production
''Blood Out''	Hardwick
	Sonny
	''All Things Fall Apart''	Deon
	Malo
	–	Producer
	Shamus Cocobolo
		Pre-production

Voice work

Year	Title	Role	Notes
	''The Simpsons''	Himself	TV series (one episode: "Pranksta Rap")
''50 Cent: Bulletproof''	Himself	Video game, voice only
	''50 Cent: Blood on the Sand''	Himself	Video game, voice only
''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2''		Video game, voice only

References

External links

50 Cent at AOL Sessions

* Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City Category:African-American businesspeople Category:African American film actors Category:African-American film producers Category:African American rappers Category:African American record producers Category:Aftermath Entertainment artists Category:American investors Category:American music industry executives Category:American shooting survivors Category:American stock traders Category:American video game actors Category:Brit Award winners Category:Echo winners Category:Businesspeople from New York City Category:Grammy Award winners Category:G-Unit members Category:Hip hop singers Category:People convicted of drug offenses Category:People from Queens Category:Pseudonymous rappers Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Shady Records artists Category:Survivors of stabbing Category:Sony/ATV Music Publishing artists Category:World Music Awards winners

af:50 Cent als:50 Cent ar:50 سنت az:50 Cent bg:Фифти Сент bs:50 Cent br:50 Cent ca:50 Cent cs:50 Cent da:50 Cent de:50 Cent et:50 Cent el:50 Cent es:50 Cent eo:50 Cent fa:فیفتی سنت fr:50 Cent fy:50 Cent ga:50 Cent gl:50 Cent ko:50 센트 hy:50 Սենտ hi:५० सेंत hr:50 Cent id:50 Cent is:50 Cent it:50 Cent he:50 סנט ka:50 Cent sw:50 Cent ku:50 Cent lv:50 Cent lt:50 Cent hu:50 Cent mk:50 Cent ml:50 സെന്റ് xmf:50 Cent nl:50 Cent ja:50セント no:50 Cent nn:50 Cent uz:50 Cent pl:50 Cent pt:50 Cent ro:50 Cent ru:50 Cent stq:50 Cent sq:50 Cent simple:50 Cent sk:50 Cent sl:50 Cent so:50 Cent sr:50 Cent sh:50 Cent fi:50 Cent sv:50 Cent ta:50 சென்ட் th:50 เซ็นต์ tr:50 Cent uk:50 Cent vi:50 Cent vls:50 Cent yi:פופציק צענט yo:50 Cent zh:50 Cent

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Ja Rule
landscape	yes
background	solo_singer
birth name	Jeffery Atkins
birth date	February 29, 1976Queens, New York, U.S.
other name	Loki, Ruleyork
medium	Film, television
nationality	American
spouse	Iesha Atkins (1994–present; 3 children)
notable work	Pain Is Love
genre	Hip hop, east coast hip hop
occupation	Rapper, Actor, Songwriter
years active	1993–present
label	Def Jam, The Inc., Mpire Music Group, Fontana Distribution
Associated acts	Ashanti, Bobby Brown, DMX, Irv Gotti, Fat Joe, Memphis Bleek
website	}}

Jeffrey Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor from Queens, New York City.

Born in Hollis, Queens, he began his career in the group Cash Money Click and debuted in 1999 with ''Venni Vetti Vecci'' and its single "Holla Holla". From 2000 to 2004, Ja Rule had several hits that made the top 20 of the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, including "Between Me and You" with Christina Milian, "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" with Jennifer Lopez, "Always on Time" with Ashanti, "Mesmerize" also with Ashanti, and "Wonderful" with R. Kelly and Ashanti. During the 2000s, Ja Rule was signed to The Inc. Records, which was formerly known as Murder Inc. and was led by Irv Gotti.Ja rule has sold over 30 million records worldwide and was the fastest selling rapper in 2001. He is also known for some well-publicized feuds with other rappers (in-particular 50 Cent and Eminem)

Early life

Atkins was born in the Queens borough of New York City. He was raised as a Jehovah's Witness by his mother, health care worker Debra Atkins, and grandparents. At the age of five his sister died from breathing complications, leaving him as an only child. He attended Public School 134 in Hollis, a school he has described as having a predominantly black student body. He has said got into many fights at the school because of his small size, so his mother transferred him to Middle School 172 in Glen Oaks, which he has described as a "white school".

Music career

Atkins began his rap career in 1994 with his classic hip hop group Cash Money Click. told Curtis Waller of MTV News that his stage name "Ja Rule" came from a friend who addressed him by that name; other friends called him "Ja". In 1995, he made his first appearance on Mic Geronimo's "Time to Build" which featured Jay-Z and DMX, who were also in their early stages of their careers. In 1998, he was a featured guest on Jay-Z's hit single "Can I Get A..." along with Amil.

''Venni Vetti Vecci'' (1999)

His debut album ''Venni Vetti Vecci'' was released in 1999. Singles included "Holla Holla" and "It's Murda" with Jay-Z and DMX. "Holla Holla" reached #35 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and #2 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. ''Venni Vetti Vecci'' was certified platinum by the RIAA on July 12, 1999.

''Rule 3:36'' (2000)

Ja Rule returned in 2000 with his new single "Between Me and You", which featured Christina Milian. "Between Me and You" reached #11 on the Hot 100, and "Put It On Me" reached #8 on the Hot 100. Ja's second album, ''Rule 3:36'', was released on October 10, 2000. ''Rule 3:36'' debuted at #1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and was certified triple platinum.

''Pain Is Love'' (2001)

During the late summer of 2001, Ja Rule released his third studio album, ''Pain Is Love''. "Living It Up", featuring Case, reached #11 on the Hot 100, and "Always on Time", which featured Ashanti, reached #1 on the Hot 100. Like its predecessor, ''Pain Is Love'' topped the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified triple platinum. By 2007, 3.6 million copies of ''Pain Is Love'' had been sold. Ja Rule could also be heard on Artists against AIDS Worldwide's single "What's Going On."

''The Last Temptation'' (2002)

''The Last Temptation'', Ja Rule's fourth album, was released on November 19, 2002. It featured the two Billboard Top 10 singles "Thug Lovin'" (#8) and "Mesmerize" (#2), another duet with Ashanti. ''The Last Temptation'' debuted at #4 on the ''Billboard'' 200. ''The Last Temptation'' was certified platinum in December 2002.

''Blood in My Eye'' (2003)

''Blood in My Eye'' although intended to be a mixtape, was his fifth album and the last released under the "Murder Inc." label, which renamed itself "The Inc." several days after the album release. It spawned the one and only hit "Clap Back" which reached #5 on the Top 100 and won him the Source Awards'"Fat Tape" song of the year. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard 100 and #1 on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart selling 139,000 copies in its first week of release. It has since sold over 468,000 copies in the U.S. In October 2003, Ja Rule met with Minister Louis Farrakhan, who wanted to intervene and prevent escalating violence in the feud between Ja Rule and 50 Cent.

''R.U.L.E.'' (2004)

Ja Rule's sixth studio album ''R.U.L.E.'' was released in November 2004 debuting at number 7 selling 166,000 copies in its first week of release. Its lead single was "Wonderful" featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti which peaked on the Billboard Top 100 Singles at #5. The single was followed by the street anthem New York featuring Fat Joe and Jadakiss which charted at #27. The third single was the love song "Caught Up" featuring Lloyd and Ashanti which charted at #15. The track "The Manual" was also a single in the UK where it peaked at #9. The RIAA certified ''R.U.L.E.'' Gold on January 14, 2005, and by October 2007, the album had sold 658,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Hiatus, departure from Def Jam (2005–2009)

On December 6, 2005, The Inc. released ''Exodus'', a greatest hits album whose only new tracks were the song "Me" and intro and outro tracks. ''Exodus'' was the last album on Ja Rule's contract with The Inc. After the release of this compilation, Ja Rule took a hiatus from recording music.

In 2005, The Inc. Records came under investigation because of drug trades by Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, who was associated with Irv Gotti. This led to Def Jam Recordings refusing to renew The Inc.'s contract. From 2005 to 2006, Gotti searched for other labels until finally reaching a deal with Universal Records (ironically part of the same company as Def Jam).

In 2009, Ja Rule recorded a new song with Brazilian singer Wanessa, "Fly", sung entirely in English despite the singer's nationality. The song also received a version named "Meu Momento", also featuring Ja Rule, in which Wanessa sings in Portuguese. "Fly" was released as a single in Brazil in April. The song was ranked number #1 on Crowley/Brazil, and it was nominated in the "Hit do Ano" ("Hit Song of the Year") category at the 2009 MTV Video Music Brasil awards show, where Ja Rule and Wanessa performed together for the first time.

Ja Rule also ended his long running feud with his former Def Jam labelmate DMX at VH1's 2009 Hip Hop Honors in September. Ja Rule announced that he was no longer signed to The Inc. Records, the label he has been with since its beginnings in 1997.

''Pain Is Love 2'' (2011-Present)

In February 2011, It was announced that Ja Rule is working on another album called ''Pain Is Love 2'', naming it after the original 2001 triple platinum album (''Pain Is Love''). It will feature production from the producers on the original ''Pain Is Love'' album in order to "recreate magic". He had planned on releasing it June 7, although later decided to delay the release date in order to allow more time to perfect the "level and quality of the records" and to avoid "doing an injustice to his fans." ''Pain Is Love 2'' was slated for an October 11, 2011 release date but had been pushed back yet again, this time to February 28, 2012. To make up for the delay Ja Rule released a new track called "Falling to Pieces" which was produced by 7 Aurelius. The song samples The Script's "Breakeven". On October 2, 2011, another track off the EP was released called "Spun a Web" which was also produced 7 Aurelius and samples Coldplay's "Trouble". The following day a teaser music video premiered on YouTube and the official music video was released on October 11.

Acting career

During his break from rapping, Ja Rule had an appearance as a street racer in ''The Fast and the Furious''. In 2004 He appeared in several movies including ''Back in The Day'' with Ving Rhames and Pam Grier and ''Half Past Dead'' as Steven Segal's co-star. He also starred in the movie ''The Cookout'' with Queen Latifah.

Personal life

Family

In April 2001, Ja Rule married Aisha Atkins whom he met in junior high school. They have a daughter, Brittney, and two sons, Jeffrey, Jr. and Jordan.

Legal issues

In 2003, he allegedly punched a man in Toronto, who later sued Ja Rule. The issue was settled out of court.

In 2004, police investigated whether a feud involving The Inc. led to fatal shooting outside a nightclub party hosted by Ja Rule and Leon Richardson where they thought he shot Proof of D12.

On July 1, 2004, Ja Rule was arrested with Don Rhys for driving with a suspended license and possessing marijuana.

In July 2007, Ja Rule was arrested for gun and drug possession charges along with Lil Wayne, and Don Rhys who served eight months in prison during 2010 for attempted possession of a weapon stemming from the arrest. New York Supreme Court judge Richard Carruthers rejected Ja Rule's argument that the gun was illegally obtained evidence. On December 13, 2010, Ja Rule received a two-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to attempted possession of a weapon after the aforementioned 2007 concert. On March 8, 2011 Ja Rule's surrender date for his two year prison sentence was set for June 8. His publicist said that Ja Rule will turn himself into authorities. He will go to Rikers Island first, then be sent to a state facility in Upstate New York.

In July 2011, Ja Rule received an additional 28-month prison sentence for tax evasion, failing to pay taxes on more than $3 million in earnings between 2004–2006.

Feuds

50 Cent/G-Unit Records

Before signing with Interscope Records, 50 Cent engaged in a well-publicized feud with Ja Rule and his label Murder Inc. Records. 50 Cent claimed that the feud began in 1999 after Ja Rule spotted him with a man who robbed him of his jewelry. However, Ja Rule claimed the conflict stemmed from a video shoot in Queens because 50 Cent did not like Ja Rule "getting so much love" from the neighborhood. A confrontation occurred in a New York studio where rapper Black Child, a Murder Inc. artist, stabbed 50 Cent, which resulted in him having three stitches. .

In his book, 50 Cent details how Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff tried to resolve the conflict between him and Ja Rule. Allegedly, McGriff asked 50 Cent to leave them alone because of the money involved. 50 Cent insinuated the conflict had something to do with the shooting where he was ambushed and shot.

Since then, Black Child publicly insulted 50 Cent twice in, "There's a Snitch in the Club", and "You the Wanksta". In both songs, Black Child details violent actions directed toward 50 Cent The exchange of insult tracks released from both parties culminated in Ja Rule releasing ''Blood in My Eye'', which was an album that returned additional insults to 50 Cent. Ja Rule eventually tried to squash the feud with 50 Cent by using minister Louis Farrakhan in a televised interview. However, the attempt at peace lost credibility as the interview was scheduled a day before ''Blood in My Eye'' was released. As a result, most fans, along with 50 Cent, dismissed the interview as a blatant publicity stunt. Because of the ongoing feud between the two, 50 Cent's labelmates Eminem, Dr. Dre, Obie Trice, D12, DMX, and Busta Rhymes have also become involved and have also released tracks which insult Ja Rule.

Ja Rule later released ''R.U.L.E.'' with the successful single, "New York", featuring Jadakiss and Fat Joe in which Ja Rule took subliminal shots at 50 Cent. This single prompted 50 Cent to enter a feud with the two featured artists (see article on "Piggy Bank" for details).

Although it seemed that the feud was over, Ja Rule returned with a track entitled "21 Gunz". In response, Lloyd Banks and 50 Cent released the track "Return of Ja Fool" on Lloyd Banks' mixtape ''Mo Money in the Bank Pt. 4, Gang Green Season Starts Now''.

In an interview with MTV, Ja Rule acknowledged his defeat against 50 Cent and stated that his new album, ''The Mirror'', will not be continuing any past feuds that he has engaged in. He said: }}

Eminem

The conflict started after 50 Cent signed to Shady Records and Aftermath. Ja Rule stated that he had a problem with Eminem and Dr. Dre for signing someone he disliked. On November 19, Ja Rule and Irv Gotti were special guests on Star and Bucwild's morning show on Hot 97 NYC. Irv Gotti had some legal documents stating the order of protection 50 has on him.

Ja Rule threatened that, if 50 Cent released any songs with defamatory or insulting lyrics directed at him, he would take legal action towards both of them. However, Dr. Dre was the one who produced 50 Cent's track "Back Down" in 2003 from the album ''Get Rich Or Die Tryin''', which made derogatory comments toward Murder Inc., and Ja Rule's immediate family members. "

Busta Rhymes joined the conflict when he was featured on the track "Hail Mary 2003", with Eminem and 50 Cent. The song, a remake of Tupac Shakur's song "Hail Mary", was done partially as a response to Ja Rule's remake of another Tupac song, "Pain" (retitled "So Much Pain"). The rappers felt that Rule could never amount to Tupac, and so made the track, mocking him for trying to "imitate" the deceased rap icon. Eminem prevented Ja Rule from appearing on any of the "new" Tupac songs he produced, including those on ''Loyal to the Game''.

The conflict escalated when Ja Rule released, "Loose Change" (actually released before "Hail Mary"), in which he insulted 50 Cent, called Eminem by the name "Feminem", falsely announced Dr. Dre as "bisexual", and claimed that Suge Knight knew of Dre "bringing transvestites home". The song also includes lyrics that insulted Eminem's mother, Debbie, his then ex-wife, Kim, and even referenced his then 8-year-old daughter, Hailie. "

These lyrics offended Eminem deeply, causing him to immediately get his rap group D12 involved, as well as the major part of his label, including Obie Trice, his close friend. Eminem then made the track Bully, and together, he and Trice responded with a song titled "Doe Rae Me" (aka "Hailie's Revenge"). Eminem also made a reference to Ja Rule's insult toward Hailie in "Like Toy Soldiers", by saying:

"I need to be the leader, my crew looks for me to guide 'em, if some shit ever does pop off, I'm supposed to be beside 'em. That Ja shit I tried to squash it, it was too late to stop it. There's a certain line you just don't cross and he crossed it. I heard him say Hailie's name on a song and I just lost it."

Since then the feud has cooled down.

DMX

Ja Rule started off as friends with DMX, as well as Jay-Z. DMX, Jay-Z and Ja Rule were part of a group at the time named Murder Inc. (The name was later used by Ja's producer Irv Gotti for his record label.) They recorded songs under the name together. DMX and Jay-Z also guest starred on Ja Rule's first album on the track "It's Murda". Eventually Ja Rule's feuds with Busta Rhymes, Dr. Dre, and Eminem went away.

The two rappers waged a war of words for years after DMX accused Ja Rule of copying his hardcore style on records. DMX admitted that he initially wanted to end with his rap rival when he was released from jail in 2005 before making peace: "Gotti came to me in jail and said I want to make peace with you and him", said DMX, "I was like, 'Alright Gotti, let's do it. But I need five minutes in a room with your man. I got to put my hands on him.'"

DMX and Ja Rule finally ended their feud at VH1's 2009 Hip Hop Honors.

Discography

;Studio albums

''Venni Vetti Vecci'' (1999)

''Rule 3:36'' (2000)

''Pain Is Love'' (2001)

''The Last Temptation'' (2002)

''Blood in My Eye'' (2003)

''R.U.L.E.'' (2004)

''Pain Is Love 2'' (2012) ''Renaissance Project'' (2012) ;Other albums

''Exodus'' (2005)

''The Mirror'' (2008)

Awards and nominations

Year !! Award/Nomination
rowspan="2"	2001	Source Hip-Hop Music Award Won for Single of the Year – "Put It on Me"
MTV Video Music Awards nomination for Best Rap Video – "Put It on Me"
	Won for Best Hip-Hop Video – "I'm Real/I'm Real (Murder Remix)>I'm Real (Murder Remix)"
MTV Video Music Awards nominated for Best Hip-Hop Video – "Always on Time"
American Music Award nominated for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist
Grammy Awards nominated for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group – "Put It on Me"
Grammy Awards nominated for Best Rap Album – ''Pain Is Love''
Grammy Awards nominated for Best Rap/Song Collaboration – "Livin' It Up"
World Music Awards Won for World's Best-Selling Rap Artist
BET Awards Won for Best Male Hip-Hop Artist Artist
GQ Men of the Year Award Won for Musician of the Year
Teen Choice Awards Won for Male Artist of the Year
NAACP Image Awards Won for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Artist
Soul Train Music Award nomination for Best Rap/Soul or Rap Album of the Year – ''Pain Is Love''
	Source Award Won for R&B;/Rap Collboration of the Year – "Thug Lovin'"
American Music Award nomination for Favorite Hip-Hop/R&B; Male Artist
Grammy Awards nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration – "Always on Time"
2004	Source Award Won for Phat Tape Song of the Year – "Clap Back"
2009	MTV Video Music Brasil nomination for Hit do Ano (Song of the Year) – "Fly (Wanessa Camargo song)>Fly"

Filmography

+ List of film and television credits
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2000		David "Gage" Williams
2000		Himself
2001	''Crime Partners''	Hitman
2001		Edwin
2002	''Half Past Dead''	Nicolas 'Nick' Frazier
2003	''Scary Movie 3''	Agent Thompson
2003	''Pauly Shore Is Dead''	Himself
2004	''The Cookout''	Bling Bling
2004		Hip Hop Bar Performer
2005		Reggie Cooper
2005		Smiley
2006		Terrence Dufresne
2009	"Just Another Day	himself
2009	''Don't Fade Away''	Foster
2009	''Kiss and Tail: The Hollywood Jumpoff''	himself
2010	''Wrong Side of Town''	Razor
2011	''I'm in Love with a Church Girl''	Miles Montego	His real son plays the younger version of himself, Miles.
2012	''The Cookout 2''	Bling Bling	Sequel to The Cookout
2013	''Goat''	Willie

References

External links

The Inc. artist website (archived)

Category:1976 births Category:Living people Category:African American actors Category:African American rappers Category:American film actors Category:Def Jam Recordings artists Category:People from Queens Category:Rappers from New York City Category:The Inc. Records artists Category:TVT Records artists Category:Prisoners and detainees of New York Category:People convicted of drug offenses Category:People convicted of fraud

ar:جا رول cs:Ja Rule da:Ja Rule de:Ja Rule es:Ja Rule fr:Ja Rule fy:Ja Rule ko:자 룰 hr:Ja Rule id:Ja Rule it:Ja Rule he:ג'ה רול lv:Ja Rule nl:Ja Rule ja:ジャ・ルール no:Ja Rule pl:Ja Rule pt:Ja Rule ro:Ja Rule ru:Аткинс, Джеффри simple:Ja Rule fi:Ja Rule sv:Ja Rule th:จา รูล tr:Ja Rule

Stu Allan is a British dance music DJ who worked for Piccadilly Radio and Key 103 in Manchester in the 1980s and 1990s. His hip-hop, house music and hardcore techno shows were a significant influence on the local music scene at that time. Stu Allan today is a major contributor to the UK hardcore scene.

Biography

In 1982 Stu Allan took up DJing. Between 1984 and 1986 his mixes/remixes were featured on Piccadilly Radio, Manchester on various shows including Timmy Mallet, Chris Evans and Tim Grundy.

In July 1986 he was given his own show on Piccadilly Radio. He was originally filling in for the regular DJ on a 6 week vacation, but the reaction was so great from listeners that he was signed on permanently. He began featuring Hip Hop and a new style of music called House. "Love Can't Turn Around" by Farley Jackmaster Funk was the first record Stu played on the radio. This track got the attention of the people in charge of the station and Allan was asked to explain why he was playing this "music". He said he believed this was what listeners really wanted to hear (having seen clubbers going wild to tunes like "Jack Your Body", "Jack The Groove" and many other underground Chicago label tunes at his gigs), and convinced them that his choice of music was right when the station's ratings improved massively. During this period Stu produced a soul show called "Souled Out" and a hip hop show called "Bus 'Diss". He would also have a house hour which would feature the seamless mixing he is known for.

Stu Allan was a big attraction at Bowlers in Trafford Park Manchester. His choice of hi energy Old Skool music made him a favourite on the Rave Scene in the 90's.

Stu Allan was also a regular DJ on the Vibealite rave scene, performing at many of their events across the North of England.

Clock

Between 1993 and 1999 he was one half of the production team behind eurodance act Clock. As well as having commercial success with these tracks, they were released as hardcore remixes under the pseudonym Visa and were hits on the underground too.

Radio

In 1999 - 2000 Kiss 100 approached him to mix & produce the now legendary "Kiss Mix" (Mon-Sat evenings) which became the most listened to shows on at that time in London for 14 - 24 year olds.

In 2005 he had a show named Hardcore Nation on Pure Dance

Compilation

Hardcore Nation (2005)

Hardcore Nation 2 (2005)

Hardcore Nation 3 (2006)

Hardcore Nation Classic (2007)

Hardcore Adrenaline (2007)

Hardcore Adrenaline 2 (2007)

Hardcore Adrenaline 3 (2007)

Hardcore Nation 2009

External links

Brave Music Agency Bio

Stu Allen can be found on Myspace

New Hardcore compilation CD Hardcore Adrenaline

Category:British radio DJs Category:British DJs Category:British record producers Category:Living people

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Natalie Merchant
background	solo_singer
birth name	Natalie Anne Merchant
born	October 26, 1963Jamestown, New York, USA
instrument	Vocals, keyboard, piano
occupation	Musician, Songwriter
years active	1981–present
label	Elektra RecordsMyth America RecordsNonesuch/Elektra Records
associated acts	10,000 ManiacsMichael Stipe
website	NatalieMerchant.com }}

Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She joined the alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and left it to begin her solo career in 1993.

Early life

Natalie Merchant was born October 26, 1963 in Jamestown, New York, the third of four children of Anthony and Ann Merchant. Her paternal grandfather, who played the accordion, mandolin and guitar, emigrated to the United States from Sicily; his surname was "Mercante" before it was Anglicized. Her maternal grandfather, a cartoonist, piano tuner and member of a barbershop quartet, was Irish. Her parents divorced when she was eight years old, and her mother later remarried.

When Merchant was a child, her mother listened to music (Beatles, Al Green, Aretha Franklin) and encouraged her children to study music, but she wouldn't allow TV after Natalie was 12. "I was taken to the symphony a lot because my mother loved classical music. But I was dragged to see Styx when I was 12. We had to drive 100 miles to Buffalo, New York. Someone threw up next to me and people were smoking pot. It was terrifying. I remember Styx had a white piano which rose out of the stage. It was awe-inspiring and inspirational." "She [her mother] had show tunes, she had the soundtrack from ''West Side Story'' and ''South Pacific''. And then eventually... she'd always liked classical music and then she married a jazz musician, so that's the kind of music I was into. I never really had friends who sat around and listened to the stereo and said 'hey, listen to this one', so I'd never even heard of who Bob Dylan was until I was 18." During 1988–1989, Natalie claimed she still didn't have a TV: "I grew up in a house where no one watched the news on television and no one read the paper. I've been discovering these things as I get older, and the news has affected me more than it ever has before."

At 16, Merchant left high school and started working in a health food store. In 1981 she started singing for a band called Still Life, which was to become 10,000 Maniacs.

Career

10,000 Maniacs

Merchant was lead singer and primary lyricist for 10,000 Maniacs, joining in its infancy in 1981 while she was a student at Jamestown Community College. The group recorded their album "Human Conflict Number Five" and performed a corresponding Music video at The Hotel Franklin and at Group W Westinghouse studios (Jamestown, New York) in 1982. Merchant sang lead vocals, and later played the piano as well, for 10,000 Maniacs for seven studio albums. In 1993 she announced that she was leaving the group.

''Tigerlily'' (1995)

Merchant has said in interviews that after her split with 10,000 Maniacs she was so eager to begin writing her own material that she went home that very day and composed the song "I May Know the Word", which was originally meant to appear on the soundtrack to the Tom Hanks movie ''Philadelphia''. The song was eventually cut from the soundtrack, but it would go on to appear on Merchant's debut solo album, ''Tigerlily'', which was released on the Elektra label in 1995. Merchant chose to name the album ''Tigerlily'' as she felt it captured the feel of the album, which she described as both "fierce" and "delicate".

The third song on the album, "Beloved Wife", was featured as the first song in the trailer for the movie ''Message in a Bottle''.

Seeking creative control, Merchant chose to fund ''Tigerlily'' herself, refusing the advance from the record company. She also wanted to work with a core-group of young musicians who she felt would be enthusiastic about the music. The group would consist of guitarist Jennifer Turner, bassist Barrie Maguire, and former-Wallflower and eventual boyfriend to Merchant, Peter Yanowitz, who played drums on the album and who continued to do so with Merchant until their abrupt split in 2000.

''Tigerlily'' was a critical and commercial success, spawning her first top-ten hit in the single "Carnival", and achieving top-40 success with subsequent singles "Wonder" and "Jealousy". The album would go on to sell over 5 million copies, and continues to be Merchant’s most successful album to date. Merchant did extensive touring for the album and made numerous television appearances, including performances on ''SNL'', The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and all late-night talk shows. The media's immediate and critical impact on culture and cultural icons was of particular interest to Merchant. In "River", a song from Tigerlily, Merchant defends River Phoenix as she castigates the media for systematically dissecting the child actor after his death. Much of their emphasis was on Phoenix' suspected drug-using lifestyle. In "River," Merchant asks, "Why don't you let him be / Give his mother and father peace." Merchant's anger is later replaced with quiet reflection, asking, "It was such a nightmare raving, 'How could we save him from himself?'"

''Ophelia'' (1998–1999)

Three years passed before Merchant would release her second solo effort, ''Ophelia''. While ''Tigerlily'' contained a lot of sparse instrumentation, the music on ''Ophelia'' featured plenty of lush symphonic arrangements composed and conducted by British composer Gavin Bryars. Merchant treated the recording of ''Ophelia'' as a series of workshops, where she would invite various musicians she had met over the years into her home studio to collaborate and record. In the end, 30 different musicians featured on the album, among them Brand New Heavies frontwoman N'Dea Davenport (with whom she duets on the song ''Break Your Heart''), famed trumpet player Chris Botti, and the husband and wife duo, Don and Karen Peris, from the band The Innocence Mission.

While ''Ophelia'' is not a concept record in the traditional sense, the album-cycle saw Merchant flexing her creative muscles in surprising ways. The name of the album and the title track are a literary reference to Shakespeare's Ophelia, who in the play ''Hamlet'' becomes mad and eventually commits suicide when Hamlet remains non-committal and lost in himself. Merchant's ''Ophelia'' describes a series of women throughout time—women who dared question the patriarchal status quo and who were often castigated for doing so—and is a cry for women's rights and for more understanding of female archetypes beyond the scope of the "mother" and the "whore", both of which severely limit women and attempt to turn them into little more than chattel. The portrayal of the women in the song is a tribute to the non-traditional, the "too smart for her own good" type of woman who is often misunderstood by society. As a lyric to the title song cries: "Your common sense, your best defense, was wasted and in vain!" A reflection of women driven mad by social limitations, Natalie's tribute described Ophelia as being at once a "novice carmelite," a "suffragette," a "circus queen," a "demigoddess" and a "mafia courtesan." The album sleeve saw Merchant pictured in colorful and ornate costumes as each of these different characters. As a companion to the album, she also released a film where she portrays each of these different characters, with voice-overs used for the "novice carmelite," the "sweetheart" and the "courtesan" as they are Spanish, German and Italian, respectively.

The first single off the album was a happy and uncharacteristically simple song called "Kind and Generous", which received massive airplay on VH1 and which solidified Merchant's role as a bona fide solo artist. That summer, Sarah McLachlan invited Merchant to co-headline the year's biggest music festival with her, Lilith Fair. The exposure from the tour helped the album reach Platinum status in just under a year, with subsequent singles "Break Your Heart" and "Life Is Sweet" receiving moderate airplay on adult contemporary stations. No video was filmed for the latter, however, with a clip from Merchant's appearance on VH1's ''Storytellers'' being used instead. She would also go on to appear on PBS' ''Sessions at West 54th'' and VH1's ''Hard Rock Live'' before the year's end. In 1998, Merchant also recorded George Gershwin's "But Not for Me" for the Red Hot Organization's compilation album ''Red Hot + Rhapsody'', a tribute to George Gershwin, which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness and fighting the disease.

The ''Ophelia'' tour ended in 1999 with the final few shows being performed and recorded on Broadway. The performance would be released as the album ''Natalie Merchant: Live in Concert'' with a companion video of the same name. The performance was notable in that it featured numerous covers including songs by David Bowie, Neil Young, and the Breton-Welsh singer-songwriter Katell Keineg.

American Folk Music Tour (2000)

In 2000, Merchant embarked on a folk tour in the United States with many shows being supported by alt-country band Wilco.

Merchant's next studio album on the Elektra label was ''Motherland'', released in 2001. ''Motherland'' saw Merchant at her most experimental musically. ''Motherland'' achieved Gold on the Billboard charts after debuting at No. 30 on the Billboard 200 and No. 13 on the Top Internet Albums of 2001, respectively. Rolling Stone favored this album with 3½ stars, and also noticed a difference in Merchant's voice, which was more deep and gritty than her previous albums. Singles that were released from ''Motherland'' were Just Can't Last, Build a Levee and Tell Yourself.

Merchant embarked on a year and a half world tour to promote ''Motherland''. The first leg of the tour started in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 17, 2001, trekking all over the United States, and then heading to Europe with some special acoustic shows in Europe. Merchant also participated in the Rock am Ring Festival and Rock im Park in 2002. In the summer of 2002, she was paired with Chris Isaak and both played at stadiums and arenas.

''The House Carpenter's Daughter'' (2003)

After her contract with Elektra expired in August 2002, Merchant decided not to sign with them again, or any other major label. Her next studio album, ''The House Carpenter's Daughter'', was released in September 2003 on her own label, Myth America Records. To date this has been the only release on Myth America.

''Leave Your Sleep'' (2010)

In October 2009, the official websites of Nonesuch Records and Natalie Merchant announced that she had signed with the label. ''Leave Your Sleep'' was released on April 13, 2010 and is a compilation of five years of inspiration from a "conversation" with her daughter over the "first 6 years of her life." The album debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at No. 17, Billboard Folk Albums at No. 1, Amazon.com at No.1, and ITunes, No. 3. The album was co-produced by Grammy winning Andres Levin.

Personal life

Merchant is married to Daniel de la Calle and has a daughter named Lucia. She likes gardening and painting. Some paintings can be seen at her official website.

She has been a vegetarian since 1980, save for the duration of her pregnancy when she temporarily resumed eating meat. In 1997, she said:

"The '60s aesthetic has never really appealed to me, the tie-dyed Deadhead running barefoot through the forest on LSD. I don't think that's really me. But I've been a vegetarian for 17 years and I consider myself an environmentalist in as much as I can be, considering the job that I have. I prefer living in the countryside rather than the city; I find it more sane and sustaining for myself..."

Discography

With 10,000 Maniacs

''Human Conflict Number Five'' (1982)

''Secrets of the I Ching'' (1983)

''The Wishing Chair'' (1985)

''In My Tribe'' (1987)

''Blind Man's Zoo'' (1989)

''Hope Chest: The Fredonia Recordings 1982-1983'' (1990)

''Our Time in Eden'' (1992)

''MTV Unplugged'' (1993)

''Campfire Songs: The Popular, Obscure and Unknown Recordings'' (2004)

Solo

1995: ''Tigerlily''

1998: ''Ophelia''

2001: ''Motherland''

2003: ''The House Carpenter's Daughter''

2010: ''Leave Your Sleep''

Filmography

Films

One Fine Day Ophelia Bringing Out the Dead Natalie Merchant: Live in Concert When in Rome Cheaper by the Dozen Purgatory House Candida Earthlings

Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
1990	Time Capsule	Herself (Vocals, Piano, Organ)
1996	|	Performer "One Fine Day"	Soundtrack
1998	|	Performer	Short Film
1999	|	Performer/Writer: "These Are Days"	Soundtrack
1999	|	Herself (Vocals, Piano)	Live Concert Video
2002	|	Performer/Writer: "These Are Days"	Soundtrack
2003	|	Performer/Writer: "These Are Days"	Soundtrack
2004	|	Performer/Writer: "My Skin"	Soundtrack
2006	|	Performer/Writer: "Motherland"	Soundtrack
2007	|	Composer	Documentary

Television

Saturday Night Live MTV Unplugged Rock & Roll Inaugural Ball MTV VMAS Concert for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Saturday Night Live Sessions at West 54th Saturday Night Live Hard Rock Live VH1 Storytellers Sessions at West 54th Man in the Sand Late Night with Conan O'Brien Lifetime's Intimate Portrait ABC 2000: The Millennium Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words & Music Up Close and Personal Austin City Limits Go Further Good Morning America

Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
1990	MTV Unplugged	Herself (as 10,000 Maniacs)
1992	|	Herself (as 10,000 Maniacs)	(NBC) Aired 31 October 1992; songs: Candy Everybody Wants and These Are Days
1993	|	Herself (as 10,000 Maniacs)	First artist to make 2nd appearance
1993	|	Herself (as 10,000 Maniacs)
1993	|	Herself–Presenter	TV Special
1995	|	Herself–Performer	Sang "I Know How to Do It"
1995	|	Herself–Performer	(NBC) Host David Schwimmer
1997	|	Herself–Performer	(PBS) "Planctus" with Philip Glass
1998	|	Herself–Performer	(NBC) Host Matthew Broderick
1998	|	Herself–Performer	VH1
1998	|	Herself–Performer	Later released as DVD
1998	|	Herself–Performer	(NBC) Host David Byrne
1999	|	Herself	Video Documentary
1999	|	Musical Guest	(NBC) "Life Is Sweet"
1999	|	Herself	Biographical
2000	|	Herself–Performer	"Kind and Generous"
2001	|	Herself–Performer	"Nowhere Man"
2001	|	Herself–Performer	Oxygen
2002	|	Herself–Performer	PBS
2003	|	Herself	Documentary
2010	|	Herself–Performer	ABC News

Talk Shows !! Years
The Late Show with David Letterman:	1995, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2001, 2004
The Rosie O'Donnell Show:	1996, 1996, 1998, 1998, 1999, 1999, 2001, 2002
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno:	1992, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2010

References

External links

Natalie Merchant at the Ectophile's Guide to Good Music

Launch's page on Merchant

Natalie Merchant interview at musicOMH

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:10,000 Maniacs members Category:American contraltos Category:American female singers Category:American pop pianists Category:American pop singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Female rock singers Category:Feminist artists Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:People from Jamestown, New York Category:American vegetarians Category:Elektra Records artists Category:Nonesuch Records artists Category:American people of Sicilian descent Category:American vibraphonists Category:Musicians from New York Category:American alternative rock musicians Category:American folk singers Category:Folk pianists Category:American rock pianists Category:People from Ridgefield, Connecticut

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