Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
Name	Yung Joc
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Jasiel Robinson
Alias	Joc, Yung J.O.C
Birth date	April 02, 1983 Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper
Years active	2004–present
Label	Swagg Team (CEO), J Records, Polo Grounds Music
Website	www.myspace.com/yungjoc }}

Jasiel Robinson (born April 2, 1983), better known by his stage name Yung Joc, is an American rapper.

Early life

Robinson's father, Vivian Young, ran a hair-care products company and helped him write a jingle for Revlon; Robinson founded his own label to release his music.

Music career

New Joc City (2005-2006)

After Teaming with producer Russell "Block" Spencer, founder of the Block Enterprises label, Yung Joc recorded his first single "It's Goin' Down" in the spring of 2006. Spencer was signed Joc to Sean Combs's Bad Boy Records for a multi-million dollar deal, and Bad Boy released Joc's debut ''New Joc City'' that year. The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 selling nearly 150,000 copies in the first week. The second week it fell to #7. It has since been certified gold by the RIAA selling over 500,000 copies.

Yung Joc was also featured on the songs "Show Stopper" by Danity Kane (from Diddy's ''Making The Band 4'') & Cassie's album track ''Call U Out''. Yung Joc is on 2006 "Forbes' Richest Rappers List", ranking at #20, having grossed approximately $10 million in 2006. "It's Goin' Down" reached #3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. The next single, "I Know U See It", reached #17 on the Hot 100 and #2 on the Hot Rap Tracks.

Hustlenomic$ & Grind Flu (2007-2009)

Joc's next album, ''Hustlenomics'', was released in 2007, with the singles "Coffee Shop" and "Bottle Poppin'". ''Hustlenomics'' sold 69,000 copies in its first week of release, debuting at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200. As of April 2009, it has sold approximately 197,000 copies according to Nielsen Soundscan. In 2007 Yung Joc was featured on his new artist Hotstylz single "Lookin Boy". During 2008 Yung Joc was featured in the hit singles on "''Get Like Me'', "''So Fly''" & "''Beep''". Then in 2009 he was featured on Day26 single Imma Put It on Her. Yung Joc released an independent album entitled ''Grind Flu'' for free on his label website Swagg Team Entertainment on August 11, 2009.

Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood (2010-present)

Yung Joc recently released his first single from the album ''Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood'' entitled "Yeah Boy". They have also recently shot & released the music video for the single. Yung Joc has also stated in a December 26 interview, that he would love to work with New York based producer DJ Premier for a couple of tracks. The second single has been confirmed as "I Know What She Like" that features Yo Gotti.

Other Ventures

Swagg Team Entertainment

Joc has been said to have a new record label through Jive Records, called Swagg Team Entertainment. The label was formed after a widely-publicized lawsuit with Block Entertainment and Bad Boy Records. Joc spoke about the lawsuit and his relationship with Diddy in a recent interview.

Swagg Team Entertainment saw their debut from Chicago rap group Hotstylz; with their first single "Lookin Boy". It also saw the debut from Dallas rap group GS Boyz; their first single being "Stanky Legg."

;Current artists

Hotstylz (Krazee, Meatball & Raydio G)

GS Boyz (Marc D, Slizz & DK)

Swagg Team Mafia (To Green, Doe Shun, Dunte, Cheeze, Tuck & Jon Boi)

Avery J.

C MON3Y (Dolla Dolla Bill)

J-DAM (Deployin Tha Love)

;Former artists

Soufside

Prince Charming

Discography

;Studio albums

''New Joc City'' (2006)

''Hustlenomics'' (2007)

''Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood'' (TBA 2012)

Awards

BET Hip-Hop Awards

* 2008, Hip-Hop Video of the Year ("Get Like Me") with David Banner & Chris Brown [Nominated]

* 2006, Hip-Hop Video of the Year ("It's Goin' Down") [Nominated]

* 2006, Hip-Hop Track of the Year ("It's Goin' Down") [Won]

* 2006, Rookie of the Year [Nominated]

* 2006, Hip-Hop MVP of the Year [Nominated]

* 2006, Best Live Performance [Nominated]

* 2006, Best Hip Hop Dance [Nominated]

Grammy Awards

* 2007, Best Rap Song ("It's Goin' Down") [Nominated]

MTV Video Music Awards

* 2006, Best Rap Video ("It's Goin' Down") [Nominated]

Ozone Awards

* 2007, Best Rap/R&B; Collaboration ("Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')") with T-Pain [Nominated]

Vibe Awards

* 2007, Best Collaboration ("Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')") with T-Pain [Nominated]

* 2007, Song of the Year ("Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')") with T-Pain [Won]

References

External links

Yung Joc Albums

Category:African American rappers Category:American Christians Category:Bad Boy Records artists Category:Rappers from Atlanta, Georgia Category:1980 births Category:Living people

de:Yung Joc es:Yung Joc fr:Yung Joc it:Yung Joc nl:Yung Joc ja:ヤング・ジョック pl:Yung Joc pt:Yung Joc fi:Yung Joc

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.

Etymology

The word is by origin a diminutive of "jock", the Northern English or Scots colloquial equivalent of the first name "John," which is also used generically for "boy, or fellow" (compare "Jack", "Dick"), at least since 1529. A familiar instance of the use of the word as a name is in "Jockey of Norfolk" in Shakespeare's Richard III. v. 3, 304.

In the 16th and 17th centuries the word was applied to horse-dealers, postilions, itinerant minstrels and vagabonds, and thus frequently bore the meaning of a cunning trickster, a "sharp", whence the verb to jockey, "to outwit", or "to do" a person out of something. The current usage which means a person who rides a horse in races was first seen in 1670.

Physical characteristics

Jockeys must be light to ride at the weights which are assigned to their mounts. There is no limit on how tall a jockey can be but due to weight considerations, most are under five feet, six inches (1.68 m) tall. There are horse carrying weight limits, that are set by racing authorities. The Kentucky Derby, for example, has a weight limit of including the jockey's equipment. The average weight for a jockey is around . Despite their light weight, they must be able to control a horse that is moving at and weighs .

The role of the jockey

Jockeys are normally self employed, nominated by horse trainers to ride their horses in races, for a fee (which is paid regardless of the prize money the horse earns for a race) and a cut of the purse winnings. In Australia, employment of apprentice jockeys is in terms of indenture to a master (a trainer); and there is a clear employee/employer relationship. When an apprentice jockey finishes his apprenticeship and becomes a "fully fledged jockey", the nature of their employment and insurance requirements change because they are regarded as "freelance", like contractors. Jockeys often cease their riding careers to take up other employment in racing, usually as trainers. In this way the apprenticeship system serves to induct young people into racing employment.

Jockeys usually start out when they are young, riding work in the morning for trainers, and entering the riding profession as an apprentice jockey. It is normally necessary for an apprentice jockey to ride a minimum of about 20 barrier trials successfully before being permitted to commence riding in races. An apprentice jockey is known as a "bug boy" because the asterisk that follows the name in the program looks like a bug. All jockeys must be licensed and usually are not permitted to bet on a race. An apprentice jockey has a master, who is a horse trainer, and also is allowed to "claim" weight off the horse's back (if a horse were to carry 58 kg, and the apprentice was able to claim 3 kg, the horse would only have to carry 55 kg on its back) in some races. This allowance is adjusted according to the number of winners that the apprentice has ridden. After a 4 year indentured apprenticeship, the apprentice becomes a senior jockey and would usually develop relationships with trainers and individual horses. Sometimes senior jockeys are paid a retainer by an owner which gives the owner the right to insist the jockey rides their horses in races.

Racing modeled on the English Jockey Club spread throughout the world with colonial expansion.

Racing colours

The colours worn by jockeys in races are the registered "colours" of the owner or trainer who employs them. The practice of horsemen wearing colours probably stems from medieval times when jousts were held between knights. But the origins of racing colours of multifarious patterns that are seen today may have been influenced by racing held in Italian city communities since medieval times. Such traditional events are still held on town streets and are remarkable for furious riding and the colourful spectacle they offer.

Getting white breeches and bib, stock or cravat known as "silks" is a rite of passage when a jockey is first able to don silken pants and colours in their first race ride, and it has a parallel in how lawyers are spoken of as "taking silk". At one time silks were invariably made of silk, though now synthetics are sometimes used instead. Nevertheless, the silks and their colours are important symbols evoking emotions of loyalty and festivity.

Awards

Various awards are given annually by organizations affiliated with the sport of thoroughbred racing in countries throughout the world. They include:

United States

* George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award

* Isaac Murphy Award

United Kingdom

* BHB Champion Jockey Award

Risk factors

Horse racing is a sport where jockeys may incur permanent, debilitating, and even life-threatening injuries. Chief among them include concussion, bone fractures, arthritis, trampling, and paralysis. Jockey insurance premiums remain among the highest of all professional sports. Between 1993 and 1996, 6,545 injuries occurred during official races for an injury rate of 606 per 1,000 jockey years. In Australia race riding is regarded as being the second most deadly job, after offshore fishing. From 2002 to 2006 five deaths and 861 serious injuries were recorded.

Eating disorders (such as anorexia) are also very common among jockeys, as the athletes face extreme pressure to maintain unusually low (and specific) weights for men, sometimes within a five pound (2.3 kg) margin. The bestselling historical novel ''Seabiscuit: An American Legend'' chronicled the eating disorders of jockeys living in the first half of the Twentieth century. As in the cases of champion jockey Kieren Fallon and Robert Winston, the pressure to stay light has been blamed in part for jockeys suffering agonies of thirst from dehydration while racing. Sports Dietitians Australia warns:"Dehydration and energy depletion may compromise concentration and coordination."

Women jockeys

Australia and New Zealand

During the 1850s amateur “ladies only” events were held in Victoria, Australia but women were not permitted to ride as professional jockeys or on professional tracks.

Although women jockeys were barred from riding at registered race meetings, in the mid-1900s Wilhemena Smith rode as Bill Smith at north Queensland racecourses. She was nicknamed Bill ''Girlie'' Smith because she arrived on course with her riding gear on under her clothes and did not shower on course. It was only at the time of her death in 1975 that the racing world was officially told that Bill was really Wilhemena. Subsequent inquiries revealed that William Smith was actually a woman who had been born Wilhemena Smith in a Sydney hospital in 1886. In an era when women were clearly denied equality, she had become known as a successful jockey in Queensland country districts as 'Bill Smith'.

During the late 1960s restrictions against female trainers were lifted in Australia, but female jockeys were still confined to “ladies only” events, which were held on non-professional tracks.

The Victoria Racing Club in 1974 permitted female jockeys to be registered for professional “ladies only” events.

In 1978 racing rules in New Zealand were amended to permit female jockeys.

In Australia Pam O’Neill and Linda Jones, in 1979, were the pioneers that forced jockey club officials to grant women the right to compete on an equal footing in registered races against men. They were unquestionably the first women jockeys to be licensed to ride in the metropolitan areas of Australia. Previously women had been riding against men in Australia at the unregistered “all-height” meetings. Pam created a world record for any jockey, male or female, when she rode a treble at Southport on her first day’s riding. Australia's top woman jockey, Bev Buckingham, became the first female jockey in the Southern Hemisphere to win 1,000 races. In 1998, in a fall at the Elwick Racecourse (Hobart), she broke her neck. She was confined to a wheelchair but regained her strength and mobility and was able to walk again without assistance.

In 2004-05 Clare Lindop won the Adelaide jockeys’ premiership and became the first women to win a metropolitan jockeys’ premiership on mainland Australia.

Lisa Cropp won the 2006 New Zealand jockeys’ premiership for the second consecutive season.

In 2005, Andrea Leek became the first woman to ride the winner of the Grand National Hurdle (4,300 m) at Flemington when she won aboard Team Heritage.

Women today account for 17% of jockeys in Victoria. But, they receive only 10% of the rides, and are often overlooked in favour of male jockeys, especially in the cities.

In some regions of Australia about half of the apprentice jockey intakes are female.

United Kingdom

The first decade of the 21st century has seen the profile of female jockeys rise considerably in UK Flat racing. In 2005 Hayley Turner became Champion Apprentice rider, before becoming the first female to ride 100 winners in a UK season in 2008. Also in 2008, Kirsty Milczarek became the first woman to ride three winners at a single UK race meeting, at Kempton in February. Kirsty Milczarek rode 71 winners that year. This period has seen the total number of female jockeys in UK Flat racing rise significantly. This change has not applied in National Hunt racing, though amateur riders Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh (sister of Ruby Walsh) have gained success in Ireland and ridden winners at the Cheltenham Festival.

United States

In 1969, Diane Crump was the first female rider ever registered to ride in a Thoroughbred race in the United States. This event was at the recently closed Hialeah Park Race Track in Florida. Others soon followed suit and American women jockeys have proved their ability with Mary Doser winning six races on a card at Great Lakes Downs and at least four others riding more than 1,000 winners each.

Robot jockeys

To replace child jockeys whose use had been deplored by human rights organizations, a camel race in Doha, Qatar for the first time featured robots at the reins. On July 13, 2005, workers fixed robotic jockeys on the backs of seven camels and raced the machine-mounted animals around a track. Operators controlled the jockeys remotely, signaling them to pull their reins and prod the camels with whips.

See also

List of jockeys

U.S. National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

Thoroughbred horse racing

References

External links

. Jockeys' Guild.

An Overview of Safety and Health for Workers in the Horse-Racing Industry. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Job Guide: Jockey. Department of Education, Employment, and Workplace Relations. Australian Government.

Jockeys: Darren Beadman. The Australian Racing Museum.

"Jockey Career Description". Career Descriptions

At the Races: The Jockeys - slideshow by ''Life magazine''

"Mammals & Events: A Jockey's Hard Life". American Experience: Seabiscuit. PBS.org.

Category:Horse-related professions and professionals Category:Horse racing Category:Sports occupations and roles

cs:Žokej de:Jockey eo:Ĵokeo fr:Cavalier professionnel ko:기수 (경마) io:Jokeo id:Joki it:Fantino nl:Jockey ja:騎手 pl:Dżokej pt:Jóquei ru:Жокей simple:Jockey fi:Jockey sv:Jockey zh:騎師

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
Name	Hotstylz
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Chicago, Illinois
Genre	Midwest rapSnap music
Years active	2007-present
Label	Swagg Team Entertainment/Block/Jive
Associated	Yung Jocladarion mitchell
Website	Hotstylz's Myspace
Current members	KrazeeMeatballRaydio G
Past members	}}

Hotstylz is a rap group based out of Chicago, Illinois, USA, and are signed to Yung Joc's label Swagg Team Entertainment. In late 2007 they released a single called "Lookin Boy", featuring Yung Joc which peaked at #47 in the U.S.

The current rappers of the group are Raydio G, Krazee, and Meatball.

Debut album

Their debut album "''Get on My Family''" is yet to be released and has no new information as of 2010.

Discography

Studio albums

! Year	! Title	! Album details
2011	''Get on My Family''	* To be released	* Label: Swagg Team Entertainment/[[Block Entertainment

Mixtapes

''A.D.D.'' (2009)

Singles

{|class="wikitable" !rowspan="2"|Year !rowspan="2"|Song !colspan="3"|Chart positions !rowspan="2"|Album |- !width="40"|U.S. Hot 100 !width="40"|U.S. R&B; !width="40"|U.S. Rap |- |align="center" rowspan="1"|2007 |align="left"|"Lookin' Boy" (featuring Yung Joc) |align="center"|47 |align="center"|11 |align="center"|9 |align="left" rowspan="1"|''Get On My Family'' |- |}

References

Category:Jive Records artists Category:American hip hop groups Category:African American rappers

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Marques Houston
background	solo_singer
birth name	Marques Barrett Houston
alias	MH, Batman, Roger, Mr. Houston, M Houston
born	August 04, 1981Inglewood, California
instrument	Vocals, piano, Guitar
genre	R&B;, hip hop
occupation	Singer, producer, songwriter, actor
years active	1992–present (Immature/IMx)2003–present (solo)1992–present (actor)
label	Capitol Records, Musicworks, TUG Entertainment, Universal Records
associated acts	IMx, Yung Joc, Omarion, B2K, J-Boog
website	}}

Marques Barrett Houston (born August 4, 1981) is an American R&B; singer, songwriter, rapper, and actor. A member of the R&B; singing group Immature/IMx until 2002, he went solo in 2003. He is also the cousin of J-Boog, former member of the R&B;/Hip-Hop group B2K.

Early life

Born in the Inglewood, California to Michael and Carolyn, Houston lost his mother to lymphoma in 1997. This affected him deeply: he wrote songs about his mother's battle with the disease and her eventual death, including the song "All Alone" on Immature's album ''The Journey''.

Music career

Early career and IMx

Houston became a founding member of the R&B; group Immature, known from 1999 as IMx. The group included Jerome "Romeo" Jones and Don "Half Pint" Santos (later replaced by Kelton "LDB" Kessee), with Chris Stokes acting as their manager. At this period Houston went by the nickname "Batman". The group released four albums under the name Immature.

In 1999, the group underwent a name change but continued on to release two albums under the name IMx: ''Introducing IMx'' (1999) and ''IMx'' (2001). The group also branched out into film (such as ''House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute'') and television (such as ''A Different World'') before disbanding in 2002.

Solo career

In 2003, Houston began pursuing a solo career. Houston has since released five solo albums.

''MH'' (2003-2004)

Using his birth name, Marques Houston, he released his debut album, ''MH'', on October 21, 2003. The album featured the singles "That Girl", "Clubbin'" (featuring Joe Budden), "Pop That Booty" (featuring Jermaine Dupri) and "Because of You".

In the United States charts, ''MH'' peaked at number 20 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and peaked at number 5 on ''Billboard'''s Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums.

''Naked'' (2005)

Houston released his second solo album, ''Naked'', on May 24, 2005. The album featured the singles "All Because of You" (featuring Young Rome), "Naked" and "Sex Wit You".

In the United States, ''Naked'' peaked at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' and peaked at number 5 on ''Billboard'''s Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums.

''Veteran'' (2006-2007)

Houston released his third solo album, ''Veteran'', on March 20, 2007. The album featured the singles "Like This" (featuring Yung Joc), "Favorite Girl", "Circle" and "Wonderful".

In the United States, ''Veteran'' debuted (and peaked) at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and debuted at number 1 on ''Billboard'''s Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums, marking this release as Houston's first number-one solo album.

''Mr. Houston'' (2009)

Houston released his fourth solo album, ''Mr. Houston'' on September 29, 2009. It featured the singles, "I Love Her" and "Sunset". Videos for the album tracks "Body" and "Date" were released online in 2008. "How I Do" and "Case of You" received video premieres in 2009, followed by a video for "Tonight" in 2010.

''Mattress Music'' and IMx reunion (2010–present)

On September 14, 2010, Houston released his fifth studio album, ''Mattress Music'', which contained the singles "Kickin' & Screamin' and "Pullin' on Her Hair". A video for a third, "Ghetto Angel" premiered in 2011. Houston announced on ''106 & Park'' that IMx planned to record another group album together for 2011.

Other music work

Houston continues to work with former bandmate Jerome "Romeo" Jones ( known as Young Rome). Houston made guest appearances on Jones' album ''Food for Thought'' (2004) on songs entitled "Sexapade" and "What Cha Doin' Tonight" while Jones made a guest appearance on Houston's album ''Naked'' on the song entitled "All Because of You". The two also collaborated on "For Your Love", a song from an unreleased album by Young Rome.

Houston made guest appearances on fellow TUG Entertainment artist Mila J's single "Good Lookin' Out" and Yung Joc's single "1st Time"; he made appearances in both music videos.

Houston featured on 50 Cent's remix to the hit single "Candy Shop", which also featured Dame Four.

Acting career

Houston made his acting debut in the animated comedy film ''Bébé's Kids'' (1992) in which he was the voice of Khalil, the leader and oldest child of the titular "Bébé's Kids".

Houston later appeared in ''House Party 3'' (1994), where he played a fictional version of himself along with fellow Immature bandmates Jerome "Romeo" Jones and Don "Half Pint" Santos. In the film, they portrayed Kid's trouble-making younger cousins who aspire to become musicians.

Houston's breakthrough role came when he won the part of Roger Evans in the television comedy show ''Sister, Sister'', playing the next-door neighbor of identical twin sisters Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell (Tia and Tamera Mowry). Marques played the role for five of the show's six seasons. The show wrote his character out of the script during the fifth season, but he made a guest appearance in the series finale.

In 1999, shortly after Houston's run on the ''Sister, Sister'' program, Marques had a brief cameo in Destiny Child's video rendition of the The Writing's on the Wall single Jumpin', Jumpin' directed by Joseph Kahn.

He also played the character Elgin Barrett Eugene Smith III in the 2004 film ''You Got Served''. Following ''You Got Served'', in both live-action and voiceover, he portrayed Dumb Donald in the film adaptation of ''Fat Albert'', based on Bill Cosby's popular cartoon series ''Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids''.

In 2005 Houston starred in his own television series, ''Cuts'', which was a spin-off of ''One on One''. Despite good ratings, the show only lasted one season due to UPN merging with The WB to become The CW which caused ''Cuts'' along with many other UPN shows to get cancelled.

In 2007 Houston starred in the horror film ''Somebody Help Me''. He then starred in the sequel, ''Somebody Help Me 2'' in 2010.

Discography

;Studio albums

''MH'' (2003)

''Naked'' (2005)

''Veteran'' (2007)

''Mr. Houston'' (2009)

''Mattress Music'' (2010)

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role
1993		Eli Black
		Himself
''The Parent 'Hood''	Himself
1994–1999		Roger Evans
2003		Himself
2004 & 2006		Kevin Barnes
2005–2006	''Cuts''	Kevin Barnes

Film

Year	Film	Role
1992		Khalil (voice)
1994	''House Party 3''	Marcus James
1997	''Good Burger''	Jake
2001	''House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute''	Jon Jon
	''You Got Served''	Elgin
	Dumb Donald (both, live-action and voice)
2007		Brendan Young
		Micah
''Somebody Help Me 2''	Brendan Young

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Film/TV show	Result
1995	Young Artist Awards	Best Youth Comedian in a TV Show
2004	MTV Movie Awards		''You Got Served''
2005	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Actor - Comedy	''Cuts''

References

External links

Category:1981 births Category:Hip hop singers Category:African American singers Category:American people of Mexican descent Category:American dancers Category:American male singers Category:American child actors Category:American television actors Category:American film actors Category:IMx members Category:Living people Category:People from Los Angeles, California

de:Marques Houston fr:Marques Houston it:Marques Houston tr:Marques Houston

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
Name	Trey Songz
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Tremaine Aldon Neverson
Alias
Born	November 28, 1984Petersburg, Virginia, United States
Instrument	Vocals, keyboards, sampler
Genre	R&B;, Hip-hop
Occupation	Singer–songwriter, record producer, actor
Years active	2004–present
Label	Atlantic, Songbook
Associated acts	Drake, Troy Taylor, Twista, Juvenile, Bun B, Rick Ross, Plies
Website	www.treysongz.com }}

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

Life and career

1984–2004: Early life

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

2004–2006: ''I Gotta Make It''

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

2007–2008: ''Trey Day''

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

2009–2010: ''Ready''

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

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

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

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

2011-Present: Chapter 5

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

Discography

''I Gotta Make It'' (2005)

''Trey Day'' (2007)

''Ready'' (2009)

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

''Chapter 5'' (TBA)

Filmography

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

Awards and nominations

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

References

External links

Official website

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

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