In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards (see music recording sales certification). Certification is not automatic; for an award to be made, the record label must request certification and pay a fee to have the sales of the recording audited. The audit is conducted against net shipments after returns (most often an artist's royalty statement is used), which includes albums sold directly to retailers and one-stops, direct-to-consumer sales (music clubs and mail order) and other outlets.

Presently, an American RIAA-certified gold record is a single or album that has sold 500,000 units (records, tapes or compact discs). Originally, the requirement for a gold single was one million units sold and a gold album represented $1 million in sales (at wholesale value). In 1975, the additional requirement of 500,000 units sold was added for gold albums. Reflecting growth in record sales, the platinum award was instituted in 1976 for albums selling one million units and singles selling two million units. The multi-platinum award was instituted in 1984, signifying multiple platinum levels of albums and singles. In 1989, the sales thresholds for singles were reduced to 500,000 for gold and 1,000,000 for platinum, reflecting a decrease in sales of singles. In 1992, RIAA began counting each disc in a multi-disc set as one unit toward certification. Because of these changes in criteria, the sales level associated with a particular award depends on when the award was made.

Nielsen SoundScan figures are not used in RIAA certification; the RIAA system predates Nielsen SoundScan and includes sales outlets Nielsen misses. Prior to Nielsen SoundScan, RIAA certification was the only audited and verifiable system for tracking music sales in the U.S.; it is still the only system capable of tracking 100% of sales (albeit as shipments less returns, not actual sales like Nielsen SoundScan). This system has allowed, at times, for record labels to promote an album as gold or platinum simply based on large shipments. For instance, in 2010 the Michael Jackson album "Michael" shipped platinum with over 3 million shipments but was a sales bust, with two million returns expected for 2011. Similarly, all four solo albums by the members of Kiss simultaneously shipped platinum that same year but did not reach the top 20 of the Billboard 200 album chart. The following year, the RIAA began requiring 120 days from the release date before recordings were eligible for certification, although that requirement has been reduced over the years and currently stands at 30 days. Sony was roundly criticized in 1995 for hyping Michael Jackson's double album ''HIStory'' as five times platinum, based on shipments of 2.5 million and using the RIAA's recently adopted practice of counting each disc toward certification, while SoundScan was reporting only 1.3 million copies sold. A similar discrepancy between shipments and sales was reported with ''The Lion King'' soundtrack.

List of certifications

Records

Currently, the RIAA certification criteria for albums are:

500,000 units: Gold album

1,000,000 units: Platinum album

2,000,000 or more units: Multi-Platinum album

10,000,000 units: Diamond album

For further information, see Music recording sales certification.

Multi-disc

Multi-disc albums are counted once for each disc within the album if it is over 100 minutes in length or is from the vinyl era. For example, each copy of OutKast's ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' (running time of 134:56), and Shania Twain's ''Up!'' (145:44), both double albums, were counted twice, meaning each album was certified diamond after 5 million copies were shipped. Pink Floyd's ''The Wall'' and The Beatles' ''White Album'', both vinyl-era, are counted double even though their running times are under the minimum requirement.

Spanish

Since 2000, RIAA also awards ''Los Premios de Oro y De Platino'' to recordings of which over 50% of the content is in the Spanish language.

The original criteria for the awards were:

100,000 units: ''Album de Oro''

200,000 units: ''Album de Platino''

400,000 units: ''Album Multi-Platino''

In 2008, the criteria for the ''Los Discos Oro y Platino'' were lowered:

50,000 units: ''Album de Oro''

100,000 units: ''Album de Platino''

200,000 units: ''Album Multi-Platino''

All Spanish-language albums certified prior to 2008 were amended with the current certification level.

Singles

It is estimated that there have been about 2,550 combined single certifications.

Standard singles are certified:

Gold when it ships 500,000 copies

Platinum when it ships 1,000,000 copies

Multi-platinum when it ships at least 2,000,000 copies

''Note: The number of sales required to qualify for gold and platinum discs was higher prior to January 1, 1989. The thresholds were 1,000,000 units (gold) and 2,000,000 units (platinum).

Digital singles are certified:

Gold means 500,000 tracks downloaded

Platinum means 1,000,000 tracks downloaded

Multi-platinum means 2,000,000+ tracks downloaded

From 2004 through July 2006, the certification level was 100,000 downloads for Gold and 200,000 for Platinum. When the RIAA changed the certification standards to match retail distribution in August 2006, all platinum and multi-platinum awards for a digital release were withdrawn. Gold certifications, however, were not, meaning a song that was downloaded over 100,000 times and certified so by the RIAA during that time frame, retains its gold status.

Records

Lists from RIAA site showing current status holders of RIAA Certifications:

List of best-selling music artists in the United States

List of best-selling albums in the United States

List of best-selling singles in the United States

List of best-selling Latin albums in the United States

Artists with the most certifications of Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum albums as of January 2011

Albums that have been certified Gold might receive additional certifications for achieving Platinum and Multi-Platinum levels.

AC/DC 25 22 20 47 16 18 23 25 20 40 19 36 17 17 12 38 16 15 28 19 19 19 24 18 15 27 8 22 15 18 92 23 18 31 42 17 24 20 34 21 26 38 51 20 16 19 18 23

!Artist	# Gold	! # Platinum	! # Multi-Platinum	! Total	! Source
	|	20	20	12	52
	Aerosmith	|	18	12	55
	Alabama	|	20	10	52
	The Beach Boys	|	9	6	35
	The Beatles	|	41	26	114
	Garth Brooks	|	16	15	47
	Johnny Cash	|	10	5	33
	Chicago	|	18	8	49
	Eric Clapton	|	12	8	45
	John Denver	|	13	7	40
	Neil Diamond	|	21	11	72
	The Doors	|	14	5	38
	Bob Dylan	|	16	5	57
	Jimi Hendrix	|	10	6	33
	Alan Jackson	|	15	8	40
	Michael Jackson	|	11	9	32
	Elton John	|	26	12	76
	Toby Keith	|	12	5	33
	Kenny G	|	11	8	34
	Kiss	|	14	6	36
	Led Zeppelin	|	18	14	51
	Lynyrd Skynyrd	|	13	7	39
	Madonna	|	17	12	48
	Barry Manilow	|	13	6	43
	Mannheim Steamroller	|	8	4	30
	Dave Matthews Band	|	13	7	35
	Reba McEntire	|	19	9	55
	Eminem	|	7	6	21
	Willie Nelson	|	16	7	45
	Ozzy Osbourne	|	12	9	36
	Pink Floyd	|	15	12	45
	Elvis Presley	|	55	25	172
	Prince	|	16	7	46
	Queen	|	11	6	35
	Kenny Rogers	|	19	8	58
	The Rolling Stones	|	28	11	81
	Linda Ronstadt	|	13	7	37
	Rush	|	14	3	41
	Santana	|	10	7	37
	Frank Sinatra	|	10	4	48
	Bruce Springsteen	|	17	10	48
	Rod Stewart	|	18	10	54
	George Strait	|	33	13	84
	Barbra Streisand	|	30	13	94
	James Taylor	|	14	5	39
	U2	|	16	11	43
	Luther Vandross	|	15	7	41
	The Who	|	12	5	35
	Hank Williams, Jr.	|	8	1	32

Artists with the most certifications of Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum singles as of January 2011

Singles that have been certified Gold might receive additional certifications for achieving Platinum and Multi-Platinum levels. For example, Barbra Streisand has had 8 singles certified Gold, 5 of which went on to achieve Platinum certification as well.

This list includes the RIAA formats 'Single' and 'Video Single'. This list includes singles of the RIAA types 'standard' and 'digital'.

This table tracks artists with some number of singles that have received at least ten total certifications.

Elvis Presley 29 27 25 19 15 26 24 19 21 18 16 13 17 13 7 11 11 10 9 10 10 9 9 9 8 15 12 12 11 10 9 5 14 12 7 7 12 11 10 9 9 8 8 7 7 7 5 5 10 8 7 9 8 8 8 8 7 6 10 8 8 7 6 6 6 5 5 4

!Artist	# Gold	! # Platinum	! # Multi-Platinum	! Total	! source
	|	55	28	8	91
	Lil Wayne	|	23	4	56
	Beyoncé	|	9	8	45
	Mariah Carey	|	12	3	40
	Taylor Swift	|	15	4	38
	Rihanna	|	14	8	37
	Madonna	|	6	3	35
	The Beatles	|	6	4	34
	Whitney Houston	|	6	2	27
	Janet Jackson	|	5	-	26
	Elton John	|	6	1	25
	Michael Jackson	|	9	-	25
	Kanye West	|	9	6	25
	The Temptations	|	6	-	23
	Carrie Underwood	|	7	2	22
	Katy Perry	|	7	6	20
	R. Kelly	|	7	-	18
	Usher	|	7	-	18
	Chris Brown	|	6	2	18
	T.I.	|	5	4	18
	Boyz II Men	|	7	-	17
	Jay-Z	|	4	3	17
	Linkin Park	|	6	2	17
	Black Eyed Peas	|	4	4	17
	Justin Timberlake	|	5	2	16
	Britney Spears	|	5	3	16
	Aretha Franklin	|	-	-	15
	Donna Summer	|	3	-	15
	Nelly	|	3	-	15
	Bee Gees	|	4	-	15
	Creedence Clearwater Revival	|	5	-	15
	Ludacris	|	5	1	15
	Lady Gaga	|	5	5	15
	Kenny Chesney	|	-	-	14
	Prince	|	2	-	14
	Flo Rida	|	4	3	14
	Monica	|	6	1	14
	Paul McCartney	|	1	-	13
	Olivia Newton-John	|	2	-	13
	Brad Paisley	|	3	-	13
	Celine Dion	|	4	-	13
	TLC	|	4	-	13
	Tim McGraw	|	3	2	13
	Barbra Streisand	|	5	-	13
	T-Pain	|	5	1	13
	Alicia Keys	|	4	2	13
	Diddy	|	4	2	13
	Fergie	|	5	3	13
	Bruno Mars	|	4	4	13
	50 Cent	|	2	-	12
	Notorious B.I.G	|	4	-	12
	Shakira	|	4	1	12
	Christina Aguilera	|	2	-	11
	Jason Aldean	|	3	-	11
	Kelly Clarkson	|	3	-	11
	Sugarland	|	3	-	11
	Avril Lavigne	|	2	1	11
	Nicki Minaj	|	3	1	11
	Ne-Yo	|	5	-	11
	The Carpenters	|	-	-	10
	L.L. Cool J	|	2	-	10
	John Mayer	|	2	-	10
	Destiny's Child	|	3	-	10
	Bone Thugs-N-Harmony	|	3	1	10
	Red Hot Chili Peppers	|	3	1	10
	Rascal Flatts	|	4	-	10
	Fall Out Boy	|	4	1	10
	Natasha Bedingfield	|	3	2	10
	Ke$ha	|	4	2	10

RIAA Diamond certifications as of July 1, 2011

Diamond (10+ million) certified

!Year of Release	!Artist(s)	!Album	!Label(s)	!Certification
	1982	Michael Jackson			29× platinum
	1976		''Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)''		29× platinum
1979	Pink Floyd	''The Wall''	Columbia Records	23× platinum
1971	[[Led Zeppelin	''Led Zeppelin IV''		23× platinum
1980	AC/DC	''Back in Black''		22× platinum
1998	Garth Brooks			21× platinum
1985	Billy Joel			21× platinum
1997	Shania Twain			20× platinum
1968	The Beatles			19× platinum
1977	Fleetwood Mac	''Rumours''		19× platinum
1987	Guns N' Roses	''Appetite for Destruction''		18× platinum
1976				17× platinum
1990	Garth Brooks	''No Fences''		17× platinum
1992	Soundtrack / Whitney Houston			17× platinum
1973	The Beatles	''1967–1970''		17× platinum
1974	Elton John	''Elton John's Greatest Hits''		16× platinum
1975	Led Zeppelin	''Physical Graffiti''		16× platinum
1995	Alanis Morissette	''Jagged Little Pill''		16× platinum
1976		''Hotel California''		16× platinum
1994	Hootie and the Blowfish	''Cracked Rear View''		16× platinum
1973	Pink Floyd	''The Dark Side of the Moon''		15× platinum
1973	The Beatles	''1962–1966''		15× platinum
1988				15× platinum
1991	Metallica			15× platinum
1977	Soundtrack / Bee Gees	''Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track''		15× platinum
1999				15× platinum
1984	Bruce Springsteen	''Born in the U.S.A.''		15× platinum
1999	Britney Spears	''...Baby One More Time''		14× platinum
1997	Backstreet Boys			14× platinum
1977	Meat Loaf	''Bat Out of Hell''		14× platinum
1991	Garth Brooks	''Ropin' the Wind''		14× platinum
1972	Simon & Garfunkel	''Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits''		14× platinum
1986	Bruce Springsteen	''Live/1975–85''		13× platinum
1978	Steve Miller Band	''Greatest Hits 1974–78''		13× platinum
1999	Backstreet Boys			13× platinum
1984				13× platinum
1991	Pearl Jam			13× platinum
1985	Whitney Houston			13× platinum
1980	Kenny Rogers			12× platinum
1994	Boyz II Men		Motown	12× platinum
1987	Def Leppard		Mercury Records	12× platinum
1972	The Rolling Stones	''Hot Rocks 1964–1971''		12× platinum
1994	Soundtrack			12× platinum
1992	Kenny G			12× platinum
1969	Led Zeppelin	''Led Zeppelin II''		12× platinum
1985	Phil Collins	''No Jacket Required''		12× platinum
1995		''Pieces of You''		12× platinum
1986	Bon Jovi	''Slippery When Wet''		12× platinum
1995	Shania Twain			12× platinum
1998	Dixie Chicks	''Wide Open Spaces''		12× platinum
1996	Matchbox Twenty	''Yourself or Someone Like You''		12× platinum
1969	The Beatles	''Abbey Road''		12× platinum
1980	Aerosmith			11× platinum
2002	Shania Twain			11× platinum
1997	Soundtrack	''Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture''		11× platinum
2000	The Beatles			11× platinum
1994		''CrazySexyCool''		11× platinum
1998	Kid Rock	''Devil Without a Cause''		11× platinum
1987	Soundtrack			11× platinum
1982		''Eagles Greatest Hits, Vol. 2''		11× platinum
1996	Celine Dion	''Falling Into You''		11× platinum
1973	Led Zeppelin	''Houses of the Holy''		11× platinum
2003	Outkast	''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below''	LaFace Records	11× platinum
1967	[[The Beatles	''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''		11× platinum
2000	*NSYNC			11× platinum
1976	James Taylor			11× platinum
1999		''Human Clay''		11× platinum
1989	Garth Brooks			10× platinum
1967	Patsy Cline	''Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits''		10× platinum
1993	Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers			10× platinum
2000	Linkin Park	''Hybrid Theory''		10× platinum
1990	Led Zeppelin		Atlantic Records	10× platinum
1984	Bob Marley & The Wailers			10× platinum
1997	Celine Dion	''Let's Talk About Love''		10× platinum
1997	The Notorious B.I.G.	''Life After Death''	Bad Boy Records	10× platinum
1999	[[Dixie Chicks			10× platinum
1987	George Michael			10× platinum
1984	Van Halen			10× platinum
1976	Doobie Brothers	''Best of The Doobies''		10× platinum
1983	Lionel Richie		Motown	10× platinum
2002	Norah Jones	''Come Away With Me''		10× platinum
2004				10× platinum
1995	Mariah Carey			10× platinum
1994	Green Day	''Dookie''		10× platinum
1983	ZZ Top			10× platinum
1984		''Like a Virgin''		10× platinum
1993	Mariah Carey			10× platinum
1998	*NSYNC			10× platinum
1992	Eric Clapton			10× platinum
1995	No Doubt	''Tragic Kingdom''		10× platinum
1977	Billy Joel			10× platinum
2000	Eminem	''The Marshall Mathers LP''		10× platinum
1994	Soundtrack / Elton John			10× platinum
1987	U2	''The Joshua Tree''		10× platinum
1990		''The Immaculate Collection''		10× platinum
1994	Garth Brooks			10× platinum
2002	Eminem	''The Eminem Show''		10× platinum
1985	The Doors			10× platinum
1971	Carole King			10× platinum
1976	Stevie Wonder	''Songs in the Key of Life''	Motown	10× platinum
1997	Garth Brooks			10× platinum
1983	Def Leppard			10× platinum
1990	MC Hammer	''Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em''		10× platinum
2000	Britney Spears	''Oops!... I Did It Again''		10× platinum
1991		''Nevermind''		10× platinum
1978	Van Halen			10× platinum
1998	2Pac			10× platinum

See also

List of best-selling music artists

List of best-selling albums

List of best-selling singles

List of best-selling albums worldwide

Music recording sales certification

Recording Industry Association of America

References

External links

RIAA Website

Search RIAA Gold and Platinum Database

Certification

fa:گواهی‌نامه انجمن صنعت ضبط آمریکا fr:Recording Industry Association of America nl:RIAA-certificatie pt:RIAA ru:Сертификация RIAA simple:RIAA certification sv:RIAA-certifiering tr:RIAA Sertifikası uk:Сертифікація RIAA

name	Jim Jones
birth name	James W. Jones
birth date	May 13, 1931
birth place	Lynn, Indiana, U.S.
death date	November 18, 1978
death place	Jonestown, Guyana
occupation	Leader, Peoples Temple }}

James Warren "Jim" Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple, which is best known for the November 18, 1978 mass suicide of more than 900 Temple members in Jonestown, Guyana along with the killings of five other people at a nearby airstrip.

Jones was born in Indiana and started the Temple in that state in the 1950s. Jones and the Temple later moved to California, and both gained notoriety with the move of the Temple's headquarters to San Francisco in the mid-1970s.

The incident in Guyana ranks among the largest mass murders/mass suicides in history, and was the single greatest loss of American civilian life in a non-natural disaster until the events of September 11, 2001. Among the dead was Leo Ryan, who remains the only Congressman assassinated in the line of duty as a Congressman in the history of the United States.

Early life

Jim Jones was born in Crete, Indiana, a rural unincorporated community in Randolph County near the Ohio border, to James Thurman Jones (May 31, 1887 – May 29, 1951), a World War I veteran, and Lynetta Putnam (April 16, 1902 – December 11, 1977). He was of Irish and Welsh descent. Jones would later claim partial Cherokee ancestry through his mother, though this was likely false according to his maternal second cousin Barbara Shaffer. Economic difficulties during the Great Depression necessitated that Jones' family move to nearby Lynn, Indiana in 1934. Jim Jones and a childhood friend both claimed that Jones' father was associated with the Ku Klux Klan.

In interviews for the 2006 documentary ''Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple'', childhood acquaintances recalled Jones as being a "really weird kid" who was "obsessed with religion ... obsessed with death". They alleged that as a child, Jones frequently held funerals for small animals and had reportedly stabbed a cat to death.

Jones was a voracious reader as a child and studied Joseph Stalin, Karl Marx, Mahatma Gandhi and Adolf Hitler carefully, noting each of their strengths and weaknesses. After Jones' parents separated, he moved with his mother to Richmond, Indiana. He graduated from Richmond High School early and with honors in December 1948.

Jones married nurse Marceline Baldwin in 1949, and moved to Bloomington, Indiana. He attended Indiana University at Bloomington, where a speech by Eleanor Roosevelt about the plight of African Americans impressed him. Jones' sympathetic statements about communism offended Marceline's grandmother. In 1951, Jones moved to Indianapolis, where he attended night school at Butler University, earning a degree in secondary education in 1961.

Building the Temple

Indiana beginnings

In 1951, Jones became a member of the Communist Party USA, and began attending meetings and rallies in Indianapolis. He became flustered with harassment he received during the McCarthy Hearings, particularly regarding an event he attended with his mother focusing on Paul Robeson, after which she was harassed by the FBI in front of her co-workers for attending. He also became frustrated with what he perceived to be ostracism of open communists in the United States, especially during the trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. This frustration, among other things, provoked a seminal moment for Jones in which he asked himself "how can I demonstrate my Marxism? The thought was, infiltrate the church."

Jones' interest in religion began during his childhood, primarily because he found making friends difficult, though initially he vacillated on his church of choice. Jones was surprised when a Methodist superintendent helped him to get a start in the church even though he knew Jones to be a communist and Jones did not meet him through the Communist Party. In 1952, Jones became a student pastor in Sommerset Southside Methodist Church, but claims he left that church because its leaders barred him from integrating blacks into his congregation. Around this time, Jones witnessed a faith-healing service at the Seventh Day Baptist Church. He observed that it attracted people and their money and concluded that, with financial resources from such healings, he could help accomplish his social goals.

Jones then began his own church, which changed names until it became the Peoples Temple Christian Church Full Gospel. Jones sold pet monkeys door-to-door to raise funds for his church.

Jones moved away from the Communist Party and Maoists when CPUSA members and Mao Tse-tung became critical of some of the policies of former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

Integrationist

In 1960, Indianapolis Democratic Mayor Charles Boswell appointed Jones director of the Human Rights Commission. Jones ignored Boswell's advice to keep a low profile, finding new outlets for his views on local radio and television programs. When the mayor and other commissioners asked Jones to curtail his public actions, he resisted and was wildly cheered at a meeting of the NAACP and Urban League when he yelled for his audience to be more militant, and climaxed with "Let my people go!"

During this time, Jones also helped to integrate churches, restaurants, the telephone company, the police department, a theater, an amusement park, and the Methodist Hospital. After swastikas were painted on the homes of two African American families, Jones personally walked the neighborhood comforting African Americans and counseling white families not to move, in order to prevent white flight. He also set up stings to catch restaurants refusing to serve African American customers and wrote to American Nazi leaders then leaked their responses to the media. When Jones was accidentally placed in the black ward of a hospital after a collapse in 1961, he refused to be moved and began to make the beds, and empty the bed pans of black patients. Political pressures resulting from Jones' actions caused hospital officials to desegregate the wards.

Jones received considerable criticism in Indiana for his integrationist views. White-owned businesses and locals were critical of him. A swastika was placed on the Temple, a stick of dynamite was left in a Temple coal pile, and a dead cat was thrown at Jones' house after a threatening phone call. Other incidents occurred, though some suspect that Jones himself may have been involved in at least some of them.

Jones' "Rainbow Family"

Jim and Marceline Jones adopted several children of at least partial non-Caucasian ancestry; he referred to the clan as his "rainbow family," and stated: "Integration is a more personal thing with me now. It's a question of my son's future." Jones portrayed the Temple overall as a "rainbow family."

The couple adopted three children of Korean-American ancestry: Lew, Suzanne and Stephanie. Jones had been encouraging Temple members to adopt orphans from war ravaged Korea. Jones had long been critical of the United States' opposition to communist leader Kim Il-Sung's 1950 invasion of South Korea, calling it the "war of liberation" and stating that "the south is a living example of all that socialism in the north has overcome." In 1954, he and his wife also adopted Agnes Jones, who was partly of Native American descent. Agnes was 11 at the time of her adoption. Suzanne Jones was adopted at the age of six in 1959. In June 1959, the couple had their only biological child, Stephan Gandhi Jones.

Two years later, in 1961, the Joneses became the first white couple in Indiana to adopt a black child, James Warren Jones, Jr. Marceline was once spat upon while she carried Jim Jr.

The couple also adopted another son, who was white, named Tim. Tim Jones, whose birth mother was a member of the Peoples Temple, was originally named Timothy Glen Tupper.

Asylum

After a 1961 Temple speech about nuclear apocalypse, and a January 1962 ''Esquire Magazine'' article listing Belo Horizonte, Brazil, as a safe place in a nuclear war, Jones traveled with his family to the Brazilian city with the idea of setting up a new Temple location.

On his way to Brazil, Jones made his first trip into Guyana. After arriving in Belo Horizonte, the Joneses rented a modest three bedroom home. Jones studied the local economy and receptiveness of racial minorities to his message, though language remained a barrier. Jones was careful not to portray himself as a communist in a foreign territory, and spoke of an apostolic communal lifestyle rather than of Castro or Marx.

After becoming frustrated with the lack of resources in the locale, in mid-1963, the Joneses moved to Rio de Janeiro. There, they worked with the poor in Rio's slums. Jones also explored local Brazilian religion.

Jones was plagued by guilt for leaving behind the Indiana civil rights struggle and possibly losing what he had struggled to build there. When Jones' associate preachers in Indiana told him that the Temple was about to collapse without him, Jones returned.

California Eden

After Jones' return to Indiana from Brazil, in 1965, Jones claimed that the world would be engulfed in a nuclear war on July 15, 1967, that would then create a new socialist Eden on earth, and that the Temple must move to Northern California for safety. Accordingly, the Temple began moving to Happy Valley, California, near Ukiah.

While Jones always spoke of the social gospel's virtues, before the late 1960s Jones chose to conceal that his gospel was actually communism. By the late 1960s, Jones began at least partially openly revealing in Temple sermons his "Apostolic Socialism" concept. Specifically, "those who remained drugged with the opiate of religion had to be brought to enlightenment — socialism." Jones often mixed those concepts, such as preaching that "If you're born in capitalist America, racist America, fascist America, then you're born in sin. But if you're born in socialism, you're not born in sin."

By the early 1970s, Jones began deriding traditional Christianity as "fly away religion," rejecting the Bible as being white men’s justification to subordinate women and subjugate people of color and stating that it spoke of a "Sky God" who was no God at all. Jones authored a booklet titled "The Letter Killeth," criticizing the King James Bible. Jones also began preaching that he was the reincarnation of Jesus of Nazareth, Mahatma Gandhi, Buddha, Vladimir Lenin, and Father Divine. In the documentary ''Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple'', former Temple member Hue Fortson, Jr. quoted Jones as saying, "What you need to believe in is what you can see ... If you see me as your friend, I'll be your friend. As you see me as your father, I'll be your father, for those of you that don't have a father ... If you see me as your savior, I'll be your savior. If you see me as your God, I'll be your God."

By the spring of 1976, Jones began openly admitting even to outsiders that he was an atheist. Despite the Temple's fear that the IRS was investigating its religious tax exemption, by 1977 Marceline Jones admitted to the ''New York Times'' that, as early as age 18 when he watched his then idol Mao Zedong overthrow the Chinese government, Jim Jones realized that the way to achieve social change through Marxism in the United States was to mobilize people through religion. She stated that "Jim used religion to try to get some people out of the opiate of religion," and had slammed the Bible on the table yelling "I've got to destroy this paper idol!" In one sermon, Jones said that, "You're gonna help yourself, or you'll get no help! There's only one hope of glory; that's within you! Nobody's gonna come out of the sky! There's no heaven up there! We'll have to make heaven down here!"

Move to San Francisco

The move of Peoples Temple headquarters to San Francisco in 1975 invigorated Jones' political career. After the Temple served an important role in the mayoral election victory of George Moscone in 1975, Moscone appointed Jones as the Chairman of the San Francisco Housing Authority Commission.

Unlike most other figures deemed as cult leaders, Jones was able to gain public support and contact with prominent local and national United States politicians. For example, Jones and Moscone met privately with vice presidential candidate Walter Mondale on his campaign plane days before the 1976 election and Mondale publicly praised the Temple. First Lady Rosalynn Carter also personally met with Jones on multiple occasions, corresponded with him about Cuba, and spoke with him at the grand opening of the San Francisco Democratic Party Headquarters where Jones garnered louder applause than Mrs. Carter.

In September 1976, Willie Brown served as master of ceremonies at a large testimonial dinner for Jones attended by Governor Jerry Brown and Lieutenant Governor Mervyn Dymally and other political figures. At that dinner, while introducing Jones, Willie Brown stated "Let me present to you what you should see every day when you look in the mirror in the early morning hours ... Let me present to you a combination of Martin King, Angela Davis, Albert Einstein ... Chairman Mao." Harvey Milk, who spoke at political rallies at the Temple, and wrote to Jones after a visit to the Temple: "Rev Jim, It may take me many a day to come back down from the high that I reach today. I found something dear today. I found a sense of being that makes up for all the hours and energy placed in a fight. I found what you wanted me to find. I shall be back. For I can never leave."

In his San Francisco Temple apartment, Jones regularly hosted San Francisco radical political figures such as Angela Davis for discussions. He spoke with friend and ''San Francisco Sun-Reporter'' publisher Dr. Carlton Goodlett about Jones' remorse regarding not being able to travel to socialist countries such as China and the Soviet Union, speculating that he could be Chief Dairyman of the Soviet Union. After his criticisms caused increased tensions with the Nation of Islam, Jones spoke at a huge rally healing the rift between the two groups in the Los Angeles Convention center attended by many of Jones' closest political acquaintances. Jones also enjoyed a favorable relationship with Warith Deen Mohammed, son of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad.

While Jones forged media alliances with key columnists and others at the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' and other media outlets, the move to San Francisco also brought increasing media scrutiny. After Chronicle reporter Marshall Kilduff encountered resistance to publishing an exposé, he brought his story to New West Magazine. In the summer of 1977, Jones and several hundred Temple members moved to the Temple's "Agricultural Project" in Guyana after they learned of the contents of Kilduff's article to be published in which former Temple members claimed they were physically, emotionally, and sexually abused. Jones named the settlement Jonestown after himself.

Jonestown's formation and operation

Jones had first started building Jonestown in 1974 as a means to create both a "socialist paradise" and a "sanctuary" from the media scrutiny which had started in 1972. Regarding the former goal, Jones purported to establish Jonestown as a benevolent model communist community stating, "I believe we’re the purest communists there are." In that regard, like the restrictive emigration policies of the then Soviet Union, Cuba, North Korea and other communist states, Jones did not permit members to leave Jonestown.

Religious scholar Mary McCormick Maaga argues that Jones' authority decreased after he moved to the isolated commune, because he was not needed for recruitment and he could not hide his drug addiction from rank and file members. In spite of the allegations prior to Jones' departure to Jonestown, the leader was still respected by some for setting up a racially mixed church which helped the disadvantaged; 68 percent of Jonestown's residents were black.

New children

Jim Jones claimed that he was the biological father of John Victor Stoen, although the birth certificate lists Grace and Timothy Stoen as the parents of the boy. The Temple repeatedly claimed that Jones fathered the child when, in 1971, Temple member Tim Stoen had requested that Jones have sex with Grace Stoen to keep her from defecting. After Grace Stoen later defected in 1976 and began divorce proceedings against Tim Stoen in 1977, in order to avoid potentially giving up the boy in a custody dispute with Grace, Jones ordered Tim to take John to Guyana in February 1977.

After purported father Tim Stoen defected from the Temple in June 1977, the Temple kept John Stoen in Jonestown. The custody dispute over John Stoen would become a linchpin of several battles between the Temple and the Concerned Relatives.

Jim Jones also fathered a son, Jim Jon (Kimo), with Carolyn Louise Moore Layton, a Temple member.

Pressure and waning political support

While most of Jones' political allies broke ties after Jones' departure, some did not. As a show of support, Willie Brown spoke out against enemies at a rally at the Peoples Temple, also attended by Harvey Milk and Art Agnos. Most importantly for Jones and the Temple, Moscone's office shortly thereafter issued a press release saying that Jones had broken no laws. In the Fall of 1977, Tim Stoen and other relatives in Jonestown formed a "Concerned Relatives" group. Stoen traveled to Washington D.C. in January 1978 to visit with Congressmen, including Leo Ryan and State Department officials, and wrote a "white paper" to Congress detailing the dispute and pressing for Congressional correspondence. Stoen's efforts aroused the curiosity of Ryan, who wrote a letter on Stoen's behalf to Guyanese Prime Minister Forbes Burnham.

Amidst growing pressure in the United States to investigate the Temple, on February 19, 1978, Harvey Milk wrote a letter of support for the Peoples Temple to President Jimmy Carter. Therein, Milk wrote that Jones was known "as a man of the highest character." Regarding the leader of those attempting to extricate relatives from Jonestown, Milk wrote he was "attempting to damage Rev. Jones reputation" with "apparent bold-faced lies."

On April 11, 1978, the Concerned Relatives distributed a packet of documents, including letters and affidavits, that they titled an "Accusation of Human Rights Violations by Rev. James Warren Jones" to the Peoples Temple, members of the press and members of Congress. In June 1978, escaped Temple member Deborah Layton provided the group with a further affidavit detailing alleged crimes by the Peoples Temple and substandard living conditions in Jonestown.

Facing increasing scrutiny, in the summer of 1978, Jones also hired noted JFK assassination conspiracy theorists Mark Lane and Donald Freed to help make the case of a "grand conspiracy" by intelligence agencies against the Peoples Temple. Jones told Lane he wanted to "pull an Eldridge Cleaver", referring to a fugitive Black Panther who was able to return to the United States after repairing his reputation.

Visit by Congressman Ryan, murders

In November 1978, U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan led a fact-finding mission to Jonestown to investigate allegations of human rights abuses. Ryan's delegation included relatives of Temple members, Don Harris, an NBC network news reporter, an NBC cameraman and reporters for various newspapers. The group arrived in Georgetown on November 15. On November 17, Ryan's delegation traveled by airplane to Jonestown. The delegation left hurriedly the afternoon of November 18 after Temple member Don Sly attacked Ryan with a knife. The attack was thwarted, bringing the visit to an abrupt end. Congressman Ryan and his people succeeded in taking with them fifteen People's Temple members who had expressed a wish to leave. At that time, Jones made no attempt to prevent their departure.

Port Kaituma Airstrip shootings

As members of Ryan's delegation boarded two planes at the airstrip, Jones' "Red Brigade" armed guards arrived in a tractor-pulled trailer and began shooting at the delegation. The guards killed Congressman Ryan and four others near a twin engine Otter aircraft. At the same time, one of the supposed defectors, Larry Layton, drew a weapon and began firing on members of the party that had already boarded a small Cessna. An NBC cameraman was able to capture footage of the first few seconds of the shooting at the Otter. The five killed at the airstrip were Congressman Ryan; Don Harris, a reporter from NBC; Bob Brown, a cameraman from NBC; San Francisco Examiner photographer Greg Robinson; and Temple member Patricia Parks. Surviving the attack were future Congresswoman Jackie Speier, then a staff member for Ryan; Richard Dwyer, the Deputy Chief of Mission from the U.S. Embassy at Georgetown; Bob Flick, a producer for NBC News; Steve Sung, an NBC sound engineer; Tim Reiterman, a ''San Francisco Examiner'' reporter; Ron Javers, a ''San Francisco Chronicle'' reporter; Charles Krause, a ''Washington Post'' reporter; and several defecting Temple members.

Deaths in Jonestown

Later that same day, 909 inhabitants of Jonestown, 303 of them children, died of apparent cyanide poisoning, mostly in and around a pavilion. This resulted in the greatest single loss of American civilian life in a non-natural disaster until the September 11, 2001 attacks. No video was taken during the mass suicide, though the FBI did recover a 45 minute audio recording of the suicide in progress.

On that tape, Jones tells Temple members that the Soviet Union, with whom the Temple had been negotiating a potential exodus for months, would not take them after the Temple had murdered Ryan and four others at a nearby airstrip. The reason given by Jones to commit suicide was consistent with his previously stated conspiracy theories of intelligence organizations allegedly conspiring against the Temple, that men would "parachute in here on us," "shoot some of our innocent babies" and "they'll torture our children, they'll torture some of our people here, they'll torture our seniors." Parroting Jones' prior statements that hostile forces would convert captured children to fascism, one temple member states "the ones that they take captured, they're gonna just let them grow up and be dummies." Given that reasoning, Jones and several members argued that the group should commit "revolutionary suicide" by drinking cyanide-laced grape flavored Flavor-Aid along with a sedative. One member, Christine Miller, dissents toward the beginning of the tape. When members apparently cried, Jones counseled "Stop this hysterics. This is not the way for people who are Socialists or Communists to die. No way for us to die. We must die with some dignity." Jones can be heard saying, "Don't be afraid to die," that death is "just stepping over into another plane" and that "[death is] a friend." At the end of the tape, Jones concludes: "We didn't commit suicide, we committed an act of revolutionary suicide protesting the conditions of an inhumane world." According to escaping Temple members, children were given the drink first and families were told to lie down together. Mass suicide had been previously discussed in simulated events called "White Nights" on a regular basis. During at least one such prior White Night, members drank liquid that Jones falsely told them was poison.

Jones was found dead in a deck chair with a gunshot wound to his head that Guyanese coroner Cyrill Mootoo stated was consistent with a self-inflicted gun wound. However, Jones' son Stephan believes his father may have directed someone else to shoot him. An autopsy of Jones' body also showed levels of the barbiturate Pentobarbital which may have been lethal to humans who had not developed physiological tolerance. Jones' drug usage (including LSD and marijuana) was confirmed by his son, Stephan, and Jones' doctor in San Francisco.

Other issues

On December 13, 1973, Jones was arrested and charged with soliciting a man for sex in a movie theater bathroom known for homosexual activity, in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. The man was an undercover Los Angeles Police Department vice officer. Jones is on record as later telling his followers that he was "the only true heterosexual", but at least one account exists of his sexual abuse of a male member of his congregation in front of the followers, ostensibly to prove the man's own homosexual tendencies.

While Jones banned sex among Temple members outside of marriage, he himself voraciously engaged in sexual relations with both male and female Temple members. Jones, however, claimed that he detested engaging in homosexual activity and did so only for the male temple adherents' own good, purportedly to connect them symbolically with him (Jones).

One of Jones' sources of inspiration was the controversial International Peace Mission movement leader Father Divine. Jones had borrowed the term "revolutionary suicide" from Black Panther leader and Peoples Temple supporter Huey Newton who had argued "the slow suicide of life in the ghetto" ought to be replaced by revolutionary struggle that would end only in victory (socialism and self determination) or revolutionary suicide (death).

Family aftermath

Marceline

Jim Jones' wife, Marceline, was found poisoned at the pavilion. On the final morning of Ryan's visit, Marceline had taken reporters on a tour of Jonestown.

Found near Marceline Jones' body was a signed and witnessed will leaving all bank accounts "in my name" to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and writing that Suzanne Jones Cartmell should receive no assets.

Stephan, Jim Jr. and Tim Jones

Stephan, Jim Jr., and Tim Jones did not take part in the mass suicide because they were playing with the Peoples Temple basketball team against the Guyanese national team in Georgetown. At the time of events in Jonestown, Stephan and Tim were both nineteen and Jim Jones Jr. was eighteen. Tim's biological family, the Tuppers, which consisted of his three biological sisters, biological brother, and biological mother, all died at Jonestown. Three days before the tragedy, Stephan Jones refused, over the radio, to comply with an order by his father to return the team to Jonestown for Ryan's visit.

During the events at Jonestown, Stephan, Tim, and Jim Jones Jr. drove to the American Embassy in Guyana in an attempt to receive help. The Guyanese soldiers guarding the embassy refused to let them in after hearing about the shootings at the Port Kaituma airstrip. Later, the three returned to the Temple's headquarters in Georgetown to find the bodies of Sharon Amos and her three children. Guyanese soldiers kept the Jones brothers under house arrest for five days, interrogating them about the deaths in Georgetown. Stephan Jones was accused of being involved in the Georgetown deaths, and was placed in a Guyanese prison for three months. Tim Jones and Johnny Cobb, another member of the Peoples Temple basketball team, were asked to go to Jonestown and help identify the bodies of people who had died. After returning to the United States, Jim Jones Jr. was placed under police surveillance for several months while he lived with his older sister, Suzanne, who had previously turned against the Temple.

When Jonestown was first being established, Stephan Jones had originally avoided two attempts by his father to relocate to the settlement. He eventually moved to Jonestown after a third and final attempt. He has since said that he gave into his father's wishes to move to Jonestown because of his mother. Stephan Jones is now a businessman, and married with three daughters. He appeared in the documentary ''Jonestown: Paradise Lost'' which aired on the History Channel and Discovery Channel. He stated he will not watch the documentary and has never grieved for his father. Jim Jones Jr., who lost his wife and unborn child at Jonestown, returned to San Francisco. He remarried and has three sons from this marriage, including Rob Jones, a high-school basketball star who went on to play for the University of San Diego before transferring to Saint Mary's College of California.

Lew, Agnes and Suzanne Jones

Lew and Agnes Jones both died at Jonestown. Agnes Jones was thirty-five years old at the time of her death. Her husband and four children all died at Jonestown. Lew Jones, who was twenty-one years old at the time of his death, died alongside his wife Terry and son Chaeoke. Stephanie Jones had died at age five in a car accident. Suzanne Jones married Mike Cartmell; both turned against the Temple and were not in Jonestown on November 18, 1978. After this decision to abandon the Temple, Jones referred to Suzanne openly as "my goddamned, no good for nothing daughter" and stated that she was not to be trusted. In a signed note found at the time of her death, Marceline Jones directed that the Jones' funds were to be given to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and specified: "I especially request that none of these are allowed to get into the hands of my adopted daughter, Suzanne Jones Cartmell." Cartmell had two children and died of colon cancer in November 2006.

John Stoen and Kimo

Specific references to Tim Stoen, the father of John Stoen, including the logistics of possibly murdering him, are made on the Temple's final "death tape," as well as a discussion over whether the Temple should include John Stoen among those committing "revolutionary suicide." At Jonestown, John Stoen was found poisoned in Jim Jones' cabin.

Both Jim Jon (Kimo) and his mother, Carolyn Layton, died during the events at Jonestown.

See also

Cult suicide

Doomsday cult

List of people who have claimed to be Jesus

List of Buddha claimants

Notes

References

Bibliography

Chidester, David, ''Salvation and Suicide: Jim Jones, the People's Temple and Jonestown (Religion in North America)'', 2nd rev.ed., Indiana University Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0253216328

Klineman, George and Sherman Butler. ''The Cult That Died''. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1980. ISBN 0-399-12540-X.

Layton, Deborah. ''Seductive Poison''. Anchor Books, 1999. ISBN 0-385-48984-6.

Maaga, Mary McCormick. ''Hearing the voices of Jonestown''. Syracuse University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-8156-0515-3.

Naipaul, Shiva. ''Black & White''. Hamish Hamilton, London, 1980. ISBN 0-241-10337-1.

External links

The Jonestown Institute

FBI No. Q 042 The "Jonestown Death Tape", Recorded 18 November 1978 (Internet Archive)

Transcript of Jones' final speech, just before the mass suicide

The first part of a series of articles about Jim Jones published in the San Francisco Examiner in 1972.

History Channel Video and Stills

Isaacson, Barry. From Silver Lake to Suicide: One Family's Secret History of the Jonestown Massacre

Mass Suicide at Jonestown: 30 Years Later, Time magazine

Jonestown 30 Years Later photo gallery published Friday, October 17, 2008.

American Experience documentary, "Jonestown: The Life And Death Of Peoples Temple", shown on PBS

Jonestown: 25 Years Later How spiritual journey ended in destruction: Jim Jones led his flock to death in jungle by Michael Taylor, San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Published Thursday, November 12, 1998.

Utopian nightmare Jonestown: What did we learn? Larry D. Hatfield, of The Examiner staff, Gregory Lewis and Eric Brazil of The Examiner staff and Examiner Librarian Judy Canter contributed to this report. Published Sunday, November 8, 1998.

Jones Captivated S.F.'s Liberal Elite: They were late to discover how cunningly he curried favor by Michael Taylor, San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. And [Haunted by Memories of Hell ] by Kevin Fagan, San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Published Thursday, November 12, 1998. Both stories were included in the first of a two-part series.

The End To Innocent Acceptance Of Sects Sharper scrutiny is Jonestown legacy by Don Lattin, San Francisco Chronicle religion writer. And Most Peoples Temple Documents Still Sealed by Michael Taylor and Don Lattin, San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. And Surviving the Heart of Darkness: Twenty years later, Jackie Speier remembers how her companions and rum helped her endure the night of the Jonestown massacre by Maitland Zane, San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Published Friday, November 13, 1998. All stories were included in the second part of a two-part series.

Inside Peoples Temple Marshall Kilduff and Phil Tracy, Used by permission of authors for the San Francisco Chronicle. Published Monday, August 1, 1977.

Category:1931 births Category:1978 deaths Category:African Americans' rights activists Category:American atheists Category:American communists Category:Bisexual people Category:Butler University alumni Category:Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) clergy Category:former Christians Category:Deaths by firearm in Guyana Category:Faith healers Category:Founders of religions Category:History of Guyana Category:LGBT people from the United States Category:Members of the Communist Party USA Category:People from Randolph County, Indiana Category:People from Richmond, Indiana Category:Peoples Temple Category:Suicides in Guyana Category:American emigrants to Guyana ca:Jim Jones cs:Jim Jones de:Jim Jones es:Jim Jones (pastor) fa:جیم جونز fr:Jim Jones (pasteur) ko:짐 존스 hr:Jim Jones id:James Warren Jones is:Jim Jones it:Jim Jones he:ג'ים ג'ונס hu:Jim Jones nl:Jim Jones ja:ジム・ジョーンズ no:Jim Jones nn:Jim Jones pl:Jim Jones (przywódca sekty) pt:Jim Jones ru:Джонс, Джеймс Уоррен simple:Jim Jones fi:Jim Jones sv:Jim Jones th:จิม โจนส์ tr:Jim Jones zh:吉姆·琼斯

name	Kylian Mash
background	non_performing_personnel
birth date	February 14, 1983
origin	France
death date
genre	Electro
occupation	Disk Jockey, Music Producer
instrument	Phonograph
years active	2008-present
label	Universal/Barclay, France Sony BMG, France Time, Italy Columbia, United Kingdom Ultra Records, United States Megaliner, Russia
website	http://www.kylianmash.net
notable instruments	}}

Kylian Mash is a French Dj/Producer, well known for his different aliases like his project "Discobitch", or by producing projects which feature superstars like Akon, Coolio, Snoop Dogg, Timbaland & Missy Elliott.. His music appears into many Radio/Tvs playlists, but he is also play and remixed by top Dj's like David Guetta, Joachim Garraud, Eric Morillo or DJ Chuckie,.

Biography

Kylian Mash earned his first gold record in 2008 with the project "Discobitch" and his huge hit "C'est beau la bourgeoisie" (# 1 Top Single and # 1 clubs for 13 weeks in France). This popular success went worldwide up to America where the track was even reviewed by Perez Hilton, the Pussycat Dolls or Madonna.

Kylian Mash then confirmed the effectiveness of its achievements in 2010 on his first solo single "Club Certified", uniting the Frenchie to the superstar Akon and the Californian rapper Glasses Malone. This new success with the support of Akon, will bring new collaborations and remixes for Kylian as with Ginuwine, Timbaland & Missy Elliott, the rapper Coolio, the son of Stevie Wonder: Ekow, Snoop Dogg and many others.

Kylian Mash is also regularly playlisted by International Djs by being involved into some club tunes like recently: "Wicked Wow!!!" writted and composed for Carolina Marquez and remixed by no one else than DJ Chuckie.

Since 2010, Kylian Mash also make an exclusive mix every month on Fun Radio, radio followed by more than 4,000,000 listeners over the France and podcasted on iTunes.

Non-Exhaustive Discography

Productions

2008 : Kylian Mash & Emoblaster ''Funkster''

2008 : Kylian Mash & XXII ''Bitch''

2008 : Kylian Mash & Laurent Konrad pres. Discobitch - ''C'est beau la bourgeoisie'' Remixed by: Kevin Tandarsen, BodyBangers

2010 : NYX - ''Fly Away'' Remixed by: Arias - Yohann Simon - Austin Leeds

2010 : Madinshina - ''Rhythm Is a Dancer'' Remixed by: Jay Style - The Henchmen - Claude NJoya & Richard Bahericz

2010 : Kylian Mash & Akon & Glasses - ''Club Certified'' Remixed by: Gregori Klosman & Danny Wild - Fred Pellichero & Laurent Pepper

2011 : Kylian Mash feat Snoop Dogg & Ekow - ''Closer (Do It Well)''

2011 : Carolina Marquez - ''Wicked Wow'' Remixed by: Dj Chuckie

Remixes

2010 : Coolio Vs. Kylian Mash & Tim Resler - ''Gangsta's Paradise Remix''

2010 : Ginuwine & Timbaland & Missy Elliott- ''Get Involved''

2009 : Patrice Strike - ''One Day''

References

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:French DJs Category:French music producers

fr:Kylian Mash

Name	Glasses Malone
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Charles Phillip Ivory Penniman
Born	December 10, 1979
Birth place	Los Angeles, California, United States
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper
Years active	2003–present
Label	Blu Division, Hoo-Bangin', Cash Money, Universal Motown
Associated acts	Mack 10, Big Scoob, Birdman, Lil Wayne, Jay Rock, Red Cafe, The Cataracs
Website	}}

Charles Phillipivory Penniman (born December 10, 1979), better known by his stage name Glasses Malone, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California.

Early life

Glasses Malone grew up in the Watts and Compton neighborhoods in Los Angeles County. His mother passed serving a 20 year sentence in prison for selling narcotics, and Malone himself was a hustler.

Music career

Traditionally associated with The Black Wall Street Records despite the fact that most the artists on the record label were affiliated with the Bloods, Malone signed with the record label, but later signed with Cash Money Records in 2011, turning down offers from many labels like Def Jam Records, Interscope Records, J Records and Atlantic Records. Glasses Malone was found by the same record executive that found The Game. Along with his signing, he was also given his own imprint, Blu Division. G. Malone debuted with mixtapes ''The Crack Mixtape'' (2003) and ''White Lightnin...Sticks'' (2005). ''White Lightnin...Sticks'' sold 50,000 copies and included the popular street single "Two Hunned".

Glasses Malone appeared in the music video for Tha Dogg Pound's single "Cali Iz Active' and also makes a cameo appearance in the Tech N9ne video "Like Yeah". He also appeared on the soundtrack to ''Madden 2007'' with a song called "Right Now" which was produced by Scott Storch. On August 4, 2006 Glasses Malone appeared on MTV's ''You Hear It First''.

Malone's first album, ''Beach Cruiser'', was originally scheduled to come out on February 20, 2007. However, due to a change in record labels, Malone signed a new deal with Cash Money Records and Hoo-Bangin' Records and his album release scheduled tentatively for April 2008. Two singles from the album debuted in 2008: "Certified" featuring Akon and "Haterz" featuring Birdman and Lil Wayne. His album will now be release on Aug. 29th 2011. although it was leaked on the internet on Aug. 24.

In late 2009, Malone accompanied Tech N9ne and hip-hop supergroup Slaughterhouse on the K.O.D Tour. Malone was featured on former Cash Money R&B; singer TQ's 7th studio album Kind of Blue in 2010.

He appeared on Big B new album Good Times & Bad Advice in a song titled "Live Your Life" http://www.myspace.com/hooliganbigb

He is currently touring with The King Tech N9ne, and E-40.

Filmography

;The Division Glasses Malone is producing and starring in his own film titled "The Division". The film was written by Malcolm Mays and is set to be directed by Max Albert in January 2011, according to The Boombox.

Discography

;Studio albums

''Beach Cruiser'' (2011)

;Collaboration albums

''Money Music'' (with Mack 10) (2011)

;Mixtapes

''The Crack Mixtape'' (2003)

''White Lighting (Sticks)'' (2005)

''DJ Skee & Dow Jones presents: The Electric Chair'' (2007)

''Fuck Glasses Malone'' (2008)

''DJ Greg Street & Glasses Malone presents 2010'' (2009)

''Nightmare on Seven Street'' (2009)

''Drive-By Muzik'' (2010)

Singles

{| class=wikitable !align=center rowspan=2|Year !align=center rowspan=2|Title !align=center colspan=2|Chart positions !align=center rowspan=2|Album |- !width=30|U.S. R&B; !width=30|U.S. Rap |- |2007 |"Certified" (featuring Akon) |85 |24 |rowspan="4"|''Beach Cruiser'' |- |2008 |"Haterz" (featuring Birdman & Lil Wayne) |— |— |- |2009 |"Til Da Sun Come Up" (featuring Birdman, Rick Ross & T-Pain) |94 |— |- |2010 |"I Get Doe" (featuring The Cataracs) |— |— |- |}

Notes and references

External links

Glasses Malone Official Site

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:American drug traffickers Category:Cash Money Records artists Category:Crips Category:People from Compton, California Category:Rappers from Los Angeles, California Category:Pseudonymous rappers

de:Glasses Malone

name	Mobb Deep
background	group_or_band
origin	Queens, New York, U.S.
genre	Hip hop, East Coast Hip Hop, Hardcore Hip Hop, Hardcore Rap, Gangsta Rap
years active	1992–present
label	4th & B'way (1992-1993)Infamous Records(2003-present)Loud (1995-2003)G-Unit (2005-2010)
associated acts	Big Noyd, Q-Tip, Tragedy Khadafi, Nas, Raekwon, Kool G Rap, Illa Ghee, Infamous Mobb, 40 Glocc, The Alchemist, Littles, Capone-N-Noreaga, 50 Cent, G-Unit, Young Buck, Big L, O.C., La The Darkman, Lil' Kim, Black Moon, Boot Camp Clik, Wu-Tang Clan, Method Man, Jadakiss, Nate Dogg, The Almighty RSO, R.A. the Rugged Man
current members	HavocProdigy
past members	}}

Mobb Deep is an American hip hop duo from Queens, New York, U.S., that consists of Havoc and Prodigy. The duo is "one of the most critically acclaimed hardcore East Coast hip-hop groups." The group is best known for its dark, hardcore delivery, as exemplified by the single "Shook Ones Pt. II." Mobb Deep have become one of the most successful rap duos in hip hop, having sold over 3 million records. The majority of their albums have been critically acclaimed, in particular ''The Infamous'', which is considered a classic. They are partially credited for the resurgence of East Coast rap in the early to mid-'90s. Havoc and Prodigy were also judges for the 7th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

Biography

Origins

Havoc and Prodigy started rhyming in 1986, then later they both attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City. Havoc took the role of producer and secondary MC, while Prodigy assumed the position of primary MC. Originally dubbing themselves the Poetical Profits, the duo later changed its name to Mobb Deep in order to "reflect their reputation on the streets." Many do not know but when Prodigy was only 17 he was featured on the classic movie soundtrack ''Boyz in the hood'' in a track call ''too young'' In June of 1991.When Havoc and Prodigy were 18, they released their debut album as Mobb Deep, called ''Juvenile Hell'', which was led by the single "Peer Pressure." The album sold poorly and was met with harsh reviews that dismissed the duo as just another hardcore group with little to distinguish it from the rest of the hip-hop world, despite production by DJ Premier and Large Professor. However, a few songs from ''Juvenile Hell'' did gain some recognition, such as "Hit It from the Back," "Locked in Spofford," and "Me and My Crew." Also in 1993, Havoc had a guest appearance on the critically acclaimed Black Moon album ''Enta Da Stage'', on a song called "U Da Man."

Rise to success

The group saw its first major success with their second album, ''The Infamous'', released in 1995. Mobb Deep catapulted to the top of the hardcore hip-hop scene through Havoc and Prodigy's straightforward narration of street life. Mobb Deep portrayed the struggles of living in New York City's Queensbridge Houses. Following its release, ''The Infamous'' became one of the most influential albums of the East Coast hardcore hip-hop genre. The duo's production stood out, as the beats were often hard-hitting and direct—a testament to Havoc, who produced the tracks almost exclusively throughout Mobb Deep's career. Furthermore, the smash hit single "Shook Ones Pt. II" received critical acclaim and was well-received within the hip-hop community. Mobb Deep's third album, ''Hell on Earth'' was released in 1996, debuting at number six on the Billboard album chart. The album continued the duo's portrayal of harsh street life, while further pushing them to the forefront of the hardcore hip-hop scene, along with contemporary East Coast rappers like The Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan collective, Jay-Z, and fellow Queensbridge associate Nas.

In 1996, they appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD, America is Dying Slowly, alongside Biz Markie, Wu-Tang Clan, and Fat Joe, among many other prominent hip hop artists. The CD, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African American men, was heralded as "a masterpiece" by The Source magazine.

In 1998, the duo collaborated with reggae dancehall rapper Bounty Killer on the track "Deadly Zone" for the soundtrack to ''Blade''. In 1999, they released the highly anticipated ''Murda Muzik'' album. Despite extensive bootlegging (nearly 30 songs of unreleased material leaked onto the Internet) and countless delays, the album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and quickly received platinum certification—further highlighted by the popular single "Quiet Storm." Shortly afterward, Prodigy released his long-awaited solo album ''H.N.I.C'', in which the MC collaborated with other artists (B.G. and N.O.R.E.) and producers (including The Alchemist, Rockwilder, and Just Blaze).

East Coast vs. West Coast

Mobb Deep was part of the infamous East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry. The beef started when Snoop Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound released "New York, New York." Mobb Deep, along with Capone-N-Noreaga and Tragedy Khadafi, released "LA, LA" in retaliation which started beef with 2pac

2000-2010

Mobb Deep released ''Infamy'' in 2001. The song "Burn" (featuring Vita) was perceived as a response to Jay-Z's diss song "Takeover" on ''The Blueprint'', as was "Crawlin'," in which Prodigy's two verses both mention Jay-Z. The album marked a major stylistic change in which the duo moved away from raw, minimalist, stripped-down beats and toward more commercial fare with such songs as "Hey Luv (Anything)." This transition fostered accusations of "selling out"—upsetting many long-time fans who did not wish to see them veer away from their original style.

Although these stylistic adjustments opened up Mobb Deep to a wider audience, many critics and fans consider their style change as a detriment to Mobb Deep's street image and record sales (most evident when comparing the platinum-selling ''Murda Muzik'' to ''Infamy'', which struggled to attain gold-record status).

In 2003, the group split with Loud Records and released ''Free Agents: The Murda Mix Tape'', in which Havoc and Prodigy proclaimed themselves "free agents" and addressed the group's split with its old label and its search for a new label. Jive Records signed the duo later in the year through a deal with the group’s own imprint. Mobb Deep then released ''Amerikaz Nightmare'' in 2004, which was seen by the general hip-hop audience as a weaker release, resulting in poor sales and the group’s subsequent departure from the label. Today, as a result of various mergers, all of Mobb Deep's studio albums from 1995 to 2004 are owned by Sony Music Entertainment.

G-Unit Records

Mobb Deep founded Infamous Records in the late 1990s, but it did not get an imprint deal until 2004. It is now a subsidiary of G-Unit Records. In June 2005, Prodigy and Havoc surprised fans when the duo announced that it had signed with 50 Cent's label G-Unit Records. The move was surprising because 50 Cent had included an indirect dis to the group in his song "Piggy Bank." 50 Cent had a connection to Mobb Deep, as he grew up in Queens and also had used Havoc as a producer for several different beats for albums by G-Unit, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo. The relationship strengthened as Prodigy and 50 Cent each received tattoos to pledge their loyalty to each other. Prodigy has the word "G-Unit" tattooed on the side of his right hand and 50 Cent has "Mobb Deep" tattooed on his wrist. Upon signing with G-Unit, both Prodigy and Havoc were given new Porsches, a gift for two artists who had received very little monetary compensation in the past. Later, Mobb Deep signed different artists on Infamous/G-Unit Records, including Nyce, 40 Glocc, and Gail Gotti. 40 Glocc has his own label on the Infamous label, called Zoo Life. Mobb Deep released its eighth album, Blood Money, on , 2006. It features G-Unit members 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and Young Buck, as well as Mary J. Blige and Nate Dogg. On , 2006, Mobb Deep became the first American hip-hop duo to perform in India, via VH1's Hip Hop Hustle. It performed in a nightclub called Enigma. In late 2009, Mobb Deep were released from their contract with 50 Cent's G-Unit label.

2011-present

On April 4, 2011 a possible new Mobb Deep single leaked on the internet named 'Dog Shit'. The song features rapper Nas. This is the first official song by Mobb Deep since Prodigy made his return from jail and their first song with Nas in almost 10 years, due to their feud. It is produced by Havoc & Alchemist. Their ninth studio album is set to be late Summer 2011 with production from Havoc, Alchemist, Sid Roams, DJ Premier, MTK, Cardiak and J.U.S.T.I.C.E League. Havoc also confirmed a collaboration album between Nas , Rick Ross, Lil' Kim, Wiz Khalifa & Odd Future on their new album.

Discography

''Juvenile Hell'' (1993)

''The Infamous'' (1995)

''Hell on Earth'' (1996)

''Murda Muzik'' (1999)

''Infamy'' (2001)

''Amerikaz Nightmare'' (2004)

''Blood Money'' (2006)

''TBA'' (2011)

Compilations

''The Infamous Archives''(2007)

''The Safe Is Cracked '' (2009)

References

External links

Interview with Prodigy - 2006

2007 Interview with Prodigy

Category:American hip hop groups Category:G-Unit Records artists Category:African American musical groups Category:Musical duos

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