Name	Solange
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Solange Piaget Knowles
Alias	Solange Knowles-Smith
Birth date	June 24, 1986
Birth place	Houston, Texas
Instrument	Vocals, keyboards, percussion
Occupation	singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, DJ
Genre	R&B;, pop, soul, hip-hop, indie
Years active	2001–present
Label	Columbia, Music World, Roc Nation, Geffen
Associated acts	Destiny's Child, Beyoncé
Website	}}

Solange Piaget Knowles (born June 24, 1986), who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé. Showing an interest in music recording at an early age, she eventually broke into the music scene at 16. She has released two studios albums: ''Solo Star'' in 2003 and ''Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams'' in 2008, which peaked at number nine in the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart.

Aside from recording, Knowles has ventured into film, modeling, and entrepreneurship. Knowles has been compared to her sister by the media, but she dismisses the notion, saying they are artistically different.

Early life

Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, to Mathew Knowles and Tina Knowles. Solange is the second child of Mathew and Tina, and the younger sister of Beyoncé. Her father is African American and her mother is Creole (of African, Native American, and French descent)and Irish descent. Her maternal grandparents are Lumis Beyincé and Agnéz Deréon, (a seamstress). She is also a descendant of Acadian leader Joseph Broussard. As a child, Knowles studied dance and theater. At the age of five, she made her singing debut at an amusement park. She began writing songs at the age of nine. At 13, she decided to pursue recording, but her parents initially advised her to wait. At the age of 15 Knowles replaced a departed dancer and performed with her sister's group Destiny's Child on tour. During the group's opening stint for American pop singer Christina Aguilera's tour, Knowles temporarily replaced Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland after Kelly broke her toes backstage during a costume change. When Knowles was 16, her father, who was then also her manager, signed her to his recording company, Music World Entertainment.

Music career

2001–2003: Early career and ''Solo Star''

Managed by her father Mathew, Knowles' first foray into the music business was in 2001 as the lead singer, backed with Destiny's Child, on the title theme song for the animated television series ''The Proud Family''. She also was a featured performer on "Hey Goldmember" for the soundtrack to the 2002 film Austin Powers in Goldmember, as well as a backup singer on the track "Little Drummer Boy" on her sister's group's 2001 holiday album ''8 Days of Christmas''. In 2002, she was featured on Lil Romeo's second studio album ''Game Time'', singing portions of Luther Vandross-penned "So Amazing" on the single "True Love", and on Rowland's debut solo album ''Simply Deep'', for which she also wrote the title track and "Alone". In 2001 she also appeared as Lil' Bow Wow's date in the music video for his single "Puppy Love".

In June 2003, Mathew Knowles excitedly announced that he was considering adding Solange to Destiny's Child when the group reunited in 2004, thus turning them into a quartet for the first time since short-lived member Farrah Franklin left in 2000. Mathew Knowles said he was testing the reactions, and, judging by what he had heard, "it seems like a good idea". Later in August, however, Beyoncé said it was only a rumor and Destiny's Child would remain a trio. Rowland added, "She's a Solo Star," name-dropping Knowles' debut album. Solange parallels her sister vocally, but she is a dynamic performer in her own right.

At the age of 14, Solange Knowles started working on her debut album ''Solo Star'', which involved American producers such as Jermaine Dupri, The Neptunes, Linda Perry and Timbaland among others. The album is primarily uptempo R&B;, although Knowles said there are pop, rock, reggae and hip hop influences. Knowles co-wrote and co-produced some of the 15 tracks in the album, including its lead single, "Feelin' You (Part II)". The song failed to enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but reached number three on both the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles Sales and Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. ''Solo Star'' was released on January 21, 2003 in the United States, where it debuted at number 49 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and reached number 23 on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart. ''Solo Star'' had a mixed critical reception: William Ruhlmann of Allmusic called it a "state-of-the-art contemporary R&B; album", but deemed Knowles "lost somewhere in the mix". As of mid-2008, the album had sold 112,000 copies domestically according to Nielsen Soundscan.

2004–2008: Career break and ''Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams''

After the release of her debut album, Knowles started acting in films followed by a career break. When she was married, her family moved to Idaho, and, while staying there, resumed writing songs including the singles "Get Me Bodied" and "Upgrade U" off her sister's second solo album, ''B'Day''. Knowles earned the R&B; and Hip-Hop Song accolade for "Get Me Bodied" at the 2008 ASCAP Awards. She had also written songs for Destiny's Child, and members Rowland and Michelle Williams. In 2004, while pregnant with son Daniel, she made a cameo appearance in Destiny's Child's music video for "Soldier".

After the divorce, Knowles returned to Houston to began working on her second album. Knowles renewed her management, signing a record deal with Geffen and a publishing deal with EMI. Knowles finished working on her second studio album in 2008 and titled the project ''Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams''. It includes production by Cee-Lo Green, Soulshock & Karlin and Mark Ronson as well as an appearance by Bilal. A collection of 1960s- and 1970s-influenced songs, it is seen as a departure from her pop-oriented debut, with what ''Billboard'' magazine called "more of a modern twist on hip-hop and R&B; flecked with tinges of blues and jazz". The album was released on August 26, 2008 in the United States. By December 2008, the album had sold over 114,000 copies according to Nielsen Soundscan. The album was positively received by critics, some of whom considered it far better than her debut. The album's lead single, "I Decided", was released in April 2008, and reached the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play; ''Rolling Stone'' magazine labelled it her breakthrough single. In support of the album, Knowles began the Solange Presents Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams Tour in Britain in November 2008.

Knowles announced, via her blog HadleyStreetJournal.com, that she will be releasing a series of mixtapes, to coincide with the album. The first mixtape, "I Can't Get Clearance...", includes the leaked track "Fuck the Industry (Signed Sincerely)". On this record, Knowles expresses her views on the current state of the music industry. The lyrics to the song name check some major artists such as Mary J. Blige, Ashanti, Keyshia Cole, and Beyoncé, although she made a point of stating that it does not have "a negative light to any of [them]".

2009–present: Third studio album

In an interview with MTV in 2009, Knowles revealed that she was determining the type of sound for the follow-up to ''Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams''. Knowles also parted ways with the Interscope-Geffen-A&M; record label group. She will now release her third studio album independently. Early in 2010, Knowles traveled to Australia to work with Australian rock band, Midnight Juggernauts on her third studio album Knowles plans to release the album in summer as revealed on her official twitter account in 2009 She also revealed on her twitter account that she rented a house in Santa Barbara, California to get into a certain state of mind while writing and making music On 7 May 2010, Knowles made a guest appearance on the popular children show, ''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' for a "Mothers Day Special" where she performed an original song called, "Momma Loves Baby". In an interview with ''Vibe'' on 7 July 2010, Knowles said she suffered "a little bit of a breakdown" while recording her new album: "I literally gave up my sanity for a while to do this record. [...] We literally were waking up in the morning and just making music all day and all night. [...] It just started to wear on me in so many different ways. I started having these crazy panic attacks." Knowles explained how she made sacrifices "mentally, emotionally and financially", and continued, "It’s more than an album to me. It’s a transitional time in my life." Regarding the musical direction of the album, she said the inspiration came from New Wave music and stated, "This is a dance record, but the lyrics can get pretty dark at times." The singer has also worked on songs with Chromeo and long-time collaborator Pharrell.

Other ventures

Aside from recording, Knowles ventured into film, modeling, and entrepreneurship. According to her father Mathew Knowles, her goal of merging music and film was part of the overall plan for her career. Knowles appeared as a nubile teenager in the 2004 comedy film ''Johnson Family Vacation'', starring alongside American actors Cedric the Entertainer, Vanessa Williams and Bow Wow. She provided a song for its soundtrack—"Freedom", a collaboration with the Houston-based funk-jazz band Drop Trio. Although the reviews were generally negative, Knowles earned praise from ''Variety'' magazine: "Solange Knowles is nearly as dazzling as big sister Beyoncé and does little more than smile winningly in her first bigscreen outing." In 2006, she starred as a cheerleading captain in the film ''Bring It On: All or Nothing'', the third installment of the ''Bring it On'' series, alongside American actress and singer Hayden Panettiere. What little critical reaction the low-budget, direct-to-DVD movie got was negative, and Knowles was described as an "affordable young starlet". Knowles uses her full name for her acting, rather than just the first name she uses when singing; for ''Bring It On: All or Nothing'', she was billed as Solange Knowles-Smith, reflecting her married state at the time.

Knowles also appeared in several television series. In 2002, she lent her voice for the character Chanel, the cousin of the protagonist Penny Proud, in the episode "Behind Family Lines" to the animated television series ''The Proud Family''. In 2004, she guest starred in the episode "The Catch" to the sitcom ''One on One''.

Knowles and sister Beyoncé model for their families' clothing line, House of Deréon, named after their grandmother, Agnéz Deréon. She also helped launch Deréon, a junior apparel collection and a sister line to House of Deréon. Both sisters model for Deréon, and are featured in most of Deréon's marketing campaigns. They were featured in a "Got Milk?" campaign ad, while still wearing House of Deréon. In 2008, Knowles was named as ambassador for Giorgio Armani's younger diffusion line, Armani Jeans. Armani said Knowles epitomizes the style, which is a "vision of a young, independent, casual lifestyle with a strong and cool, fashion sensibility".

Knowles has been promoting Baby Jamz, a hip hop-styled toy line for pre-schoolers. It was inspired by her son, Julez, who is fond of hip hop music. She is the executive producer of the CD, composed of updated hip hop inspired nursery rhymes, which is featured in all of the toys.

Also, Knowles has been known for her work in the award-winning children's TV show, ''Yo Gabba Gabba!''. She performed "Momma Loves Baby" during the live performance when it toured the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. She also performed "Mama Loves Baby" during a 2010 episode called "Baby".

In 2011, Knowles along with Alejandra Ramos Munoz and Zooey Deschanel, was announced as the new face of Rimmel London.

In February 2012, Solange became VOGUE.COM's Today I'm Wearing guest blogger sharing a photograph of her outfits daily for one month.

Personal life

Knowles, at age 17, married Daniel Smith in February 2004. Knowles met Smith at a high school party through mutual friends. He was in high school at the time and Knowles was 13 and in middle school; they called themselves high school sweethearts. On October 18, 2004, Knowles gave birth to their son, Daniel Julez Smith, Jr. Knowles has partly expressed regret that she bore a child at an early age, but calls her son the greatest unplanned blessing. A song she wrote for her baby, "6 O' Clock Blues", was included on ''Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams''.

After Daniel Julez' birth, the family moved to Moscow, Idaho, where Knowles' husband continued studying in college. In October 2007, Solange confirmed in an interview with ''Essence'' magazine that she and Smith had divorced. Both of them co-parent the child. After the divorce, Knowles and her child moved to Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, where they established their new home. They have since relocated to Brooklyn, New York.

Artistry

Knowles cites as her influences Motown girl groups such as The Supremes and The Marvelettes, and Martha Reeves, lead singer of Martha and the Vandellas. She also listened to the music of English pop singer Dusty Springfield, and according to Knowles, her "greatest music influence" is her mother, Tina Knowles, who was a one-time member of the 1960s harmony group The Veltones.

Knowles says her first passion is writing songs. She has been doing this since she was nine years old, and has collaborated with a number of songwriters and producers. — which was purposely set as the album's opening track to show their differences. In his review for the album, Jody Rosen of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine referred to the lyrics a declaration of independence. In an interview with the ''Daily Mail'', Knowles commented: "People think there should be this great rivalry between us, but there's never been any competition. There's a big age gap and we are two very different characters." In another interview, Knowles said that she would not live by her sister's level of stardom, stressing that she and Beyoncé are artistically different, even stating that blogger Teddy Birmingham was "disrespectful" for saying she was living in her sister shadow on his website "Teddytalks" in June 2009. Beyoncé was unwilling to bring her sister into the recording industry, reasoning that it "involves a lot of pressure". Knowles countered by saying, "It's good to have her advice, but we really have different goals".

Discography

''Solo Star'' (2003)

''Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams'' (2008)

TBA (2012)

Filmography

''Intimate Portrait'' ''The Proud Family'' ''Soul Train'' ''One on One (TV series) ''Listen Up ''Ghost Whisperer'' '' Lincoln Heights (TV series) ''Yo Gabba Gabba''

		!Title	!Role	!Notes
2001	|	Herself	1 Episode
rowspan=3	2002	|	Chanel	1 Episode
''Taina (TV series)	Taina''	Rachel
''Taff''	Herself
rowspan=4>2003	|	Herself	1 Episode
''The 30th Annual American Music Awards''	Herself
''The Today Show''	Herself
''The Brothers Garcia''	Herself
rowspan=2	2004	One On One'' ||	Charlotte	1 Episode
''Johnson Family Vacation''	Nikki Johnson
2005	(TV series)	Listen Up!''	Erika
2006	''Bring It On: All or Nothing''	Camille
2008	|	Singer	Uncredited 1 Episode
2008	Lincoln Heights'' ||	Herself	1 Episode
2010	|	Herself	1 Episode

Awards and nominations

|- | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|2009 |rowspan="2"|Solange Knowles |BET Award for BET Centric Award | |- |Soul Train Music Award for Best New Artist |

References

External links

Official blog

Category:1986 births Category:Living people S Category:Actors from Houston, Texas Category:African American film actors Category:African American female singer-songwriters Category:American musicians of French descent Category:American people of French descent Category:American people of Native American descent Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:American soul singers Category:American vegetarians Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Destiny's Child Category:English-language singers Category:Louisiana Creole people Category:Musicians from Houston, Texas Category:Neo soul singers Category:Sony BMG artists

bs:Solange de:Solange Knowles es:Solange Knowles fr:Solange Knowles ko:솔란지 놀스 id:Solange Knowles it:Solange Knowles nl:Solange Knowles ja:ソランジュ no:Solange Knowles pl:Solange Knowles pt:Solange Knowles ro:Solange Knowles simple:Solange Knowles fi:Solange Knowles sv:Solange Knowles tr:Solange Knowles

name	Mario
background	solo_singer
birth name	Mario Deward Barrett
stage name	Mario
birth date	August 27, 1986
origin	Baltimore, Maryland,
genre	R&B;
occupation	Singer-songwriter, actor, dancer, model
years active	2000–present
label	J, RCA
associated acts	Sean Garrett, Big Sean, OJ Da Juiceman, Gucci Mane, Ludacris, Plies, Lil' Jon
website	www.mario2u.com }}

Mario Dewar Barrett (born August 27, 1986), who performs under the mononym Mario, is an American R&B; singer-songwriter, actor, dancer and model. He is best known for his hit singles "Just a Friend 2002" (2002) and "Let Me Love You" (2004), which won him two Billboard awards, as well as for appearing in the films ''Step Up'' and ''Freedom Writers''. He has released four studio albums: ''Mario'' in 2002, ''Turning Point'' in 2004, ''Go!'' in 2007, and ''D.N.A.'' in 2009. In the end of 2000's decade, Mario was ranked by Billboard #98 on their "Artist of the Decade" list.

Early life

Mario grew up in Decatur,Alabama and other working-class neighbourhoods in Baltimore County, Maryland. He lived with his grandmother, who raised him while his single mother struggled with a drug addiction. Mario said at the age of four that he wanted to become a singer. His mother supported his dream and bought him a karaoke machine. Mario joined a musical group in Teaneck high school with the oldest son of comedienne Mo'nique and best friend Jaye Brebnor and also his younger god sister ''Chea Tyler''. He was always dedicated to having a musical career. He learned to play the piano and used that skill as the basis for his melodies and songs. He was discovered at age eleven and signed by producer Troy Patterson, after singing "I'll Make Love to You" at a Coppin State College talent show. Mario attended Milford Mill Academy up until the tenth grade where he was inspired by his music teacher, during his early teen years, and was offered a record deal at the age of fourteen, signing with Clive Davis' J Records. His musical influences include Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Brian McKnight, Boyz II Men, Usher, and Joe. His first introduction to the music industry was the ''Dr. Dolittle 2'' movie soundtrack in 2001. He sang a captivating performance of the Stevie Wonder classic "You and I" at Clive's Grammy party in 2002, and began recording an album.

Music career

''Mario'' (2002-2003)

Mario began recording his debut album ''Mario''. A year before releasing it in July 2002. The lead single "Just a Friend 2002", which was a cover of Biz Markie's hit, was an instant success, peaking at #1 on the charts. Follow up singles were "Braid My Hair" & "C'mon" . He was the opening act on the ''Scream Tour 3'', which featured B2K,Marques Houston, Nick Cannon, Jhene, and AJA. As of 2006, his debut album has sold over 700,000 copies. During this period, he became a draw in the teen market.

''Turning Point'' (2004-2006)

After his debut album was released, Mario wanted to record an album that was more mature. He enlisted a number of well-known producers to help him, such as Scott Storch & Lil' Jon. He released his second album, ''Turning Point'' on December 7, 2004. The album was more successful than his first, mainly because of the hit single "Let Me Love You". The single, described by reviewers as "melodic and sweetly lilting, reminiscent of Michael Jackson's vintage romantic ballads" was successful, peaking at the number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks. The single is written by Ne-Yo. Other follow up singles include "How Could You" co-written by J. Valentine, with a cameo appearance in the video by rapper Cassidy; "Here I Go Again" (whose video starred model/singer Cassie) and "Boom" featuring Juvenile. To date, ''Turning Point'' has sold platinum and the lead single double-platinum.

In February 2006, Mario filed a lawsuit against his former manager, Troy Patterson, alleging that Patterson had paid him $50,000 for the sale of more than 3 million records, which was later found to be false accusations. Mario was later sued by Patterson and lost. Mario's new manager is J. Erving and he was chosen by Mario.

''Go!'' (2007-2008)

Mario's third album ''Go!'' is dedicated to his mom Shawntia Hardaway and was released in South Africa under Gallo Records on October 9, 2007, in the U.S. on December 11, 2007. The album includes collaborations with Jermaine Dupri, Ne-Yo, Janice Robinson, Eric West, Lionell Davis, Scott Storch, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Timbaland, Bryan-Michael Cox, Zane' Lord, The Neptunes, Jim Jonsin, Akon, Dre & Vidal, Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell, Sean Garrett and Mr. Collipark. Mario, who has described the album as "sex...more personal...more passionate", had more creative control on ''Go'' than on his previous two albums. The first single to be lifted from the album was "How Do I Breathe" which was released in May. The second single was "Crying out for Me" after a poll on his website. The single was later certificated Gold by the RIAA. On December 13, 2007, Mario was on "106 & Park" where he stated that the third single off the album will be "Music For Love". The entire album was made available for the public to listen to on his Myspace page before its release. He also has a new song that came out on December 11, "Do Right". ''Go!'' has sold 331,540 copies in the U.S.

In an interview with DJ "Z", Mario stated that problems with the record label caused the album launch to be pushed back 6–8 months.

''D.N.A.'' (2009-2010)

Before the release of his third album ''Go!'', Mario confirmed in an interview with that he was working on a new album "by the time school starts back up, like after next summer” “But there's really even more than that, 'cause I'm gonna start recording, like, [at] the end of January". The album is involving a wide range of producers and songwriters such as Darkchild, Babyface, Polow da Don, RedOne, CJ of Charlio Productions, Malay, Jazze Pha, Stargate, KP, Tricky Stewart and The-Dream as confirmed by Mario. Mario said that he would like to work with no more than 4 producers for this album. Mario has described this album as World music, an old school R&B; influenced with a modern dance pop sound. In the US, the song, have peaked at number 2 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Chart and 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Mario's most successful single in five years. The single has been recently certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for a shipment of over 500,000 units as a . "Thinkin' About You", was released as the second single reaching number forty-five on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Chart. "Stranded" never labelled as the third single due to the limited airplay that it received. Lack of interest led to the single being cancelled, although in January 2010 the song entered on the Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs peaking at number 84. "Ohh Baby" was later confirmed to be the third single from the album, it peaked on the week of March 19, 2010 debuting on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 95. The entire album was made available for the public to listen to on his Myspace page before its release. The album debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200, selling 38,000 copies in its first week, becoming Mario's lowest-selling debut in the United States. So far, it has sold 93,385 copies in the US.

''Restoration'' (2011-present)

Mario is currently working on his fifth album. He says: "I’m working on a new album right now. It’s gonna be totally different than D.N.A. Not typical R&B; style but more like club songs." Recently, Mario took CJ Hilton under his wing and asked the newcomer to write songs for his next album. Mario did an Ustream with CJ Hilton and stated that a possible title for the album is "Mario Barrett" which will show to people the real him, also he's going to have a meeting with the record label about the scheduling of his new album and play them ten records never heard before. From the sounds of it, we'll be hearing more songs like "Green Light", "Starlight", and things of that nature on this new album. Mario wants to go with a more Euro-Pop/Electro/R&B; sound this go-round now whether it catches on with the general public has yet to be determined. "The new album right now, I'm just focused on the album", says Mario. The Baltimore native explained that the genre's grooves were just too appealing not to flirt with on his upcoming project. "Stay tuned. I just came back from Europe — it's crazy out there," Mario said. "I just did a DJ/ house [music] tour in Europe; I did like 10 days. It was a huge thing, like 15,000-seat venue. It was incredible to see how many people are into house music and R&B; music, and how house music influences R&B; nowadays. You know, [it has a] real strong presence over there." The collection, due this summer, according to Mario, would be his fifth album and the follow-up to last year's set, D.N.A. That project spawned the hit "Break Up," featuring Gucci Mane and Sean Garrett. Mario's yet-untitled album is tentatively slated to include a guest appearance by Chris Brown, though nothing has been confirmed so far. Mario said the two crooners recently spent time together in a Los Angeles studio — though admittedly Brown was working with Keri Hilson and not him — and the pair have high hopes to get something recorded between them soon. "For the ladies," he said on his official twitter, "This album is for the world. I'm taking all my knowledge and love for music and puttin it out" and add "All new shit nothing recycled". On his twitter he made an announcement saying that he was going to Miami to work with Rico Love and also to finish the album on the same week.

In an interview with Vibe, Mario was asked what direction he was trying to go with on his 5th album, his answer was, "I wanna give as much honesty as I can. I want to be honest, but grab the attention of everybody, but still compete so when you hear it on the radio it’s pushing the envelope. The melodies coming out of me now are unorthodox— melodies I've never expressed before". He also confirmed he has five tracks that are definitely going on. "These tracks are like movies, they are intense", he added. Nevertheless, the album will probably feature a song centered on his mother, written by himself. In another interview with Rap-Up TV Mario revealed details on the new single and the album. Mario explained that the first single "The Walls" featuring Fabolous really pays homage to women who are comfortable with being sexy outside and they’re sexy with their men when they get home. In addition to that he revealed that he anticipates a November or January release. On 19 December, Mariomusic channel on Youtube leaked a video with the mixtape name, Truth Be Told and some song snippets.

On October 7, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding J Records along with Arista Records and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Mario (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release his future material on the RCA Records brand.

Other ventures

Acting career

Mario starred alongside Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan in ''Step Up'', a dance-themed film released on August 11, 2006. For his next film, ''Freedom Writers'' he acted opposite Academy Award-Winner Hilary Swank and Patrick Dempsey of ''Grey's Anatomy''. It was released on January 5, 2007. Mario did not take acting classes before undertaking the role. Mario has stated that he would like to own his own film production company entitled "Inside Paris Productions" and become a director. On 5 March 2009, Mario said on Twitter that he had made an ABC network testing for a new Pilot. As result, he made an announcement to "The Electric Company" on PBS, with the "Soft G". Also starred in One on One as Spirit's date to the dance.

Knightwritaz

Knightwritaz is a production team of which Mario was part of. The production team included Mario and includes Sterling Simms, Warren "Oak" Felder and Marsha of Floetry. Aside from producing songs for Mario's album Go!, the team has written and produced songs for Jennifer Lopez, Chris Brown, Jordin Sparks, Usher and Raven-Symoné. Mario claimed to be more of the songwriter in the team. In an interview with Rap-Up he sentenced that he was no longer part of the Knightwritaz.

''The Mario Do Right Foundation''

Mario's ''Do Right Foundation'' was established on March 2008 to educate and inspire kids who suffer from the drug addictions of their parents. In May, Mario published a notice on the Facebook page of the foundation, saying that he had been in a studio in Miami all night re-recording the hit song "Do Right" from his 2007 album "Go". This remix "Do Right" will be the theme song for Mario's Do Right Foundation. The song debut is expected to be at this years African American Heritage Festival in Baltimore.

Modeling

On 10 January 2009, Mario ventured to be the face of Pelle Pelle's European Spring/Summer 2009 campaign with various press shots for the campaign running throughout the next few months.

Soul Truth Entertainment

In an interview with Rap-Up, Mario said that "Soul Truth Entertainment" was his new entertainment company.

PETA

Mario is the new face of PETA in the campaign against killing animals entitled "Ink, Not Mink". He tells: "Be comfortable in your own skin, and let animals keep theirs".

''Dancing With the Stars''

Mario competed in Season 6 of ''Dancing With the Stars'', being partnered with Karina Smirnoff. They were eliminated in Week 8 of the competition.

Personal life

MTV aired a special on October 21, 2007, "I Won't Love You to Death: The Story of Mario and His Mom," which dealt with his mother's heroin addiction. The documentary is about how the singer strives for help to stop his mother's addiction. While doing this, he seeks help from family and friends. Mario wrote a letter to his mother stating how appreciative he is and begs her to stop her addiction. At the end of the letter he says, "I love you, but I won't love you to death". The documentary, produced by Gigantic! Productions, won a 2008 Prism Award for its accurate portrayal of drug abuse. Mario has also written a song titled ''Do Right'' that is dedicated to his mother. This song explains his mother's addiction and how it affected his childhood. The song is featured on his third album ''Go''.

Mario has homes in Baltimore, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Discography

''Mario'' (2002)

''Turning Point'' (2004)

''Go!'' (2007)

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

''Restoration'' (2012)

Filmography

Films

{|class="wikitable" |- ! Year || Title || Role || Notes |- | 2002 || ''Uncle P'' || Himself || minor role |- | 2003 || ''One on One'' || Himself || minor role |- | 2006 || ''Step Up'' || Miles Darby || lead role |- | 2007 || ''Freedom Writers'' || Andre Bryant || lead role |- | 2009 || ''Destination Fame'' || Wizzy || lead role |}

References

External links

Official website

Category:1986 births Category:Actors from Maryland Category:African American film actors Category:African American models Category:African American singer-songwriters Category:American child singers Category:American pop singer-songwriters Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:Songwriters from Maryland Category:English-language singers Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Maryland Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Baltimore, Maryland Category:J Records artists Category:RCA Records artists Category:Sony BMG artists

de:Mario (Sänger) es:Mario Dewar Barrett fr:Mario (chanteur) it:Mario (cantante) nl:Mario (zanger) no:Mario (sanger) pl:Mario (piosenkarz) pt:Mario (cantor) sr:Mario (muzičar) sv:Mario (artist) th:มาริโอ (นักร้อง) tr:Mario (şarkıcı) zh:Mario (歌手)

name	Pusha T
background	solo_singer
birth name	Terrence Thornton
alias	Terrar
birth date	May 14, 1977
birth place	The Bronx, New York, United States
origin	Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States
death date
genre	Hip hop
occupation	Rapper, songwriter
years active
label	GOOD, Re-Up, Decon, Def Jam
associated acts	Clipse, Re-Up Gang, Kanye West, Pharell Williams, N.E.R.D., The Neptunes, XV
url
notable instruments	}}

Terrence Thornton (born May 14, 1977) better known by his stage name Pusha T is an American recording artist, occasional actor and one half of the critically acclaimed hip hop duo Clipse. He is also the co-founder and co-chief executive officer (CEO) of Re-Up Records along with his brother Gene 'Malice' Thornton. In September 2010 he announced that he has signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music label and on March 21, 2011 released his first solo project, a mixtape titled ''Fear of God''.

Biography

1977-2009: Early life and career beginnings

Pusha T was born Terrence Thornton on May 14, 1977, in The Bronx borough of New York City. Thornton and his family soon relocated to Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he and his brother, Gene 'Malice' Thornton, grew up. In 1992 Terrence and his brother Gene formed the duo now internationally known as Clipse. With help from Pharell Williams the group eventually signed to Elektra Records in 1997 and released ''Exclusive Audio Footage'', their only album under that label. Of the two brothers, Terrence was more open to features, appearing on Kelis' 1999 single "Good Stuff" and Nivea's 2001 single "Run Away (I Wanna Be with U)", respectively. In 2004 he and his brother launched their record label, Re-Up Records and formed hip hop group Re-Up Gang along with rappers Ab-Liva and Sandman. After four albums as the Clipse, under various record labels both Malice and Pusha T announced that they were taking time off from the duo to focus on their own respective solo projects.

2010-present: Solo career, GOOD Music and ''Fear of God''

Following his signing to GOOD Music in September 2010, Thornton was featured on a number of fellow label mates' projects such as Kanye West's ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' appearing on his hit "Runaway" and premiering the song with him at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. He was also featured on many G.O.O.D. Friday tracks along with appearing on Swizz Beatz's "Bang Bang" for his Monster Mondays series, Lloyd Banks' ''H.F.M. 2 (Hunger for More 2)'' and tabi Bonney's ''Fresh'' respectively. On the week of December 16, 2010, Thornton signed exclusively with NUE Agency.

On February 11th, 2011 Funkmaster Flex debuted Thornton's first solo offering on New York City's Hot 97. The track, titled "My God", was produced by Hit-Boy and was generally well received by the public. Soon after, the song leaked onto the internet but was not officially released through iTunes and Amazon until August 24th, 2011. On March 21, 2011 Thornton released his first solo project, a mixtape titled ''Fear of God'' to critical acclaim. Soon after he began working on his EP ''Fear of God II: Let Us Pray'', which initially included four songs from the mixtape and five original ones. The EP was originally set to released on June 21st, 2011, it was than pushed back to August 23rd, and for a while September 27th, 2011 was believed to be the date, however on October 6th, 2011 Thornton announced the EP is set to drop November 8th. In addition it was revealed he added four more songs to the EP making it twelve tracks rather than just the nine tracks that were previously announced. On July 8th, 2011, the first single off ''Fear of God II: Let Us Pray'' leaked onto the internet. The song, titled "Trouble on My Mind" features Odd Future frontman, Tyler, The Creator. The second single, "Amen" was released September 13th, 2011. The song, originally meant for Young Jeezy, was produced by Shawty Redd and features verses from Kanye West and Young Jeezy respectively. After the EP's release on November 8th, the project debuted at number sixty-six on the Billboard 200 with 8,900 copies sold in its first week released. It also entered at number ten on ''Billboard''s R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums, at number eight on ''Billboard''s Top Rap Albums, and at number twenty-five on its Digital Albums chart. In 2011 Thornton appeared on the second season of the HBO series How to Make It in America. He played the role of a henchman for Urban Caribbean League.

He is currently working on his solo debut album, yet to be titled, which is being executive produced by Kanye West and includes production from The Neptunes, Bangladesh, Ryan Leslie and Alex da Kid. Thornton has stated that after his solo album and the Re-Up Gang mixtape, ''Long Live the Cane'', he and his brother Malice will release another album as the Clipse. On August 31st, 2011 it was announced Thornton signed a solo record deal with Def Jam. On September 23rd, 2011, English pop singer Pixie Lott announced "What Do You Take Me For?", the second single off her second studio album ''Young Foolish Happy'' features Pusha T. The song was a hit single in the U.K., peaking at number ten on the charts.

On October 19, 2011, Kanye West announced on his Twitter plans for a Spring 2012 GOOD Music album release. On April 6, 2012, "Mercy", the lead single from the ''GOOD Music'' compilation album was released. The song, produced by newly-signed in-house producer Lifted, features Pusha T along with Kanye West, Big Sean and southern rapper 2 Chainz.

Controversy

Consequence

After releasing "My God", the first offering off his solo mixtape, former GOOD Music label mate Consequence took to Twitter and claimed Pusha T stole his flow and lyrics from a song of his that Pusha T was supposed to appear on titled "The Last Supper". On July 22, 2011 Consequence released a song titled "The Plagurist Society" where he takes shots and questions Pusha T’s coke-dealing raps. Towards the end of the record the Queens native promises to take aim at Kanye West next saying "You're nothing but a body shield, for that coward from the mid-west/ so yes you can bet, that your boss is next". Pusha T responded to the diss when he appeared on Chicago’s 107.5 WGCI’s The Morning Riot and said nobody is looking for Consequence, as for if he will respond on a record he went on to say "At the end of the day I am an artist and this whole rap thing is fun to me, so I can't say you won't hear nothing, but to go back and forth with him, it's not right, I won't get anything out of it." Later that day, Consequence called in to Chicago’s WGCI’s The Morning Riot in retaliation to the remarks Pusha T made about him. He also premiered a song titled "Everybody Told Me 2 (Straighten It Out)" where he disses West, Pusha T and GOOD Music in general. Since then Pusha T has responded to Consequence on a record. The song was the remix to Ace Hood's "Go 'N' Get It" which also featured Beanie Sigel, Busta Rhymes and Styles P. In the song Pusha raps "Consequence, nigga, talk is cheap You don't want a problem? Off the beef Before I off his ass with his awful teeth". On August 19, Consequence released ''Movies on Demand 3'' and continued to diss his former label and Pusha T on songs such as "Career Killer" and "Mr.RapFix (Hot Water)". On September 15, 2011 Consequence appeared on MTV's Rap Fix and announced his feud with Kanye West and GOOD Music are over. While out in Chicago in October 2011, Pusha T appeared on WGCI radio for a second time, and confirmed that the "beef" was indeed over, that it had died out and they have moved on.

Discography

;Albums

''Black Friday'' (2012)

;Extended plays

''Fear of God II: Let Us Pray'' (2011)

;Mixtapes

''Fear of God'' (2011)

References

Category:1977 births Category:African American rappers Category:Living people Category:People from the Bronx Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Pseudonymous rappers

hr:Pusha T pt:Pusha T ru:Pusha T

name	Clipse
background	group_or_band
origin	Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States
genre	Hip hop
years active	1992–Til the Casket Drops
label	Elektra (1997–1998)Arista (2001–2004)Jive (2004–2007)Star Trak (2001–present)Re-Up (2004–present)Columbia (2009–2011)GOOD (2010–present))Decon (2011) Def Jam (2011–present)
associated acts	The Neptunes, Re-Up Gang, Fam-Lay, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West
website	www.clipseonline.com
current members	MalicePusha T }}

Clipse is a hip hop duo formed by brothers Gene "Malice" Thornton and Terrence "Pusha-T" Thornton in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 1992. The group is heavily affiliated with the production team The Neptunes and are signed to Star Trak Entertainment.

History

''Exclusive Audio Footage'' (1993–1999)

The Thornton brothers were born and raised in The Bronx, New York and moved to Norfolk, Virginia. They formed the group Jarvis in 1992, and were introduced to Pharrell Williams, one half of the production team The Neptunes, in 1993. Impressed with their lyrical talents, Williams formed a working relationship with the duo. He eventually helped them secure a recording contract with Elektra Records in 1997. Under Elektra, and with The Neptunes handling its production, Clipse recorded its debut album, ''Exclusive Audio Footage''. The group's first single, "The Funeral", helped to generate fan interest in the album, but failed to make a significant commercial impact. With "The Funeral" deemed a failure, ''Exclusive Audio Footage'' itself was shelved indefinitely. Clipse was released from its record contract shortly thereafter.

''Lord Willin''' (2001–2002)

In early 2001, Williams signed the duo to Arista Records through his recently established Star Trak Entertainment imprint. Clipse released its commercial debut ''Lord Willin''' on August 20, 2002. The album opened at #1 on Billboard's Top R&B;/Hip-hop Album chart and #4 on the Billboard Hot 200, fueled by the strength of the first two singles, "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time", which peaked at #30 and #19 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. Third single "Ma, I Don't Love Her" (featuring Faith Evans) was a modest hit, reaching #86 on the Hot 100. On October 1, 2002—only a month after its release—''Lord Willin''' was certified gold by the RIAA. Clipse made another dent in the rap music world that year by providing rhymes for Justin Timberlake's first solo single, "Like I Love You," another Neptunes-produced crossover radio hit, as well as "What Happened to That Boy" with Birdman. Pusha T featured in singer Nivea's 2nd single Run Away (I Wanna Be with U) which peaked at #47 in Australia

''Hell Hath No Fury'' (2003–2006)

In late 2003, Clipse began recording material for its second album, ''Hell Hath No Fury''. However, further work on the album ground to a halt in 2004, when Arista Records's urban artists were absorbed its sister label Jive Records as part of a larger merger between Sony Music Entertainment and BMG. Due to contractual requirements, Clipse was forced to stay on Jive, while Star Trak and the rest of its roster moved to a new home at Interscope Records.

While Clipse resumed work on the album, and eventually finished its recording, the duo became increasingly frustrated with Jive, as the label overlooked it in favor of the more pop-oriented acts on its roster, which caused numerous delays in the release of ''Hell Hath No Fury''. As delays continued, the group asked for a formal release from its contract. When Jive refused to grant this request, the duo sued the label. While the litigation took place, Clipse released new mats' ''We Got It 4 Cheap'' mixtape series, which featured Clipse and two Philadelphia rappers: long-time friend Ab-Liva (of Major Figgas) and newcomer Sandman, known collectively as "The Re-Up Gang".

On May 9, 2006, Clipse finally reached an agreement with Jive Records to release the album through its own label, Re-Up Records, along with Jive. After two more changes in its release date (originally August 29 and then October 31) ''Hell Hath No Fury'' was finally released on November 28, 2006. It spawned two singles: "Mr. Me Too" with Pharrell Williams and "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)" with Slim Thug. While the album received a great deal of critical acclaim, its sales were modest, at 78,000 in the first week. The hip hop magazine ''XXL'' gave the album a "XXL" rating, marking it as a five-star album. Only five albums had previously received that honor. In 2010, Rhapsody named the album one of the top coke-rap albums of all time.

Columbia Records (2007–present)

In a May 19, 2007 interview with ''Eye Weekly'', Clipse revealed that the group had been officially released from its recording contract with Jive. After this, the duo began discussions with several record labels, eventually signing with Columbia Records on October 26, 2007. On August 8, 2008, the duo released the Re-Up Gang's self-titled debut studio album through Koch Records. The album's first single, "Fast Life", was produced by Scott Storch. The single was originally slated for the duo's third album, but they felt it would be better used for the Re-Up Gang album. Only Malice and Pusha-T appear on the track. After the release, Sandman left the group.

In November 2008, Clipse announced the launch of their fashion line, Play Cloths. A mixtape called ''Road to Till the Casket Drops'' was released on December 1, 2008 in promotion of the line.

The follow-up to ''Hell Hath No Fury'', titled ''Til the Casket Drops'', was released in December 2009. In a departure from the group's previous works, which only featured production from the Neptunes, the album features production from Sean "Diddy" Combs' production team The Hitmen, and DJ Khalil. The album did not fare as well commercially as the group's first two albums, peaking at #41 on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart. At a concert on April 30, 2010, Malice announced that he and Pusha T will release solo albums later in the year. As of September 12, 2010, Pusha T has confirmed to MTV that he has signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music label. Pusha T released his mixtape 'Fear of God' in March 2011.

In 2010, B.F. Goodrich launched a series of tire commercials starring snowboarder Shaun White and featuring the track "Young Boy" from ''Lord Willin'''. The ads prominently highlight the lyric, "I'ma tell you what I'm talkin' 'bout."

Pusha T has stated that they are no longer signed to Columbia Records, and that they are currently working on a new album. Although Malice has not released a solo album and has been seldom heard from since the duo's split, he published ''Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind & Naked'', a memoir of his life released on Valentine's Day 2011. Then August 31, 2011, Pusha T announced the signing of a solo deal with Def Jam records and admitted "G.O.O.D Music/Def Jam is [now] my home.”

Discography

1997: ''Exclusive Audio Footage''

2002: ''Lord Willin'''

2006: ''Hell Hath No Fury''

2009: ''Til the Casket Drops''

2013: ''As God As My Witness''

References

External links

Official website

Clipse at MTV

Malice of The Clipse iNterview on iStandard

Category:African American musical groups Category:East Coast hip hop groups Category:African American rappers Category:People from the Bronx Category:People from Virginia Beach, Virginia Category:Southern hip hop musicians Category:Sibling musical duos Category:Musicians from Virginia Category:Rappers from Virginia

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