A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.

Motivation to use a stage name

A performer will often take a stage name because his/her real name is considered unattractive, dull, unintentionally amusing or difficult to pronounce or spell, or because it has been used by another notable individual or because it projects an undesired image. Sometimes a performer adopts a name that is unusual or outlandish to attract attention. Other performers use a stage name in order to retain anonymity. The equivalent concept among writers is called a nom de plume or pen name, while the term ring name is used in professional wrestling. In radio, the term "radio name" or "air name" is used. (e.g. well-known talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, who now uses his real name, was known under the radio name Jeff Christie in his days as a top-40 disk jockey.)

Family connection

Some individuals who are related to a celebrity take a different last name so that they are not perceived to have received undue advantage from their family connection. Examples of these include Joan Fontaine (real name Joan de Havilland), sister to Olivia de Havilland, Luka Bloom (real name Kevin Barry Moore), brother of Christy Moore; and Mike McGear (brother of Paul McCartney). Sisters Loretta, Peggy, and Brenda Webb adopted the names Loretta Lynn, Peggy Sue, and Crystal Gayle, respectively. Actor Nicolas Cage, born Nicolas Coppola, chose a new last name to avoid comparisons to his uncle, director Francis Ford Coppola, who gave him his big break in the movie Peggy Sue Got Married. Conversely, individuals who wish to receive benefit from their family connections may take that person's first or last name. For example, Lon Chaney Sr.’s son Creighton spent a number of years appearing in minor roles before renaming himself Lon Chaney Jr. Actress Rebecca Isabelle Laemmle rechristened herself Carla Laemmle in reference to her uncle, Universal Studios head Carl Laemmle. Emilio Estévez and his sister Renee chose not to take their father Martin Sheen’s professional name and use their birth names; however, their brother Carlos chose to use their father's professional name, and took the name Charlie Sheen.

Guild and association rules

Guilds and associations that represent actors, such as the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) in the United States and British Actors' Equity Association in the United Kingdom, stipulate that no two members may have identical working names. An actor whose name has already been taken must choose a new name. Notable examples include David Tennant, born David McDonald, who said in an interview that he adopted the surname ''Tennant'' after reading ''Smash Hits'' magazine. Nathan Lane, whose birth name Joseph Lane was already in use, Stewart Granger, whose birth name was James Stewart, and Michael Keaton, born Michael Douglas. The latter chose the last name Keaton simply because he came across a picture of actress Diane Keaton and "liked the sound of [her] name," so he adopted it as his own. Interestingly enough, Diane Keaton, whose birth name is Diane Hall, took her mother's maiden name as a stage name after learning that there was already a registered actress named Diane Hall in the Actors' Equity Association. Michael Andrew Fox became Michael J. Fox because a Michael Fox was already a member of the Screen Actors' Guild. ''Ugly Betty'' actress Vanessa Williams officially uses "Vanessa L. Williams" due to SAG guidelines, although the other actress with same first and last names (Vanessa A. Williams) is arguably less notable. Similarly, David Walliams changed one letter in his surname due to there being another "David Williams". Terry O'Quinn of ''Lost'' fame changed his surname from Quinn to O'Quinn as another registered actor already had the name Terrance Quinn. Long time writer for The Simpsons, David X. Cohen changed his middle initial from S to X because there was already a David S Cohen registered with the Writer's Guild of America.

A person hoping to become successful as an entertainer who has a name identical to a name already familiar to the public (in any field of endeavor) may change his/her name in order to not have his/her name evoke the other person with that name. By way of example, the actor/writer/director Albert Brooks was named "Albert Einstein" by his parents and chose a different second name so that his name would not be a distraction that would evoke the renowned physicist of the same name. Singer Katy Perry, born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, released her self-titled album under the name Katy Hudson, but later used her mother's maiden name Perry to avoid confusion with actress Kate Hudson.

Involuntary name changes

A performer may also have had their stage name chosen for them by their agent (such was the case with Barbara Eden, born Barbara Jean Huffman). Joan Rivers (born Joan Alexandra Molinsky) went one step further and named herself after a former agent, Tony Rivers, when he told her to change her name.

Former child star Patty Duke (whose real name is Anna Marie Duke) had her stage name chosen for her by her first managers. Their choice of the name "Patty" was inspired by another child actress named Patty McCormack (Patty Duke later entitled her autobiography ''Call Me Anna'' (ISBN 0-553-27205-5) ).

Cary Grant (born Archibald Leach) had his name selected for him by Paramount Pictures. He had been using the name "Cary Lockwood", but the studio decided against it, deeming it too similar to another actor working at the time. Cary and the studio eventually settled on "Cary Grant" (Grant thought the letters "C" and "G" to be lucky: they had brought previous success for both Clark Gable and Gary Cooper).

Ethnicity

In the past, a stage name was often used when a performer's real name was considered to denote a specific ethnicity that faced potential discrimination. An example of this type of name change involved Freddie Mercury of the British rock band Queen, who was born Farrokh Bulsara to Parsi parents; his name change was partly intended to conceal his heritage. Italian-American actress Bernadette Peters, who was born Bernadette Lazzara, changed her last name to avoid being typecast as women who were Italian or of Italian heritage; her father's name was Peter. Similarly, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith changed his name from the original Stephen Victor Tallarico "for more promotional appeal". The actor Kal Penn changed his name from Kalpen Modi for professional purposes; after changing his name, calls back increased by 50%. Historically, Jews in Hollywood were encouraged to anglicize their names to avoid possible discrimination. This still happens to a degree (Jason Alexander, Jon Stewart, Brad Garrett, Jonah Hill, Winona Ryder and Natalie Portman for instance), but the growing acceptance of ethnic performers in the performing arts has made this occurrence less frequent. Ramón Estévez changed his name to Martin Sheen because he expected a better reception for an Irish name than a Spanish name ; his sons made divergent choices: Carlos Irwin Estévez is now Charlie Sheen, while Emilio Estévez left his name unchanged. German-born actor Hans Gudegast adopted the non-German stage name of Eric Braeden. Cherilyn Sarkisian is now known to the world by the single name Cher.

Also, legendary actors Anthony Quinn and Anne Bancroft were also advised to anglicize their names, as their respective names, 'Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca' and 'Anna Maria Louisa Italiano' were considered too 'ethnic' for Hollywood and Broadway at the time.

Ease of use

Another consideration in choosing a stage name is ease of use. The Actors' Equity Association (AEA) advises performers to select a name that is easy for others to pronounce, spell, and remember. Some performers while paying great attention to their skills and abilities give little thought to the difference that a well-thought-out name can make to their career. Often it is only after the realization that a poorly chosen name results in an undesired impression that a person or group decides on a different name.

Actor Michael Caine was born Maurice Micklewhite and chose the name ''Michael'' because he preferred the sound of it to the less glamorous-sounding "Maurice". He chose the name ''Caine'' reputedly because at the precise instant he needed to decide upon his new stage name, he saw a cinema marquee for the then-current movie ''The Caine Mutiny'' and thought that it would make a good last name in conjunction with ''Michael.'' ("Had I looked the other direction," he would later quip, "I'd be known as Michael The One Hundred and One Dalmatians.")

Relevance to image

Commonly in the music world, and especially those of heavy metal, punk rock, industrial and hip hop, musicians will rename themselves with names more menacing or striking than their birth names. Rock music examples include Davey Havok, Slash, Sting, Darby Crash, Marilyn Manson, Sid Vicious, Johnny Rotten, Zakk Wylde, Nikki Sixx, Spider One, Count Grishnackh, Necrobutcher, Blasphemer, Nivek Ogre, Rob Zombie, Dimebag Darrell, Trey Azagthoth and Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein as well as every member of Avenged Sevenfold (M. Shadows, Synyster Gates, Zacky Vengeance, Johnny Christ, and the late The Rev). Every member of the punk band The Ramones took the pseudonymous "Ramone" surname as part of their collective stage persona. Being that those genres pride themselves on a larger-than-life quality, larger-than-life names are desirable.

Pop music examples of artists seeking to utilize catchy, marketable names include Madonna, Lady Gaga, Prince, Keith Sweat, Pink, and Alicia Keys, though both Madonna and Prince were given those names at birth. Lady Gaga named herself after the song "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen.

Actor John Wayne's real name was Marion Morrison. He adopted the stage name because the name Marion had since his birth become a female name and he felt at odds with the masculine cowboy characters he portrayed. Similarly, Norma Jeane Baker changed her name to the far more glamorous-sounding Marilyn Monroe.

Hip Hop artists are known to use stage names but at times do advertise or bring out their real names such as rapper such as Jay-Z (born Shawn Carter), 50 Cent (born Curtis Jackson), Diddy (born Sean Combs), Ludacris (born Chris Bridges), and Lil' Wayne (born Dwayne Carter Jr.). Eminem has used his real name, Marshall Mathers, in various public events and as an alter ego; his real name gained recognition as the title of his multi-platinum album, The Marshall Mathers LP. (Rapper-Singer-Actress Queen Latifah did something similar when she released The Dana Owens Album under her own given name, Dana Owens.)

Euphony and ease of remembrance

Some performers and artists may choose to simplify their name to make it easier to spell and pronounce, and easier for others to remember. For instance, Fall Out Boy vocalist and guitarist Patrick Stump removed the "h" from his original name, Stumph. It was still pronounced "stump," but the change ensured his audience wouldn't think to pronounce it "stumf." Andy Warhol dropped an "a" from his original name, Warhola, while couturier Yves Mathieu-Saint-Laurent dropped the first of his two surnames. Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Piero Filiberto Guglielmi adopted the stage name Rudolph Valentino in part because American casting directors found his original surname difficult to pronounce. Singer George Michael (the son of a Greek Cypriot restaurateur in North London) was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou.

Some surnames may carry unfortunate connotations in English. Hal Linden, born Harold Lipshitz, adopted his stage name for fear that the embedded obscenity in his original surname could cost him work. Ralph Lauren's brother (who was his guardian) changed their family name from Lifshitz for a similar reason: fear of mockery.

Musical use

Some types of music are more associated with stage names than others. For example hip hop artists almost always use stage names, whereas "classical" composers and performers virtually never do (violinist Hahn-Bin, born in South Korea as Yoo Hanbin, being a rare exception). Some Algerian raï musicians use the prefix Cheb (for men) or Chaba (Chebba) for women. Both Arabic words mean "young" (e.g. as in Cheb Khaled, or "Young Khaled").

Some performers take a series of different stage names. The British pop singer successful in the 1970s as Alvin Stardust previously went by the stage name of ''Shane Fenton'' in the 1960s. He had been born ''Bernard William Jewry''. Some performers will use different names in different settings. Charles Thompson, singer/songwriter for the alternative band the Pixies, was known in that band as ''Black Francis''. He was called ''Frank Black'' as a solo performer, and again called ''Black Francis'' in a reunited Pixies.

Many performers refer to their stage name as their "professional name". In some cases performers subsequently adopt their stage name as their legal name. For instance, the former Robert Allen Zimmerman's legal name has been Robert Dylan (Bob Dylan) since he changed it in New York City Supreme Court in August 1962. Elton John was born Reginald Dwight but changed his name by deed poll, making Elton John his real name. When he was knighted, he became Sir Elton John rather than Sir Reginald Dwight. Elvis Costello (born Declan MacManus), who had adopted his professional name as a legal name, changed it back to his birth name in 1986. In a similar way, actress and singer Miley Cyrus was born Destiny Hope Cyrus, but found "Miley" more comfortable, making it her legal name.

Due to recording contracts which do not permit them to openly record for competing companies, musicians may appear on other performers' recordings using other names. For example, Michael Jackson appeared on a Simpsons episode as John Jay Smith.

See also

Alter ego

List of stage names

Moniker

Ring name

Pen name

Pseudonym

Nom de guerre

References

Category:Acting Category:Lists of actors Stage Name

ar:اسم فني an:Nombre artistico es:Nombre artístico fr:Nom de scène ko:예명 he:שם במה sw:Jina la kisanii ja:芸名 pl:Pseudonim artystyczny pt:Nome artístico ro:Nume de scenă ru:Сценическое имя simple:Stage name sv:Artistnamn tr:Sahne adı zh:藝名

name	Sungha Jung
birth name	정성하
birth date	September 02, 1996
birth place	Cheongju, South Korea
nationality	South Korean
other names	colloquially: ''Sungha Jung'', ''jwcfree'', ''jungsungha'', ''blueseaJSH''
years active	September 8, 2001–present
known for	Guitar music
website	Official website }}

Title	Korean name
Hangul	정성하
Hanja
Rr	Jeong Seongha
Mr	Jŏng Sŏngha}}

Seongha Jeong (정성하) (colloquially: Sungha Jung) (born 2 September 1996) is a South Korean professional acoustic finger-style guitarist who has risen to fame on YouTube and other sites. As of 2012, his channel had over 17 million views, with his videos getting a total of over 454 million views, and also over 726,000 subscribers.

Seongha typically takes three days to learn and practice a new piece, and video-record it for upload onto YouTube. His genre selection is rather broad, as he learns and plays many pieces that are playable on guitar, therefore consequently spread across numerous genres.

Seongha has won 13 awards on YouTube, including 6 "#1" awards. Also on YouTube, Seongha has 494 videos with over one million views. Seongha's video with the most views is the one which shows him playing the theme from "Pirates Of The Caribbean".

Seongha has composed 18 pieces as of February 2011, two of which are featured in his debut album, "Perfect Blue". He released his second album, "Irony", on 21 September 2011.

In 2011, he performed in the US with Trace Bundy, as well as touring in Scandinavia and Japan.

See also

Yuto Miyazawa, Seongha's Japanese electric guitar-playing counterpart

Trace Bundy, Fellow acoustic guitarist with whom Seongha collaborates

Ulli Bögershausen, Fellow acoustic guitarist who helped him get his sponsorship with Lakewood Guitars

References

External links

Category:South Korean guitarists Category:Fingerstyle guitarists Category:People from Seoul Category:Video bloggers Category:South Korean Internet personalities Category:1996 births Category:Living people Category:South Korean Christians

de:Sungha Jung ko:정성하 it:Sungha Jung ja:チョン・ソンハ pl:Sungha Jung pt:Sungha Jung ro:Sungha Jung ru:Чон Сонха sv:Sungha Jung vi:Seongha Jeong zh:鄭成河

name	Mos Def
background	solo_singer
birth name	Dante Terrell Smith
alias	Yasiin Bey
birth date	December 11, 1973
Birth place	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
genre	East Coast hip hop, alternative hip hop
occupation	Rapper, actor, singer, activist
years active	1994 – present
label	Rawkus, Priority, Geffen, Downtown, GOOD Music, DD172
associated acts	Soulquarians, Black Star, Talib Kweli, Native Tongues Posse, Kanye West, Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Pharoahe Monch, Eminem
notable instruments	}}

Dante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973) is an American actor and MC, known by the stage names Mos Def () and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which released the album ''Black Star'' in 1998. He was a major force in late 1990s underground hip hop while with Rawkus Records. As a solo artist he has released the albums ''Black on Both Sides'' in 1999, ''The New Danger'' in 2004, ''True Magic'' in 2006, and ''The Ecstatic'' in 2009.

Although he was initially recognized for his musical output, since the early 2000s, Mos Def's screen work has established him as one of only a handful of rappers who has garnered critical acclaim for his acting work. He is well known for his portrayal of Brother Sam in American drama series ''Dexter''. Mos Def has also been active in several social and political causes.

Early life

He was born Dante Terrell Smith in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Sheron Smith and Abdul Rahman. He was raised by his mother in Brooklyn; his father lived in New Jersey. While his father was initially a member of the Nation of Islam and later an active member in the community of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, who merged into mainstream Islam from the Nation, Mos Def was not exposed to Islam until the age of 13. At 19, he took his ''shahada'', the Muslim declaration of faith. He is friends with Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest.

Career

Music

In 1996, Mos Def emerged as a solo artist and worked with De La Soul and Da Bush Babees, before he released his own first single, "Universal Magnetic".

Mos Def signed with Rawkus Records and formed the group Black Star with Talib Kweli. They released an album, ''Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star'', in 1998. Mostly produced by Hi-Tek, the album featured the hit singles, "Respiration" and "Definition", which would go on to be featured in VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip-Hop. Mos Def released his solo debut album ''Black on Both Sides'' in 1999, also through Rawkus. Around this time he also contributed to the Scritti Politti album ''Anomie & Bonhomie'' and Rawkus compilations ''Lyricist Lounge'' and ''Soundbombing''.

After the collapse of Rawkus, he signed to Interscope/Geffen Records, which released his second solo album ''The New Danger'' in 2004. ''The New Danger'' contained a mix of several musical genres, including soul, blues, and rock and roll, performed with his rock band Black Jack Johnson, which contained members of the bands Bad Brains and Living Colour. The singles included "Sex, Love & Money" and the B-side "Ghetto Rock"; the latter went on to receive several Grammy Award nominations in 2004.

Mos Def's final solo album for Geffen Records, ''True Magic'', was released in 2006.

The song "Crime & Medicine" is essentially a cover of GZA's 1995 single "Liquid Swords", though it contains different verses. Also, the track "Undeniable" samples a version of the Barrett Strong/Norman Whitfield composition "Message from a Black Man". The song "Dollar Day" uses the same beat as Juvenile's "Nolia Clap".

On November 7, 2007, Mos Def performed live in San Francisco at a venue called The Mezzanine. This performance was recorded for an upcoming "Live in Concert" DVD. During this performance Mos Def announced that he would be releasing a new album to be called ''The Ecstatic''. He sang a number of new tracks; in later shows, Def previewed tracks produced by Madlib and was rumored to be going to Kanye West for new material. Producer and fellow Def Poet Al Be Back stated that he would be producing as well. The album was released on June 9, 2009; upon its release, only Madlib's production had made the cut, along with tracks by Preservation, The Neptunes, Mr. Flash, Madlib's brother Oh No, a song by J. Dilla, and Georgia Anne Muldrow.

Mos Def appears alongside Kanye West on the track "Two Words" from The College Dropout album, the track "Drunk And Hot Girls" and the bonus track "Good Night" off West's third major album, Graduation. In 2002, he released the 12" single Fine, which was featured in the ''Brown Sugar'' Motion Picture Soundtrack.

Mos Def also appears on the debut album from fellow New Yorkers Apollo Heights on a track titled, "Concern." In October, he signed a deal with Downtown Records and appeared on a remix to the song "D.A.N.C.E." by Justice. Mos Def appeared on Stephen Marley's debut album ''Mind Control'' on the song "Hey Baby." In 2009, Mos Def worked together with Somali rapper K'naan to produce the track "America" for K'naan's album Troubadour.

In April 2008 he appeared on the title track for a new album by The Roots entitled ''Rising Down''. The new single, Life In Marvelous Times, was made officially available through iTunes on November 4, 2008, and is available for stream on the Roots' website Okayplayer.

April 2009 saw him traveling to South Africa for the first time where he performed accompanied by The Robert Glasper Experiment at the renowned Cape Town International Jazz Festival. He enticed his bemused African following with an encore introduced by his own rendition of John Coltrane's "Love Supreme" followed by a sneak preview of the track "M.D. (Doctor)", much to the delight of the fans.

Mos Def also designed two pairs of limited edition Converse shoes. The shoes were released to Foot Locker stores on August 1, 2009 in very limited amounts.

In late 2009, Mos Def created a brand of clothing line with UNDRCRWN called the "Mos Def Cut & Sew Collection." All clothing items will be sold in select stores located around the U.S. and almost exclusively on the UNDRCRWN website. 2009 also found Mos Def among the MCs collaborating with the Black Keys on the first Blakroc album, a project headed by the Black Keys and Damon Dash. Mos Def appeared with Jim Jones and the Black Keys on the Late Show with David Letterman to perform the Blakroc track "Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)".

In March 2010, Mos Def's song Quiet Dog Bite Hard was featured in Palm's "Life moves fast. Don't miss a thing." campaign.

Mos Def features on the first single, "Stylo", from the third Gorillaz album, ''Plastic Beach'', alongside soul legend Bobby Womack. He also appears on the track titled "Sweepstakes".

In September 2010, after appearing on Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Friday track "Lord Lord Lord", Mos Def confirmed his signing with GOOD Music.

Mos Def has been an active contributor to the recovery of the oil spill in the Gulf, performing concerts and raising money towards the repair of the damages. In June 2010, he recorded a cover of the classic New Orleans song originally by Smokey Johnson, "It Ain't My Fault" with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Lenny Kravitz and Trombone Shorty.

In September 2011, Mos Def announced that he planned to use the name Yasiin instead of Mos Def beginning in 2012.

In January 2012, it was reported that Mos Def and Talib Kweli had begun "to resurrect" Black Star.

Acting

He began his professional acting career at the age of fourteen, appearing in the TV movie ''God Bless the Child'', starring Mare Winningham. He then played the oldest child in the short-lived family sitcom, ''You Take the Kids'', starring Nell Carter and Roger E. Mosley. His most notable acting role before his music career was that of Bill Cosby's sidekick on the short-lived detective show, ''The Cosby Mysteries''. He also starred in a 1996 Visa check card commercial featuring Deion Sanders. In 1997 he had a small role alongside Michael Jackson in his short film and music video "Ghosts".

After brief appearances in ''Bamboozled'' and ''Monster's Ball'', Mos re-invigorated his acting career with his performance as a talented rapper who is reluctant to sign to a major label in ''Brown Sugar''. He was nominated for an Image Award and a Teen Choice Award.

In 2001, he took a supporting role to Beyoncé Knowles and Mehki Phifer in the MTV movie Carmen: A Hip Hopera as Lt. Miller, a crooked cop.

In 2002, he played the role of Booth in Suzan-Lori Parks' ''Topdog/Underdog'', a Tony-nominated and Pulitzer-winning Broadway play. He and co-star Jeffrey Wright won a Special Award from the Outer Critics Circle Award for their joint performance. He also received positive notices as the quirky Left Ear in the blockbuster hit, ''The Italian Job'' in 2003. He also appeared in 2003 in the music video ''You Don't Know My Name'' of the song by Alicia Keys.

In television, Mos Def has appeared on NYPD Blue, on Comedy Central's ''Chappelle's Show'', and has hosted the award-winning HBO spoken word show, ''Def Poetry'' since its inception. The show's sixth season aired in 2007. He also appeared on the sitcom ''My Wife And Kids'' as the disabled friend of Michael Kyle (Damon Wayans).

Mos Def won Best Actor, Independent Movie at the 2005 Black Reel Awards for his portrayal of Detective Sgt. Lucas in ''The Woodsman''. For his portrayal of Vivien Thomas in HBO's film ''Something the Lord Made'', he was nominated for an ''Emmy Award'' and a Golden Globe, and won the Image Award. He also played a bandleader in HBO's ''Lackawanna Blues''. He then landed the role of Ford Prefect in the 2005 movie adaptation of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''.

In 2006, Mos Def appeared in ''Dave Chappelle's Block Party'' alongside fellow Black Star companion Talib Kweli, while also contributing to the film's soundtrack. Also, Mos Def was featured as the black banjo player in the infamous "Pixie Sketch" from ''Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes''. He was later edited out of it on the DVD. Additionally, Mos Def starred in the action film ''16 Blocks'' alongside Bruce Willis and David Morse. He has a recurring guest role on ''Boondocks'', starring as "Gangstalicious". He is also set to be in ''Toussaint'', a film about Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, opposite Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes. He made a cameo appearance — playing himself — in the movie ''Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby''.

In 2007, Mos Def narrated the PBS-broadcast documentary ''Prince Among Slaves''.

In 2008, Mos Def starred in the Michel Gondry movie ''Be Kind Rewind'', playing a video rental store employee whose best friend is played by co-star Jack Black. He also portrayed Chuck Berry in the film ''Cadillac Records'', for which he was nominated for a Black Reel Award and an Image Award.

In 2009, he appeared in the ''House'' episode entitled "Locked In" as a patient suffering from locked-in syndrome. His performance was well-received, with E! saying that Mos Def "delivers an Emmy-worthy performance." He was also in the 2009 film ''Next Day Air''.

In 2010, he appeared on the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba! as Super Mr. Superhero. He also appeared in ''A Free Man of Color'', John Guare's play at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre.

In 2011, he began a multi-episode appearance on the Showtime television series ''Dexter''. He played Brother Sam, an ex-con who has supposedly found religion despite finding himself in violent situations.

Social and political views

By the early 1990s, a brand of socially conscious hip hop that had been pioneered and popularized by Public Enemy, KRS-One, and De La Soul, among others, had been eclipsed in popularity by gangsta rap. Mos Def, as well as Talib Kweli, The Roots, Common, and others, helped socially aware rap music experience something of a comeback in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Mos Def's collaboration with Talib Kweli, ''Black Star'', was released during the aftermath of the deaths of 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. and focused on violence and negativity in hip-hop, in collaboration with other acts that did the same. His music has also made reference to his Islamic faith, and his contention that black artists receive little credit for their role in the birth of rock and roll.

In 2000, Mos Def performed a benefit concert for death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal.

On Mos Def's 2004 album ''The New Danger'', he took his penchant for experimentation to a new level. Most of the songs were more hip-hop flavored stylings of blues and rock, with fewer raps thrown in. This threw off fans who were expecting another full-blown rap album. ''The New Danger'' also featured the controversial song, "The Rape Over," a parody of Jay-Z's ''The Blueprint'' hit "Takeover". His label made him take the song off releases of the album, citing clearance issues with Jay-Z and The Doors, a band which the song samples. The song has garnered controversy over its veiled reference to Israeli-American record executive Lyor Cohen (the "tall Israeli" who then was head of The Island Def Jam Music Group).

Mos Def and Immortal Technique released a similarly controversial song, "Bin Laden" in 2004, which blamed the Reagan Doctrine and President George W. Bush for the September 11, 2001 attacks. A club remix song, featuring Eminem, was released the following year, in 2005.

In September 2005, Mos Def released the single "Katrina Clap," renamed "Dollar Day" for ''True Magic'', (utilizing the instrumental for New Orleans rappers UTP's "Nolia Clap"). The song is a criticism of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina. On the night of the MTV Video Music Awards, Mos Def pulled up in front of Radio City Music Hall on a flatbed truck and began performing the "Katrina Clap" single in front of a crowd that quickly gathered around him. He was subsequently arrested despite having a public performance permit in his possession.

On September 7, 2007, Mos Def appeared on ''Real Time with Bill Maher'' where he spoke about racism against African Americans, citing the government response to Hurricane Katrina, the Jena Six and the murder conviction of Mumia Abu-Jamal. He appeared on ''Real Time'' again on March 27, 2009, and spoke about the risk of nuclear weapons. Mos Def said that he did not listen to any of Osama Bin Laden's messages because he did not trust the translations.

Personal life

In 1996, Def married Maria Yepes. After having two daughters, Chandani and Jauhara Smith, he filed for divorce in 2005. The divorce became final in 2006. Two years later, Def's divorce lawyers Blank Rome sued Def for more than $60,000 in unpaid legal bills.

In October 2006 Mos Def appeared on ''4Real'', a documentary television series. Appearing in the episode "City of God," he and the 4Real crew traveled to City of God, a slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to meet Brazilian MC MV Bill and learn about the crime and social problems of the community.

Nominations

Black Movie Awards

* 2006 Source Awards

Black Reel Awards

* 2008, Best Supporting Actor: ''Cadillac Records''

* 2003, Best Actor- Independent: ''Civil Brand''

* 2004, Best Supporting Actor: ''The Italian Job''

* 2005, Best Actor TV Movie/Mini-Series: ''Something the Lord Made''

* 2005, Best Indie Actor: ''The Woodsman'' (won)

Emmy Award

* 2004, Best Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series: ''Something the Lord Made''

Golden Globes

* 2005, Best Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series: ''Something the Lord Made''

Grammy Awards

* 2005, Best Urban/Alternative Performance: "Sex, Love & Money"

* 2006, Best Urban/Alternative Performance: "Ghetto Rock"

* 2007, Best Rap Solo Performance: "Undeniable"

* 2010, Best Rap Solo Performance: "Casa Bey"

* 2010, Best Rap Album: "The Ecstatic"

* 2011, Best Short Form Music Video: "Stylo" (with Bobby Womack and Gorillaz)

* 2009, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: ''Cadillac Records''

* 2003, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: ''Brown Sugar''

* 2005, Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series: ''Something the Lord Made''

Discography

''Black on Both Sides'' (1999)

''The New Danger'' (2004)

''True Magic'' (2006)

''The Ecstatic'' (2009)

''Yasiin Bey Presents'' (TBA) ;Collaborations

''Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star'' (1998) (with Talib Kweli as Black Star)

''Black Star Aretha'' (2012) (with Talib Kweli as Black Star) ''G.O.O.D. Music: The Album'' (2012) (with GOOD Music)

Filmography

''Ghosts (Michael Jackson film) ''Where's Marlowe?'' ''Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme'' ''Carmen: A Hip Hopera'' ''Showtime (film) ''The Italian Job (2003 film) ''The Woodsman'' Vivien Thomas ''Lackawanna Blues'' ''Dave Chappelle's Block Party'' ''Prince Among Slaves (film) ''Be Kind Rewind'' ''Next Day Air'' ''I'm Still Here (film) ''Dexter (TV series)

Year !! Film !! Role !! Notes
1991	The Hard Way (1991 film)>The Hard Way''	Dead Romeos Gang Member
1997	Ghosts'' ||	Townsperson
1998	|	Wilt Crawley
rowspan="3"	2000	|	Himself
''Bamboozled''	Big Blak Afrika
''Island of the Dead (2000 film)	Island of the Dead''	Robbie J
rowspan="2"	2001	|	Lieutenant Miller
''Monster's Ball''	Ryrus Cooper
rowspan="4"	2002	Showtime'' ||	Lazy Boy
''Civil Brand''	Michael Meadows
''Brown Sugar (2002 film)	Brown Sugar''	Chris 'Cav' Anton Vichon
''My Wife and Kids''
2003	The Italian Job'' ||	Left Ear
rowspan="2"	2004	|	Detective Lucas
''Something the Lord Made''	| Nominated - Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated - Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for TelevisionNominated - Image Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Mini-Series or Television Movie
rowspan="3"	2005	|	The Bandleader
''The Boondocks (TV series)	The Boondocks (2005-2008)	Voice Of Gangstalicious
''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (film)	The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''	Ford Prefect (character)>Ford Prefect
rowspan="4"	2006	|	Himself
''16 Blocks''	Eddie Bunker
''Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby''	Himself
''Journey to the End of the Night (2006 film)	Journey to the End of the Night''	Wemba
2007	Prince Among Slaves'' ||	Narrator
rowspan="2"	2008	|	Mike
''Cadillac Records''	Chuck Berry
rowspan="2"	2009	|	Eric
''House (TV series)	House''	Lee
rowspan="3"	2010	I'm Still Here'' ||	Himself
''Bouncing Cats''	Himself
''Yo Gabba Gabba!''	Super Mr. Superhero
2011	Dexter'' ||	Brother Sam	Season 6, ''recurring'', (credited as "Mos" in 2 episodes, "yasiin bey" in 3 episodes)

References

External links

Mos Def / Dante Smith discographies at Discogs.

Mos Def at Geffen Records.

Mos Def at Emmys.com

Category:1973 births Category:Actors from New York City Category:African-American actors Category:African American Muslims Category:Converts to Islam Category:African American rappers Category:American vegetarians Category:Living people Category:People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Slam poets

ar:موس ديف bg:Мос Деф cs:Mos Def da:Mos Def de:Mos Def es:Mos Def fr:Mos Def fy:Mos Def ko:모스 데프 id:Mos Def it:Mos Def he:מוס דף nl:Mos Def ja:モス・デフ no:Mos Def pl:Mos Def pt:Mos Def ru:Мос Деф sq:Mos Def simple:Mos Def fi:Mos Def sv:Mos Def tr:Mos Def uk:Мос Деф

name	Donna Summer
background	solo_singer
background	solo_singer
alias	"Donna Gaines" "The Queen of Disco"
birth name	LaDonna Adrian Gaines
born	December 31, 1948 Boston, Massachusetts, USA
origin	Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA
genre	Pop, disco, dance-pop, rock, new wave
occupation	Singer-songwriter
years active	1969–present
instrument	Vocals, piano
label	Oasis RecordsCasablanca (1975–1980)Geffen (1980–1988)Atlantic (1988–1991)Mercury (1994–1996) Warner-Elektra-Atlantic (Outside of U.S. 1980–1991)Epic (1999–2001)Burgundy (2006–present)
associated acts	Giorgio Moroder, Brooklyn Dreams }}

Donna Summer (born LaDonna Adrian Gaines on December 31, 1948) is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range, and is a five-time Grammy Award winner. Summer was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach number one on the US ''Billboard'' chart, and she also charted four number-one singles in the United States within a thirteen-month period.

Early life and career

Donna Summer was born on New Year's Eve 1948 in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, she was one of seven children raised by devout Christian parents. Influenced by Mahalia Jackson, Summer began singing in the church at a young age. In her teens, she formed several musical groups including one with her sister and a cousin, imitating Motown girl groups such as The Supremes and Martha and the Vandellas in Boston.

In the late 1960s, Summer was influenced by Janis Joplin after listening to her albums as member of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and joined the psychedelic rock group the Crow as lead singer. Beforehand, Summer dropped out of school convinced that music was her way out of Boston, where she had always felt herself to be an outsider, even among her own family who ridiculed her for her voice and her looks. The group was short-lived, as they split upon their arrival in New York. In 1968, Summer auditioned for a role in the Broadway musical, ''Hair''. She lost the part of Sheila to Melba Moore. When the musical moved to Europe, Summer was offered the role. She took it and moved to Germany for several years. While in Germany, where she learned to speak German fluently, she participated in the musicals "Ich Bin Ich, the German version of The Me Nobody Knows,"''Godspell'' and ''Show Boat''. After settling in Munich, she began performing in several ensembles including the Viennese Folk Opera and also sang as a member of the pop group FamilyTree (created by the German music producer Guenter "Yogi" Lauke). She came to the group in 1973 and toured with the group throughout Europe.

She also sang as a studio session singer and in theaters. In 1971, while still using her birth name Donna Gaines, she released her first single, a cover of "Sally Go 'Round the Roses", though it was not a hit. In 1972, she married Austrian actor Helmuth Sommer and gave birth to their daughter Mimi Sommer in 1973. Citing marital problems caused by her affair with German artist (and future live-in boyfriend) Peter Mühldorfer, she divorced Helmuth but kept his last name, anglicising it to 'Summer'. She also worked on an album with keyboardist/producer Veit Marvos in 1972, providing backing vocals on his Ariola records release ''Nice To See You'' (where she was credited under the pseudonym Gayn Pierre). Several single releases over the years have included a young Donna performing with the group, even though she often denied ever singing on any of the Marvos releases. It should also be noted that the name 'Gayn Pierre' was also used by Donna whilst performing in 'Godspell' with Helmuth Sommer during 1972.

1970s

It was while singing background for the hit-making 1970s trio Three Dog Night that Summer met producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. She eventually signed a deal with the European label Groovy Records and issued her first album, ''Lady of the Night'', in 1974. The album was not released in America, but found some limited European success on the strength of the song "The Hostage", which reached number one in Belgium and number two in the Netherlands.

In 1975, Summer approached Moroder with an idea for a song she and Bellotte were working on for another singer. She had come up with the lyric "love to love you, baby". Moroder was interested in developing the new sound that was becoming popular and used Summer's lyric to develop the song. Moroder persuaded Summer to record what was to be a demo track for another performer. She later said that she had thought of how the song might sound if Marilyn Monroe had sung it and began cooing the lyrics. To get into the mood of recording the song, she requested Moroder turn off the lights while they sat on a sofa with him inducing her moans and groans. After hearing playback of the song, Moroder felt Summer's version should actually be released. Although some radio stations refused to play it due to its suggestive style, "Love to Love You" found chart success in several European countries, and made the Top 5 in the United Kingdom.

The song was then sent to Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart in hopes of getting an American release. Bogart informed Summer and Moroder he would release the song (now called "Love to Love You Baby") but requested that Moroder produce a longer version for discothèques. Moroder, Bellotte, and Summer returned with a 17 minute version and Casablanca signed Summer and released the single in November 1975. The shorter version of the single was promoted to radio stations whilst clubs (mostly gay) regularly played the 17 minute version (the longer version would also appear on the album). Casablanca became one of the first record labels to popularize the 12" single format. By early 1976, "Love To Love You Baby" had reached #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, while the parent album of the same name sold over a million copies. The song generated controversy due to Summer's moans and groans and some American radio stations, like several in Europe, refused to play it. ''Time magazine'' would report that 22 orgasms were simulated in the making of the song. Other upcoming singles included "Try Me, I Know We can Make It", US #80; "Could It Be Magic", US #52; "Spring Affair", US #58; and "Winter Melody", US #43. The subsequent albums ''Love Trilogy'' and ''Four Seasons of Love'' both went gold in the US.

In 1977, Summer released the concept album ''I Remember Yesterday''. This album included her second top ten single, "I Feel Love", which reached number six in the US and number one in the UK. Another concept album, also released in 1977, was ''Once Upon a Time'', a double album which told of a modern-day Cinderella "rags to riches" story through the elements of orchestral disco and ballads. This album would also attain gold status. In 1978, Summer released her version of the Richard Harris ballad, "MacArthur Park", which became her first US number one hit. The song was featured on Summer's first live album, ''Live and More'', which also became her first album to hit number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, and went platinum selling over a million copies. Other studio tracks included the top ten hit, "Heaven Knows", which featured the group Brooklyn Dreams accompanying her on background and Joe "Bean" Esposito singing alongside her on the verses. Summer would later be romantically involved with Brooklyn Dreams singer Bruce Sudano and the couple married two years after the song's release. Also in 1978, Summer acted in the film, ''Thank God It's Friday'', playing a singer determined to perform at a hot disco club. The film met modest success, but a song from the film, entitled "Last Dance", reached number three on the Hot 100 and resulted in Summer winning her first Grammy Award. Its writer, Paul Jabara, won an Academy Award for the composition. Despite her musical success, Summer was struggling with anxiety and depression and became dependent on prescription drugs for several years.

In 1979, Summer performed at the world-televised Music for UNICEF Concert, joining contemporaries such as Abba, Olivia Newton-John, the Bee Gees, Andy Gibb, Rod Stewart, John Denver, Earth, Wind and Fire, Rita Coolidge and Kris Kristofferson for an hour's TV special that raised funds and awareness for the world's children. Artists donated royalties of certain songs, some in perpetuity, to benefit the cause.

''Bad Girls'' and the break from disco

Summer began work on her next project with Moroder and Bellotte, ''Bad Girls'', an album that had been in production for nearly two years. Summer based the whole concept on prostitution (revisiting the theme for 1974's 'Lady Of The Night'), even dressing as a hooker herself on the cover art. The album became a huge success, spawning the number one hits "Hot Stuff" and Bad Girls, and the number two ballad "Dim All the Lights". With ''MacArthur Park'', ''Hot Stuff'', ''Bad Girls'', and the Barbra Streisand duet "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)", Summer achieved four number-one hits within a thirteen month period. Those aforementioned songs, along with ''Heaven Knows'', ''Last Dance'', ''Dim All The Lights'', and ''On the Radio'' (from her upcoming double-album) would give her eight US Top 5 singles within a two year period. "Hot Stuff" later won her a second Grammy in the Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, the first time the category was included. That year, Summer played eight sold-out nights at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles.

Summer released her first (international) greatest hits set in 1979, a double-album entitled ''On The Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2''. The album reached number one in the US, becoming her third consecutive number one album. A new song from the compilation, "On the Radio", reached the US top five, selling over a million copies in the U.S. alone.

1980s

After the release of the greatest hits album, Summer wanted to branch out into other musical styles in addition to disco, which led to tensions between her and Casablanca Records. Sensing that they could no longer come to terms, Summer and the label parted ways in 1980, and she signed with Geffen Records, the new label started by David Geffen.

Summer's first release on Geffen Records was ''The Wanderer'', which replaced the disco sound of Summer's previous releases with more of the burgeoning new wave sound and elements of rock, such as the material being recorded at this time by Pat Benatar. The album achieved gold status in the US, and the title track (released as the first single) peaked at #3 in the US, though subsequent singles were only moderate hits.

Summer's projected second Geffen release, entitled ''I'm a Rainbow'', was shelved by Geffen Records (though two of the album's songs would surface in soundtracks of the 1980s films ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' and ''Flashdance''). Summer reluctantly parted company with Moroder after seven years working together as Geffen had recruited Quincy Jones to produce her next album, 1982's ''Donna Summer''. The album had taken a lengthy six months to record. The album's first single, "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)", became an American top ten hit on the Hot 100, followed by more moderate hits "State of Independence"(#41 pop) and "The Woman In Me"(#33 pop). Problems then increased between Summer and Geffen Records after they were notified by Polygram Records, the parent company of Summer's former label Casablanca, that she needed to deliver them one more album to fulfill her contract with them. Summer delivered the album, ''She Works Hard for the Money'', and Polygram released it on its Mercury imprint in 1983. The title song became a hit reaching number three on the US Hot 100, and would provide Summer with a Grammy nomination. The album also featured the reggae-flavored UK Top 20 hit "Unconditional Love", which featured the British group Musical Youth who were riding high from the success of their single "Pass the Dutchie". The third US single, "Love Has A Mind of Its Own", reached the top forty of the Billboard R&B; chart. The album itself was certified gold.

In late 1984, with her obligation to Polygram complete, Summer returned on Geffen Records with her next release. Geffen, wanting to keep the momentum going, enlisted ''She Works Hard For the Money'''s producer Michael Omartian to produce ''Cats Without Claws''. The album, however, was not as successful as ''She Works Hard For the Money'' and failed to attain gold status of 500,000 copies sold in the US, becoming her first album since her 1974 debut not to do so. It did include a moderate hit in "There Goes My Baby", which peaked at #21.

Controversy

In the mid 1980s, Summer was embroiled in a controversy. She had allegedly made anti-gay remarks regarding the then-relatively new disease AIDS, which as a result had a significantly negative impact on her career and saw thousands of her records being returned to her record company by angered fans. Summer, by this time a born-again Christian, was alleged to have said that AIDS was a punishment from God for the immoral lifestyles of homosexuals. However, she later denied that she had ever made any such comment and, in a letter to the AIDS campaign group ACT UP in 1989, she claimed that it was ''"a terrible misunderstanding. I was unknowingly protected by those around me from the bad press and hate letters....If I have caused you pain, forgive me."'' She went on to apologize for the delay in refuting the rumours and closed her letter with quotes from Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians from the Bible.

Also in 1989, Summer told ''The Advocate'' magazine that ''"A couple of the people I write with are gay, and they have been ever since I met them. What people want to do with their bodies is their personal preference."''. A couple of years later she filed a lawsuit against ''New York'' magazine when it reprinted the rumours as fact just as she was about to release her album ''Mistaken Identity'' in 1991. According to an ''A&E; Biography'' program dedicated to Summer in which she participated in 1995, the lawsuit was settled out of court though neither side were able to divulge any details.

European success

In 1987, Summer returned with the album ''All Systems Go'', which did not sell well, becoming her second consecutive album not to achieve gold status. It featured the single "Dinner with Gershwin" (written by Brenda Russell), which was only a minor US hit, though it peaked at #13 in the UK. The album's title track, "All Systems Go", was released only in the UK where it peaked at #54.

For Summer's next album, Geffen Records hired the British hit production team of Stock Aitken Waterman (or ''SAW''), who had enjoyed incredible success by writing and producing for such acts as Kylie Minogue, Dead or Alive, Bananarama, and Rick Astley among others. However, Geffen decided not to release the album, entitled ''Another Place and Time'', and Summer and Geffen Records parted ways in 1988. The album was released in Europe in March 1989 on Warner Bros. Records, which had been Summer's label in Europe since 1982. The single "This Time I Know It's For Real" had become a top ten hit in several countries in Europe, prompting the Warner Bros. subsidiary company Atlantic Records to sign Summer in the US and pick up the album for a North American release soon after. The single peaked at #7 on the Hot 100 in the US, and became her twelfth gold single there. It was also Summer's final Top 40 hit on the American pop charts, though she scored two more UK hits from the album, "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" (UK #7) and "Love's About To Change My Heart" (UK #20).

1990s

In 1990, a new compilation, ''The Best of Donna Summer'', was released on Warner Bros. Records. It featured some of Summer's biggest hits from the 1970s and 1980s. The album achieved Gold status in the UK, where "State Of Independence" had been re-released to promote it.

In 1991, Summer released the new jack swing style album ''Mistaken Identity''. It did not sell well, but did contain the #18 R&B; hit "When Love Cries".

In 1993, Polygram Records released an extended greatest hits collection entitled ''The Donna Summer Anthology''. It included 34 songs, totalling over two and a half hours of music. It not only included songs from the Polygram-owned labels of Casablanca and Mercury, but also material from Atlantic and Geffen Records as well.

In 1994, Summer return with a new album on Mercury/Polygram, a gospel-influenced Christmas album entitled ''Christmas Spirit''. It included classic Christmas songs such as "O Holy Night", "Joy To The World", and "O Come All Ye Faithful" as well as some original songs.

Some of Summer's dance releases including "Carry On" (her first collaboration with Moroder in a decade) and "Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)" charted on the US Dance Chart, with "Melody of Love" reaching number one on that chart and also reaching number 21 on the UK Singles Chart.

Also in 1994, Polygram would release yet another Summer compilation album entitled "Endless Summer: Greatest Hits", containing 18 songs which were mainly the radio versions heard at the time of their release (as opposed to the ''Anthology'' album the year before which contained many longer versions of the songs).

During this time, Summer was offered a guest role on the sitcom ''Family Matters'' as Steve Urkel's (Jaleel White) Aunt Oona. She made a second appearance in 1997. In 1998, Summer received a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, being the first to do so, after a remixed version of her 1992 collaboration with Giorgio Moroder, "Carry On", was released in 1997. In 1999, Summer taped a live television special for VH1 titled ''Donna Summer – Live and More Encore'', producing the second highest ratings that year for the network, after their annual ''Divas'' special. A CD of the event was released by Epic Records and featured two studio recordings, "I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)" and "Love Is the Healer" which reached number one on the Billboard Dance Charts.

2000s

Summer continued to score top ten hits on Billboard's Dance Chart in the new millennium. In 2000, she also appeared on the third annual ''Divas'' special, dedicated to Diana Ross, though Summer sang her own material for the show. In 2004, Summer was inducted to the Dance Music Hall of Fame alongside The Bee Gees and Barry Gibb as an artist. Her classic song, "I Feel Love", was also inducted that night.

In 2008, Summer released her first studio album of fully original material in 17 years, entitled ''Crayons''. Released on the Sony BMG label Burgundy Records, it peaked at #17 on the US Top 200 Album Chart (her highest placing on the chart since 1983), and achieved modest international success. The songs "I'm A Fire", "Stamp Your Feet", and "Fame (The Game)" reached number one on the US Billboard Dance Chart. The ballad "Sand on My Feet" was released to adult contemporary stations and reached number thirty on that chart. While commenting on the album, Summer said “I wanted this album to have a lot of different directions on it. I did not want it to be any one baby. I just wanted it to be a sampler of flavors and influences from all over the world. There’s a touch of this, a little smidgeon of that, a dash of something else…like when you’re cooking.” On the song “The Queen Is Back”, Summer reveals her wry and witty self-awareness of her musical legacy and her public persona. “I’m making fun of myself,” she admits. “There’s irony, it’s poking fun at the idea of being called a queen. That’s a title that has followed me, followed me, and followed me. We were sitting and writing and that title kept popping up in my mind and I’m thinking, ‘Am I supposed to write this? Is this too arrogant to write?’ But people call me ‘the queen,’ so I guess it's ok to refer to myself as what everybody else refers to me as. We started writing the song and thought it was kind of cute and funny.” Summer wrote “The Queen Is Back” and “Mr. Music” with J.R. Rotem and Evan Bogart, the son of Casablanca Records founder, Neil Bogart.

On December 11, 2009, Summer performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, in honor of US President Barack Obama. She was backed by the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.

2010s

In August 2010, she released the single "To Paris With Love", co-written with Bruce Roberts and produced by Peter Stengaard. In October 2010, the single reached #1 on the US Billboard Dance Chart. Also that month, Summer appeared in the PBS Television Special ''Hitman Returns: David Foster and Friends''. In it, Summer performed with Seal on a medley of the songs "Unbreak My Heart / Crazy / On The Radio", before Summer closed the show with "Last Dance".

On July 29, 2010, Summer gave an interview with allvoices.com where she was asked if she would consider doing an album of standards. She replied:

:"I actually am, probably in September. I will begin work on a standards album. I will probably do an all-out dance album and a standards album. I'm gonna do both, and we will release them however were gonna release them. We are not sure which is going first."

On September 15, 2010, Summer appeared as a guest celebrity singing alongside rising star Prince Poppycock on the television show ''America's Got Talent''.

On October 16, 2010, she performed at a benefit concert at the Phoenix Symphony.

On June 6, 2011, Summer was a guest judge on the show, ''Platinum Hit'' in week two titled, Dance Floor Royalty. ''Platinum Hit'' is a reality competition series on Bravo launched in 2011 in which 12 singer-songwriters compete through innovative songwriting challenges that will test their creativity, patience and drive. Every episode features a different topic from a dance track to a love ballad, that require the contestants to write and perform lyrics from a multiple of genres, for a cash prize of $100,000, a publishing deal with songwriting collective The Writing Camp, and a recording deal with RCA/Jive label

In July, 2011 Summer was working at Paramount Recording Studios in Los Angeles with her nephew, the rapper and producer O'Mega Red. Together they worked on a track entitled "Angel".

Personal life

Summer was one of seven children born and raised in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, living in a three-family complex house in the bottom floor of the complex. Following her move to Austria in 1971, she met and fell in love with actor Helmuth Sommer while the two were acting in ''Godspell''. In 1973, the couple married and that year Summer gave birth to her first child, daughter Mimi Sommer. However, the marriage crumbled and by 1975, they had formally divorced. Summer took her husband's last name (though slightly altering the spelling) as her stage name. After she had divorced from Helmuth, she moved into her Los Angeles house with lover Peter Mühldorfer, who was a respected surrealist painter. As her star continued to rise, Mühldorfer resented all the press and public attention and it drove a huge wedge between them. She has stated that he became violent and he was eventually (with the help of Casablanca Records mogul Neil Bogart) shipped back to Germany after having his visa revoked.

In 1978, while working on the hit track, "Heaven Knows" which featured Brooklyn Dreams member Joe "Bean" Esposito on vocals, Summer met fellow member Bruce Sudano. Within a few months, Summer and Sudano became an item. The couple married on July 16, 1980. A year later, Summer gave birth to another daughter (her first child with Sudano), Brooklyn (named after Sudano's group). A year after that, Summer and Sudano had their second child, Amanda.

Summer has often talked about her early successful years as a period of confusion and anxiety. By mid-1977, struggling with the media's titles of her as ''the first lady of love'', she began suffering from depression and started having anxiety attacks. Summer has written in her memoirs that she had attempted suicide a few times. Her rapid rise to success, combined with some serious regrets about mistakes in her personal life, began to take its toll. During this time, she self-medicated on prescription medication resulting in an addiction. Following a nervous breakdown at her home in 1979, Summer went to a local church attended with her sister Dara and declared herself a born again Christian. Summer then decided that from then on, the song that had won her international fame and recognition, "Love to Love You Baby", would no longer be performed. A quarter of a century later, however, she began performing the song again live. As recently as 2011, she even rerecorded the track, complete with racy sighs and moans, for the 'Loverdose' fragrance advertisement by Diesel.

In 1994, Summer and her family moved from Los Angeles to Nashville where she took time out from showbusiness to focus on painting, a hobby she began in 1985. In 1995, Summer's mother died. Today, Summer still lives in Nashville with her husband and is a grandmother of four.

Awards and recognition

One NAACP Image Award.

One time Juno Award nomination for Best Selling International Single,"I feel Love".

Three Multi-Platinum albums in the US.

Eleven of her albums went Gold in the US.

Twelve Gold singles.

Six American Music Awards.

She was the first female African American to receive an MTV Video Music Awards nomination. ("Best Female Video" and "Best Choreography" for "She Works Hard For The Money")

Two Golden Globe Award nominations (one win for "Last Dance" Song and one nominated for "The Deep" John Barry's Song).

Summer has received five Grammy Awards.

*1979 – Best R&B; Vocal Performance (Female), ''Last Dance''

*1980 – Best Rock Vocal Performance (Female), ''Hot Stuff''

*1984 – Best Inspirational Performance, ''He's a Rebel''

*1985 – Best Inspirational Performance, ''Forgive Me''

*1998 – Best Dance Recording, ''Carry On''

Twelve Grammy Award nominations (total of seventeen).

*1979 – Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), ''MacArthur Park''

*1980 – Album of the Year, ''Bad Girls''

*1980 – Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), ''Bad Girls''

*1980 – Best R&B; Vocal Performance (Female), ''Dim All the Lights''

*1980 – Best Disco Recording, ''Bad Girls''

*1981 – Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), ''On the Radio''

*1982 – Best Rock Vocal Performance (Female), ''Cold Love''

*1982 – Best Inspirational Performance, ''I Believe in Jesus''

*1983 – Best Rock Vocal Performance (Female), ''Protection''

*1983 – Best R&B; Vocal Performance (Female), ''Love is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)''

*1984 – Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), ''She Works Hard for the Money''

*2000 – Best Dance Recording, ''I Will Go with You (Con te Partiro)''

Summer placed a Top Forty hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in every year from 1976 ("Love to Love You Baby") to 1984 ("There Goes My Baby").

Summer was the first artist to score three consecutive number-one double albums.

Summer was twice honored by the Dance Music Hall of Fame; once with her induction as a recording artist and again with the induction for her influential single "I Feel Love". Summer's music career has landed her as the eighth most successful female recording artist in history according to ''Billboard'' .

Summer's career span of ''Billboard'' number-one Disco/Club Play hits spans from 1975's "Love to Love You Baby" through 2010's "[To Paris With Love]".

Summer was nominated for 2010 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but was not chosen.

Cover versions by other artists

"I Feel Love" has been sampled several times. The song was sampled by Madonna, Whitney Houston, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, Moloko, Britney Spears, Robbie Williams, Darren Hayes, Mylo, David Guetta, Stuart Price, and Moby among others. "I Feel Love" was recorded by classical pop musician Vanessa-Mae for her 1998 album ''Storm''. Italian company Gucci used a special version of it in the "Flora" perfume advertising, filmed by Chris Cunningham. "I Feel Love" has been covered onstage by Madonna, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' John Frusciante, Kylie Minogue, Blondie, Basement Jaxx, and Finnish progressive rock band Kingston Wall. Venus Hum with Blue Man Group also performed this song with Japanese singer Kumi Koda for their album ''The Complex'', and in 2006, Tracy Bonham stood in for Hum on the Blue Man Group tour, performing the song. Bronski Beat and Marc Almond released the track as a duet with an added bridge section and titled it "I Feel Love/Johnny Remember Me", reaching number 3 in the UK charts in April 1985. In 1992 U.K. alterna-pop group Curve recorded a version for the NME's 40th anniversary compilation ''Ruby Trax'', which became an instant underground classic.

"Love to Love You Baby" was sampled in Beyoncé Knowles's "Naughty Girl" and by TLC on their original version of "I'm Good at Being Bad", but was removed by request of Summer on later editions. The song has been covered in portions onstage by Dionne Warwick.

"I Feel Love" was covered by French Canadian artist Jorane for her 2004 album ''The You and the Now''. LA based band Dengue Fever covered this song on their album ''Radio Dance Floor''. Kylie Minogue's team also sampled this for her 2002 KylieFever. Kylie performed "Light Years" which contains elements of "I Feel Love".

Madonna combined her song "Future Lovers" from her hit album ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' with "I Feel Love" as the opening song on her Confessions Tour in 2006.

Summer's "Starting Over Again" was a number one hit on the Hot Country Songs chart as a single for Dolly Parton in 1980. It also was a top-forty hit for Parton on the Billboard Hot 100. Reba McEntire named her 1995 album after the song, and McEntire's version hit no. 17 on the country singles chart in 1996. McEntire stated in the album's liner notes that her recording of the song was intended as something of a tribute to Summer and Parton, both artists whom she admired.

Summer's "On the Radio" was covered by country artist Emmylou Harris for her 1983 album ''White Shoes''. British singer and actress Martine McCutcheon recorded a version that reached number 7 in the UK charts in February 2001. An acoustic rendition was released by alt. rock band Hypnogaja in January 2010.

Summer's "Sunset People" was covered by E.G. Daily on her ''Wild Child'' album (1985).

Summer's "Dim All the Lights" was a Top 40 Dance hit for Laura Branigan in 1995, appearing on her ''The Best of Branigan'' album.

Summer's "Last Dance" and "On the Radio" were covered by Tejano/pop singer Selena, most famously at one of her last shows at the Houston Astrodome, on February 26, 1995.

Summer's "All Through the Night" was covered in 1982 by KC and The Sunshine Band on their Painter album, and in 1995 by supermodel Naomi Campbell for her album ''Baby Woman'', featuring Luther Vandross on backing vocals.

Summer's "Bad Girls" was recorded by British Jazz and US pop singer Juliet Roberts in 1998, and again in 2000 by Cheryl Chase for the Nick film ''Rugrats in Paris: The Movie''.

Summer's "Love Is in Control" was covered by pop singer Sheena Easton on her 2000 disco album ''Fabulous''.

In 1985 Dusty Springfield reached number 83 on the UK charts with a cover of "Sometimes like Butterflies".

Summer's "Heaven Knows" was recorded by Faith Evans for inclusion on the soundtrack for the film, The Fighting Temptations.

Summer's "The Woman In Me" was recorded by Heart in the early 1990s.

Summer's "She Works Hard For The Money" was often performed by Millie Jackson during her 1980s concerts. "She Works Hard For The Money" was covered by Kris Allen during an American Idol Season 8 episode and recorded by Allen for the American Idol Season 8 CD.

Summer's "All Through The Night" from the album "Bad Girls", is recorded by model Naomi Campbell in 1994 included in her album "BabyWoman".

Jeffree Star covered her song "Bad Girls" for the upcoming movie called "Turn The Beat Around" for MTV.

Monica Naranjo Fuego de pasion "Love's About To Change My Heart".

Mexican singer Lorena Herrera samples "Try Me ,I Know We Can Make It" in her song Dame Amor from the album Desnudame el Alma.

In 2010, Keri Hilson portrayed Summer in her music video for her hit-single, Pretty Girl Rock.

In 2010 – Rhythm Masters and MYNC Project released a remake of "I Feel Love" on CR2 Records in the UK, with vocals by American Electro/Pop/Dance Artist Wynter Gordon.

Donna Summer concert tours

''Once Upon A Time Tour'' (1977–1978)

''Bad Girls Tour'' (1979)

''The Wanderer Tour'' (1981)

''Hard For The Money Tour'' (1983)

''The Rainbow Tour'' (1984)

''Silver Girl Tour'' (1986)

''All Systems Go Tour'' (1987)

''Endless Summer Tour'' (1995)

''Mid Summer Nights Dream Tour'' ( 1996–1997)

''Live & More Encore Tour'' (1999)

''Greatest Hits Tour'' (2005)

''Crayons Tour'' (2008)

Discography

1974: ''Lady of the Night''

1975: ''Love to Love You Baby''

1976: ''A Love Trilogy''

1976: ''Four Seasons of Love''

1977: ''I Remember Yesterday''

1977: ''Once Upon a Time''

1979: ''Bad Girls''

1980: ''The Wanderer''

1981: ''I'm a Rainbow''

1982: ''Donna Summer''

1983: ''She Works Hard for the Money''

1984: ''Cats Without Claws''

1987: ''All Systems Go''

1989: ''Another Place and Time''

1991: ''Mistaken Identity''

1994: ''Christmas Spirit''

2008: ''Crayons''

See also

Brooklyn Dreams

Best selling music artists

References

External links

Official website

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Name	The Notorious B.I.G.
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Christopher George Latore Wallace
Alias	Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G., Big Poppa
Birth date	May 21, 1972
Birth place
Death date	March 09, 1997
Death place
Occupation	Rapper
Genre	Hip hop
Years active	1992–1997
Label	Uptown Records Bad Boy
Associated acts	Lil' Kim, Sean Combs, Junior M.A.F.I.A., Total, 112, The Commission, Jay-Z, Faith Evans, The LOX
Website	}}

Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 - March 9, 1997), best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls (after a character in the 1975 film ''Let's Do It Again''), Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White (after the main character of the 1990 film ''King of New York'').

Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. When Wallace released his debut album ''Ready to Die'' in 1994, he became a central figure in the East Coast hip-hop scene and increased New York's visibility at a time when West Coast artists were more common in the mainstream. The following year, Wallace led his childhood friends to chart success through his protégé group, Junior M.A.F.I.A. While recording his second album, Wallace was heavily involved in the East Coast/West Coast hip-hop feud, dominating the scene at the time.

On March 9, 1997, Wallace was killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. His double-disc set ''Life After Death'', released 15 days later, hit #1 on the U.S. album charts and was certified Diamond in 2000 (one of the few hip hop albums to receive this certification). Wallace was noted for his "loose, easy flow", dark semi-autobiographical lyrics and storytelling abilities. Since his death, a further two albums have been released. MTV ranked him at #3 on their list of ''The Greatest MCs (Rappers) of All Time''. He has certified sales of 17 million units in the United States.

Early life

Born in St. Mary's Hospital, despite later claiming to be raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, Wallace grew up in neighboring Clinton Hill. Wallace was the only child of Voletta Wallace, a Jamaican preschool teacher, and George Latore, a welder and small-time Jamaican politician. His father left the family when Wallace was two years old, leaving his mother to work two jobs while raising him. At the Queen of All Saints Middle School, Wallace excelled in class, winning several awards as an English student. He was nicknamed "Big" because of his size before he turned 10. At the age of 12, he began selling drugs. His mother, often away at work, did not know that her son was selling drugs until Wallace was an adult.

At his request, Wallace transferred out of the private Roman Catholic Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School to attend the state-funded George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School. Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes were also students at that school. According to his mother, Wallace was still a good student, but developed a "smart-ass" attitude at the new school. At seventeen, Wallace dropped out of high school and became further involved in crime. In 1989, he was arrested on weapons charges in Brooklyn and sentenced to five years' probation. In 1990, he was arrested on a violation of his probation. A year later, Wallace was arrested in North Carolina for dealing crack cocaine. He spent nine months behind bars until he made bail.

Rapping career

Wallace began rapping when he was a teenager. He would entertain people on the streets as well as perform with local groups, the Old Gold Brothers and the Techniques. After being released from prison, Wallace made a demo tape under the name Biggie Smalls, a reference to his childhood nickname and to his stature; he stood at 6' 3" (1.91 m) and weighed as much as 300 to 380 pounds according to differing accounts. The tape was reportedly made with no serious intent of getting a recording deal, but was promoted by New York-based DJ Mister Cee, who had previously worked with Big Daddy Kane, and was heard by the editor of ''The Source''.

In March 1992, Wallace featured in ''The Source'' Unsigned Hype column, dedicated to aspiring rappers, and was invited to produce a recording with other unsigned artists in a move that was reportedly uncommon at the time. The demo tape was heard by Uptown Records A&R; and record producer, Sean Combs, who arranged for a meeting with Wallace. He was signed to Uptown immediately and made an appearance on label mates, Heavy D & the Boyz' "A Buncha Niggas" (from the album ''Blue Funk''). Soon after signing his recording contract, Combs was fired from Uptown and started a new label. Wallace followed and in mid-1992, signed to Combs' new imprint label, Bad Boy Records. On August 8, 1993, Wallace's longtime girlfriend gave birth to his first child, T'yanna. Wallace continued selling drugs after the birth to support his daughter financially. Once Combs discovered this, he was made to quit.

Wallace gained exposure later in the year on a remix to Mary J. Blige's single "Real Love", under the pseudonym The Notorious B.I.G., the name he would record under for the remainder of his career, after finding the original moniker "Biggie Smalls" was already in use. "Real Love" peaked at #7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and was followed by a remix of Blige's "What's the 411?". He continued this success, to a lesser extent, on remixes with Neneh Cherry ("Buddy X") and reggae artist Super Cat ("Dolly My Baby", also featuring Combs) in 1993. In April 1993, his solo track, "Party and Bullshit", appeared on the ''Who's the Man?'' soundtrack. In July 1994, he appeared alongside LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes on a remix to label mate Craig Mack's "Flava in Ya Ear", reaching #9 on the Hot 100.

''Ready to Die'' and marriage

On August 4, 1994, Wallace married singer Faith Evans after they met at a Bad Boy photoshoot. Four days later, Wallace had his first pop chart success as a solo artist with double A-side, "Juicy/Unbelievable", which reached #27 as the lead single to his debut album.

''Ready to Die'' was released on September 13, 1994, and reached #13 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, eventually being certified four times Platinum. The album, released at a time when West Coast hip hop was prominent in the U.S. charts, according to ''Rolling Stone'', "almost single-handedly... shifted the focus back to East Coast rap". It gained strong reviews on release and has received much praise in retrospect. In addition to "Juicy", the record produced two hit singles; the Platinum-selling "Big Poppa", which reached #1 on the U.S. rap chart, and "One More Chance" featuring Faith Evans, a loosely related remix of an album track and its best selling single.

Junior M.A.F.I.A. and coastal feud

In August 1995, Wallace's protegé group, Junior M.A.F.I.A. ("Junior Masters At Finding Intelligent Attitudes"), released their debut album ''Conspiracy''. The group consisting of his friends from childhood and included rappers such as Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease, who went on to have solo careers. The record went Gold and its singles, "Player's Anthem" and "Get Money" both featuring Wallace, went Gold and Platinum. Wallace continued to work with R&B; artists, collaborating with Bad Boy groups 112 (on "Only You") and Total (on "Can't You See"), with both reaching the top 20 of the Hot 100. By the end of the year, Wallace was the top-selling male solo artist and rapper on the U.S. pop and R&B; charts. In July 1995, he appeared on the cover of ''The Source'' with the caption "The King of New York Takes Over". At the ''Source'' Awards in August 1995, he was named Best New Artist (Solo), Lyricist of the Year, Live Performer of the Year, and his debut Album of the Year. At the Billboard Awards, he was Rap Artist of the Year.

In his year of success, Wallace became involved in a rivalry between the East and West Coast hip-hop scenes with Tupac Shakur, his former associate. In an interview with ''Vibe'' in April 1995, while serving time in Clinton Correctional Facility, Shakur accused Uptown Records' founder Andre Harrell, Sean Combs, and Wallace of having prior knowledge of a robbery that resulted in him being shot repeatedly and losing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry on the night of November 30, 1994. Though Wallace and his entourage were in the same Manhattan-based recording studio at the time of the occurrence, they denied the accusation.

Following release from prison, Shakur signed to Death Row Records on October 15, 1995. Bad Boy Records and Death Row, now business rivals, became involved in an intense quarrel.

Arrests, Shakur's death and second child

Wallace began recording his second record album in September 1995. The album, recorded in New York, Trinidad and Los Angeles, was interrupted during its 18 months of creation by injury, legal wranglings and the highly publicized hip hop dispute in which he was involved. During this time, he also worked with pop singer Michael Jackson for the ''HIStory'' album.

On March 23, 1996, Wallace was arrested outside a Manhattan nightclub for chasing and threatening to kill two autograph seekers, smashing the windows of their taxicab and then pulling one of the fans out and punching them. He pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment and was sentenced to 100 hours of community service. In mid-1996, he was arrested at his home in Teaneck, New Jersey, for drug and weapons possession charges.

In June 1996, Shakur released "Hit 'Em Up", a diss song in which he explicitly claimed to have had sex with Wallace's wife (at the time estranged) and that Wallace copied his style and image. Wallace referred to the first claim about his wife's pregnancy on Jay-Z's "Brooklyn's Finest" where he raps: "If Faye (Faith Evans, his wife at the time) have twins, she'd probably have two 'Pacs. Geddit? 2Pac's?". However, Wallace did not directly respond to the record during his lifetime, stating in a 1997 radio interview that it was "not [his] style" to respond.

Shakur was shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 7, 1996, and died six days later of complications from the gunshot wounds. Rumors of Wallace's involvement with Shakur's murder were reported almost immediately, and later in a two-part article by investigative reporter Chuck Philips in the ''Los Angeles Times'' in September 2002. Wallace denied the allegation claiming he was in a New York recording studio at the time. The ''Los Angeles Times'' later determined the article written by Philips "relied heavily on information that The Times no longer believes to be credible", including false FBI reports, and the paper published a retraction. Following his death, an anti-violence hip hop summit was held.

On October 29, 1996, Faith Evans gave birth to Wallace's son, Christopher "C.J." Wallace, Jr. The following month Junior M.A.F.I.A. member Lil' Kim released her debut album, ''Hard Core'', under Wallace's direction while the two were involved in an apparent love affair.

''Life After Death'' and car accident

During the recording sessions for his second record, tentatively named "Life After Death... 'Til Death Do Us Part", later shortened to ''Life After Death'', Wallace was involved in a car accident that shattered his left leg and confined him to a wheelchair. The injury forced him to use a cane.

In January 1997, Wallace was ordered to pay US$41,000 in damages following an incident involving a friend of a concert promoter who claimed Wallace and his entourage beat him up following a dispute in May 1995. He faced criminal assault charges for the incident which remain unresolved, but all robbery charges were dropped. Following the events of the previous year, Wallace spoke of a desire to focus on his "peace of mind". "My mom... my son... my daughter... my family... my friends are what matters to me now".

March 1997 shooting and death

Wallace traveled to California in February 1997, to promote his upcoming album and record a music video for its lead single, "Hypnotize". On March 5, 1997, he gave a radio interview with The Dog House on KYLD in San Francisco. In the interview he stated that he had hired security since he feared for his safety; this was because he was a celebrity figure in general, not because he was a rapper. ''Life After Death'' was scheduled for release on March 25, 1997. On January 8, 1997, Biggie Smalls and Sean "Puffy" Combs made a video "What's Beef" which was directed by Dave Meyers. On March 8, 1997, he presented an award to Toni Braxton at the 11th Annual Soul Train Music Awards in Los Angeles and was booed by some of the audience. After the ceremony, Wallace attended an after party hosted by ''Vibe'' magazine and Qwest Records at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Other guests included Faith Evans, Aaliyah, Sean Combs, and members of the Bloods and Crips gangs.

On March 9, 1997, at around 12:30 a.m., Wallace left with his entourage in two GMC Suburbans to return to his hotel after the Fire Department closed the party early because of overcrowding. Wallace traveled in the front passenger seat alongside his associates, Damion "D-Roc" Butler, Junior M.A.F.I.A. member Lil' Cease and driver, Gregory "G-Money" Young. Combs traveled in the other vehicle with three bodyguards. The two trucks were trailed by a Chevrolet Blazer carrying Bad Boy's director of security.

By 12:45 a.m., the streets were crowded with people leaving the event. Wallace's truck stopped at a red light from the museum. A black Chevrolet Impala SS pulled up alongside Wallace's truck. The driver of the Impala, an African American male dressed in a blue suit and bow tie, rolled down his window, drew a 9 mm blue-steel pistol and fired at the GMC Suburban; four bullets hit Wallace in the chest. Wallace's entourage rushed him to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, but he was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m.

Murder case

Wallace's murder remains unsolved and there are many theories regarding the identities and motives of the murderers. Immediately after the shooting, reports surfaced linking the Shakur and Wallace murders, because of the similarities in the drive-by shootings.

In 2002, Randall Sullivan released ''LAbyrinth'', a book compiling information regarding the murders of Wallace and Shakur based on evidence provided by retired LAPD detective, Russell Poole. Sullivan accused Marion "Suge" Knight, co-founder of Death Row Records and an alleged Bloods affiliate, of conspiring with David Mack, an LAPD officer and alleged Death Row security employee, to kill Wallace and make Shakur and his death appear the result of a fictitious bi-coastal rap rivalry. Sullivan believed that one of Mack's associates, Amir Muhammad (also known as Harry Billups), was the hitman based on evidence provided by an informant, and due to his close resemblance to the facial composite. Filmmaker Nick Broomfield released an investigative documentary, ''Biggie & Tupac'', based mainly on the evidence used in the book.

An article published in ''Rolling Stone'' by Sullivan in December 2005 accused the LAPD of not fully investigating links with Death Row Records based on evidence from Poole. Sullivan claimed that Sean Combs "failed to fully cooperate with the investigation" and according to Poole, encouraged Bad Boy staff to do the same. The accuracy of the article was later refuted in a letter by the Assistant Managing Editor of the ''LA Times'' accusing Sullivan of using "shoddy tactics." Sullivan, in response, quoted the lead attorney of the Wallace estate calling the newspaper "a co-conspirator in the cover-up."

The criminal investigation was re-opened in July 2006 in the hopes that new evidence might help the City defend the civil lawsuits brought by the Wallace family.

In January 2011, the case was reinvigorated as a result of new information reported by Anderson Cooper's AC360 "Cold Case" show and blog that it was being re-investigated by a law enforcement task force composed of the LAPD, the L.A. County District Attorney's Office, and the FBI. In April, the FBI released redacted documents about their investigation into the shooting, revealing that the bullets were rare 9mm Gecko ammunition manufactured in Germany. The documents reported that LAPD officers monitoring the party Wallace was attending were also employed as security personnel for Knight; the documents also speculated that the Genovese crime family was withholding evidence about Wallace's death.

Basketball player Shaquille O'Neal was a close friend of Wallace's and on the night of Wallace's death, he was supposed to meet him at an after party. O'Neal has reportedly struggled with guilt about Wallace's death since that night.

Lawsuits

Wrongful Death

In March 2005, the relatives of Wallace filed a wrongful death claim against the city of Los Angeles based on the evidence championed by Russell Poole. They claimed the LAPD had sufficient evidence to arrest the assailant, but failed to use it. David Mack and Amir Muhammad (a.k.a. Harry Billups) were originally named as defendants in the civil suit, but were dropped shortly before the trial began after the LAPD and FBI dismissed them as suspects.

The case came for trial before a jury on June 21, 2005. Several days into the trial, the plaintiffs' attorney disclosed to the Court and opposing counsel that he had received a telephone call from someone claiming to be a LAPD officer and provided detailed information about the existence of evidence concerning the Wallace murder. The court directed the city to conduct a thorough investigation, which uncovered previously undisclosed evidence, much of which was in the desk or cabinet of Det. Steven Katz, the lead detective in the Wallace murder investigation. The documents centered around interviews by numerous police officers of an incarcerated informant, who had been Rafael Perez's cellmate for some extended period of time. He reported that Perez had told him about his and Mack's involvement with Death Row Records and their activities at the Peterson Automotive Museum the night of Wallace's murder. As a result of the newly discovered evidence, the judge declared a mistrial and awarded the Wallace family its attorneys' fees.

On April 16, 2007, relatives of Wallace filed a second wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles. The suit also named two LAPD officers in the center of the investigation into the Rampart scandal, Rafael Perez and Nino Durden. According to the claim, Perez, an alleged affiliate of Death Row Records, admitted to LAPD officials that he and Mack (who was not named in the lawsuit) "conspired to murder, and participated in the murder of Christopher Wallace". The Wallace family said the LAPD "consciously concealed Rafael Perez's involvement in the murder of ... Wallace".

United States District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper granted summary judgment to the city of Los Angeles on December 17, 2007, finding that the Wallace family had not complied with a California law that required the Wallace family to give notice of its claim to the State within six months of Wallace's death. The Wallace family refiled the suit, dropping the state law claims on May 27, 2008. The city never answered the amended complaint, and with the agreement of both sides, the suit was voluntarily dismissed on April 5, 2010 without prejudice.

Defamation

On January 19, 2007, Tyruss Himes (better known as Big Syke), a friend of Shakur who was implicated in the murder by television channel KTTV and ''XXL'' magazine in 2005, had a defamation lawsuit regarding the accusations thrown out of court.

Posthumous career

Fifteen days after his death, Wallace's double-disc second album was released as planned with the shortened title of ''Life After Death'' and hit #1 on the Billboard 200 charts, after making a premature appearance at #176 due to street-date violations. The record album featured a much wider range of guests and producers than its predecessor. It gained strong reviews and in 2000 was certified Diamond, the highest RIAA certification awarded to a solo hip hop album.

Its lead single, "Hypnotize", was the last music video recording in which Wallace would participate. His biggest chart success was with its follow-up "Mo Money Mo Problems", featuring Sean Combs (under the rap alias "Puff Daddy") and Mase. Both singles reached #1 in the Hot 100, making Wallace the first artist to achieve this feat posthumously. The third single, "Sky's The Limit", featuring the band 112, was noted for its use of children in the music video, directed by Spike Jonze, who were used to portray Wallace and his contemporaries, including Sean Combs, Lil' Kim, and Busta Rhymes. Wallace was named Artist of the Year and "Hypnotize" Single of the Year by ''Spin'' magazine in December 1997.

In mid-1997, Combs released his debut album, ''No Way Out'', which featured Wallace on five songs, notably on the third single "Victory". The most prominent single from the record album was "I'll Be Missing You", featuring Combs, Faith Evans and 112, which was dedicated to Wallace's memory. At the 1998 Grammy Awards, ''Life After Death'' and its first two singles received nominations in the rap category. The album award was won by Combs' ''No Way Out'' and "I'll Be Missing You" won the award in the category of Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group in which "Mo Money Mo Problems" was nominated.

Wallace had founded a hip hop supergroup called The Commission, which consisted of Jay-Z, Lil' Cease, Combs, Charli Baltimore and himself. The Commission was mentioned by Wallace in the lyrics of "What's Beef" on ''Life After Death'' and "Victory" from ''No Way Out'' but never completed an album. A song on ''Duets: The Final Chapter'' titled "Whatchu Want (The Commission)" featuring Jay-Z was based on the group.

In December 1999, Bad Boy released ''Born Again''. The record consisted of previously unreleased material mixed with guest appearances including many artists Wallace had never collaborated with in his lifetime. It gained some positive reviews but received criticism for its unlikely pairings; ''The Source'' describing it as "compiling some of the most awkward collaborations of his career". Nevertheless, the album sold 3 million copies. Over the course of time, Wallace's vocals would appear on hit songs such as "Foolish" by Ashanti and "Realest Niggas" in 2002, and the song "Runnin' (Dying to Live)" with Shakur the following year. He also appeared on Michael Jackson's 2001 album, ''Invincible''. In 2005, ''Duets: The Final Chapter'' continued the pattern started on ''Born Again'' and was criticized for the lack of significant vocals by Wallace on some of its songs. Its lead single "Nasty Girl" became Wallace's first UK #1 single. Combs and Voletta Wallace have stated the album will be the last release primarily featuring new material.

Legacy

Wallace is celebrated as one of the greatest rap artists and is described by Allmusic as "the savior of East Coast hip-hop". ''The Source'' and ''Blender'' named Wallace the greatest rapper of all time. In 2003, when ''XXL'' magazine asked several hip hop artists to list their five favorite MCs, Wallace's name appeared on more rappers' lists than anyone else. In 2006, he was ranked at #3 in MTV's ''The Greatest MC's of All Time''.

Since his death, Wallace's lyrics have been sampled and quoted by a variety of hip hop, R&B; and pop artists including Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Fat Joe, Nelly, Ja Rule, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Game, Clinton Sparks, Michael Jackson and Usher. On August 28, 2005, at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, Sean Combs (then using the rap alias "P. Diddy") and Snoop Dogg paid tribute to Wallace: an orchestra played while the vocals from "Juicy" and "Warning" played on the arena speakers. In September 2005, VH1 had its second annual "Hip Hop Honors", with a tribute to Wallace headlining the show.

Wallace had begun to promote a clothing line called Brooklyn Mint, which was to produce plus-sized clothing but fell dormant after he died. In 2004, his managers, Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow, launched the clothing line, with help from Jay-Z, selling T-shirts with images of Wallace on them. A portion of the proceeds go to the Christopher Wallace Foundation and to Jay-Z's Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation. In 2005, Voletta Wallace hired branding and licensing agency Wicked Cow Entertainment to guide the Estate's licensing efforts. Wallace-branded products on the market include action figures, blankets, and cell phone content.

The Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation holds an annual black-tie dinner ("B.I.G. Night Out") to raise funds for children's school equipment and supplies and to honor the memory of the late rapper. For this particular event, because it is a children's schools' charity, "B.I.G." is also said to stand for "Books Instead of Guns".

Style

Wallace mostly rapped on his songs in a deep tone described by ''Rolling Stone'' as a "thick, jaunty grumble", which went deeper on ''Life After Death''. He was often accompanied on songs with ad libs from Sean "Puffy" Combs. On ''The Source'' Unsigned Hype, they described his style as "cool, nasal, and filtered, to bless his own material".

Allmusic describe Wallace as having "a loose, easy flow" with "a talent for piling multiple rhymes on top of one another in quick succession". ''Time'' magazine wrote Wallace rapped with an ability to "make multi-syllabic rhymes sound... smooth", while Krims describes Wallace's rhythmic style as "effusive". Before starting a verse, Wallace sometimes used onomatopoeic vocables to "warm up" (for example "uhhh" at the beginning of "Hypnotize" and "Big Poppa" and "whaat" after certain rhymes in songs such as "My Downfall").

Lateef of Latyrx notes that Wallace had, "intense and complex flows", Fredro Starr of Onyx says, "Biggie was a master of the flow", and Bishop Lamont states that Wallace mastered "all the hemispheres of the music". "Notorious B.I.G. also often used the single-line rhyme scheme to add variety and interest to his flow". Wallace was known to compose lyrics in his head, rather than write them down on paper, in a similar way to Jay-Z.

Wallace would occasionally vary from his usual style. On "Playa Hater" from his second album, he sang in a slow-falsetto. On his collaboration with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, "Notorious Thugs", he modified his style to match the rapid rhyme flow of the group.

Themes and lyrical content

Wallace's lyrical topics and themes included mafioso tales ("Niggas Bleed"), his drug dealing past ("10 Crack Commandments"), materialistic bragging ("Hypnotize"), as well as humor ("Just Playing (Dreams)"), and romance ("Me & My Bitch"). ''Rolling Stone'' named Wallace in 2004 as "one of the few young male songwriters in any pop style writing credible love songs".

Guerilla Black, in the book ''How to Rap'', describes how Wallace was able to both "glorify the upper echelon" and "[make] you feel his struggle". According to Touré of ''The New York Times'' in 1994, Wallace's lyrics "[mixed] autobiographical details about crime and violence with emotional honesty". Marriott of ''The New York Times'' (in 1997) believed his lyrics were not strictly autobiographical and wrote he "had a knack for exaggeration that increased sales". Wallace described his debut as "a big pie, with each slice indicating a different point in my life involving bitches and niggaz... from the beginning to the end".

''Ready to Die'' is described by ''Rolling Stone'' as a contrast of "bleak" street visions and being "full of high-spirited fun, bringing the pleasure principle back to hip-hop". ''Allmusic'' write of "a sense of doom" in some of his songs and the ''NY Times'' note some being "laced with paranoia"; Wallace described himself as feeling "broke and depressed" when he made his debut. The final song on the album, "Suicidal Thoughts", featured Wallace contemplating suicide and concluded with him committing the act.

On ''Life After Death'', Wallace's lyrics went "deeper". Krims explains how upbeat, dance-oriented tracks (which featured less heavily on his debut) alternate with "reality rap" songs on the record and suggests that he was "going pimp" through some of the lyrical topics of the former. ''XXL'' magazine wrote that Wallace "revamped his image" through the portrayal of himself between the albums, going from "midlevel hustler" on his debut to "drug lord".

Allmusic wrote that the success of ''Ready to Die'' is "mostly due to Wallace's skill as a storyteller"; In 1994, ''Rolling Stone'' described Wallace's ability in this technique as painting "a sonic picture so vibrant that you're transported right to the scene". On ''Life After Death'' Wallace notably demonstrated this skill on "I Got a Story to Tell" telling a story as a rap for the first half of the song and then as a story "for his boys" in conversation form.

After the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Christopher began to see life more on the positive side rather than the negative when he realized that he could have died when the explosion occurred. Instead of dying, Christopher only suffered minor scratches when he was performing his own remix of the song "Real Love" a few blocks away on the street. Christopher also refers to this event in his song "Juicy" when he mentions blowing up like the world trade.

Biopic

''Notorious'' is a 2009 biographical film about Wallace and his life that starred rapper Jamal "Gravy" Woolard as Wallace. The film was directed by George Tillman, Jr. and distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Producers included Sean "Diddy" Combs, Wallace's former managers Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts, as well as Voletta Wallace. On January 16, 2009, the movie's debut at the Grand 18 theater in Greensboro, North Carolina was postponed after a man was shot in the parking lot before the show. Ultimately, the film grossed over $43,000,000 worldwide.

In early October 2007, open casting calls for the role of Wallace began. Actors, rappers and unknowns all tried out. Beanie Sigel auditioned for the role, but was not picked. Sean Kingston claimed that he would play the role of Wallace, but producers denied he would be in the film. Eventually it was announced that rapper Jamal "Gravy" Woolard was cast as Wallace while Wallace's son, Christopher Wallace, Jr. was cast to play Wallace as a child. Other cast members include Angela Bassett as Voletta Wallace, Derek Luke as Sean Combs, Antonique Smith as Faith Evans, Naturi Naughton formerly of 3LW as Lil' Kim, and Anthony Mackie as Tupac Shakur. Bad Boy released a soundtrack album to the film on January 13, 2009; the album contains hit singles of B.I.G. such as "Hypnotize", "Juicy", and "Warning" as well as rarities.

Discography

Studio albums

1994: ''Ready to Die''

1997: ''Life After Death''

Posthumous albums

1997: ''Life After Death''

1999: ''Born Again''

2005: ''Duets: The Final Chapter''

Collaboration albums

1995: ''Conspiracy'' (with Junior M.A.F.I.A.)

Compilation albums

2007: ''Greatest Hits''

2009: ''Notorious: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack''

Awards and nominations

name	The Notorious B.I.G.
awards	4
nominations	11
billboardw	2
billboardn	2
grammyn	4
mtvvideow	1
mtvvideon	2
soulw	1
souln	3 }}

Wallace received two nominations from the Billboard Music Awards in 1995, including Rap Artist of the Year and Rap Single of the Year. The song "Mo Money Mo Problems" received several nominations in 1998, including Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the Grammy Awards; Best Rap Video at the MTV Video Music Awards; and Best R&B;/Soul Album and Best R&B;/Soul or Rap Music Video at the Soul Train Music Awards. Overall, Wallace has received four awards from eleven nominations; one award and six nominations were received posthumously.

Billboard Music Awards

The Billboard Music Awards is sponsored by ''Billboard'' magazine and held annually in December.

|- |rowspan="2"| 1995 || The Notorious B.I.G. || Rap Artist of the Year || |- | "One More Chance" || Rap Single of the Year ||

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States.

|- | || "Big Poppa" || Best Rap Solo Performance || |- |rowspan="3"| || "Hypnotize" || Best Rap Solo Performance || |- | "Mo Money Mo Problems" (with Mase and Puff Daddy) || Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group || |- | ''Life After Death'' || Best Rap Album ||

MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1984 by MTV.

|- | || "Hypnotize" || Best Rap Video || |- | || "Mo Money Mo Problems" (with Mase and Puff Daddy) || Best Rap Video ||

Soul Train Music Awards

The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual awards show that honors black musicians and entertainers.

|- |rowspan="3"| 1998 || ''Life After Death'' || Best R&B;/Soul Album, Male || |- |rowspan="2"| "Mo Money Mo Problems" (with Mase and Puff Daddy) || Best R&B;/Soul Album || |- | Best R&B;/Soul or Rap Music Video ||

The Source Awards

The Source Awards were awarded by hip hop magazine ''The Source''.

|- |rowspan="4"| 1995 || The Notorious B.I.G. || New Artist of the Year, Solo || |- | ''Ready to Die'' || Album of the Year || |- | The Notorious B.I.G. || Lyricist of the Year || |- | The Notorious B.I.G. || Live Performer of the Year ||

References

Further reading

External links

Official website

B.I.G. Action Figure Notorious B.I.G. official first ever action figure.

Notorious Movie "Notorious" Movie Official Site

biggiesmalls-rapphenomenon.com Biggie Smalls - Rap Phenomenon DVD documentary official site

FBI file on Christopher Wallace

NotoriousOnline.org – NotoriousOnline.org is a Non-profit website in memory of the late great Notorious BIG a.k.a. Biggie Smalls.

Category:1972 births Category:1997 deaths Category:1997 murders in the United States Category:American drug traffickers Category:American murder victims Category:American rappers of Jamaican descent Big Category:Bad Boy Records artists Category:Deaths by firearm in California Category:Murdered rappers Category:People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Category:People from Teaneck, New Jersey Category:People murdered in California Category:Pseudonymous rappers Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Unsolved murders in the United States

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