Not to be confused with Drama (rapper).

DJ Drama
DJ Drama In April 2008.
Background information
Birth name	Tyree Cinque Simmons
Also known as	Drama Boy, Gangsta Grillz, Mr. Thanksgiving, Barack O'Drama
Born	(1978-04-22) April 22, 1978 (age 34) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genres	Hip hop, Southern rap, East Coast rap
Occupations	DJ, record producer
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Grand Hustle Records, E1 Music, Aphilliates Music Group, TM3
Associated acts	Akon, Willie the Kid, Lil Wayne, T.I., Young Jeezy, J. Cole, Big Sean, Meek Mill, Gucci Mane, Wiz Khalifa, Fabolous, Wale, Trey Songz, Ludacris, 50 Cent
Website	www.dramalikethedj.com

Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978)^[1] better known as DJ Drama is an American hip hop artist and the official DJ for Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist T.I. He is best known for producing mixtapes, including the successful "Gangsta Grillz" series and Dedication 2, which the New York Times called one of the "10 best recordings of 2006".^[2]

DJ Drama, Don Cannon, and DJ Sense founded Aphilliates Music Group in 2003. The Aphilliates Music Group inked a label deal with Asylum Records in 2006, signing rapper Willie the Kid. As of January 2011, The Aphilliates now operates as its own entity, due to DJ Drama recently cutting ties with La the Darkman and Embassy Entertainment.^[3]

Music career[link]

DJ Drama's debut album, Gangsta Grillz: The Album, was released in December 2007 on the Grand Hustle label. The album's first street single, "Takin Pictures", was released in 2007 and featured Young Jeezy, Tre'Von McCall,(Producer)Willie the Kid, Jim Jones, Rick Ross, Young Buck and T.I.,^[4] while the first single, "5000 Ones", featuring Nelly, T.I., Yung Joc, Willie the Kid, Young Jeezy and Twista, debuted on BET.^[5] The second single, "The Art of Storytellin' Part 4", was released in 2008 with the help of long time friend Tre'Von McCall (Who did most of his beats) and featured OutKast and Marsha Ambrosius. In 2009, DJ Drama released his second album entitled Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 2), the first single was "Day Dreaming", which featured Akon, Snoop Dogg and T.I. The second single was "Ridiculous", which featured Gucci Mane, Yo Gotti, Lonnie Mac and OJ da Juiceman. Both singles were released in 2009. DJ Drama releasd his third studio album, Third Power, on October 11th, 2011. The first single, "Oh My", featuring rappers Fabolous, Wiz Khalifa and Roscoe Dash was released on May 13th, the 2nd single, "Never See You Again", features female singer Talia Coles and rapper Wale.^[6] The Gangsta Grillz album reunites DJ Drama and Don Cannon who had gone their separate ways for a few years after a lot of fighting and arguing as business partners.^[7] Drama is married to video vixen Summer Walker.

Film career[link]

DJ Drama has appeared in T.I.'s ATL in 2006, and T-Pain's Freaknik: The Musical in 2010.

Discography[link]

• 2007: Gangsta Grillz: The Album
• 2009: Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 2)
• 2011: Third Power
• 2012: Quality Street Music^[8]

Awards[link]

• BET Hip Hop Awards
  • DJ of the Year (Nominated)

• Ozone Awards
  • 2008, Best Mixtape (Hood Generals) with BG (Won)
    • Note: The award was a tie with Chamillionaire's Mixtape Messiah 3^[9]

References[link]

Notes[link]

• Interview with DJ Drama's sister after the January 16th raid, Mixtapeshow.net, January 27, 2007
• April 2007 Interview, Allhiphop.com, April 2007
• Jeff Leeds, "Cracking down on mixtape CDs", New York Times, January 22, 2007
• Samantha M. Shapiro, "Hip-hop outlaw (industry version)", New York Times Magazine, February 18, 2007
• "Exclusive: DJ Drama Q&A", Rhapsody.com, January 11, 2008

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: DJ Drama

• Gangsta Grillz website
• The Aphilliates
• DJ Drama on Myspace
• DJ Drama at MTV
• DJ Drama at Allmusic

Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa in Brooklyn, New York in August 2009.
Background information
Birth name	Cameron Jibril Thomaz
Born	(1987-09-08) September 8, 1987 (age 24) Minot, North Dakota, United States
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, singer, songwriter, actor
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Rostrum, Taylor Gang, Warner Bros., Atlantic
Associated acts	Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Curren$y, Big Sean, Chevy Woods, Mac Miller, Juicy J, Tinie Tempah, Yelawolf, Maroon 5, Big K.R.I.T.
Website	wizkhalifa.com

Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007. His Eurodance-influenced single, "Say Yeah", received urban radio airplay, charting on the Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Tracks charts in 2008.^[1] Khalifa parted with Warner Bros. and released his second album, Deal or No Deal, in November 2009. He released the mixtape Kush and Orange Juice as a free download in April 2010; he then signed with Atlantic Records.^[2] He is also well known for his debut single for Atlantic, "Black and Yellow", which peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut album for the label, Rolling Papers, was released on March 29, 2011.^[3]

Early life[link]

Khalifa was born on September 8, 1987 to a mother and a father serving in the military.^[1][4] His parents divorced when Khalifa was about three years old. His parents' military service caused him to move regularly: Khalifa lived in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan before settling in Pittsburgh where he attended Taylor Allderdice High School.^[1][4]

His stage name is derived from khalifa, an Arabic word meaning "successor", and wisdom, which was shortened to Wiz when Khalifa was a young boy .^[5] Khalifa stated to spinner.com that the name also came from being called "young Wiz 'cause I was good at everything I did, and my granddad is Muslim, so he gave me that name; he felt like that's what I was doing with my music." He got his stage name tattooed on his 17th birthday.^[6][7] He includes Jimi Hendrix, Camp Lo, The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony among his influences.^[8]

Career[link]

[edit] 2005–08: Early mixtapes and Show and Prove

Rostrum Records president Benjy Grinberg first heard about Wiz Khalifa in 2004 when the rapper's contribution to a mixtape of various new Pittsburgh artists attracted his interest.^[9] When Grinberg finally met the 16-year-old artist, he immediately decided he wanted to work with him, later telling HitQuarters: "Even though he wasn’t all the way developed you could just tell that he was a diamond in the rough, and that with some polishing, guidance and backing he could become something special."^[9] Khalifa signed to the label shortly after and began a seven year period of artist development.^[9]

Khalifa released his first mixtape, Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania, in 2005. The mixtape paved the way for his first full length album entitled Show and Prove in 2006. Khalifa was declared an "artist to watch" that year in Rolling Stone magazine.^[10][11]

In 2007, Khalifa signed to Warner Bros. Records and released two mixtapes through Rostrum Records: Grow Season, hosted by DJ Green Lantern and released on July 4, 2007, and Prince of the City 2, released on November 20, 2007. His debut Warner Bros. single "Say Yeah" reached number 25 on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 music chart and number 20 on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks. The song samples "Better Off Alone" by Alice Deejay. Khalifa's vocals from "Say Yeah" appear near the end of Pittsburgh mash up producer Girl Talk's 2008 album, Feed the Animals, over music from Underworld's "Born Slippy", Usher's "Love in This Club", and the Cure's "In Between Days".^[12] Khalifa appeared with The Game, David Banner and Play-n-Skillz at U92's Summer Jam at the USANA Amphitheatre in West Valley City, Utah on August 2, 2008.^[13] Khalifa released the mixtapes Star Power in September 2008, and Flight School in April 2009 on Rostrum Records.

Khalifa parted ways with Warner Bros. Records in July 2009 after numerous delays in releasing his planned debut album for the label, First Flight. Khalifa stated to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that, "I learned a lot during my time there and matured as an artist during the process. I'm happy to be moving on with all of my material and having the chance to be in control of my next moves".^[14] Khalifa appeared with Girl Talk, Modey Lemon, Donora, Grand Buffet, and Don Caballero at the Amphitheatre at Station Square in Pittsburgh on July 31, 2009, where he announced that his relationship with Warner Bros. was over.^[15]

Wiz Khalifa performing at Columbia University in New York City in April 2010.

[edit] 2009–10: Deal or No Deal

Continuing his association with Rostrum Records, Khalifa released the single "Teach U to Fly", and the mixtape How Fly, a collaboration with New Orleans rapper Curren$y, on August 9, 2009.^[14] Khalifa introduced a more melodic style on the mixtape, alternating between singing and rapping. He opened for Wu-Tang Clan member U-God at the 2009 CMJ Music Marathon in New York City.^[16] Khalifa released the mixtape Burn After Rolling on November 2, 2009, where he raps over familiar beats from other artists, including the songs "If I Were A Boy" and "Diva" by Beyoncé, "Walking on a Dream" by Empire of the Sun, "Luchini AKA This Is It" by Camp Lo, and "Best I Ever Had" by Drake.^[17] Khalifa released his second album, Deal or No Deal, on November 24, 2009.^[18]

Khalifa performed at Emo's in Austin, Texas in March 2010 as part of the 2010 South by Southwest Music Festival.^[19] He appeared on the cover of XXL magazine that same month, for the magazine's annual list of Top 10 Freshman, which included Donnis, J. Cole, Pill, Freddie Gibbs, and Fashawn. Wiz Khalifa was named 2010 "Rookie Of The Year" by "The Source", with alongside Rick Ross, "The Man Of The Year".^[20] He toured with rapper Yelawolf on a 20-date tour, the Deal Or No Deal Tour.^[21] Khalifa released the free mixtape Kush and Orange Juice for download on April 14, 2010. Due to Khalifa's devoted grassroots fan base, the mixtape became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter with the hash tag #kushandorangejuice, and "Kush and Orange Juice download” ranked No. 1 on Google’s hot search trends.^[22]

2010: Signing with Atlantic Records[link]

Citing music industry insiders, New York magazine wrote that Khalifa signed with Atlantic Records in April 2010, although the rapper did not confirm it.^[23] He stated to AllHipHop in June 2010 that he was working on a new album, but was weighing his options and had not yet decided on a label to distribute it.^[24] Khalifa confirmed to MTV on July 30 that he was signing an Atlantic Records deal.^[25]

Wiz Khalifa on stage in Boston in August 2010.

Khalifa was featured in a remix and video for the 2010 Rick Ross single "Super High", alongside Curren$y.^[26] He guested on the mixtape Grey Goose, Head Phones, and Thirsty Women by St. Louis rapper M.C,^[27] and was featured on the track "The Breeze (Cool)" on rapper Wale's August 2010 mixtape More About Nothing.^[28] Khalifa was named MTV's Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2010, winning with nearly 70,000 votes, and beating out finalists Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, Travis Porter, and Diggy Simmons.^[29]

Khalifa appeared at the Soundset 2010 festival in May 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, alongside Method Man & Redman, Del the Funky Homosapien and Hieroglyphics, Atmosphere, Murs, Cage, and others.^[30] He also performed at the 2010 Rock the Bells festival, along with hip hop veterans Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, Lauryn Hill, A Tribe Called Quest, Rakim, KRS-One, Jedi Mind Tricks and Slick Rick.^[31] Khalifa declined an invitation to tour with rapper Drake and launched his own "Waken Baken" tour, a 50-city national tour with rapper Yelawolf. The tour, scheduled to last from September to November 2010, has, as of October, sold out every venue.^[8] On November 2010, during his "Waken Baken" tour at East Carolina University, Wiz Khalifa was arrested for possession and trafficking of marijuana. He was then released the next morning after a $300K bail, and resumed his tour. Khalifa performed in a cypher during the 2010 BET Hip-Hop Awards. He recited his verse from the song, "The Check Point", from his mixtape with Curren$y, How Fly.^[32]

[edit] 2010–11: Mainstream success and Rolling Papers

Wiz Khalifa at SXSW in 2010

Khalifa released "Black and Yellow", his first single for Rostrum/Atlantic, produced by Stargate, which has received radio airplay.^[8][33] The single was peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; the title of the song refers to the colours of the City of Pittsburgh.^[34] Khalifa released his debut album with Atlantic Records in 2011.^[35] He appeared with Curren$y on the track "Scaling the Building" on producer Ski Beatz' 2010 album, 24 Hour Karate School.^[36] Khalifa's record label is Taylor Gang Records, named after his love of Chuck Taylor All-Stars^[8], and Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, PA, where he graduated from.

On March 29, 2011, Khalifa released his first studio album, Rolling Papers. The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 197,000 copies in the United States.^[37] Shortly afterward on March 31, 2011 Wiz Khalifa performed at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia as part of the school's annual Dooley's Weekend.^[38] On June 26, 2011, Khalifa was nominated and won Best New Artist at the BET Awards of 2011.^[39] Khalifa collaborated with British rapper Tinie Tempah whom Tinie announced in an interview with Rolling Stone that his next single is to be called "Till I'm Gone" and would feature Wiz Khalifa and is to be produced by Stargate.^[40][41] The single and the video song were released at the end of June 2011.^[42]

Personal life[link]

Thomaz proposed to model Amber Rose on March 1, 2012 showing off the ring on Twitter.^[43] He is personal friends with Snoop Dogg, Juicy J, Yelawolf, and fellow Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller.^[44]

In March 2012, Thomaz purchased a 2.8 private wooded acres with a 3,891-square-foot residence in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, a small community southwest of Pittsburgh. The residence includes 5-bedroom, 4-bath eco-friendly, Brazilian Koa floors, stainless steel appliances, a separate guest house, and a lavish master suite with high ceilings.^[45] He currently resides there with his fiancée Amber Rose.

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• 2006: Show and Prove
• 2009: Deal or No Deal
• 2011: Rolling Papers
• 2012: O.N.I.F.C. ^[11][46][47]

Collaborative albums

• 2011: Mac & Devin Go to High School (with Snoop Dogg)
• 2012: TBA (with Taylor Gang)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wiz Khalifa

• Official website
• Wiz Khalifa on Facebook
• Wiz Khalifa on Myspace
• Wiz Khalifa on Twitter
• Wiz Khalifa at MTV
• Non-commercial Wiz Khalifa mixtapes

Jeffery Johnson Jr. (born April 2, 1990), better known by his stage name Roscoe Dash, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia.

Career[link]

Early career[link]

Johnson started composing rap lyrics at the age of 12, after his older brother Snooki introduced him into the world of hip-hop.^[1] In high school, he and his brother Snooki put together a rap group that consisted of four young men who went by the name of “Black Out Boiz aka B.O.B.”, where his original stage name “ATL” came into play and also where his eccentric use of the "mohawk" hairstyle became as he thought popular. Though the group had been receiving positive notoriety, ATL (Johnson) would eventually leave “Black Out Boiz aka B.O.B.” and get started in his pursuit of solo projects.^[2] He continued recording in his basement and making mixtapes to network himself, and this hard work led Johnson to come across his cousin, Torrey “YT” Hood, who happened to be a sponsor of a local rap group who called themselves Travis Porter.^[3] He let them listen to a song he had recorded at the time called “All the Way Turnt Up”,^[4] and the group automatically wanted to be a part of it. Since Travis Porter was already an established local group, he handed the song over to them and was featured on the track. It was featured on Travis Porter’s next mixtape,” I’m a Differenter 2”^[5] The hit became very popular, but most people labeled the song as being Travis Porter’s. The song was accredited as “Travis Porter featuring YT and "ShadowFade.” He felt as if he wasn’t getting enough credit for the song that he had created. This caused conflicts between Johnson and Travis Porter. Johnson soon recognized that he had to create a new identity other than “Shadowfade” to restart his career, and be acknowledged for his own work.^[6] He “Googled” names of comic book heroes, and came across the name “Roscoe Dash.” Johnson says, “I needed something more marketable. I felt Shadowfade would have given my secret identity away. Plus it put me in that box of an Atlanta rapper so I needed something that would catch the ears and eyes of whoever was listening or reading the name Roscoe Dash and make them want to do research on Roscoe Dash.”^[7]

Major label success[link]

Roscoe Dash released a song All the Way Turnt Up! was originally recorded with Travis Porter, and released on their mixtape I'm a Differenter. Dash was only credited as a featured artist. According to Travis Porter, this was just a mistake.^[8]

Later, he recorded the song again, featuring Soulja Boy Tell 'Em. The song turned into a club hit, and Roscoe Dash signed with Interscope. He then recorded the album Ready Set Go, but in his opinion, the album was released unfinished. So, it currently has no release date after a couple pushbacks^[9]. He therefore refers to the following EP J.U.I.C.E. as his first album.^[10]

In 2012 Dash was featured on the cover of XXL as part of their annual "Top 10 Freshmen list" along with fellow rappers French Montana, Machine Gun Kelly, Hopsin, Iggy Azalea and Danny Brown.^[11]

Personal life[link]

Johnson is the oldest of his siblings. He has a brother, two half-sisters, and two stepbrothers. Johnson also has a daughter, she was born August 13, 2005, which he had at age 15.

Discography[link]

Studio Albums

• Ready Set Go! (TBA)

Extended plays

• J.U.I.C.E. (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Roscoe Dash at Allmusic

Derek Pike is a 24 year old American filmmaker from New York, currently living in Los Angeles and widely known as a music video director. He is of half British and half Japanese-American descent. A natural storyteller, most of his music videos are narrative based. In high school he attended Carrabassett Valley Academy and was a nationally ranked snowboarder, some of his sponsors included Arbor Snowboards, Smith Optics, Adidas, Giro, and Swix. He got his start shooting snowboard and skateboard videos. In May of 2010 Derek graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where he majored in Film and Television. During his freshman year of college he walked on to the NYU soccer team, but later resigned due to his academic schedule.

Is attached to direct a feature film in the summer of 2012, and is currently developing a television show.

He has also appeared as an actor, most recently for the Wu Tang Clan "Massacre" trailers.

Has been credited for creating "HBD" the popular social networking abbreviation for Happy Birthday.

Selected filmography[link]

• "Chains, Whips, and Bars" - XV (2012) (music video)
• "Swervin" - XV (2012) (music video)
• "Stay Awhile" - International Quincy feat. Kendre (2012) (music video) (on 5/3/12 the video premiered on BET's 106 and Park and #StayAwhile was trending worldwide on Twitter)
• "Traffic Light" - Jared Evan (2012) (music video)
• "Had too Much to Dream Last Night" - The Kickdrums feat. The Kid Daytona (2011) (music video)
• "Road Runner" - Imelda May (2011) (music video)
• "Monumental" - Smif-n-Wessun & Pete Rock feat. Tyler Woods (2011) (music video)
• "Anything to Survive" - Freddie Gibbs feat. Freeway (2011) (music video)
• "For the Record" - T.Shirt (2011) (music video) *Twitter Contest Winner*
• "Keep it Warm for Ya" - Freddie Gibbs & Statik Selektah (2011) *Recorded, shot, and edited over a 24 hr period*
• "Oh My" - DJ Drama feat. Fabolous, Wiz Khalifa & Roscoe Dash (2011) (music video) *MTV Jam of the week, and #1 video on MTV's Sucker Free Countdown (5/27/11)*
• "Magazine Girl" - New Boyz (2011) (music video)
• "Too Cool to Care" - New Boyz (2011) (commercial)
• "Momma Miss America" - Laws (2011) (music video)
• "Butter Knives" - Raekwon (2011) (music video)
• "Ferryboat Killaz" - Raekwon (2011) (music video)
• "Embers" - Jared Evan (2011) (music video)
• "I Need a Dollar" (version 2) - Aloe Blacc (2011) (music video)
• "Ex-Girl" - Emilio Rojas feat. Mickey Factz (2011) (music video)
• "Greatest Story Never Told" – Saigon feat. Just Blaze (2011) (music video)
• "Fly Lullaby" - The Kid Daytona (2010) (music video)
• "So Buttery" - The Kid Daytona (2010) (music video)
• "Take Aim" - The Kid Daytona feat. Freddie Gibbs & The Kickdrums (2010) (music video)
• "Cocaine Trafficking" – Sheek Louch feat. Jadakiss & Styles P (2010) (music video)
• "Jungle Music" – Sheek Louch (2010) (music video)
• "Remember Me" – Sheek Louch (2010) (music video)
• "I Want it All" – Saigon (2010) (music video)
• "You Make Me Sick" – Saigon (2010) (music video)
• "For My Dawgs" – Waka Flocka Flame (2010) (music video)
• "Speakers on Blast" – Skyzoo (2010) (music video)
• "A Different League" - Thee Tom Hardy feat. Skyzoo (2010) (music video)
• "One for the Money" - Thee Tom Hardy feat. Donnis (2010) (music video)
• "Off the Radar" - Thee Tom Hardy feat. Euro (2010) (music video)
• "Hold You Down" (remix) - Laws feat. Big K.R.I.T. & Emilio Rojas (2010) (music video)
• "Frisbees" – Skyzoo (2010) (music video)
• "Story of No One" – 6th Sense (2010) (music video)
• "Better Late Than Never" – Outasight (2010) (music video)
• "Don't Stand So Close" – Consequence feat. Styles P (2010) (music video)
• "Down this Road" – Consequence feat. Maino (2010) (music video)
• "Sin City" - Mr.Finley (2010) (music video)
• "Blowin Dat Endo" - Mr.Finley (2010) (music video)
• "Life is Short" – Consequence feat. Statik Selektah (2010) (music video)
• "Night Train" – Joell Ortiz feat. Novel (2010) (music video)
• "It's Cold" – Saigon (2010) (music video)
• "Vacancy Album Trailers" – Brutha (2010) (trailers)
• "Def Jam / Serato 25th Anniversary Vinyl Pack" – feat. Nick Cannon, DJ Enuff, Cipha Sounds (2010) (commercial)
• "2009 Rap Up" – Skillz (2010) (music video)
• "Air Born" – The Kid Daytona feat. Bun B (2009) (music video)
• "Fatherhood" – Saigon feat. Lokz (2009) (music video)
• "Aye Aye Aye" – Saigon (2009) (music video)
• "Grown Thangz" – Young Chris (2009) (music video)
• "24k Rap" – J Dilla feat. Havoc and Raekwon (2009) (music video)
• "Anxiety Attacks" – Tame One (2009) (music video)
• "Dirty Genes" – Mojoe (2008) (music video)

References[link]

• Diddy's son Quincy launches music career with "Stay Awhile" - drjays.com - 4/3/2012
• VIBE Exclusive: Quincy music video debut directed by Derek Pike - vibe.com - 4/2/2012
• Imelda May Roadrunner by Derek Pike - promonews.com - 8/17/11
• DJ Drama Calls Oh My a Limitless Drug - mtv.com - 5/30/11
• Y'all Respect the One that Got Shot - decaturdan.com - 4/14/11
• Video Static: "Greatest Story Never Told" - videostatic.com - 1/17/11
• Shooting Classics - qthequestion.com - 11/12/10
• Interview: Derek Pike - juiceonline.com - 08/23/10
• Derek Pike Interview - blog.nicholaspatten.com - 06/17/10
• MC Saigon and Video Director Derek Pike - timeoutny.com - 04/28/10
• Derek Pike: The Right Direction - amalgamdigital.com - 09/25/09
• The Volume: On set with The Kid Daytona feat. Bun B directed by Derek Pike - timeoutny.com - 09/11/09
• NYU senior Derek Pike directs new The Kid Daytona Video - nyulocal.com - 09/11/09

External links[link]

• Derek Pike
• Twitter
• Blog

Trey Songz
Background information
Birth name	Tremaine Aldon Neverson
Born	(1984-11-28) November 28, 1984 (age 27) Petersburg, Virginia, United States
Genres	R&B, hip hop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer, actor
Instruments	Vocals, keyboards, sampler
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Atlantic, Songbook
Associated acts	Drake, Troy Taylor, Twista, Juvenile, Bun B, Rick Ross, Plies
Website	www.treysongz.com

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

Life and career[link]

1984–2004: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Songz was born Tremaine Aldon Neverson on November 28, 1984, in Petersburg, Virginia.^[1] Raised as a military brat, Songz did not have aspirations to have a musical career as a child due to his shyness, saying "Singing wasn't a reality for me, until other people started noticing I sounded good."^[2] He recognized his vocal abilities at the age of 14.^[2] Reluctant to sing, he began performing with encouragement by friends and family in high school. Record producer Troy Taylor discovered Songz during a talent show in 2000, which led him to signing a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 2002.^[2] After graduating from high school in 2002, Songz moved to New Jersey to begin recording his debut album, though recording didn't actually begin until 2003.^[1]

[edit] 2004–2008I Gotta Make It and Trey Day

While recording his debut album in 2004, Songz released multiple mixtapes under the alias Prince of Virginia.^[1] One of the mixtapes featured an "answer track" to R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet", entitled "Open the Closet". The song gave Trey some notoriety.^[3] His debut album, I Gotta Make It was released on July 26, 2005.^[4] It debuted at #20 on the Billboard 200, selling 40,000 copies in its first week of sales.^[5] It has sold 300,000 records in the US, but was never certified by the RIAA. Songz's debut single, Gotta Make It, featuring Twista, was released in March 2005 and reached #87 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #21 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It garnered success in the R&B/urban community but failed to make a mark in mainstream music. The album's second and final single, Gotta Go, was released in July 2005 and reached #67 on the Hot 100 and #11 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming even more successful than his debut single in the R&B/urban community and in the mainstream community. After promotion for his debut concluded, he was featured on the lead single from Twista's fifth album, The Day After. The single, "Girl Tonite", reached #14 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming a huge hit.

Trey Songz performing in 2007.

In mid-2006, Songz began work on a follow-up album to his debut with longtime collaborator Troy Taylor and also employed hitmakers Bryan-Michael Cox, Danja, Stargate (production team) and R. Kelly to help create the album. Trey aimed for the album to be more mainstream-oriented than his debut album. His second studio album, Trey Day, was released on October 2, 2007. The album reached #11 on the Billboard 200,^[6] selling 73,000 copies in its first week. It has since sold 400,000 records in the US, becoming his second album not to be certified by the RIAA. The album was going to be released on May 8, 2007, but was continually delayed in order for a successful single to precede the album, as the lead single failed to impact charts.

His second album was preceded by the lead single, "Wonder Woman", which was released in February 2007. It reached #54 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but failed to impact the Hot 100. Because of the single's failure, his second album was delayed from May 2007 to October 2007. The album's second single, "Can't Help but Wait", was released in August 2007 and was released to promote his second album and the film Step Up 2 the Streets soundtrack as a single for it. The single reached #14 on the Hot 100, and #2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It became Songz's first Top 20 hit on the Hot 100, and helped to boost his second album's sales. The single was also nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 2008 50th Grammy Awards. The third single from the album, "Last Time", was released in January 2008 and reached #69 on the Hot 100, and #9 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The fourth and final single from the album, "Missin' You", was released in May 2008, but failed to chart completely. In mid-2008, Songz was nominated for a BET Award for Best Male R&B Artist but did not win the award.^[7]

[edit] 2009–2011: Ready and Passion, Pain & Pleasure

In late 2008, Trey began work on his third studio album with Bryan-Michael Cox, Sean Garrett, Stargate and Troy Taylor and aimed for the record to be more mature than his first two. Before releasing his third album, Songz released a mixtape titled Anticipation in June 2009 through his blog, which featured songs from his third album.^[8] Another mixtape from Trey was released in the summer of 2009, called Genesis. Genesis was a collection of Trey Songz's first recordings when he was fifteen years old and was released to show his fans the dedication that he had to making a record when he was young.^[9] Trey released his third studio album, Ready, on August 31, 2009. The album reached #3 on the Billboard 200, selling 131,000 copies in its first week.^[10] These are his best first week sales to date and the album was his first to reach the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. The album has since sold over 800,000 records in the US, earning a Gold certification from the RIAA in February 2010, becoming his first album to be certified by the RIAA.

Trey Songz performing at Summer Jam on June 5, 2010.

The lead single from the album, "I Need a Girl", was released in April 2009 and reached #5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart and #59 on the Hot 100, becoming an R&B/urban hit but not a mainstream hit. A promotional single, "Successful", featuring rapper Drake, was released in June 2009 and reached #17 on the Hot 100, becoming Songz's third Top 20 hit. The single also served as the second and final single from Drake's EP, So Far Gone. The second official single from his third album, "LOL Smiley Face", featuring Soulja Boy Tell 'Em and Gucci Mane, was released in August 2009 and reached #51 on the Hot 100 and #12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The third single from the album, "I Invented Sex", featuring Drake, was released in October 2009 and reached #42 on the Hot 100 but #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming his first single to top that chart. Like the first two singles from the album, it achieved success in the R&B/urban community but only some mainstream success. charted within the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the R&B chart. The fourth single from the album, "Say Aah", featuring rapper Fabolous, was released in January 2010 and reached #9 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single has become Trey's highest charting single on the Hot 100 and one of his most successful singles on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

The fifth and final single from the album, "Neighbors Know My Name", was released in February 2010 and reached #43 on the Hot 100 and #4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. A sixth single, "Yo Side of the Bed", was going to be released in June 2010, but its release was canceled due to unknown reasons. A music video, featuring singer Keri Hilson, was filmed and released, however. Songz was also the opening act for Jay-Z on his Jay-Z Fall Tour in late 2009. The album was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards in 2010, but lost to Beyoncé's I Am... Sasha Fierce. On April 1, 2010, he recorded an episode of MTV Unplugged, which aired on April 26, 2010.^[11] A documentary-series about Trey, Trey Songz: My Moment, began in June 2010 to positive reviews and high ratings. The 10-part series will end in August 2010 and follows Trey during his time as opening act on Jay-Z's Jay-Z Fall Tour in late 2009.

Songz's fourth studio album, Passion, Pain & Pleasure, was released on September 14, 2010.^[12] Trey began work on the album in early 2010 with Sean Garrett, Troy Taylor and Stargate and has stated that the album will be his most personal to date. The album was completed in July 2010. The album's lead single, "Bottoms Up", featuring female rapper Nicki Minaj, was released on July 27, 2010 and has reached number twenty-four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and was shared enough on Facebook to appear as a trending video on ItsTrending. Its video was filmed on July 31, 2010 and is pending release.^[13] Trey also filmed the video for the album's second single, "Can't Be Friends", on August 1, 2010.^[13] "Can't Be Friends" was released as the album's second single in August 2010.^[13] Songz embarked on the Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour on August 6, 2010 with singer Monica. The tour is his first headlining tour to date and consists of shows in venues that seat 3,000 to 5,000 people. Songz also contributed the song "Already Taken" to the Step Up 3D soundtrack, which was released on July 27, 2010. He filmed a video for the song, which was released in July 2010. The leading lady in the video is former girlfriend and professional dancer Helen Gedlu. Songz appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.^[14] Songz performed at BET Awards 2011 which broadcasted on June 26, 2011.^[15]

In July 2011, he was cast in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D as Ryan, the male lead role.^[16]

[edit] 2011–present: Inevitable and Chapter 5

On August 18, 2011, it was announced Songz will be working on his fifth studio titled Chapter 5.^[17] In an interview Trey said the album, which will act as the follow-up to Passion, Pain & Pleasure, is said to be nearing completion. He also carried on to say "It’s my sixth year in the game so I’ve been here for a while now. You can expect the best me you’ve ever heard. I don’t have any release dates in mind right now but I’m just making music and enjoying myself in the studio and having fun. When I get to a place where I feel comfortable saying a date or all of that, people will definitely know. I have a few dream collaborations on that album that I want, but they say if you blow out your candle and make a wish you can’t tell people what you ask for or it won’t come true."^[18]

On November 28, 2011, on his birthday, Songz released his Inevitable EP to prepare for the release of his album. In February 2012, Songz will embark on his Anticipation 2our to promote his mixtape Anticipation 2 and to raise awareness of his new album.

Discography[link]

• I Gotta Make It (2005)
• Trey Day (2007)
• Ready (2009)
• Passion, Pain & Pleasure (2010)
• Chapter V (2012)

Tours[link]

• Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour (headliner) (2010)
• OMG Tour (opening for Usher) (2010)
• Anticipation 2our (headliner) (2012)

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Trey Songz

• Official website
• Trey Songz at the Internet Movie Database