Thalía
Thalía in 2011.
Background information
Birth name	Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda
Born	(1971-08-26) August 26, 1971 (age 40)[1] Mexico City, Mexico
Genres	Latin pop, pop, pop rock, dance, cumbia
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, actress, author, businesswoman, fashion designer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1981–present
Labels	Fonovisa (1985–1994) EMI (1994–2008) Sony Music (2009–present)
Associated acts	Timbiriche, Emilio Estefan, Tommy Mottola, Laura Zapata
Website	[5]

Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda (born August 26, 1971), known mononymously as Thalía (Spanish pronunciation: [taˈli.a]), is a Mexican singer, songwriter and actress. She has sold over 40 million albums worldwide.^[2] She has sung in Spanish, English, French, Portuguese and Tagalog.^[3]

Thalia has been nominated for various Latin Grammy, Latin Billboard and many other awards throughout her career, being considered as one of the best known Latin singers globally.

Apart from her success in music, she also rose to international fame because of her starring in very successful soap operas like Marimar and María la del Barrio. Thalía has achieved to maintain her autonomy and her status as a powerful woman within the recording industry because of her multifaceted career in many different fields of art. She is also an occasional author, businesswoman and fashion designer.

Early life[link]

Thalía was born on August 26, 1971 in Mexico City, Mexico. She is the daughter of Ernesto Sodi Pallares, a scientist, doctor of pathology, criminologist and writer, and Yolanda Miranda Mange, a painter and Thalía's manager from 1980 to 1999. She is the youngest of five children. She has four sisters, Laura Zapata, Federica, Gabriela and Ernestina Sodi. When Thalía was five years old, her father died and this loss had a devastating effect on her. As a youth, Thalia was a good student throughout her school years and studied at the prestigious Lycée Franco-Mexicain whose French-Spanish curriculum made her bilingual at an early age. Thalia said that if she were not in show business, she would become a biologist or psychologist.^[4]

Music career[link]

1981-89: Career beginnings and Timbiriche[link]

In 1981, Thalía started her music career as a vocalist in the Mexican child group Din Din. She performed in the music festival "Juguemos a Cantar" as a member of the group and later, as a soloist. As a vocalist, she is considered a mezzo-soprano. In 1984, she was cast in the teenage version of the stage production "Grease", being cast in the lead role of Sandy.

In 1986, she became a member of the successful Mexican band, Timbiriche, replacing one of the original female vocalists, Sasha Sokol. Thalía recorded three albums with the band, which were titled Timbiriche VII, Timbiriche VIII y IX and Los Clasicos de Timbiriche. Other members of the band were Paulina Rubio, Erik Rubín, Eduardo Capetillo and Edith Márquez. In 1989, she left Timbiriche and that same year, she traveled to Los Angeles, California to prepare for a solo career.

[edit] 1990-92: Thalía, Mundo de Cristal and Love

In 1990, Thalía returned to Mexico and released her first solo album, self-titled Thalía. Produced by Alfredo Diaz Ordaz, Thalía released the album through Fonovisa Records. She received a 2× Gold certification the following year in Mexico.^[5] The album spawned the singles "Un Pacto entre los Dos", "Saliva", "Amarillo Azul", and "Pienso en Ti". This album was highly controversial, especially for the singles "Un Pacto entre los Dos" and "Saliva", which were banned by several radio stations in Mexico, due to their suggestive themes.

In 1991, Thalía traveled to Spain and starred in different television programs, such as VIP de Noche. That same year, she released her second studio album, Mundo de Cristal, produced by Alfredo Diaz Ordaz. The album was certified 2× Gold in Mexico the following year.^[6] This album, released by Fonovisa, spawned three Mexican top ten hits, "Sudor", "En la Intimidad" and "Fuego Cruzado".

In 1992, Thalía released her third studio album, Love. This album was recorded in Spain and produced by the Spanish producer Luis Carlos Esteban. The record includes the Mexican number one hits "Sangre" and "Love". It also contains the top 10 hit "La Vida en Rosa", a Spanish-French adaptation of Édith Piaf's signature song, La Vie en Rose. This album received a Platinum + Gold certification in Mexico.^[7]

[edit] 1995-99: En éxtasis, Nandito Ako and Amor a la Mexicana

Changes came in 1995 when she moved from Fonovisa to EMI Latin and released her label debut, En éxtasis, her fourth studio album and her first record for EMI, featuring her first major international hit, "Piel morena". The album also spawned the singles "Amándote", "Gracias a Dios" and "Quiero hacerte el amor". En éxtasis was produced with the aid of celebrated producers such as Emilio Estefan, Jr. (husband of the famous Cuban singer Gloria Estefan) and Óscar López. The album became her first international success, being recognized with multiple gold and platinum records.

In 1997, Thalía came back to the Philippines to release her first compilation album, Nandito Ako, also the CD single. She also gave two major live concerts that year, both at the Araneta Coliseum. The album is mostly recorded in Tagalog and English. "Nandito ako" features the Tagalog version of Ramon Orlando' merengue song "El Venao", whose title in the album is "Chika Lang". The album was re-edited in 2007 by EMI, to commemorate the 10 years of its release. This later version features different pictures from the original album, all of them taken from the CD "El sexto sentido", which Thalía was going to record many years later.

Her fifth studio album, Amor a la Mexicana, was released in 1997 and produced by Emilio Estefan, in which—returning to her Latin roots—includes rhythms with a Mexican-Cuban flavor in the lead single. The album met international success and was a much stronger album^[who?], which featured hits such as "Amor a la Mexicana", "Por amor" or "Mujer Latina". This album established her as a Latin Pop diva around the world. In the Wax Museum of Mexico City, they unveiled her statue in life size.

That same year, Atlantic Records released the soundtrack for the animated feature film Anastasia, which included the Spanish version of "Journey to the Past" as a bonus track and performed by Thalía.

In 1997, 25 April was declared the "Day of Thalía" in Los Angeles. She has a broad fan base around the world, through her music and telenovelas. She has been named one of the "25 most beautiful people" by the magazine People en Español several times. She has been a guest on television programs, including Hard Copy, Entertainment Tonight, El Show de Cristina and The Rosie O'Donnell Show.

In 1999, she starred in Mambo Café,^[8] a Hollywood production in which she played a young Puerto Rican girl alongside Danny Aiello and Rosanna de Soto with Paul Rodriguez as her father. The movie received poor reviews and went straight to video. Thalía has not since acted in a film.

[edit] 2000-01: Arrasando and Thalía con banda: Grandes éxitos

Emilio Estefan also produced Thalía's sixth studio album, Arrasando, released on April 25, 2000, which was very successful. It spawned the singles "Entre el mar y una estrella", "Regresa a mí", "Arrasando" and "Reencarnación". Thalía was nominated in the Latin Grammy category as the "Best Female Pop Artist of the Year". The album received one Latin Grammy nomination and it won in its category as the "Best Sound Engineered Album of the year". The singles of this album were huge hits. In 2001 she was nominated for her record Arrasando and won a Lo Nuestro award in the category of People's Prize, and was the first artist to whom an innovative award from Billboard Awards for Latin Music was given, the "Star Award".

On May 4, 2001, the President of the United States, George W. Bush, invited her to a party celebrating Cinco de mayo organized at the White House, where she interpreted a potpourri of popular Mexican songs with a Mexican mariachi orchestra.

On August 28, 2001, expressing her love for her country of birth, Mexico, she released her album Con Banda: Grandes Éxitos: a "greatest hits" album, but recorded with the typical Mexican "banda" sound. "Amor a la Mexicana" banda version was released as a single. The album was nominated for a Latin Grammy for "Best Banda Album" at the 3rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2002.

[edit] 2002-03: Thalía, Thalía's Hits Remixed and crossover album

Her seventh studio album, self-titled Thalía, was released on May 21, 2002. It was largely written and produced by Estéfano. Buoyed by a pair of chart-topping singles ("Tú y Yo" and "No me enseñaste") and a top-ten hit ("¿A quién le importa?") (cover of Alaska y Dinarama), this album hit number one for 6 consecutive weeks on the Top Latin Albums chart, reaching number eleven on the Billboard 200 chart and 4x Multi-Platinum status with sales 800,000 copies. It was nominated in one Latin Grammy category – "Female Pop Vocal Album", and in four Latin Billboard categories – "Pop Track Female" and "Tropical Track Female" for "No Me Enseñaste", "Your World Award", and "Female Pop Album", for Thalía, winning the last two awards. "No Me Enseñaste" is one of her biggest hits to date, receiving many Latin Billboard nominations, many other awards, as well as success. It was #1 in Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks and topped Latin airplays.

On February 25, 2003, she released a remix-album called Thalía's Hits Remixed. This album contains some remixes of many of her hits, such as "Amor a la Mexicana", "Piel Morena", "No Me Enseñaste" and "Tú y Yo." The album contains the English version of "Arrasando", called "It's My Party" that was released only on CD single back in 2001. And includes the previously unreleased medley that Thalía recorded especially for her the 2001 Latin Grammy Awards performance. That later was cancelled, due to the 9/11 attacks.

Thalía in the High Voltage Tour Los Angeles concert on May 14, 2004

On July 8, 2003, Thalía released her eighth studio album and the first one in English, the self-titled Thalía, featuring the rapper Fat Joe in "I Want You/Me Pones Sexy". "Baby, I'm in Love/Alguien Real", "Don't Look Back" and "Cerca De Ti" were singles too. The album sold over 150,000 within the first weeks in the United States (52,000 in the first week, landing at #11 in The Billboard 200), it also earned the general gold status in the U.S. for sales of over 500,000. The song "I Want You" entered the American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest and even reached the top 10 during that year. The song also entered the American Billboard Top 100 Singles Charts that year.^[9] She won an International Dance Music Award for her club-hit "Dance Dance (The Mexican)".

[edit] 2004-05: Greatest Hits and El Sexto Sentido

On February 10, 2004, Thalía released her first official Greatest Hits album, and "Cerca de ti" and "Acción y Reacción" were the singles from this album. In April and May, she toured USA and Mexico with her "High Voltage Tour".

Her ninth studio album, El Sexto Sentido, was released on July 19, 2005 and recorded mostly in Spanish, but with a few of the cuts sung in English as well. It was the most expensive CD produced in Latin America in 2005. It had mild success so far, though the sound and the overall result make it one of her most integrated projects. "Amar sin ser amada" (and its English version "You Know He Never Loved You") was the first single of the album (featuring Héctor "El Bambino" only in the Reggaeton version). It is an infectious rock-edged tango-based song. "Un alma sentenciada", the second single, is a feverish and, at points, hyperdramatic ballad. The explosive "Seducción" ("Seduction") was the third single. The album was also certified gold in Argentina, Greece and Mexico. This album was the beginning of her popularity declining. The album and the singles were not the success that she and her record label thought they would be.

[edit] 2006-07: El Sexto Sentido Re+Loaded! and The Conexion Thalía Radio Show

In 2006, the album received a reload version, El Sexto Sentido: Re+Loaded. Thalía was the 'godmother' of Cantando Por Un Sueño, a Mexican TV reality show. It was rumored she got paid 1 million dollars to perform. Thalía recorded the title song of the show, and it was included in the album. It was released in Mexico on February 13, 2006 (U.S. June 6, Spain May 29) and features four new songs, including a duet with the group Aventura "No, No, No" which become a massive hit. "El Sexto Sentido" was nominated in one Latin Billboard category – "Pop Female Album" and in eight Premios Juventud categories.

In 2006, Thalía became a U.S. citizen at a swearing-in ceremony in New York, where she resides with her husband. Under Mexican law she is allowed to retain her Mexican citizenship.

In March 2007, Thalía also joined ABC Radio to start The Conexión Thalía Radio Show, where she talks about music, fashion, news and political issues.

Afterwards, she was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in People en Español 2008 for a record-breaking seventh time where they called her their "Queen". She was once again featured in the 2010 edition for an eighth time.

[edit] 2008-present: Lunada and Primera Fila

In May 2008, Thalía's single "Ten Paciencia", was premiered on the internet.^[10] Although, the single received a lukewarm response and did not perform well in the U.S. charts and Top 20 hits in Mexico, it was #1 in several countries of Latin America. Furthermore, the album Lunada, which was released on June 24, 2008, debuted at #8 in Mexico and peaked at #10 in the Billboard Top Latin Albums (U.S). Despite the poor promotions of the album, it was the last Thalía studio album by EMI .

Thalía later appeared on El Show De Cristina, aired in late July by Univision's Spanish network to promote the said album. According to Univision network, her appearance on the said show, that day, received huge ratings success, reaching #1 in both Chicago and Miami beating the ratings of such huge worldwide networks as CBS, NBC and ABC. The show was viewed by over 87 million people as a result from showing it in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and San Antonio, without even considering her home country Mexico which proves that the public still have not lost interest in her.^[11]

"Será porque te amo", the second single, received no promotion and became another failed single. It is a Spanish language cover version of the Italian hit "Sarà perché ti amo", performed originally by the group Ricchi e Poveri.

On October 23, it was announced that Thalía was suffering from Lyme disease, which is transmitted by ticks. Fortunately, it was discovered quickly, and the singer, as well as her mother, Yolanda Miranda, were able to receive antibiotics in time.^[12] On November 18, Thalía announced the end of her collaboration with EMI Music. After 13 successful years with EMI Music, "the Mexican singer says goodbye to the music label and plans on recording her next album in English." With the recent release of her album Lunada, the 36-year-old singer ended her contract with EMI Music, who recognized that the album was not successful as it was not well promoted since it coincided with the months after her pregnancy when she contracted Lyme disease.

Despite Lunada being a commercial disappointment, it was named as the "Best Album of the Year" by ¡Hola! readers.^[13] The latest work of the Mexican singer achieved 8,750 votes beating artists, such as Luis Miguel, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé and Madonna.^[14]

On July 30, 2009, Thalía recorded her first live album, Primera fila, in Miami, Florida at the BankUnited Center. This is her first project under her new record label, Sony Music. The album was released on December 1, 2009 and has gone multi-platinum since then, selling more than one million copies. Primera Fila shows Thalía's vocal potential and earned positive reception. The album has reached the number one spot quickly after the official release and remains at #1 in Mexican Top selling albums for more than 41 weeks.

"Equivocada" is the first single and was released on October 7, 2009. The second single is "Qué será de ti" and was released on February 1, 2010. The third single, "Con la duda", features the Mexican singer-songwriter Joan Sebastian and was released on April 25, 2010.

Both "Enseñame a vivir" and "Estoy enamorado" were released as singles on July 6—09, 2010. The first one was released only in Argentina, Central America and Spain, and the second one was released only in Mexico, the United States and Puerto Rico. "Estoy enamorado" features the Puerto Rican singer Pedro Capó.

In 2011, Thalía recorded a duet, "Mis Deseos / Feliz Navidad" with Canadian singer Michael Bublé on his 2011 album Christmas.

Acting career[link]

Thalia was cast in a supporting role in the 1986 telenovela "Pobre señorita Limantour", beginning her collaboration with Televisa. In 1987, she went on to star in her first major role for Televisa in the 1987 teenage drama Quinceañera, co-starring Adela Noriega, Quinceañera won the "TV y Novelas" award for Best Telenovela of the Year in 1988. In 1989, Thalía got her first lead role in "Luz y Sombra", which was not very successful. In 1992, she starred in "María Mercedes" for which she won a "TV Y Novelas" award as Best Young Actress in 1993. This was also the first in a series of three telenovelas dubbed by the Mexican press as "Las Tres Marias". The second telenovela in the installment was "Marimar" in 1994, followed by the third and final installment in the series "Maria la del Barrio" in 1995. In 1999, Thalía starred in her last telenovela, "Rosalinda". All four telenovelas were basically based on the same rags to riches character.

Thalia acted in her first movie as a child in the 1979 film "La Guerra De los Pasteles". She went on to star in her only English language film "Mambo Café", in 1999.

Business[link]

In 2003 launched a successful clothing line, exclusively available in Kmart, under the name "Thalía Sodi Collection". With huge success, her clothing line went from 300 Kmart stores to 1,500.^[15] On August 13, 2003, a fashion show, "La Gran Noche de Thalía", marked the launch of the new Latin flavored collection at Capitale restaurant in New York City. The Thalía Sodi Collection was a success from the start, and her success was such that newspapers and magazines such as The New York Times, The New York Post and Fortune Magazine positively compared her to brand powerhouses Oprah and Martha Stewart. In addition, she has appeared on the front over of magazines such as Bazaar en español, Cosmopolitan en español, Shape en español and Latina, amongst others. People en Español chose her as the most beautiful Latin person for 2003.

Thalía and Kmart also released a successful eyewear collection "Thalía eyewear". Kenmark group is thrilled to have sold over 1 million units in its Thalía Eyewear collection, said John Justice, VP of International Sales ("Designing an eyewear collection with Thalía has been amazing. Only Thalía could bring such fun and unique styles to eyewear with her festive Latina flair and passion for life"). Building on the success of Thalía Eyewear, Kenmark launched an extension of the collection named "Thalía Girls" in March 2004. Thalía Girls features trendy shapes, colorful accents and sparkling rhinestone frames for girls ages 7–14 who love fashion and fun. Both collections have achieved phenomenal success in the optical industry by filling a void for the Hispanic market in women's eyewear.

In 2004, Thalía later signed a contract with the American chocolate company, Hershey's. She appears in the company's Spanish-language advertisements and sells her own branch of Hershey's products called "La Dulcería Thalía" (The Thalía Candy Shop).^[16] Hershey is also sponsored Thalía's "High Voltage" concert tour. The variety of sweets inspired by Thalía for the Latin community has been so well-received by the public, that Hershey's sales in the United States have notably gone up, especially in relation to the products promoted by Thalía.

In November 2004, Thalía Signed on as the First Face of Jeweler Jacob & Co.^[17]

In 2006, Thalía was the Face of "Carol's Daughter" Beauty Products. She and her husband Tommy Mottola are partners and investors at the natural beauty products company Carol's Daughter. Thalía and her husband Tommy Mottola, along with personalities such as Will Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Jay-Z, Beyonce and Steve Stoute, presented natural beauty products "Carol's Daughter – Beauty by Nature" at a press conference in New York City.

In 2007, Thalía, who became a US citizen in January 2006, joined ABC Radio, now Cumulus Media Networks, to start "The Conexión Thalía Radio Show", where she talks about music, fashion, news and political issues.^[18] The Conexión Thalía Radio Show, a two-hour weekly radio program starring superstar Thalía premiered on March 17, 2007.

In September 2007, Thalía released "Thalía: ¡Belleza!-Lessons in Lipgloss and Happiness".^[19] In this, her first book, she delivers the ultimate guide to Latina beauty, the book became a best-seller. She released her second book in June 2009, titled "Thalia: ¡Radiante!-Your Guide to a Fit and a Fabulous Pregnancy". In November 2011, she released her third book, titled "Thalía: Growing Stronger".

Personal life[link]

On December 2, 2000, Thalía married music executive Tommy Mottola in New York City at St. Patrick's Cathedral. They have two children: a daughter and a son.^[20][21]

In September 2002, Thalía's sisters, Laura Zapata and Ernestina Sodi, were kidnapped in Mexico City. Zapata was released 18 days after her kidnapping, and her sister Ernestina was released on the 36th day.^[22][23]

Discography[link]

Music groups[link]

• Din Din (1981–83) – (4 albums)
• Timbiriche (1986–89) – (3 albums)

Tours[link]

• High Voltage Tour (2004)

Filmography[link]

Written works[link]

• Thalía: ¡Belleza! Lessons in Lipgloss and Happiness (2007)
• Thalía: ¡Radiante! Your Guide to a Fit and Fabulous Pregnancy (2009)
• Thalía: Growing stronger (2011)

Awards and nominations[link]

See also[link]

• Sodi family
• Tommy Mottola

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

• TV y Novelas Magazine August 2005
• TV y Novelas Magazine August 2005
• Furia Musical Magazine Mexico edition September 2001
• İQué Pegue! Especial Magazine October 2000
• TV y Novelas Magazine 1998
• Mundo De Cristal-Biography

Folk Arts Theater and Araneta Coliseum SRO attendance[link]

• Philippine Star Newspaper August 1996
• Manila Bulletin Newspaper August 1996
• Philippine Daily Inquirer Newspaper 1996
• RPN 9 TV News 1996 and 1997

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Thalía

• Thalia.com — Thalía official website
• Thalía at the Internet Movie Database

Fat Joe
Joe performing in April 2011
Background information
Birth name	Joseph Antonio Cartagena[1]
Born	(1970-08-19) August 19, 1970 (age 41)[1][2][3] New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	East Coast hip hop, mafioso rap, hardcore hip hop
Occupations	Rapper
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Terror Squad Entertainment, Relativity, Atlantic, Imperial, E1
Associated acts	Big Punisher, Terror Squad, D.I.T.C., DJ Premier, Kool G Rap, Apache, Grand Puba, R. Kelly, KRS-One, Raekwon, Jadakiss, Big L, N.O.R.E., DJ Khaled, Kill All Rats
Website	www.myspace.com/fatjoe

Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad.

Fat Joe's first album was Represent, released in 1993, followed by Jealous One's Envy in 1995. From 1998 to 2006, he was signed to Atlantic Records, releasing four albums under the label, Don Cartagena in 1998, Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) in 2001, Loyalty in 2002, and All or Nothing in 2005.^[1] Around the release of All or Nothing, Fat Joe became involved in a highly publicized feud with another New York City-based rapper 50 Cent, who attacked Fat Joe in his song "Piggy Bank". His most popular song in which he performed was his Remy Ma duet "Lean Back" with Terror Squad. The song was a number-one hit in the summer of 2004.

Starting in 2006, when his album Me, Myself, & I was released, Fat Joe was signed to Imperial Records, which distributes through Terror Squad Entertainment. His follow up album wasThe Elephant in the Room, which was released in 2008; Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 (J.O.S.E. 2), the sequel to Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.), was released in October 2009. His tenth album The Darkside Vol. 1 was released on July 27, 2010.

Early life[link]

Fat Joe was born on August 19, 1970 in the southern Bronx area of New York City, where he was raised by parents of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent.^[1][4] He lived in public housing and began stealing at a young age to support his family.^[5] He also states that he was a bully in his childhood.^[5] His brother introduced him to rap music. As a teenager, he was highly influenced by fellow Latino rapper Big Pun. Fat Joe explained the rapper's influence on him by saying "Latinos before us who had the opportunity to do it just didn't know how to do it. They came in trying to do this black music, waving flags. [But] we're trying to kick in the doors for other Latinos and represent our people, and it shows."^[6]

Music career[link]

1992–1995: Early years[link]

Under stage name Fat Joe da Gangsta and part of the Diggin' in the Crates (D.I.T.C.) rap group, Cartagena was signed to Relativity Records in the early 1990s, recording material and working with many artists who he would later sign to his own label. In 1993, his debut album, Represent, was released, featuring production from The Beatnuts, Diamond D, Lord Finess, and others. Its lead single, "Flow Joe" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart; other minor singles from the album included "Watch the Sound" and "This Shit is Real".^[1]

In 1995, Fat Joe released his second studio album, Jealous One's Envy, which peaked at #71 on The Billboard 200 and at #7 on Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums. The album featured a guest appearance from KRS-One and production from Diamond D. The lead single was Success, which did not chart, but his second single, "Envy" peaked at #8 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. The success of this album led Fat Joe to be featured on the remix of LL Cool J's single "I Shot Ya" along with Foxy Brown, Keith Murray and Prodigy of Mobb Deep.^[1]

1998–2005: Signing to Atlantic Records, Terror Squad, feud with 50 Cent[link]

Released in 1998, Don Cartagena was Joe's third album and his first for Atlantic Records. It peaked on The Billboard 200 at #7 and #2 on Top R&B/Hip Hop albums, eventually being certified gold by the RIAA.^[7]

The album featured two hit singles "Bet Ya Man Can't Triz", and "Don Cartagena". Guest appearances included Nas, Diddy, Big Pun, Raekwon, Jadakiss, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Within the album, Fat Joe debuted his own group Terror Squad that consisted of the late Big Pun, as well as Cuban Link, Triple Seis, Prospect, Armageddon and later Remy Ma.^[8] Joe himself acknowledged, in an interview with HipHopGame.com, that he has received criticism for releasing only one solo album by a former Terror Squad member, Remy Ma, as well as barely featuring original members Prospect and Armageddon on "True Story." Terror Squad singer Tony Sunshine has had possible album release dates pushed back over three years, and Joe had stated that artists Prospect and Armageddon have not released solo albums yet as the result of them being "really lazy".^[9] Former Terror Squad member Triple Seis also went on record when asked who had written Fat Joe's lyrics, stating that he and Pun were Joe's ghostwriters, and asserts that Joe continues to hire ghostwriters.^[10] In 1999, he appeared on Jennifer Lopez's single "Feelin' So Good" from her On the 6 album with late rapper Big Pun.

Fat Joe released his fourth album Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) in 2001, featuring production from the then-popular Irv Gotti. The album featured a star-studded line up from the likes of Ashanti, Ja Rule, N.O.R.E., Busta Rhymes, Petey Pablo, M.O.P., Ludacris, R. Kelly, Buju Banton, and artists from his Terror Squad label. The lead single "We Thuggin'" featuring R. Kelly was a big hit in late 2001, but would not reach the level of the Irv Gotti-produced "What's Luv?" which was a massive hit in early 2002 and featured The Inc. superstars Ja Rule and Ashanti. The album was Fat Joe's biggest hit as it was successful from its January release all the way into May, being certified platinum.^[7] However, Fat Joe's fifth album Loyalty, released later in 2002 and featuring production from Irv Gotti, was not as successful.

In 2003, Fat Joe was featured in the pop single "I Want You" by Mexican singer Thalía. The same year, he and Tony Sunshine performed the single "Crush Tonight" from Loyalty on the Comedy Central program Chappelle's Show, hosted by comedian Dave Chappelle.^[11]

Despite the setback, Fat Joe scored a number-one hit in 2004 with his group Terror Squad, collaborating with Remy Ma on the Scott Storch production "Lean Back" from the album True Story.^[8] The song was criticized twice by conservative columnist L. Brent Bozell III for its extensive use of obscenity.^[12][13] However, Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic called the song "a perfect club-ready duet between Joe and Remy Ma that boasts a trademark Scott Storch beat and a memorable singalong hook and dance-along step".^[14]

A year later, in 2005, Fat Joe released his sixth album All or Nothing, noted for featuring the popular diss track "My Fofo", aimed at fellow New York rapper 50 Cent, who had dissed Joe for recording with Ja Rule.^[15] All or Nothing spawned the singles "So Much More" and "Get It Poppin" featuring Nelly, also with guest appearances from Eminem, Mase, Remy Ma, Mashonda, and R. Kelly. Responding to "My Fofo", 50 Cent attacked Fat Joe in his song "Piggy Bank" from his best-selling 2005 album The Massacre.^[16][17][18] Fat Joe subsequently attacked 50's street credibility and called him a "coward" on a phone interview with Kay Slay of New York City hip-hop radio station WQHT.^[19] The conflict carried on at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, while Fat Joe introduced the reggaeton act featuring Daddy Yankee, Joe remarked, "I feel safe with all the police protection—courtesy of G-Unit."^[20] Shortly after, when MTV switched to a commercial break, 50 Cent directed an obscenity at Joe, and 50 Cent jumped on stage as Fat Joe was leaving.^[21]

[edit] 2006–2008: Me, Myself & I, The Elephant in the Room, the 50 Cent feud continued, and more

Fat Joe performing in Portugal in 2006

Me, Myself & I, released in 2006, is Fat Joe's seventh album. It was his first album released on his new deal with Virgin Records. It featured the hit single "Make It Rain" with southern rapper Lil Wayne, followed by "No Drama (Clap and Revolve)". Fat Joe did a freestyle cipher segment for VH1's "Freestyle 59" competition in October 2006 prior to the VH1 Hip Hop Honors featuring New Jersey emcee Neuse.^[22]

In June 2007, the Reverend Michael Pfleger targeted Fat Joe as among several rappers he believed promoted misogyny in his billboard campaign "Stop Listening to Trash", which was launched June 18, 2007 throughout Chicago, Illinois, where Pfleger preaches.^[23] Also that month, Fat Joe was featured in the DJ Khaled singles "We Takin' Over" alongside Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Birdman, and Lil Wayne and the remix to Khaled's "I'm So Hood" with Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Ludacris, and Birdman. Verbal disputes between Fat Joe and 50 Cent continued during this time period: in September 2007, on the BET program Rap City, 50 Cent accused Fat Joe of being cowardly for not willing to confront him, but Fat Joe dismissed this claim as nonsense.^[24] Later in January, 50 Cent released another Fat Joe diss, called "Southside Nigga (I'm Leaving)". At the end of January 2008, Fat Joe and his longtime accountant Brian Dittrich both denied rumors spreading on the Internet that Fat Joe owed the IRS in taxes.^[25]

Fat Joe's eighth solo studio album The Elephant in the Room was distributed by Imperial Records, a division of Capitol Records and Terror Squad Entertainment,^[26][27] and released on March 11, 2008; its lead single was "I Won't Tell" featuring singer J. Holiday.^[28] The album debuted at the sixth position on the Billboard Hot 100.^[29] "Ain't Sayin' Nuthin'" followed and featured Plies.

On March 20, 2008, shortly after record sales were released for Fat Joe's new album The Elephant in the Room, 50 Cent released a video via his YouTube account, which features the "funeral" of Fat Joe, which shows 50 Cent crying in the fake footage. 50 Cent then talks about Fat Joe's record sales, and states that he ended Fat Joe's career (like he says he did to Ja Rule's) and that his mixtape blew out Fat Joe's album.^[30]

[edit] 2009: Jealous Ones Still Envy 2

Fat Joe's ninth solo studio album, J.O.S.E. 2, was released towards the end of June 2009.^[31] The project reprises the title of Joe’s 2002 RIAA-Certified Platinum release, Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.), and marked Joe’s third release since bringing his Terror Squad imprint to the EMI family in 2006. For this album, Joe has reached out to many artists, landing assists from Ron Browz, Fabolous, Lil' Kim, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, and Akon. Producers include Jim Jonsin, The Inkredibles, and frequent collaborator StreetRunner.^[32] "One", featuring Akon, was the first single. The album was released on October 6, 2009 and sold 11,000 copies in its first week. It debuted on The Billboard 200 at #73.^[33]

[edit] 2010: Signing to E1 Music and The Darkside

In January 2010, Fat Joe announced that he was working on a new album, The Darkside Vol. 1. MTV News reported that Fat Joe intended "all the material...to be much harsher" than his previous album. Production comes from The Alchemist, Cool & Dre, Streetrunner, DJ Premier, Scoop DeVille, Just Blaze, Scram Jones, Raw Uncut and DJ Infamous with guest appearances by Busta Rhymes, Trey Songz, Lil Wayne, R Kelly, Clipse, Cam'ron, Rico Love, Too $hort, TA and Young Jeezy.^[34] The first single from The Darkside Vol. 1 is "(Ha Ha) Slow Down," which features Young Jeezy. The second single off the album is "If It Ain't About Money" and features Trey Songz.

On March 28, 2010 Fat Joe signed a record deal with E1 Music.^[35][36] The Darkside Vol. 1 was released on July 27, 2010 and sold approximately 12,000 copies in the first week and entered the Billboard 200 at #27.

On August 6, 2010 Fat Joe was interviewed on MTV RapFix Live by Sway. Fat Joe announced in the interview that he planned to record 2 more volumes of The Darkside and then retire.^[37]

[edit] 2011–present: Darkside Vol. 2 mixtape & TBA

Joe was featured on a remix to DJ Khaled's song "Welcome to My Hood", which also features Ludacris, T-Pain, Bust Rhymes, Twista, Mavado, Birdman, Ace Hood, Game, Jadakiss, Bun B and Waka Flocka Flame. It is included as the final track on Khaled's fifth studio album We the Best Forever.

In an interview with XXL Magazine on September 21, 2011 Fat Joe stated Darkside Vol. 2 is going to be his first ever official mixtape and will feature the Mark Henry produced songs "Massacre on Madison" and "Drop a Body", both of which were released earlier in the year. Joe went on to say he is also working on an album which is yet to be named but the first single is called "Another Round" produced by Cool and Dre and Young Lad and features Chris Brown.^[38]
On October 19, 2011 Another Round the first single off Joe's yet to be named eleventh studio album was released on iTunes^[39]

Personal life[link]

Fat Joe in July 2005

Family[link]

Fat Joe currently lives in Miami and is married with three children.^[40]

Community work[link]

Fat Joe has been back to his old school in the Bronx, New York to donate computers for the students.

In 2008 He attended the grand opening of the Hip Hop Soda Shop in Miami which was community outreach project set up by Ben Chavis for the youth to hang out and do things such as record music, use the computers and play on Xbox 360s.^[41]

At a "School is Cool" assembly in Public School 5 in Jersey City, New Jersey on June 11, 2009, Fat Joe was a speaker.^[42]

Weight loss[link]

By 1996, he weighed 300 pounds.^[2] In 2005, Stuff magazine^[43] and ContactMusic.com^[44] profiled Fat Joe's weight loss efforts.

In 2011, Fat Joe unveiled his latest weight loss efforts in the video for his song "Drop a Body"^[45] after shedding 88 pounds off his previous weight of 350 pounds. He has said although he loves to eat KFC, McDonald’s and other less healthy foods he had to stop due to losing several friends, including former Terror Squad member Big Pun to obesity and he wanted to stay alive to see his children grow up. He lost the weight without the help of supplements and fad diets by combining 2 hour cardio and weight lifting sessions with proper eating habits. Instead of Burger King, KFC, and McDonald’s, he opted for smaller portioned meals of fruit, vegetables, and lean meats.^[46] Furthermore he follows a low-carb approach, eating some sweet potatoes but not eating bread, rice and pasta.^[47]

Basketball[link]

Fat Joe is a huge fan of the New York Knicks and was involved in convincing Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony to sign with them.^[48]

Legal issues[link]

On September 8, 1998, Fat Joe and Big Pun were arrested on assault charges for hitting a man with a baseball bat and stealing the man's gold chain on June 14 that year.^[3]

Joe was arrested again on May 12, 2002 for allegedly fighting with another man at B.B. King's Blues Club in Times Square, but the charges were dropped on January 10, 2003.^[49]

In two murder cases, Fat Joe has been named a witness:

Joe's former bodyguard, Jose Mulero (also known as Sing Sing), was arrested on September 17, 2004 for the April 15, 1994 shooting death of 16-year-old Ernesto Rivera at a Bronx nightclub. Responding to a subpoena, Fat Joe claimed to have heard the shooting and seen people fleeing the scene, but investigators argued that he was standing closer to Mulero, by a door.^[50]

Miami Beach police also named Fat Joe as a witness in a Memorial Day double homicide outside David's Cafe II in South Beach. Jermaine Wufgang Chamberline of Miami Gardens was accused of shooting Lessli Paz and Joey Navarro to death on that morning; Fat Joe and the two victims were sitting in a rented Cadillac Escalade parked outside the restaurant when a fight broke out between passengers and another man.^[51]

LGBT people[link]

During an interview with Vlad TV, Joe stated that while not gay himself, gay people should not hide their sexuality and stand by what they are. He mentioned that it's possible that he has done songs with gay rappers and that there are likely several gay people besides just rappers in the Hip Hop industry who are in the closet, describing it as a "Gay Mafia".^[52]

His comments came after being asked to comment on Mister Cee being arrested for public lewdness with a transgender.^[53]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Represent (1993, as Fat Joe da Gangsta)
• Jealous One's Envy (1995)
• Don Cartagena (1998)
• Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) (2001)
• Loyalty (2002)
• All or Nothing (2005)
• Me, Myself & I (2006)
• The Elephant in the Room (2008)
• Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 (J.O.S.E. 2) (2009)
• The Darkside Vol. 1 (2010)^[36]
• TBA^[38] (2012)

Filmography[link]

• Thicker Than Water (1999) - Lonzo Medina
• Prison Song (2001)
• Empire (2002)
• Scary Movie 3 (2003) - As Himself
• Happy Feet (2006) - voice of Seymour

See also[link]

• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• Latin hip hop
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References[link]

External links[link]

• Fat Joe on Myspace
• Official website (archived from 2009)
• Fat Joe on Twitter
• Fat Joe at the Internet Movie Database

Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin in the Casa Rosada, September 2011.
Background information
Birth name	Enrique Martín Morales
Born	(1971-12-24) December 24, 1971 (age 40) San Juan, Puerto Rico
Genres	Pop, Latin pop, dance-pop, world, reggae, urban pop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, actor
Years active	1984–present
Labels	Columbia, Sony Music Latin, Sony Music Mexico
Associated acts	Menudo
Website	rickymartinmusic.com

Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican^[1] pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991. Throughout his career, he has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide.^[2] He is the founder of the Ricky Martin Foundation (in Spanish Fundación Ricky Martin), a non-profit charity organization aimed at human trafficking.

Martin got his start at age twelve with the all-boy pop group Menudo; after five years with the group, he released his Spanish-language solo album, Ricky Martin, in 1991. He also acted on stage and on TV in Mexico, becoming a modest star in the country. In 1994 he starred on the American TV soap opera General Hospital, playing a Puerto Rican singer. In 1999, after several albums in Spanish, he released his first English-language album (also titled Ricky Martin), which included "Livin' la Vida Loca". The album sold 22 million copies and brought Martin international fame.^[3] His other studio albums include: Me Amarás (1993), A Medio Vivir (1995), Vuelve (1998), Sound Loaded (2000), Almas del Silencio (2003), Life (2005), and Música + Alma + Sexo (2011).

On the edge of the new millennium, Martin—almost by himself—gave Latino music an international face. An acclaimed performance at the 1999 Grammy Awards launched Martin into worldwide super-stardom. As Entertainment Weekly's Andrew Essex reported, "his leather-pants, electro-pelvis version of 'La Copa de la Vida' single-handedly goosed a very dull [Grammy] telecast, earning him a standing ovation." In 2010, Martin announced that he was a "fortunate homosexual man", ending years of fan speculation on the topic. His twin sons, Matteo and Valentino, were born via a surrogate mother in 2008. Martin also co-owns a Miami restaurant, Casa Salsa, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007. On November 4, 2011, Ricky Martin was granted Spanish citizenship for his artistic merits and for his grandmother being Iberian born. Martin currently stars as Che in the Broadway revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita.

Early life[link]

Martin was born on December 24, 1971, in San Juan, Puerto Rico,^[4] the son of Nereida Morales, an accountant, and Enrique Martín Negroni, a psychologist. His parents divorced when he was two; his father remarried. Martin has two maternal half-brothers, Fernando and Ángel Fernández, and two paternal half-brothers, Eric and Daniel Martín, and a paternal half-sister Vanessa Martín.^[5] Martin grew up in a Roman Catholic home and was an altar boy until he joined Menudo.^[6] Martin has Spanish ancestry through his grandmother who was born in Spain^[7] and some Corsican ancestry as his paternal fourth great-grandfathers were born in Rogliano, Cap Corse, Corsica, and Vilanova i la Geltrú, Catalonia (Spain).^[8][9]

Ricky Martin was a member of Puerto Rican boy band Menudo between 1984 and 1989. After completing high school, Martin left San Juan and moved to New York City. Later, Martin moved to Mexico City where he attended the national school of space. He played lead role in a 1989 musical-theatre release named Mis Tennis Rojos (My Red Tennis Shoes) next to Angélica Vale and then followed another theater production Mama Ama el Rock (Mom Loves Rock).

Career[link]

Early solo work: 1991–1994[link]

In 1991, Ricky Martin participated in a telenovela titled Alcanzar una estrella II next to Sasha Sokol. Out of this soap opera a musical group was formed named Muñecos de Papel in which he was one of the six members; they toured several cities in Mexico and recorded two albums. His main single was "Juego de Ajedrez". A film based on the TV series was also produced in which Martin played Pablo, earning a Heraldo Award in 1993.

While acting in Mexico, Martin was signed to Sony Discos, the Sony Music Entertainment's Latin imprint, in 1990. He released his first solo album, the Spanish-language Ricky Martin, in November 1991, which included the hit singles: "Fuego Contra Fuego" and "El Amor de Mi Vida". Later, Ricky Martin performed a string of sold-out concert dates across South America.

In May 1993, Martin released his second solo album, Me Amarás, which featured a Spanish-language cover of the Laura Branigan song "Self Control", titled "Que Dia Es Hoy".

Martin moved to Los Angeles, California in 1994 and landed a role as bartender and singer Miguel Morez in the American soap opera General Hospital.

Breakthrough: 1995–1998[link]

In 1995, Martin refocused on his music career, and his third album, A Medio Vivir, became an international breakthrough. With this album, Martin made a shift from formulaic hit ballads to a more risky fusion of music centered around traditional Latin sounds, epitomized by the hit "Maria". The song broke Martin into Europe via Spain.^[10] "Maria" went to number one in France, Belgium Wallonia and Australia, and reached the top ten in most European countries; it even charted on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number eighty-eight.^[11] With the ballad "Te Extraño, Te Olvido, Te Amo", Martin furthered his expansion from Latin American and Spanish-speaking audiences to the European and Asian markets.^[12] The album has sold over 3 million copies worldwide.

After the conclusion of a worldwide tour, Martin returned to New York to appear in a Broadway theatre production for the first time, joining the cast of the hit musical Les Misérables to play the romantic lead, Marius Pontmercy.

While on Broadway, Martin returned to the studio and recorded his fourth album, Vuelve (1998). The title track and the ballad "Perdido Sin Tí" both hit number one on the Hot Latin Songs. The album's pinnacle, however, was "La Copa de la Vida", which Martin made a major hit in an English version when he was chosen to sing the anthem of the 1998 FIFA World Cup. "La Copa de la Vida" reached number one on the charts around the world and went gold and platinum in various countries. It was awarded Pop Song of the Year at the 1999 Lo Nuestro Awards.^[13] Further singles included: "La Bomba", "Por Arriba, Por Abajo" and "Corazonado". Vuelve spent twenty-six weeks at number one on the Billboard Top Latin Albums. It became Martin's first top forty album on the Billboard 200 in the United States, where it was certified platinum by the RIAA. The album also went to number one in Spain and Norway, and sold over eight million copies worldwide.^[14]

Martin was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album for Vuelve, and was booked to sing on the 41st Grammy Awards live TV broadcast. The now-legendary performance of "The Cup of Life" stopped the show, earning Martin an unexpected standing ovation and introducing the star to the mainstream American audience.^[15][16] Martin capped off the evening by winning the Grammy Award.

Crossover to English: 1999–2002[link]

After several years as a major star in Spanish-speaking countries, Martin prepared his first English album in 1999. The self-titled album contained material by writers and producers such as Desmond Child, Diane Warren, William Orbit, George Noriega and his longtime childhood friend Draco Rosa. The album also featured special guests: Madonna on the Spanish-English duet "Be Careful (Cuidado con mi Corazón)" and Meja on "Private Emotion".

The first and most prominent single was "Livin' la Vida Loca", which reached number one in many countries around the world, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. It was followed by "She's All I Ever Had" which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Both tracks peaked at number one on the Hot Latin Songs. "Livin' la Vida Loca" is generally seen as the song that began the Latin pop explosion of 1999 and made the transition of other Latin artists (first Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias, then later Shakira) into the English-speaking market easier. Ricky Martin became one of the top-selling albums of 1999, and was certified 7× platinum in the United States, selling over 22 million copies worldwide. In October 1999, Martin embarked on a very successful year-long Livin' la Vida Loca Tour.