Maurice Young (born September 27, 1973), better known by his stage name Trick Daddy, is an American rapper and producer.

Music career[link]

Trick appeared on the track "Scarred" by former 2 Live Crew member, he worked with Luther "Luke" Campbell, Produced by Darren "DJ Spin" Rudnick, from Luke's 1996 album Uncle Luke. The song became a hit and immediately caught the attention of fans and record producers alike. Ted Lucas, a former concert promoter and then-CEO of Slip-n-Slide Records, signed the rapper to the newly formed record label. Slip-n-Slide released Trick Daddy Dollars's debut album Based on a True Story in 1997; the album was popular in the Miami area.^[1]

In 1998, when his next album www.thug.com was released, Trick removed "Dollars" from his stage name. Club-oriented track "Nann Nigga", featuring Trina, became a national hit, peaking at the third spot of the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart.^[2] Atlantic Records signed Trick Daddy to the label in 2000 and released Book of Thugs: Chapter AK Verse 47 that year. "Shut Up", which Jason Birchmeier of allmusic considered "a rowdy club hit similar to 'Nann Nigga'",^[1] followed "Nann" as the next single; featured guests on "Shut Up" were Deuce Poppito, Trina, and Co.

Thugs Are Us, released in 2001, featured the hit single "I'm a Thug" (released March 20, 2001) which reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[2] His fifth album Thug Holiday boasted "In da Wind", which Birchmeier believed was Trick Daddy's most creative single.^[1] In 2004, Thug Matrimony: Married To The Streets was released, with hit single "Let's Go", produced by Lil Jon, featuring Twista, and sampling the guitar riffs from the Ozzy Osbourne hit "Crazy Train".^[1] That year, Trick Daddy guest-performed on the Ying Yang Twins' "What's Happnin!", which reached #30 on the Hot 100, #7 on the Rhythmic Top 40, and #9 on the Hot Rap Singles.^[3] "Let's Go" peaked on #7 on the Hot 100, #4 on the Rhythmic Top 40, and #4 on Hot Rap Tracks.^[2] Back By Thug Demand followed in 2006,^[1] with singles "Bet That" and "Tuck Ya Ice" charting on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.^[2]. This album launched the career of Trick Daddy's Group, Dunk Ryders with their record "Damn Right" featuring Dray Skky, and Trick's Joint Venture Label Deal with Cash Money Records.

Following Back By Thug Demand, Trick Daddy appeared on several singles by DJ Khaled: "Born-N-Raised" in 2006 from Listennn... the Album in 2006, "I'm So Hood" from We the Best, and "Out Here Grindin'" from We Global in 2008, all among numerous other rappers. "Born-N-Raised" peaked at #83 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles, and "I'm So Hood" peaked at #19 on the Hot 100 and #5 on the Hot Rap Tracks.^[4] He appeared on Pitbull's 2007 album The Boatlift.^[5] Trick Daddy left Slip-n-Slide in 2008 and released his 8th studio album Finally Famous: Born a Thug Still a Thug on September 25, 2009, under his own Dunk Ryder Records. In late 2010 Trick Daddy formed a new label Trick Daddy Music Group, signing fellow rappers Kasino, A-Dot, Dutch Dirty and 2T to the roster. Trick Daddy is currently working on a new album to be released in 2012 under his new label. Recently he has released a single featuring Young Jeezy, called "I Can't Leave These Streets Alone", and then was featured on the track "This Is For You", from Jeezy's latest album, Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition, released in December 2011.

Film career[link]

In 2009 Trick Daddy appeared in the film Just Another Day playing Roman, a shifty and horny drug dealer. The film is about the intersecting lives of an aspiring rapper and an old successful rapper over the course of one day.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life[link]

Trick Daddy announced that he has lupus, which has affected his skin, and that he has stopped taking medication to combat the disease.^[6] The rapper's rationale for refusing treatment was that "Because for every medicine they gave me I had to take a test or another medicine every thirty days or so to make sure that medicine wasn’t causing side effects dealing with kidney or liver failure…I just said all together I ain’t taking no medicine."^[7]

Discography[link]

• 1997: Based on a True Story
• 1998: www.thug.com
• 2000: Book of Thugs: Chapter AK Verse 47
• 2001: Thugs Are Us
• 2002: Thug Holiday
• 2004: Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets
• 2006: Back by Thug Demand
• 2009: Finally Famous: Born a Thug, Still a Thug
• TBA: www.thug.com2^[8]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Dunk Ryder Records
• Trick Daddy at Atlantic Records

Memphis Bleek
Background information
Birth name	Malik Cox
Born	(1978-06-23) June 23, 1978 (age 34)
Origin	Marcy Houses, Brooklyn, New York
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper Actor Record Producer
Years active	1995-present
Labels	Get Low Records (1996-Present) Roc-a-Fella Records (1996–2009) Mass Appeal Entertainment (2009-Present)
Associated acts	Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, Beenie Man, Too $hort, Ja Rule, DMX

Malik Cox (born June 23, 1978), better known by his rap persona of Memphis Bleek or "Bleek", is a New York rapper mainly known for his tenure with Roc-a-Fella Records and CEO of his own label Get Low Records. He has released four albums during his career (all of which went Gold) , and had planned to release The Process in 2011, although the album has yet to be completed.

Biography[link]

NYC 1998

Memphis Bleek was one of the first artists signed to Roc-A-Fella Records, as protege to long time friend, Jay-Z. He appeared on the Jay-Z Albums Reasonable Doubt, Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life, Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, and The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse.^[1] Bleeks first official appearance was Coming of Age from Reasonable Doubt. After the huge success of the multi-platinum Hard Knock Life album and exposure of the Roc-A-Fella camp, (a Memphis Bleek track off the aforementioned Jay-Z album, "It's Alright", actually charted on Billboard), the label released Memphis Bleek's debut album, Coming of Age. The album was the weeks Hot Shot Debut on the Billboard 200, peaking at #7 with 118,000 units sold in its first week.^[2] MEMPHIS which the rapper explained to pay homage to Pimps; Making Easy Money Pimping Hoes In Style. He has released 3 more albums since his debut, The Understanding, M.A.D.E., and 534(all of which went Gold) . In between the release of The Understanding and M.A.D.E., he took a three year hiatus, in which time he took care of his older brother, who was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident.^[3] There are three significant notes to take away from the album 534, which was named after the building number where Memphis and Jay-Z grew up in the Marcy Projects. First, it was the first release from the "new" Roc-A-Fella Records, referring to Jay-Z becoming President of Def Jam.^[4] It was also the first official Def Jam recording by label mate turned international star, Rihanna, on the song "The One". And lastly, this album marks where Jay-Z released his first song since beginning his brief "retirement". The song was called "Dear Summer", in reference to what Jay called the time of the year when he would drop a classic album or single every year for 8 straight years, and how he had to metaphorically leave "her", Summer.^[5]

His single chart status has not proved to be as impressive, as much of his following being with Hip-Hop listeners following Jay-Z and the record Label, and not commercial singles success. His highest charting single was "Is That Yo Chick", Featuring Missy Elliott and Jay-Z, which peaked at #7 on the Hot Rap Singles Billboard Chart, and only one of two songs by the artist to crack the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #68, and the only track to appear on one of his solo albums. The other single being "It's Alright", appearing on the Hard Knock Life album by Jay-Z, peaking at #61 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[6] He has had countless collaborations with fellow hip-hop artists such as DMX, Ja Rule, T.I., and Trick Daddy, with many of the features coming with other Roc-A-Fella artists, including Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Cam'ron, Amil, Young Gunz, and of course Jay-Z.

In fall 2005, Memphis Bleek told MTV that he was recording an album called The Process, that he would describe as a make or break album, saying "I want to do an album that's through the roof, I want to do a classic album. I feel that if this album I'm not recording is a classic, I'm not even gonna put it out. I have to do it bigger than anybody has ever done it. I have to make a good record this time, not just talking-junk records."^[7] The rapper has worked on the album since 2005 and during that time frame he would release the songs "Hustla", "Get Ya Money Off" and "Let It Off". During this time, he would also leave Roc-A-Fella after Jay-Z told him he could run his own company and had the proper distribution deals to do so.^[8] He found a new home in 2009 when he signed to Mass Appeal Entertainment which is where he will release his long anticipated album The Process in 2010.^[9]

In the summer of 2010, he was on stage with Jay-Z, as a background singer, on the Swedish festival Peace&Love.

Filmography[link]

In 2002, Memphis Bleek made his acting debut in the film State Property. He played the role of Blizz. A year later, he was featured in the film, Paper Soldiers.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• 1999: Coming of Age
• 2001: The Understanding
• 2003: M.A.D.E.
• 2005: 534
• 2012: The Process

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Memphis Bleek

• Memphis Bleek on Myspace

Cee Lo Green
Cee Lo Green at a Gnarls Barkley concert in July 2010.
Background information
Birth name	Thomas DeCarlo Callaway[1]
Also known as	Cee Lo Green, Cee Lo
Born	(1974-05-30) May 30, 1974 (age 38)[1] Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genres	Soul, hip hop, neo soul, R&B, funk, alternative hip hop, hip hop soul
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, actor
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Arista, Elektra
Associated acts	Gnarls Barkley, Goodie Mob, TLC, Kid Cudi, OutKast, Jazze Pha, Bruno Mars
Website	ceelogreen.com

Thomas DeCarlo Callaway (born May 30, 1974),^[1] better known by his stage name Cee Lo Green, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. Originally came to prominence as a member of the southern hip hop group Goodie Mob, later launching a critically acclaimed solo career^[2] and forming Gnarls Barkley with DJ Danger Mouse.

Internationally, Cee Lo is best known for his hip hop work, his most popular was Gnarls Barkley's 2006 worldwide hit "Crazy", which reached number one in various singles charts worldwide, including the UK. In the United States, "Crazy" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Parent album St. Elsewhere was also a hit, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart and number four on the US Billboard 200 album charts. Gnarls Barkley's second album, The Odd Couple (2008), was less successful and missed the top ten in both the UK and U.S., where it charted at number 12 in the U.S. and 18 in the UK.

In 2010, Cee Lo took a break from recording with Gnarls Barkley and released the single "F**k You!" on August 19 as a solo recording artist. The song was an instant hit, with the radio-edit version "Forget You" reaching the top spot in the UK and the Netherlands and charted at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The parent album, The Lady Killer (2010) saw similar success, peaking within the top five of the UK Albums Chart and debuting within the top ten on the Billboard 200 album charts, and received a Gold certification from the BPI in the UK shortly after its release. His second single "It's OK" was a hit in Europe and the third single, "Bright Lights Bigger City" has also seen similar charting success. Cee Lo is also currently a vocal coach on the NBC reality talent show The Voice with Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton.

Early life[link]

Cee Lo Green was born Thomas DeCarlo Callaway in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated high school from Riverside Military Academy, Gainesville, GA., an All-Boy Boarding School. Both of his parents were ordained ministers and he started his music career in his church. His father died when he was two years old. His mother, Sheila J. Tyler-Callaway, was also a volunteer firefighter.^[3][4] She was involved in a car crash, leaving her paralyzed, and died two years after the accident. At the time, Cee Lo's career with Goodie Mob had just begun taking off. His mother's death led Cee Lo into depression, as is reflected in various songs throughout his career, including "Free" by Goodie Mob, songs on St. Elsewhere, and on The Odd Couple ("She Knows", "A Little Better").^[5][6] Cee Lo also expresses his love for his mother in the song "Guess Who" from Goodie Mob's Soul Food album. In an excerpt of "Cee Lo Distilled", a mini documentary produced by Absolut and The Fader released on YouTube, Cee Lo explained that his mother's death was a defining moment to "crossing that threshold over into a career".^[7]

Music career[link]

Goodie Mob[link]

Along with Big Gipp, T-Mo, and Khujo, Cee Lo was an original member of the Atlanta hip hop group Goodie Mob. He is the youngest of the four.^[8] The Goodie Mob were a part of the Atlanta rap collective the Dungeon Family, which also included OutKast. The group released their debut album, Soul Food in 1995. The album received much critical praise as a pioneering record for the then emerging Southern rap scene. It featured a distinctive soulful southern sound by production team Organized Noize, who had also produced OutKast's debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. Cee Lo got considerable praise for his rapping and singing of hooks, particularly on the hit singles "Cell Therapy" and "Soul Food". The band has recently published a single "Fight to Win" and performed it on The Voice.

The group's second album, Still Standing came out in 1998 and also received much critical praise. Its commercial performance was slightly lower than the group's previous effort however. At this time, Cee Lo focused primarily on rapping over singing. While he did frequently sing hooks and did some singing, at this point he was a rapper first and foremost. Cee Lo took more creative control on the group's next album, World Party. Released in 1999, this album was more of a party record than the group's previous output, getting away somewhat from their socially conscious lyricism.^[9]

During the making of the album World Party, Cee Lo left the group to pursue a solo career under Arista and the remaining members continued to perform together under the Goodie Mob name with Koch Records. They did however collaborate in combinations in the Dungeon Family album Even in Darkness. Although the next Goodie Mob album seemed to mock Cee Lo with its title, One Monkey Don't Stop No Show, the group expressed that it was more of a jab at Arista and the music industry as a whole.

The song "Hold On" from Big Boi of OutKast's Got Purp? Vol. 2 album was the first newly recorded Goodie Mob song with all four members since World Party. (Khujo later revealed to fans at an album signing^{[original research?]} for his new album "Mercury", that the song "Hold On" was originally recorded in 1995 before Soul Food was released.)

Santana[link]

In 1999, Cee Lo, credited as "Cee-Lo" was one of ten famous guest musicians who contributed to the Santana album Supernatural. Lauryn Hill wrote "Do You Like The Way," and the two of them trade off on lead vocals.

Solo career[link]

Cee Lo at a Gnarls Barkley concert in the Netherlands, July 2008.

Cee Lo's Arista career was short lived, as he was dropped after only two albums due to low record sales. His first album, Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections, was heavily in the vein of various other Dungeon Family releases, with southern soul/funk/jazz backings produced solely by himself and boasting appearances by fellow Dungeon Fam members Big Gipp and Backbone. The album explored his departure from Goodie Mob and his solo growth in the song "El Dorado Sunrise (Super Chicken)", as well as socio-political issues, and showcased his singing. The album did not sell very well, but Cee Lo achieved some airplay with the single "Closet Freak".

His second Arista album, Cee-Lo Green... Is the Soul Machine brought a more branched-out sound and more deeply explored southern rap music. This is evidenced by collaborations with Ludacris, T.I., and Pharrell Williams, as well as production from Timbaland, The Neptunes and Jazze Pha, among others. The only other Dungeon Family member that appeared on his second release was Big Rube. This album saw Cee Lo delve into other styles besides traditional rap. Timbaland proved to be Cee Lo's single producer as their song "I'll Be Around" received mild airplay. They performed the single on an episode in the second season of Chappelle's Show. "The One" featuring Jazze Pha and T.I. was also released as a single. On the heels of the success of Gnarls Barkley, Arista released a 17-track greatest hits collection of Cee Lo songs, Closet Freak: The Best of Cee-Lo Green the Soul Machine. It features predominantly Cee Lo solo tracks and several Goodie Mob songs. His new song "What Part of Forever" has been included in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.^[10]

After his second solo album, Cee Lo joined the group Gnarls Barkley (see below) with Danger Mouse, temporarily putting his solo career on hold. He would release two albums with that group, before again releasing solo material in 2010.

On August 14, 2010, Cee Lo released the single "Fuck You!" to YouTube ahead of his planned solo album release, due to its partial leak on April 13. "Fuck You!" was an instant viral smash hit,^[2] registering over two million plays in less than a week. Two weeks later on September 1, Cee Lo released to YouTube an official music video of the song.^[11] "Fuck You" made a debut at No.1 on the UK charts, notably beating out "Shame" from the recently reunited Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow. On December 1, 2010, Cee Lo received five Grammy nominations for "Fuck You!", which has been certified Gold in the United States^[12] and Denmark.^[13] The single achieved platinum status in Canada,^[14] New Zealand,^[15] and the UK;^[16] and multi-platinum status in Australia.^[17]

When discussing his most recent album, The Lady Killer (released on November 9, 2010, by Elektra Records and Roadrunner Records),^[18] Cee Lo said: "I suppose this is a more clear, concise, consistent, conceptual, entire album. It's a complete thought, because it's written to be like a score. The album's meant to be a motion picture, you know? I've never taken that approach to doing an album before."^[19] The album was certified Gold in the UK on December 6, 2010.^[20]

Green is touring with an all-female backing band named "Scarlet Fever" (made up of Sharon Aguilar, Brittany Brooks, Theresa Flaminio, and Regina Zernay Roberts), performing for Taratata,^[21] the BBC,^{[22][23][24][25]} Late Show with David Letterman,^[26] W's Symmetry Live Concert Series,^[27][28] Saturday Night Live,^[29][30] the Jimmy Kimmel Live! special show following the Academy Awards,^[31] and many other venues. Green also performed "Forget You", a sanitized version of his hit "Fuck You", with Gwyneth Paltrow and several puppets provided by The Jim Henson Company at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011, a shoutout to Elton John, who wore a very similar costume in a Muppet show performance in 1977.^[32] At the 2011 BRIT Awards two days later, he was joined by British vocalist Joelle Bennett in another duet of "Fuck You".^[33][34] Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Green will be joining Rihanna and J. Cole on the North American leg of Rihanna Loud Tour in the summer of 2011.^[35] However, he later dropped out of the tour citing that his busy work schedule which includes his commitment to judging “The Voice”, writing a new book and recording a new album as the reason for his withdrawal.^[36] On August 14, 2011, Green performed at WWE SummerSlam performing "Forget You" and the event's theme, "Bright Lights, Bigger City".

Cee Lo released his debut album The Lady Killer as a Platinum Edition on November 28, 2011.^[37] The repackaged album contained the original 16 tracks (including remixed versions of Bright Lights Bigger City (feat. Wiz Khalifa) and I Want You (Hold On To Love) plus one extra track, written by Bruno Mars, Anyway. The new track, Anyway, served as the album's sixth overall single and first Platinum Edition single.

Gnarls Barkley[link]

Gnarls Barkley at the Mini V festival in Melbourne, 2007

Along with DJ Danger Mouse, Cee Lo was part of a duo called Gnarls Barkley. They first met when Danger Mouse took second in a talent contest and opened for OutKast and Goodie Mob at a University of Georgia concert in 1998. Afterwards, Danger Mouse gave Cee Lo an instrumental demo tape and told him to call him if he was interested.^{[citation needed]} They did not make contact again until Cee Lo was contacted to be featured in a remix of the Danger Mouse and Jemini song "What U Sittin' On?" from the album Ghetto Pop Life. They worked together again on the 2005 Danger Doom (Danger Mouse and MF Doom collaboration) album The Mouse and The Mask on the song "Benzi Box" where Cee Lo sings the chorus.

Gnarls Barkley's first collaborative album, St. Elsewhere, was released on April 24, 2006, in the UK and May 2, 2006, in the United States. St. Elsewhere entered the charts at No.1 in the UK, as did the first single "Crazy". "Crazy" is the first single to go straight to No.1 in the UK based on digital download sales alone and is ranked by Rolling Stone as the No.1 song of the decade. The album is Cee Lo's greatest selling venture yet, having shipped over 3 million copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.^[8] A second album by Gnarls Barkley, titled The Odd Couple, was released in March 2008. Its first single was released in January called "Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)".^[8]

Future projects[link]

Cee Lo is collaborating with producer Jazze Pha to release an album called Happy Hour on Jazze’s record label. The songs "Happy Hour" (as well as the remix with Bun B, Snoop Dogg & Tone Tone), "Man of the Hour", and "Disco Bitch" (featuring The Pussycat Dolls) from the album have already been released as singles and B-sides. Jazze Pha has produced numerous hit singles with many artists, but this project is his rapping and singing debut. Cee Lo is co-producing the album with him, so both artist and producer share equal roles in vocals and production. Also, Melody Thornton confirmed that she is currently in the studio with Cee Lo working on her solo album. In 2010, he recorded a song for the Sex and the City 2 soundtrack which reached number 9 in the charts and was written by him and produced by T-Pain which is called "Language of Love". He along with The Red Hot Chili Peppers and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder were rumored to be appearing on British DJ Paul Oakenfold's upcoming album. Also, Cee-Lo has recorded a song with Alien Ant Farm that is expected to be released on their upcoming 2012 album.^[38] Green will voice Murray the Mummy in the upcoming film, Hotel Transylvania.

In March 2012 Green performed at a fundraiser for President Barack Obama with the president present.^[39] He began singing Fuck You! with the original profane lyrics, but then switched to the non-profane lyrics, apparently unaware that the profane lyrics were inappropriate at a presidential fundraiser.^[40]

In May 2012, The alcohol trade magazine 'The Tasting Panel' featured a cover story detailing Cee Lo Green's part ownership of an alcohol brand called TY KU. ^[41]

Television and film career[link]

Cee Lo, along with the rest of the Goodie Mob, had a cameo in the 1999 film Mystery Men as a member of the Not So Goodie Mob, in which he was credited as "Thomas Burton aka Cee lo". He also has done voice acting work, voicing Prime Cut Miggity-Mo' Macdaddy Gizzabang Doggy Dog Dog on the Brak Show episode "Brakstreet" in 2002, Frank and Buddy Z Class of 3000's Christmas special and as Godzilla in the Robot Chicken episode "Squaw Bury Shortcake" in 2007, and Rev. Rollo Goodlove in the Boondocks episodes "The S-Word" and "The Hunger Strike" in 2008. In 2010, he appeared in T-Pain's Freaknik: The Musical as Light Skin.

On January 15, 2011, Cee Lo both acted and performed on NBC's Saturday Night Live hosted by Gwyneth Paltrow, who, in November 2010, covered his song "Forget You" on an episode of Glee.^[42]

Cee Lo is currently one of the coaches for contestants on the singing TV show The Voice.^[43] He also made a guest-star appearance in the episode "Tales From the Luncheonette" of Parenthood season 3.^[44][45]

On August 14, 2011, Cee Lo appeared at WWE SummerSlam and performed both "'Bright Lights Bigger City", the official theme song for the event, and his hit "'Forget You".

On September 25, 2011, Cee Lo appeared as himself in a live action/voice appearance and as the voice of a hot tub in the American Dad! episode "Hot Water".^[46]

On February 5, 2012 Cee Lo appeared in the Super Bowl halftime show with Madonna.

On March 31, 2012, Cee Lo Green appeared in the 2012 Kids' Choice Awards. Near the end of the show, he was revealed to be the evil mastermind that was trying to ruin the show, and the only reason he was evil was because he wanted to get slimed. However, the show's host, Will Smith, refused to slime him, and he "ice cream sundaed" him instead, claiming it was the "second-best thing" compared to sliming.

Personal life[link]

Cee Lo has described himself as having been a "goon" in his youth.^[47][48] At age 16 years old, Cee Lo's mother was pulled to safety from an almost fatal car accident by local volunteer firefighters. His mother also served as a volunteer firefighter herself, and these two things inspired Cee Lo's 2011 song "Thank You" (a reworking of "Forget You"), which pays tribute to firefighters.^[49]

Cee Lo was married to Christina Johnson until they divorced in 2005. Together they have a son Kingston; and Cee Lo was a stepfather to Christina's daughters, Sierra and Kalah. Sierra appeared on the MTV show My Super Sweet 16.

Controversies[link]

At the April 2011 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Cee Lo was booed by fans after he showed up late, drew fan disapproval, had his set cut off, and then stormed off stage.^[50] Cee Lo had arrived 25 minutes late, for which he apologized to disgruntled fans at the top of his set, saying, "Sorry guys, I just landed. Y'all still gonna party with me? I only have 20 minutes. It ain't my fault. They should have ... given me a better time slot." Things then took a turn for the worse, and after performing five songs, including "Fuck You" and a cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," Green's set was cut. He then stormed off stage.^[51]

On June 16, 2011, journalist Andrea Swensson of City Pages negatively reviewed one of Green's performances, writing that it "failed to measure up to the fun factor of his recorded material. Green spent most of the set stationed in front of a microphone at the center of the stage, barely moving an inch while he sang and flanked by two forgettable back-up singers and a DJ that was all but hidden behind a giant LCD display”.^[52] In response, the following day Green tweeted "I respect your criticism but be fair! People enjoyed last night! I'm guessing ur gay? And my masculinity offended u? well fuck U!”.^[53] Green promptly received angered responses from some of his followers on Twitter, to which he replied "Apologies gay community! what was homophobic about that?"^[54] In a subsequent interview with magazine Us Weekly, Green stated that his comments were in good fun, adding that "I am not harboring any sort of negative feeling toward the gay community" and that "I am one of the most liberal artists that I think you will ever meet, and I pride myself on that".^[55] Green has since deleted the tweets pertaining to this review.^{[citation needed]}

On December 31, 2011, at Times Square in New York City, Green sang John Lennon's "Imagine" just prior to the ball dropping to ring in the new year. In his rendition, Green replaced the line "and no religion, too" with the words "and all religion is true".^[56] Many saw this as a substantial revision of the meaning behind Lennon's original lyrics.^[56] Green also sang the words "imagine no possessions" while wearing a full-length fur coat and large gold watch. Shortly after the performance, Green responded via Twitter: "Yo I meant no disrespect by changing the lyric guys! I was trying to say a world where u could believe what u wanted that's all" [sic] ^[57] Green deleted a series of tweets pertaining to this event shortly thereafter.^[58]

Discography[link]

• Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections (2002)
• Cee-Lo Green... Is the Soul Machine (2004)
• The Lady Killer (2010)
• Cee-Lo Green... Is Everybody's Brother (2012)^[59]

Awards and nominations[link]

BET Awards[link]

Billboard Music Awards[link]

Brit Awards[link]

Grammy Awards[link]

Soul Train Music Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Cee-Lo discography at Discogs
• Cee Lo Green at the Internet Movie Database
• Cee Lo Green on BBC Music
• Official Jazze Pha & Cee Lo website
• Cee Lo Green Storytellers on VH1
• Cee-Lo Documentary on Youtube Part 1
• Cee-Lo Documentary on Youtube Part 2