Look up wayne in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wayne may refer to:

People with the surname Wayne[link]

• Anthony Wayne, a general in the American colonial and United States armies
• David Wayne (singer), a musician
• Elsie Wayne, a Canadian politician
• Gary Wayne an American Major League baseball player
• Jeff Wayne, a musician
• James Moore Wayne, a US congressman
• John Wayne, an American actor
• Naunton Wayne a British actor
• Patrick Wayne an American actor
• Reggie Wayne, an American football wide receiver

Fictional[link]

• Bruce Wayne, the secret identity of Batman
• Wayne, in a List of characters on 6teen, an animated sitcom
• Wayne, a character in the Bash Street Kids

Geographical[link]

Places in the United States:

• Wayne, Illinois
• Wayne, Kansas
• Wayne, Maine
• Wayne, Michigan
• Wayne, Nebraska
• Wayne, New Jersey
• Wayne, New York
• Wayne, Ohio
• Wayne, Oklahoma
• Wayne, Pennsylvania
• Wayne, West Virginia
• Wayne, Lafayette County, Wisconsin, a town
• Wayne, Washington County, Wisconsin. a town
• Wayne (community), Wisconsin, an unincorporated community

People with the middle name Wayne[link]

• John Wayne Bobbitt, victim of penile amputation
• John Wayne Gacy, serial killer
• Kenny Wayne Shepherd, country blues musician

Educational institutions[link]

• Wayne State University, Michigan
• Wayne State College, Nebraska

Other[link]

• Wayne Corporation, a U.S. manufacturer of motor vehicles
• Wayne, a car assembled by Byron F. Everitt, of E-M-F Company
• Pauline Wayne, U.S. President William H. Taft's pet cow
• Lil Wayne, an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana
• "Wayne Wayne (go away)", a song by R. Stevie Moore
• Wayne Oil Tank and Pump Company, part of Dresser Industries
• Typhoon Wayne (disambiguation)

See also[link]

• wain
• WAYN (disambiguation) (acronym)
• All pages beginning with "Wayne"
• All pages with titles containing "Wayne"

References[link]

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars performing in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 19, 2010
Background information
Birth name	Peter Gene Hernandez
Born	(1985-10-08) October 8, 1985 (age 26)[1] Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Genres	Reggae fusion, pop, soul, R&B
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer, model, dancer
Instruments	Vocals, drums, guitar, keyboard, bass, piano, harmonica
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Atlantic, Elektra
Associated acts	The Smeezingtons
Website	www.brunomars.com

Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age. He performed in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood. He graduated from high school and then moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a musical career. Mars produced songs for other artists, joining production team The Smeezingtons.

Mars had an unsuccessful stint with Motown Records, but then signed with Atlantic Records in 2009. He became recognized as a solo artist after lending his vocals and co-writing the hooks for the songs "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B, and "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy. He also co-wrote the hits "Right Round" by Flo Rida featuring Ke$ha, and "Wavin' Flag" by K'naan. In October 2010, he released his debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Anchored by the worldwide number-one singles "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade", the album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.^[2] Mars was nominated for seven Grammys at the 53rd Grammy Awards, winning Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Just the Way You Are".

Mars' music is noted for displaying a wide variety of styles and influences, and contains elements of many musical genres. He has worked with an assortment of artists from various genres. Mars acknowledges the influences that his collaborations have had on his own music. As a child, he was highly influenced by artists such as Little Richard,^[3] Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson and would often impersonate these artists from a young age. Mars also incorporates reggae and Motown inspired sounds into his work. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times referred to Mars as "one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop."^[4] Worldwide, Mars became the best-selling digital artist in 2011. He had three singles in the top ten, including first place with "Just The Way You Are," which sold 12.5 million copies.^[5] Mars won Best International Male Solo Artist at the BRIT Awards in 2012.^[6] Bruno Mars has sold 5 million albums and 36 million singles worldwide.^[7]

Early life[link]

Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8th, 1985, and raised in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii, by parents Pete Hernandez, of Puerto Rican descent, and Bernadette "Bernie," a Filipina.^{[8][9][10][11]} His mother emigrated to Hawaii from the Philippines as a child and his father moved to the island from Brooklyn, New York.^[12] Mars' parents met while performing in a show, where his mother was a hula dancer and his father played percussion.^[12] At the age of two, he was nicknamed "Bruno" by his father, because of his resemblance to legendary professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino.^[13]

Mars was one of six children and came from a musical family who exposed him to a diverse mix of reggae, rock, hip hop, and R&B.^[14][15] In addition to being a dancer, his mother was a singer and his father used his musical ability to perform Little Richard rock n roll music.^[3] Mars' uncle was an Elvis impersonator. By the age of three his uncle had Mars up on the stage performing. He also performed songs by artists such as Michael Jackson, The Isley Brothers, and The Temptations.^[10] At age four, Mars began performing five days a week with his family's band, The Love Notes, in which he became known on the island for his impersonation of Presley.^[16]

In 1990, Mars was featured in MidWeek as "Little Elvis", going on to have a cameo in the film Honeymoon in Vegas in 1992.^[10][17] He later reflected on the influence Presley had on his music: "I watch the best. I'm a big fan of Elvis. I'm a big fan of 1950s Elvis when he would go on stage and scare people because he was a force and girls would go nuts! You can say the same thing for Prince or The Police. It's just guys who know that people are here to see a show, so I watch those guys and I love studying them because I'm a fan."^[18] In 2010, he also acknowledged his Hawaiian roots and musical family as an influence, explaining, "Growing up in Hawaii made me the man I am. I used to do a lot of shows in Hawaii with my father's band. Everybody in my family sings, everyone plays instruments...I've just been surrounded by it."^[19] In 2003, shortly after graduating from President Theodore Roosevelt High School at the age of seventeen, Mars moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a musical career.^[10][17] He adopted his stage name from the nickname his father gave him, adding "Mars" at the end because "I felt like I didn't have [any] pizzazz, and a lot of girls say I’m out of this world, so I was like I guess I'm from Mars."^[20]

Career[link]

[edit] 2004–10: Career beginnings and It's Better If You Don't Understand

Bruno Mars performing in Houston, Texas in November 2010.

Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Mars signed to Motown Records in 2004, in a deal that "went nowhere".^[21] However, Mars' experience with Motown proved to be beneficial to his career when he met songwriter and producer Philip Lawrence, who was also signed to the label. Mars, Lawrence, and engineer Ari Levine began writing songs together, and formed the production team The Smeezingtons.^[21] In 2006, Lawrence introduced Mars to his future manager at Atlantic Records, Aaron Bay-Schuck.^[22] After hearing him play a couple of songs on the guitar, Bay-Schuck wanted to sign him immediately, but it took about three years for Atlantic records to finally sign Mars to the label.^[22] In the meantime, Bay-Schuck hired Mars and the Smeezingtons to write and produce songs for the label's artists.^[22] According to Bay-Schuck in an interview with HitQuarters, Mars had stated that although his ultimate goal was to be a solo artist, he was willing to write and produce for other artists, both to help improve his songwriting and help him discover the type of artist he ultimately wanted to be.^[22] Bay-Schuck credits this as a period of "self-discovery" that contributed significantly to Mars' later success.^[22]

Before becoming a successful solo artist, Hernandez was an acknowledged music producer, writing songs for Alexandra Burke, Travie McCoy, Adam Levine, Brandy, Sean Kingston, and Flo Rida.^[14][23] He also co-wrote the Sugababes' hit song "Get Sexy" and provided backing vocals on their album Sweet 7.^[24][25] His first musical appearance as a singer was in Far East Movement's second studio album Animal, featured on the track "3D".^[26] He was also featured on pastor and hip hop artist Jaeson Ma's debut single "Love" in August 2009.^[27][28] He reached prominence as a solo artist after being featured on and co-writing B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire"; both songs peaked within the top ten of many charts worldwide.^{[29][30][31][32]} He said of them, "I think those songs weren't meant to be full-sung songs. If I'd sung all of "Nothin' on You", it might've sounded like some '90s R&B." Following this success, Mars released his debut extended play (EP), titled It's Better If You Don't Understand, on May 11, 2010.^[33] The EP peaked at the 99th position on the Billboard 200 and produced one single, "The Other Side", featuring singers Cee Lo Green and B.o.B.^[34][35] Mars collaborated with Green once more in August 2010 by co-writing his single "Fuck You!". He performed a medley of "Nothin' on You" and "Airplanes" with B.o.B and Hayley Williams at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.^[36]

[edit] 2010–present: Doo-Wops & Hooligans

Bruno Mars' debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, was released digitally on October 4, and saw its physical release on October 5, 2010.^[37][38] The lead single, "Just the Way You Are", was released on July 19, 2010,^[39] and has reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 as well as several other charts worldwide.^[40][41] The music video was released on September 8, 2010.^[42] The second single, "Grenade", was released September 28, 2010, and has also seen successful international chart performance.^[43][44] In the United States, Doo-Wops & Hooligans debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 for the week of October 13, 2010, selling 55,000 copies.^[2] The album also received generally positive reviews from critics. Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt praised Mars for his "instant-access melodies" and "sly snatches of dance-floor swagger", but noted weaknesses in songs deviant from his conventional pop and soul genres.^[45] He opened for Maroon 5 on the fall leg of the Hands All Over Tour starting October 6, 2010 and co-headlined with McCoy on a European tour starting October 18, 2010.^[38]

On September 19, 2010, Mars was arrested in Las Vegas for possession of cocaine.^[46] When talking to a police officer, Mars reportedly stated that what he did was "foolish" and that "he has never used drugs before".^[47][48] Mars pled guilty to felony drug possession, and in return for his plea, he was told that the charges would be erased from his criminal record as long as he stayed out of trouble for a year, paid a $2,000 fine, did 200 hours of community service and completed a drug counseling course.^[49]

On February 13, 2011, Mars won his first Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, having received six nominations; Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Nothin' on You", Record of the Year for "Nothin' on You" and "Fuck You", Song of the Year for "Fuck You", and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the 53rd Grammy Awards.

On September 16, 2011, Bad Meets Evil released their single, "Lighters", which featured Mars in the song. The song was met with mixed reviews from critics and many criticized Mars for doing this type of song.^[50] On September 22, 2011, it was announced on Mars' website that his new song "It Will Rain" will appear on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack which was released on November 8.^[51] On October 30, 2011, Mars gave an exclusive performance of "Runaway Baby" on the results show of The X Factor UK, the same day that Mars received six nominations for a Grammy Award; Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Grenade", and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the 54th Grammy Awards. During the ceremony, Mars performed "Runaway Baby" but he did not win any awards as Adele won in all the categories he was nominated in and also lost to Paul Epworth for Producer of the Year.

Mars has confirmed on Twitter that his work on his second album has begun.^[52] On March 22, 2012, it was announced that Mars had signed a worldwide publishing deal with BMG Chrysalis US.^[53]

Musical style[link]

Mars performing on November 24, 2010. Mars plays several instruments including piano, guitar, bass and congas.^[54]

Mars' music has been noted for displaying a wide variety of styles and influences, including pop,^[55] rock,^[55] reggae,^[55] R&B,^[56] soul,^[45] and hip hop.^[57] His co-producer Philip Lawrence says, "What people don't know is there's a darker underbelly to Bruno Mars." Mars himself says, "I blame that on me singing to girls back in high school."^[58] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called him "one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop, with a light, soul-influenced voice that’s an easy fit in a range of styles, a universal donor."^[4] Mars was initially influenced by R&B artists such as Keith Sweat, Jodeci and R. Kelly, as well as 1950s rock 'n' roll and Motown.^[59] In high school, he began listening to classic rock groups such as The Police, Led Zeppelin, and the Beatles.^[59] All of these genres of music have influenced Mars' musical style; he observed that "It’s not easy to [create] songs with that mixture of rock and soul and hip-hop, and there’s only a handful of them."^[59] Mars also stated that he is a fan of Alicia Keys, Jessie J, Jack White and The Saturdays.^[60]

In addition, Mars claims that his work with other artists influenced his musical style, saying that "'Nothin' on You' had a Motown vibe, 'Billionaire' was a reggae acoustic guitar-driven song, though one of my favorites is the Cee-Lo [Green] song ['Fuck You']. I don't think anyone else could've sung that song. And there's 'Just the Way You Are.' If you know my story, you know I love all different genres of music."^[61] He cites doo-wop as a major influence on his music, referring to the genre as "just straightforward love songs – so charming and simple and romantic."^[61] In addition, Mars states that growing up in Hawaii influenced his music, giving the songs a reggae sound. He explains that "In Hawaii some of the biggest radio stations are reggae. The local bands are heavily influenced by Bob Marley. That music brings people together. It's not urban music or pop music. It's just songs. That's what makes it cross over so well. The song comes first."^[12] Lyrically, many of Mars' songs have been described as "feel-good", carefree, and optimistic,^[62] however, darker subjects are addressed in songs such as "Grenade", "Liquor Store Blues", and "Talking to the Moon", which detail failed relationships and self-destructive behavior.^[45][63]

Discography[link]

• Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010)
• TBA (2012)

Tours[link]

• Doo-Wops & Hooligans tour (2010–2011)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bruno Mars

• Official website
• Bruno Mars on Twitter
• Bruno Mars at the Internet Movie Database

I Wayne (born Cliffroy Taylor, August 1980, Portmore, Jamaica), is a roots reggae singer. He is known for his hit singles "Living In Love" and "Can't Satisfy Her" from his debut album, Lava Ground.

Biography[link]

I Wayne was raised by his aunt and her husband Ansell Collins, a renowned keyboard player.^[1] This young artist has been refining his craft since age seven. Coming from a musical family, I Wayne had first made his venture into performance as a student at Greater Portmore High School, joining a local group Vibes Machine.^[2] The group, consisting of singers and DJs, used to perform at afterwork parties at popular clubs such as Cactus and Asylum.^[2] One night, the artiste was forced to perform alone due to the fact that his bandmates were running late. The response was tremendous, and I Wayne was motivated to perfect his solo act.^[3]

In the summer of 2004, Wayne released Can't Satisfy Her, in the new wave of reggae. The track was reportedly the first roots reggae song to be added to the influential Hot 97 playlist.^[1]

In November 2004, I Wayne signed a recording contract with VP Records to release his debut album, Lava Ground.^[3] Lava Ground was praised for returning to reggae's "essential roots" in contrast to popular reggae artists who induce listeners to "dance and groove to their carefree music".^[4]

I Wayne’s first week sales from his second album Book of Life (6 November 2007) took him straight to the top of the Billboard chart at the #4 spot in the reggae category.^[5]

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• I Wayne Official Site at VP Records.
• I Wayne at Myspace.
• Billboard Discography

This article related to reggae music is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Mack Maine
At General Motors Place concert in Vancouver.
Background information
Birth name	Jermaine Preyan
Born	(1982-07-28) July 28, 1982 (age 29)
Origin	New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Genres	Hip hop, R&B
Occupations	Rapper, President of Young Money Entertainment
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Motown, Interscope Records
Associated acts	Lil Wayne, Birdman, Jae Millz, T-Pain, Young Money, Nicki Minaj, Drake, DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, Curren$y
Website	Official website

Jermaine Preyan, (born July 28, 1983), known by his stage name Mack Maine, is an American rapper and singer. Mack Maine is signed to Young Money Entertainment, an imprint of Birdman's Universal Motown-distributed Cash Money Records, and is currently the president of the label.^[1] He is the co-founder of Kush Entertainment and has also founded his own label, Soothe Your Soul Records.^[2]

Biography[link]

Jermaine Preyan was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He formed a friendship with Dwayne Carter aka Lil Wayne at the age of eleven. In 2003, he placed 16th out of a thousand contestants in a freestyle battle hosted by MTV; this, combined with a backstage performance at the 2004 BET Awards with Cassidy,led him to becoming a founding member of Young Money Entertainment with Lil Wayne in 2005. In 2008, Mack Maine appeared on the official remix of Lil Wayne's third single from Tha Carter III, "Got Money," and performed the song with Wayne on Saturday Night Live on September 14.^[2] At the 2008 Ozone Awards, he won the "Patiently Waiting: Louisiana" award.^[3]

In 2009, he performed with Lil Wayne on his "I Am Music" tour, performing every night in his own set,^[4] as well as mtvU's Spring Break 2009 concert.^[5] He also released a mixtape presented by Don Cannon entitled This Is Just a Mixtape, featuring appearances from Lil Wayne, Mistah Fab, Gorilla Zoe, Pleasure P, Rick Ross, Mystikal, and Soulja Slim.^[2][4] Mack Maine appears on the Young Money collaboration album, including the first single, "Every Girl".^[6][7] Along with Birdman, Slim, Cortez Bryant, and other past and present Cash Money artists, he starred in Lil Wayne's Behind the Music episode, which premiered September 11, 2009.

In March 2010, Mack Maine appeared with Snoop Dogg on T-Pain's single, "Ghetto Commandments."^[8] Maine was also featured on the music video of Playaz Circle's Hit song with Lil Wayne, "Duffle Bag Boy".

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 2012: Maine 4 President^[4]

Mixtapes[link]

• 2006: G-Series (with Curren$y)^[4]
• 2008: Mack Maine BOBO 101^[4]
• 2008: B!tch I'm Mack Maine (Freestyle 102)^[4]
• 2009: DJ Don Cannon Presents: This is Just a Mixtape^[2][9][10]
• 2010: DJ Rockstar Presents: The Laxative
• 2011: DJ Khaled Presents: Billionaire Minds 2
• 2012: Don’t Let It Go Waste^[4]

Songs[link]

• 2008: "Got Money (Remix)" (Lil Wayne feat. T-Pain & Mack Maine)^[2]
• 2009: "Always Strapped (Remix)" (Birdman feat. Lil Wayne & Mack Maine)
• 2009: "Every Girl" (Young Money Entertainment: performed by Lil Wayne, Drake, Jae Millz, Gudda Gudda, & Mack Maine)^[7][9]
• 2009: "Throw It Back" (Mack Maine feat. Lil Wayne)
• 2009: "Written On Her (Remix)" (Birdman feat. Jay Sean, Flo Rida & Mack Maine)
• 2009: "Southside (Remix) (Birdman feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne & Mack Maine)
• 2009: "Ms. Parker (Young Money Entertainment: performers (Lil Wayne, Mack Maine, Gudda Gudda)
• 2009: "Girl You Nasty" (Mack Maine feat. Gorilla Zoe)
• 2010: "Ghetto Commandments" (T-Pain feat. Snoop Dogg & Mack Maine)
• 2010: "All In One Swipe" (Mack Maine feat. Rick Ross, & Birdman)
• 2010: "My Reality" (Lil Wayne feat. Gudda Gudda, & Mack Maine)
• 2011: "I Get Money" (Birdman feat. Lil Wayne, T-Pain & Mack Maine)
• 2011: "Loyalty" (Birdman feat. Brisco, Cory Gunz, Bow Wow, Lil Twist, Mack Maine)
• 2012: "Bugatti Music" (Birdman feat. Mack Maine, Brisco)
• 2011: "Every Summer" (Birdman feat. Tyga, Mack Maine)
• 2012: "Dark Shades" (Birdman feat. Lil Wayne, Mack Maine)

Featured Songs[link]

• 2009: "Come Down The Pole" (Short Dawg feat. Mack Maine)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mack Maine

• Official website
• Mack Maine on Myspace
• Non-commercial Mack Maine mixtapes