Look up mia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

This disambiguation page is currently linked from a large number of articles. Please help direct these ambiguous links to articles dealing with the specific meaning intended. (February 2012)

MIA is a military term for a soldier, pilot or sailor who is missing in action in war, or the status of a missing combatant.

Mia or MIA may also refer to:

People[link]

Music[link]

Artists

• M.I.A. (band), an American punk rock group formed in 1981
• M.I.A. (artist), a British musician and visual artist
• MIA., a German rock/pop band formed in 1997
• Mia (singer), a Lithuanian singer and television presenter.

Songs

• "Mia", by Chevelle on the album Point No. 1
• "Mía", by Tito el Bambino on the album Top of the Line
• "Mia," by Aerosmith on the album Night in the Ruts
• "Mia," by Emmy the Great on the album First Love
• "Mia," by Gorki on the album Gorky
• "Mia," by Paulina Rubio on the album Pau-Latina
• "M.I.A.," by 7 Year Bitch on the album "¡Viva Zapata!"
• "M.I.A.," by Avenged Sevenfold on the album City of Evil
• "M.I.A.," by the Foo Fighters on the album There Is Nothing Left to Lose
• "M.I.A.," by M.I.A. on the album Arular
• "Listed M.I.A.," by Rancid on the album "...And Out Come the Wolves"
• "Le Mia", by the French rap band IAM
• "Mamma Mia", by ABBA

Fictional characters[link]

• Mia (.hack)
• Mia (Dark Tower)
• Mia Dearden, a comic book character
• Mia Fey, a Phoenix Wright character
• Mía Colucci, character in 2002-2003 telenovela Rebelde Way, portrayed by Luisana Lopilato
• Mia Colucci, character in 2004-2006 telenovela Rebelde, portrayed by Anahí
• Mia Toretto, a The Fast and The Furious character
• Mia Thermopolis, a The Princess Diaries character
• Mia Wallace, a Pulp Fiction character
• Mia Jones (Degrassi: The Next Generation), a Degrassi: The Next Generation character
• Mia Ausa, a Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete character
• Mia St. Clair, an American Girl character
• Mia Townsend, a Need for Speed: Most Wanted character
• Mia, a Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance character
• Mia, a Golden Sun character
• Mia, a mouse who is the lead character in Mia's Big Adventure Collection educational software series
• Mia, a character on the show Two and a Half Men
• Mia Lewis, a character in the TV series Californication

Games[link]

• Missing in Action (arcade game)
• Mia (game), a dice game

Airports[link]

• Miami International Airport, IATA code MIA
• Malta International Airport
• Manila International Airport, now Ninoy Aquino International Airport
• Macau International Airport

Organizations[link]

• Macedonian Information Agency
• Malaysian Institute of Accountants
• Marxists Internet Archive
• Messianic Israel Alliance
• Migration Institute of Australia, for migration agents
• Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota
• Montgomery Improvement Association, Alabama
• Mutual Improvement Association, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Other uses[link]

• MIA, a common nickname for Miami, USA
• Mia Station, a subway station in Seoul, South Korea
• Magnetic immunoassay, a biochemical test
• Master of International Affairs, a graduate degree
• Medically indigent adult, a person without medical coverage
• Misfits In Action, a professional wrestling stable
• Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, New South Wales

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.

Nicki Minaj
Minaj at 2010 MTV Music Awards
Background information
Birth name	Onika Tanya Maraj
Born	(1982-12-08) December 8, 1982 (age 29)[1] Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago
Origin	South Jamaica, Queens, New York, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop, R&B, pop
Occupations	Rapper, singer-songwriter
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Cash Money Records, Young Money Entertainment, Universal Republic Records, Universal Motown
Associated acts	Young Money
Website	mypinkfriday.com

Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1982), known by her stage name Nicki Minaj ( /mɪˈnɑːʒ/), is a Trinidadian-born American rapper and singer-songwriter. She was born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago and when she was 5 years of age she moved to the New York City borough of Queens, where she grew up.

After releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009 and being signed to Young Money Entertainment in August 2009, Minaj released her debut album, Pink Friday, in November 2010. It quickly became a commercial success, peaking at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and being certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) a month after its release.^[2][3] She became the first female solo artist to have seven singles on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time.^[4] Her second single, "Your Love", reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart, making Minaj the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since 2002.^[5] She also became the first female artist to be included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List.^[6] Minaj was named the 2011 Rising Star by Billboard.^[7] Her second studio album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded was released on April 3, 2012.

Early life[link]

Maraj was born in 1982^{[1][note 1]} in Saint James, a suburb of Trinidad and Tobago's capital city Port of Spain.^[8][9][10] Her parents are of mixed Indian and Afro-Trinidadian ancestry^[11][12] and she lived in Saint James with her grandmother until age five, because her parents were looking for a place to live in the Queens borough of New York City at the time. Her mother would occasionally visit, and one day, when Minaj was five, her mother picked her up to move to Queens.^[13] According to Minaj, her father drank heavily, took drugs, and once tried to kill her mother by setting the house on fire.^[14]

She attended Elizabeth Blackwell Middle School 210, where she played the clarinet.^[13] She graduated from LaGuardia High School.^[15][16] At LaGuardia, a school specializing in music and the visual and performing arts, Minaj participated in the drama program.^[15] She had initially planned to sing at LaGuardia but lost her voice on the day of the audition.^[15]

Career[link]

2007–09: Mixtapes and Young Money[link]

Minaj released her first mixtape in 2007 after releasing Playtime Is Over with Dirty Money Records. She released another mixtape on July 7, 2008, titled Sucka Free, under the label Be. On April 18, 2009, Minaj released a third mixtape and appeared in XXL magazine.^[17] She won the Female Artist of the Year award at the 2008 Underground Music Awards.^[18] Minaj released Beam Me Up Scotty, another mixtape, in April 2009 under the label of Trapaholics Records; it received positive coverage on both BET and MTV.^[19][20]

In August 2009, Minaj signed a record deal with Young Money Entertainment, with distribution from Universal Motown Records, after fellow American rapper Lil Wayne discovered her and secured the record deal.^[17][21] She then had a solo rap verse in their single "BedRock," which became a commercial success, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Minaj also appeared on "Roger That", which charted at number 56. The song, and in particular Minaj, received positive reviews from critics.^[22] Both songs were included in Young Money Entertainment's debut collaborative studio album We Are Young Money, which was released in December 2009. The album charted in the top ten on the Billboard 200, reaching number 9 and later receiving a Gold Certification by the RIAA. She was then chosen by Mariah Carey to be featured on her single and music video for "Up Out My Face". Critics praised her collaboration for helping to maintain Carey's feminine image and providing a polite track for the female R&B singer.^[23]

[edit] 2010–11: Pink Friday

Britney Spears and Minaj performing the Femme Fatale Remix of "Till the World Ends" in the Femme Fatale Tour.

After a major record label bidding war, Young Money Entertainment announced on August 31, 2009 that Minaj had been released from a 360 deal with the label in which she retains and owns all of her 360 rights – including merchandising, sponsorships, endorsements, touring and publishing.^[24] In an interview with 95.8 Capital FM, Rihanna stated that after the two collaborated on "Raining Men" from her album Loud that the duo would be teaming up together for a possible second collaboration on Minaj's Pink Friday.^[25] Hip-hop rap artist and producer Kanye West was also confirmed for the album.^[26] On August 3, 2010 Minaj revealed on a Ustream.tv channel that the album's name would be Pink Friday, in reference to Black Friday.^[27]

Pink Friday was released on November 19, 2010 in both standard and deluxe versions.^[28][29] A buzz single, "Massive Attack", was released in April.^[30] In August, Minaj released "Your Love" as the first official single from her debut album. The single peaked at 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, 7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and topped the Rap Songs chart. Minaj became the first female artist to be included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List^[6] and the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since 2002.^[31] In October 2010, Minaj became the first artist to have seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously.^[4] Minaj released a joint single with The Black Eyed Peas front man, will.i.am titled, "Check It Out", which is Minaj's most successful single to date in Europe. "Right thru Me" was released September 24, 2010; the music video was released in late October. "Moment 4 Life" was released as the fourth single. The track featured Canadian rapper Drake and was released on December 7, 2010, becoming a success on the Billboard Hot 100. The single peaked at number 5 on the Hot Rap Songs.^[32] The album gained a Platinum certification in the United States a month after the release.^[3]

On January 29, 2011, Minaj appeared on Saturday Night Live as the musical guest, performing "Right Thru Me" and "Moment 4 Life". On February 9, 2011, it was announced that Pink Friday had reached number one on the Billboard 200 in its eleventh week on the chart.^[33] It was hinted by Simon Cowell that Minaj would join the judging panel of the American version of the The X Factor.^[34] Starting in June 2011, Minaj will be supporting Pink Friday by serving as an opening act along with Jessie and the Toy Boys and Nervo on Britney Spears' sixth concert tour, the Femme Fatale Tour, in support of her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale.^[35] She also was featured on the official remix of Spears' track "Till the World Ends" along with Spears and singer Kesha, which charted at number 3 in the US in April 2011.^[36] "Super Bass" was released from Pink Friday in May 2011, the single charted within the top 10 in many countries including; United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada and more.^[37] The song gained positive reviews from critics.^[38][39] Minaj will voice a character in the 3D animated film, Ice Age: Continental Drift, as an unknown character.^[40][41] Minaj is also featured on French DJ David Guetta's 2011 album, Nothing but the Beat on "Where Them Girls At" and "Turn Me On".

[edit] 2011–present: Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded

Minaj's second studio album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, was first announced through Twitter in November 2011 and was released on April 2, 2012 in the United Kingdom and April 3, 2012 in the United States. The album features collaborations with producers Hit-Boy, Dr. Luke, Rico Beats, Kenoe, RedOne and Oak. Cash Money A&R Joshua Berkman told HitQuarters that Minaj was extremely particular about the beats and music she used saying: "She wouldn't just rap or sing on anything – I could give her a thousand tracks and she may only like one or two."^[42] Preceding the album's release, three promotional singles were released: Roman in Moscow (which didn't make the final cut of the album), "Stupid Hoe," and "Roman Reloaded." The album's first single, "Starships", was released on February 14.^[43] "Starships" became Minaj's best-peaking single in the United Kingdom, when it reached a peak of 2. It has also peaked at number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it her second top 10 arrival following, "Super Bass" in 2011. The music video was released on April 26th, 2012.^[44]

On February 12, 2012, Minaj debuted her song "Roman Holiday" at the 54th Grammy Awards. It was the first song ever performed on the Grammy stage by a solo female rapper.^[45] The exorcism-themed performance drew a mixed response online.^[46][47]

She was featured on Madonna's twelfth studio album, titled MDNA, alongside M.I.A. on its lead single "Give Me All Your Luvin'", for which a music video has been directed by Megaforce.^[48] The trio performed the song for the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show.^[49] She was also featured on a song called "I Don't Give A", another track from the album.

She released her second single, "Right by My Side", which features Chris Brown, on March 27, 2012, after premiering on Minaj's website on March 20, 2012.^[50] Following the album's release, it peaked at number 24 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. It also peaked in the lower regions of the UK singles chart, at position #101. The third single, "Beez in the Trap", which features 2 Chainz was released to U.S. Urban radio on April 24, 2012. It was premiered on DJ Flex's radio show at Hot 97 on March 20, 2012. It has peaked at number 24 on the US Billboard Rap Songs Chart.^[51] The video was premiered on April 6, 2012 on Minaj's official VEVO account.^[52]

Artistry[link]

Minaj in 2011 during Femme Fatale Tour

Image[link]

Minaj has been noted by the media for her curvaceous figure.^{[53][54][55][56]} In an interview with Vibe Minaj discussed her sexual image stating, "[w]hen I grew up I saw females doing certain things, and I thought I had to do that exactly. The female rappers of my day spoke about sex a lot... and I thought that to have the success they got, I would have to represent the same thing. When in fact I didn’t have to represent the same thing."^[57] In an interview with Interview, Minaj commented on her sexual image again stating, "I made a conscious decision to try to tone down the sexiness, I want people—especially young girls—to know that in life, nothing is going to be based on sex appeal. You’ve got to have something else to go with that.”^[58] Minaj has a tattoo in Chinese characters that reads "上帝與你常在" (shàngdì yǔ nǐ cháng zài)^[59] on her left arm, meaning, "God is always with you."^[60]

Alter egos[link]

While growing up, Minaj's home life was often chaotic, with her parents constantly fighting.^[61] As a means of escape, she would create characters and live her life through them.^[61] In an interview with New York she stated, "To get away from all their fighting, I would imagine being a new person. 'Cookie' was my first identity – that stayed with me for a while. I went on to 'Harajuku Barbie,' then 'Nicki Minaj'. Fantasy was my reality."^[61]

On November 18, 2010, Minaj assumed a different alter-ego named "Nicki Teresa".^[62] Wearing a colorful scarf around her head, she went around as the "healer to her fans" as she visited them at The Garden of Dreams Foundation at Fuse studios in New York City.^[62] Minaj made an appearance on Lopez Tonight on December 6, 2010 and presented a different alter-ego for the Spanish-inspired occasion, named "Rosa" (pronounced Rrrrrosa).^[63]

In April 2012, Minaj was asked if Roman, Martha and Rosa come out in the bedroom saying “No, they don’t come out in the bedroom, but other people come out in the bedroom,” she told Big Boy during his “Backstage Breakfast,” adding, “And there’s only one person that would know who that personality is". Minaj did not name her alter-ego.^[64]

For her debut album, Minaj created another alter-ego named "Roman Zolanski".^[65] She stated that in songs like "Bottoms Up" with Trey Songz it is not Minaj rapping, but instead Roman Zolanski, and claims that Roman is her "twin brother". She claims that he was born inside her, out of rage, and becomes him when she is angry. She has also said 'He is a demon inside her'. Roman has been compared to Eminem's alter ego Slim Shady, and on the song "Roman's Revenge" from Pink Friday, Minaj and Eminem collaborate, using these alter egos.^[66] On the collaboration, she said "The new album is going to have a lot of Roman on it ... And if you're not familiar with Roman, then you will be familiar with him very soon. He’s the boy that lives inside of me. He's a lunatic and he's gay and he'll be on there a lot."^[67] Roman also has a "mother" called "Martha Zolanski",^[68] who also appeared on the song "Roman's Revenge", with a British accent,^[69] and on "Roman Holiday", singing for the first time.^[70][71] Martha appears in the video for "Moment 4 Life" where she appears to be Minaj's magical Godmother. In songs such as "All I Do Is Win (Remix)" it is Minaj rapping.^[65] Minaj stated that on her debut album, fans will get to "meet" Nicki, Roman and Onika.^[65]

Influences[link]

Minaj has stated that artists who have influenced her musical style include Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Lil Wayne, Lauryn Hill, Jadakiss, Natasha Bedingfield, Foxy Brown, Lil' Kim and Missy Elliott.^[72][73] She was also inspired by Janet Jackson,^[74] Madonna, Britney Spears, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Jones,^[75] M.I.A. and Cyndi Lauper.^[76][77][78]

Product and endorsements[link]

During her career, Minaj has signed contracts with a variety of corporate interests. Companies she contracted with include soft drink manufacturer Pepsi;^[79] Mattel, which produced a custom a Nicki Minaj-themed Barbie;^[80] and MAC Cosmetics, as part of an AIDS-awareness campaign in Latin America.^[81]

Personal life[link]

Minaj is a Christian, and on Christmas Day in 2011, she indicated her faith in Jesus by tweeting John 3:16.^[82][83] In addition, she states that after her father went to rehab and started attending church, "he got saved and started changing his life."^[84] Minaj states that her heroes are "God. And my mother."^[85][86]

While some songs and interviews have implied that Minaj is bisexual,^[87][88] she has said that she does not date nor have sex with women,^[15] but added in an interview with Out magazine, "I don’t date men either."^[89] In an interview with Vibe she commented, "I just embrace all people of all lifestyles and I don’t tell them they are bad people. And I say girls are beautiful and girls are sexy and they need to be told that, and if they don’t have anyone to tell them that and mean it, I’m gonna tell them that. But I feel like people always wanna define me and I don’t wanna be defined."^[90] She reiterated her dislike of being labeled in an interview with Out, saying: "The point is, everyone is not black and white. There are so many shades in the middle, and you’ve got to let people feel comfortable with saying what they want to say when they want to say it."^[89]

During an interview in the May 2010 issue of Details, Minaj was asked if she felt hip-hop was becoming more gay-friendly. She responded, "I think the world is getting more gay-friendly, so hip-hop is too. But it's harder to imagine an openly gay male rapper being embraced, people view gay men as having no street credibility. But I think we'll see one in my lifetime."^[88]

In July 2011, Minaj's cousin Nicholas Telemaque was murdered near his home in Brooklyn, New York City.^[91] Telemaque was referenced in Minaj's song "Champion" in her second studio album.^[92]

Discography[link]

• Pink Friday (2010)
• Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012)

Touring[link]

• Pink Friday Tour (2012)

See also[link]

Nicki Minaj portal

• List of awards and nominations received by Nicki Minaj

References[link]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

	Book: Nicki Minaj
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• Official website
• Nicki Minaj at the Internet Movie Database
• Media related to Nicki Minaj at Wikimedia Commons

Rye Rye
Rye Rye at WMC 2009 in Miami, Florida
Background information
Birth name	Ryeisha Berrain
Also known as	Rye Rye
Born	November 25, 1990 (1990-11-25) (age 21)
Origin	Baltimore, Maryland, US
Genres	Hip hop, Electrohop
Occupations	Rapper, Dancer
Years active	2000s
Labels	N.E.E.T./Interscope
Associated acts	M.I.A., Blaqstarr, Diplo, Robyn, Crookers, The Count & Sinden
Website	Rye Rye Myspace Rye Rye official website

Ryeisha Berrain (born November 25, 1990), known by her stage name Rye Rye, is an American rapper, dancer and actress from Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Signed to N.E.E.T. Recordings, she released Go! Pop! Bang! on May 15, 2012. In early 2009, MSNBC listed Rye Rye as one of the "5Top: Top of the pops! Up-and coming young singers."^[1] In 2011, Rye Rye was named one of Billboard 's "21 Under 21".^[2] Rye Rye made her acting debut in the 2012 film 21 Jump Street.

Career[link]

Early career[link]

Rye Rye began performing at the age of 16.^[3] She wanted to join the music industry because she felt there was potential there, adding "I love performing, singing, dancing, all of that and I felt that given the opportunity I would destroy it."^[4]

She met the musician Blaqstarr, a friend of her sister's, and worked with him on her early material after leaving a rap verse on his answering machine. On this process she notes "I used to like to write poetry and stories. One day I was home, bored, and started to compose songs."^[5]

Her song "Shake It To The Ground," produced in collaboration with Blaqstarr, was a club hit in 2006, leading to local speculation that Rye Rye could be a fresh, new female success within hip hop music.^[6] A meeting between Rye Rye, M.I.A. and Diplo in a studio in 2006/2007 was arranged by Blaqstarr after the song caught M.I.A.'s attention. Blaqstarr had told Rye Rye somebody wanted to meet her, but refused to say more. Although upon meeting them Rye Rye did not know who they were, M.I.A. told the rapper that she had been looking for her.^[7][8][9] At the time, Rye Rye was in her junior year at Dr. Samuel L. Banks High School.^[10] She toured with M.I.A. during the KALA Tour in fall and winter of 2007, which included opening for her during the CMJ Music Marathon and dates in the United Kingdom in 2007, the People Vs. Money Tour in early 2008 and briefly with Afrikan Boy.^{[3][10][11][12]} They both appeared in M.I.A.'s 2007 music video for the song "Paper Planes."

[edit] Go! Pop! Bang!

Rye Rye is the first artist signed to M.I.A.'s record label N.E.E.T., imprint of Interscope Records.^[8][13][14] Her debut album, titled Go! Pop! Bang! was set to come out in March 2009, but its release was delayed. In the interim, she recorded guest verses for other songs. She performed the song "Get it from my Mama" with Blaqstarr and M.I.A. in live performances; other recordings completed but not confirmed for her album included "Gangsta Girl" with Zakee, "Bang" with M.I.A., "Wassup Wassup" with DJ Diplo, "Hardcore Girls" with The Count & Sinden and "Reasons" as well as "Older Man", a song about falling in love with someone twice your age, and "Quit Swinging."^[5][9][15] A music video for "Shake It To The Ground" was made.^[16] Rye Rye appears on M.I.A.'s remix of Busy Signal's "Tic Toc"^[8][17] and she performed in Sweden in summer of 2008, featuring on the rapclash remix of Adrian Lux's single "Strawberry". She features on a remix of M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" with Afrikan Boy, which she performed during her 2007 live dates on the Kala Tour and appears on the Paper Planes - Homeland Security Remixes EP.^[18] In an interview with Nylon during the making of "Bang", M.I.A. described Rye Rye as "the voice of Baltimore".^[19] Rye Rye also worked with The Neptunes while recording her debut. In October 2008, she performed the song "Paper Planes" with Pharrel Williams and a pregnant M.I.A. at the Diesel XXX party at Pier 3 in Brooklyn.^[20]

Rye Rye is featured on the Crookers debut album, Tons of Friends, rapping on the track, "Hip Hop Changed". Rye Rye also appears on a track by Tel-aviv based Soulico called "Exotic On The Speaker". Rye Rye is featured on the track "Have You Heard?" by Ceci Bastida. She song "X Girl" for the electro-duo Teenage Bad Girl's second album "Backwash". Rye Rye's single "Bang" (featuring M.I.A.) appeared on the Fast & Furious motion picture soundtrack, and she released her M.I.A.-directed video for the track in 2009. Rolling Stone called the track "gloriously showoffy". Rye Rye's performance at SXSW in 2010 was well received by critics and festival goers.^[21] She performed at the Winter Music Conference in Miami before opening for indie rock band The Gossip in April 2010.

On February 9, 2011 at midnight, Rye Rye put up her highly anticipated pre-album mixtape, RYEot PowRR for download, along with a video to her remix of Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A.."^[22] After several date changes, an official release date for Go! Pop! Bang! was announced for February 22, 2011. However, the album did not come out and is presently slated for a Fall 2011 release.^[23] Rye Rye performed at the 2010 Alexander Wang fashion week after party. The first single to be lifted from her debut album Go! Pop! Bang! entitled "Sunshine", was released on October 5 and leaked online a day earlier. A music video with M.I.A. was shot in September 2010, and released on October 8. Rye Rye has recently joined M.I.A. to perform on her tour of international shows in 2010.^[24]

On June 7, 2011, she released a second single "Never Will Be Mine" featuring Robyn. The video featuring the two artists premiered on June 15, 2011 and after two days, had been viewed 2,740,998 times. The song reached number 12 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs.^[25] Rye Rye also toured with Robyn, as well as Katy Perry and LMFAO on arena shows.^[26]

Rye Rye released her single "New Thing" in 2011, which showcases and soundtracks fashion designer Prabal Gurung's collection and the 2011 "Women Go All In" Adidas advert. In April 2012, her single "Boom Boom" reached number 8 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs.^[27]

Acting[link]

Rye Rye appeared in the film 21 Jump Street and co-wrote its main theme with Esthero.

Artistry[link]

Style and inspiration[link]

The LA Times described her music as a "hardcore club sound."^[28] Rye Rye collaborated on the album with executive producer, co-writer and stylist M.I.A., whom Rye Rye described as her fashion icon. Rolling Stone described Go! Pop! Bang! as "the hip-hop album most likely to set the club on fire" while Paper stated the album "will take over car stereos one impossibly ear-catching kinetic party jam at a time." Bust described her debut album as "Baltimore grime at its best." She told Rap-Up TV that she was also a fan of clothing designer Jeremy Scott.^[28][29]

Speaking of the ease at which writing her lyrics comes to her, Rye Rye notes that listening to her songs' beats repeatedly in the studio helps her to focus.^[30] Rye Rye has spoken of her intention to work with Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Rihanna and Jay Z as well as a Disney Channel artist to reach out to child audiences. She says, "Of course I want to work with artists that can dance so in saying that I have to say that Ciara is someone I really want to work with, as that girl have moves. Not forgetting Ms. Missy Elliott of course as I think her videos are crazy."^[4]

Influence[link]

Rye Rye is the muse of fashion designer Prabal Gurung.^[31] Music critics have noted similarities between the style of the music video in the song "What You Talking About!?" by Redlight, featuring Ms. Dynamite, with that of M.I.A. and Rye Rye.^[32]

Personal life[link]

Pursuing her music career, Rye Rye has also expressed interest in attending college to study child care.^[3][33] Although Rye Rye was slated be part of the A-Trak tour, she had to pull out as she was expecting her first child.^[34][35] She had a baby girl, Kennidi Malaysia Battle, with boyfriend Evan Battle on September 30, 2009.^[10]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Go! Pop! Bang! (2012)

Mixtapes[link]

• RYEot PowRR (2011)

Singles[link]

• "Bang" (featuring M.I.A.) (2009)
• "Sunshine" (featuring M.I.A.) (2010)
• "Never Will Be Mine" (featuring Robyn) (2011)
• "New Thing" (2011)
• "Boom Boom" (2012)

As featured artist[link]

• "Shake It To The Ground" (2007) (Blaqstarr featuring Rye Rye)
• "Paper Planes (Blaqstarr remix)"(M.I.A. featuring Rye Rye and Afrikan Boy)
• "Hardcore Girls" (2008) (The Count & Sinden featuring Rye Rye)
• "Wassup Wassup" (2008) (Diplo featuring Rye Rye)
• "Lovely" (2009) (Johnny Spanish featuring Rye Rye)
• "Exotic On The Speaker" (2009) (Soulico featuring Rye Rye)
• "Hip Hop Changed" (2010) (Crookers featuring Rye Rye)
• "Kawaii" (2011) (Missill featuring Rye Rye)
• "X Girl" (2011) (Teenage Bad Girl featuring Rye Rye)
• "Jello" (2011) (Far East Movement featuring Rye Rye)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Rye Rye official website
• Rye Rye at Interscope

Flux Pavilion
Birth name	Joshua Steele
Born	(1989-01-15) January 15, 1989 (age 23) Towcester, UK
Genres	Electronic, Dubstep
Occupations	Producer, DJ
Years active	2008-Present
Labels	Circus
Associated acts	Doctor P, Example, SKisM, Foreign Beggars
Website	facebook.com/fluxpavilion

Joshua Steele, known professionally as Flux Pavilion, is an English dubstep producer and DJ.^[1] He is the co-founder of Circus Records, along with Doctor P, DJ Swan-E and Dyspro.^[2] He is best known for his 2011 single "Bass Cannon", which peaked at number 56 on the UK Singles Chart,^[3] and was placed on the Radio 1 A-List. Along with Doctor P, Flux Pavilion presented the 2011 compilation album Circus One, to which he contributed four tracks. In August 2011 his track "I Can't Stop" was sampled by producer Shama “Sak Pase” Joseph for hip-hop album, Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye West.^[4] In December 2011, Flux Pavilion was nominated for the BBC's Sound of 2012 poll, as one of only two independent artists on the longlist.^[5] On 5 March 2012, his track "I Can't Stop" was used in the viral Kony 2012 campaign, and was previously featured in SSX.

Discography[link]

Extended plays[link]

Compilations[link]

• Doctor P and Flux Pavilion - Circus One^[8]

Singles[link]

Other releases[link]

Remixes[link]

As producer[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Flux Pavilion on Facebook
• Flux Pavilion on Myspace

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Eduard Marian Ilie (born 29 June 1986 in Bucharest),^[1] better known as Edward Maya, is a Romanian musician, producer, performer, and composer. He graduated from George Enescu Music High School in Bucharest and is currently a final year student at the Bucharest Conservatory.

Career[link]

In and around 2006, Maya worked with many Romanian artists such as Akcent, Vika Jigulina, Blaxy Girls, DJ Sava, DJ Rynno and Liviu Hodor. He worked also on the song Tornerò, which was performed by Mihai Trăistariu in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. He added in an interview on Beat-Town.com that this song "was the beginning of my career"^[2]

In the summer of 2009, Maya launched his first song as an artist, "Stereo Love", reaching number 2 in the Romanian singles charts. Later that year, "Stereo Love" became a hit in clubs all over the world.^[3] While this success was followed by concerts worldwide, the song entered the top-5 singles charts in Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK.^[4][5][6][7] "Stereo Love" has received over 173 million YouTube views since August 2009, for just one video.^[8]

On May 13, 2010, Maya released his second single "This Is My Life". To help maintain control of his career and provide opportunities for other artists, Maya has formed his own record label, Mayavin Records.^[9]

Maya released the song and video for his third single "Desert Rain" on Christmas night worldwide.^[10] In an interview Edward Maya talked about his Desert Rain tour he mentions he'll start off with India and later he will be touring Europe, US, South Africa and Pakistan.^[11]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

Other singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website