The Sudd (Arabic سد, ''sad'', "barrier"), also known as the Bahr al Jabal, As Sudd or Al Sudd, is a vast swamp in South Sudan, formed by the White Nile. The word “sudd” is derived from the Arabic word “sadd”, meaning “block.” The term has come to refer to any large solid floating vegetation island or mat. The area which the swamp covers is one of the world's largest wetlands and the largest freshwater wetland in the Nile basin.

Location

The Sudd stretches from Mongalla to just outside the Sobat confluence with the White Nile just upstream of Malakal as well as westwards along the Bahr el Ghazal. The shallow and flat inland delta lays between 5.5 and 9.5 degrees latitude North and covers an area of 500 km south to north and 200 km east to west between Mongalla in the south and Malakal in the north.

Its size is highly variable, averaging over 30,000 square kilometers. During the wet season it may extend to over 130,000 km², depending on the inflowing waters, with the discharge from Lake Victoria being the main control factor of flood levels and area inundation. A main hydrological factor is that Sudd area, consisting of various meandering channels, lagoons, reed and papyrus fields, loses half of the inflowing water through evapotranspiration in the permanent and seasonal floodplains. A major feature of the area, even if not completed and not functional, is the Jonglei Canal, planned to bypass waters from the Sudd to avoid evaporation losses and increase the amount of water discharged at the outlet of the Sudd.

From 1961 to 1963 a great increase in the inundated area occurred when the level of Lake Victoria rose and the outflow increased. The total area is related to the amount of water reaching Bor from Albert Nile and from torrents or seasonal watercourses that can add substantial amounts to the flow in the upstream end of the Sudd. During the 1960s increase in Lake Victoria discharge, where flows at Mongalla have roughly doubled, the flows at Malakal at the northern end of the swamps had increased by 1.5 times the previous average flow. As a consequence of these high flows, the areas of permanent swamp and seasonal floodplains have, together, increased to 2.5 times their former size. The swamps have increased the most but even so the seasonal floodplain is 1.5 times its previous size.

From the southern inflow of the Bahr al Jabal ("Sea of the Mountain") at Mongalla, the defined riverbed successively widens into a floodplain, where the waters flow in meandering river stretches and various channels and lagoons throughout the dry season. It expands over the semi flooded grasslands during the flood season with rising water levels.

Slightly downstream of Bor, the Bahr el Zeraf ("Sea of the Giraffes") river branches off the Bahr al Jabal to the east, diverting part of the flow, to join the Bahr al Jabal again just before reaching Malakal. During the course of its flow, the Bahr al Jabal passes Lake No, where the Bahr el Ghazal ("Sea of the Gazelles") connects to the Bahr al Jabal, contributing an inflow with seasonal variation. At Malakal, the Sobat River joins into the system. The combined flows then stream to the north as the White Nile in a defined bed, joining with the Blue Nile waters at Khartoum to form the main Nile.

Sudd was designated as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance on 5 June 2006.

Climate

Hydrologically the Sudd plays an important role in storing floodwaters and trapping sediments from the Bahr al Jabal. Roughly 55 percent of water entering the area is lost to evaporation. Water levels fluctuate up to 1.5 meters, depending on the intensity of seasonal flooding.

The region receives less rainfall (typically between 55 and 65 centimeters per year) than neighbouring areas at the same latitude. Orographic lifting on the eastern and western sides of the Sudd contribute to that condition.

Geomorphology

The morphology of the area is defined by the channel and lagoon system of the permanent Sudd swamps, the adjacent flood plains and the surrounding flat terrain. The Bahr al Jabal runs to the north-northwest and therefore in an angle to the gradient of the flood plain which is sloping down to the north. While north of Juba the river flows in an incised trough. The banks of this trough decrease in height from south to north with the Bahr al Jabal approaching Bor and end into the Sudd flood plain just north of Bor on the eastern bank and towards Shambe on the western bank. In the southern part, the river meanders from side to side in the restraining trough in one or more channels, but further north the swamp is not limited by higher ground and the system of river channels becomes increasingly complex. The characteristics of the river with the network of channels and lagoons are distinguishable from satellite imagery and digital elevation models.

The geology of the area is defined by heavy clay soils, highly impermeable with a top layer of black cotton of approximately 500 mm in average. Sandy soils are found only in depth of approximately 30m and below, referring to well drilling profiles (Petersen, 2008). This indicates a very limited groundwater influence on the area hydrology.

Population

Dinka, Nuer and Shilluk pastoralists use the Sudd and the surrounding areas extensively. Livestock and rain-fed agriculture are the dominant means of support for the largely rural population for which the seasonal flooded grasslands along the Sudd provides valuable grazing lands.

Vegetation and ecosystem

Vegetation cover of the area can generally be classified in five categories which occur depending on the elevation of the area above river flood level: the lakes and rivers themselves, the floating plant life of the swamp, river-flooded grasslands (Toic), rain-flooded grasslands, and wooded grasslands on the fringes. Areas of the grassland and woodland have been cultivated (by local populations).

The density of the grasslands along the sudd is changing depending on the season, being tall grass in the rainy season and short and dry in the dry season, where also frequent burnings occur. The fluvial area is mostly overgrown with vegetation, with some main and side channels as well as lagoons of open water. The vegetation distribution is described in further detail in Sutcliffe (1974) and Petersen (2007). The main species are:

''Phragmites communis'' (shallow flooded, buried roots)

''Echinochloa pyramidalis'' (shallow flooded, buried roots)

''Oryza barthii'' (shallow flooded, buried roots)

''Echinochloa stagnina'' (deep flooded, superficial/floating roots)

''Vossia cuspidate'' (deep flooded, superficial/floating roots)

''Cyperus papyrus'' (deep flooded, superficial/floating roots)

''Typha domingensis''

The first three species are anchored so their distribution is limited to depth of flooding, for the last species their root system needs to be in water or saturated soil permanently which gives a good indicator on flood patterns. ''P. communis'', ''E. pyramidalis'' and ''O. barthii'' for example dominate only in areas where the depth of flooding does not exceed 130 cm over a period of ten years or 118 cm for a month in the year.

Floating vegetation of ''C. papyrus'' had caused blockages in the Sudd swamps in a number of occasions between 1879 and 1900, when the plants were torn out by increased floods. ''C. papyrus'' needs saturated conditions and can tolerate flooding that is not more than 150 cm deep.

When the matted vegetation breaks free of its moorings, it forms floating islands of vegetation up to 30 km in length. Such islands, in varying stages of decomposition, eventually break up.

The sluggish waters are host to a large population of mosquitoes and parasites that cause waterborne diseases.

According to Marcia Merry Baker, in her 1997 article "The potential of the Nile river basin and the economic development of Sudan" , the Sudd is nearly impassable, either overland or by watercraft, although she also writes that "For many locations in Sudan, the Nile River is the key transport link. River transport between Kosti and Juba (1,436 km, 892 miles) had no overland alternative as of the mid-1980s".

The early explorers searching for the source of the Nile experienced considerable difficulties, sometimes taking months to get through. In ''The White Nile'', Alan Moorehead says of the Sudd, "there is no more formidable swamp in the world".

Fauna

The Sudd provides food and water to large populations of migrating birds, with more than 400 species of bird found here including Shoebills, Great White Pelicans, and Black Crowned Cranes. As the surrounding landscape is a large swathe of dry Sahel across Africa the swamp is also a haven for migrating animals, especially antelopes such as the endangered Nile Lechwe, Tiang, Reedbuck, and the world's largest population of White-eared Kob, estimated at around 1.2 million – animal populations comparable to Tanzania's better-known Serengeti National Park. Meanwhile the shallow water is frequented by crocodiles and hippopotami. In more upland areas the Sudd has been known as a historic habitat for the endangered Painted Hunting Dog, ''Lycaon pictus''; however, this canid may be extirpated in the region.

Threats and preservation

The long-running civil war in Southern Sudan seriously disrupted conservation efforts in the Sudd, especially as the widespread availability of weapons has encouraged poaching of wildlife, including elephants. There are three game reserves Zeraf Island between the Zeraf River and the Nile, Shambe Reserve, and Mongalla Game Reserve.

The Jonglei diversion canal

Because of the Sudd swamp, the water from the southwestern tributaries (the Bahr el Ghazal system) for all practical purposes does not reach the main river and is lost through evaporation and transpiration.

Hydrogeologists in the 1930s proposed digging a canal east of the Sudd which would divert water from the Bahr al Jabal above the Sudd to a point farther down the White Nile, bypassing the swamps and carrying the White Nile's water's directly to the main channel of the river.

The Jonglei canal scheme was first studied by the government of Egypt in 1946 and plans were developed in 1954-59. Construction work on the canal began in 1978 but the outbreak of political instability in Sudan has held up work for many years. By 1984 when the Southern Sudanese rebels (SPLA) brought the works to a halt, 240 km of the canal of a total of 360 km had been excavated. The rusting remains of the giant German-built excavation machine – nicknamed "Sarah" - are visible on a Google Earth image at the south end of the canal. It was destroyed by a missile. As peace was restored in 2000, speculation grew about a restart of the project. However on 21/2/08, the Sudanese Government said the revival of the project was not a priority. However, in 2008, Sudan and Egypt agreed to restart the project and finish the canal after 24 years.

It is estimated that the Jonglei canal project would produce 3.5-4.8 x 10⁹ m³ of water per year (equal to a mean annual discharge of 110–152 m³/s (3,883-5,368 ft³/s), an increase of around five to seven per cent of Egypt's current supply. The canal's benefits would be shared by Egypt and Sudan, with the expected damage falling on South Sudan. The complex environmental and social issues involved, including the collapse of fisheries, drying of grazing lands, a drop of groundwater levels and a reduction of rainfall in the region, may limit the scope of the project in practical terms. The draining of the Sudd is likely to have environmental effects comparable to drying of the Lake Chad or the draining of the Aral Sea.

See also

Aral Sea

Lake Chad

Okavango Delta

Draining of the Mesopotamian Marshes

References and notes

Petersen, G., Abya, J. A., Fohrer, N. (2007) Spatio-temporal water body and vegetation changes in the Nile swamps of southern Sudan Adv. Geosci. 11, 113-116

Petersen, G., Sutcliffe, J. V., Fohrer, N. (2008) Morphological analysis of the Sudd region using land survey and remote sensing data Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 33

Petersen, G. (2008) The Hydrology of the Sudd – Hydrologic Investigation and Evaluation of Water Balances in the Sudd Swamps of Southern Sudan University of Kiel, Germany

Sutcliffe, J.V., Parks, Y.P. (1999) The Hydrology of the Nile. IAHS Special Publication No 5. Wallingford. UK

Further reading

E. A. Stanton, "The Great Marshes of the White Nile", ''Journal of the Royal African Society'', 2 (July, 1903), pp. 375–379.

External links

Saharan flooded grasslands – ''World Wildlife Fund ecoregion''

Elephant herds found on isolated south Sudan island

Current hydrological and ecological research program on the Sudd swamps

Sudd – on Google Maps

Category:Afrotropic Category:Ecoregions of South Sudan Category:Flooded grasslands and savannas Category:Grasslands of South Sudan Category:Nile Category:Swamps Category:Geography of South Sudan

ar:بحر الجبل br:Sudd bg:Суд ca:Sudd de:Sudd es:Sudd eo:Sudd eu:Sudd fr:Marais du Sudd it:Sudd sw:Sadd lt:Sudas nl:Sudd ja:スッド pl:Sudd ru:Судд sr:Суд (мочвара) sv:Sudd (träskmark) uk:Судд vec:Sudd vi:Sudd

Coordinates	39°46′5.88″N86°9′29.52″N
Name	Nicki Minaj
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Onika Tanya Maraj
Birth date	December 08, 1982
Birth place	Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago
Origin	South Jamaica, Queens, New York, USA
Genre	Hip hop, R&B;, pop
Occupation	Rapper, singer-songwriter
Years active	2002 – present
Label	Cash Money Records, Young Money Entertainment, Universal Republic Records, Universal Motown
Associated acts	Young Money
website	}}

Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1982), known by her stage name Nicki Minaj (), is a Trinidadian-born American musician. She was born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, and moved to the New York borough of Queens when she was five.

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. She became the first female solo artist to have seven singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at the same time. Her second single, "Your Love", reached #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Rap Songs chart, making Minaj the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since 2002. She also became the first female artist to be included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List. Minaj was named the 2011 ''Rising Star'' by ''Billboard''. Her second studio album, ''Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded'' will be released on April 3, 2012.

Early life

Maraj was born in 1982 in Saint James, a suburb of Trinidad and Tobago's capital city Port of Spain. Her parents are of mixed Indian and Afro-Trinidadian ancestry 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. According to Minaj, her father drank heavily, took drugs, and once tried to kill her mother by setting the house on fire.

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

Career

2007–09: Mixtapes and Young Money

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. She won the Female Artist of the Year award at the 2008 Underground Music Awards. 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.

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. She then had a solo rap verse in their single "BedRock," which became a commercial success, reaching #2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Minaj also appeared on "Roger That", which charted at #56. The song, and in particular Minaj, received positive reviews from critics. 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 #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.

2010–present: ''Pink Friday'' and ''Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded''

After a major record label bidding war, Young Money Entertainment announced on August 31, 2009 that Minaj had been released a 360 deal with the label in which she retains and owns all of her 360 rights – including merchandising, sponsorships, endorsements, touring and publishing. 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''. Hip-hop rap artist and producer Kanye West was also confirmed for the album. 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.

''Pink Friday'' was released on November 19, 2010 in both standard and deluxe versions. A buzz single, "Massive Attack", was released in April. 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 and the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since 2002. In October 2010, Minaj became the first artist to have seven songs on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart simultaneously. 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. The album gained a Platinum certification in the United States a month after the release. It was hinted by Simon Cowell that Minaj would join the judging panel of the American version of the ''The X Factor.'' 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''. 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. "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. The song gained positive reviews from critics. Minaj will voice a character in the 3D animated film, ''Ice Age: Continental Drift'', as an unknown character. 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". She will be featured alongside Madonna and M.I.A. on an upcoming single from Madonna's twelfth studio album, for which a music video has been directed by Megaforce. The trio performed "Give Me All Your Luvin'" from Madonna's new album for the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show.

Minaj's second studio album, ''Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded'', was announced through Twitter in November 2011 and is set to be released on April 3, 2012. The album's first single, "Starships", was released on February 14. On February 12, 2012, Minaj debuted her song "Roman Holiday" at the 54th Grammy Awards. The exorcism-themed perfomance drew a mixed response online.

Musical style and image

Image

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." 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.” Minaj has a tattoo in Chinese characters that reads "" (''shangdi yu ni chang zai'') on her left arm, meaning, "God is always with you."

Alter egos

While growing up, Minaj's home life was often chaotic, with her parents constantly fighting. As a means of escape, she would create characters and live her life through them. 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."

For her debut album, Minaj created another alter-ego named "Roman Zolanski". 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 sister". 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. 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." Roman also has a "mother" called "Martha Zolanski", who also appeared on the song Roman's Revenge, with a British accent. 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. Minaj stated that on her debut album, fans will get to "meet" Nicki, Roman and Onika.

On November 18, 2010, Minaj assumed a different alter-ego named "Nicki Teresa". 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. 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).

Influences

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. She was also inspired by Janet Jackson, Madonna, Britney Spears, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Jones, M.I.A., and Cyndi Lauper.

Personal life

While some songs and interviews have implied that Minaj is bisexual, she has said that she does not date nor have sex with women, but added in an interview with ''Out'' magazine, "I don’t date men either." 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." 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."

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."

In July 2011, Minaj's cousin Nicholas Telemaque was murdered near his home in Brooklyn, New York City.

Discography

''Pink Friday'' (2010)

''Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded'' (2012)

See also

List of awards and nominations received by Nicki Minaj

Notes

References

External links

Category:Nicki Minaj Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:African American female singers Category:African American rappers Category:American musicians of Indian descent Category:American people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Category:Female rappers Category:Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Category:Hip hop singers Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:People from Queens Category:People from Port of Spain Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Singers from New York City Category:Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to the United States Category:Trinidad and Tobago musicians Category:Trinidad and Tobago people of Dougla descent Category:Young Money Entertainment artists

ar:نيكي مناج bg:Ники Минаж ca:Nicki Minaj cs:Nicki Minaj da:Nicki Minaj de:Nicki Minaj et:Nicki Minaj es:Nicki Minaj eu:Nicki Minaj fa:نیکی میناژ fr:Nicki Minaj ko:니키 미나즈 hi:निकी मिनाज hr:Nicki Minaj id:Nicki Minaj it:Nicki Minaj he:ניקי מינאג' la:Nicki Minaj lv:Niki Minaža lt:Nicki Minaj hu:Nicki Minaj mk:Ники Минаж nl:Nicki Minaj ja:ニッキー・ミナージュ no:Nicki Minaj pl:Nicki Minaj pt:Nicki Minaj ro:Nicki Minaj ru:Ники Минаж sq:Nicki Minaj simple:Nicki Minaj sk:Nicki Minaj sr:Ники Минаж fi:Nicki Minaj sv:Nicki Minaj tl:Nicki Minaj tr:Nicki Minaj vi:Nicki Minaj zh:妮琪·米娜

:''Not to be confused with Drama (rapper).''

Coordinates	39°46′5.88″N86°9′29.52″N
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Tyree Cinque Simmons
Alias	Drama Boy
Birth date	April 22, 1978
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania/
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	DJ, record producer
Years active	2001–present
Label	E1 Music, Aphilliates Music Group, TM3 Records
Associated acts	Don Cannon, T.I., Lil Wayne, Willie the Kid, Smokey, Roscoe Dash, Wiz Khalifa, Trey Songz, Fabolous
website	GangstaGrillz.com }}

Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978 in, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) better known as DJ Drama is an American hip hop artist and the official DJ for Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist T.I... He is best known for producing mixtapes, including the successful "Gangsta Grillz" series and ''Dedication 2'', which the ''New York Times'' called one of the "10 best recordings of 2006".

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

Music career

DJ Drama's debut album, ''Gangsta Grillz: The Album'', was released in December 2007 on the Grand Hustle label. The album's first street single, "Takin Pictures", was released in 2007 and featured Young Jeezy, Willie the Kid, Jim Jones, Rick Ross, Young Buck and T.I., while the first single, "5000 Ones", featuring Nelly, T.I., Yung Joc, Willie the Kid, Young Jeezy and Twista, debuted on BET. The second single, "The Art of Storytellin' Part 4", was released in 2008 and featured OutKast and Marsha Ambrosius. In 2009, DJ Drama released his second album entitled ''Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 2)'', the first single was "Day Dreaming", which featured Akon, Snoop Dogg and T.I. The second single was "Ridiculous", which featured Gucci Mane, Yo Gotti, Lonnie Mac and OJ da Juiceman. Both singles were released in 2009. DJ Drama will release his third studio album, ''Third Power'', in 2011. The Gangsta Grillz album reunites DJ Drama and Don Cannon who had gone their separate ways for a few years after a lot of fighting and arguing as business partners. He is married to video vixen Summer Walker.

Film career

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

Discography

Albums

{|class="wikitable" !rowspan=2|Year !rowspan=2|Title !colspan=4|Chart positions !rowspan=2|Sales |- !width=40|US !width=40|US R&B; !width=40|US Rap !width=40|US Comp |- |2007 |''Gangsta Grillz: The Album''

Released: December 4, 2007

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

|align=center|26 |align=center|3 |align=center|2 |align=center|29 |

US: 320,000+

|- |2009 |''Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 2)''

Released: May 19, 2009

Label: Grand Hustle/Atlantic

|align=center|26 |align=center|5 |align=center|4 |align=center|26 |

US: 75,000+

|- |2011 |''Third Power'' Released: October 4, 2011

Label: Aphilliates/E1

|align=center colspan=5|

To be released

|}

Singles

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !rowspan="2"|Year !rowspan="2"|Song !colspan="3"|Chart positions !rowspan="2"|Album |- !width="40"|US !width="40"|US
R&B; !width="40"|US
Rap |- |2007 |align="left"|"5000 Ones"
(featuring Nelly, T.I., Yung Joc, Willie the Kid, Young Jeezy, Diddy & Twista) |align="center"|— |align="center"|73 |align="center"|— |rowspan="2"|''Gangsta Grillz: The Album'' |- |2008 |align="left"|"The Art of Storytellin' Part 4"
(featuring OutKast & Marsha Ambrosius) |align="center"|— |align="center"|91 |align="center"|— |- |rowspan="2"|2009 |align="left"|"Day Dreaming"
(featuring Akon, Snoop Dogg, & T.I.) |align="center"|— |align="center"|88 |align="center"|— |rowspan="2"|''Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 2)'' |- |align="left"|"Ridiculous"
(featuring Gucci Mane, Yo Gotti, Lonnie Mac, & OJ da Juiceman) |align="center"|— |align="center"|104 |align="center"|— |- |rowspan="2"|2011 |align="Left"|"Oh My"
(featuring Fabolous, Wiz Khalifa & Roscoe Dash) |align="center"|95 |align="center"|18 |align="center"|12 |rowspan="2"|''Third Power'' |- |align="left"|"Words of Advice"
(featuring Lil Wayne, Mack Maine & Kevin Cossom) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |}

Awards

BET Hip Hop Awards

*DJ of the Year (Nominated)

Ozone Awards

*2008, Best Mixtape (''Hood Generals'') with BG (Won)

*''Note: The award was a tie with Chamillionaire's Mixtape Messiah 3''

References

Notes

Interview with DJ Drama's sister after the January 16th raid, Mixtapeshow.net, January 27, 2007

April 2007 Interview, Allhiphop.com, April 2007

Jeff Leeds, "Cracking down on mixtape CDs", New York Times, January 22, 2007

Samantha M. Shapiro, "Hip-hop outlaw (industry version)", New York Times Magazine, February 18, 2007

"Exclusive: DJ Drama Q&A;", Rhapsody.com, January 11, 2008

External links

Gangsta Grillz website

The Aphilliates

DJ Drama at MTV

[

[ [

[[Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Hip hop DJs Category:Mixtape DJs Category:People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

de:DJ Drama es:DJ Drama pl:DJ Drama fi:DJ Drama sv:DJ Drama

Coordinates	39°46′5.88″N86°9′29.52″N
name	Yo Gotti
background	solo_singer
birth name	Mario Mims
birth date	May 17, 1981
origin	Memphis, Tennessee
genre	Southern hip hop
occupation	Rapper
years active	1996–present
label	Polo Grounds, J Records
website	}}

Mario Mims better known by his stage name Yo Gotti, is a southern rapper from the northern side of Memphis, Tennessee who was previously known as Lil Yo.

Music career

Independent Albums

Yo Gotti released a string of independent albums. ''From Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game'' (2000),''Self-Explanatory'' (2001), ''Life'' (2003) and ''Back 2 da Basics'' (2006)

First Studio Album

Yo Gotti;s first studio album called ''Live from the Kitchen''. The album had many singles "5 Star" was the first single, it was released on May 20, 2009. The single peaked at 79 on the Hot 100, 19 on U.S R&B; and 11 on U.S Rap."Women Lie, Men Lie" was the second official single released December 11, 2009. The song peaked at 81 on the Hot 100, 22 on the U.S R&B; and 12 on U.S Rap "Look In the Mirror" was the third single released 7th months after his second single on July 27, 2010. The song peaked at 97 on the U.S R&B; chart "For the Hood" featured rapper Gucci Mane it was released on October 1, 2010 and charted at 86 on the U.S R&B; chart "We Can Get It On" was released May 10, 2011, the single featured R&B; singer Ciara, the single peaked at 40 on the U.S R&B; Chart.

Discography

;Studio albums

''Live from the Kitchen'' (2011)

;Independent albums

''From Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game'' (2000)

''Self-Explanatory'' (2001)

''Life'' (2003)

''Back 2 da Basics'' (2006)

Mixtapes

''I Told U So, Gangsta Grillz,(2006)

''Cocaine Muzik,(Hosted By (DJ Smallz) (2008)

''Cocaine Muzik 2,(Hosted By DJ Drama (Gangsta Grillz) (2009)

''Cocaine Muzik 3,(Hosted By (DJ Scream)(2009)

''Cocaine Muzik 4, with Zedzilla,(Hosted By DJ Drama (Gangsta Grillz) (2010)

''Cocaine Muzik 4.5 (Da Documentary),(Hosted By DJ Drama (Gangsta Grillz) (2010)

''Cocaine Muzik 5: White Friday,(Hosted By Bigga Rankin) (2010)

''Cocaine Muzik 6: Gangsta of The Year,(Hosted By DJ Drama (Gangsta Grillz) (2011)

References

External links

Yo Gotti Official Site

Yo Gotti | Features Artist | Global Hit Music

Behind the Scenes, Yo Gotti, "Women Lie, Men Lie" in Los Angeles, February 4, 2010 by Streetgangs.com

Yo Gotti Interview, Jan 18, 2010

Non-commercial Yo Gotti mixtapes

Category:Rappers from Memphis, Tennessee Category:African American rappers Category:Living people Category:1980 births Category:TVT Records artists

de:Yo Gotti fr:Yo Gotti it:Yo Gotti lt:Yo Gotti pl:Yo Gotti