Nina Sky
Background information
Born	(1984-03-13) March 13, 1984 (age 28) Queens, New York, United States
Genres	Hip-hop, Reggaeton, R&B, Dance-pop
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Universal (2004–2007) Polo Grounds / J (2007–present)
Associated acts	Major Lazer, Belly, The Alchemist, Tony Touch, Rick Ross, Prima J, Kenza Farah, Creep
Website	www.ninaskyhigh.com
Members
Nicole Albino Natalie Albino

External audio
	You may listen to Nina Sky's "Move Ya Body" here.

Nina Sky is an American musical duo composed of identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino (born March 13, 1984).^[1]

Early life and career[link]

The Albinos's parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico and were divorced when the girls were younger. They were born in Queens and grew up in Astoria, New York in a place called Marine Terrace

Because their stepfather worked as a DJ, the twins were influenced by different types of music. When the sisters were only 7 years old, they wrote their first song, "Sisters", and by the time they were 10, they already knew that they wanted to become singers.^[2]

The twins' parents were very supportive of their daughters' ambitions. Their stepfather even gave them guitar and drum lessons. They were taken to auditions and, on some occasions, they even performed on some showcases. The sisters wanted to devise a name of their own. In using the first two syllables of their names ("Ni" and "Na"), they came up with Nina. They then added Sky, which for them represented "the sky's the limit".^[3]

[edit] 2004–2006: Nina Sky

In 2004, The Jettsonz introduced the girls to Cipha Sounds, a hip hop DJ under the Star Trak label owned by The Neptunes (Pharrell and Chad Hugo). Cipha Sounds was impressed when he heard the girls sing and suggested that they use the "Coolie Dance" riddim. The twins then proceeded to write "Move Ya Body" (along with The Jettsonz, who also produced the record), mixing Caribbean, R&B, and pop rhythms. Eventually, a demo of the song was made. The demo fell into the hands of Eddie O'Loughlin, the president of Next Plateau Entertainment (which is a division of Universal Records). O'Loughlin signed the twins to a contract and they started working on their debut album.

The single "Move Ya Body" was released on April 27, 2004 and reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Urban music and rhythmic top 40 stations quickly added the song to their play lists, sending the song up the charts. By July 17, "Move Ya Body" had gone to the top 5 on both sides of the Atlantic and had also reached the top 5 of a world combined R&B chart based on the US, UK, Germany, France and Australia. The song had also reached the top 50 of the Australian charts. On June 29, 2004 they released their first self-titled album, featuring Betty Wright.^[4]

The twins, Natalie and Nicole continued to work and promote their music. They have contributed to the reggaeton movement with songs such as "Oye Mi Canto", and "Más Maíz" with artist and producer N.O.R.E. They were also featured artist on Sean Paul's song "Connection" from his album "The Trinity"

[edit] 2007–2011: coming out, marriage and The Other Side

Nina Sky performing at the Phoenix Pride Festival on 17 April 2010

Nina Sky collaborated with French singer Kenza Farah for the song "Celle Qu'Il Te Faut", and was released in both French and English versions. The video was shot in New York.

Nina Sky was recording on their second studio album, Starting Today. The album was originally due on July 27, 2007. Producers include Stereotypes, Bruno & Phil, Neo da Matrix, Ryan Leslie, Salaam Remi, and more. Guests include Rick Ross and others that have yet to be announced. In late 2007, Nina Sky left their label, Universal, and signed with Polo Grounds Music/J Records.

Nina Sky have also put together remixes of popular songs including J. Holiday's "Bed," Elliott Yamin's "Wait For You", Cassidy's "My Drink n My 2 Step, and The-Dream's I Love Your Girl" They have also worked with Brooklyn MC Red Cafe on his street album The Co-Op, and The Alchemist on his song "Key To The City"

Nina Sky recently appeared on Major Lazer's album, Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do. They are currently in a battle with their record company Polo Grounds Records, over the release of their new album "Starting Today". They have said they want to be released from their contract with the label because the label no longer supports them.^[5]

In 2010, Nicole Albino revealed she was openly lesbian and married female fashion designer, Erin Magee.^[6] The couple had dated since 2009; in an interview with Inked Magazine, Magee revealed that she had her last name legally changed to Nicole's and had gotten a tattoo of the name across her right breast.^[6]

With a new masculine (and as the public termed "butched up") style, the duo independently released an 8 track EP for digital download in August, entitled "The Other Side", which features production from DJ Yonny, Salaam Remi, Kidz in the Hall & many more. A video for the lead-single, "You Ain't Got It (Funk That)" was also released. In early 2011 they worked with Creep on their song 'You'. On May 16, they released the music video on their official website.^[7]

[edit] 2012: Nicole & Natalie

On February 2, Nina Sky released the lead single to their second studio album Nicole & Natalie, entitled "Day Dreaming", produced by Beau Vallis. The album is scheduled for a July 2012 release.

Discography[link]

• Nina Sky (2004)
• The Other Side (2010)
• Nicole & Natalie (2012)

See also[link]

	Puerto Rico portal
	Biography portal

• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• List of twins

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Nina Sky on Myspace
• Nina Sky on Twitter

Daddy Yankee
Background information
Birth name	Ramón Ayala
Also known as	Winchester 30-30 El Cangri El Jefe The Big Boss DY El Máximo Lider
Born	(1977-02-03) February 3, 1977 (age 35)
Origin	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Genres	Reggaeton, Latin rap, hip-hop
Years active	1992–present
Labels	El Cartel, Interscope, Sony Music Latin
Website	daddyyankee.com

Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (born February 3, 1977), known artistically as Daddy Yankee, is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican reggaeton recording artist. Ayala was born in Río Piedras, the largest district of San Juan, where he became interested in music at a young age. In his youth he was interested in baseball, and aspired to become a Major League Baseball player. He was unable to continue this sport when he received an injury to one of his legs, leaving him unable to walk correctly. He then became involved in the underground rap movement that was in its early stages in Puerto Rico, later to be called reggaeton. After receiving lessons from several artists within the genre, he developed an independent career, first recording in a production titled Playero 37. After this he began to produce independent albums. His first solo album was No Mercy. He subsequently formed a duo with Nicky Jam, and then continued his solo career with the releases of El Cartel and El Cartel II. This led him be one of many pioneers of the reggaeton genre earning him the nickname "El Cangri".

In 2002 El Cangri.com became Ayala's first album with international success, receiving coverage in the markets of New York and Miami. Barrio Fino was released in 2004, and the album received numerous awards, including Lo Nuestro Awards and a Latin Billboard, as well as receiving nominations for the Latin Grammy and MTV Video Music Awards. Barrio Fino performed well in the sales charts of the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Japan. On June 5, 2007, El Cartel Records released El Cartel: The Big Boss, which was ranked as the top-selling album in Latin music genres in 2007. He promoted the album with an international tour which began in the United States and continued through Latin America, breaking attendance records in Ecuador and Bolivia.

His performances have appeared on more than 70 albums, including compilations such as Mas Flow 2 and Blin Blin Vol. 1. Outside of his work as a musician, Ayala has also worked as an actor and producer. Throughout his career, he has been generally reluctant to discuss his personal life, but has publicly expressed the importance of his wife and children to him.

Following the incident, he became interested in the underground movement, which at the time was in an early organizational stage.^[1] He also took more interest in the events that took place in the neighborhood in which he was raised, a public housing project named Villa Kennedy.^[2] Early in his career he attempted to imitate the style of Vico C. He went on to emulate other artists in the genre, including DJ Playero, DJ Nelson, and DJ Goldy, taking elements from their styles in order to develop an original style.^[1] In doing so, he eventually abandoned the traditional model of rap and became one of the first artists to perform reggaeton.^[1] Ayala first recorded with DJ Playero as a featured artist in a production titled Playero 37, which was released in 1992.^[2]

Musical career[link]

Independent productions[link]

His first album, titled No Mercy, was produced in 1995 when Ayala was eighteen years old.^[2] The production did not sell well, and he continued his work within the genre for the rest of the decade, eventually forming a duo with Nicky Jam. One of the duo's songs, "Posición", was included in the soundtrack of One Tough Cop, a movie directed by Bruno Barreto, that was released in 1998. Beginning in 2000, Ayala began concentrating more on his solo career, releasing albums produced outside studios. The first production he released was titled El Cartel, featuring elements of the mixtape style.^[2] In 2001 El Cartel II was released, a direct sequel to the previous production, and influenced by similar genres.

In 2005 El Cangri.com was released, and became the first album in Ayala's career to sell well outside Puerto Rico, mostly in the United States.^[2] The album was produced by VI Music, an independent recording studio in Puerto Rico, and was not supported by a major label.^[2] The most successful single from the album was "Latigazo", which received significant play on radio stations in New York and Miami.^[2] The album reached #43 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart.^[2] Following the release of this disc, Ayala performed at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum before 12,000 fans.^[3] The following year VI Music produced Los Homerun-es.^[2] The album became the leader in sales in Puerto Rico during a year in which several other reggaeton artists released significant productions, including Luny Tune's Mas Flow, Don Omar's The Last Don, and Tego Calderón's El Abayarde.^[2] The album's success helped Ayala receive the publicity required for a crossover to the United States market, and marked the last album he released with VI music before signing a contract with Universal

2004–2005[link]

Ayala's next album, Barrio Fino, was produced by Luny Tunes and released in July 2004 by El Cartel Records and VI Music. It was the most highly anticipated album in the reggaeton community.^[4] Ayala had enjoyed Salsa music since he was young, and this led him to include music of genres besides reggaeton in the album.^[4] The most prominent of these cross-genre singles was "Melao", in which he performed with Andy Montañez.^[4] The album was described as his most complete, and with it he intended to introduce combinations of reggaeton and other genres to the English-speaking market.^[4] Barrio Fino was followed up by an international tour with performances in numerous countries including the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Honduras, Spain, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, and the United States.^[4] The album has sold over 500,000 copies in the United States alone and has sold well throughout Latin America and worldwide.^[5]

In 2005 Ayala won several international awards, making him one of the most recognized reggaeton artists within the music industry.^[6] The first award of the year was Lo Nuestro Awards within the "Latin music" category, which he received for Barrio Fino.^[6] In this event he performed "Gasolina" in a performance that was described as "innovative".^[6] Barrio Fino also won the "Reggaeton Album of the Year" award in the Latin Billboard that took place on April 28, 2005,^[6] where he performed a mix of three of his songs in a duo with P. Diddy. The album was promoted throughout Latin America, the United States, and Europe, reaching certified gold in Japan. Due to the album's success, Ayala received promotional contracts with radio stations and soda companies, including Pepsi.^[7] His single "Gasolina" received the majority of votes cast for the second edition of Premios Juventud, in which it received eight nominations and won seven awards.^[6] Ayala also made a live presentation during the award ceremony. "Gasolina" received nominations in the Latin Grammy and MTV Video Music Awards.^[6]

The successful single, "Gasolina", was covered by artists from different music genres. This led to a controversy when Los Lagos, a Mexican banda group, did a cover with the original beat but changed the song's lyrics.^[8] The group's label had solicited the copyright permission to perform the single and translate it to a different music style, but did not receive consent to change the lyrics; legal action followed.^[8] Speaking for the artist, Ayala's lawyer stated that having his songs covered was an "honor, but it must be done the right way."^[8]

2006–present[link]

On April 30, 2006, Ayala was named one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine, which cited the 2 million copies of Barrio Fino sold, Ayala's $20 million contract with Interscope Records, and his Pepsi endorsement.^[9] During this period, Ayala and William Omar Landrón (more commonly known by his artistic name Don Omar) were involved in a rivalry within the genre, dubbed "tiraera". The rivalry received significant press coverage despite being denied early on by both artists. It originated with a lyrical conflict between the artists begun by Ayala's comments in a remix single, where he criticized Landron's common usage of the nickname "King of Kings".^[10] Don Omar responded to this in a song titled "Ahora Son Mejor", part of his album Los Rompediscotecas.^[10]

El Cartel: The Big Boss was released by Interscope on June 5, 2007. Ayala stated that the album marked a return to his hip-hop roots as opposed to being considered a strictly reggaeton album.^[11] The album was produced in 2006, and included the participation of will.i.am, Scott Storch, Tainy Tunes, Neli, and personnel from Ayala's label. Singles were produced with Héctor Delgado, Fergie, Nicole Scherzinger and Akon.^[11] The first single from the album was titled "Impacto", and was released prior to the completion of the album. The album was promoted by a tour throughout the United States, which continued throughout Latin America.^[11] He performed in Mexico, first in Monterrey, where 10,000 attended the concert, and later at San Luis Potosí coliseum, where the concert sold out, leaving hundreds of fans outside the building.^[12] Ayala performed in Chile as well, and established a record for attendance in Ecuador.^[13] He also performed in Bolivia, setting another record when 50,000 fans attended his Santa Cruz de la Sierra concert.^[13] This show was later described as "the best show with the biggest attendance in history" and as "somehappy that his album had sold more than those of Juan Luis Guerra and Juanes, and that this was an "official proof that reggaeton's principal exponent defeated the rest of the genres".^[14] Ayala made a guest appearance in an album titled "Caribbean he loved the color reed|Inner Circle]], Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and Wayne Wonder.^[15] In July 2008, Ayala announced that as part of his work, he would produce a cover version of Thalía's song, Ten Paciencia.^[16] Prior to the album's release, Ayala scheduled several activities, including an in-store contract signing.^[17] On February 27, 2009, he performed at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile.^[18] In this event, the artists receive awards based on the public's reaction. After performing "Rompe", "Llamado de emergencia", "Tú me dejaste caer", "Gasolina", "Limpia parabrisas" and "Lo que pasó, pasó" over the course of two hours, Ayala received the "Silver Torch", "Gold Torch" and "Silver Seagull" recognitions.^[18] On April 24, 2009, he received the Spirit of Hope Award as part of the Latin Billboard Music Awards ceremony.^[19] The recognition is given to the artists that participate in community or social efforts throughout the year. The single "Grito Mundial" was released on October 8, 2009,^[20] in order to promote his ninth album, Mundial. Despite releasing "El Ritmo No Perdona (Prende)" more than a month before, that single was not considered the first official promotional single.

Film and other career projects[link]

Ayala has negotiated promotional deals with several companies outside of the music industry, releasing merchandise under his name. In 2005, he became the first Latin artist to sign a deal with Reebok, in order to produce accessories,^[21] including the licensed clothing line "DY", which was released in 2006.^[22] He also teamed up with the company to have his own shoes and sporting goods made, which were first distributed on May 23, 2006.^[11] Reebok continued the partnership with the introduction of the Travel Trainer collection in July 2007. In August 2007, Pepsi began an advertising campaign titled "Puertas", in which Ayala is depicted returning to his youth by opening a series of doors.^[23]

In 2008, Ayala participated in a campaign to promote voting in the 2008 general elections in Puerto Rico. This initiative included a concert titled "Vota o quédate callao".^[24] On August 25, 2008, Ayala endorsed John McCain's candidacy for President of the United States, stating that McCain "has been a fighter for the Hispanic community".^[25] As part of this campaign, Ayala moderated a debate titled “Vota o quédate callao: los candidatos responden a los jóvenes”, which was aired on October 9, 2008.^[26]

Ayala has worked in the film industry as both an actor and producer. His acting debut was the lead role of Vampiros, a film directed by Eduardo Ortiz and filmed in Puerto Rico.^[27] The film premiered at the Festival of Latin American Cinema in New York, where it received a positive reaction. This led Image Entertainment to produce a DVD, internationally released in March 2005.^[27] Ayala played the main role "Edgar" in Talento de Barrio, which was filmed in Puerto Rico and directed by José Iván Santiago. Ayala produced the film, which is based on his experience of growing up in a poor city neighborhood.^[28] While the film is not directly a biography, Ayala has stated that it mirrors his early life.^[28] Talento de Barrio's debut was scheduled for July 23, 2008, in New York's Latino Film Festival.^[29] After the premier, Ayala expressed satisfaction, saying that he had been invited to audition for other producers.^[30] On release, Talento de Barrio broke the record held by Maldeamores for the most tickets to a Puerto Rican movie sold in a single day in Caribbean Cinemas.^[31]

Ayala has been involved in the administration of three organizations, the first being El Cartel Records which he co-owns with Andres Hernandez. He also created the Fundación Corazón Guerrero, a charitable organization in Puerto Rico which works with young incarcerated people.^[32] On April 26, 2008, he was presented with a "Latino of the Year Award" by the student organization Presencia Latina of Harvard College, receiving it for his work with Puerto Rican youth and creating Corazón Guerrero.^[33] On February 6, 2008, Ayala announced in a Baloncesto Superior Nacional press conference that he had bought part of the Criollos de Caguas' ownership.^[34]

Personal life[link]

Ayala has kept most of his personal life private, rarely speaking about it in interviews.^[35] He has said that he avoids doing so because such details are the only aspect of his life that are not public and that they are like a "little treasure".^[35] He made an exception in 2006 when he spoke about his relationship with his wife and children in an interview with María Celeste Arrarás in Al Rojo Vivo.^[35] He stated that his marriage is strong because he and his wife are "friends above anything", adding that he has tried to ignore other temptations because "weakness is the reason for the downfall of several artists."^[35] He also described his "very close" communication with his children, in which he tries to offer advice against drugs and negative influences.^[35] His first daughter was born when he was seventeen years old,^[35] which he has described as confusing at first, adding that raising a daughter at that age was a hard experience.^[36]

Studio albums[link]

• 1995: No Mercy
• 2002: El Cangri.com
• 2004: Barrio Fino
• 2007: El Cartel: The Big Boss
• 2010: Daddy Yankee Mundial
• 2012: Prestige

Filmography[link]

Film

Television

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Puerto Rico portal
	Music portal

• Latin American music
• List of Caribbean music genres
• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of Puerto Rican songwriters
• Urban contemporary

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Daddy Yankee at the Internet Movie Database

Major Lazer
Major Lazer performing at Sasquatch 2011
Background information
Genres	Dancehall, reggae fusion, reggae, hip hop, electro house, daggering
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Downton, Mad Decent, Interscope
Associated acts	Diplo, Switch
Members
Diplo
Past members
Switch

Major Lazer is a musical project by DJ/Producer Diplo. Formerly a collaboration along with DJ/Producer Switch, they parted ways in late 2011.

Background[link]

Switch (left) and Diplo are the producers behind Major Lazer.

Made up of DJs Diplo and Switch, the two were introduced after working with M.I.A.. The duo's first album Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do was released on June 16, 2009, on Downtown Records. It was recorded in Jamaica at Tuff Gong Studios.^[1] Vocalists such as Santigold, Vybz Kartel, Ward 21, Busy Signal, Nina Sky, Amanda Blank, Mr. Vegas, Turbulence, Mapei, T.O.K, Prince Zimboo, Leftside and others contribute guest vocals to the album, as well as additional production from Afrojack and Crookers.^[2] This is the first release to come out of the label partnership between Downtown Records and Diplo's label Mad Decent.^[3] Major Lazer ended a US tour last summer.^[4] The album's first single was "Hold the Line", the video for which, directed by Ferry Gouw, was nominated for a MTV Video Award in the Breakthrough Video category. "Hold the Line" was also featured in the video game FIFA 10. The track "Zumbie" has a music video that features comedian Andy Milonakis.^[5] Music videos for the songs "Pon de Floor" and "Keep It Going Louder" were both directed by Eric Wareheim. Major Lazer performed at the Falls Music & Arts Festival (Lorne, Victoria, Australia) on the December 30, 2009, the Coachella Music Festival in April 2010^[6] they also performed at the Pitchfork Music Festival in July 2010 and the Sasquatch Music Festival on Monday May 30, 2011. Live visuals were created by Pomp&Clout. Major Lazer performed at the 2011 Outside Lands festival in San Francisco.

A mixtape with La Roux entitled "Lazerproof" was made available for free download on May 26.^[7] Diplo posted cover art on his Twitpic. It is the character Major Lazer in War Machine's silver suit, Elly Jackson of La Roux in the signature Iron Man suit, and Whiplash, the villain in the Iron Man 2 movie.

On June 20, 2010, the group released an EP titled "Lazers Never Die". It contained two new songs and three remixes, by Thom Yorke and others.

Major Lazer's live shows previously included hype man Skerrit Bwoy^[8] although Skerrit Bwoy left the group in 2012 to pursue religion.

Switch provided production for Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)", which sampled "Pon de Floor".

Switch has left the collaborative effort due to "creative differences" as claimed by Diplo. He departed in late 2011. Diplo is now the sole producer behind the project.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do (2009)
• TBA (2012)

EPs[link]

• Lazers Never Die (EP) (2010)
• Original Don (EP) (2011)

Mixtapes[link]

• Major Lazer Essential Mix (available as podcast) (2009)
• Lazerproof (with La Roux) (2010)
• Major Lazer Summer Mix (available as podcast) (2010)

Singles[link]

• "Hold The Line" (2009)
• "Zumbie" (2009)
• "Pon de Floor" ft Vybz Kartel (2009) 125 UK
• "Keep It Goin' Louder" (2009)
• "Jump Up" (2009)
• "Original Don" (2011)
• "Get Free" (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Major Lazer on Myspace
• Major Lazer on Twitter
• Major Lazer's channel on YouTube

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Pitchfork Media	[2]
Rolling Stone	[3]

Keep It Together is an album by the band Guster released in June 2003. The album was recorded from 2001 to 2003 in Bearsville, New York, New York City, Burbank, California, and Shokan, New York. This is the first album by Guster that features Brian Rosenworcel on kit drums instead of hand percussion. Keep It Together went through several working titles, including Bitch Magic, Olympia Dukakis and Come Downstairs & Say Hello.

Joe Pisapia contributed guest vocals on "Jesus on the Radio." Just months after the release of the album, he became the new member of the band.

The song "I Hope Tomorrow Is Like Today" features Ben Kweller on vocals.

Track listing[link]

1. "Diane" – 3:46
2. "Careful" – 3:42
3. "Amsterdam" – 3:37
4. "Backyard" – 2:55
5. "Homecoming King" – 3:37
6. "Ramona" – 3:06
7. "Jesus on the Radio" – 2:17
8. "Keep It Together" – 3:43
9. "Come Downstairs and Say Hello" – 5:16
10. "Red Oyster Cult" – 3:27
11. "Long Way Down" – 4:34
12. "I Hope Tomorrow Is Like Today" – 3:22
13. "Silence" – 0:30
14. "Two at a Time" (hidden track – 4:57)

Charts[link]

Album - Billboard (North America)

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Song facts[link]

• "Jesus on the Radio" - When the band plays the song live, they often play it "unplugged", without any instruments or microphones plugged in.^[4]

• "Keep It Together" - The song can be heard at the end of the Season 1 The O.C. episode The Rescue.

• "I Hope Tomorrow Is Like Today" - The song can be heard during the film Wedding Crashers, when John and Jeremy "break up".

See also[link]

• The Meowstro Sings - Guster's Keep It Together

References[link]

Melisa Young (born July 3, 1980), better known by her stage name Kid Sister, is an American rapper based in Chicago, Illinois, well known for her single "Pro Nails", which features Kanye West.

Biography[link]

Kid Sister was born Melisa Young on July 3, 1980 in Markham, Illinois.^[1] She started to rap in October 2005, becoming an MC at monthly dance parties hosted by DJ duo Flosstradamus who were featured in MTV's My Block that same year.^[2] She made URB's "The Next 1000" cover in April 2007,^[3] and was signed to Kanye West's DJ A-Trak's label, Fool's Gold, who released her first single "Pro Nails", which features West. Kid Sister later signed with Downtown Records,^[4] who re-released "Pro Nails" to critical acclaim.

Kid Sister also appears on Tittsworth's "WTF", from his debut album 12 Steps, with Pase Rock.^[5] She had also finished a mixtape with A-Trak.^[2] In Fall 2009, Kid Sister finished recording her debut studio album. The title was changed from Dream Date to Ultraviolet. The album was produced by dubstep artist Rusko, The Count & Sinden, XXXChange, and Brian Kennedy, and includes a collaboration with English singer Estelle titled "First Ladies", which is a remake of Queen Latifah's 1989 acclaimed track "Ladies First" from her debut album All Hail the Queen.^[6]

Her single "Control" is featured in the 2009 music video game DJ Hero, combined with Rihanna's "Disturbia". The album's lead single was "Right Hand Hi", produced by Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso of house DJ group Swedish House Mafia.^[7]

"I think a lot of people are going to be surprised with the fact that there's a bunch of raw hip-hop records on there", according to A-Trak. "It's not all up tempo clubby stuff. I think a lot of people are going to be impressed with her growth also because when she made a lot of the records that people have heard by now, she was just starting to rap."^[8]

In late 2010, Kid Sister released a mixtape titled Kiss Kiss Kiss. She has also been working on her second album and on an EP.^[9] Scoop DeVille, who worked on Kiss Kiss Kiss, and The Neptunes are producing a large amount of the songs.^[10]

Personal life[link]

Kid Sister's ethnic background includes African American, Native American, and Caucasian.^[11] In numerous interviews and magazine articles, she has revealed that she has struggled financially for years before becoming West's protege.^[12][13] She has also admitted to being 215 pounds at one point in her life. She continued in the same interview to state that she has been "thick" her whole life, but explained that this has had no bearing on her self-esteem, because at her core she is not a passive person.^[14]

Kid Sister has a degree in film from Columbia College Chicago and worked on two independent feature films during her studies: 9/11 drama The Guys (2002) starring Sigourney Weaver and Anthony LaPaglia; and Best Thief in the World (2003) starring Mary Louise Parker and Audra McDonald.^{[citation needed]} Kid Sister for a time concurrently worked for the retail chain Bath & Body Works, Little Threads, a children's clothing store, and Wild Hare, a reggae bar in Wrigleyville.^[15]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Ultraviolet (2009)

Mixtapes[link]

• Kiss Kiss Kiss (2011)

EPs[link]

• Kiss & Tell (2011)

Singles[link]

Solo[link]

As featured performer[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

• BET Awards
  • 2008: Best Female Hip-Hop Artist (nominated)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Review by Spin
• Interview with Kid Sister at The Music Fix prior to the UK release of Ultraviolet
• Venus Zine Presents: Kid Sister