Anthony Henderson (born June 17, 1973) better known as Krayzie Bone, is a Grammy award-winning American rapper, singer, performer, writer and a former member of the rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.^[1]

Solo career[link]

Krayzie Bone recorded his solo debut, Thug Mentality 1999, in 1998. The album was released as a double disc set, featuring a large selection of guest appearances, including Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Mo Thugs, The Marley Brothers, Big Pun, Fat Joe, Cuban Link, Gangsta Boo, E-40, 8 Ball & MJG, Kurupt, Naughty By Nature and Snoop Dogg. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA.

In 2001, Krayzie released Thug On Da Line. The album didn't do as well as his previous release, and was criticized for its frequent guest appearances from fellow Thugline members by a few hardcore fans. However his album received plenty of positive reviews from music critics and went gold. Amazon.com went as far as labeling it one of the best albums of 2001.^[2]

In 2006 Krayzie Bone was featured in a song "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire. "Ridin'" was awarded "Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group" at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for Best Rap Song. It became number one in December on the Piczo Chart 3 months after its physical release. The song also topped the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart when it was released there.

The song ranked #3 on Rolling Stone's "100 Best Songs of 2006" and #91 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop". It was the best selling ringtone in 2006, with 3.2 million sales, certified by the RIAA as the first multi-platinum Mastertone artist in history. It was also awarded the last Best Rap Video at the MTV Video Music Awards, which was awarded in 2006.

Record labels[link]

Krayzie Bone was a founding member of Mo Thugs Family, a collective of Cleveland based rap and Hip-Hop musical acts. He broke apart from the group in 1998 to form ThugLine Records, or TL. After a brief reunion, Krayzie again parted ways with BTNH in 2011 citing "uncontrollable circumstances" In many videos he can be spotted wearing a chain that says TL. In 2010 the name ThugLine Records was changed to The Life Entertainment. In order to reach out to more artists and identify the best talent for the label, Conquer The Industry was developed as an internet channel to help up and coming music artists break into the music industry.

Discography[link]

• 1999: Thug Mentality 1999
• 2001: Thug on da Line
• 2003: The Legend Underground (Part 1)
• 2005: Gemini: Good vs. Evil
• 2008: The Fixtape Vol. 1: Smoke on This
• 2009: The Fixtape Vol. 2: Just One Mo Hit
• 2010: The Fixtape Vol. 3: Lyrical Paraphernalia
• 2011: The Fixtape Vol. 4: Under The Influence
• 2012: Chasing the Devil

Awards[link]

Grammy Award[link]

• 1997: "Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group" (Tha Crossroads) (with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony)
• 2007: "Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group" (Ridin') (with Chamillionaire)

MTV Video Music Award[link]

• 2006: "Best Rap Video" (Ridin')

American Music Award[link]

• • 1998: "Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist"
• 2007: "Best Duo Group Rap/Hip-Hop"

References[link]

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is an American hip hop band from Cleveland, Ohio formed in 1991. It originally consisted of rappers Layzie Bone, Flesh-n-Bone, Bizzy Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Wish Bone. Rapper Eazy-E of the group N.W.A signed Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to Ruthless Records in late 1993, when Bone Thugs debuted with EP Creepin on ah Come Up. The EP included the hit single "Thuggish Ruggish Bone".

In 1995, the group released its second album, E. 1999 Eternal, which included hits "1st of tha Month" and "Tha Crossroads." A tribute to the recently deceased Eazy-E, "Tha Crossroads," won a Grammy award in 1997. The Art of War, the group's third album, was also released in 1997. Bone Thugs is also the only group that has worked with deceased artists 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., Eazy-E & Big Pun while they were still alive.

In 2000 BTNHResurrection reached platinum in one month and Thug World Order (2002) received more moderate sales and promotion. After the album the group went on hiatus and released their sixth studio album Thug Stories independently before returning in 2007 with the major label release Strength & Loyalty, this time released by Swizz Beatz's label Full Surface Records. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony officially returned with their new album Uni-5: The World's Enemy, released in 2010 by their own record label, BTNH Worldwide, with distribution by Warner Bros.. Due to internal conflicts with the group, longtime members Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone officially left the group in April 2011. Despite speculation that the group was splitting up, Flesh-n-Bone announced that a new album with him, Layzie and Bizzy will be released soon. Krayzie and Wish are currently working with upcoming artists on their label The Life Ent.

Style and technique[link]

Bone's style and technique can be described as melodic, yet rapid-fire and aggressive. Their flow is often interwoven at a high-speed, melodic pace or slow, harmonic pace. They also tend to ride the beat that they're rapping over. Sometimes there are very few choruses separating their verses from one another. In the beginning, circa Faces of Death, Bone used a pseudo-Jamaican patois delivery with their trademark style, though they rarely do this now. Bone's subject matter has both spiritual and occult undertones (e.g., "Hell Sent", "Intro", "Mr. Ouija", "Mr. Ouija 2" and "Da Introduction"). At first, their subject matter was almost always exclusively about violence and smoking marijuana. Today, however, their subject matter includes other topics such as urban socio-political issues, their old friend and mentor Eazy-E and religion. Besides minor changes to subject matter and sound, their lyrical style, elocution, and overall methodology remain intact and have influenced many new artists today who have picked up this unique style.

B.O.N.E Enterprise Early years[link]

Formed in the early 1990s, the group was originally called "The Band-Aid Boys". The group formed the band B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e, which consisted of five members: Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone and later Flesh-n-Bone and recorded an album entitled Faces of Death in the studio of their then mentor, Kermit Henderson (Krayzie Bone's younger brother) on his indie label Stoney Burke in 1993. In hopes of securing a record deal the group was given an audition over the phone receiving an unfulfilled promise from rapper Eazy-E to call them back. Diego Blak (born Diego hodge), a marketer and promoter and co-executive producer of Faces Of Death introduced them to Eazy-E at a concert he promoted in Cleveland, Ohio where they auditioned for him in his dressing room and then traveled back to Los Angeles, California after the show to seal the deal. On November 2nd 1993, the group auditioned backstage for Eazy-E. Krayzie Bone performed his verse of "Flow Motion" from the Faces of Death album and Eazy-E was impressed.^[1] At this point Eazy named them Thugs-n-Harmony, but they wanted to keep the bone name so they renamed themselves Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Eazy-E signed the group (minus Flesh-n-Bone) to his label Ruthless Records.^[2]

Ruthless Records[link]

[edit] Creepin on ah Come Up

Released in June 1994, the EP Creepin on ah Come Up, was Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's debut with Ruthless. The album subject matter was focused almost entirely on violent criminal activity. Peaking at #12 on the Billboard 200 album chart and #2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart,^[3] it included the hit singles "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" and "Foe tha Love of $", the second of which featured a verse by Eazy-E. "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" peaked at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #2 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, and "Foe tha Love of $" peaked at #41 on the Hot 100 and #4 on the Rap Tracks.^[4] After a slow start that saw the album's success limited to gangsta rap audiences, it broke through to the mainstream. The EP marked a major change in style for the group, as they now fully embraced the G-Funk common in West Coast hip-hop of the time. Beats were supplied by DJ Yella, Rhythum D, Kenny McCloud, and it was the group's first collaboration with newcomer producer DJ U-Neek, who would craft the group's signature sound by producing the majority of their next two albums.

[edit] E. 1999 Eternal

In 1995, the group's second album E. 1999 Eternal was released. It included the singles "1st of tha Month", which peaked at #14 on the Hot 100 and #4 on the Hot Rap Tracks, and "Tha Crossroads", which reached #1 on the Hot 100 and Hot Rap Tracks charts. The album saw Bone diversify its content and musical style. A considerable portion of the album's concept was built upon violent subject matter, yet Bone also incorporated deeper themes, as its songs dealt with more spirituality and occult mysticism. The album was produced by DJ U-Neek (with co-production from Tony C. and Kenny McCloud). E. 1999 Eternal also introduced Bone's trademark tracks devoted entirely to the use of marijuana. The album name originated from one of the street names of a corner (E. 99th street & St. Clair) that was a familiar hangout to Bone members, as well as Eazy-E's album, Eternal E. Naming it after Eazy-E's album was just another way of showing respect and tribute to the rapper that helped them reach heightened success. In the same year, Flesh-n-Bone would become the first member of the group to release a debut album entitled T.H.U.G.S, which was certified gold according to the RIAA. In 1996 due to their success the Cleveland clan established their own Mo Thugs Records and released the Mo Thugs Family Scriptures compilation album to introduce many of the Cleveland-based and other artists that they were developing. E. 1999 Eternal is the group's most commercially successful album, it has since been certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA.

[edit] The Art of War

In 1997, the group released the double-disc set The Art of War. The album saw Bone further explore a wide variety of subjects and styles, with even more focus on God and family and an overall more ambient, mellow sound. The group still incorporated violent lyrics, though, with a large portion of the album dedicated to what they labeled "clones" who claimed Bone had stolen their quick-tongued rapping style and vice-versa. The album was rumored to be called "DNA Level C" which is Cleveland backwards. The single "Look into My Eyes" appeared on the soundtrack of the film Batman & Robin. It peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 and #2 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart.^[4] "If I Could Teach The World", the other single from The Art of War, peaked at #27 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Hot Rap Tracks.^[4] and won an American Music Award. The album also included "Thug Luv" with Tupac Shakur. The group's efforts were though dampened by the absence of Bizzy Bone from the album's videos and large portions of the ensuing tour and public appearances. This absence by that time fueled rumors of a break-up.

[edit] BTNHResurrection

In 2000, the group released BTNHResurrection. The album featured the single "Resurrection (Paper, Paper)", which peaked on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at #52.^[4] The album's first half featured a slew of hardcore and dark tracks, with the second half being considerably more introspective and soft. Other two singles from the album including "Can't Give it Up" failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100 and the big-budget video for "Change The World" failed to receive any rotation. Their first group album to prominently feature Flesh-n-Bone, whose presence was limited on previous releases because he had never signed with the group's label Ruthless Records. Flesh-n-Bone was convicted for assault with a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon in June 2000.^[5] Pleading guilty, Flesh was sentenced to 11 years in prison.^[6] The group again began having public disputes with Bizzy Bone. Bizzy Bone abstained from promoting BTNHResurrection because he felt that Ruthless Records owed him money. He dropped a million-dollar lawsuit he filed against Sony Music and Loud Records in exchange for a termination of his Sony contract.^[7] Three members of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony released solo albums in 2001: Bizzy Bone with The Gift, Layzie Bone with Thug by Nature, and Krayzie Bone with Thug on da Line.^[8]

[edit] Thug World Order

In 2002, the group released Thug World Order. The album, made up of supposedly overly-violent and political songs, saw a drastic change in subject matter and tone for the group. The lyrics were almost completely void of any violence, while a larger number of tracks focused on the group itself. In contrast, several songs originally intended to be included on the album that were leaked after its release portray a much different album. The album debuted at #12 on the Billboard 200.^[3] The first single released from the album was "Get Up & Get It", featuring 3LW. The second single "Home" that featured Phil Collins performing part of his song "Take Me Home" peaked at #33 on the Rhythmic Top 40 impacting the charts in a number of countries, most notably the United Kingdom.^[4] Bizzy Bone was expelled from the group in January 2003 thus leaving only 3 active members Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone & Wish Bone.^[9]

After Ruthless[link]

[edit] Thug Stories

Thug Stories, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's sixth album was recorded on Koch Records and released on September 19, 2006. It marked the first time Bone Thugs-n-Harmony recorded as a trio after they released an internet-only EP album called '"Bone 4 Life" in September 2005. The album featured a slightly more mature style and the group leaned heavily towards its harmonic roots than its "thug" origins. Thug Stories sold 38,000 in its first week and peaked at #25 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Independent Album Chart.

[edit] Strength & Loyalty

Originally to be called The Bone Thugs Story, Strength & Loyalty was released on May 8, 2007 on Interscope Records imprint Full Surface Records. Being their first major album after an absence of nearly five years, the album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on iTunes and the Billboard Urban Music charts. The album contains guest appearances by Mariah Carey, The Game, will.i.am, Akon, Twista, Bow Wow, Yolanda Adams, and Felecia.

Producers on the album included Swizz Beatz, Akon, Pretty Boy & Bradd Young, DJ Toomp, Jermaine Dupri, will.i.am, and others. The executive producer of the album was Swizz Beatz. The first single was "I Tried", which was their first top 10 hit in 10 years, having peaked at number 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The second single was "Lil Love", which failed to reach the success of their first single. The album has been certified Gold by the RIAA.^{[10][dead link]}. The group also released a movie called "I Tried" that same year.

[edit] T.H.U.G.S.

T.H.U.G.S. is an album featuring previously unreleased, largely remixed Bone Thugs-n-Harmony songs that didn't make the final cut of BTNHResurrection and Thug World Order albums. It was released on November 13, 2007 by their former record label, Ruthless Records. Although the album embodies old tracks, there are some new notable changes: new beats, distorted production, voice manipulation, and new song titles. The sole single off the album was "Young Thugs", which was accompanied by a newly-filmed music video featuring Krayzie, Layzie, Bizzy and Wish.

Reunion[link]

In November 2007, Layzie Bone confirmed that he had completed the Bone Brothers III album with Bizzy Bone, spurring speculation of a full Bone reunion. In a video interview,^[11] Krayzie Bone stated that they all wanted to reunite but that record label issues may prevent an official reunion. Bizzy Bone had attended a Bone Thugs performance during the time and he and the three then-standing members had a "good conversation".

After nearly a decade of incarceration, Flesh-n-Bone was released from prison on July 13, 2008. In an interview, Bizzy confirmed his return to the group, after them all getting together by the time of Flesh's release.^[12]

[edit] Uni5: The World's Enemy

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony five members officially returned with their new album Uni-5: The World's Enemy, released in 2010 by their own record label, BTNH Worldwide, with distribution by Warner Bros. Uni5 also marks the return of long-time collaborator, DJ U-Neek, who was absent from 2007's Strength & Loyalty and has produced for the group throughout their career, including hits such as "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" and "Tha Crossroads." This studio effort leans toward radio-friendly numbers and proper grown-man tracks, with the core four members offering life lessons as Bizzy gives his Biblical perspective. They released the singles "See Me Shine" featuring Jay Rush and Lyfe Jennings and "Rebirth" featuring Thin-C.^[13] A third single, "Meet Me in the Sky", was released on March 22. Uni-5: The World's Enemy was released on May 4, 2010.

Krayzie Bone & Wish Bone Departure[link]

On the 14th of April 2011, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony member Krayzie Bone announced he left the group after 20 years citing uncontrollable circumstances along with Wish Bone to pursue their solo careers further and release records on their label, The Life Entertainment.^[14] Flesh-n-Bone stated that him leaving the group was a serious disrespect mark towards Eazy-E and says "He might as well say fuck Eazy!" and that he (Krayzie) knows where home is if he wants to come back to the group. Due to Flesh being angered, his retaliation led him towards the idea of an album titled "Majority Rules" but Bizzy Bone dismissed this claiming it was just Flesh-n-Bone's anger towards Krayzie leaving. In more recent interviews it seems Krayzie Bone has made amends to the rest of Bone Thugs (since he was featured on Flesh-n-Bone's new album for example) and is still planning things with the rest of the group, but he needed his time and space to do his own thing, but he'll always be 'Bone'^{[citation needed]}.

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony announced on their blog over the summer that they're planning a new album for 2012 and it will be the last album with all 5 members of the group. They reiterated those facts in a November interview. Krayzie Bone has also stated that he will again be a part of the group for touring purposes only, after announcing his departure this past April.

Future Projects[link]

Krayzie Bone, Bizzy Bone and Layzie Bone more recently have spoken of many new projects coming in 2012. Those projects include an anniversary album featuring all 5 members, a Bizzy & Krayzie duet album, and unreleased compilation albums of unreleased Bone Thugs-n-Harmony material from the mid to late 90's.

Discography[link]

1993: Faces of Death 1994: Creepin on ah Come Up (EP) 1995: E. 1999 Eternal 1997: The Art of War 2000: BTNHResurrection 2002: Thug World Order 2006: Thug Stories 2007: Strength & Loyalty 2007: T.H.U.G.S. 2010: Uni5: The World's Enemy Awards[link] Award Category Song/Album Year Result Grammy Awards "Best Rap Album" E. 1999 Eternal 1996 Nominated "Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group" 1st of tha Month Nominated Tha Crossroads 1997 Won American Music Awards "Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist" Bone Thugs-n-Harmony 1996 Nominated 1997 Nominated 1998 Won "Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Band, Duo or Group" 2007 Won MTV Video Music Awards "Best Special Effects" Tha Crossroads 1996 Nominated "Viewer's Choice" Nominated "Video of the Year" Nominated "Best Group Video" Nominated References[link] ^ "Krayzie Bone - Audition To Eazy E". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDXJZ7yz9Gc.  ^ "Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Biography". Interscope Records. Archived from the original on August 22, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080822005656/http://www.bonethugsnharmony.com/bio/default.aspx.  ^ a b "Bone Thugs-n-Harmony: Charts & Awards: Billboard Albums". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p44741. Retrieved January 17, 2010.  ^ a b c d e "Bone Thugs-N-Harmony: Charts & Awards: Billboard Singles". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p44741. Retrieved January 17, 2010.  ^ Basham, David (June 16, 2000). "Flesh-N-Bone Convicted On Assault, Weapons Charges". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1426320/20000616/bone_thugs_n_harmony.jhtml. Retrieved January 17, 2010.  ^ Johnson, Tina (September 22, 2000). "UPDATE: Flesh-N-Bone Gets 11 Years In Assault Case". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1426317/20000922/bone_thugs_n_harmony.jhtml. Retrieved January 17, 2010.  ^ Baker, Soren (March 22, 2001). "Bizzy Bone Has A Gift For Negotiation". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1441984/20010321/bizzy_bone.jhtml. Retrieved January 17, 2010.  ^ Baker, Soren (March 13, 2001). "Three Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Members Dropping Solo LPs". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1441484/20010312/bone_thugs_n_harmony.jhtml. Retrieved January 17, 2010.  ^ Reid, Shaheem (January 31, 2003). "Bone Thugs Say Bizzy Is Out For Good This Time". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459799/20030131/bone_thugs_n_harmony.jhtml. Retrieved January 17, 2010.  ^ "Bone Thugs-N-Harmony: News: "Strength & Loyalty" Certified Gold". http://www.bonethugsnharmony.com/news/default.aspx?nid=9429.  ^ "ThugLine TV- Krayzie Bone speaks on reunion". YouTube. 2008-06-12. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-25OrAQ_gM. Retrieved 2012-03-29.  ^ Jasarevic, Mina (2008-08-01). "Bizzy Bone: Thicker Than Water | Rappers Talk Hip Hop Beef & Old School Hip Hop". HipHop DX. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/features/id.1185/title.bizzy-bone-thicker-than-water/p.all. Retrieved 2012-03-29.  ^ "See Me Shine [feat. Lyfe Jennings, Phaedra & J Rush] [Explicit]: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002U1HKB4. Retrieved 2012-03-29.  ^ Burgess, Omar (2011-04-14). "Krayzie Bone Splits From Bone Thugs-N-Harmony | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.14757/title.krayzie-bone-splits-from-bone-thugs-n-harmony. Retrieved 2012-03-29.  External links[link] Book: Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print. Official website Official Myspace page Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's ArtistDirect page Exclusive Interview in Complex magazine I Tried Movie Bone Thugs-n-Harmony at Allmusic v t e Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Bizzy Bone Layzie Bone Flesh-n-Bone Wish Bone Krayzie Bone Studio albums Faces of Death Creepin on ah Come Up E 1999 Eternal The Art of War BTNHResurrection Thug World Order Thug Stories Strength & Loyalty Uni5: The World's Enemy Compilations The Collection, Volume 1 The Collection, Volume 2 Greatest Hits Greatest Hits (Chopped & Screwed) T.H.U.G.S. Thug Smoke Fest Thuggish II Singles "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" "Foe tha Love of $" "1st of tha Month" "East 1999" "Tha Crossroads" "Days of Our Livez" "Look into My Eyes" "If I Could Teach the World" "War" "Resurrection (Paper, Paper)" "Change the World" "Money, Money" "Home" "Take the Lead (Wanna Ride)" "I Tried" "Lil' L.O.V.E." Related articles Discography Bone Brothers Mo Thugs ThugLine Records Ruthless Records BTNH Worldwide Book:Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

Mariah Carey
Carey at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
Background information
Born	(1970-03-27) March 27, 1970 (age 42) Huntington, New York, United States
Genres	R&B, pop, hip hop, soul, dance
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer, actress
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Columbia (1990—2000) Virgin (2001) Island (2002—present)
Website	mariahcarey.com

Mariah Carey^[1] (born March 27, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut in 1990 under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, and released her self-titled debut studio album, Mariah Carey. The album went multi-platinum and spawned four consecutive number one singles, on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following her marriage to Mottola in 1993, a series of hit records, including Emotions (1991), Music Box (1993) and Merry Christmas (1994), established her position as Columbia's highest-selling act. Daydream (1995), made music history when the second single, "One Sweet Day" a duet with Boyz II Men, spent a record sixteen weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, and remains the longest running number one song in US chart history. During the recording of the album Carey began to deviate from her pop background, and slowly traversed into R&B and Hip-hop. After her separation from Mottola, this musical change was evident with the release of Butterfly (1997).

Carey left Columbia in 2000, and signed a record-breaking $100 million recording contract with Virgin Records. In 2001, Carey ventured into film with Glitter (2001). Before the film's release she suffered a physical and emotional breakdown and was hospitalized for severe exhaustion. Following the film's poor reception, she was bought out of her recording contract for $50 million, which led to a decline in her career. She signed a multi-million dollar contract deal with Island Records in 2002, and after an unsuccessful period, returned to the top of music charts with The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). Its second single "We Belong Together", which became her most successful single of the 2000's, and was later named "Song of the Decade" by Billboard. Carey once again ventured into film, and starred in Precious (2009). Her role in the film was well-received, and she was awarded the "Breakthrough Performance Award" at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and a NAACP Image Award nomination.

In a career spanning over two decades, Carey has sold more than 200 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 1998, she was honored as the world's best-selling recording artist of the 1990s at the World Music Awards. Carey was also named the best-selling female artist of the millennium in 2000. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the third best-selling female artist in the United States, with 63 million certified albums. With the release of "Touch My Body" (2008), Carey gained her eighteenth number one single in the United States, more than any other solo artist. Aside from her commercial accomplishments, Carey has won five Grammy Awards, and is famed for her five-octave vocal range, power, melismatic style and signature use of the whistle register.

Biography[link]

1970–87: Early life and struggles[link]

Mariah Carey was born in Huntington, New York, on March 27, 1970.^[2] The singer's father, Alfred Roy, was of African American and Venezuelan descent, while her mother, Patricia (née Hickey), is an Irish American.^[3] Patricia's father had died while she was young; however, she inherited his passion for music.^[3] She developed a career as an occasional opera singer and vocal coach, and met Alfred in 1960.^[2] As he began earning a living as an aeronautical engineer, the couple wed later that year, and moved into a small suburb in New York.^[3] After the pair's elopement, Patricia's family disowned her, due to marrying a man of color. Carey later explained that growing up, she felt a notion of neglect from her maternal family, a mark that affected her greatly: "So later I was like, 'Well, where does this leave me? Am I a bad person?' You know. It's still not that common to be a multi-racial person, but I'm happy with the combination of things that I am."^[3] During the interval of years in between Carey's older sister Allison and the singer's birth, the Carey family experienced personal struggles within the community due to their ethnicity.^[3] Carey's name was derived from the song "They Call the Wind Mariah", originally from the 1951 Broadway musical Paint Your Wagon.^[4][5] When Carey was three years old, her parents divorced due to the increasingly strenuous nature of their marriage.^[6]

After their separation, Allison moved in with her father, while the other two children remained with Patricia.^[6] As the years passed, Carey would grow apart from her father, and would later stop seeing him altogether.^[6][8] By the age of four, Carey recalled that she had begun to sneak the radio under her covers at night, and just sing from her heart, and try and find peace within the music.^[8] During elementary school, she would excel in subjects that she enjoyed, such as literature, art and music, while not finding interest in others.^[9] After several years of financial struggling, Patricia earned enough money to move her family into a stable and more affluent sector in New York.^[9] Carey had begun writing poems and adding melodies to them, thus starting as a singer-songwriter while attending Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York.^[10][10] Even from a young age, Carey excelled in her music, and demonstrated usage of the whistle register, though only beginning to master and control it through her training with her mother.^[10] Though opening her daughter to the world of classical opera, Patricia never pressured Carey to pursue a career in that type of genre, as she never seemed interested in that world of music.^[10] Carey recalled that she kept her singer-songwriter works a secret and noted that Patricia had "never been a pushy mom. She never said, 'Give it more of an operatic feel'. I respect opera like crazy, but it didn't influence me."^[10][11]

Towards the end of her high school Carey developed a relationship with Gavin Christopher, with whom she shared musical aspirations. The song-writing duo, however, needed an assistant who could play the keyboard; "We called someone and he couldn't come, so by accident we stumbled upon Ben [Margulies]. Ben came to the studio, and he really couldn't play the keyboards very well - her was really more of a drummer - but after that day, we kept in touch, and we sort of clicked as writers."^[11] The two began writing and composing songs in his father's store basement, during Carey's senior year. After composing their first song together, "Here We Go Round Again", which Carey described as having a Motown-vibe, they continued writing material for a full length demo.^[12] After Carey's graduation her mother wed once more, which ultimately prompted her to move out from Patricia's apartment, and into a one bedroom studio in Manhattan, which she shared with four other female students.^[13][14] During this period, Carey worked several jobs as a waitress, usually getting fired after two week intervals.^[15] While requiring work to pay for her rent, Carey's mind and effort still remained with her musical ambitions, as she continued working late into the night with Margulies, in hopes of completing a demo take that could be passed on to record executives.^[15] After completing her four song demo tape, Carey tried to pass it to music labels, but was met with failure each time.^[16] It was then she was introduced to rising pop singer of Puerto Rican descent, Brenda K. Starr.^[16][17]

1988–92: Recording debut and career beginnings[link]

Carey exiting the Shepherd's Bush Theatre after promoting her single "Vision of Love" on The Wogan Show, in 1990.

As Carey's friendship with Starr grew, so did her interest in helping Carey succeed in the industry.^[18] On a Friday night in November 1987, Carey accompanied Starr to a record executives gala, where she handed her demo tape to Tommy Mottola, head of Columbia Records, who listened to it on his way back home.^[18][19] After the first two songs, he became so enamored at the sound and quality of Carey's voice that he turned around returned to the event, only to find that she had left.^[19] In what has been widely described by critics as a modern day Cinderella-like tale,^[20][21] after searching Carey for two weeks, and eventually contacting her through Starr's management, he immediately signed her and began mapping out her debut into mainstream music.^[18] While she maintained that she wanted to continue working with Margulies, Mottola enlisted top producers of the time, including Ric Wake, Narada Michael Walden and Rhett Lawrence.^[18] Mottola and the staff at Columbia had planned to market Carey as the main female pop artist on their roster, competing with the likes of Whitney Houston and Madonna, who were signed to Arista and Sire Records respectively.^[22] After the completion of the album, titled Mariah Carey, Columbia spent an upward of $1 million to promote it.^[23] Though opening with weak sales, the album eventually reached the top of the Billboard 200, after Carey's exposure at the 33rd annual Grammy Awards.^[24] Mariah Carey stayed atop the charts for eleven consecutive weeks,^[25] and she won the Best New Artist, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance trophies for her single "Vision of Love".^[26] The album yielded an additional three number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, following the four week number-one run of "Vision of Love". Carey became the first artist since The Jackson 5 to have their first four singles reach number one.^[27] Mariah Carey finished as the best-selling album in the United States of 1991,^[28] while totaling sales of over 15 million copies.^[29]

Only months after the Mariah Carey began its descent on the charts, Carey already began working on her second studio effort, eventually titled Emotions (1991).^[30][31] The album, as Carey described it, paid homage to Motown soul music, as she felt the need to pay tribute to the type of music and genre that truly influenced her as a struggling child.^[31] For the project, Carey worked with Walter Afanasieff, who only had a small role on her debut, as well as Clivillés and Cole, from the dance group C+C Music Factory.^[32] However, Carey's relationship with Margulies deteriorated^[31] over a contract Carey had signed prior to her signing with Columbia, agreeing to split not only the songwriting royalties from the songs, but half of her earnings as well.^[31] However, when the time came to write music for Emotions, Sony officials made it clear he would only be paid the fair amount given to co-writers on an album.^[31] Subsequently, Margulies filed a lawsuit against Sony which ultimately led to their parting of ways.^[31] On September 17, 1991, Emotions was released around the world, and was accepted by critics as a more mature album than its predecessor.^[33] While praised for Carey's improved songwriting, production and new sound, the album was criticized for its material, which many felt was noticeably weaker than her debut.^[34] Though the album managed sales of over eight million copies globally, Emotions failed to reach the commercial and critical heights of its predecessor.^[35]

As they had done after the release of her debut, critics once again questioned whether Carey would embark on a world tour, in promotion for her material.^[36] Although Carey explained that due to her stage fright, and the general strenuous nature of her songs, a tour sounded very daunting, speculation grew that Carey was a "studio worm", and that she wasn't capable of producing the perfect pitch and 5-octave vocal range for which she was known.^[20][37] In hopes of putting any claims of her being a manufactured artist to rest, Carey and Walter Afanasieff decided to book an appearance on MTV Unplugged, a television program aired by MTV.^[38] The show's purpose was to present name artists, and feature them "unplugged" or stripped of studio equipment.^[38][39] While Carey felt strongly of her more soulful and powerful songs, it was decided that her most popular content to that point would be included.^[39] Days prior to the show's taping, Carey and Afanasieff thought of adding a cover version of an older song, in order to provide something different and unexpected.^[39] They chose "I'll Be There", a song made popular by The Jackson 5 in 1970, rehearsing it few times before the night of the show. On March 16, 1992, Carey recorded a seven-piece set-list at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York.^[40] The revue was met with critical acclaim, leading to it being aired over three times as often as an average episode would.^[41] The revue's success tempted Sony officials to use it as some form of an album.^[42] Sony decided to release it as an EP, selling for a reduced price due to its shorter length.^[43] The EP proved to be a success, shunning critics and speculations that Carey was just a studio artist,^[43] and was given a triple-Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),^[44] and managed Gold and Platinum certifications in several European markets.^[42]