name	What's My Name?
cover	Rihanna-Whats-My-Name-Official-Single-Cover.jpg
border	yes
artist	Rihanna featuring Drake
album	Loud
released
format	CD single, digital download
recorded	2010; Roc the Mic Studios (New York City), Westlake Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California)
genre	Electro-R&B;
length
label	Def Jam
writer	Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Ester Dean, Traci Hale, Aubrey Graham
producer	StarGate
chronology	Rihanna
last single	"Only Girl (In the World)"(2010)
this single	"What's My Name?"(2010)
next single	"Who's That Chick?"(2010)
misc	}}

"What's My Name?" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her fifth studio album ''Loud'' (2010). Featuring guest vocals from Canadian rapper Drake, the song was released as the second single from ''Loud'' on October 29, 2010 through Def Jam Recordings. The R&B; song was produced by the Norwegian production duo StarGate, and was written by the duo along with Ester Dean, Traci Hale, and Drake. "What's My Name?" impacted mainstream and rhythmic radio stations in the United States on October 26, 2010.

Music critics praised the song as some of Rihanna's best vocal work to date. They also praised its romantic nature of the song, as well as its sexual tones. However, there was some negative criticism towards Drake's lyrics which included a sexual innuendo about the square root of 69. "What's My Name?" was a commercial success, topping the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving Rihanna her third number-one single in 2010, as well as her eighth overall. It also became Drake's first number one single. The song also topped the charts in Brazil, Hungary and the United Kingdom and reached the top five in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Slovakia.

An accompanying music video, directed by Philip Andelman, portrays a romantic encounter between Rihanna and Drake in a grocery store along with romantic scenes between the pair and Rihanna walking through Manhattan's Lower East Side. "What's My Name?" was promoted with live performances across both sides of the Atlantic, including ''Saturday Night Live'' in America and the series seven finale of ''The X Factor'' in the United Kingdom. The latter performance resulted in an investigation from the country's media regulator, Ofcom, for the raunchy nature of Rihanna's outfit.

Background and composition

"What's My Name?" is mid-tempo electro-R&B; song, produced by Norwegian producers, StarGate, who return Rihanna to the "Island-pop" of her early career with a backing track consisting of "heavy reggae" and ska beats with synthesised organs. Bill Lamb from About.com noted that before Rihanna's vocals start, there is an internal build up of "dreamy drum machine rhythms". Overall he described the backing track as "simple" and "atmospheric". The song was written by Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Ester Dean, Traci Hale and Aubrey Graham and incorporates themes of "sex and romance". In an interview with HitQuarters, Hale revealed that Dean was the one who invited her to get involved in writing "What's My Name?" and ''Loud''. In the interview Hale said "my contribution was mostly lyrical, Ester did most of the melody. It’s really group effort though – so it’s hard to say the formula on some songs because Stargate does their part, Ester does her part, I put in what I put in – no one does just one thing." When asked what the inspiration behind the song was, she said "Oh love, love, love! And it's sexy — it started as a real sexy track and then you put something sexy over it." Hale went on to credit the song's success as reigniting her career as a songwriter. Jocelyn Vena from MTV described the vocal delivery and lyrical content of the song as "sassy". Lamb as said that "lyrically, [What's My Name?] amounts to romantic, sexual sweet nothings".

Hermansen said that the collaboration with Drake came about after Rihanna played him the finished record back stage somewhere. Rihanna told ''Billboard'', that she had been "attempting to team up for a while and that she wanted Drake's signature swagger for the track." She said that Drake is one of the biggest rappers at the moment and when he heard the song he loved it and wrote his verse three days later. Rihanna called the collaboration "young and playful", something which Stacy Anderson from ''Spin'' and Nick Levine of Digital Spy both picked up, when commenting on the sexual innuendos in the lyrics. In particular Anderson and Levine noted an algebra-based joke during Drake's guest vocal, where he says "The square root of 69 is 8 something, right / 'Cuz I been trying to work it out". Megan Vick from ''Billboard'' noted that "Rihanna's lush vocal turn denotes a startling leap in maturity from previous singles".

Critical reception

"What's My Name?" received mainly positive reviews for its romantic tone and sentiments. Thomas Conner from the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' neither praised nor criticized the song, but instead focused on the steamy nature of the composition. "[Rihanna] and panting duet partner Drake steam the recording studio windows as he raps a helpless play-by-play". Bill Lamb from About.com gave the song a positive review, saying that "There it is, the chorus opens the track with "Oh na na...what's my name?" and the hook is firmly implanted. It's not long before Drake's added on rap kicks in with clever, sexy and romantic rhyming. Then the dreamy drum machine rhythms and Rihanna's vocals kick in again. This is a hit... "What's My Name?" is a good addition to that romantic evening playlist." Jocelyn Vena from MTV praised the "song's chorus" and "Drake's verse". Molly Lambert of Pitchfork Media praised Rihanna's performance saying that "On 'What's My Name', Rihanna doesn't have to tell us how desirable she is – it is a given. There is never any doubt in her delivery that Rihanna really might as well be the only girl in the world". Nick Levine from Digital Spy said " 'What's My Name?' is essentially the long, luxuriant lovemaking session to 'Rude Boy's hard'n'fast rut... it manages to stay classy even when Drake makes a dodgy joke about the 'square root of 69' and Rihanna delivers a not-so-coy reference to oral sex." Megan Vick from ''Billboard'' said "As much as 'What's My Name' is a joint effort, Rihanna owns the song by delivering a more polished version of her pop persona." According to Jon Dolan from ''Rolling Stone'' with the release of "What's My Name?" as second single from the album Rihanna created "a perfect little tropical storm". He continued: "[...] Over dark, humid synths and swirling snare skitters, she's in full-on Caribbean-queen mode, dialing up her islander accent and rolling out a to-do list for any adult male seeking entrance into her chambers". However, he also gave some negative criticism over Drake's "Square root of 69" stating that he sounds like a nerdy guy from fraternity while presents it.

Chart performance

"What's My Name?" debuted at number sixty-seven on ''Billboard'' Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart for the chart week of October 30, 2010 and steadily rose to a peak of number two. The song debuted at number eighty-three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after being sent to mainstream radio, and in the third week it jumped to number one, after being released digitally; becoming Rihanna's eighth number-one single on the chart and Drake's first. "What's My Name?" managed to reach number one on the chart, before the lead single "Only Girl (In the World)", which topped the chart after two weeks. In the same week, it reached the top spot on US Hot Digital Songs with first week sales of 235,000. Rihanna became the first artist in ''Billboard'' Hot 100 history to have their first single go to number one after their second single ("Whats My Name?" followed by "Only Girl (In the World)"). Also, Rihanna became the first artist to score a trio of Hot 100 leaders in a year since 2008, when she achieved the same feat with "Take a Bow", "Disturbia" and featured vocals on T.I.'s "Live Your Life." By its seventh week of digital release, the single crossed the one million mark. The song has sold more than 2,000,000 downloads in the United States alone, and has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

In the United Kingdom, following the release of ''Loud'', "What's My Name?" debuted at number eighteen on the UK Singles Chart on November 27, 2010. The other week, on December 5, 2010 the song reached a new peak of number eight, and during the same week, Rihanna had two other top-ten singles with "Only Girl (In the World)" at number seven and "Who's That Chick" (by David Guetta featuring Rihanna) at number nine. With that Rihanna became the fourth artist in UK chart history to make this achievement. On December 19, 2010, the song reached a new peak of number two, where it remained for three weeks before reaching number one on January 9, 2011. As a result, Rihanna became the first female artist in UK chart history to have a number one single in five consecutive years. She is only the second artist to achieve this feat behind the late Elvis Presley who posted number one singles from 1959–63. It is also Rihanna's fifth number one single in the UK. Additionally its the second time in her career that Rihanna has simultaneously topped the singles and albums charts in the UK, the first time being in May 2007 when "Umbrella" and ''Good Girl Gone Bad'' topped the UK Singles and UK Album chart, respectively. To date, the song is Drake's highest charting single and first number one in the United Kingdom.

Music video

Rihanna shot the music video for the song on September 26, 2010 in New York City with director Philip Andelman. Parts of the video shot with Drake were filmed on October 27, 2010. The music video premiered on November 12, 2010 on Rihanna's VEVO channel on YouTube.

The video starts with different views from the city, then shifts to a store where Drake is speaking to the cashier. Rihanna enters, grabbing his attention. She smiles at him and walks towards a fridge and grabs a milk package. Drake follows her and his verse begins. He holds her hand as he raps his verse, the milk package falls from her hand as she holds his, thus spilling milk on the floor. When Drake's verse is over, Rihanna pushes him and walks away with a smile.

When Rihanna's verse starts, she is shown walking on the street and dancing. Views of people holding instruments and walking on the street are shown, in addition to scenes where Rihanna and Drake are in a bedroom together, flirting, talking and drinking champagne. The final scene shows Rihanna in an outdoor Reggae-inspired night party with the people previously shown are now playing instruments as Rihanna sings and dances. The video ends with Drake kissing Rihanna on her cheek in the bedroom.

Live performances

"What's My Name?" was performed for the first time (without Drake) on October 30, 2010, during Rihanna's stint on the television show ''Saturday Night Live''. Her outfit for the performance (high-waisted daisy dukes and a bikini top) drew comparisons to an outfit worn by Rihanna's friend, singer Katy Perry. Then on November 15, prior to the album's release, Rihanna reprised her performance of "What's My Name?" for MTV's ''The Seven'', Live from Times Square, New York. Just a day later, she performed the single again, this time on ''The Late Show with David Letterman''. On November 17, 2010, she was interview for and performed the song as part of her set list for her appearance on ''Good Morning America''. At the American Music Awards of 2010 on November 21, 2010, Rihanna performed a mini medley of her recent hits which included "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)", "What's My Name?" and concluded with "Only Girl (In the World)". In the United Kingdom, Rihanna was invited back to series seven of ''The X Factor'' on December 11, 2010, to perform "Unfaithful" with finalist Matt Cardle and a solo performance of "What's My Name?". The finale was watched by fifteen million viewers but attracted complaints, in the thousands, about Rihanna's choice of outfit and sexual performance. Vivienne Patterson, director of Mediawatch UK, said "I don’t think it was suitable for a pre-watershed broadcast, I think that’s quite clear". Britain's media regulator, Ofcom, later confirmed that it had launched an investigation into the matter after four thousand complaints were registered regarding Rihanna and Christina Aguilera's appearances at the ''The X Factor'' finale. Rihanna performed the song with Drake for the first time at the 53rd Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011, as well as performing the song as apart of a medley with "Only Girl (In the World)" and "S&M;" live at the 2011 Brit Awards on February 15, 2011. Rihanna also performed the song with Drake at the NBA All Star Game on February 20, 2011 as well as performing the song as apart of a medley of "Umbrella" / "Only Girl (In the World)" / "Rude Boy" / "All of the Lights" (with Kanye West). The song was part of the set list for the Australian leg of the Last Girl on Earth Tour and the Loud Tour. In May 2011 Rihanna gave a performance of "What's My Name?" on NBC's ''Today'' show, as apart of the Summer Concert Series, along with "Only Girl (In the World)", "S&M;" and "California King Bed".

Formats and track listings

;Digital download #"What's My Name?" (featuring Drake) – 4:24

;Digital Remixes EP #"What's My Name?" (Low Sunday Up On It Extended) – 5:03 #"What's My Name?" (Low Sunday Up On It Instrumental) – 5:00 #"What's My Name?" (Kik Klap Mixshow) – 4:10 #"What's My Name?" (Original Version Clean) – 4:27

;German CD single #"What's My Name?" (featuring Drake) – 4:24 #"What's My Name?" (Low Sunday "Up On It" Radio) – 3:47

Credits and personnel

Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Ester Dean, Traci Hale, Aubrey Graham – Songwriting

Stargate – Production

Mikkel S. Eriksen, Miles Walker – Recording

Kuk Harrell – Vocal production

Kuk Harrell, Josh Gudwin, Marcos Tovar – Vocal recording

Bobby Campbell – Assistant vocal recording

Noah "40" Shebib – Drake vocal recording

Noel Cadastre, Brandon Joner – Assistant Drake vocal recording

Phil Tan – Mixing

Damien Lewis – Additional and assistant engineering

Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen – Instruments

Ester Dean – Backing vocals

Chris Gehringer – Mastering

Source:

Charts and certifications

Charts

Chart (2010–11)	Peakposition
Brazil (''Billboard Brasil
Brazil (''[[Billboard Brasil
Italy ([[FIMI)

Year-end charts

Chart (2010)	Position
UK Singles Chart

Certifications

{|class="wikitable" |- !Country !Certification |- | Australia |style="text-align:Center;"|Platinum |- | Italy | style="text-align:center;"|Gold |- | New Zealand | style="text-align:Center;"|Platinum |- |Switzerland | style="text-align:Center;"|Gold |- |United Kingdom | style="text-align:center;"|Platinum |- |United States | style="text-align:center;"|2× Platinum |- |}

Radio and release history

Country	Date	Format	Label
United States	October 26, 2010	Top 40	[[Def Jam Recordings
Australia		rowspan="8"	rowspan="6"
Brazil
France
New Zealand
Spain
Canada
United States
United States	December 23, 2010		Def Jam
United Kingdom	January 10, 2011		Mercury Records
Germany	January 21, 2011		Universal Music

See also

List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2010 (U.S.)

List of Rhythmic Top 40 number-one singles of 2010 (U.S.)

List of Rhythmic Top 40 number-one singles of 2011 (U.S.)

List of number-one singles of 2011 (UK)

List of number-one R&B; hits of 2010 (UK)

List of number-one R&B; hits of 2011 (UK)

List of Christmas number-two singles in the UK

List of number-one singles of 2011 (Hungary)

References

Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:2010 singles Category:Rihanna songs Category:Drake songs Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Category:Billboard Rhythmic Airplay number-one singles Category:Songs produced by Stargate Category:Songs written by Stargate (production team) Category:Contemporary R&B; songs Category:Songs written by Traci Hale Category:Songs written by Ester Dean Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Singles certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America Category:Singles certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry of Switzerland

cs:What's My Name de:What’s My Name? es:What's My Name? fr:What's My Name? id:What's My Name? it:What's My Name? he:What's My Name hu:What’s My Name? mk:What's My Name? nl:What's My Name? pl:What's My Name? pt:What's My Name? ru:What’s My Name? (песня Рианны) simple:What's My Name? (Rihanna song) tr:What's My Name? vi:What's My Name? (bài hát của Rihanna)

show name	My Name Is Earl
format	Comedy / Narrative
camera	Single camera
runtime	21-42 minutes
creator	Greg Garcia
executive producer	Greg GarciaMarc BucklandTom Palmer
starring	Jason LeeEthan SupleeJaime PresslyEddie SteeplesNadine Velazquez
narrated	Jason Lee
country	United States
language	English
network	NBC
picture format	480i (SDTV)1080i (HDTV)
first aired
last aired
status	Canceled/Ended
num seasons	4
num episodes	96
list episodes	List of My Name Is Earl episodes
website	}}

''My Name Is Earl'' is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005 to May 14, 2009 in the United States. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and starred Jason Lee as the title character.

Each episode begins with Earl presenting the premise of the series:

Overview

The series stars Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly, Eddie Steeples and Nadine Velazquez(Lee and Suplee had also worked together on the film "Mallrats" more then ten years prior). Earl J. Hickey (Lee) is a petty criminal, living in the fictional rural county of Camden, whose winning $100,000 lottery ticket is lost when he is hit by a car. Lying in a hospital bed, under the influence of morphine, he develops a belief in the concept of karmic retribution when he hears about karma during an episode of ''Last Call with Carson Daly''. To turn his life around, he makes a list of every bad thing he's ever done in an attempt to correct them, as he believes that this is the only way he can gain positive karma. After doing his first good deed, he finds the $100,000 lottery ticket he had previously lost. He sees this as a sign of karma rewarding him and, with his newfound wealth, he begins doing good deeds according to his list.

As he continues to perform good deeds, Earl's motives at first appear to be selfish – only doing good to improve his karma and by extension his own life; however, Earl begins to develop a genuine sense of morality and ethics, refusing to participate in illegal or morally wrong activities – though sometimes finding himself in very awkward situations, including a suicidal stunt man, a second-hand hot tub that gives his ex-wife Joy a communicable toe disease, a Korean War veteran who wants to reclaim some possessions Earl destroyed (including the ear of a fellow soldier) and a "witch woman" who proves him right in thinking she is evil when she knocks him and many others out and stores them in her basement.

Conception

Creator and head writer Greg Garcia wrote the pilot while working on another sitcom, ''Yes, Dear''. He initially pitched the series to Fox which passed on the series. He then approached NBC, which optioned the pilot on a cast-contingent basis, meaning they would order the pilot provided a suitable cast could be assembled. Jason Lee was approached for the lead role, but was uninterested in working in television and passed on the series twice before finally agreeing to read the pilot script. Though he liked the pilot, he was hesitant to commit to his first TV starring role until meeting with Garcia, after which he signed on to play Earl Hickey.

Ratings

The series premiered on September 20, 2005, drew in 14.9 million viewers in the United States, earning a 6.6 rating. By the airing of the third episode it was apparent that ''My Name Is Earl'' was the highest rated of NBC's new fall offerings, and a full season (22 episodes) was ordered. In its first month, it was also the highest rated new sitcom of the season to air on any network and was the highest rated sitcom on any network in the 18–49-year-old demographic. The show was renewed for a second season (2006–07), a third (2007–08), and a fourth (2008–09).

Season	Timeslot (EDT)	Season Premiere	Season Finale	TV Season			Viewers(in millions)
! style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center"	Tuesday 9:00 P.M. (September 20 – December 6, 2005)Thursday 9:00 P.M. (January 5 – May 11, 2006)	September 20, 2005	May 11, 2006	style="font-size:11px;text-align:center"
! style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center"	Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 21, 2006 – May 10, 2007)	September 21, 2006	May 10, 2007	style="font-size:11px;text-align:center"
! style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center"	Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 27, 2007 – May 15, 2008)	September 27, 2007	May 15, 2008	style="font-size:11px;text-align:center"
! style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center"	Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 25, 2008 – May 14, 2009)	September 25, 2008	May 14, 2009	style="font-size:11px;text-align:center"

Cancellation

The series ended on May 19, 2009 after running for four seasons. Season four had ended with the caption 'To Be Continued'. The series' producer, 20th Century Fox Television, approached the Fox, ABC, TBS and TNT networks to continue the series, but they were unable to come to terms without "seriously undermining the artistic integrity of the series."

On the series premiere of Garcia's next series, ''Raising Hope'', a newscaster in the background reports, "A small-time crook with a long list of wrongs he was making amends for has finally finished, and you'll never guess how it ended." However, the newscast is cut off before viewers can hear more.

Characters

Main characters

Earl Jehoshaphat Hickey (Jason Lee)/young Earl (Noah Crawford) The protagonist and narrator of the show. He has a long history of petty crime (mostly theft), for which he is trying to atone. Although he lacks a good formal education, he seems to be bright and open-minded and is guided by a strong moral compass. His conversion to an understanding of Karma now drives his life, as he seeks to make up for his past wrong-doing. He is afraid of flying, needles and possible attacks from alligators in the sewer when he uses the toilet. Earl has a 1973 red El Camino which once belonged to his friend Frank; it has a blue driver's side door, found by Earl in a tornado. (This car is similar to the 1962 Triumph TR4 with a blue right side door in ''Alvin and the Chipmunks''.) Earl is married and divorced three times in the course of the series. Earl's father intended to name him Carl, but his cursive letter 'C' was read as an 'E' by the hospital where Earl was born. In many flashbacks, he is seen wearing an AC/DC or Metallica shirt in Joy's trailer. He also appears to be incapable of keeping his eyes open when photographs are taken. He moved out of his parents' house on March 14, 1989 (which his father was so thrilled about that he made 3.14.89 the combination to his gun case). In one episode it says that Earl is allergic to cats, but eventually that is changed when later Randy seems to be the one allergic and not Earl. Randall "Randy" Dew Hickey (Ethan Suplee)/young Randy (Ryan Armstrong) Earl's younger brother. He is thought to be very dimwitted and simple, bordering on mild mental retardation. Described as "borderline artistic" by his elder brother for his creativity and for what a doctor once said about him (unaware the doctor was referring to autism), Randy Hickey possesses a childlike naïveté that manifests as both sweetness toward others, and an unawareness of the potentially harmful consequences of his actions. He doesn't fully understand Earl's List, and sometimes resents the importance it plays in Earl's life, but he supports his campaign out of brotherly love. Randy Hickey is a huge fan of H.R. Pufnstuf. He is afraid of birds and allergic to cats. He has been shown to be an excellent singer (particularly at opera) many times. He also is very good at acting. He is a fan of Michael J. Fox. At one point he was married to Catalina and in love with her, but later changed his mind about that. Randy Hickey constantly falls in love with women that are too different from him and so his relationships never last. Joy Farrah Darville Hickey Turner (Jaime Pressly)Earl's first ex-wife, now married to Darnell and the antagonist of the show. She is unsophisticated "trailer trash", self-centered, manipulative and aggressive. She tricked Earl into marrying her when she became pregnant with another man's child (which turns out might actually be Earl's after all), then had an affair with Darnell while she and Earl were still married. However, she is very protective of her family. She is openly scornful of Earl's List. She has a strong dislike for Catalina, although ends up saving her life in the fourth season. She drives a Subaru BRAT painted with the American flag. Her frequent catchphrases are "Oh Snap", "What the Hell", and she frequently calls both Earl and Randy "Dummy". In the episode "Pinky" it is revealed that Joy and Randy knew each other as 'Pinky' and 'Skipper' as kids. Eventually Joy becomes a surrogate mother for her estranged half sister. Joy inadvertently kidnapped an appliance-store employee, but was saved from her "third strike" (third felony, which would have meant a lengthy prison stay) by Earl, who chooses to take the fall for her misdeed. "Darnell 'Crabman' Turner", formerly Harry Monroe (Eddie Steeples)Joy's husband, and still one of Earl's best friends despite apparently impregnating Earl's then-wife Joy. He now acts as father to Joy's two sons. He works in the local dive, "The Crab Shack". He is educated and mild-mannered, but is actually a former assassin for a secret government organization. He was placed in the witness protection program when he refused to kill the child leader of a socialist nation and testified in court against his former employers. Darnell demonstrates greater intelligence than those around him. A running gag within the show is that Darnell smokes marijuana. He had a sister Pam who was killed by honesty, according to Joy. Darnell's dad is called Thomas Monroe and works for the agency. Occasionally, Darnell's afro is shown to hide cell phones which self destruct after use. Earl calls him Crabman because he took so long to learn his name. It is revealed in the very last episode of the show that Earl Jr., generally believed to be his son, is not. In the episode Our 'Cops' is on it is shown that he used to live with his supposed grandmother and grew and sold marijuana in his bedroom. Catalina Rana Aruca (Nadine Velazquez)The beautiful housekeeper at Earl and Randy's motel. She is also the number one dancer at Club Chubby. She killed her mother (albeit in self-defense) in order to get to America in a crate. Now shares a green card marriage with Randy who had a huge crush on her until she ended it by sleeping with him and purposefully making the experience unenjoyable (although she regrets this when she finds out that Randy was a very good lover). She has a strong dislike for Joy, as Joy called her a whore when they first met. Later she softens up when Joy proves she would be willing to knock out Darnell in order to save her life. Though obviously Latin American her origins were kept vague, except that she was not from Mexico, until the fourth season in "Earl and Joy's Anniversary" when it is revealed that she is from La Paz, Bolivia. In the same 'prequel' episode it is also revealed that she lost her virginity during an orgy with Patty, Darnell and Kenny in a phone booth when they were all avoiding the killer bees. She occasionally breaks the fourth wall by seemingly shouting insults to Joy in Spanish which are actually notes for the fans. She also seems to have an obsession with kicking the male characters in the testicles while wearing only a bikini.

Recurring characters

Carlton "Carl" Hickey (Beau Bridges)Earl and Randy's father. Earl was supposed to be named after him, but Carl "got a bit too fancy with the C" and the hospital read it as an E. At the start of the series he refused to have anything to do with Earl, but gradually realizes his son's efforts to improve his life were sincere and they have since become close again. Katherine "Kay" Hickey (Nancy Lenehan)Earl and Randy's mother, a friendly woman who gently chides Earl to be nicer to his father. In Season 4, it was revealed she once slept with a neighbor, causing Carl to leave home for a while before he returned and they made up. Eric "Dodge" Chaz Hickey (Louis T. Moyle)Joy's oldest son. Named Dodge because all she could remember about the man she believes to be his father was that he drove a Ford pickup truck. However, in the Season 4 final episode Earl is revealed to be his father. Earl Hickey Jr. (Trey Carlisle)Joy's son due to an affair. His father was presumed to be Darnell Turner, but the final episode's cliffhanger leaves this in doubt. Kenny James (Gregg Binkley; as child, Andy Pessoa) Kenny is a childhood victim of Earl's bullying and a formerly suppressed homosexual, who became the first person Earl helped with the List. Later he developed a gambling problem when Earl was teaching him to be more manly. He is now dating Stuart, a male police officer, whom he liked to the point of faking break ins to call the cops. It is implied that his first male kiss was with Darnell during the phone booth four-way, due to fear of death from the killer bees. Patty the Daytime Hooker, Patricia Michellee Weezmer (Dale Dickey)A friendly Camden prostitute who also works as a night-time waitress. She got 1500 on her SATs, holds a Masters degree and speaks Bengali. In the episode "Witch Lady", her full name was revealed to be Patricia Weezmer. In the episode "Inside Probe", her middle name was revealed to be Michelle. Ralph Mariano (Giovanni Ribisi) Earl's childhood friend. He is constantly in trouble with the law and has betrayed Earl and Randy for as little as $175, but they always forgive him. In season two Earl married Ralph's mom but later had the marriage annulled. He was in jail with Earl but quickly escaped. He was not seen at all in the fourth season. Willie the One-Eyed Mailman(Bill Suplee). He lost an eye when Joy broke Earl's Def Leppard mirror with a bowling ball and a shard flew into his eye. In real life, he is the father of Ethan Suplee, who portrays Randy Billie Cunningham (Alyssa Milano) Earl's third wife. She is a little crazy and gets very jealous of Earl spending so much time with his List instead of her. After finding inner peace in an Amish-type settlement near Camden, she not only divorced Earl but gave him $72,000 she'd received after being hit by a car. Officer Stuart Daniels (Mike O'Malley)An inept Camden County police officer, on the List because Earl stole his badge and abused its authority. He comes from a family of female cops, who often make fun of him for his professional ineptness. He is revealed to be a talented bowler and has aspirations to go pro. He is later revealed to be bisexual and has a relationship with Kenny James. Liberty Washington (Tamala Jones)Joy's mixed race half-sister. They hated each other for years but eventually bonded to the point where Joy became a surrogate mother for Liberty and her husband Ray-Ray's baby. She tends to treat Ray-Ray exactly the way Joy treats Darnell: with full measures of both hostility and love. Ray-Ray Washington (DJ Qualls)Liberty's husband, who shares many character traits with Darnell. He owns a bearded dragon named "Mr. Bearded Dragon" whom he treats in the same fatherly manner that Darnell treats Mr. Turtle. His father's name was "Ray" and named him "Ray-Ray", that is why he would like to name his unborn child "Ray-Ray-Ray". due to catalina's hate for Joy she dresses in "not much" and begins to kick him in the testicles. Jeremiah "Jerry" Hazelwood (Craig T. Nelson)The Camden County prison warden. He is an immature, whiny man who has his job because his wife is the Governor. He gave Earl numerous "time off" certificates when Earl helped him out with prison problems, but later broke Earl's spirit by reneging on the agreement, having come to rely on Earl. Hazelwood was then revealed to be a former porn star, so he restored Earl's "time off" certificates to keep the scandal quiet. Mr. Sydney TurtleDarnell's beloved pet. He is apparently Jewish and was born in 1913. In "Made A Lady Think I was God", Darnell mentions that Mr. Turtle had no first name; but in "Got the Babysitter Pregnant" his grave marker reads ''Mr. Sydney Turtle''. Donny Jones (Silas Weir Mitchell)An intimidating reformed thug who went to jail for a crime that Earl committed. While in prison he read the Bible and started believing in Jesus, and forgave Earl. His mother (Kathryn Joosten) did not forgive Earl for 'taking her son away for 2 years' until he helped her quit smoking (effectively giving her 2 extra years of life). Didi (Tracy Ashton)She is a one-legged girl whom Earl claimed to love. She hates Earl since he stole her car. She was #86 on Earl's List, and he crossed her off when she made him walk all day on one leg, and buy half of a pair of shoes. Little Chubby (Norm Macdonald) Little Chubby owns most of Camden. He appeared on Earl's list after Earl kicked him in the testicles and had a stripper grab them. After getting them fixed, Little Chubby then became extremely aggressive, like his father. After deciding to change his ways, he took a baseball hit to lose his testicles again. In the final episode ("Dodge's Dad"), he says he got new testicles transplanted from a bull, because being nice was bad for business. (He couldn't say no to a geriatric stripper who after he hired her slipped and broke her pelvis.)

Other recurring characters include Electrolarynx Guy, Bruce, Nescobar-a-lop-lop, Doug, Jasper and his Russian mail-order bride, Joy's deaf lawyer and her interpreter, DJ Dave, Slow Roger, Creepy Rodney, Bob Smiley, and TV's Tim Stack. Stack (also a writer for the show) usually appears in his ''Son of the Beach'' costume and completely intoxicated.

Several of the show's characters appeared on the July 8, 2008 episode of ''Celebrity Family Feud'': the Hickey Family (Earl, Joy, Randy, Crabman and Catalina) played against "Camden County" (Tim Stack, Patty, Wilford, Kenny and Nescobar). The Camden County team defeated the Hickey Family but lost to the cast of ''The Office'' in the finals.

Notable guest stars

Trace Adkins

David Arquette

Sean Astin

Dave Attell

Rosanne Barr

Barbara Billingsley

Ewen Bremner

Brett Butler

Larry Joe Campbell

Duane Chapman

Gil Christner

Carson Daly

Charles S. Dutton

Jenna Elfman

Erik Estrada

Morgan Fairchild

Jon Favreau

Leo Fitzpatrick

Ben Foster

Courtney Gains

Johnny Galecki

Danny Glover

Adam Goldberg

Seth Green

Paris Hilton

Clint Howard

Eric Allan Kramer

John Leguizamo

Juliette Lewis

Faizon Love

Jenny McCarthy

Norm Macdonald

Howie Mandel

Marlee Matlin

Alyssa Milano

Katy Mixon

Chloe Moretz

Niecy Nash

Timothy Olyphant

Andrea Parker

Jason Priestley

Michael Rapaport

Giovanni Ribisi

Burt Reynolds

Geraldo Rivera

Chelcie Ross

Amy Sedaris

Jane Seymour

Dax Shepard

Jimmi Simpson

Christian Slater

Christine Taylor

Paul Teutul Jr.

Paul Teutul Sr.

Michael Teutul

Melody Thomas Scott

Joan Van Arc

Jerry Van Dyke

Michael Waltrip

John Waters

Betty White

Matthew Willig

Jon Heder

Arne Starr (''uncredited'')

Location

''My Name Is Earl'' is set in fictional Camden County. Creator Greg Garcia says: On episode Inside Probe (Part 2), Earl hints at a general location by saying, "I guess we are in the central time zone." The show is filmed in the San Fernando Valley, in Southern California. On the last DVD, in reply to a viewer's question, Greg Garcia admits that Camden is loosely modeled on Waldorf, Maryland.

Critical reception

The show has been on the whole well-received by critics and audiences alike, on Metacritic it garnered a 77% "generally favorable" critics' metascore; 8.7 out of 10 users' rating. One reviewer has speculated that Earl's forthrightness to having led a life of idiocy is what endears him to the viewer, and is what suggests there is a depth to his character beyond what is initially seen. Many of the negative and ambivalent reviews center on what are perceived to be base and bigoted humor.

Some critics have claimed the series has a Scientologist bias or message, with actors Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee being Scientologists. In 2008, Alec Baldwin publicly accused ''Earl'' creator Greg Garcia of also being a Scientologist; Garcia quickly denied any involvement with Scientology, claiming that the ''Daily Mirror'' had incorrectly reported him to be a Scientologist.

DVD releases

Season releases overview

!rowspan="2" September 19, 2006 September 25, 2007 September 30, 2008 September 15, 2009

DVD Name!!colspan="2"|Release dates!!rowspan="2"|Ep #!!rowspan="2"|Additional Information
![[DVD region code
Season One	|	September 25, 2006	24	The four disc box set includes all 24 episodes. Bonus features include deleted scenes, [[Audio commentary
Season Two	|	January 28, 2008	23	deleted scenes, Audio commentary>commentary tracks on selected episodes, as well as other featurettes.
Season Three	|	October 20, 2008	22	The four disc box set includes all 22 episodes. Bonus features include a gag reel, "Creating the characters" featurette and deleted scenes.
Season Four	|	October 5, 2009	27	The four disc box set includes all 27 episodes. Bonus features include deleted scenes, a gag reel, "Earl's Fan Mail" featurette and a movie trailer inspired by the premiere episode.

Season 1 DVD set

The season one "mini-episode", titled ''Bad Karma'', is an alternate version of the events of the pilot episode featuring what would have happened if, instead of seeing Carson Daly talking about karma while in the hospital, Earl saw Stewie Griffin of ''Family Guy'' talking about vengeance.

At Best Buy locations the set came wrapped in a miniature replica of Earl's flannel shirt. The DVD set at Target stores featured a limited-edition bonus DVD with extra bloopers and other bonus features.

Awards and nominations

Nominated for 2006 Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy.

Jason Lee nominated for 2006 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy.

Jason Lee nominated for 2005/06 Screen Actors Guild award for best actor in a comedy series.

Cast nominated for 2005/06 Screen Actors Guild award for best ensemble in a comedy series.

Jaime Pressly nominated for a 2005/06 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Marc Buckland won the 2005/06 Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (episode: "Pilot").

Gregory Thomas Garcia won the 2005/06 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (episode: "Pilot").

Nominated for 2007 BAFTA TV Awards for International Programme of the Year.

Giovanni Ribisi nominated for Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2007

Jaime Pressly won the 2007 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Nominated for the 2008 People's Choice Award for "Favorite TV Comedy".

Nominated for 2008 GLAAD Media Award for Best Individual Episode ("The Gangs of Camden County")

Nominated for 2008 BAFTA TV Awards for International Programme of the Year

Michael Goi, ASC, nominated for 2008 Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography For A Half Hour Series/Episode "Stole A Motorcycle"

Betty White nominated for 2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress("Witch Lady")In A Comedy Series

Al Jones nominated for 2009 Emmy Award for Stunt Coordination in "Bullies."

Syndication

20th Century Fox Television has cleared ''My Name Is Earl'' in nearly 50% of the U.S., said Bob Cook, the company’s president and chief operating officer. 20th had sold the off-net sitcom to the Fox, Tribune, CBS, Hearst-Argyle and Sinclair station groups for a fall 2009 debut.

''My Name Is Earl'' is being currently rerun in off-network syndication and on TBS, Ion Television and MyNetworkTV.

In September 2009, The Comedy Network in Canada began to show ''My Name Is Earl'' on a nightly basis at 8:30 PM EST.

In March 2011, E4 in the UK began to show two heavily edited episodes of ''My Name Is Earl'' every weekday at 6:00pm, showing them again uncut later that night. This slot was previously occupied by ''Scrubs''.

Adaptation outside the U.S.

Greek Adaptation

''Με λένε Βαγγέλη'' (Μy name is Vaggelis). Starring Vasilis Xaralampoupoulos as Vaggelis, Makis Papadimitriou, Klelia Renesi, Anna Dimitrievits and Michalis Afolayan. It is scheduled to premiere in fall 2011 on Mega Channel.

Comic book

Independent comic book publisher Oni Press had announced a comic book tie-in to the series in 2006, and season one's DVD release included ads for the comic; but none were produced. Since the cancellation of the show, Oni has abandoned the comic.

See also

List of ''My Name Is Earl'' episodes

List of ''My Name Is Earl'' minor characters

References

Further reading

External links

Category:2005 American television series debuts Category:2009 American television series endings Category:2000s American comedy television series Category:American television sitcoms Category:English-language television series Category:NBC network shows Category:Television series by Fox Television Studios Category:Karma Category:Television shows set in the United States

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Name	Snoop Dogg
Birth name	Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr.
Born	October 20, 1971
Origin	Long Beach, California, U.S.
Occupation	Rapper, entrepreneur, lyricist, actor, record producer, entertainer film producer, businessman, television producer
Religion	Islam
Genre	Hip hop, gangsta rap, g-funk, R&B;
Years active	1991–present
Label	Priority, EMI Records, Capitol Records, Doggystyle
Associated acts	Tha Eastsidaz, Dr. Dre, Cypress Hill, 2Pac, Akon, Bow Wow, 213, 50 Cent, Xzibit, Tha Dogg Pound, Nate Dogg, Game
Website
Background	solo_singer }}

Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. (born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, marijuana activist, actor and entertainer. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school. Shortly after graduation, he was arrested for cocaine possession and spent six months in Wayside County Jail. His music career began in 1992 after his release when he was discovered by Dr. Dre. He collaborated on several tracks on Dre's solo debut, ''The Chronic'' and on the titular theme song to the film ''Deep Cover''.

Snoop's debut album ''Doggystyle'', was released in 1993 under Death Row Records debuting at No.1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B; charts. Selling almost a million copies in the first week of its release, ''Doggystyle'' quickly became certified quadruple platinum in 1994 and spawned several hit singles, including "What's My Name" and "Gin & Juice". In 1994, Snoop released a soundtrack on Death Row Records for the short film ''Murder Was The Case'', starring himself. In early 1996, Snoop Dogg was cleared of charges over his bodyguard's 1993 murder of Philip Woldemariam. His second album, late 1996's ''Tha Doggfather'', also debuted at No.1 on both charts with "Snoop's Upside Ya Head" as the lead single. The album sold only half as well, being certified double platinum in 1997.

''Tha Doggfather'' was his last release for Death Row before he signed with No Limit Records, where he recorded his next three albums. ''Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told'' in 1998, ''No Limit Top Dogg'' in 1999 (making it his last album of the 90s), and ''Tha Last Meal'' in 2000, which was his last No Limit Records album. Snoop then signed with Priority/Capitol/EMI Records in 2002, where he released his album ''Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss''. Then he signed with Geffen Records in 2004 for his next three albums ''R&G; (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece'', ''Tha Blue Carpet Treatment'', ''Ego Trippin''', and ''Malice 'n Wonderland''. His most recent release, which was on Priority, was ''Doggumentary'' in March 2011.

In addition to music, Snoop Dogg has starred in motion pictures and hosted several television shows: ''Doggy Fizzle Televizzle'', ''Snoop Dogg's Father Hood'' and ''Dogg After Dark''. He also coaches a youth football league and high school football team. He has run into many legal troubles, some of which caused him to be legally banned from the UK and Australia, although the UK ban was later reversed after a long legal battle. He is the cousin of emcees Nate Dogg, Daz Dillinger, RBX and Lil' ½ Dead and the cousin of R&B; singers Brandy and Ray J. Starting September 2009, Snoop was hired by EMI as the chairman of a reactivated Priority Records. His eleventh studio album, ''Doggumentary'', was released March 29, 2011.

Life and career

Early life

Named after his stepfather, Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Sr. (December 10, 1948 – November 9, 1985, Los Angeles), Calvin Broadus was born October 20, 1971 at the Los Altos Hospital in Long Beach, California, the second of three sons of Beverly Broadus (née Tate; born April 27, 1951, McComb, Mississippi). His father, Vernall Varnado (born December 13, 1949, Magnolia, Mississippi), was a Vietnam veteran, singer, and mail carrier who was said to be frequently absent from his life. Broadus' parents nicknamed him "Snoopy" as a child because of his appearance, but usually addressed him as Calvin at home. His mother and stepfather divorced in 1975. At an early age, Broadus began singing in Golgotha Trinity Baptist Church and playing piano; when he was in sixth grade, he began rapping. He attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School, and was convicted for cocaine trafficking, serving six months at the Wayside County Jail.

As a teenager, Snoop Dogg frequently ran into trouble with the law. Snoop Dogg was a member of the Rollin' 20 Crips gang in the Eastside of Long Beach, although he stated in 1993 that he never joined a gang. Shortly after graduating from high school, he was arrested for possession of cocaine. Snoop Dogg's conviction caused him to be frequently in and out of prison for the first three years after he graduated from high school. Snoop, along with his cousins Nate Dogg and Lil' ½ Dead and friend Warren G, recorded home made tapes as a group called 213, named after the Long Beach area code at the time. One of his early solo freestyles over En Vogue's "Hold On" had made it to a mixtape which was heard by influential producer Dr. Dre, who phoned to invite him to an audition. Former N.W.A member The D.O.C. taught him how to structure his lyrics and separate the thematics into verses, hooks and chorus.

1992–93: Career beginnings and ''Doggystyle''

When he began recording, Broadus took the stage name Snoop Doggy Dogg. Dr. Dre began working with Snoop Dogg, first on the theme song of the 1992 film ''Deep Cover'', and then on Dr. Dre's debut solo album ''The Chronic'' with the other members of his former starting group, Tha Dogg Pound. The huge success of Snoop Dogg's debut ''Doggystyle'' was partially because of this intense exposure.

To fuel the ascendance of West Coast G-funk hip hop, the singles "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" and "Gin and Juice" reached the top ten most-played songs in the United States, and the album stayed on the Billboard charts for several months. Gangsta rap became the center of arguments for censorship and labeling, with Snoop Dogg often used as an example of violent and misogynistic musicians. ''Doggystyle'', much like ''The Chronic'', featured a host of rappers signed to or affiliated with the Death Row label including Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, Nate Dogg and others. ''Rolling Stone'' music critic Touré asserted that Snoop had a relatively soft vocal delivery compared to other rappers: "Snoop's vocal style is part of what distinguishes him: where many rappers scream, figuratively and literally, he speaks softly."

A short film about Snoop Dogg's murder trial called ''Murder Was The Case'', was released in 1994, along with an accompanying soundtrack. On July 6, 1995, Doggy Style Records, Inc., a record label founded by Snoop Dogg, was registered with the California Secretary of State as business entity number C1923139.

1996–97: ''Tha Doggfather''

After Snoop Dogg was acquitted of murder charges on February 20, 1996, he and the mother of his son and their kennel of 20 pit bulls moved into a home in the hills of Claremont, California and by August 1996 Doggy Style Records, a subsidiary of Death Row Records, signed The Gap Band's Charlie Wilson as one of the record label's first artists.

However, by the time Snoop Dogg's second album, ''Tha Doggfather'', was released in November 1996, the price of living (or sometimes just imitating) the gangsta life had become very evident. Among the many notable hip hop industry deaths and convictions were the death of Snoop Dogg's friend and labelmate 2Pac and the racketeering indictment of Death Row co-founder Suge Knight. Dr. Dre had left Death Row earlier in 1996 because of a contract dispute, so Snoop Dogg co-produced ''Tha Doggfather'' with Daz Dillinger and DJ Pooh.

This album featured a distinct change of style as compared to ''Doggystyle'', and the leadoff single, "Snoop's Upside Ya Head", featured a collaboration with Gap Band frontman Charlie Wilson. While the album sold reasonably well, it was not as successful as its predecessor. However, ''Tha Doggfather'' had a somewhat softer approach to the G-funk style. The immediate aftermath of Dr. Dre's withdrawal from Death Row Records, realizing that he was subject to an iron-clad time-based contract (i.e., that Death Row practically owned anything he produced for a number of years), Snoop Dogg refused to produce any more tracks for Suge Knight, other than the insulting "Fuck Death Row", until his contract expired. In an interview with Neil Strauss in 1998, Snoop Dogg stated that though he had been given lavish gifts by his former label they had withheld royalty payments to the artist.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said that after ''Tha Doggfather'', Snoop Dogg began "moving away from his gangsta roots toward a calmer lyrical aesthetic": for instance, Snoop participated in the 1997 Lollapalooza concert tour, which featured mainly alternative rock music. Troy J. Augusto of ''Variety'' noticed that Snoop's set at Lollapalooza attracted "much dancing, and, strangely, even a small mosh pit" in the audience.

1998–2000: ''Tha Doggfather'', ''No Limit'', ''Top Dogg'' and ''Tha Last Meal''

Snoop signed with Master P's No Limit Records (distributed by Priority/EMI Records) in 1998 and debuted on the label with ''Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told'' that year. His other albums from No Limit were ''No Limit Top Dogg'' in 1999 (selling over 1,503,865 copies) and ''Tha Last Meal'' in 2000 (selling over 1,000,000). In 2001, his autobiography, ''Tha Doggfather'', was published.

2002: ''Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$''

In 2002 he released the album ''Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$'', on Priority/Capitol/EMI Records, selling over 1,300,000 copies. The album featured the hit singles "From tha Chuuuch to da Palace" and "Beautiful", featuring guest vocals by Pharrell. By this stage in his career, Snoop Dogg had left behind his "gangster" image and embraced a "pimp" image.

2004–05: ''R&G; (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece''

In 2004, Snoop signed to Geffen Records/Star Trak Entertainment both of which are distributed through Interscope Records; Star Trak is headed by producer duo The Neptunes, which produced several tracks for Snoop's 2004 release ''R&G; (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece''. "Drop It Like It's Hot" (featuring Pharrell), the first single released from the album, was a hit and became Snoop Dogg's first single to reach number one. His third release was "Signs", featuring Justin Timberlake and Charlie Wilson, which entered the UK chart at #2. This was his highest entry ever in the UK chart. The album sold 1,724,000 copies in the U.S. alone, and most of its singles were heavily played on radio and television. Snoop Dogg joined Warren G and Nate Dogg to form the group 213 and released album ''The Hard Way'' in 2004. Debuting at No.4 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and No.1 on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums, it included single "Groupie Luv". Together with fellow rappers Lil' Jon, Xzibit and David Banner, Snoop Dogg appeared in the music video for Korn's "Twisted Transistor".

2006: ''Tha Blue Carpet Treatment''

Snoop Dogg's appeared on two tracks from Ice Cube's 2006 album ''Laugh Now, Cry Later'', including the single "Go to Church", and on several tracks on Tha Dogg Pound's ''Cali Iz Active'' the same year. Also, his latest song, "Real Talk", was leaked over the Internet in the summer of 2006 and a video was later released on the Internet. "Real Talk" was a dedication to former Crips leader Stanley "Tookie" Williams and a diss to Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governor of California. Two other singles on which Snoop made a guest performance were "Keep Bouncing" by Too $hort (also with will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas) and "Gangsta Walk" by Coolio.

Snoop's 2006 album, ''Tha Blue Carpet Treatment'', debuted on the Billboard 200 at No.5 and has sold over 850,000 copies. The album and the second single "That's That Shit" featuring R. Kelly were well received by critics. In the album, he collaborated in a video with E-40 and other West Coast rappers for his single "Candy (Drippin' Like Water)".

2007–08: ''Ego Trippin'''

In July 2007, Snoop Dogg also made history by becoming the first artist to release a track as a ringtone prior to its release as a single, which was "It's the D.O.G." On July 7, 2007, Snoop Dogg performed at the Live Earth concert, Hamburg. Snoop Dogg has ventured into singing for Bollywood with his first ever rap for an Indian movie ''Singh Is Kinng''; the title of the song is also "Singh is Kinng". He also appears in the movie as himself. The album featuring the song was released on June 8, 2008 on Junglee Music Records. He released his ninth studio album, ''Ego Trippin''' (selling 400,000 copies in the U.S.), along with the first single, "Sexual Eruption". The single peaked at No.7 on the Billboard 100, featuring Snoop using autotune. The album featured production from QDT (Quik-Dogg-Teddy).

2009–10: ''Malice n Wonderland'' and ''More Malice''

Snoop was appointed an executive position at Priority Records. His tenth studio album, ''Malice n Wonderland'', was released on December 8, 2009. The first single from the album, "Gangsta Luv", featuring The-Dream, peaked at No.35 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album debuted at No.23 on the Billboard 200, selling 61,000 copies its first week, making it his lowest charting album. His third single, "I Wanna Rock", peaked at No.41 on the Billboard Hot 100. Snoop features on the latest Gorillaz album, ''Plastic Beach''. The fourth single from ''Malice n Wonderland'', titled "Pronto", featuring Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, was released on iTunes on December 1, 2009. Snoop re-released the album under the name ''More Malice''.

2011-present: Doggumentary

Snoop collaborated with Katy Perry on the first single from her second mainstream album, "California Gurls", which was released on May 11, 2010. Snoop can also be heard on the track "Flashing" by Dr. Dre and on Curren$y's song "Seat Change". He was also featured on a new single from Australian singer Jessica Mauboy, titled "Get 'em Girls" (released September 2010). Snoop's latest effort was backing American recording artist, Emii, on her second single entitled "Mr. Romeo" (released October 26, 2010 as a follow-up to "Magic"). Snoop also collaborated with American comedy troupe The Lonely Island in their song "Turtleneck & Chain", in their 2011 album ''Turtleneck & Chain''.

Snoop Dogg's newest studio album is ''Doggumentary'', The album was renamed to ''Doggumentary'' and was released during March 2011. Snoop was featured on Gorillaz' latest album ''Plastic Beach'' on a track called: "Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach" with the The Hypnotic Brass, he also completed another track with them entitled "Sumthing Like this Night" which does not appear on ''Plastic Beach'', yet does appear on ''Doggumentary''. He also appears on the latest Tech N9ne album ''All 6's And 7's'' (released June 7, 2011) on a track called "Pornographic" which also features E-40 and Krizz Kaliko.

Other ventures

Media appearances

Snoop Dogg has appeared on television and in films throughout his career. In 1998, Snoop had a cameo appearance in the film ''Half Baked'' as the "Scavenger Smoker". In 2000, Snoop (as "Michael J. Corleone") directed ''Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle'', a pornographic film produced by Hustler. The film, combining hip hop with x-rated material, was a huge success and won "Top Selling Release of the Year" at the 2002 AVN Awards. Snoop then directed ''Snoop Dogg's Hustlaz: Diary of a Pimp'' in 2002 (using the nickname "Snoop Scorsese").

In 2001, Snoop lent his voice to the animated show ''King of the Hill'', in which he played a white pimp named Alabaster Jones. He played a lead character in the movie ''The Wash'' with Dr. Dre. He portrayed a drug dealer in a wheelchair in the film ''Training Day'', featuring Denzel Washington. In 2001, Snoop starred in the horror film ''Bones'', with him playing a murdered mobster who returns from the dead to exact his revenge against those who murdered him.

In 2002, Snoop hosted, starred in, and produced his own MTV sketch comedy show entitled Doggy Fizzle Televizzle. Snoop was filmed for a brief cameo appearance in the television movie ''It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie'' (2002), but his performance was omitted from the final cut of the movie. On November 8, 2004, Snoop Dogg was starred in the episode "Two of a Kind" of NBC's series ''Las Vegas''.

In 2004, Snoop appeared on the Showtime series ''The L Word'' as the character "Slim Daddy". He also notably played the drug dealer-turned-informant character of Huggy Bear, in the 2004 remake film of the 1970s TV-series of the same name, ''Starsky & Hutch''. He appeared as himself in the episode "MILF Money" of ''Weeds'', and made an appearance on the TV shows ''Entourage'' and ''Monk'', for which he recorded a version of the theme, in July 2007.

Snoop founded his own production company, Snoopadelic Films, in 2005. Their debut film was ''Boss'n Up'', a film inspired by Snoop Dogg's album ''R&G;'', starring Lil Jon and Trina.

In December 2007, his reality show ''Snoop Dogg's Father Hood'' premiered on the E! channel. Snoop Dogg joined the NBA's Entertainment League. On March 30, 2008 he appeared at WrestleMania XXIV as a ''Master of Ceremonies'' for a tag team match between Maria and Ashley Massaro as they took on Beth Phoenix and Melina.

On May 8 and May 9, 2008, Snoop appeared as himself on the ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live'', with a new opening theme recorded by the artist presented for both episodes. In the episodes, Snoop performs at the bachelorette party for character Adriana Cramer, and credits Bo Buchanan with helping him get his start in show business. On February 24, 2010, Snoop Dogg reprised his role, performing his song "I Wanna Rock" from his new album, ''Malice n Wonderland'', as well as once again performing a special remixed, vocal rendition of the show's opening theme. In recent interviews he has explained that, as a child, ''One Life to Live'' was one of his favorite shows, and he still regards the show fondly. He has also stated that he has always been a particular fan of Robert S. Woods, who has portrayed the character of Bo Buchanan since 1979.

In 2009, Snoop Dogg appeared in Sacha Baron Cohen's film ''Brüno'' as himself performing a rap addition to the song "Dove Of Peace". On October 19, 2009, Snoop Dogg was the guest host of ''WWE Raw''.

In July 2009, Snoop revealed his desire to appear in the popular soap opera Coronation Street while touring in the UK. However ITV bosses were said to be less keen.

In 2010, Snoop Dogg appeared in an episode of I Get That a Lot on CBS as a parking-lot attendant.

In June 2010, Snoop created a music video for True Blood accompanying a song he wrote for one of the main characters of the show entitled "Oh Sookie."

In March 2011, Snoop participated in Comedy Central's Roast of Donald Trump with other comedians and media personalities.

Endorsements

St. Ides

Snoop Dogg 40 Oz Malt liquor

Adidas Originals

Boost Mobile cell phone

Chrysler 300

Colt 45 Blast

Metro PCS Samsung Galaxy 4G

Orbit Gum

Cal Worthington's Ford dealership in Long Beach, California

"Snoop Doggs" – foot-long hot dogs manufactured in Massachusetts, a joint venture with Platinum One Media

"Snoop Dogg Board Company (SDBC)" – skateboards and Luggage fabrication company (with Pentagon Distribution)

"Snooperbowl" and "Snoop Youth Football league"

"Chronic Candy" – candy that tastes like marijuana (from Switzerland and is currently banned in some cities of US)

''Love Don't Live Here No More, Doggy Tales Vol.1'' – love novel (co-written by David E. Talbert, published by Atria and Snoopadelic Films) ISBN 0-7432-7363-X ''Tha Doggfather : The Times, Trials, And Hardcore Truths Of Snoop Dogg'' – autobiography (published by William Morrow) Hardcover ISBN 0-688-17158-3, Paperback ISBN 0-06-107607-4

''Fear & Respect'' (project cancelled as of March 1, 2006) – PlayStation 2 video game (developed by Midway Games)

"Doggy Biscuitz" – shoe brand (in partnership with Pony International)

"Snoop Dogg Clothing" – streetwear (distributed at Macy's)

"WRFF" – unique design scooters (in cooperation with Salton, Inc.) "Hip Hop Gaming League" – a celebrity online gaming competition (hosted by Global Gaming League) "Snoop Dogg figures" (Vital Toys, SOTA Toys)

"Snoop Dogg Boxing" – mobile phone game (Sony Pictures Mobile)

"Snoop Dogg Pet Accessory Line" (in conjunction with Jakks Pacific) Snoop Dogg is a celebrity voice of a TomTom GPS navigation system. He stated on George Lopez's talk show Lopez Tonight that he is tired of hearing directions from the same woman. In August 2008, Snoop Dogg announced the launch of a new streetwear line called Rich & Infamous, via a partnership with Robert Thorne Co. The line was unveiled during the Magic Tradeshow in Las Vegas. "Hack is Wack" – Promoting Norton AntiVirus. "Coffee Cup With A Cause" with 7 Eleven. "Serious Pimp" clothing line. "iFizzle" iPhone Application. "Vybe Mobile" "Pepsi Max" – Zero Calories

Style and rap skills

Kool Moe Dee ranks Snoop at No.33 in his book ''There's a God on the Mic'', and says he has "an ultra-smooth, laidback delivery", and "flavor-filled melodic rhyming". Peter Shapiro describes Snoop's delivery as a "molasses drawl" and Allmusic notes his "drawled, laconic rhyming" style. Kool Moe Dee refers to Snoop's use of vocabulary, saying he "keeps it real simple...he simplifies it and he's effective in his simplicity".

Snoop is known to freestyle some of his lyrics on the spot for some songs – in the book ''How to Rap'', Lady of Rage says, "Snoop Dogg, when I worked with him earlier in his career, that's how created his stuff... he would freestyle, he wasn't a writer then, he was a freestyler," and The D.O.C. states, "Snoop's [rap] was a one take willy, but his shit was all freestyle. He hadn't written nothing down. He just came in and started busting. The song was "The Shiznit" – [that was all freestyle]. He started busting and when we got to the break, Dre cut the machine off, did the chorus and told Snoop to come back in. He did that throughout the record. That's when Snoop was in the zone then."

Peter Shapiro says that Snoop debuted on "Deep Cover" with a "shockingly original flow – which sounded like a Slick Rick born in South Carolina instead of South London" and adds that he "showed where his style came from by covering Slick Rick's 'La Di Da Di'". as well as 'linking with rhythm' in his compound rhymes, using alliteration, and employing a "sparse" flow with good use of pauses.

Snoop re-popularized the use of ''-izzle speak'', particularly in the pop and hip hop music industry.

Personal life

Broadus's father left the family when Broadus was three months old. Snoop married his high school sweetheart, Shante Taylor, on June 12, 1997. On May 21, 2004, he filed for divorce from Shante, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple renewed their wedding vows on January 12, 2008. R&B; singers Brandy and Ray J are his first cousins. In 2002, the rapper announced he was giving up marijuana, one of his image trademarks, for good. According to his IMDb biography, Snoop is a fan of the thrash metal band Metallica and performed their song "Sad But True" on the band's 2003 MTV Icon Special which is available on YouTube. A DNA test read by George Lopez on ''Lopez Tonight'' revealed Snoop Dogg to be of 0% East Asian, 23% Native American, 6% European, and 71% African descent.

Snoop is an avid fan of hometown teams Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Lakers. Snoop is also an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan. and is often seen wearing Pittsburgh Steelers apparel. Snoop has mentioned that his love for the Steelers began in the 1970s during the team's dynasty years while watching the team with his grandfather growing up in L.A. In the 2005 offseason, Snoop mentioned that he wanted to be an NFL head coach, "probably for the Steelers". The following year, he was in attendance for the Steelers' victory in Super Bowl XL and later in Super Bowl XLIII. He is also a fan of the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, often wearing a No.5 jersey, and has been seen in Raiders training camps. He did his own free style rap based on his similarities with Tony Romo. He is also a fan of the USC Trojans Football team. He has also shown affection for the New England Patriots, as he has been seen performing at the Gillette Stadium and picked the Patriots as the favorite to win Super Bowl XXXIX against the Eagles. On August 6, 2009, Snoop visited the training camp of the Baltimore Ravens at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He was invited by Ray Lewis the day after his concert at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.

A certified football coach, Snoop Dogg has been head coach for his son's youth football teams and the John A. Rowland High School team.

Snoop Dogg is an avid hockey fan; he sported a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey (with the name and number 'GIN AND JUICE' 94 on the back) and a jersey of the now-defunct Springfield (MA) Indians of the American Hockey League in his 1994 music video, "Gin And Juice". On the E! show, ''Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood'', Snoop Dogg and his family received lessons on playing hockey from the Anaheim Ducks, then returning to the Honda Center to cheer on the Ducks against the Vancouver Canucks in the episode ''Snow in da Hood''.

In 2009, it was revealed that Snoop Dogg was a member of the Nation of Islam. On March 1, 2009, he made an appearance at the Nation of Islam's annual Saviours' Day holiday, where he praised minister Louis Farrakhan. Snoop claimed to be a member of the Nation of Islam, but he declined to give the date on which he joined. He also donated $1,000 to the organization.

Snoop claimed in a 2006 interview with ''Rolling Stone'' magazine that unlike other hip hop artists who've superficially adopted the pimp persona, he was an actual professional pimp in 2003 and 2004, saying "That shit was my natural calling and once I got involved with it, it became fun. It was like shootin' layups for me. I was makin' 'em every time." He goes on to say that upon the advice on some of the other pimps he knew, he eventually gave up pimping to spend more time with his family.

Legal issues

Shortly after graduating from high school, he was arrested for possession of cocaine.

While recording ''Doggystyle'' in August 1993, Snoop Dogg was arrested in connection with the death of Phillip Woldermarian, a member of a rival gang who was shot and killed by Snoop's bodyguard, McKinley Lee; Snoop was charged with murder along with Lee as he was driving the vehicle from which the shooting had commenced. Snoop and Lee were defended by Johnnie Cochran. Both Snoop and Lee were acquitted; Lee was acquitted on grounds of self-defense, but Snoop Dogg remained entangled in the legal battles around the case for three years.

In July 1993, Snoop was stopped for a traffic violation and a firearm was found by police while conducting a search of his car. In February 1997, he pleaded guilty to one count of being an ex-felon in possession of a handgun and was ordered to record three public service announcements, pay a $1,000 fine, and serve three years' probation.

In May 1998, Snoop Dogg was fined and arrested for a misdemeanor of marijuana possession.

In October 2001, Snoop Dogg was arrested again for a misdemeanor of marijuana possession. In 2002 he pleaded no contest and was fined a total of $398.30 and received a suspended 30-day jail sentence.

Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, and The Game were sued for assaulting a fan on stage at a May 2005 concert at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, Washington. The accuser, Richard Monroe, Jr., claimed he was beaten by the artists' entourage while mounting the stage. He alleged that he reacted to an "open invite" to come on stage. Before he could, Snoop’s bodyguards grabbed him and he was beaten unconscious by crewmembers, including the rapper and producer Soopafly; Snoop and The Game were included in the suit for not intervening. The lawsuit focuses on a pecuniary claim of $22 million in punitive and compensatory damages, battery, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The concerned parties appeared in court in April 2009.

On April 26, 2006, Snoop Dogg and members of his entourage were arrested after being turned away from British Airways' first class lounge at Heathrow Airport. Snoop and his party were not allowed to enter the lounge because some of the entourage were flying first class, other members in economy class. After the group was escorted outside, they vandalized a duty-free shop by throwing whiskey bottles. Seven police officers were injured in the midst of the disturbance. After a night in prison, Snoop and the other men were released on bail on April 27, but he was unable to perform at the Premier Foods People's Concert in Johannesburg on the same day. As part of his bail conditions, he had to return to the police station in May. The group has been banned by British Airways for "the foreseeable future." When Snoop Dogg appeared at a London police station on May 11, he was cautioned for affray under Section 4 of the Public Order Act for use of threatening words or behavior. On May 15, the Home Office decided that Snoop Dogg should be denied entry to the United Kingdom for the foreseeable future due to the incident at Heathrow as well as his previous convictions in the United States for drugs and firearms offenses. Snoop Dogg's visa card was rejected by local authorities on March 24, 2007 because of the Heathrow incident. A concert at London's Wembley Arena on March 27 went ahead with Diddy (with whom he toured Europe) and the rest of the show. However the decision affected four more British performances in Cardiff, Manchester and Glasgow and Budapest (due to rescheduling). As of March 2010, Snoop Dogg has been allowed back into the UK.

On September 27, 2006, Snoop Dogg was detained at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California by airport security, after airport screeners found a collapsible police baton in Snoop's carry-on bag. The baton was confiscated but Snoop was allowed to board the flight. He has been charged with various weapons violations stemming from this incident. Donald Etra, Snoop's lawyer, told deputies the baton was a prop for a musical sketch. Snoop was sentenced to three years' probation and 160 hours of community service starting on September 20, 2007.

Snoop Dogg was arrested again on October 26, 2006 at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California while parked in a passenger loading zone. Approached by airport security for a traffic infraction, he was found in possession of marijuana and a firearm, according to a police statement. He was transported to Burbank Police Department Jail, booked, and released on $35,000 bond. He faced firearm and drug possession charges on December 12 at Burbank Superior Court.

He was again arrested on November 29, 2006, after performing on ''The Tonight Show'', for possession of marijuana and a firearm.

Snoop was arrested again on March 12, 2007 in Stockholm, Sweden after performing in a concert with P. Diddy in Stockholm's Globe Arena after he and a female companion reportedly "reeked" of marijuana. They were released four hours later after providing a urine sample. The results on urine determined whether charges would be pressed. However the rapper denied all charges.

On April 26, 2007, the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship banned him from entering the country on character grounds, citing his prior criminal convictions. He had been scheduled to appear at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards on April 29, 2007. Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship lifted the ban in September 2008 and had granted him visa to tour Australia. DIAC said "In making this decision, the department weighed his criminal convictions against his previous behaviour while in Australia, recent conduct – including charity work – and any likely risk to the Australian community ... We took into account all relevant factors and, on balance, the department decided to grant the visa."

Snoop Dogg's many legal issues forced San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom to withdraw his plan to issue a proclamation to the rapper.

Snoop Dogg was banned from Parkpop, a festival in the Netherlands on June 27, 2010 which he was scheduled to perform at. The mayor and law enforcement officials asked organizers of the festival to find an artist more “open and friendly” to play the event.

Discography

''Doggystyle'' (1993)

''Tha Doggfather'' (1996)

''Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told'' (1998)

''No Limit Top Dogg'' (1999)

''Tha Last Meal'' (2000)

''Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss'' (2002)

''R&G; (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece'' (2004)

''Tha Blue Carpet Treatment'' (2006)

''Ego Trippin''' (2008)

''Malice n Wonderland'' (2009)

''Doggumentary'' (2011)

Filmography

1994: ''Murder Was the Case'' (Platinum)

1998: ''Caught Up''

1998: ''Half Baked'' (cameo appearance)

1998: ''Da Game of Life''

1998: ''Hot Boyz''

1998: ''Ride''

1999: ''Whiteboyz''

1999: ''Urban Menace''

2000: ''Tha Eastsidaz''

2000: ''Up in Smoke Tour

2001: ''Baby Boy''

2001: ''Training Day''

2001: ''King of the Hill'' (voice)

2001: ''Bones''

2001: ''The Wash''

2003: ''Malibu's Most Wanted''

2003: ''Old School''

2004: ''Starsky & Hutch''

2004: ''Soul Plane''

2004: ''Volcano High''

2005: ''Boss'n Up''

2005: ''Racing Stripes'' (voice)

2006: ''The Tenants''

2006: ''''Weeds'''': Himself

2006: ''Hood of Horror''

2007: ''Arthur and the Invisibles'' (voice)

2007: ''Monk''

* During the opening credits, he covered the title song by Randy Newman "It's a Jungle out There".

2007: ''The Boondocks''

2008: ''Singh Is Kinng'' (as Himself)

2008: ''Snoop Dogg's Father Hood'' (as Himself)

2009: ''Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder'' (voice)

2009: ''Dogg After Dark'': Himself

2009: ''Xavier: Renegade Angel'' (voice)

2009: ''Brüno'' (cameo appearance)

2009: ''Falling Up''

2010: ''Down for Life

2010: ''One Life to Live as Calvin Broadus

2010: ''Straight Outta L.A.'' (as Himself)

2010: ''Freaknik: The Musical''

2010: ''Malice n Wonderland'' as Malice

2010: ''Big Time Christmas'' as Himself

2011: ''Roast of Donald Trump''

Awards

Snoop Dogg was also a judge for the 7th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

Further reading

References

External links

Official website

Snoop Dogg at Geffen Records

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:African American film actors Category:African American rappers Category:American film producers Category:American voice actors Category:Crips Category:Death Row Records artists Category:G-funk Category:Members of the Nation of Islam Category:No Limit Records artists Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People acquitted of murder Category:People convicted of drug offenses Category:People from Long Beach, California Category:People self-identifying as substance abusers Category:Priority Records artists Category:Pseudonymous rappers Category:Rappers from Los Angeles, California

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name	Muhammad Ali
nationality	American
nickname	The GreatestThe ChampThe Louisville Lip
height
reach
weight	Heavyweight
birth date	January 17, 1942
birth place	Louisville, Kentucky, US
style	Orthodox
total	61
wins	56
ko	37
losses	5
draws	0
no contests	0
Medaltemplates	}}

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; January 17, 1942) is an American former boxer and three-time World Heavyweight Champion. As an amateur, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. After turning professional, he went on to become the first and only boxer to win the lineal heavyweight championship three times.

Originally known as Cassius Clay, Ali changed his name after joining the Nation of Islam in 1964, subsequently converting to Sunni Islam in 1975, and more recently to Sufism. In 1967, Ali refused to be conscripted into the U.S. military, based on his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War. He was arrested and found guilty on draft evasion charges, stripped of his boxing title, and his boxing license was suspended. He was not imprisoned, but did not fight again for nearly four years while his appeal worked its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was successful.

Nicknamed "The Greatest", Ali was involved in several historic boxing matches. Notable among these are three with rival Joe Frazier and one with George Foreman, whom he beat by knockout to win the world heavyweight title for the second time. He suffered only five losses (four decisions and one TKO by retirement from the bout) with no draws in his career, while amassing 56 wins (37 knockouts and 19 decisions). Ali was well known for his unorthodox fighting style, which he described as "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee", and employing techniques such as the rope-a-dope. He was also known for his pre-match hype, where he would "trash talk" opponents on television and in person some time before the match, often with rhymes. These personality quips and idioms, along with an unorthodox fighting technique, made him a cultural icon. In later life, Ali developed Parkinson's syndrome. In 1999, Ali was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by ''Sports Illustrated'' and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC.

Biography

Amateur career and Olympic gold

Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. The younger of two boys, he was named after his father, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr., who was named for the 19th century abolitionist and politician of the same name. His father painted billboards and signs, and his mother, Odessa Grady Clay, was a household domestic. Although Cassius Sr. was a Methodist, he allowed Odessa to bring up both Cassius and his elder brother Rudolph "Rudy" Clay (later renamed Rahman Ali) as Baptists. He is a descendant of pre-Civil War era American slaves in the American South, and is predominantly of African-American descent, with some Irish and English ancestry.

Clay was first directed toward boxing by the white Louisville police officer and boxing coach Joe E. Martin, who encountered the 12-year-old fuming over the theft of his bicycle. However, without Martin's knowledge, Clay began training with Fred Stoner, an African-American trainer working at the local community center. In this way, Clay could make $4 a week on ''Tomorrow's Champions,'' a local, weekly TV show that Martin hosted, while benefiting from the coaching of the more experienced Stoner. For the last four years of Clay's amateur career he was trained by legendary boxing cutman Chuck Bodak.

Clay won six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two national Golden Gloves titles, an Amateur Athletic Union National Title, and the Light Heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Clay's amateur record was 100 wins with five losses.

Ali states (in his 1975 autobiography) that he threw his Olympic gold medal into the Ohio River after being refused service at a 'whites-only' restaurant, and fighting with a white gang. Whether this is true is still debated, although he was given a replacement medal at a basketball intermission during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where he lit the torch to start the games.

Early professional career

After his Olympic triumph, Clay returned to Louisville to begin his professional career. There, on October 29, 1960, he won his first professional fight, a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker, who was the police chief of Fayetteville, West Virginia.

Standing tall, at 6-ft, 3-in (1.91 m), Clay had a highly unorthodox style for a heavyweight boxer. Rather than the normal style of carrying the hands high to defend the face, he instead relied on foot speed and quickness to avoid punches, and carried his hands low.

From 1960 to 1963, the young fighter amassed a record of 19–0, with 15 knockouts. He defeated boxers such as Tony Esperti, Jim Robinson, Donnie Fleeman, Alonzo Johnson, George Logan, Willi Besmanoff, Lamar Clark (who had won his previous 40 bouts by knockout), Doug Jones and Henry Cooper.

Clay built a reputation by correctly predicting the round in which he would "finish" several opponents, and by boasting before his triumphs. Clay admitted he adopted the latter practice from "Gorgeous" George Wagner, a popular professional wrestling champion in the Los Angeles area who drew thousands of fans. Often referred to as "the man you loved to hate," George could incite the crowd with a few heated remarks, and Ali followed suit.

Among Clay's victims were Sonny Banks (who knocked him down during the bout), Alejandro Lavorante, and the aged Archie Moore (a boxing legend who had fought over 200 previous fights, and who had been Clay's trainer prior to Angelo Dundee). Clay had considered continuing using Moore as a trainer following the bout, but Moore had insisted that the cocky "Louisville Lip" perform training camp chores such as sweeping and dishwashing. He considered having his idol, Sugar Ray Robinson, as a manager, but instead hired Dundee.

Clay first met Dundee when the latter was in Louisville with light heavyweight champ Willie Pastrano. The teenaged Golden Gloves winner traveled downtown to the fighter's hotel, called Dundee from the house phone, and was asked up to their room. He took advantage of the opportunity to query Dundee (who had worked with champions Sugar Ramos and Carmen Basilio) about what his fighters ate, how long they slept, how much roadwork (jogging) they did, and how long they sparred.

Following his bout with Moore, Clay won a disputed 10-round decision over Doug Jones in a matchup that was named "Fight of the Year" for 1963. Clay's next fight was against Henry Cooper, who knocked Clay down with a left hook near the end of the fourth round. The fight was stopped in the fifth due to deep cuts over Cooper's eyes.

Despite these close calls, Clay became the top contender for Sonny Liston's title. However, although he had an impressive record, he was not widely expected to defeat the champ. The fight was scheduled for February 25, 1964 in Miami, Florida, but was nearly canceled when the promoter, Bill Faversham, heard that Clay had been seen around Miami and in other cities with the controversial Malcolm X, a member of The Nation of Islam. Because of this, news of this association was perceived as a potential gate-killer to a bout which, given Liston's overwhelming status as the favorite to win (7–1 odds), had Clay's colorful persona and nonstop braggadocio as its sole appeal.

Faversham confronted Clay about his association with Malcolm X (who, at the time, was actually under suspension by the Nation as a result of controversial comments made in the wake of President Kennedy's assassination). While stopping short of admitting he was a member of the Nation, Clay protested the suggested cancellation of the fight. As a compromise, Faversham asked the fighter to delay his announcement about his conversion to Islam until after the fight. The incident is described in the 1975 book ''The Greatest: My Own Story'' by Ali (with Richard Durham).

During the weigh-in on the day before the bout, the ever-boastful Clay, who frequently taunted Liston during the buildup by dubbing him "the big ugly bear" (among other things), declared that he would "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee," and, summarizing his strategy for avoiding Liston's assaults, said, "Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see."

First title fight and aftermath

At the pre-fight weigh-in, Clay's pulse rate was around 120, more than double his norm of 54. Liston, among others, misread this as nervousness. In the opening rounds, Clay's speed kept him away from Liston's powerful head and body shots, as he used his height advantage to beat Liston to the punch with his own lightning-quick jab.

By the third round, Clay was ahead on points and had opened a cut under Liston's eye. Liston regained some ground in the fourth, as Clay was blinded by a substance in his eyes. It is unconfirmed whether this was something used to close Liston's cuts, or deliberately applied to Liston's gloves; however, Bert Sugar has claimed that "in two of his previous fights, Liston's opponents had complained about their eyes 'burning'", suggesting the possibility that the Liston corner deliberately attempted to cheat.

Liston began the fourth round looking to put away the challenger. As Clay struggled to recover his vision, he sought to escape Liston's offensive. He was able to keep out of range until his sweat and tears rinsed the substance from his eyes, responding with a flurry of combinations near the end of the fifth round. By the sixth, he was looking for a finish and dominated Liston. Then, Liston shocked the boxing world when he failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, stating he had a shoulder injury. At the end of the fight, Clay boasted to the press that doubted him before the match, proclaiming, "I shook up the world!"

When Clay beat Liston, he was the youngest boxer (age 22) ever to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion, a mark that stood until Mike Tyson won the title from Trevor Berbick on 22 November 1986. At the time, Floyd Patterson (dethroned by Liston) had been the youngest heavyweight champ ever (age 21), but he won the title during an elimination tournament following Rocky Marciano's retirement by defeating Archie Moore, the light-heavyweight champion at the time.

In the rematch with Liston, which was held in May 1965 in Lewiston, Maine, Ali (who had by then publicly converted to Islam and changed his name) won by knockout in the first round as a result of what came to be called the "phantom punch." Many believe that Liston, possibly as a result of threats from Nation of Islam extremists, or in an attempt to "throw" the fight to pay off debts, waited to be counted out (see Muhammad Ali versus Sonny Liston). Others, however, discount both scenarios and insist that it was a quick, chopping Ali punch to the side of the head that legitimately felled Liston.

Early title defenses

On November 22, 1965, Ali fought Floyd Patterson in his second title defense. Patterson lost by technical knockout at the end of the 12th round. As would later occur with Ernie Terrell, many sportswriters accused Ali of "carrying" Patterson so that he could physically punish him without knocking him out. Ali countered that Patterson, who said his punching prowess was limited when he strained his sacroiliac, was not as easy to down as may have appeared.

Ali was scheduled to fight WBA champion Ernie Terrell (the WBA stripped Ali of his title after his agreement to fight a rematch with Liston) on March 29, 1966, but Terrell backed out. Ali won a 15-round decision against substitute opponent George Chuvalo. He then went to England and defeated Henry Cooper by stoppage on cuts May 21, and knocked out Brian London in the third round in August. Ali's next defense was against German southpaw Karl Mildenberger, the first German to fight for the title since Max Schmeling. In one of the tougher fights of his life, Ali stopped his opponent in round 12.

Ali returned to the United States in November 1966 to fight Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams in the Houston Astrodome. According to the Sports Illustrated account, the bout drew an indoor world record 35,460 fight fans. A year and a half before the fight, Williams had been shot in the stomach at point-blank range by a Texas policeman. As a result, Williams went into the fight missing one kidney and of his small intestine, and with a shriveled left leg from nerve damage from the bullet. Ali beat Williams in three rounds.

On February 6, 1967, Ali returned to a Houston boxing ring to fight Terrell in what is regarded as one of the uglier fights in boxing. Terrell had angered Ali by calling him Clay, and the champion vowed to punish him for this insult. During the fight, Ali kept shouting at his opponent, "What's my name, Uncle Tom ... What's my name?" Terrell suffered 15 rounds of brutal punishment, losing 13 rounds on two judges' scorecards, but Ali did not knock him out. Analysts, including several who spoke to ESPN on the sports channel's "Ali Rap" special, speculated that the fight continued only because Ali wanted to thoroughly punish and humiliate Terrell. After the fight, Tex Maule wrote, "It was a wonderful demonstration of boxing skill and a barbarous display of cruelty." When asked about this during a replay of the fight on ABC's popular "Wide World of Sports" by host Howard Cosell, Ali said he was not unduly cruel to Terrell- that boxers are paid to punch all their opponents into submission or defeat. He pointed out that if he had not hit and hurt Terrell, Terrell would have hit and hurt him, which is standard practice. Cosell's repeated reference to the topic surprised Ali. Following his final defense against Zora Folley in March 1967 Ali would be stripped of his title the following month for refusing to be drafted into the Army and had his professional boxing license suspended.

Conversion to the Nation of Islam

After winning the championship from Liston in 1964, Clay revealed that he was a member of the Nation of Islam (often called the Black Muslims at the time) and the Nation gave Clay the name Cassius X, discarding his surname as a symbol of his ancestors' enslavement, as had been done by other Nation members. On Friday, March 6, 1964, Malcolm X took Clay on a guided tour of the UN building (for a second time). Malcolm X announced that Clay would be granted his "X." That same night, Elijah Muhammad recorded a statement over the phone to be played over the radio that Clay would be renamed Muhammad (one who is worthy of praise) Ali (fourth rightly guided caliph). Only a few journalists (most notably Howard Cosell) accepted it at that time. Venerable boxing announcer Don Dunphy addressed the champion by his adopted name, as did British reporters. The adoption of this name symbolized his new identity as a member of the Nation of Islam.

Many sportswriters of the early 1960s reported that it was Ali's brother, Rudy Clay, who converted to Islam first (estimating the date as 1961). Others wrote that Clay had been seen at Muslim rallies a few years before he fought Liston. Ali's own version is that he would sneak into Nation of Islam meetings through the back door roughly three years before he fought Sonny Liston.

Aligning himself with the Nation of Islam made him a lightning rod for controversy, turning the outspoken but popular champion into one of that era's most recognizable and controversial figures. Appearing at rallies with Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad and declaring his allegiance to him at a time when mainstream America viewed them with suspicion—if not outright hostility—made Ali a target of outrage, as well as suspicion. Ali seemed at times to provoke such reactions, with viewpoints that wavered from support for civil rights to outright support of separatism. For example, Ali once stated, in relation to integration: "We who follow the teachings of Elijah Muhammad don't want to be forced to integrate. Integration is wrong. We don't want to live with the white man; that's all." And in relation to inter-racial marriage: "No intelligent black man or black woman in his or her right black mind wants white boys and white girls coming to their homes to marry their black sons and daughters." Indeed, Ali's religious beliefs at the time included the notion that the white man was "the devil" and that white people were not "righteous." Ali claimed that white people hated black people.

Ali converted from the Nation of Islam sect to mainstream Sunni Islam in 1975. In a 2004 autobiography, written with daughter Hana Yasmeen Ali, Muhammad Ali attributes his conversion to the shift toward Sunni Islam made by Warith Deen Muhammad after he gained control of the Nation of Islam upon the death of Elijah Muhammad in 1975. Later in 2005 he embraced spiritual practices of Sufism.

Vietnam War

In 1964, Ali failed the U.S. Armed Forces qualifying test because his writing and spelling skills were sub-par. However, in early 1966, the tests were revised and Ali was reclassified as 1A. This classification meant he was now eligible for the draft and induction into the U.S. Army during a time when the United States was involved in the Vietnam War. When notified of this status, he declared that he would refuse to serve in the United States Army and publicly considered himself a conscientious objector. Ali stated that "War is against the teachings of the Holy Qur'an. I'm not trying to dodge the draft. We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We don't take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers." Ali famously said in 1966: "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong ... They never called me nigger." Rare for a heavyweight boxing champion in those days, Ali spoke at Howard University, where he gave his popular "Black Is Best" speech to 4,000 cheering students and community intellectuals after he was invited to speak at Howard by a Howard sociology professor, Nathan Hare, on behalf of the Black Power Committee, a student protest group.

Appearing shortly thereafter for his scheduled induction into the U.S. Armed Forces on April 28, 1967 in Houston, he refused three times to step forward at the call of his name. An officer warned him he was committing a felony punishable by five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. Once more, Ali refused to budge when his name was called. As a result, he was arrested and on the same day the New York State Athletic Commission suspended his boxing license and stripped him of his title. Other boxing commissions followed suit.

At the trial on June 20, 1967, after only 21 minutes of deliberation, the jury found Ali guilty. After a Court of Appeals upheld the conviction, the case went to the U.S. Supreme Court. During this time, the public began turning against the war and support for Ali began to grow. Ali supported himself by speaking at colleges and universities across the country, where opposition to the war was especially strong. On June 28, 1971, the Supreme Court reversed his conviction for refusing induction by unanimous decision in ''Clay v. United States''. The decision was not based on, nor did it address, the merits of Clay's/Ali's claims ''per se''; rather, the Government's failure to specify ''which'' claims were rejected and which were sustained, constituted the grounds upon which the Court reversed the conviction.

Quotes about Vietnam war

}}

The Fight of the Century

In 1970, while his case was still on appeal, Ali was allowed to fight again. On August 12, 1970, with the help of Leroy R. Johnson, a Georgia State Senator, he was granted a license to box by the City of Atlanta Athletic Commission. In Atlanta on October 26, 1970, he stopped Jerry Quarry on a cut after three rounds. Shortly after the Quarry fight, the New York State Supreme Court ruled that Ali had been unjustly denied a boxing license. Once again able to fight in New York, he fought Oscar Bonavena at Madison Square Garden in December 1970. After a tough 14 rounds, Ali stopped Bonavena in the 15th, paving the way for a title fight against Joe Frazier, who was himself undefeated.

Ali and Frazier met in the ring on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden. The fight, known as "The Fight of the Century," was one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts of all time and remains one of the most famous. It featured two skilled, undefeated fighters, both of whom had legitimate claims to the heavyweight crown. Frank Sinatra—unable to acquire a ringside seat—took photos of the match for ''Life'' magazine. Legendary boxing announcer Don Dunphy and actor and boxing aficionado Burt Lancaster called the action for the broadcast, which reached millions of people. The fight lived up to the hype, and Frazier punctuated his victory by flooring Ali with a hard, leaping left hook in the 15th and final round. Frazier retained the title on a unanimous decision, dealing Ali his first professional loss.

In 1972 Muhammad Ali held the "Muhammad Ali Boxing Show," a series of exhibition matches between himself and other wrestlers. In San Antonio, Texas, during the exhibition series, on October 24, 1972, Ali lost against boxer Elmo Henderson.

In 1973, Ali fought Ken Norton, who had broken Ali's jaw and won by split decision over 12 rounds in their first bout in 1972. Ali won the rematch, by split decision, on September 10, 1973, which set up Ali-Frazier II, a nontitle rematch with Joe Frazier, who had already lost his title to George Foreman. The bout was held on January 28, 1974, with Ali winning a unanimous 12-round decision.

The Rumble in the Jungle

In one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, Ali regained his title on October 30, 1974 by defeating champion George Foreman in their bout in Kinshasa, Zaire. Hyped as "The Rumble in the Jungle", the fight was promoted by Don King.

Almost no one, not even Ali's long-time supporter Howard Cosell, gave the former champion a chance of winning. Analysts pointed out that Joe Frazier and Ken Norton had given Ali four tough battles in the ring and won two of them, while Foreman had knocked out both of them in the second round. As a matter of fact, so total was the domination that, in their bout, Foreman had knocked down Frazier an incredible six times in only four minutes and 25 seconds.

During the bout, Ali employed an unexpected strategy. Leading up to the fight, he had declared he was going to "dance" and use his speed to keep away from Foreman and outbox him. However, in the first round, Ali headed straight for the champion and began scoring with a right hand lead, clearly surprising Foreman. Ali caught Foreman nine times in the first round with this technique but failed to knock him out. He then decided to take advantage of the young champion's weakness: staying power. Foreman had won 37 of his 40 bouts by knockout, mostly within three rounds. Eight of his previous bouts did not go past the second round. Ali saw an opportunity to outlast Foreman, and capitalized on it.

In the second round, the challenger retreated to the ropes—inviting Foreman to hit him, while counterpunching and verbally taunting the younger man. Ali's plan was to enrage Foreman and absorb his best blows to exhaust him mentally and physically. While Foreman threw wide shots to Ali's body, Ali countered with stinging straight punches to Foreman's head. Foreman threw hundreds of punches in seven rounds, but with decreasing technique and potency. Ali's tactic of leaning on the ropes, covering up, and absorbing ineffective body shots was later termed "The Rope-A-Dope".

By the end of the seventh round, Foreman was exhausted. In the eighth round, Ali dropped Foreman with a combination at center ring and Foreman failed to make the count. Against the odds, Ali had regained the title.

The "Rumble in the Jungle" was the subject of a 1996 Academy Award winning documentary film, ''When We Were Kings''. The fight and the events leading up to it are extensively depicted in both John Herzfeld's 1997 docudrama ''Don King: Only in America'' and Michael Mann's 2001 docudrama, ''Ali''.

The Thrilla in Manila

In March 1975, Ali faced Chuck Wepner in a bout that inspired the original ''Rocky''. While it was largely thought that Ali would dominate, Wepner surprised everyone by not only knocking Ali down in the ninth round, but nearly going the distance. Ali eventually stopped Wepner in the fading minutes of the 15th round. Following a title defense with Ron Lyle, in July Ali faced Joe Bugner, winning a 15 round decision.

On October 1, 1975, Ali fought Joe Frazier for the third time. Taking place in the Philippines, the bout was promoted as the Thrilla in Manila by Don King, who had ascended to prominence following the Ali-Foreman fight. The anticipation was enormous for this final clash between two great heavyweights. Ali believed Frazier was "over the hill" by that point. Ali's frequent insults, slurs and demeaning poems increased the anticipation and excitement for the fight, but enraged a determined Frazier. Regarding the fight, Ali famously remarked, "It will be a killa... and a chilla... and a thrilla... when I get the gorilla in Manila."

The fight lasted 14 grueling rounds in temperatures approaching . Ali won many of the early rounds, but Frazier staged a comeback in the middle rounds, while Ali lay on the ropes. By the late rounds, however, Ali had reasserted control and the fight was stopped when Frazier was unable to answer the bell for the 15th and final round (his eyes were swollen closed). Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, refused to allow Frazier to continue.

Subsequent bouts and retirement

In February 1976, Ali easily beat Jean-Pierre Coopman. In April 1976 he defeated Jimmy Young and then Richard Dunn the following month, which would turn out to be Ali's last knockout victory. Following that fight, he staged an exhibition match with professional wrestler and martial artist Antonio Inoki. Although widely perceived as a publicity stunt, the match against Inoki would have a long-term detrimental affect on Ali's mobility. Inoki spent much of the fight on the ground trying to damage Ali’s legs, while Ali spent most of the fight dodging the kicks or staying on the ropes. At the end of 15 rounds, the bout was called a draw. Ali's legs, however, were bleeding, leading to an infection. He suffered two blood clots in his legs as well.

In September 1976, at Yankee Stadium, Ali faced Ken Norton in their third fight, with Ali winning a close but unanimous 15-round decision. 1977 saw Ali defend his title against Alfredo Evangelista and Earnie Shavers. Fight doctor Ferdie Pacheco left Ali's camp following the Shavers fight after being rebuffed for advising Ali to retire.

In February 1978, Ali lost the heavweight title to 1976 Olympics Champion Leon Spinks. On September 15, 1978, Ali fought a rematch in the New Orleans Louisiana Superdome against Spinks for the WBA version of the Heavyweight title, winning it for a record third time. Ali retired following this victory on June 27, 1979, but returned in 1980 to face current champion Larry Holmes in an attempt to win a heavyweight title an unprecedented four times. Angelo Dundee refused to let his man come out for the 11th round, in what became Ali's only loss by anything other than a decision. Ali's final fight, a loss by unanimous decision after 10 rounds, was to up-and-coming challenger Trevor Berbick in 1981.

Ali's legacy

Muhammad Ali defeated every top heavyweight in his era, which has been called the golden age of heavyweight boxing. Ali was named "Fighter of the Year" by ''Ring Magazine'' more times than any other fighter, and was involved in more ''Ring Magazine'' "Fight of the Year" bouts than any other fighter. He is an inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and holds wins over seven other Hall of Fame inductees. He is one of only three boxers to be named "Sportsman of the Year" by ''Sports Illustrated''.

In 1978, three years before Ali's permanent retirement, the Board of Aldermen in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky voted 6–5 to rename Walnut Street to Muhammad Ali Boulevard. This was controversial at the time, as within a week 12 of the 70 street signs were stolen. Earlier that year, a committee of the Jefferson County Public Schools considered renaming Central High School in his honor, but the motion failed to pass. At any rate, in time, Muhammad Ali Boulevard—and Ali himself—came to be well accepted in his hometown.

In 1993, the Associated Press reported that Ali was tied with Babe Ruth as the most recognized athlete, out of over 800 dead or alive athletes, in America. The study found that over 97% of Americans, over 12-years of age, identified both Ali and Ruth.

He was the recipient of the 1997 Arthur Ashe Courage Award.

In retirement

Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's syndrome in 1984, a disease to which those subject to severe head trauma, such as boxers, are many times more susceptible than average. Despite the disability, he remains a beloved and active public figure. In 1985, he served as a guest referee at the inaugural WrestleMania event. In 1987 he was selected by the California Bicentennial Foundation for the U.S. Constitution to personify the vitality of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights in various high profile activities. Ali rode on a float at the 1988 Tournament of Roses Parade, launching the U.S. Constitution's 200th birthday commemoration. He published an oral history, ''Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times'' by Thomas Hauser, in 1991. That same year Ali traveled to Iraq during the Gulf War and met with Saddam Hussein in an attempt to negotiate the release of American hostages. Ali received a Spirit of America Award calling him the most recognized American in the world. In 1996, he had the honor of lighting the flame at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

He appeared at the 1998 AFL (Australian Football League) Grand Final, where Anthony Pratt invited him to watch the game. He greets runners at the start line of the Los Angeles Marathon every year.

In 1999, the ''BBC'' produced a special version of its annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award ceremony, and Ali was voted their Sports Personality of the Century, receiving more votes than the other four contenders combined. His daughter Laila Ali became a boxer in 1999, despite her father's earlier comments against female boxing in 1978: "Women are not made to be hit in the breast, and face like that... the body's not made to be punched right here [patting his chest]. Get ''hit'' in the breast... ''hard''... and all that."

On September 13, 1999, Ali was named "Kentucky Athlete of the Century" by the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies at the Galt House East.

In 2001, a biographical film, entitled ''Ali'', was made, directed by Michael Mann, with Will Smith starring as Ali. The film received mixed reviews, with the positives generally attributed to the acting, as Smith and supporting actor Jon Voight earned Academy Award nominations. Prior to making the Ali movie, Will Smith had continually rejected the role of Ali until Muhammad Ali personally requested that he accept the role. According to Smith, the first thing Ali said about the subject to him was: "Man, you're almost pretty enough to play me."

On November 17, 2002, Muhammad Ali went to Afghanistan as "U.N. Messenger of Peace". He was in Kabul for a three-day goodwill mission as a special guest of the UN.

On January 8, 2005, Muhammad Ali was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President George W. Bush.

He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony on November 9, 2005, and the "Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold" of the UN Association of Germany (DGVN) in Berlin for his work with the US civil rights movement and the United Nations (December 17, 2005).

On November 19, 2005 (Ali's 19th wedding anniversary), the $60 million non-profit Muhammad Ali Center opened in downtown Louisville. In addition to displaying his boxing memorabilia, the center focuses on core themes of peace, social responsibility, respect, and personal growth.

According to the Ali Center website, "Since he retired from boxing, Ali has devoted himself to humanitarian endeavors around the globe. He is a devout Muslim, and travels the world over, lending his name and presence to hunger and poverty relief, supporting education efforts of all kinds, promoting adoption and encouraging people to respect and better understand one another. It is estimated that he has helped to provide more than 22 million meals to feed the hungry. Ali travels, on average, more than 200 days per year."

At the FedEx Orange Bowl on January 2, 2007, Ali was an honorary captain for the Louisville Cardinals wearing their white jersey, number 19. Ali was accompanied by golf legend Arnold Palmer, who was the honorary captain for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade.

A youth club in Ali's hometown and a species of rose (''Rosa ali'') have been named after him. On June 5, 2007, he received an honorary doctorate of humanities at Princeton University's 260th graduation ceremony.

Ali lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with his fourth wife, Yolanda "Lonnie" Ali. They own a house in Berrien Springs, Michigan, which is for sale. On January 9, 2007, they purchased a house in eastern Jefferson County, Kentucky for $1,875,000. Lonnie converted to Islam from Catholicism in her late 20s.

On the August 17, 2009, it was voted unanimously by the town council of Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland to make Ali the first Freeman of Ennis. Ennis was the birthplace of Ali's great grandfather before he emigrated to the U.S. in the 1860s, before eventually settling in Kentucky. On September 1, 2009, Ali visited the town of Ennis and at a civic reception he received the honour of the freedom of the town.

Ranking in heavyweight history

Ali is generally considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time by boxing commentators and historians. ''Ring Magazine'', a prominent boxing magazine, named him number 1 in a 1998 ranking of greatest heavyweights from all eras.

Ali was named the second greatest fighter in boxing history by ''ESPN.com'' behind only welterweight and middleweight great Sugar Ray Robinson. In December 2007, ''ESPN'' listed Ali second in its choice of the greatest heavyweights of all time, behind Joe Louis.

Personal life

Muhammad Ali has been married four times and has seven daughters and two sons. Ali met his first wife, cocktail waitress Sonji Roi, approximately one month before they married on August 14, 1964. Roi's objections to certain Muslim customs in regard to dress for women contributed to the breakup of their marriage. They divorced on January 10, 1966.

On August 17, 1967, Ali (aged 25) married 17-year old Belinda Boyd. After the wedding, she converted to Islam and changed her name to Khalilah Ali, though she was still called Belinda by old friends and family. They had four children: Maryum (b. 1968), Jamillah and Rasheda (b. 1970), and Muhammad Ali Jr. (b. 1972).

In 1975, Ali began an affair with Veronica Porsche, an actress and model. By the summer of 1977, Ali's second marriage was over and he had married Veronica. At the time of their marriage, they had a baby girl, Hana, and Veronica was pregnant with their second child. Their second daughter, Laila, was born in December 1977. By 1986, Ali and Veronica were divorced.

On November 19, 1986, Ali married Yolanda Ali. They had been friends since 1964 in Louisville. Asaad Amin, who they adopted when Amin was five.

Ali has two other daughters, Miya and Khaliah, from extramarital relationships.

Ali in the media and popular culture

As a world champion boxer and social activist, Ali has been the subject of numerous books, films and other creative works. In 1963, he released an album of spoken word on Columbia Records titled ''I am the Greatest!'' He has appeared on the cover of ''Sports Illustrated'' on 37 different occasions, second only to Michael Jordan. He appeared in the documentary film ''Black Rodeo'' (1972) riding both a horse and a bull. His autobiography ''The Greatest: My Own Story'', written with Richard Durham, was published in 1975. In 1977 the book was adapted into a film called ''The Greatest'', in which Ali played himself and Ernest Borgnine played Angelo Dundee. ''When We Were Kings'', a 1996 documentary about the Rumble in the Jungle, won an Academy Award, and the 2001 biopic ''Ali'' garnered an Oscar nomination for Will Smith's portrayal of the lead role.

For contributions to the entertainment industry, Muhammed Ali was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.

Professional boxing record

|- | style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|56 Wins (37 knockouts, 19 decisions), 5 Losses (4 decisions, 1 TKO), 0 Draws |- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3; background:#e3e3e3;" | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res. | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Round, Time | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Age | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes |- style="text-align:center;" | Loss | Trevor Berbick | Decision | 10 | | | Align=left| Nassau, Bahamas | |- style="text-align:center;" | Loss | Larry Holmes | TKO | 10 | | | Align=left| Las Vegas, NV | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Leon Spinks | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| New Orleans, LA | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Loss | Leon Spinks | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| Las Vegas, NV | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Earnie Shavers | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Alfredo Evangelista | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| Landover, MD | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Ken Norton | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| The Bronx, New York | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Richard Dunn | TKO | 5 | | | Align=left| Munich, West Germany | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Jimmy Young | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| Landover, MD | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Jean-Pierre Coopman | KO | 5 | | | Align=left| San Juan, Puerto Rico | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Joe Frazier | TKO | 14 , 0:59 | | | Align=left| Quezon City, Philippines | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Joe Bugner | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Ron Lyle | TKO | 11 | | | Align=left| Las Vegas, NV | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Chuck Wepner | TKO | 15 , 2:41 | | | Align=left| Richfield, OH | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | George Foreman | KO | 8 , 2:58 | | | Align=left| Kinshasa, Zaire | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Joe Frazier | Decision | 12 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Rudi Lubbers | Decision | 12 | | | Align=left| Jakarta, Indonesia | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Ken Norton | Decision | 12 | | | Align=left| Inglewood, CA | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Loss | Ken Norton | Decision | 12 | | | Align=left| San Diego, CA | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Joe Bugner | Decision | 12 | | | Align=left| Las Vegas, NV | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Bob Foster | KO | 7 | | | Align=left| Stateline, NV | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Floyd Patterson | TKO | 7 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Alvin Lewis | TKO | 11 , 1:15 | | | Align=left| Dublin, Ireland | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Jerry Quarry | TKO | 7 , 0:19 | | | Align=left| Las Vegas, NV | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | George Chuvalo | Decision | 12 | | | Align=left| Vancouver, Canada | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Mac Foster | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| Tokyo, Japan | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Jürgen Blin | KO | 7 , 2:12 | | | Align=left| | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Buster Mathis | Decision | 12 | | | Align=left| Houston, TX | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Jimmy Ellis | TKO | 12 , 2:10 | | | Align=left| Houston, TX | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Loss | Joe Frazier | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Oscar Bonavena | TKO | 15 , 2:03 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Jerry Quarry | TKO | 3 | | | Align=left| Atlanta, GA | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Zora Folley | KO | 7 , 1:48 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Ernie Terrell | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| Houston, TX | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Cleveland Williams | TKO | 3 | | | Align=left| Houston, TX | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Karl Mildenberger | TKO | 12 | | | Align=left| Frankfurt, West Germany | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Brian London | KO | 3 | | | Align=left| London, England | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Henry Cooper | TKO | 6 , 1:38 | | | Align=left| London, England | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | George Chuvalo | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| Toronto, Canada | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Floyd Patterson | TKO | 12 , 2:18 | | | Align=left| Las Vegas, NV | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Sonny Liston | KO | 1 , 2:12 | | | Align=left| Lewiston, ME | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Sonny Liston | TKO | 7 | | | Align=left| Miami Beach, FL | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Henry Cooper | TKO | 5 , 2:15 | | | Align=left| London, England | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Doug Jones | Decision | 10 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Charley Powell | KO | 3, 2:04 | | | Align=left| Pittsburgh, PA | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Archie Moore | TKO | 4 , 1:35 | | | Align=left| Los Angeles, CA | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Alejandro Lavorante | KO | 5 , 1:48 | | | Align=left| Los Angeles, CA | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Billy Daniels | TKO | 7 , 2:21 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | George Logan | TKO | 4 , 1:34 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Don Warner | TKO | 4, 0:34 | | | Align=left| Miami Beach, FL | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Sonny Banks | TKO | 4 , 0:26 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Willi Besmanoff | TKO | 7 , 1:55 | | | Align=left| Louisville, KY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Alex Miteff | TKO | 6 , 1:45 | | | Align=left| Louisville, KY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Alonzo Johnson | Decision | 10 | | | Align=left| Louisville, KY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Duke Sabedong | Decision | 10 | | | Align=left| Las Vegas, NV | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | LaMar Clark | KO | 2 , 1:27 | | | Align=left| Louisville, KY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Donnie Fleeman | TKO | 7 | | | Align=left| Miami Beach, FL | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Jimmy Robinson | KO | 1 , 1:34 | | | Align=left| Miami Beach, FL | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Tony Esperti | TKO | 3 , 1:30 | | | Align=left| Miami Beach, FL | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Herb Siler | KO | 4 | | | Align=left| Miami Beach, FL | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Tunney Hunsaker | Decision | 6 | | | Align=left| Louisville, KY |

See also

List of heavyweight boxing champions

List of North American Muslims

List of people from Louisville, Kentucky

List of WBA world champions

List of WBC world champions

Notable boxing families

Conscientious Objector

Notes

References

External links

Barrow Neurological Institute: Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center

WLRN: Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami

Life Magazine: Cassius Clay: Before He Was Ali (photo essay)

Honors and Awards.com – Presidential Citizens Medal

BoxRec: list of world heavyweight champions?

BoxRec: list of world P4P champions?

William Addams Reitwiesner Genealogical Services: Ancestry of Muhammad Ali

{{S-ttl| title = WBA Heavyweight boxing champion | years = February 25, 1964 – June 19, 1964 (Stripped) }} {{S-ttl| title = WBC Heavyweight boxing champion | years = February 25, 1964 – March 11, 1969 (Stripped) }}

{{S-ttl| title = WBA Heavyweight boxing champion| | years = February 6, 1967 – April 28, 1967 (Stripped) }}

{{S-ttl| title = NABF Heavyweight boxing champion | years = December 17, 1970–1971 (Vacated) }}

{{S-ttl| title = NABF Heavyweight boxing champion | years = Ju1y 26, 1971 – March 31, 1973 }}

{{S-ttl| title = NABF Heavyweight boxing champion | years = September 10, 1973–1974 (Vacated) }}

{{S-ttl| title = WBA Heavyweight boxing champion | years = October 30, 1974 – February 15, 1978 }} {{S-ttl| title = WBC Heavyweight boxing champion | years = October 30, 1974 – February 15, 1978 }}

{{S-ttl| title = WBA Heavyweight boxing champion | years = September 15, 1978 – September 6, 1979 (Vacated) }}

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name	Doggy Dogg World
cover	Doggyworld.jpg
artist	Snoop Doggy Dogg featuring Tha Dogg Pound & The Dramatics
from album	Doggystyle
released	June 26, 1994(UK)
format	12-inch single
recorded	1993
genre	G-funk, Gangsta rap, West Coast hip hop
length	5:38
label	Death Row Records
writer	Delmar Drew ArnaudRichard FieldsRicardo Emmanuel BrownCordazar Calvin Broadus
producer	Dr. Dre
chronology	Snoop Doggy Dogg singles
last single	"Gin and Juice" (1994)
this single	"Doggy Dogg World" (1994)
next single	"Snoop's Upside Ya Head"(1996)
misc	}}

"Doggy Dogg World" is the third single from Snoop Doggy Dogg's debut album ''Doggystyle''. It is the first European-only release with an American video TV-play. It features '70s funk band The Dramatics, with guest rap verses from Kurupt and Daz Dillinger (Tha Dogg Pound), and chorus singing by background vocalist Nancy Fletcher. It samples Richard "Dimples" Fields's "If It Ain't One Thing, It's Another" from his 1982 album ''Mr. Look So Good''. The title of the song presumably is a play on the phrase "[It's a] dog eat dog world."

Video

This retro style video takes us back to the world of seventies. It presents Snoop as a pimpish owner of an old fashioned music club where a Dramatics live concert and party is going on. The video is also 5:38 long, but with the ending vocals and Kurupt's verse shortened in order to insert a minute long intro with director Ricky Harris in the role of "the host for the night" meeting Snoop and his women entourage in the V.I.P. section, while silhouettes of dancing girls can be seen in the background and Parliament's "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" can be heard as an incidental music (from their 1976 album Mothership Connection). The video is a 1994 winner of an MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video. It was released as a segment of the video compilation VHS called Murder Was The Case in the same year. It has a numerous cameo casting :

Casting

by Anissa Williams In order of appearance

Snoop Dogg as ''Silky Slim''

The Dramatics as themselves

Antonio Fargas as ''Huggy Bear''

Ricky Harris as ''TaaDow''

Fred Berry as ''Re-Run''

Fred Williamson as ''The Hammer''

Kurupt as ''Small Change Willy from Philly''

Dr. Dre as ''Fortieth St. Black''

The Lady of Rage as a dice gambler

Rudy Ray Moore as ''Dolemite''

Pam Grier as ''Foxxxy Brown''

Daz as ''Sugafoot''

Ron O'Neal as ''Supa Fly''

Remixes

A Trance remix called ''Perfecto mix'' done by Paul Oakenfold appeared on the re-prints of the single and on an 1995 compilation album called ''The Perfecto Album''.

Chart performance

!Chart	!Peakposition
U.S. ''Billboard'' Rhythmic Top 40

External links

Rap Samples FAQ

Category:1994 singles Category:Snoop Dogg songs Category:Songs produced by Dr. Dre Category:Songs written by Snoop Dogg

es:Doggy Dogg World hr:Doggy Dogg World it:Doggy Dogg World