Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 2013

2013 (MMXIII) will be a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. It will be the 2013th year of the Common Era, or of the Anno Domini designation; the 13th year of the 3rd millennium and of the 21st century; and the 4th of the 2010s decade. It will also be the first year to have all digits different from each other since 1987.

Predicted and scheduled events[link]

April[link]

• April 25 – Partial lunar eclipse visible in the Eastern hemisphere.

July[link]

• July 1 – Croatia is set to join the European Union.

September[link]

• September 7 – The 125th IOC Session will take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in September 2013. The International Olympic Committee will meet to elect the host city of the 2020 Summer Olympics. They will also elect a new IOC President and will consider adding new sports for the 2020 Olympics.

Date unknown[link]

• The space program of the People's Republic of China will attempt its first unmanned Moon landing with the Chang'e 3 mission.^[1]
• NASA's Venus In-Situ Explorer mission to Venus (part of the New Frontiers program).
• The first products using memristor technology are expected to become available.^[2]
• The MAVEN spacecraft, part of NASA's Mars Scout Program, is set to launch in 2013.^[3]
• China's Tiangong 2 to be launched.^[4]
• Australia will withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.^[5]

Major religious holidays[link]

• January 7 – Christmas – Eastern Orthodox Churches.
• February 1 – Imbolc, a Cross-quarter day (Celebrated on February 2 in some places).
• March 20 – Spring Equinox, also known as Ostara.
• March 31 – Easter (Western Christianity).
• May 1 – Beltane, a Cross-quarter day.
• May 5 – Easter (Eastern Christianity).
• June 21 – Summer solstice, also known as Midsummer or Litha.
• August 1 – Lammas, a Cross-quarter day.
• September 22 – Autumn Equinox, also known as Mabon.
• November 1 – Samhain, a Cross-quarter day and Neopagan new year.
• November 3 – Diwali.
• November 28 – Chanukah.
• December 21 – Winter solstice, also known as Yule.
• December 25 – Christmas.

In fiction[link]

Comic books[link]

• X-Men: The X-Men try to overthrow the dystopian rule of the robot Sentinels in the Days of Future Past storyline (1980).
• In the comic book Legion of Super-Heroes (Number 6, July 2005, DC Comics), Cosmic Boy avers that the Bar Code on the cover of comic books is "destined to become outlawed in the Design Aesthetic Wars of 2013."

Computer and video games[link]

• Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999): Game is possibly set in this year.
• Shattered Union (2005): The District of Columbia is destroyed this year by a low-yield nuclear weapon.
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (2006)
• Gyakuten Saiban 3 (2007): Flashbacks to this year occur.
• Manhunt 2 (2007): Present day missions are possibly set in this year while flashbacks are set in 2007.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010): The events of Call of the Dead occur in March.
• Metro 2033 (2010): A nuclear war occurs in this year.
• Resident Evil 6 (2012): The next virus outbreak in China and America is confirmed to be set in this year

Film[link]

• Escape from L.A. (1996)
• Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
• The Postman (1997)
• A Scanner Darkly (2006)
• The Book of Eli (2010)

Television[link]

• In the BBC mockumentary Time Trumpet, British retail chain Tesco launches an invasion of Denmark on January 21 of this year.
• The last few minutes of the Season 4 finale and Season 5 of Desperate Housewives is set in this year.
• BBC Drama Spooks: Code 9 is set in this year.
• The Simpsons episode "Future-Drama" is set in this year since it aired in 2005 as the Simpsons siblings, Bart and Lisa, are shown where they will be eight years into the future.
• Smallville's season 9 finale, Salvation, depicted a vision of this year.
• The final episodes of the television show Death Note takes place during January of this year.

References[link]

2010s portal

DJ Antoine
MC Roby Rob (left) and DJ Antoine (right).
Background information
Birth name	Antoine Konrad
Born	(1975-06-23) June 23, 1975 (age 37)
Origin	Switzerland
Genres	Electro House, House, Vocal House
Occupations	DJ, record producer
Years active	1998–present
Associated acts	Tom Dice, Mad Mark
Website	http://www.djantoine.com/

Antoine Konrad (born June 23, 1975), better known as DJ Antoine, is a Swiss-Lebanese house and electro DJ and producer, from Beirut, Lebanon. He has had a number of successful single and album releases in Western Europe, in particular Switzerland and France. DJ Antoine's first notable release was the 2000 album Houseworks 01, and he has since released many albums in the last years. One of his releases, Jealousy (released in 2007) was one of his best selling albums.Also, In 2010, he released the summer hits "Welcome To St. Tropez (Feat. Kalenna)" and "Sunlight (Feat. Tom Dice).^{[citation needed]}

With more than 1,5 million sold albums, 34 gold records, 5 platinum awards, 1 double-platin award and owning the record label „Houseworks“, DJ Antoine is the internationally most successful DJ of Switzerland.

His career officially took off in 1995, when he opened his club called House Café in the city of Basel. This club is the benchmark for the progress of the whole scene in Basel and the cult-parties are still in fond memories. After a short tip into the Swiss Hip Hop scene, DJ Antoine had quickly switched genre, getting hooked on the Pumping-House-Wave. In 1998, he released his first album “DJ Antoine – The Pumpin’ House Mix”. 1999 “Houseworks 1” won the first gold award. After that, things started to move very fast. Until this day, DJ Antoine has produced 51 CDs, strongly establishing his music and himself in the music and clubbing scene. Since 2003 he has been hosting his own weekly radio show, which is broadcasted by radio stations all over the world.

In 2006, DJ Antoine achieved his international breakthrough with the album “DJ Antoine – Live in Moscow” and the single “This Time”. Ever since, he has been a highly demanded act in popular and trendy clubs all over the world. Gigs in New York, Chicago, Miami, Montreal, Moscow, Dubai, Bangkok, Oslo, Vienna and Cairo have turned into a regular but exciting part of his everyday life. Acknowledging his international success, All Around The World Records, the electronic music label owned by Universal Music UK, Blanco y Negro Spain, Happy Music France, Emi Music South Africa, Ultra Records USA and Kontor Records Germany signed the single “This Time” in 2009.

The many awards he won in the recent years prove that DJ Antoine is one of the best in this industry. 2001 he won the Ericsson Dance Music Award for the best and most successful artist of the year 2000 in the category „House / UK Garage / Progressive House“. In 2008, DJ Antoine created a stir with his sociocritical album “DJ Antoine –Stop!”, on which he openly spoke out against juvenile violence, calling for more civil courage. In spring 2009, the record was priced with the Swiss Music Award for “Best National Dance Album”. The following year, he defended that title with his CD “DJ Antoine – 2009” and, on top of that, received the Swiss Prix Walo. In 2010 he achieved his biggest success in Switzerland so far: For his album “DJ Antoine – 2010” he was awarded with a platinum record. This platinum record was also nominated for this year Swiss Music Award in the category “Best Album Dance National”.

In the studio DJ Antoine works with his long-term business partner Fabio Antoniali also known as Mad Mark. Well-known musicians such as Mary J. Blige, P. Diddy, Pitbull, Cindy Lauper, Robin S., Roberto Blanco and Ivana Trump have had their tracks exclusively remixed by the two artists. In 2010, DJ Antoine produced songs for Timati, Snoop Dogg, DJ Smash and Bob Sinclar. That same year, the charismatic House-legend Mr. Mike joined the team as a vocalist, also accompanying the DJ to selected performances.

Another highlight of his career is now the first collaboration with Timati and Kalenna Harper (Dirty Money) for the hit single "Welcome to St. Tropez", which was released in Germany and Austria by none other than the dance label Kontor Records.

DJ Antoine keeps setting new trends with his music, attracting worldwide attention to his brand. Labels like Maurice Lacroix, Perrier-Jouët „Belle Epoque“ champagne and the Swiss custom tailor SuitArt all trust in his image. For VIP-Events, DJ Antoine has had the chance to work with nameable partners such as Sony Ericsson, Campari, Moonlight, Edo Popken, Crysler, Dodge, Maybach, Cadillac, Moet Hennessy, J. Lindeberg, Paco Rabanne and the German TV station Pro7.

Alongside his work as a DJ, Antoine Konrad manages his own production and booking companies Global Productions GmbH and Global Bookings. For his VIP-Events, he regularly creates extensive and individual concepts, in tune with the clients and guests needs and wishes. His exclusive event concepts represent lifestyle and luxury and he inspires his customers with his ideas. His team currently consists of ten employees, all based in Switzerland. Antoine has sold over 1,000,000 CDs,^{[citation needed]} and runs his own labels, Houseworks and Egoïste. He has gained popularity all over Europe and also overseas in Canada and the United States.

Discography[link]

External links[link]

• Official site

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2009)

Bob Sinclar
Background information
Birth name	Christophe Le Friant
Also known as	The Mighty Bop, Reminiscence Quartet, Yellow Productions, Chris The French Kiss, Bob From Paris, Desmond K
Born	(1969-05-10) 10 May 1969 (age 43)
Origin	Douarnenez, France
Genres	House, reggae fusion, raggamuffin, electro house, dance, french house, electronic, hip house
Occupations	Producer, DJ
Instruments	Turntables
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Yellow Productions Ministry of Sound Australia
Associated acts	Africanism All Stars
Website	www.bobsinclar.com

Bob Sinclar (born Christophe Le Friant, 10 May 1969), is a French record producer, house music DJ, remixer and the owner of the label Yellow Productions.^[1] He is known for popularising the "French touch" of house music with heavy use of sampled and filtered disco strings. He describes his musical style as inspired by "peace, love, and house-music".^[2]

Several of Sinclar's songs have became international hits, being particularly popular in Europe. Some of his most popular hits include "Love Generation" (with Gary Pine) and "World, Hold On" (with Steve Edwards).

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

as The Mighty Bop

• 1994 "Les Jazz Electroniques EP"
• 1995 "Messe Pour Les Temps"
• 1996 "Ult Violett Sounds EP"
• 1998 "Feelin' Good"
• 2002 "I Go Crazy"
• 2003 "Lady", with Duncan Roy

as Africanism

• 2000 "Bisou Sucré"
• 2000 "Do It", with Eddie Amador
• 2001 "Kazet"
• 2002 "Viel Ou La"
• 2004 "Amour Kéfé"
• 2004 "Kalimbo"
• 2004 "Steel Storm", with Ladysmith Black Mambazo
• 2005 "Summer Moon", with David Guetta
• 2006 "Hard", with The Hard Boys
• 2007 "Meu Carnaval", with Rolando Faria

as Bob Sinclar

most tracks are co-produced by Cutee B

• 1996 "A Space Funk Project"
• 1996 "A Space Funk Project II"
• 1997 "Eu Só Quero um Xodó", with Salomé de Bahia
• 1998 "Gym Tonic", with Thomas Bangalter
• 1998 "My Only Love", with Lee Genesis — #56 UK
• 1998 "Super Funky Brake's Vol. I"
• 1998 "The Ghetto"
• 1998 "Ultimate Funk"
• 2000 "I Feel for You", with Cerrone's Angels — #9 UK, #33 ITA
• 2000 "Darlin'", with James "D. Train" Williams — #46 UK
• 2000 "Greetings from Champs Elysées EP" — #125 UK
• 2001 "Freedom", with Gene Van Buren — #79 UK
• 2001 "Ich Rocke"
• 2001 "Save Our Soul"
• 2002 "The Beat Goes On", with Linda Lee Hopkins — #33 UK
• 2003 "Kiss My Eyes", with Camille Lefort — #67 UK, #22 US Hot Dance Club Play
• 2003 "Prego", with Eddie Amador
• 2003 "Slave Nation"
• 2004 "Sexy Dancer", with Cerrone's Angels
• 2004 "Wonderful World", with Ron Carroll
• 2004 "You Could Be My Lover", with Linda Lee Hopkins
• 2005 "Love Generation", with Gary Pine — #1 US Hot Dance Club Play Singles, #2 NL, #3 FR, #3 ITA, #1 AUS, #1 GER, #12 UK, #8 RU, #1 CZ, #11 US Hot Dance Airplay
• 2006 "Generación del Amor" (Spanish Version) — #1 ESP
• 2006 "World, Hold On (Children of the Sky)", with Steve Edwards — #1 ESP, #1 US Hot Dance Club Play Singles, #2 FR, #4 RU, #5 NL, #8 CZ, #9 UK, #10 US Hot Dance Airplay, #19 AUS, #48 US Pop Airplay
• 2006 "Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now)", with Dollarman and Big Ali — #2 US Hot Dance Club Play, #3 FR, #3 UK, #11 CZ, #7 AUS
• 2007 "Tennessee", with Farell Lennon — #21 ITA, #27 CZ
• 2007 "Everybody Movin'", with Ron Carroll — #3 GER, #1 ESP
• 2007 "Give a Lil' Love" — #10 ITA, #19 PL, #27 ESP
• 2007 "Sound of Freedom", with Gary Pine and Dollarman — #14 UK, #1 UK Indie, #24 CZ
• 2007 "What I Want", with Fireball #52 UK
• 2007 "Together", with Steve Edwards — #63 PL, #4 ROM
• 2008 "4 Minutes" (Space Funk Remix)
• 2008 "W.W.W. (What a Wonderful World)", with Axwell, The Chicago Superstars & Ron Carroll
• 2008 "New New New", with Cutee B, Dollarman & Big Ali
• 2009 "Lala Song", with Wonder Mike & Master Gee from Sugarhill Gang — #6 ITA
• 2009 "Love You No More", with Shabba Ranks
• 2010 "I Wanna", with Shaggy & Sahara (Costi Ionita and Andrea)
• 2010 "Tik Tok", with Sean Paul
• 2010 "Rainbow of Love", with Ben Onono
• 2011 "The Russian March"
• 2011 "Far l'Amore", with Raffaella Carrà — #6 ITA, #7 BE (Wallonia), #7 ESP, #15 BE (Flanders), #16 CH, #16 NL, #23 AT, #41 FR
• 2011 "Me Not a Gangsta" (feat. Mr Shammi & Colonel Reyel)
• 2011 "F*** With You" (feat. Sophie Ellis-Bextor)
• 2011 "Rock the Boat (feat. Pitbull, Dragonfly & Fatman Scoop)
• 2011 "Wild Thing", with Snoop Dogg

^[3]

Hit singles[link]

Albums[link]

as Bob Sinclar

• 1998 Paradise
• 2000 Champs Elysées
• 2001 Cerrone by Bob Sinclar (Compilation of Cerrone remixes)
• 2003 III
• 2004 Enjoy
• 2005 In The House (Various Artists Mix CD)
• 2006 Western Dream
• 2007 Soundz of Freedom
• 2007 Bob Sinclar: Live at the Playboy Mansion
• 2008 Dancefloor FG Winter 2008 (Mixed by Bob Sinclar)
• 2008 DJ Bob Sinclar 08
• 2009 Born in 69
• 2010 Made in Jamaica
• 2012 Disco Crash

as The Mighty Bop (with Alain Ho)

• 1995 La Vague Sensorielle
• 1995 The Mighty Bop Meets DJ Cam & La Funk Mob, with DJ Cam and La Funk Mob
• 1996 Autres Voix, Autres Blues
• 2000 Spin My Hits
• 2002 The Mighty Bop

as Reminiscence Quartet (with Alain Ho and Sébastien Tellier)

• 1994 Ritmo Brasileiro
• 1995 Psycodelico
• 1999 More Psycodelico

as Yellow Productions (with Alain Ho and Cutee B.)

• 1994 A Finest Fusion Of Black Tempo

as Africanism (see all members on discogs.com)

• 2001 Africanism Allstars Vol. I, as Africanism
• 2004 Africanism Allstars Vol. II, as Africanism
• 2005 Africanism Allstars Vol. III, as Africanism
• 2006 Africanism Allstars Vol. IV, as Africanism

See also[link]

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References[link]

External links[link]

Main sites

• Bob Sinclar — official site
• Bob Sinclar — Twitter official site
• Bob Sinclar — MySpace official site
• Bob Sinclar discography at Discogs

Interviews and features

• Interview with Bob Sinclar
• Bob Sinclar on The Mag

Asaf Avidan
Asaf Avidan
Background information
Born	(1980-03-23) March 23, 1980 (age 32) Jerusalem
Genres	Folk, Folk rock, Rock, Blues
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, Piano
Years active	2000s–present
Labels	Telmavar Records, Sony-Columbia
Associated acts	Asaf Avidan & The Mojos
Website	www.asafavidanmusic.com

Asaf Avidan (Hebrew: אסף אבידן‎) (born March 23, 1980) is an Israeli singer-songwriter and musician, best known for his voice, often compared to Janis Joplin and Robert Plant. He is also the creative force and front-man of folk/rock band Asaf Avidan & the Mojos.

Biography & Early Career[link]

Avidan was born in Jerusalem in 1980. His parents were diplomats for the Israeli Foreign Office, and he spent four years of his childhood in Jamaica. After the mandatory army service in Israel, Avidan studied animation at Jerusalem’s Bezalel Academy of Arts & Design. His final project short film, “Find Love Now”, won its category at the Haifa Film Festival that year. After his studies, Avidan moved to Tel Aviv and worked as an animator, until a breakup with his long-time girlfriend shook his world and made him move back to Jerusalem, quit his job and turn full time to his up-till-then hobby – music. Six songs about that breakup and subsequent heartache would constitute his debut EP, “Now That You’re Leaving”, which was released independently in 2006 to critical acclaim.

Asaf Avidan & the Mojos[link]

The Reckoning (2008)[link]

In late 2006, while playing solo shows across Israel, Avidan put together a support cast of musicians who would become The Mojos (Ran Nir – Bass, Yoni Sheleg – Drums, Roi Peled – Guitar, Hadas Kleinman – cello). The group played extensively in Israel, and also played a few New York shows, including MEANY Fest, where they advanced to the finals. In 2007 the band went into the recording studio together for the first time, and recorded “The Reckoning”. The album’s 15 tracks blended rock, folk and blues with Avidan’s lyrics about relationships and betrayal. By now the band had accumulated a huge live following in Israel and most record labels expressed interest. But Avidan decided to continue on the independent path, and founded (with his brother and manager, Roie Avidan) Telmavar Records, on which “The Reckoning” was released in March 2008. It reached Gold status in a year, platinum later, and would become the biggest selling independent record of all time in Israel. It was chosen as Album of the Year (2008) by various media, including TimeOut Tel Aviv. “Weak”, the second single of the album, became a huge radio hit and its video was Video of the Year on Israel’s music channel. “Weak” would also be the title song of the film "L'Arbre" by Julie Bertuccelli, which starred Charlotte Gainsbourg and was the closing film at Cannes Film Festival 2010.

While several European labels put offers on the table, the band opted to embark on a self-funded summer tour in 2009, playing dozens of festivals and venues across Europe. By the end of that summer, Telmavar Records signed a licensing deal with Sony-Columbia in Europe, for "The Reckoning" and for the band's future second LP.

The Reckoning was released in parts of Europe in 2009, to generally good reviews. In France iTunes chart it would peak at #8.

PoorBoy/Lucky Man (2009)[link]

"Poor Boy/Lucky Man", the band's second album, was released in Israel on 9/9/09. The album's title song and main theme would revolve around a boy born with a hole instead of a heart. The album was originally released in two different names and covers, leaving it up to the audience to decide whether this figure was poor or lucky. It would reach Gold status in Israel in 5 months, and garner ecstatic reviews. It was released in parts of Europe in April 2011. Among others, it was album of the month on France's national FIP radio, in the newspaper Liberacion, and in Germany's Eclipsed magazine.

The band continued to tour non-stop from 2009 all through 2011 (mostly in Israel and Europe but also in the US, Canada, China and India), building up a devoted following and a reputation for a legendary live show. Amongst the hundreds of shows, they played at Brandenburg Bridge at The World Championship of Athletics in Berlin; at the closing event at Cannes Film Festival 2010; at China’s biggest May 1 festivals; and at a tribute concert for The Who in Carnegie Hall, New York. They would play dozens of festivals across Europe (including Solidays France, Latitude UK, Paleo Switzerland, Frequency Austria, and Haldern Pop Germany) as well as countless radio and TV shows (including Taratata and One Shot Not in France, and two Rockpalast performances in Germany).

Through the Gale (2010)[link]

On November 30, 2010 the band released their 3rd album in Israel, "Through the Gale", a concept album telling the tale of the voyage of a blind and stubborn captain and his loyal crew in search of immortality, to the realms of the gods themselves, only to understand at the end that a voyage with no home, that a life without death, is meaningless.

Solo career[link]

In July 2011, following another summer tour that saw them sharing the stage with Robert Plant, Ben Harper and Lou Reed among others, Asaf Avidan & the Mojos announced that they are taking an indefinite creative break.

Avidan had continuously played solo and duo acoustic shows throughout the band's career, including "regular" venue shows as well as a TED Global Conference performance, supporting Bob Dylan, playing a tribute concert for The Who at Carnegie Hall and many radio and TV performances.

Avidan is set to continue touring and plans to go into the recording studio in the winter with a yet-unknown support cast of musicians.

Discography[link]

• 2006 – Now That You're Leaving (Asaf Avidan, Telmavar Records)
• 2008 – The Reckoning (Asaf Avidan & the Mojos, Telmavar/Columbia)
• 2009 – Poor Boy / Lucky Man (Asaf Avidan & the Mojos, Telmavar/Columbia)
• 2010 – Through the Gale (Asaf Avidan & the Mojos, Telmavar Records)

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Official Myspace profile
• Official Facebook fan page
• Official Vimeo page
• Official Youtube channel
• "Taratata" French TV performance
• TEDxTLV performance
• "Ce Sor Ou Jamais" TV performance
• Israel "Haproyect" video blog
• NYC show review
• The Reckoning album review, UK

Flo Rida
Flo Rida on the set of "Sugar" in 2009.
Background information
Birth name	Tramar Dillard
Born	(1979-12-16) December 16, 1979 (age 32) Carol City, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, songwriter, actor
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Atlantic, Poe Boy, International Music Group, Strong Arm
Associated acts	Akon, Brisco, Lady Gaga, Timbaland, David Guetta, Kesha, T-Pain, Nicki Minaj , Taio Cruz, Sia Furler, Ne-Yo, Avicii
Website	officialflo.com

Tramar Dillard (born December 16, 1979) better known by his stage name Flo Rida (pronounced  /floʊ ˈraɪdə/), is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Mail on Sunday, in March 2008. His debut single "Low", featuring T-Pain, was a No. 1 hit for ten weeks in United States in early 2008. Two other singles resulted from Mail on Sunday: "Elevator" and "In the Ayer". In 2009, his second album R.O.O.T.S. was released; its most successful single "Right Round" was at the top of the Hot 100 for six weeks. Since then, he has released his third studio album titled Only One Flo (Part 1), which will see a sequel titled Wild Ones.

Biography[link]

Early life and career beginnings[link]

Tramar Dillard was born in the 187th Street projects of Carol City, Florida.^[1] His mother raised him and his seven sisters, some of whom sang in a local gospel group.^[2] Dillard's brother-in-law was a hypeman for local rap group 2 Live Crew, and while in ninth grade, Dillard formed his own amateur group with some friends called the GroundHoggz.^[3] Born and raised in Miami, the GroundHoggz formed in the 187 apartments in Carol City. Similar to Goodie Mob, they were making music for the love of the art and to feed their souls. With only three members, 1Bred, Key Lime, and Fist, they found their missing link when Flo Rida, who lived in the same apartments, spit a verse for them. They were instantly impressed. Together for eight years, they started recording at underground studios in Carver Ranches.^[4] His work with 2 Live Crew member Fresh Kid Ice attracted the attention of DeVante Swing, a member of the band Jodeci. However, he was rejected by several of the major labels, so he sought many other jobs outside of music.^[5] After graduating from high school in 1998, he studied international business management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for two years and attended Barry University for two months.^[5][6] He returned to Florida to continue pursuing his music career after receiving a phone call from a representative of the independent label Poe Boy Entertainment.^[5] Dillard signed with Poe Boy in 2006, and as Flo Rida he began affiliating with other artists, such as Rick Ross, Trina, T-Pain, and Trick Daddy. A promotional street single entitled "Birthday", featuring Rick Ross, was his first significant release. He made his debut guest appearance with the song "Bitch I'm from Dade County" on DJ Khaled's album We the Best, which featured Trick Daddy, Trina, Rick Ross, Brisco, C-Ride, and Dre.^[7]

[edit] 2007–08: Mail on Sunday

Rehearsing for the 2008 MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto.

Flo Rida's first single was "Low", featuring T-Pain. It was his first official single from his debut album Mail On Sunday and the soundtrack to the movie Step Up 2: The Streets. "Low" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[7] "Elevator", featuring Timbaland, "In the Ayer" featuring will.i.am, and "Roll" featuring Sean Kingston followed and all charted on the Hot 100 and other charts.^[8]

T-Pain, who laced the first single, is only one of the many featured guests throughout the album. Timbaland, who produced the second single "Elevator", is also featured on the track. Rick Ross, and Trey Songz made appearances as well.^[9] Lil Wayne has also been added to the list^[9] with assistance on the "American Superstar" track while Sean Kingston appears on the J. R. Rotem-produced "Roll" the concept was created, and co-written by Compton rapper Spitfiya, from The Bullets Production Team, Various other guests include Birdman, Brisco, and Yung Joc. The third single is "In the Ayer" featuring Will.i.am. The fourth single was scheduled to be "Money Right" featuring Brisco, and Rick Ross, but was canceled due to the release of his upcoming second studio album R.O.O.T.S. His second collaboration with T-Pain, "I Bet", as well as his collaboration with Trina, named "Bout It", both didn't make the final tracklist, but were recorded. As for production, J. R. Rotem, DJ Montay, and Timbaland all provided tracks for Mail on Sunday, among others.

After the success of Mail on Sunday, Flo Rida made guest performances on other R&B, rap, and pop singles, including "Move Shake Drop" by DJ Laz, "We Break the Dawn" by Michelle Williams, the remix of "4 Minutes" by Madonna, "Running Back" by Australian R&B singer Jessica Mauboy, "Feel It" by DJ Felli Fel, and the remix of "Speedin'" by Rick Ross. During the summer of 2008, he did live performances on the Fox dance competition program So You Think You Can Dance in the US^[10] and 2008 MuchMusic Video Awards in Canada.^[11] He appeared on the albums We Global by DJ Khaled, Gutta by Ace Hood, and The Fame by Lady Gaga, among others.

[edit] 2009–10: R.O.O.T.S.

Flo Rida performing "Right Round" at the Circus Club in Finland on July 9, 2009.

According to Billboard magazine, Flo Rida began recording his sophomore nine months after Mail On Sunday. The album is titled R.O.O.T.S. and was released on March 31, 2009.^[12] The first single "Right Round" featured Ke$ha and was released for airplay in January 2009. "Right Round" jumped from number 58 to the top spot in one week in late February. The song broke a record for the most digital one week sales in the U.S., with 636,000, beating the previous record he had set himself with "Low".^[13] "Right Round" sampled "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)", a 1985 hit by Dead or Alive.^[14] The second official single was "Sugar", which featured R&B singer Wynter Gordon. The song reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Jump" is the third official single and was released on July 27, 2009 in the UK, and July 28, 2009 worldwide.^[15] The song features Canadian singer Nelly Furtado. As of August 13, 2009 it has peaked at number fifty-four in the US, number twenty-seven in Canada, number twenty-one in the UK, and number eighteen in Australia. "Be on You" has been confirmed as the album's fourth official single for a release on October 6, 2009. The song features American singer Ne-Yo. When the album was released the single debuted at number ninety in the US. The song has received airplay since the albums release, and has since peaked at number nineteen in the US, and number fifty-one in the UK. "Available" was going to be released on iTunes but was cancelled. It charted at number 120 in Ireland. The song features Akon. A music video was also shot in mid-2009.^[16] R.O.O.T.S. debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 55,000 copies in its first week.^[17] As of August, 2009, the album has sold 223,000 copies in the United States, and 536,000 worldwide. By the end of 2009, the album sold 247,000 copies becoming the eighth best selling rap album of 2009.^[18]

Flo Rida made guest performances on "Feel It" by DJ Felli Fel, "Starstruck" by Lady Gaga, and "Feel It" by Three 6 Mafia. "Bad Boys", the first single by winner of British reality show The X Factor Alexandra Burke that featured Flo Rida, debuted at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in October.^[19]

[edit] 2010–11: Only One Flo (Part 1)

Flo Rida's third album Only One Flo (Part 1) was released on November 24, 2010. In March 2010, Flo Rida announced on Twitter that the album would be titled The Only One.^[20] Billboard reported that The Only One was to be a double album.^[21] A promo single, titled "Zoosk Girl", which features T-Pain, was released on the internet, though the song is not featured on the album, the single does have its own music video. On June 28, 2010, Flo Rida released the song "Club Can't Handle Me" featuring David Guetta, which was stated to be the official first single for the album. The song was also featured in the Step Up 3D soundtrack.^[22] On November 2, 2010, "Come with Me" was released as the first promo single for the album, along with "Puzzle", produced, and featuring by Electrixx, which isn't featured on the album. On November 16, 2010, "Turn Around (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)" was released as the second official promo single for the album via the iTunes Store.^[23] It debuted on the Australian Singles Chart at number thirty-four on November 29, 2010.^[24] After the release of the album in the UK, "Who Dat Girl" started to receive a strong amount of downloads, thus causing it to debut at number 136^[25] on the UK Singles Chart and chart at a current peak of number thirty-one on the UK R&B Chart.^[26] "Why You Up In Here" was released as the fourth single, and third promo single, on May 11, 2011. The song features Ludacris, Gucci Mane, and Git Fresh.

Flo Rida also made guest appearances on "iYiYi", a song by Australian teen singer Cody Simpson, and on the song "Out My Video" by Bulgarian singer LiLana. Flo Rida collaborated with UK girl group The Saturdays, recording a new version of the girl's single, "Higher".^[27] In December 2010, the Associated Press reported that Flo Rida had created his own label, International Music Group, inspired by Nicki Minaj's signing with Lil Wayne's. He has signed an 18 year-old rapper, Brianna^[28] and Git Fresh^[29] to International. Lately, Flo Rida has teamed up with the Malaysian singer, Mizz Nina, on a song called Take Over.

Driving issues[link]

On June 9, 2011, Flo Rida was arrested in Miami Beach, Florida for DUI and driving with a suspended license.^[30][31] Flo Rida was released from jail after he posted $2,000 bail and obtained a signed court order allowing him to travel to Asia for a series of previously scheduled concerts in Bangkok over the weekend.^[32]

[edit] 2011–present: Wild Ones

Flo Rida performing live in 2012.

The first single from Rida's upcoming album, Wild Ones, originally Only One Rida (Part 2), is "Good Feeling", released on August 29, 2011.^[33] The songs samples "Levels" by Avicii, which samples Etta James' 1962 song, "Something's Got a Hold on Me". Following the death of Etta James on January 20, 2012, Flo Rida dedicated the song in her memory.^[34] The song has peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100,^[35] topped the charts in Austria,^[36] Germany,^[37] Scotland,^[38] and the UK. It has also reached the top five in nine different countries worldwide.

On April 1, Flo Rida made an appearance at WrestleMania XXVIII and have a segment with Heath Slater, Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks where Heath calls Flo Rida "Florida" and Flo Rida shoves him into a wall; making Tyler and Curt come out laughing at Heath. Later that night Flo Rida performed "Wild Ones" and "Good Feeling" before Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson came out to battle John Cena. On April 6, 2012 and exclusive Australian EP entitled Good Feeling was released in Australia which contains six of his biggest hits and two remixes.^[39] It debuted at No. 21 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart^[40] On May 22, 2012, Flo Rida performed and closed the show at the first Q102 Springle Ball Concert, the following day he performed "Goin' In" with Jennifer Lopez on the America Idol finale.

Discography[link]

• Mail on Sunday (2008)
• R.O.O.T.S. (2009)
• Only One Flo (Part 1) (2010)
• Wild Ones (2012)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]