Natsume Sōseki

Natsume Sōseki (夏目 漱石, February 9, 1867 – December 9, 1916), born Natsume Kinnosuke (夏目 金之助) was a Japanese novelist. He is best known for his novels Kokoro, Botchan, I Am a Cat and his unfinished work Light and Darkness. He was also a scholar of British literature and composer of haiku, kanshi, and fairy tales. From 1984 until 2004, his portrait appeared on the front of the Japanese 1000 yen note. In Japan, he is often considered the greatest writer in modern Japanese history. He has had a profound effect on almost all important Japanese writers since.

Early years

Born as Natsume Kinnosuke in the town of Babashita in the Edo region of Ushigome (present Kikui, Shinjuku), Sōseki began his life as an unwanted child, born to his mother late in her life, forty years old and his father then fifty-three. When he was born, he already had five siblings. Having five children and a toddler had created family insecurity and was in some ways a disgrace to the Natsume family. In 1868, a childless couple, Shiobara Masanosuke and his wife, adopted him until the age of nine, when the couple divorced. He returned to his family and was welcomed by his mother although regarded as a nuisance by his father. His mother died when he was fourteen, and his two eldest brothers died in 1887, intensifying his sense of insecurity.

Then What?

"Then What?" is a song written by Jon Vezner and Randy Sharp, and recorded by American country music artist Clay Walker that reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart. It was released in January 1998 as the fourth and final single from his album Rumor Has It.

Background

In an interview with Billboard Walker stated, "Music should provoke some type of emotion in people, whether it be sad, romantic, or happy, and 'Then What?' is definitely a pick-me-upper." He also stated, "As an entertainer, being on the road so much, I hope to have a song that will go over good live. And this is probably the best song live that we've had since my first single."

Reception

Larry Flick of Billboard wrote "The island feel of this track's production gives Walker's new single a fresh, bouncy, and totally appealing sound. Walker's vocal is teeming with personality, and this little number should find instant favor among programmers looking for a sunny winter offering."The Dallas Morning News wrote, "A quasi-calypso ditty - you can't get more innocuous than this - the song's accompanying video comes complete with Gilligan's Island motif and the usually stiff Mr. Walker donning sandals and singing with his denim shirt wide open.

And Then What

"And Then What" is the debut single written and performed by rapper Young Jeezy. It was released as the first single from his debut album Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101. It was produced by and features Mannie Fresh.

Chart positions

And Then...

And Then... is the fifth studio album by American recording artist Joe, released through Jive Records on December 2, 2003 in the United States. It features production by Joe's labelmate R. Kelly as well as Roy "Royalty" Hamilton, Kevin "Shekspere" Briggs, Carvin & Ivan, The Underdogs, and others. The album reached number 26 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 121,000 copies in its first week of release. It was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Background

And Then... is an album that focuses on ballads. Joe states on his web site that he prefers singing ballads to up-tempo tracks. "I prefer to sing on ballads rather than up-tempos. You kind of showcase yourself as an r&b singer a lot better."

The album also features a number of collaborations with prominent r&b writers and producers. Joe worked with labelmate R. Kelly on the lead single "More & More" and "Make You My Baby", these two songs were originally intended for R. Kelly's unreleased album "Loveland". Roy "Royalty" Hamilton worked with Joe on the title track, as well as "Sweeter than Sugar" and "Sweet Dreams". Songwriter Kevin "Shekspere" Briggs wrote the song "Bedroom" that appears late on the album. G-Unit appears on the track "Ride wit U". Produced by Frank Romano, which is one of the up-tempo tracks on the album — Joe returned the favour on their debut album.

Young Jeezy

Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), better known by his stage name Young Jeezy (or simply Jeezy), is an American hip-hop recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia. In 1998, he launched the label imprint CTE World (then known as Corporate Thugz Entertainment). Aside from his solo career, Jeezy is the de facto leader of the southern hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America (USDA), and is a former member of Bad Boy Records' Boyz n da Hood. Jeezy is also known for helping pioneer the hip hop subgenre trap music, alongside fellow Atlanta-based rapper T.I..

Jeezy embarked on his music career in 2001, as Lil J, with the release of Thuggin' Under the Influence (T.U.I.). He later joined Boyz n da Hood in 2005, the same year his solo major label debut Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101, was released. Its lead single "Soul Survivor", which features R&B singer Akon, became a top-ten hit in the US. His subsequent albums, The Inspiration (2006) and The Recession (2008), both yielded chart-topping singles. Jeezy has also been featured on numerous hip-hop and R&B hit singles, such as "Say I" by Christina Milian, "I'm So Paid" by Akon, "Hard" by Rihanna and "Love in This Club" by Usher, the latter of which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, in 2008.