Jay Park
Jay Park at the 2011 Mr. Idol press conference
Background information
Birth name	Park Jaebeom
Born	(1987-04-25) April 25, 1987 (age 25) Seattle, Washington, United States
Genres	Hip hop, R&B, pop, rap, dance, K-pop
Occupations	Singer, rapper, dancer, songwriter, composer, actor
Years active	2008–present
Labels	JYP Entertainment (2008–10) Sidus HQ (2010–present)
Associated acts	AOM, dok2, The Quiett, Prepix, Project Prepix Asia, Clara Chung, Dumbfoundead, Teddy Riley, Rob Knox
Website	jaypark.com

This article contains Korean text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Hangul or Hanja.

Park Jaebeom (Hangul: 박재범; Hanja: 朴載範, born April 25, 1987), also known as Jay Park, is a Korean-American recording artist, dancer, rapper, music producer, b-boy, songwriter, composer and actor. He was the former leader of the South Korean boy band 2PM, and is a member of the Seattle-based b-boy crew Art of Movement (AOM).

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Born in Seattle, Washington, Park showed great interest in hip hop music and breakdancing at a young age. Park was raised in Edmonds, Washington where he attended Edmonds Woodway High School. In 2004, he auditioned in Seattle, Washington, for Korea-based JYP Entertainment (JYPE), which brought him to Korea in January 2005, to receive further training in dancing, rapping, singing, and the Korean language.

2008–2009: 2PM[link]

Park first appeared through Mnet's Hot Blood Men, a documentary-style reality program that showed the future members of idol groups 2AM and 2PM in training. Park, finishing with the most fan votes, was given the position of 2PM's leader.^[1] On September 4, 2008, 2PM debuted with the song "10점 만점에 10점" ("10 Points Out Of 10") on music program M! Countdown after the release of their first mini-album, Hottest Time of the Day, a few days prior.

Aside from 2PM's music activities, Park created the song "正" ("Jeong") with Yeeun of the Wonder Girls for the television drama "Conspiracy in the Court"'s original soundtrack, and V.O.S's "To Luv...".^[2] He also participated in special stage performances such as Navi's "마음이 다쳐서" ("Heart Damage") on May 3, 2009,^[3] and K.Will's "1초에 한방울" ("One Drop per Second") on June 20, 2009.^[4] He also became a regular cast member in several variety programs, including Star King and Introducing a Star's Friend.^[5] In August 2009, he and Kara band member, Nicole Jung, became the new hosts for a cultural variety show called Nodaji.^[6]

On September 4, 2009, unfavorable comments towards Korea were found on Park’s personal Myspace account from 2005. The comments, written in English to a friend, were translated by Korean media, quickly spreading across hundreds of news articles. In this letter, he explained the unhappiness that he experienced during his early days as a trainee in an unfamiliar country where he lacked family, the ability to easily communicate and an understanding of the culture.^[7] Although outraged protesters demanded that Park should be removed from 2PM, JYP Entertainment's CEO, Park Jin-young, stated on September 7, 2009, that he was going to continue as a part of the group.^[8]

The following day, Park announced on his official fancafe that he would be leaving the group for a while to calm the situation and return to his hometown Seattle, Washington. He also apologized to the other 2PM members, and promised "I will come back a better person."^[9] However, Park Jin-young suddenly confirmed that 2PM would continue as a 6-member group.^[10] Additionally, due to the sensitive topic of Park's departure, all 2PM members were withdrawn from their regular appearances on variety shows,^[11] and the final episode of their reality show, Wild Bunny, was postponed indefinitely.^[12]

The remaining 6 members of 2PM re-filmed their music video for "Heartbeat" without Park on October 31, 2009. According to management, Park's vocals would not be removed from the older songs he promoted with 2PM, but he would be absent from the newer tracks.^[13]

2PM's first official album was titled 1:59PM, to symbolize Park's absence (according to the 6 remaining members).^[14] Through their acceptance speeches at end-of-year award shows for "Again & Again", the members thanked Park and reiterated their wish for his return. At the Mnet Asian Music Awards, the group paid homage to him during their performance of "Again & Again" with a spotlight shown over his usual position in the dance formation and his lines left unsung.^[15][16]

[edit] 2010: YouTube, Solo career, and Nothin' on You

After Park returned to the United States, fans changed their perspective on the matter when they realized that his Myspace messages had been severely mistranslated and taken out of context. However, on February 25, 2010, JYP suddenly announced that Park's contract with them had been terminated, citing separate "personal mistake" that Park had made some time in 2010.^[17] JYP would make reference to this unknown mistake several times in 2010, yet never giving details even when Park's current agency insisted they reveal whatever it is they are hiding. Boycotts on 2PM-endorsed products and protests for Park's return to the group began to take place, not only in South Korea, but internationally as well.^[18] Various Jay Park-dedicated forums and fansites all over the world organized silent protests and flash dance mobs.^[19]

On several instances, Park was the number one trending topic on Twitter, even topping the Oscars on March 8, 2010.^[20] Park's fanbase revealed that they plan to release a self-produced album in his honor on March 27, 2010, to commemorate the 200th day anniversary of his departure from Korea.^[21] However, because the album had been prepared since January, during the time where public opinion on 2PM had changed, the fans decided it would be in the best interest to not release the CDs, instead mailing 10-20 copies to Park's hometown in Seattle.^[22]

On March 15, 2010, Park created his own YouTube channel, "jayparkaom". His first post was a video where he sings a rendition of "Nothin' on You" (with his own rap and lyrics) in his bathroom.^[23][24] The video went viral and reached over 2,000,000 views in less than 24 hours. In Korea, the original song by B.o.B and Bruno Mars topped the Cyworld background music chart in a matter of hours upon the video's release.^[25] "Nothin' on You" also reached #1 on other music sites such as Dosirak, Melon, Mnet, Bugs, and Soribada, profiting $300,000 in sales through the effects of Park's video.^[26] On his 'About Me' page, Park left a message thanking his fans for their support. He also encouraged fans not to hate remaining 2PM members on his behalf.^[27]

In April 2010, he appeared with fellow Art of Movement members at an annual Korean American festival event called Project Korea III: KSA Cinderella Story at Rutgers University, New Jersey, on April 3, 2010.^[28] Videos of the event were uploaded onto internet portal sites, where footage of Park acting as an MC and dancing to Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" on stage drew much positive interest.^[29]

On April 24, 2010, Dumbfoundead released a collaboration track featuring Park and Clara Chung on his website, titled "Clouds".^[30] On September 5, 2010, Park participated in the 3rd International Secret Agents Los Angeles concert held in Cerritos, California, together with well-known YouTube celebrities such as Nigahiga, KevJumba, AJ Rafael, Alyssa Bernal, Far East Movement, and America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 champions, Poreotix. Park's performance drew many positive responses.^[31][32]

On June 18, 2010, Park returned to Korea through Incheon International Airport, to the biggest crowd ever at the airport.^[33] "Park Jaebeom has returned" became the biggest headline in Korea that day. "JayIsBack" shot up immediately on the trending topics on Twitter on June 18 at 9:30 AM GMT.^[34] Pictures of Park in Hype Nation were released on July 2,^[35] and Park was able to meet with the Korean media for interviews for the first time, talking about his current activities.^[36] It was also revealed that his single "Demon" would be included in Hype Nation's original soundtrack.^[37]

On July 8, 2010, it was reported that Park will sign a contract with Sidus HQ for his domestic Korean activities in terms of acting and singing,^[38] where his management states that he plans to redebut as a rookie artist.^[39] The contract with Sidus HQ was finalized on July 16, 2010.^[40]

Park released a single album titled 믿어줄래 ("Count On Me") containing 3 tracks, including a rearranged Korean version of "Nothin' on You", on July 13, 2010.^[41][42] The English and Korean lyrics were written by Park himself.^[43] The song immediately reached #1 on Cyworld and Bugs music charts, and also on other music sites as Monkey3, Soribada, Dosirak, and Melon within the hour of its release.^[44] The single album sold 21,989 physical copies on the first day of release, coming in at #1 in sales and #7 in the overall ranking of albums released from January 2010 to July 13, 2010. With more than 41,316 copies sold at the end of 2010 making the album place at #32 on Gaon's ^[45] year end chart, Park earned approximately 700 million won from his single album, which placed him at #3 in the overall annual ranking of album released until at the end of July 2010.^[46]

Park was cast for the 2011 Korean movie Mr Idol.^[47]

On October 10, 2010, Park was one of the performers alongside SE7EN, Taeyang, Musiq Soulchild at the Seoul Soul Festival held at the War Memorial of Korea. Park and Musiq Soulchild also performed a duet song titled "Love" at the festival.^[48]

[edit] 2011: Take A Deeper Look and rise as a solo artist

On January 6, 2011, Park was announced as the winner in "Best Web Video" Category around the globe for his song "Nothin' on You" at the Mashable Awards. He also has been nominated in ‘Must Follow Personality’ category and finished 2nd.^[49]

Park was chosen to be the sole opener for Ne-Yo in his first concert in Seoul for the "2011 Hyundai Mall 40th Anniversary Concert" held on March 29, 2011. He also cooperated with Ne-Yo for a charity event for children dreaming to become musicians on March 28 at the Dream Academy in Seoul.^[50]

On March 28, 2011, Park was a finalist and received the most votes in the special category 'Connecting People Award', a joint venture between Shorty Awards and Nokia. Park also was a finalist in the 'Celebrity' category at the same event.^[51]

Park released his first Korean mini-album, Take A Deeper Look, in April 2011, with the title track "Abandoned".^[52] Take A Deeper Look debuted at #3 in the Billboard World Album Charts and ranked #26 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums Chart.^[53] Park also made his debut stage on Korean music shows such as KBS Music Bank, Mnet M! Countdown, MBC Music Core and SBS Inkigayo for the first time in 2 years as a solo artist. Park made history as the first artist crowned winner at a debut stage, as he won Music Bank on May 6 on his first debut stage on Korean music shows.^[54][55] He won Music Bank again on May 13, 2011.

On August 6, 2011, Park participated in his first KBS Immortal Song 2 episode. He performed "Candy" by H.O.T. with Moon Hee-joon. He had won his round and received 2nd place overall on his first episode. Park followed up with his own R&B rendition of "Aemo" by Kim Soo-hee on the next episode. His remix was well received. On his third episode of Immortal Song 2, Park performed "Tell Me the Truth" by Jinusean with Solbi, Jang Hyuk and Kim Sooro. That performance won Park the competition for that episode, allowing him to choose the order for the next episode. For his fourth episode, Park again made his own R&B version of "Feel Good Day" by Kim Wan-sun. On his fifth episode, Park performed a remixed version of "Look Back at Me" by Deux, where he received attention from his fellow castmates for his incredible and dangerous b-boy moves. On his sixth episode and final appearance on the show, he performed "Dear, Do Not Change" by Nam Jin and won the last trophy.^[56] It was revealed that Park will return to Immortal Song 2 for a special episode "King of Kings" with other singers that have claimed the #1 spot. This special episode will record November 7 at the KBS Open Hall and air November 19.

On September 5, 2011, the single "Demon" was released through various Korean digital music websites.^[57] The music video was also finally released on the same day to negative reviews, and Park apologized, saying he had no control over the release of both the music video and the song.^[58]

On October 1, 2011, Park returned to the USA to perform in the International Secret Agents Los Angeles concert..^[59][60]

On October 29, 2011, Park delivered a performance to over 25,000 fans as he headlined the MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) Live in Manila Concert held at the SM Mall of Asia. The concert also featured Californian alternative rock band, Evaline, and international singer/songwriter, Jason Mraz.^[61]

On November 3, 2011, Park released his single "Girlfriend". The song was produced by American producers Da Beat Freakz.

On December 28, 2011, Park released Part 1 of his first full-length Korean album, New Breed.^[62]

[edit] 2012-present: New Breed

Park was chosen by KT Tech to be the official model of TakeHD, a new smartphone by the brand.^[63][64]

On January 11, 2012, Park received the Disk Bonsang for his mini album Take A Deeper Look on the first day of the 26th Golden Disk Awards, which was held in Osaka. He was the only solo artist to receive the Disk Bonsang among the other Bonsang winners.^[65] On January 18, 2012, he received the Popular Artist Award of the Asia Model Awards, which was held in Seoul.^[66][67][68]

Songs composed and written by Park for others artists were released in 2012. Park produced and composed a song with Cha Cha Malone for Korean-American singer Brian Joo, titled "Can't Stop", for his new EP, ReBorn Part 1.^[69][70][71] Park wrote the Korean version of the song^[70], while Joo wrote the English Version^[71]. On April 25, 2012, Park's 25th birthday, idol group U-KISS released their 6th mini-album, DoraDora, which includes the track "4U" written and composed by Park.^[72] Park also produced and composed a song for upcoming girl group Tiny-G, "Polaris". The lyrics are written by actress Lee Si Young. They worked together as a couple through MBC Music and Lyrics.^[73][74]

Park released his first full-length Korean album, New Breed, in February 2012, with the title track "Know Your Name".^[75] The album reached #1 twice on the Gaon Weekly album chart in South Korea,^[76][77] and also reached #1 on the Hanteo Weekly chart by solding more than 80000 copies offline.^[78][79] New Breed debuted at #4 in the Billboard World Album Charts and ranked #16 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums Chart.^[80] Park made his comeback stage on Korean music shows on February 16, 2012. He won Music Bank on February 24, 2012, one week after his comeback.^[81]

On March 3, 2012, Park held his first solo concert, New Breed Live in Seoul, at the Olympic Hall of Seoul Olympic Park.^[82]

On April 23, 2012, Park has been selected as the "R-16 KOREA 2012" (B-Boy) ambassador by the Korea Tourism Organization.^[83]

On April 27, 2012, Park began Asian promotions for the Asian version release of his album New Breed, and will visit 5 countries : Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan. On April 28, 2012, Park performed at the Star Awards in Singapore.^[83] On June 13, 2012, Park will release the Japan editions of his albums Take A Deeper Look and New Breed through Universal J. The regular edition of New Breed will contain the English version of "I Love You" as a bonus track.^[84]

Park headlined the APAHM tour organized by Verizon in the USA in May 2012. The tour made stops in Washington DC on May 18, New York on May 21, San Francisco on May 24 and Los Angeles on May 26.^[85][86] On May 16, 2012, Park released his first mixtape, Fresh A!r: Breathe !t^[87][88][89], containing songs he will perform for the APAHM tour.^[90][91][92] The mixtape was released for free on Park's Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, official website, Datpiff and SoundCloud.

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

Notable appearances

• Hot Blood Men (2007)
• Idol Show (2008)
• Star King (2008)
• Wild Bunny (2009)
• Word of the Day - Bromance (2010) - A short skit alongside Ryan Higa and Philip Wang (Wong Fu Productions) .
• Dramatic (2011) - First episode aired.
• Mr. 아이돌 (Mr. Idol) (2011)
• Immortal Song 2 (2011-12) - A regular cast member for parts of 2011 and 2012.
• Music & Lyrics (2012) - with actress Lee Si-young.

Awards[link]

Music Programs[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official website at Sidus HQ (Korean)
• Jay Park on Twitter
• Jay Park on Facebook
• Jay Park's channel on YouTube
• Jay Park Vevo channel
• Jay Park on Me2day
• Jay Park on Weibo
• Jay Park at the Internet Movie Database

T-Pain
T-Pain at the E3 Gaming Expo, Los Angeles, CA in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Faheem Rasheed Najm
Born	(1985-09-30) September 30, 1985 (age 26) Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop, R&B
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, dancer, actor
Instruments	Keyboard, vocals
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Jive (2003-2011) Nappy Boy (2005-present) Konvict (2003-present) RCA (2011-present)
Associated acts	Akon, Tay Dizm, DJ Khaled, Lil Wayne, Pitbull, Kanye West, Young Cash, Travis McCoy
Website	t-pain.net

Faheem Rasheed Najm (born September 30, 1985), who goes by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany, which reached number one on the Billboard 200. His third studio album,Thr33 Ringz, was released in 2008. T-Pain has earned two Grammy Awards alongside artists Kanye West and Jamie Foxx.

T-Pain is the founder of the record label Nappy Boy Entertainment, established in 2005. Throughout his career as a singer, T-Pain has extensively used the Auto-Tune pitch correction effect.

Early life[link]

Najm was born in Tallahassee, Florida on September 30, 1985.^[1] His stage name is short for "Tallahassee Pain" and was chosen because of the hardships he experienced while living there. He is a Muslim.^[2] At just three years old he got his first taste of the music business. A friend of the family, gospel jazz artist/producer Ben Tankard allowed him to hang out and "twist the knobs" at his recording studio. At age ten, Najm turned his bedroom into a music studio, using a keyboard, a beat machine and a four-track recorder.^[3][4]

Career[link]

[edit] 2004–2006: Early career and Rappa Ternt Sanga

T-Pain joined the rap group Nappy Headz in 2004 and later recorded "I'm Fucked Up", a cover version of Akon's single "Locked Up". Recording artist Akon heard the song and immediately signed T-Pain to Konvict Muzik, his label. After being discovered, T-Pain began singing instead of rapping. T-Pain subsequently recorded and released his debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, on December 6, 2005.^[1] The album reached number thirty-three on the Billboard 200, and has since been certified Gold by the RIAA, for reaching sales of 500,000 units.

The album was preceded by the lead single, "I'm Sprung", which was released in August 2005 and reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The second single, "I'm N Luv (Wit a Stripper)", featuring Mike Jones, was released in December 2005 and reached number five on the Hot 100 and number ten on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The third and final single from the album, "Studio Luv", was released in October 2006 but failed to chart.

[edit] 2007–2008: Epiphany

T-Pain performing at the 2007 Hot 97 Summer Jam concert.

In mid-2006, T-Pain began work on his second album, now with the Zomba Label Group as well as Konvict Muzik and Jive Records. The album, titled Epiphany, was released on June 5, 2007. The album sold 171,000 records in its first week, reaching number one on the Billboard 200.^[5] The record has since sold 819,000 records in the United States.^[6]

The album was preceded by the lead single "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')" featuring Yung Joc in February 2007. The single reached number one on both the Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming his first single to top charts. The album's second single, "Bartender", featuring Akon was released in June 2007 and reached number five on the Hot 100 and number nine on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The third and final single from the album, "Church", was released in October 2007 but failed to chart in the United States.

Speaking in May 2007 to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis, of the award-winning Blues & Soul about his reason for naming his second album 'Epiphany', T-Pain stated: "One of the two dictionary meanings of epiphany is 'a sudden moment of insight or revelation'. And to me the title 'Epiphany' signifies the moment I realized that, to make the best music I can, I needed to just go in the studio and be myself, and not concentrate so hard on following other people's formulas."^[7]

While promoting his second album, T-Pain made guest appearances on multiple songs by other artists. T-Pain was featured on "I'm a Flirt" (remix) by R. Kelly with T.I., "Outta My System" by Bow Wow, "Baby Don't Go" by Fabolous, "I'm So Hood" by DJ Khaled with many other rappers, "Shawty" by Plies, "Kiss Kiss" by Chris Brown, "Low" by Flo Rida, and "Good Life" by Kanye West.^[8] In two weeks in late 2007, T-Pain was featured on four top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart^[9]

"Good Life" with Kanye West later won the BET Award for Best Collaboration and was nominated in several other categories.^[10][11] In 2008, the single won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song.^[12]

[edit] 2007–2009: Thr33 Ringz

In 2007, T-Pain began work on his third album with Rocco Valdes, Akon and Lil Wayne. The album was also his first under his Nappy Boy Entertainment.

T-Pain's third studio album, Thr33 Ringz, was released on November 11, 2008.^[13] The album sold 168,000 records in its first week, reaching number four on the Billboard 200. A mixtape, Pr33 Ringz, was released in early 2008 before the album.

The album was preceded by three singles. Its lead single, "Can't Believe It", featuring Lil Wayne, was released in July 2008. The single reached number seven on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album's second single, "Chopped 'N' Skrewed", featuring Ludacris, was released in September 2008. The single reached number twenty-seven on the Hot 100 and number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The third and final single from the album, "Freeze", featuring Chris Brown, was released in October 2008 and reached number thirty-eight on the Hot 100 and number thirty-nine on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Guest appearances on Thr33 Ringz included T.I., Lil Wayne, Ludacris, DJ Khaled, Ciara, Chris Brown and Kanye West among others.^[14] Pr33 Ringz was the introduction mixtape for the album.

T-Pain at General Motors Place concert in Vancouver in January 2009.

In 2008, T-Pain continued to appear on numerous rap singles, such as "She Got It" by 2 Pistols, "Go Girl" by Ciara, "The Boss" by Rick Ross, "Cash Flow" by Ace Hood, "Shawty Get Loose" by Lil Mama, "One More Drink" by Ludacris, and "Go Hard" by DJ Khaled with Kanye West. T-Pain and Ludacris collaborated to perform "Chopped 'N' Skrewed" and "One More Drink" on American late-night television programs Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC in November 2008 and on NBC's Saturday Night Live in the same month. T-Pain appeared again on SNL in February 2009 (on the episode hosted by Bradley Cooper with musical guest TV on the Radio) in the SNL Digital Short. T-Pain also supported the album in 2009 with his Thr33 Ringz Tour, which included sold out shows across North America. T-Pain and rapper Lil Wayne formed the duo T-Wayne in 2008.^[15] The duo released a self-titled mixtape in late 2008; it charted on the Billboard 200 in January 2009.^[16] Their debut album was going to be released in 2009, but never was.^[17]

[edit] 2009–present: RevolveR

In May 2009, T-Pain made an appearance on a live-action episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force as Frylock, where he made his debut as an actor.^[18] He collaborated with country-pop singer Taylor Swift for the CMT Music Awards, and performed "Thug Story", a parody of Swift's hit single "Love Story".^[19] In an interview with MTV, T-Pain announced that he would release his fourth studio album in November 2009 and that its title was UBER.^[20] He stated that although he originally wanted to release the album in the summer of 2010, his label had pushed the release forward. Regardless of these announcements, the album wasn't released in 2009. An iPhone application called "I Am T-Pain" features an auto tuner, allowing fans to record and modify their own voice to accompany an instrumental collection of T-Pain's music. It was released in September 2009.^[21] In July 2009, T-Pain endorsed the 2009 T-Pain Killa Cam-Pain, a grassroots effort to help him become elected as president of Florida State University.^[22]

In November 2009, T-Pain released the first single from his fourth studio album, "Take Your Shirt Off".^[23] The single only managed to reach number eighty on the Hot 100, and was later dubbed a promotional single. Later, in February 2010, he released the official lead single from his fourth studio album, "Reverse Cowgirl", featuring Young Jeezy.^[24] He later release an updated version of the song excluding Young Jeezy's verse and adding a new bridge. The single reached number seventy-five on the Hot 100 and number sixty-four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming a mild hit. The single has since been dubbed a promotional single. T-Pain was later featured on the "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" single in February 2010, which reached number two on the Hot 100. In the fall of 2009, T-Pain began work with Cartoon Network's Adult Swim to produce and star in a television animated musical special based on Freaknik. Freaknik: The Musical aired on March 7, 2010.^[25]

In June 2010, T-Pain confirmed that his fourth studio album RevolveR has been completed and mastered, but that it will not be released until album sales increase.^[26] He elaborated upon this in August 2010, stating that the album probably wouldn't be released until 2011. T-Pain's first feature film, Lottery Ticket, was released on August 20, 2010. In October 2010, T-Pain release his third promotional single, Rap Song. The song charted poorly, peaking at 89 on the Hot 100.

T-Pain released a Nappy Boy mixtape called T-Pain Presents: Nappy Boy All Stars Vol.1 which contained Nappy Boy remixes to "Every Girl", "All The Way Turnt Up" and "Forever". Later he announced a mixtape for his album rEVOLVEr called prEVOLVEr. the mixtape released three songs, the first being "Hoes & Ladies" which featured Lil Wayne and Field Mob's Smoke. The other two songs released were contest songs. The contest songs where meant for anyone willing to get on the track and who ever lays down the best verse will feature on the track and the actual album. The first contest song was called "Motivated" which was a rap song and the second song was an R&B song for the singer, called "Merry Christmas." B. Martin of Albany, NY won the competition and will be featured on the mixtape. "T-Mixes" were made, which are T-Pain's remixes to some 2010 hit songs. The released remixes were "No Hands", "Black & Yellow", "Loving You No More", "Make It Rain" and "Like a G6". Two out of the five T-Mixes were made into the official remixes. They were "Black & Yellow" by Wiz Khalifa and featured him with Snoop Dogg & Juicy J. The other T-Mix that was made into an official remix was "Loving You No More" by Dirty Money, which originally featured Drake, but the remix features T-Pain and rapper Gucci Mane.

T-Pain was featured on the hit single "All I Do Is Win" by DJ Khaled, along with the remix. He featured on Wisin & Yandel's single "Imaginate" & Bun B's single "Trillionaire." In the last two quarters of 2010, he was featured on hit singles like Pitbull's "Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor)" and Nelly's "Move That Body." He was also featured on another single by Wisin & Yandel along with rapper 50 Cent called "No Dejemos Que Se Apague." The last two single's T-Pain were featured on in 2010 were the official Remixes to Black & Yellow by rapper Wiz Khalifa & Loving You No More.

T-Pain was featured on the first single by DJ Khaled called "Welcome To My Hood" off his new album We the Best Forever. The song featured him along with Rick Ross, Plies, & Lil Wayne. He is also expected to be featured on albums such as Drake's Take Care, Lil Wayne's Tha Carter IV, Tech N9ne's All 6s and 7s, and many more. A new toy called "iAm T-Pain Microphone" will make its way to stores everywhere in 2011, at the price of $39.99.^{[citation needed]} T-Pain is featured on a single called Electroman which is by house artist Benny Benassi. In January, JRandall released a single, "Can't Sleep", featuring T-Pain. On March 22, 2011 the next single from RevolveR will be released titled "Best Love Song" and features American singer Chris Brown.^[27] On his Twitter he stated that he would release his prEVOLVEr mixtape when he gets 500,000 followers and release his album rEVOLVEr when he gets 1,000,000 followers.^[28]

On October 7, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding Jive Records along with Arista Records and J Records. With the shutdown, T-Pain (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release his future material (including RevolveЯ) on the RCA Records brand. ^[29][30]

On October 27, 2011 T-Pain performed at the Georgia Tech Homecoming concert.^[31]

The album 'rEVOLVEr' was eventually released in December 2011, alongside the transatlantic Top 10 single '5 O'Clock', which samples UK songstress Lily Allen and features US rapper Wiz Khalifa.^[32]

Musical style[link]

He has called his style of music "Hard & B".^[33] T-Pain uses Auto-Tune, a pitch-correcting audio processor, for his vocals. Music critic Andy Kellman compared T-Pain's singing style to that of Cher in her 1998 hit "Believe", in which Cher used voice enhancements.^[34] In response to Jay-Z's single "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)", T-Pain stated that he would still use the method.^[20] T-Pain's use of Auto-Tune has been cited as an influence on other urban artists' works, including Snoop Dogg's single "Sexual Eruption",^[35] Lil Wayne's single "Lollipop",^[36] and Kanye West's album 808s & Heartbreak.^[37] In November 2008, T-Pain demanded credit from other artists who used Auto-Tune.^[38]

Personal life[link]

T-Pain has been married to Amber Najm since 2003. They have three children: daughter Lyriq and sons Muziq and Kaydnz Kodah (born May 2009).^[39][40]

Legal issues[link]

Mug shot of T-Pain taken in November 2007.

On April 28, 2007, T-Pain refused to cut his set short at Radio One's Spring Fest Concert in Miami, which caused police presence to escalate backstage. He became agitated after concert officials stopped his performance of "Buy You a Drink". Police chased him and his entourage out of the premises and detained them.^[41] After a June 2007 concert of T-Pain's, Tallahassee police issued a warrant for his arrest over a suspended driver's license. He subsequently turned himself into the Leon County Jail on November 2, 2007.^[42]

Golf cart accident[link]

On March 27, 2009, T-Pain was involved in a golf cart accident, the same day he was due for a music video shoot for Lil' Kim's Download song. He suffered cuts, bruises, and four missing teeth and had emergency dental work done. He returned to performing on March 29, 2009.^[43] The accident was later referenced in the music video of Glasses Malone's song "Sun Come Up" (which also featured T-Pain).

Discography[link]

• Rappa Ternt Sanga (2005)
• Epiphany (2007)
• Thr33 Ringz (2008)
• RevolveR (2011)

Mixtape[link]

• Pr33 Ringz (2008)
• PrEVOLVEr (2011)

Soundtracks[link]

• Freaknik: The Musical Soundtrack (2010)

Filmography[link]

• Freaknik: The Musical (2010)
• Lottery Ticket (2010)

Awards and nominations[link]

• American Music Awards
  • 2007, Favorite Male Artist [Nominated].^[44]
• BET Awards
  • 2009, Best Male R&B Artist (Nominated)
  • 2009, Best Collaboration ("Blame It") with Jamie Foxx (Won)
  • 2009, Viewer's Choice ("Can't Believe It") with Lil Wayne (Nominated)
  • 2008, Best Collaboration ("Kiss Kiss") with Chris Brown (Nominated)^[11]
  • 2008, Best Collaboration ("Low") with Flo Rida (Nominated)^[11]
  • 2008, Viewer's Choice ("Kiss Kiss") with Chris Brown (Nominated)^[11]
  • 2008, Best Collaboration ("Good Life") with Kanye West (Won)^[10]
  • 2008, Video of the Year ("Good Life") with Kanye West (Nominated)^[11]
• BET Hip Hop Awards^{[citation needed]}
  • 2009. Producer of the Year (Nominated)
  • 2008, Best Ringtone ("Low") with Flo Rida (Nominated)
  • 2008, Best Hip-Hop Video ("Good Life") with Kanye West (Won)
  • 2008, Best Hip-Hop Collabo ("Low") with Flo Rida (Nominated)
  • 2008, Best Hip-Hop Collabo ("Good Life") with Kanye West (Nominated)
  • 2008, Track of the Year ("Good Life") with Kanye West (Nominated)
• BMI Urban Awards^{[citation needed]}
  • Song Writer Of The Year (Won)
  • Producer Of The Year shared with J.R. Rotem & Kanye West (Won)
• Grammy Awards
  • 2010, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("I'm on a Boat") with The Lonely Island [Nominated]
  • 2010, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or a Group ("Blame It") with Jamie Foxx [Won]
  • 2010, Best R&B Song ("Blame It") with Jamie Foxx [Nominated]
  • 2010, Best Contemporary Album Thr33 Ringz [Nominated]
  • 2009, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("Got Money") with Lil Wayne (Nominated)
  • 2009, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("Low") with Flo Rida (Nominated)
  • 2009, Best Rap Song ("Low") with Flo Rida (Nominated)
  • 2008, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group ("Bartender") with Akon (Nominated)
  • 2008, Best Rap/Sung Rap Song ("Good Life") With Kanye West (Nominated)
  • 2008, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("Kiss Kiss") with Chris Brown (Nominated)
  • 2008, Best Rap Song ("Good Life") with Kanye West (Won)^[12]
• Ozone Music Awards^{[citation needed]}
  • 2008, TJ's DJ's Hustler of the Year (Nominated)
  • 2008, Club Banger of the Year ("I'm So Hood") with DJ Khaled, Trick Daddy, Rick Ross, & Plies (Nominated)
  • 2008, Club Banger of the Year ("Low") with Flo Rida (Nominated)
  • 2008, Best Rap/R&B Collaboration ("She Got It") with 2 Pistols & Tay Dizm (Nominated)
  • 2008, Best R&B Artist (Nominated)
  • 2008, Best TJ's DJ's Tastemaker Award (Won)
  • 2007, Best Male R&B Artist (Won)
  • 2007, Best Rap/R&B Collaboration ("Shawty") with Plies (Won)
  • 2007: Best Rap/R&B Collaboration ("Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')") with Yung Joc (Nominated)
  • 2006, Best Rap/R&B Collaboration ("I'm N Luv (Wit a Stripper) (Remix)" with Twista, Pimp C, Paul Wall, R. Kelly, MJG, and Too Short) (Won)
• MTV Video Music Award
  • 2008, Best Hip-Hop Video ("Low") with Flo Rida (Nominated)
  • 2008, Best Male Video ("Low") with Flo Rida (Nominated)
  • 2007, Monster Single of the Year ("Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin)"), featuring Yung Joc (Nominated)
• People's Choice Awards
  • 2008, Favorite Hip-Hop Song, "Low" with Flo Rida [Won]
  • 2008, Favorite Hip-Hop Song, "Good Life" with Kanye West [Nominated]
• Teen Choice Awards
  • 2008, Choice Hook-Up: Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain, "Low" (Nominated)
  • 2008, Choice Music: R&B Artist – T-Pain (Nominated)
  • 2008, Choice Music: Rap/Hip-Hop Track – Lil Mama featuring Chris Brown and T-Pain, "Shawty Get Loose" (Won)
• Vibe Awards
  • 2007, Best R&B Artist (Nominated)
  • 2007, Best Collaboration ("Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin)") with Yung Joc (Nominated)
  • 2007, Song of the Year ("Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin)") with Yung Joc (Won)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: T-Pain

• Official website
• Nappy Boy Records
• Strip Club Etiquette: T'Pain's Guide Hustler Magazine
• Faheem Najm at the Internet Movie Database

John Legend
John Legend, 2010
Background information
Birth name	John Roger Stephens
Born	(1978-12-28) December 28, 1978 (age 33)
Origin	Springfield, Ohio, United States
Genres	R&B, hip hop soul, soul, neo soul, jazz fusion
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, actor
Instruments	Vocals, piano, keyboards
Years active	2001–present
Labels	GOOD, Sony Music
Associated acts	Kanye West, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Lupe Fiasco, The Roots
Website	johnlegend.com

John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He has won nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.^[1]

Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career gained momentum through a series of successful collaborations with multiple established artists. Stephens added his voice to those of other artists, assisting in them reaching chart-topper hits. He lent his voice to Kanye West's All of the Lights, on Slum Village's "Selfish" and Dilated Peoples' "This Way". Other artists included Jay-Z's "Encore", and he sang backing vocals on Alicia Keys' 2003 song "You Don't Know My Name" and Fort Minor's "High Road." Stephens played piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything."

Career and life[link]

1978–2003: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Stephens was born on December 28, 1978, in Springfield, Ohio.^[2] He is the son of Phyllis, a seamstress, and John Mills, a factory worker and former National Guardsman.^[3][4] Throughout his childhood, Stephens was homeschooled on and off by his mother.^[5] At the age of four, he began playing the piano and at the age of seven, he performed with his church choir. When he was ten, his parents divorced, causing his mother to suffer a breakdown.^[4] At the age of 12, Stephens attended North High School, from which he graduated four years later.^[6] He graduated salutatorian.

According to Stephens, he was offered scholarships to Harvard University, Georgetown University and Morehouse College.^[7] He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied English with an emphasis on African American literature.^[8] While in college, he helmed Counterparts, a co-ed jazz and pop a cappella group as president (1997–1998) and musical director (1998–1999). Stephens' lead vocals on the group's recording of Joan Osborne's "One of Us" received critical acclaim^[9] landing the song on the track list of the 1998 Best of Collegiate a Cappella compilation CD. Stephens was also a member of the prestigious Sphinx Senior Society while an undergraduate at Penn. While in college, Stephens was introduced to Lauryn Hill by a friend. Hill hired him to play piano on "Everything Is Everything", a song from her album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.^[7]

During this period, Stephens took time to hold a number of shows around Philadelphia, eventually expanding his audience base to New York, Boston, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. He finished college in 1999, and thereafter began producing, writing, and recording his own music. He released two albums independently; his self-titled demo (2000) and 'Live at Jimmy's Uptown' (2001), which he sold at his shows.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Stephens began working as a management consultant for the Boston Consulting Group.^[6] During this time, he began working on his demo and began sending his work to various record labels.^[5][10] In 2001, Devo Springsteen introduced Stephens to then up-and-coming hip-hop artist Kanye West; Stephens was hired to sing during the hooks of West's music. After signing to West's label, he chose his stage name from a nickname that was given to him by poet J. Ivy, due to Stephens' "old-school sound".^[7][11] Stephens' vocals can be heard on several tracks including Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name", Jay-Z's "Encore", Kanye West's "Never Let Me Down," also featuring Jay-Z and J. Ivy, Dilated Peoples' "This Way" and Slum Village's "Selfish".

[edit] 2004–2005: Get Lifted

Stephens released his debut album, Get Lifted, in December 2004. It debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200, selling 116,000 copies in its first week.^[12] It went on to sell 2.1 million copies in the United States and was certified Platinum by the RIAA.^[13][14] It has sold three million copies worldwide.^[7] The album produced two singles: "Ordinary People" (US and UK top 30) went straight to number four and "Used to Love U" (US top 100, UK top 30).^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 2006–2007: Once Again

The first single from his second album, Once Again, was "Save Room". The album was released October 24, 2006, and boasts production from Kanye West, Raphael Saadiq, and will.i.am. In an interview with MTV, he said that this album contained his favorite song that he had written to date, entitled "Again." He said he came up with the idea for the song and wrote some of it while sitting on a subway. He stated that the song was also the inspiration for the album's title^{[citation needed]}.