Juicy J

Jordan Michael Houston (born April 5, 1975), better known by his stage name Juicy J, is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer from Memphis, Tennessee. He is a founding member of the Southern hip hop group Three 6 Mafia, established in 1991. In 2002, he released his solo debut album Chronicles of the Juice Man, in between Three 6 Mafia projects. In 2011, Juicy J announced that he was a part-owner and A&R rep for Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang Records and the following year he signed a solo deal with Columbia Records and Dr. Luke's Kemosabe Records. Juicy J released Stay Trippy, his third studio album under the aforementioned labels on August 27, 2013. He is the younger brother of frequent collaborator and fellow rapper Project Pat.

Career

1991–2009: Career beginnings with Three 6 Mafia

In 1991, Juicy J was a co-founder of the Southern hip hop group, now known as Three 6 Mafia. Along with DJ Paul and Lord Infamous, rappers Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo and Koopsta Knicca later joined the group. Alongside DJ Paul, Juicy J has launched Prophet Entertainment. In 1994, they left the label to their business partner Nick "Scarfo" Jackson, and subsequently launched Hypnotize Minds. In 1995, the group released their first official album called Mystic Stylez. Since then the group has released 8 albums. On July 2, 2002, he released his solo debut studio album Chronicles of the Juice Man, under North North Records. In 2006, Juicy J, along with DJ Paul, Crunchy Black, and Frayser Boy, won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" at the 78th Academy Awards. On June 16, 2009, his second studio album Hustle Till I Die, was released under Hypnotize Minds and Select-O-Hits.

Wiz Khalifa

Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American recording artist, songwriter and actor. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007. His Eurodance-influenced single, "Say Yeah", received urban radio airplay, charting on the Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Tracks charts in 2008.

Khalifa parted with Warner Bros. and released his second album, Deal or No Deal, in November 2009. He released the mixtape Kush and Orange Juice as a free download in April 2010; he then signed with Atlantic Records. He is also well known for his debut single for Atlantic, "Black and Yellow", which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut album for the label, Rolling Papers, was released on March 29, 2011. He followed that album with O.N.I.F.C. on December 4, 2012, which was backed by the singles "Work Hard, Play Hard" and "Remember You". Wiz released his fourth album Blacc Hollywood on August 18, 2014, backed by the lead single We Dem Boyz. In March 2015, he released "See You Again" for the soundtrack of the film Furious 7 and the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

808 Mafia

808 Mafia is an American hip hop production team, founded by Lex Luger and Southside that is signed to Brick Squad Monopoly. The group also includes producers, Purps, Tarentino, Be-Bop, Fuse, Tre Pound, OG Taxx, Chris Fresh, DY On The Track, YoshiTheGod,TT, The Swede, KingTruth, Migrayne, Steve Lean.

History

808 Mafia was founded in 2010 when rapper Waka Flocka Flame came up with the idea of a production team, made of his frequent collaborators Lex Luger and Southside. The group quickly expanded, adding a number of upcoming and affiliated producers, and is currently signed to Waka Flocka's label Brick Squad Monopoly. 808 Mafia has produced tracks for many notable artists such as Gucci Mane, Waka Flocka, Future, 2 Chainz, Meek Mill, Young Thug, Soulja Boy and DJ Drama among others. Its members have also independently worked on songs with Kanye West, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Fabolous, Pusha T, and Wiz Khalifa.

The group released its debut self-titled instrumental mixtape in 2012, hosted by Trap-A-Holics. The mixtape was produced by and served as an introduction to 5 of its members: TM88 (credited as Trackman), Be-Bop, Purps, Bobby Beats, and Tarentino. A sequel called 808 Mafia II was announced for release on December 21, 2012, but was later delayed multiple times. In March 2013, a trailer for the tape was released to the team's YouTube channel.808 Mafia II was released on April 23, 2013, via LiveMixtapes. It was hosted by Trap-A-Holics, DJ Scream and DJ Drama, and features production by Southside, TM88, Purps, Tarentino, Fuse, Chris Fresh, OG Taxx and Be Bop.

Young Thug

Jeffrey Lamar Williams, (born August 9, 1991), better known by his stage name Young Thug, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He is perhaps best known for his commercial debut single "Stoner", as well as his collaborations with fellow Southern rappers, such as Rich Homie Quan, Birdman, Waka Flocka Flame, Gucci Mane, Young Scooter, Shy Glizzy, Migos, Travi$ Scott and T.I.. Young Thug signed a record deal with Gucci Mane's 1017 Brick Squad Records, an Asylum/Atlantic imprint, in early 2013. He gained major recognition in 2014, after being featured on a string of singles, including "About the Money" and "Lifestyle", the latter of which peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Early life

Young Thug was born Jeffrey Lamar Williams on August 9, 1991, in Atlanta, Georgia; the second youngest of his ten siblings. Williams is from Sylvan Hills, a neighborhood in Atlanta (Zone 3).

Music career

2011–13: Early career and record deal

After releasing the first three installments of his mixtape series I Came from Nothing throughout 2011 and 2012, Young Thug caught the attention of fellow Atlanta-based rapper Gucci Mane, who went on to sign Young Thug to his label 1017 Brick Squad Records, an Asylum/Atlantic imprint, in 2013. Thug subsequently released his first project on the label, his fourth mixtape, 1017 Thug. The mixtape was met with positive reviews from music critics, which noted it for its original style. 1017 Thug was included in a number of year-end lists for 2013, such as Pitchfork's Albums of the Year: Honorable Mention and Complex's The 50 Best Albums of 2013.FACT called it the best mixtape of 2013,Rolling Stone placed it at number five on their 10 Best Mixtapes of 2013 and The Guardian placed it among The Five Best Mixtapes of 2013.

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. There are also cases where songs are used in tie in marketing campaigns that allow them to become more than just a song. Tie ins and merchandising could be used in toys are marketing campaigns for food and other products. Although the origins of music videos date back to musical short films that first appeared in the 1920s, they came into prominence in the 1980s when MTV based their format around the medium. Prior to the 1980s, these works were described by various terms including "illustrated song", "filmed insert", "promotional (promo) film", "promotional clip", "promotional video", "song video", "song clip" or "film clip". Since the creation and increased popularity of YouTube, mainstream artists now promote new music videos by releasing trailers of short promos on the site for their upcoming song and music video. Consequentially, YouTube has been converted into a social media platform for celebrities and artists to market themselves to their fans and audiences.