Certification

Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit. Accreditation is a specific organization's process of certification.

Types

One of the most common types of certification in modern society is professional certification, where a person is certified as being able to competently complete a job or task, usually by the passing of an examination and/or the completion of a program of study. Some professional certifications also require that one obtain work experience in a related field before the certification can be awarded. Some professional certifications are valid for a lifetime upon completing all certification requirements. Others expire after a certain period of time and have to be maintained with further education and/or testing.

Certifications can differ within a profession by the level or specific area of expertise to which they refer. For example, in the IT Industry there are different certifications available for software tester, project manager, and developer. Also, the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology offers three certifications in the same profession, but with increasing complexity.

Rick Ross

William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper and entrepreneur.

In 2009, Ross founded the record label Maybach Music Group, on which he released his studio albums Deeper Than Rap (2009), Teflon Don (2010), God Forgives, I Don't (2012), Mastermind, Hood Billionaire (2014) and Black Market (2015). Ross was also the first artist signed to Diddy's management company Ciroc Entertainment. In early 2012, MTV named Ross as the Hottest MC in the Game.

Life and career

1976–2006: Early life and career beginnings

William Leonard Roberts II was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and raised in Carol City, Florida. After graduating from Miami Carol City Senior High School, he attended the historically black college Albany State University on a football scholarship. Roberts worked as a correctional officer for 18 months from December 1995, until his resignation in June 1997.

In his early years at Suave House Records, Roberts initially made his debut under the pseudonym Teflon Da Don. He made his recording debut on the song "Ain't Shhh to Discuss" on Erick Sermon's lone album for DreamWorks, Def Squad Presents Erick Onasis. In the mid-2000s, he changed his name to Rick Ross. He derived his stage name from the former drug kingpin "Freeway" Rick Ross, to whom he has no connection.

Glasses Malone

Charles Phillip Ivory Penniman (born December 10, 1979), better known by his stage name Glasses Malone, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California.

Early life

Glasses Malone grew up in the Watts and Compton neighborhoods in Los Angeles County. His mother served a 25-year sentence in prison for selling narcotics, and Malone was a Crip gang member as a teenager.

Music career

Traditionally associated with The Black Wall Street Records despite the fact that most of their artists were affiliated with the Bloods, Malone signed with the record label, but later signed with Cash Money Records in 2011, turning down offers from many labels like Def Jam Records,Interscope Records, J Records and Atlantic Records. Glasses Malone was found by the same record executive who found The Game. Along with his signing, he was also given his own imprint, Blu Division. Malone debuted with mixtapes The Crack Mixtape (2003) and White Lightnin... Sticks (2005).White Lightnin... Sticks sold 50,000 copies and included the popular street single "Two Hunned".

Demi Lovato

Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato (/ˈdɛmi loʊˈvɑːtoʊ/ DEM-ee loh-VAH-toh or lə-VAH-toh) (born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and model who made her debut as a child actress in Barney & Friends. In 2008, Lovato rose to prominence in the Disney Channel television film Camp Rock and signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records. Musically, Lovato is considered a pop and pop rock. She released her debut album, Don't Forget, that September; it debuted at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 530,000 copies. In 2009, Lovato received her own television series, Sonny with a Chance. Her second album, Here We Go Again, was released that July and debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, and it has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 650,000 copies. Its title track became her first single to break the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 15, and was certified platinum.

Iggy Azalea

Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), better known by her stage name Iggy Azalea (/əˈzeɪljə/), is an Australian rapper, songwriter, and model. Born in Sydney and raised in Mullumbimby, Azalea moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a career in hip hop music, residing in the southern part of the country. She earned public recognition after releasing YouTube music videos for her songs "Pu$$y" and "Two Times". She signed a record contract with T.I.'s record label Grand Hustle in 2012, gaining attention from her debut mixtape Ignorant Art.

Her debut studio album, The New Classic (2014), peaked among the top five of several charts worldwide and received generally mixed reviews. The album spawned five singles: "Work", "Bounce", "Change Your Life", "Fancy" and "Black Widow". "Fancy" topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for seven consecutive weeks, making Azalea the fourth female rapper in the history of the chart to reach number one. Additionally, Azalea was featured on Ariana Grande's single "Problem", which peaked at number two while "Fancy" was number one; Azalea joined The Beatles as the only acts to rank at numbers one and two simultaneously with their first two Hot 100 entries. Azalea also went on to pass Lil' Kim as the female rapper with the longest-leading number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100.