Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (/ˈpuːtɪn/; Russian: Влади́мир Влади́мирович Пу́тин; IPA: [vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ ˈputʲɪn], born 7 October 1952) has been the President of Russia since 7 May 2012, succeeding Dmitry Medvedev. Putin previously served as President from 2000 to 2008, and as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012. During his last term as Prime Minister, he was also the chairman of United Russia, the ruling party.

For 16 years, Putin was an officer in the KGB, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel before he retired to enter politics in his native Saint Petersburg in 1991. He moved to Moscow in 1996 and joined President Boris Yeltsin's administration where he rose quickly, becoming Acting President on 31 December 1999 when Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned. Putin easily won the subsequent 2000 presidential election and was reelected in 2004. Because of constitutionally mandated term limits, Putin was ineligible to run for a third consecutive presidential term in 2008. Dmitry Medvedev won the 2008 presidential election and appointed Putin as Prime Minister, beginning a period of so-called "tandemocracy". In September 2011, following a change in the law extending the presidential term from four years to six, Putin announced that he would seek a third, non-consecutive term as President in the 2012 presidential election, an announcement which led to large-scale protests in many Russian cities. In March 2012, he won the election, which was criticized for procedural irregularities, and is serving a six-year term.

Ritz

Ritz or The Ritz may refer to:

Hotels

Cinemas and theatres

People

Puttin' On the Ritz

"Puttin' On the Ritz" is a song written by Irving Berlin. He wrote it in May 1927 and first published it in December 2, 1929. It was registered as an unpublished song August 24, 1927 and again on July 27, 1928. It was introduced by Harry Richman and chorus in the musical film Puttin' On the Ritz (1930). According to The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin, this was the first song in film to be sung by an interracial ensemble. The title derives from the slang expression "putting on the Ritz," meaning to dress very fashionably. The expression was inspired by the opulent Ritz Hotel.

The song is in AABA form, with a verse. According to John Mueller, the central device in the A section is the "use of delayed rhythmic resolution: a staggering, off-balance passage, emphasized by the unorthodox stresses in the lyric, suddenly resolves satisfyingly on a held note, followed by the forceful assertion of the title phrase." The marchlike B section, which is only barely syncopated, acts as a contrast to the previous rhythmic complexities. According to Alec Wilder, in his study of American popular song, the rhythmic pattern in "Puttin' On the Ritz" is "the most complex and provocative I have ever come upon."

Gucci Mane

Radric Davis (born February 12, 1980), better known by his stage name Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. In 2005, he began to burst into this hip hop music scene with the release of his first independent album Trap House, which followed by his second and third independent albums, Hard to Kill and Trap-A-Thon in 2006. His fourth independent album Back to the Trap House was released in 2007.

In 2009, Gucci Mane released his sixth studio album The State vs. Radric Davis. The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted was released in 2010, and is his highest charting album so far. Thus far, Gucci Mane elevated his music career by not only the release of his several mixtapes and independent albums, but through his collaborations on songs, tracks and singles with artists, such as Lil Wayne, T.I., Omarion, Mariah Carey and Young Jeezy as well. On May 21, 2013, he released his eighth studio album Trap House III. His ninth studio album, The State vs. Radric Davis II: The Caged Bird Sings was released on December 25, 2013. He also is the founder and CEO of 1017 Brick Squad Records.

Herb Alpert

Herbert "Herb" Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. Alpert is also a recording industry executive, the "A" of A&M Records, a recording label he and business partner Jerry Moss founded and eventually sold to PolyGram. Alpert has also created abstract expressionist paintings and sculpture over two decades, which are publicly displayed on occasion. Alpert and wife Lani Hall are substantial philanthropists through the operation of the Herb Alpert Foundation.

Alpert's musical accomplishments include five No. 1 albums and 28 albums total on the Billboard Album chart, nine Grammy Awards, fourteen platinum albums, and fifteen gold albums. As of 1996, Alpert had sold 72 million albums worldwide. Alpert is the only recording artist to hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop chart as both a vocalist ("This Guy's in Love with You", 1968) and an instrumentalist ("Rise", 1979).