Got Talent

Got Talent is a talent show television format conceived and owned by Simon Cowell's SYCOtv company. A pilot was made in the United Kingdom in 2005, hosted by Paul O'Grady, but after O'Grady's split with ITV, the series was postponed, resulting in America's Got Talent – the first full series of the format.

It has spawned spin-offs in over 58 countries (as of April 2014), in what is now referred to as the Got Talent format, similar to that described by FremantleMedia of the Idol and The X Factor formats. In April 2014, the format was named the world's most successful reality TV format ever by the Guinness World Records.

History

Got Talent was an invention by The X Factor creator Simon Cowell, with comedian and talk show host Paul O'Grady producing a pilot for ITV in 2005 under the provisional title Paul O'Grady's Got Talent. O'Grady left the network after disputes with ITV, resulting in Cowell moving the concept to the United States while he and ITV searched for a new show host.

Due to these issues, the Got Talent franchise ended up debuting first as America's Got Talent on NBC on 21 June 2006, with judges David Hasselhoff, Brandy Norwood, and Piers Morgan. The show's original series was hosted by Regis Philbin. In 2016, the judging panel consisted of Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Melanie Brown, and Simon Cowell, and hosted by Nick Cannon, who has been the presenter since 2009. The grand prize on America's Got Talent is $1 million, and, since season 3, a chance to headline a show on the Las Vegas Strip. America's Got Talent proved extremely successful for NBC, pulling in high ratings in both total viewers and the younger 18-49 demographic. The show's initial success in America is credited with the eventual launch of the British series, and the overall global launch of the Got Talent franchise.

Rapping

Rapping (or emceeing,MCing,spitting bars,or rhyming) is "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The components of rapping include "content", "flow" (rhythm and rhyme), and "delivery". Rapping is distinct from spoken-word poetry in that it is performed in time to a beat. Rapping is often associated with and a primary ingredient of hip-hop music, but the origins of the phenomenon can be said to predate hip-hop culture by centuries. It can also be found in alternative rock such as that of Cake, gorrilaz and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Rapping is also used in Kwaito music, a genre that originated in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is composed of hip-hop elements.

Rapping can be delivered over a beat or without accompaniment. Stylistically, rap occupies a gray area between speech, prose, poetry, and singing. The word (meaning originally "to hit") as used to describe quick speech or repartee predates the musical form. The word had been used in British English since the 16th century. It was part of the African-American dialect of English in the 1960s meaning "to converse", and very soon after that in its present usage as a term denoting the musical style. Today, the terms "rap" and "rapping" are so closely associated with hip-hop music that many use the terms interchangeably.

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.

Nate Dogg

Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), better known by his stage name Nate Dogg, was an American rapper, singer, and actor. He was known as one of the pioneers of West Coast hip hop. He was noted for his membership in rap trio 213 and his solo career in which he collaborated with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Warren G, Tupac Shakur, Westside Connection, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Xzibit, and Shade Sheist on many hit releases. He released three solo albums, G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 & 2 in 1998, Music and Me in 2001, and Nate Dogg as a bootlegged album in 2003 and on CD in 2014.

Nate Dogg died in 2011 in Long Beach, California, of complications from multiple strokes.

Early life

Nathaniel Dwayne Hale was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi on August 19, 1969. He moved to Long Beach, California when he was 14 following his parents' divorce. He was friends with rappers Warren G, RBX, and Daz Dillinger and cousin of Butch Cassidy, Snoop Dogg, and Lil' ½ Dead. He began singing as a child in the New Hope Baptist Church in Long Beach and Life Line Baptist Church in Clarksdale, Mississippi where his father Daniel Lee Hale was pastor and his mother Ruth Holmes was leading the choir. At the age of 17 he dropped out of high school in Long Beach and left home to join the US Marine Corps, serving for three years. He was an Ammunition specialist.

Snoop Dogg

Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper and actor from Long Beach, California. His music career began in 1992 when he was discovered by Dr. Dre of N.W.A and, as a result, was prominently featured throughout Dr. Dre's solo debut album, The Chronic (1992). He has since sold over 21 million albums in the United States and 35 million albums worldwide.

Snoop's debut album, Doggystyle, was released in 1993 under Death Row Records, debuting at number one on both the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Selling almost a million copies in the first week of its release, Doggystyle became certified 4× platinum in 1994 and spawned several hit singles, including "What's My Name?" and "Gin & Juice". In 1994, Snoop released a soundtrack on Death Row Records for the short film Murder Was The Case, starring himself. His second album Tha Doggfather (1996), also debuted at number one on both charts with "Snoop's Upside Ya Head", as the lead single. The album was certified double platinum in 1997.