Method Man
Clifford Smith (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man or Meth is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He took his stage name from the 1979 film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man. He is one half of the rap duo Method Man & Redman. He won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" with Mary J. Blige.
He is also one of the few rappers to use their intake of breath as part of their flow, creating melodies while inhaling.
He appeared in the motion pictures Belly and How High, and had a recurring role on the HBO television drama series The Wire as Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff.
Method Man was a founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, has worked solo, with current collaborator Redman, and as a guest rapper on several projects. He has starred on hit singles and albums.
Method Man grew up as Clifford Smith, a youth who was shuttled between a delinquent father in Long Island and a mother on Staten Island, New York. Staten Island — dubbed "Shaolin" by the Clan — was where he met the men who would eventually become the Wu-Tang Clan. Smith grew up in the Park Hill projects on the North Shore of Staten Island with his mother and two sisters, one younger, one older. At various times he has claimed to have dropped out of high school in the ninth and eleventh grades, and sold and experimented with drugs. "Reality smacked me in the face early. That's why I don't like to talk about my childhood".
Method Man currently lives on Staten Island. He has a son (born 1996) and a daughter (born 1997). He has another son (born around 2000) and a daughter (born around 2003). He has been divorced for some time now.
Redman
Reginald "Reggie" Noble (born April 17, 1970), better known by his stage name Redman, is an American rapper, record producer and actor. He came to fame in the early 1990s as an artist on the Def Jam label. He is also well known for his collaborations with Method Man, including their starring roles in films and sitcoms. He was also a member of the Def Squad in the early 90's. Redman is one-half of the rap duo Red & Meth.
Reginald "Reggie" Noble was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. In 1990 Reggie made his world debut on the EPMD album Business as Usual appearing on tracks "Hardcore" and "Brothers My Jock". In 1992 Redman released his debut album, Whut? Thee Album, which Allmusic noted for blending "reggae and funk influences" with a "terse, though fluid rap style". The album peaked at number forty-nine on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold. He was named "Rap Artist of the Year" by The Source. Redman followed up with his 1994 album, Dare Iz a Darkside. The first single, "Rockafella," samples Leon Haywood's "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You" and George Clinton's "Flashlight," two of the most sampled songs in hip hop.
Redman's solo career continued throughout the remainder of the decade, with each of his albums selling at least half a million copies. His musical style has remained very consistent, rarely deviating from a combination of unique braggadocious wit and hard hitting beats. Redman is also the originator of the pop-culture gesture, "Raise the Roof", due to the gesture being performed in the video, "Pick It Up" from his 1996 album, "Muddy Waters". In addition to releasing albums under his own name, he is part of the group Def Squad (along with Keith Murray and Erick Sermon) with whom he released the 1998 album El Niño, and also has formed a close partnership with labelmate Method Man (of the Wu-Tang Clan) who, with him, made a featured appearance with the Dogg Pound in Tupac Shakur's 1996 album All Eyez on Me in the rap song Got My Mind made up where both rapped with Kurupt in verse two and Meth also did the chorus, and with whom he released the 1999 album Blackout!
Big Sox
Saukrates aka Big Sox (born Amani Wailoo on December 20, 1977 in Toronto, Ontario), is a Canadian hip-hop artist and producer of Guyanese heritage. Along with Kardinal Offishall, he is one of the most well-recognized Canadian hip hop artists. He is part of Capitol Hill Music, and frontman of the five-man hip hop group Big Black Lincoln. He is also a member of Redman's Gilla House group.
In 1994, his first track was titled "Still Caught Up", which earned a nomination for Best Rap Recording at the 1996 Juno Awards. He was also nominated for another Juno of the same award in 2000 for "Money or Love". In 2001, Saukrates produced the track "Uh-Huh" for Redman's Malpractice album, and appeared on a track called "Enjoy Da Ride". He also did a track called "Fine Line" for the soundtrack to Method Man and Redman's How High movie. In 2002, Saukrates teamed up with fellow Canadian producer Agile from BrassMunk to produce the track "Heaven", for Nas' album God's Son, and it featured Jully Black.
Canadian hip hop artists have had a hard time getting established south of the border, and Saukrates is no exception. In 1996, he was signed to Warner Bros. Records. Unfortunately for Saukrates, Warner dropped him in 1998, which was one year before his debut album The Underground Tapes was released to critical acclaim on Capitol Hill. By the year 2000, Saukrates reached another big deal with Def Jam and Gilla House Records (owned by Redman). Eventually, Saukrates was dropped by Def Jam because he was no longer considered a priority, however he remained with Gilla House. He appears on two tracks of Redman's latest album Red Gone Wild, released in March 2007. Additionally he appears on the first single from Method Man & Redman's new album, Blackout 2.
He completed a third album, Bad Addiction, in 2004, but has faced difficulty securing widespread release on a major label. In the meantime he has produced material for Big Black Lincoln and R&B singer Andreena Mill. source: wikipedia
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Method Man, Redman ft. Saukrates AYO Official Music Video
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Clifford Smith (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man or Meth is an View Here...
Method Man, Redman ft. Saukrates AYO Official Music VideoClifford Smith (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man or Meth is an View Here...
Too Short ft. Lil Jon Shake That Monkey Official Music Video
Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by his showbiz name Too $hort, is an American rapper who started his career at the age of fourteen in Oakland, California. Too Short has sold about 11 million albums in the US alone with 17 albums released and an average of 600,000 copies per album.
Shaw was born in South Los Angeles, California, and raised in East Oakland, California during his teenage years. In the early 1980s, Short produced custom raps (called "special requests") for people with his high school friend, Freddy B. In 1983, Too Short released his first album, Don't Stop Rappin', on the local label 75 Girls. This and his next three releases featured raw, simple drum beats using a LinnDrum drum machine in the early 1980s, switching to mostly the TR-808 and TR-909 by the mid-to-late 1980s. In 1986, Too Short and Freddie B. founded the Dangerous Music record label to distribute his music regionally. Dangerous Music later changed names to Short Records, and then Up All Nite Records. With his 1988 release, Life Is...Too Short, he began infusing replayed established funk riffs (rather than samples) with his beats.
Subsequent work including Get in Where You Fit In (1993), and Cocktails (1995), dealt with similar issues. He retired from full-time solo rap with the 1996 release of Gettin' It. He later married Erica Escarcega in 2000. Now they reside in their Taos, New Mexico home with their four children.
Subsequent work was primarily collaborative, including work with Diddy, The Notorious B.I.G., Scarface, UGK, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg. One of his noticeable collaborations during this period was on the track "The World Is Filled..." on the classic Notorious B.I.G. album Life After Death; he comes in on the third verse after Diddy & Biggie. Being featured on the album introduced him to a wider audience as well, due to his typical style contrasing greatly with the Mafioso theme of the album. He also appeared on TWDY's hit single "Player's Holiday" from their 1999 debut album Derty Werk as well as the Priority Records compilation Nuthin but a Gangsta Party. After these appearances, he began working on his eleventh album, Can't Stay Away. The album included guest appearances by 8Ball & MJG, Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Sean Combs, E-40, Daz Dillinger, Lil' Jon, Soopafly, Scarface and B-Legit. Too Short relocated to Atlanta in 1994, but he really didn't begin working with a more diverse variety of southern artists until 2000 including Lil Jon. Once 1999's Can't Stay Away was released, Too Short fully came out of retirement and released a number of new albums within the next few years, most of them taking on a crunk or Dirty South type sound, as he had become involved in the Southern Rap scene. However, he didn't totally give up on his trademark funk grooves or sexually explicit style. New albums released 2000-2003 were You Nasty (2000), Chase the Cat (2001), What's My Favorite Word? (2002), and Married to the Game (2003). These albums all charted fairly well, as they all were in the top 71 of the Billboard Hot 200, but they didn't do quite as well as Too Short's earlier 1990s releases as none of them reached the top 10.
In 2004, his earlier 1990 single "The Ghetto" appeared on popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on West Coast hip hop radio station Radio Los Santos.
For his next album, 2006's Blow the Whistle, Too Short now took advantage of the new hyphy rap music that was emerging out of his original home base in Oakland, CA. This saw somewhat of a resurgence for Too Short as it peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 200, much better than each of his previous three releases. However, his subsequent releases, such as 2007's Get Off the Stage, have not been as successful.
On October 7, 2008 Too Short was honored by VH1 at the fifth annual "Hip-Hop Honors" along with Cypress Hill, De La Soul, Slick Rick and Naughty By Nature.
In 2009, Too Short recorded for Daz Dillinger, Lil' Jon, Soopafly, Scarface and B-Legit. source: wikipedia View Here...
Too Short ft. Lil Jon Shake That Monkey Official Music VideoShaw was born in South Los Angeles, California, and raised in East Oakland, California during his teenage years. In the early 1980s, Short produced custom raps (called "special requests") for people with his high school friend, Freddy B. In 1983, Too Short released his first album, Don't Stop Rappin', on the local label 75 Girls. This and his next three releases featured raw, simple drum beats using a LinnDrum drum machine in the early 1980s, switching to mostly the TR-808 and TR-909 by the mid-to-late 1980s. In 1986, Too Short and Freddie B. founded the Dangerous Music record label to distribute his music regionally. Dangerous Music later changed names to Short Records, and then Up All Nite Records. With his 1988 release, Life Is...Too Short, he began infusing replayed established funk riffs (rather than samples) with his beats.
Subsequent work including Get in Where You Fit In (1993), and Cocktails (1995), dealt with similar issues. He retired from full-time solo rap with the 1996 release of Gettin' It. He later married Erica Escarcega in 2000. Now they reside in their Taos, New Mexico home with their four children.
Subsequent work was primarily collaborative, including work with Diddy, The Notorious B.I.G., Scarface, UGK, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg. One of his noticeable collaborations during this period was on the track "The World Is Filled..." on the classic Notorious B.I.G. album Life After Death; he comes in on the third verse after Diddy & Biggie. Being featured on the album introduced him to a wider audience as well, due to his typical style contrasing greatly with the Mafioso theme of the album. He also appeared on TWDY's hit single "Player's Holiday" from their 1999 debut album Derty Werk as well as the Priority Records compilation Nuthin but a Gangsta Party. After these appearances, he began working on his eleventh album, Can't Stay Away. The album included guest appearances by 8Ball & MJG, Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Sean Combs, E-40, Daz Dillinger, Lil' Jon, Soopafly, Scarface and B-Legit. Too Short relocated to Atlanta in 1994, but he really didn't begin working with a more diverse variety of southern artists until 2000 including Lil Jon. Once 1999's Can't Stay Away was released, Too Short fully came out of retirement and released a number of new albums within the next few years, most of them taking on a crunk or Dirty South type sound, as he had become involved in the Southern Rap scene. However, he didn't totally give up on his trademark funk grooves or sexually explicit style. New albums released 2000-2003 were You Nasty (2000), Chase the Cat (2001), What's My Favorite Word? (2002), and Married to the Game (2003). These albums all charted fairly well, as they all were in the top 71 of the Billboard Hot 200, but they didn't do quite as well as Too Short's earlier 1990s releases as none of them reached the top 10.
In 2004, his earlier 1990 single "The Ghetto" appeared on popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on West Coast hip hop radio station Radio Los Santos.
For his next album, 2006's Blow the Whistle, Too Short now took advantage of the new hyphy rap music that was emerging out of his original home base in Oakland, CA. This saw somewhat of a resurgence for Too Short as it peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 200, much better than each of his previous three releases. However, his subsequent releases, such as 2007's Get Off the Stage, have not been as successful.
On October 7, 2008 Too Short was honored by VH1 at the fifth annual "Hip-Hop Honors" along with Cypress Hill, De La Soul, Slick Rick and Naughty By Nature.
In 2009, Too Short recorded for Daz Dillinger, Lil' Jon, Soopafly, Scarface and B-Legit. source: wikipedia View Here...
50 Cent Ne Yo Baby By Me Music Video
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1976), better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003) and The Massacre (2005). Both albums achieved multi-platinum success, selling more than twenty-one million copies combined.
Born in South Jamaica, Queens, 50 Cent began drug dealing at the age of twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic. After leaving drug dealing to pursue a rap career, he was shot at and struck by nine bullets during an incident in 2000. After releasing his album Guess Who's Back? in 2002, 50 Cent was discovered by rapper Eminem and signed to Interscope Records. With the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre—who produced his first major commercial successes—he became one of the world's highest selling rappers. In 2003, he founded the record label G-Unit Records, which signed several successful rappers such as Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo.
50 Cent has engaged in feuds with other rappers including Ja Rule, The Game, Cam'ron, Fat Joe, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross. He has also pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin' in 2005, the Iraq War film Home of the Brave in 2006, and Righteous Kill in 2008. source: wikipedia View Here...
50 Cent Ne Yo Baby By Me Music VideoBorn in South Jamaica, Queens, 50 Cent began drug dealing at the age of twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic. After leaving drug dealing to pursue a rap career, he was shot at and struck by nine bullets during an incident in 2000. After releasing his album Guess Who's Back? in 2002, 50 Cent was discovered by rapper Eminem and signed to Interscope Records. With the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre—who produced his first major commercial successes—he became one of the world's highest selling rappers. In 2003, he founded the record label G-Unit Records, which signed several successful rappers such as Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo.
50 Cent has engaged in feuds with other rappers including Ja Rule, The Game, Cam'ron, Fat Joe, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross. He has also pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin' in 2005, the Iraq War film Home of the Brave in 2006, and Righteous Kill in 2008. source: wikipedia View Here...
Mary J Blige ft. Drake I'm The One Music Video
Mary Jane Blige (born January 11, 1971), more commonly known as Mary J. Blige, is an American recording artist, record producer and actress. She has sold more than forty eight million albums worldwide. She has received over twenty-six Grammy Award nominations for her work, winning ten, and has been awarded the World Music Legends Award for combining hip hop and soul together. Blige's vocal range registers from alto to mezzo-soprano, but mostly performs in the mezzo-soprano range. Blige cites Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan as three of the most influential vocalists in her life.
Blige was born on January 11, 1971, in The Bronx, New York. She is the second of four children born to parents Cora, a nurse, and Thomas Blige, a jazz musician. Blige was taught to sing by her father, who would beat her mother. When Blige was four, her father abandoned the family. Blige spent her early years in Savannah, Georgia, where she sang in a Pentecostal church. She later moved to Schlobohm Houses in Yonkers, New York, where she lived with her mother, older sister, five cousins and two aunts. At the age of five, Blige was sexually abused by a family friend. She dropped out of school in eleventh grade. When she was 17, Blige recorded an impromptu cover of Anita Baker's "Caught Up In the Rapture" at a recording booth in a local mall. Her mother's boyfriend at the time later played the cassette for Jeff Redd, a recording artist and A&R runner for Uptown Records. Redd then sent it to the president and CEO of the label, Andre Harrell. Harrell met with Blige and, in 1989, she was signed to the label; becoming the company's youngest and first female artist.
Upon signing to Uptown, Blige's early years there were dormant, as the label continued to focus most of its attention on its more established acts. During this time, Blige occasionally did session work as a background singer for her label mates. In 1990, she was introduced as a background singer for Redd, during a performance at the Apollo Theatre. The same year she also sang the hook on "I'll Do 4 U" by rapper and label mate Father MC, appearing in the concert-themed music video of the same name; In 1991, she was spotted on the syndicated show, Showtime at the Apollo, singing back up for Jeff Redd. In early Fall of 1992, Blige guest spotted with Grand Puba with his single, Check It Out. Blige's first national debut appearance was in the summer of 1992 when she appeared on MTV. source: wikipedia View Here...
Mary J Blige ft. Drake I'm The One Music VideoBlige was born on January 11, 1971, in The Bronx, New York. She is the second of four children born to parents Cora, a nurse, and Thomas Blige, a jazz musician. Blige was taught to sing by her father, who would beat her mother. When Blige was four, her father abandoned the family. Blige spent her early years in Savannah, Georgia, where she sang in a Pentecostal church. She later moved to Schlobohm Houses in Yonkers, New York, where she lived with her mother, older sister, five cousins and two aunts. At the age of five, Blige was sexually abused by a family friend. She dropped out of school in eleventh grade. When she was 17, Blige recorded an impromptu cover of Anita Baker's "Caught Up In the Rapture" at a recording booth in a local mall. Her mother's boyfriend at the time later played the cassette for Jeff Redd, a recording artist and A&R runner for Uptown Records. Redd then sent it to the president and CEO of the label, Andre Harrell. Harrell met with Blige and, in 1989, she was signed to the label; becoming the company's youngest and first female artist.
Upon signing to Uptown, Blige's early years there were dormant, as the label continued to focus most of its attention on its more established acts. During this time, Blige occasionally did session work as a background singer for her label mates. In 1990, she was introduced as a background singer for Redd, during a performance at the Apollo Theatre. The same year she also sang the hook on "I'll Do 4 U" by rapper and label mate Father MC, appearing in the concert-themed music video of the same name; In 1991, she was spotted on the syndicated show, Showtime at the Apollo, singing back up for Jeff Redd. In early Fall of 1992, Blige guest spotted with Grand Puba with his single, Check It Out. Blige's first national debut appearance was in the summer of 1992 when she appeared on MTV. source: wikipedia View Here...
Lil' Kim ft.T-Pain Download Official Music Video
Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1975), better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and singer who was part of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A.
Jones was born and raised in Brooklyn and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. From the influence of fellow rapper The Notorious B.I.G., she began her music career in 1995 with the group Junior M.A.F.I.A., whose debut album Conspiracy generated three hit singles. In late 1996, her solo debut album Hard Core was released. Hard Core was certified double platinum and spawned chart-topping hits "No Time" and "Crush on You". Her following albums, The Notorious K.I.M. (2000) and La Bella Mafia (2003), were also largely successful.
In 2005, Lil' Kim served a yearlong prison sentence for lying to a jury about her friends' involvement in a shooting four years earlier. During her incarceration, her fourth album The Naked Truth was released to poor sales and modestly charting singles. Lil' Kim returned to the public spotlight in 2009 with an appearance on Dancing with the Stars. source: wikipedia View Here...
Lil' Kim ft.T-Pain Download Official Music VideoJones was born and raised in Brooklyn and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. From the influence of fellow rapper The Notorious B.I.G., she began her music career in 1995 with the group Junior M.A.F.I.A., whose debut album Conspiracy generated three hit singles. In late 1996, her solo debut album Hard Core was released. Hard Core was certified double platinum and spawned chart-topping hits "No Time" and "Crush on You". Her following albums, The Notorious K.I.M. (2000) and La Bella Mafia (2003), were also largely successful.
In 2005, Lil' Kim served a yearlong prison sentence for lying to a jury about her friends' involvement in a shooting four years earlier. During her incarceration, her fourth album The Naked Truth was released to poor sales and modestly charting singles. Lil' Kim returned to the public spotlight in 2009 with an appearance on Dancing with the Stars. source: wikipedia View Here...
Chris Brown Changed Man Music Video
Christopher Maurice "Chris" Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American recording artist and actor. He made his recording debut in late 2005 with the self-titled album Chris Brown at the age of 16. The album featured the hit single "Run It!", which topped the Billboard Hot 100, making Brown the first male artist to have his debut single top the chart. The album has sold over two million copies in the United States and was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Brown's second studio album, Exclusive was released worldwide in November 2007. It spawned two successful singles; his second U.S. number one hit, "Kiss Kiss" featuring T-Pain and "With You", which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Brown has released a deluxe version of his album called the The Forever Edition. The first single from it, "Forever", was released in May 2008 and reached number two on Billboard Hot 100. Exclusive has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.
In addition to his solo commercial success, Brown has been featured on several hits such as "No Air", a duet with singer Jordin Sparks, "Shortie like Mine" with the rapper Bow Wow and "Shawty Get Loose" alongside Lil Mama and T-Pain. The songs have peaked on number three, number nine and number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively. Due to his dance routines, Brown has been compared to renowned R&B artists such as Usher and Michael Jackson, citing both as large influences on his music. In 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault for his involvement in an altercation with singer Rihanna, and was sentenced to five years probation and six months of community service. source: wikipedia View Here...
Chris Brown Changed Man Music VideoBrown's second studio album, Exclusive was released worldwide in November 2007. It spawned two successful singles; his second U.S. number one hit, "Kiss Kiss" featuring T-Pain and "With You", which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Brown has released a deluxe version of his album called the The Forever Edition. The first single from it, "Forever", was released in May 2008 and reached number two on Billboard Hot 100. Exclusive has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.
In addition to his solo commercial success, Brown has been featured on several hits such as "No Air", a duet with singer Jordin Sparks, "Shortie like Mine" with the rapper Bow Wow and "Shawty Get Loose" alongside Lil Mama and T-Pain. The songs have peaked on number three, number nine and number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively. Due to his dance routines, Brown has been compared to renowned R&B artists such as Usher and Michael Jackson, citing both as large influences on his music. In 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault for his involvement in an altercation with singer Rihanna, and was sentenced to five years probation and six months of community service. source: wikipedia View Here...
Kanye West Heartless Official Music Video
Kanye Omari West (born June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, record producer, author, and singer. He released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, and his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008. His first three albums (and his fourth to a lesser extent) have received numerous awards and critical acclaim. All have been very commercially successful, with 808s & Heartbreak becoming his third consecutive #1 album in the U.S. upon release. West also runs his own record label GOOD Music. West's mascot and trademark is "Dropout Bear," a teddy bear which has appeared on the covers of three of his four albums as well as various single covers and music videos.
West gained fame by producing for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album, The Blueprint as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Janet Jackson. His style of production originally utilized pitched-up vocal samples from soul songs incorporated with his own drums and instruments. However, subsequent albums saw him broadening his musical palette and expressing influences ranging from '70s R&B, to synth-pop, and classical music.
About.com ranked Kanye West #8 on their "Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers" list. On May 16, 2008, Kanye West was crowned by MTV as the year's #1 "Hottest MC in the Game."
Life and career
Kanye West was born in Atlanta, Georgia, where he lived with both of his parents. When he was three years old, his parents divorced, and he and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois. His father was Ray West, a former Black Panther who was one of the first black photojournalists at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and is now a Christian counselor. West's mother, Dr. Donda West, was a Professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, and the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University before retiring to serve as West's manager. He was raised in a middle-class background, attending Polaris High School in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois after living in Chicago.
West took some art classes at the American Academy of Art, a Chicago art school, and also enrolled at Chicago State University, but dropped out due to poor grades and a primary interest in working on his music career. While attending school, West produced for local artists. He later gained fame by producing hit singles for major hip hop/R&B artists, including Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Cam'ron, Paul Wall, Common, Mobb Deep, Jermaine Dupri, Scarface, The Game, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, John Legend among others. He also "ghost-produced" for his mentor Deric Angelettie, according to his song "Last Call" and the credits of Nas' "Poppa Was a Playa".
Early career
West’s sound is featured heavily on Jay-Z's critically acclaimed album The Blueprint, released on September 11, 2001.[15] His work was featured on the lead single "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" and a diss track against Nas and Mobb Deep named "Takeover"; West has worked with Mobb Deep and Nas since the track's release.[15] West soon became a major name in hip hop production following the release of the album, but struggled to find a way to get a record deal. Jay-Z admitted that Roc-A-Fella was initially reluctant to support West as a rapper, claiming that he saw him as a producer first and foremost. Multiple record companies pushed him aside because he was not the stereotypical hip hop artist. Companies felt he was not as marketable as rappers who portray the "street image" prominent in hip hop culture.
The College Dropout (2002–2004)
On October 23, 2002, West was involved in a near fatal car crash while driving home from the recording studio. The crash provided inspiration for West's first single, "Through the Wire". West's faith is apparent in many of his songs, such as "Jesus Walks", which became a staple at his benefit performances, such as the Live 8 concert. These songs were featured on West's debut album, The College Dropout, which was released on Roc-A-Fella Records in February 2004, and went on to receive critical acclaim. The album also defined the style for which West would become known, including wordplay and sampling. The album was eventually certified triple platinum. Guest appearances included Jay-Z, Ludacris, GLC, Consequence, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Common, and Syleena Johnson. The album also featured the singles, "All Falls Down" and "The New Workout Plan", as well as Twista's number one single, "Slow Jamz". During 2003 West also co-produced songs for British singer Javine Hylton, even appearing in the music video to Real Things playing the love interest of Javine.
West was involved in a financial dispute over Royce Da 5'9"'s song "Heartbeat", produced by West and released on Build & Destroy: The Lost Sessions. West maintains that Royce never paid for the beat, but recorded to it and released it; hearing him on the beat, the original customers decided not to buy it from West. After the disagreement, West vowed to never work with Royce again. Other Kanye West-produced hit singles during the period The College Dropout was released included "I Changed My Mind" by Keyshia Cole, "Overnight Celebrity" by Twista and "Talk About Our Love" by Brandy.
Late Registration (2005)
West and Jamie Foxx performing "Gold Digger" at the Democratic Convention in Denver, ColoradoTaking a more eclectic route, West collaborated with American film score composer Jon Brion to construct his second album, Late Registration, which was released on August 30, 2005. Like its predecessor, the sophomore effort garnered universal acclaim from music critics. Late Registration topped countless critic polls and was revered as the best album of the year by numerous publications, including USA Today, Spin, and Time. Rolling Stone awarded the album the highest position on their end of the year record list and hailed it as a "sweepingly generous, absurdly virtuosic hip-hop classic."[ The record earned the number one spot on the Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll of 2005 for the second consecutive year. Late Registration was also a commercial success, selling over 860,000 copies in its first week alone and topping the Billboard 200. Grossing over 2.3 million units sold in the United States alone by year's end, Late Registration was considered by industry observers as the sole majorly successful album release of the fall of 2005, a season that was plagued by steadily declining CD sales. The sophomore album earned eight Grammy Award nominations including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for the song "Gold Digger". The album is certified triple platinum.
On August 22, 2005, the MTV special All Eyes On Kanye West aired, in which West spoke out against homophobia in hip-hop. He claimed that hip-hop has always been about "speaking your mind and about breaking down barriers, but everyone in hip-hop discriminates against gay people." He then reflected on a personal experience. He said that he had a "turning point" when he realized one of his cousins was gay. He said regarding this experience: "This is my cousin. I love him and I've been discriminating against gays." He drew comparison between African Americans' struggle for civil rights and today's gay rights movement. The following year, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, West further expounded his experiences with and views on the relationship between the black and gay communities.
On September 2, 2005, during a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief on NBC, A Concert for Hurricane Relief, West was a featured speaker. Controversy arose when West was presenting, as he deviated from the prepared script. The actor Mike Myers, with whom West was paired to present, spoke next and continued to read the script. Once it was West's turn to speak again, he said "George Bush doesn't care about black people." At this point, telethon producer Rick Kaplan cut off the microphone and then cut away to Chris Tucker, who was unaware of the cut for a few seconds. Still, West's comment reached much of the United States.
In September 2005, West announced that he would release his Pastelle Clothing line in spring 2006: "Now that I have a Grammy under my belt and Late Registration is finished, I am ready to launch my clothing line next spring." The current status of this project is unknown. In that year, West produced the hit singles "Go" by Common and "Dreams" by The Game.
Awards and controversy (2006)
West at the Nokia Theatre, New York City in August 2006In January 2006, West again sparked controversy when he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in the image of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns.[38] In 2006 he told Playboy, "I throw up historical subjects in a way that makes kids want to learn about them," West claimed, "I'm definitely in the history books already."
After the 2006 Grammy nominations were released, West said he would "really have a problem" if he didn't win the Album of the Year because of the comments, saying "I don't care what I do, I don't care how much I stunt — you can never take away from the amount of work I put into it. I don't want to hear all of that politically correct stuff." West won several Grammy awards, including Best Rap Album, but did not win the Album of the Year Award. The award instead went to U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Coincidentally, in November 2006, West was the opening act for U2 during the fifth leg of their Vertigo Tour in Australia and New Zealand.
On August 5, 2006, West headlined the second day of the Lollapalooza music festival in his hometown of Chicago. Later that month, People magazine reported that West became engaged to his girlfriend Alexis while spending two weeks overseas with her.
On November 2, 2006, when "Touch the Sky" failed to win Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards, West went onto the stage as the award was being presented to Justice and Simian for "We Are Your Friends" and argued that he should have won the award instead.[43][44] Hundreds of news outlets worldwide criticized the outburst. On November 7, 2006, West apologized for this outburst publicly during his performance as support act for U2 for their Vertigo concert in Brisbane, Australia. He later spoofed the incident in the season premiere of Saturday Night Live's 33rd season (hosted by basketball player LeBron James) in a sketch where West appears on BET's 106th and Park St. and shows several instances of West at award shows (and backstage at SNL's Studio 8H) ranting about how he should have won (or in the case of the SNL incident, how he should have been chosen to host the episode).
In December 2006, Robert "Evel" Knievel sued West for trademark infringement in West's video for "Touch the Sky." Knievel took issue with a "sexually-charged video" in which West takes on the persona of "Evel Kanyevel" and attempts flying a rocket over a canyon. The suit filed in federal court claims infringement on his trademarked name and likeness. Knievel also claims the "vulgar and offensive" images depicted in the video damage his reputation. The suit seeks damages and to stop distribution of the video. Knievel eventually settled the suit in November 2007, just days before his death.
Graduation (2007)
Billy Dec with WestIn 2007, it was announced that West would be starring in a series directed by Larry Charles. He has been working on the pilot episode for the past two years with Larry Charles and Rick Rubin. He also had this to say on January 14: "I wouldn't do something as cliché as a reality show. At least give me the credit for being more creative than that. It's a situational half-hour comedy. It's fictional, and loosely based on my life. " West also collaborated with Japanese hip-hop group Teriyaki Boyz to produce the single "I Still Love H.E.R.," a reference to Common's 1994 single "I Used to Love H.E.R.". Further to this, during a radio appearance in early 2007, West, like many of his peers, recorded an impromptu freestyle to the popular song "Throw Some D's." West's version became extremely popular because of the different stance he took. The song that to all other rappers was about automobile rims, was used by West to comically refer to D-cup breasts. Because of the unexpected success of the song, West went on to make a video for the freestyle, in which he is seen playing his 'Old Ass Cousin'.
West was also featured in a new song called "Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been)". It was believed to be a single for, Graduation, because he is featured on the track, but Nike quickly explained that it was for the Nike Air Force 1's anniversary. It was meant only to be an exclusive track for the company.
On March 25, 2007, he and his father Ray West supported World Water Day by having a "Walk for Water" rally. After a two-year break, West has returned to being a fashion columnist in lifestyle magazine Complex. On July 7, 2007, West performed with The Police and John Mayer at the American leg of Live Earth. West hosted the August 17 edition of British comedy-variety show The Friday Night Project. In May 2007, West split from long-time model girlfriend Alexis Rainey.
In July 2007, West changed the release date of Graduation, his third album, from September 18, 2007, to the same release date as 50 Cent's album Curtis, September 11, 2007. 50 Cent later claimed that if Graduation were to sell more records than Curtis, he would stop releasing solo albums. However, 50 Cent would later dispel his comments. The album has been certified double platinum. Guest appearances included T-Pain, Mos Def, & Lil Wayne.
“ When I heard that thing about the debate, I thought that was the stupidest thing. When my albums drops and 50's album drops, you're gonna get a lot of good music at the same time. ”
On August 26, 2007, West appeared as himself on the HBO television show Entourage which he used as a platform to premier his new single "Good Life" during the end credits. In September 2007, West suggested that his race had to do with his being overlooked for opening the MTV Video Music Awards in favor of Britney Spears; he claimed, "Maybe my skin’s not right." On September 9, 2007, West performed at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. On that night, he lost all 5 awards that he was nominated for, including Best Male Artist and Video of the Year. After the show, he was visibly upset that he had lost at the VMAs 2 years in a row, stating that he would not come back to MTV ever again. He also appeared on several radio stations saying that when he made the song "Stronger" that it was his dream to open the VMAs with it. He has also stated that Britney Spears hasn't had a hit in a long period of time and that MTV exploited her for ratings.
Following the MTV stint, West was nominated in 8 Grammy Award categories for the 50th annual Grammy Awards. He won four of them, including Best Rap Album for Graduation and Best Rap Solo Performance for "Stronger" from Graduation. During the four-hour televised Grammy Awards ceremony, West also performed two songs: "Stronger" (with Daft Punk) and "Hey Mama" (in honor of his recently deceased mother).
Glow in the Dark Tour, 808s & Heartbreak, and VMA controversy (2008–present)
West performing at the United Center in Chicago
West performing in 2008Kanye West and designer Alexis Phifer ended their 18-month engagement in 2008. The couple had been dating on and off since 2002, with West eventually proposing in August 2006. According to a friend, the couple's relationship had been straining, significantly influenced by the sheer amount of time and attention West was dedicating to his current concert tour. "It's always sad when things like this end, and we remain friends," Phifer told People.
On April 16, West kicked off the Glow In The Dark Tour in Seattle at the Key Arena. The tour was originally scheduled to end in June in Cincinnati but was extended into August. Over the course of the tour West was joined by a varying group of opening acts, including Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, N.E.R.D., DJ Craze, and Gnarls Barkley.
On June 15, West was scheduled to perform a late night set at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. His performance started almost two hours late and ran for half of its alloted time, angering many fans in the audience. West later wrote an outraged entry on his blog, blaming the festival organizers as well as Pearl Jam's preceding set, which ran longer than expected.
On September 7, West debuted a new song "Love Lockdown" at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. "Love Lockdown" features no rapping and only singing using an auto-tune device. This song appears on West's fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. The new album was expected to be released on December 16, but West announced on his blog on September 24, 2008, that he had finished the album and would be releasing it sometime in November, earlier than previously scheduled. In early October, West made a surprise appearance at a T.I. concert in Los Angeles, where he stated that 808s & Heartbreak was scheduled to be released on November 25, though it was actually released on the 24th, and that the second single is "Heartless". The album was another number one album for West, even though the first week numbers fell well short of Graduation with 450,145 sold.
On September 11, 2008, West and his road manager/bodyguard Don Crowley were arrested at Los Angeles International Airport and booked on charges of felony vandalism after an altercation with the paparazzi in which West and Crowley broke the photographers' cameras. West was later released from the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Division station in Culver City on $20,000 bail bond. On September 26, 2008 the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said it would not file felony counts against West over the incident. Instead the case file was forwarded to the city attorney's office who charged West with one count of misdemeanor vandalism, one count of grand theft and one count of battery and his manager with three counts of each on March 18, 2009. West and Crowley are expected to be arraigned on April 14, 2009. West was arrested again on November 14, 2008 at a hotel near Gateshead after another scuffle involving a photographer outside a nightclub in Newcastle Upon Tyne. He was later released "with no further action", according to a police spokesperson.
On November 23, West performed at the American Music Awards ceremony along with Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Leona Lewis, and others. That same night he won two AMA awards, including Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album for Graduation and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Male Artist. Kanye West performed at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August 2008, along with Wyclef Jean and N.E.R.D. in support of Barack Obama. On January 20, 2009, Kanye West performed at the Youth Inaugural Ball hosted by MTV for President-elect Obama's inauguration.
On February 17, 2009, West was named one of Top 10 Most Stylish Men in America by GQ Magazine.
On February 18, 2009, West won International Male Solo Artist at The Brit Awards 2009. West was not in attendance but accepted his award with a video speech, saying "Barack is the 'Best Interracial Male' but I'm proud to be the Best International Male in the world.
In April 2009, Kanye West recorded a song called "Hurricane" with 30 Seconds to Mars, and it will release on the third album of the band This Is War.
On September 13, 2009, during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA's), while Taylor Swift was accepting her award for Best Female Video, West went on stage and grabbed the microphone to proclaim that Beyoncé's video for "Single Ladies", nominated for the same award, was "one of the best videos of all time". This caused a negative reaction from the crowd; West handed the microphone back to a stunned and reportedly upset Swift, who did not finish her acceptance speech. He was subsequently removed from the remainder of the show for his actions. When Beyoncé later won the award for Best Video of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", she called Swift up on stage so that she could finish her acceptance speech. West was criticized by various celebrities for the outburst, and by President Obama, who pronounced West a "jackass" in an "off the record" comment. West posted two apologies on his blog, one the night of the incident and the other the same day he appeared on The Jay Leno Show, on September 14, 2009, where he apologized again. After Swift appeared on The View two days after the outburst, partly to discuss the matter, West called her to apologize personally. Swift said she accepted his apology.
In fall 2009, West is set to make his very first animated television guest appearance, on Fox's new animated television series, The Cleveland Show (a spin-off of Family Guy). West is set to voice "Kenny West", a rival of Cleveland Brown's son. The producers stated working with West was a very good experience and a reason they chose him was because they knew he was a fan of Family Guy. source: wikipedia View Here...
Kanye West Heartless Official Music VideoWest gained fame by producing for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album, The Blueprint as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Janet Jackson. His style of production originally utilized pitched-up vocal samples from soul songs incorporated with his own drums and instruments. However, subsequent albums saw him broadening his musical palette and expressing influences ranging from '70s R&B, to synth-pop, and classical music.
About.com ranked Kanye West #8 on their "Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers" list. On May 16, 2008, Kanye West was crowned by MTV as the year's #1 "Hottest MC in the Game."
Life and career
Kanye West was born in Atlanta, Georgia, where he lived with both of his parents. When he was three years old, his parents divorced, and he and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois. His father was Ray West, a former Black Panther who was one of the first black photojournalists at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and is now a Christian counselor. West's mother, Dr. Donda West, was a Professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, and the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University before retiring to serve as West's manager. He was raised in a middle-class background, attending Polaris High School in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois after living in Chicago.
West took some art classes at the American Academy of Art, a Chicago art school, and also enrolled at Chicago State University, but dropped out due to poor grades and a primary interest in working on his music career. While attending school, West produced for local artists. He later gained fame by producing hit singles for major hip hop/R&B artists, including Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Cam'ron, Paul Wall, Common, Mobb Deep, Jermaine Dupri, Scarface, The Game, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, John Legend among others. He also "ghost-produced" for his mentor Deric Angelettie, according to his song "Last Call" and the credits of Nas' "Poppa Was a Playa".
Early career
West’s sound is featured heavily on Jay-Z's critically acclaimed album The Blueprint, released on September 11, 2001.[15] His work was featured on the lead single "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" and a diss track against Nas and Mobb Deep named "Takeover"; West has worked with Mobb Deep and Nas since the track's release.[15] West soon became a major name in hip hop production following the release of the album, but struggled to find a way to get a record deal. Jay-Z admitted that Roc-A-Fella was initially reluctant to support West as a rapper, claiming that he saw him as a producer first and foremost. Multiple record companies pushed him aside because he was not the stereotypical hip hop artist. Companies felt he was not as marketable as rappers who portray the "street image" prominent in hip hop culture.
The College Dropout (2002–2004)
On October 23, 2002, West was involved in a near fatal car crash while driving home from the recording studio. The crash provided inspiration for West's first single, "Through the Wire". West's faith is apparent in many of his songs, such as "Jesus Walks", which became a staple at his benefit performances, such as the Live 8 concert. These songs were featured on West's debut album, The College Dropout, which was released on Roc-A-Fella Records in February 2004, and went on to receive critical acclaim. The album also defined the style for which West would become known, including wordplay and sampling. The album was eventually certified triple platinum. Guest appearances included Jay-Z, Ludacris, GLC, Consequence, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Common, and Syleena Johnson. The album also featured the singles, "All Falls Down" and "The New Workout Plan", as well as Twista's number one single, "Slow Jamz". During 2003 West also co-produced songs for British singer Javine Hylton, even appearing in the music video to Real Things playing the love interest of Javine.
West was involved in a financial dispute over Royce Da 5'9"'s song "Heartbeat", produced by West and released on Build & Destroy: The Lost Sessions. West maintains that Royce never paid for the beat, but recorded to it and released it; hearing him on the beat, the original customers decided not to buy it from West. After the disagreement, West vowed to never work with Royce again. Other Kanye West-produced hit singles during the period The College Dropout was released included "I Changed My Mind" by Keyshia Cole, "Overnight Celebrity" by Twista and "Talk About Our Love" by Brandy.
Late Registration (2005)
West and Jamie Foxx performing "Gold Digger" at the Democratic Convention in Denver, ColoradoTaking a more eclectic route, West collaborated with American film score composer Jon Brion to construct his second album, Late Registration, which was released on August 30, 2005. Like its predecessor, the sophomore effort garnered universal acclaim from music critics. Late Registration topped countless critic polls and was revered as the best album of the year by numerous publications, including USA Today, Spin, and Time. Rolling Stone awarded the album the highest position on their end of the year record list and hailed it as a "sweepingly generous, absurdly virtuosic hip-hop classic."[ The record earned the number one spot on the Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll of 2005 for the second consecutive year. Late Registration was also a commercial success, selling over 860,000 copies in its first week alone and topping the Billboard 200. Grossing over 2.3 million units sold in the United States alone by year's end, Late Registration was considered by industry observers as the sole majorly successful album release of the fall of 2005, a season that was plagued by steadily declining CD sales. The sophomore album earned eight Grammy Award nominations including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for the song "Gold Digger". The album is certified triple platinum.
On August 22, 2005, the MTV special All Eyes On Kanye West aired, in which West spoke out against homophobia in hip-hop. He claimed that hip-hop has always been about "speaking your mind and about breaking down barriers, but everyone in hip-hop discriminates against gay people." He then reflected on a personal experience. He said that he had a "turning point" when he realized one of his cousins was gay. He said regarding this experience: "This is my cousin. I love him and I've been discriminating against gays." He drew comparison between African Americans' struggle for civil rights and today's gay rights movement. The following year, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, West further expounded his experiences with and views on the relationship between the black and gay communities.
On September 2, 2005, during a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief on NBC, A Concert for Hurricane Relief, West was a featured speaker. Controversy arose when West was presenting, as he deviated from the prepared script. The actor Mike Myers, with whom West was paired to present, spoke next and continued to read the script. Once it was West's turn to speak again, he said "George Bush doesn't care about black people." At this point, telethon producer Rick Kaplan cut off the microphone and then cut away to Chris Tucker, who was unaware of the cut for a few seconds. Still, West's comment reached much of the United States.
In September 2005, West announced that he would release his Pastelle Clothing line in spring 2006: "Now that I have a Grammy under my belt and Late Registration is finished, I am ready to launch my clothing line next spring." The current status of this project is unknown. In that year, West produced the hit singles "Go" by Common and "Dreams" by The Game.
Awards and controversy (2006)
West at the Nokia Theatre, New York City in August 2006In January 2006, West again sparked controversy when he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in the image of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns.[38] In 2006 he told Playboy, "I throw up historical subjects in a way that makes kids want to learn about them," West claimed, "I'm definitely in the history books already."
After the 2006 Grammy nominations were released, West said he would "really have a problem" if he didn't win the Album of the Year because of the comments, saying "I don't care what I do, I don't care how much I stunt — you can never take away from the amount of work I put into it. I don't want to hear all of that politically correct stuff." West won several Grammy awards, including Best Rap Album, but did not win the Album of the Year Award. The award instead went to U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Coincidentally, in November 2006, West was the opening act for U2 during the fifth leg of their Vertigo Tour in Australia and New Zealand.
On August 5, 2006, West headlined the second day of the Lollapalooza music festival in his hometown of Chicago. Later that month, People magazine reported that West became engaged to his girlfriend Alexis while spending two weeks overseas with her.
On November 2, 2006, when "Touch the Sky" failed to win Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards, West went onto the stage as the award was being presented to Justice and Simian for "We Are Your Friends" and argued that he should have won the award instead.[43][44] Hundreds of news outlets worldwide criticized the outburst. On November 7, 2006, West apologized for this outburst publicly during his performance as support act for U2 for their Vertigo concert in Brisbane, Australia. He later spoofed the incident in the season premiere of Saturday Night Live's 33rd season (hosted by basketball player LeBron James) in a sketch where West appears on BET's 106th and Park St. and shows several instances of West at award shows (and backstage at SNL's Studio 8H) ranting about how he should have won (or in the case of the SNL incident, how he should have been chosen to host the episode).
In December 2006, Robert "Evel" Knievel sued West for trademark infringement in West's video for "Touch the Sky." Knievel took issue with a "sexually-charged video" in which West takes on the persona of "Evel Kanyevel" and attempts flying a rocket over a canyon. The suit filed in federal court claims infringement on his trademarked name and likeness. Knievel also claims the "vulgar and offensive" images depicted in the video damage his reputation. The suit seeks damages and to stop distribution of the video. Knievel eventually settled the suit in November 2007, just days before his death.
Graduation (2007)
Billy Dec with WestIn 2007, it was announced that West would be starring in a series directed by Larry Charles. He has been working on the pilot episode for the past two years with Larry Charles and Rick Rubin. He also had this to say on January 14: "I wouldn't do something as cliché as a reality show. At least give me the credit for being more creative than that. It's a situational half-hour comedy. It's fictional, and loosely based on my life. " West also collaborated with Japanese hip-hop group Teriyaki Boyz to produce the single "I Still Love H.E.R.," a reference to Common's 1994 single "I Used to Love H.E.R.". Further to this, during a radio appearance in early 2007, West, like many of his peers, recorded an impromptu freestyle to the popular song "Throw Some D's." West's version became extremely popular because of the different stance he took. The song that to all other rappers was about automobile rims, was used by West to comically refer to D-cup breasts. Because of the unexpected success of the song, West went on to make a video for the freestyle, in which he is seen playing his 'Old Ass Cousin'.
West was also featured in a new song called "Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been)". It was believed to be a single for, Graduation, because he is featured on the track, but Nike quickly explained that it was for the Nike Air Force 1's anniversary. It was meant only to be an exclusive track for the company.
On March 25, 2007, he and his father Ray West supported World Water Day by having a "Walk for Water" rally. After a two-year break, West has returned to being a fashion columnist in lifestyle magazine Complex. On July 7, 2007, West performed with The Police and John Mayer at the American leg of Live Earth. West hosted the August 17 edition of British comedy-variety show The Friday Night Project. In May 2007, West split from long-time model girlfriend Alexis Rainey.
In July 2007, West changed the release date of Graduation, his third album, from September 18, 2007, to the same release date as 50 Cent's album Curtis, September 11, 2007. 50 Cent later claimed that if Graduation were to sell more records than Curtis, he would stop releasing solo albums. However, 50 Cent would later dispel his comments. The album has been certified double platinum. Guest appearances included T-Pain, Mos Def, & Lil Wayne.
“ When I heard that thing about the debate, I thought that was the stupidest thing. When my albums drops and 50's album drops, you're gonna get a lot of good music at the same time. ”
On August 26, 2007, West appeared as himself on the HBO television show Entourage which he used as a platform to premier his new single "Good Life" during the end credits. In September 2007, West suggested that his race had to do with his being overlooked for opening the MTV Video Music Awards in favor of Britney Spears; he claimed, "Maybe my skin’s not right." On September 9, 2007, West performed at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. On that night, he lost all 5 awards that he was nominated for, including Best Male Artist and Video of the Year. After the show, he was visibly upset that he had lost at the VMAs 2 years in a row, stating that he would not come back to MTV ever again. He also appeared on several radio stations saying that when he made the song "Stronger" that it was his dream to open the VMAs with it. He has also stated that Britney Spears hasn't had a hit in a long period of time and that MTV exploited her for ratings.
Following the MTV stint, West was nominated in 8 Grammy Award categories for the 50th annual Grammy Awards. He won four of them, including Best Rap Album for Graduation and Best Rap Solo Performance for "Stronger" from Graduation. During the four-hour televised Grammy Awards ceremony, West also performed two songs: "Stronger" (with Daft Punk) and "Hey Mama" (in honor of his recently deceased mother).
Glow in the Dark Tour, 808s & Heartbreak, and VMA controversy (2008–present)
West performing at the United Center in Chicago
West performing in 2008Kanye West and designer Alexis Phifer ended their 18-month engagement in 2008. The couple had been dating on and off since 2002, with West eventually proposing in August 2006. According to a friend, the couple's relationship had been straining, significantly influenced by the sheer amount of time and attention West was dedicating to his current concert tour. "It's always sad when things like this end, and we remain friends," Phifer told People.
On April 16, West kicked off the Glow In The Dark Tour in Seattle at the Key Arena. The tour was originally scheduled to end in June in Cincinnati but was extended into August. Over the course of the tour West was joined by a varying group of opening acts, including Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, N.E.R.D., DJ Craze, and Gnarls Barkley.
On June 15, West was scheduled to perform a late night set at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. His performance started almost two hours late and ran for half of its alloted time, angering many fans in the audience. West later wrote an outraged entry on his blog, blaming the festival organizers as well as Pearl Jam's preceding set, which ran longer than expected.
On September 7, West debuted a new song "Love Lockdown" at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. "Love Lockdown" features no rapping and only singing using an auto-tune device. This song appears on West's fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. The new album was expected to be released on December 16, but West announced on his blog on September 24, 2008, that he had finished the album and would be releasing it sometime in November, earlier than previously scheduled. In early October, West made a surprise appearance at a T.I. concert in Los Angeles, where he stated that 808s & Heartbreak was scheduled to be released on November 25, though it was actually released on the 24th, and that the second single is "Heartless". The album was another number one album for West, even though the first week numbers fell well short of Graduation with 450,145 sold.
On September 11, 2008, West and his road manager/bodyguard Don Crowley were arrested at Los Angeles International Airport and booked on charges of felony vandalism after an altercation with the paparazzi in which West and Crowley broke the photographers' cameras. West was later released from the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Division station in Culver City on $20,000 bail bond. On September 26, 2008 the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said it would not file felony counts against West over the incident. Instead the case file was forwarded to the city attorney's office who charged West with one count of misdemeanor vandalism, one count of grand theft and one count of battery and his manager with three counts of each on March 18, 2009. West and Crowley are expected to be arraigned on April 14, 2009. West was arrested again on November 14, 2008 at a hotel near Gateshead after another scuffle involving a photographer outside a nightclub in Newcastle Upon Tyne. He was later released "with no further action", according to a police spokesperson.
On November 23, West performed at the American Music Awards ceremony along with Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Leona Lewis, and others. That same night he won two AMA awards, including Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album for Graduation and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Male Artist. Kanye West performed at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August 2008, along with Wyclef Jean and N.E.R.D. in support of Barack Obama. On January 20, 2009, Kanye West performed at the Youth Inaugural Ball hosted by MTV for President-elect Obama's inauguration.
On February 17, 2009, West was named one of Top 10 Most Stylish Men in America by GQ Magazine.
On February 18, 2009, West won International Male Solo Artist at The Brit Awards 2009. West was not in attendance but accepted his award with a video speech, saying "Barack is the 'Best Interracial Male' but I'm proud to be the Best International Male in the world.
In April 2009, Kanye West recorded a song called "Hurricane" with 30 Seconds to Mars, and it will release on the third album of the band This Is War.
On September 13, 2009, during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA's), while Taylor Swift was accepting her award for Best Female Video, West went on stage and grabbed the microphone to proclaim that Beyoncé's video for "Single Ladies", nominated for the same award, was "one of the best videos of all time". This caused a negative reaction from the crowd; West handed the microphone back to a stunned and reportedly upset Swift, who did not finish her acceptance speech. He was subsequently removed from the remainder of the show for his actions. When Beyoncé later won the award for Best Video of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", she called Swift up on stage so that she could finish her acceptance speech. West was criticized by various celebrities for the outburst, and by President Obama, who pronounced West a "jackass" in an "off the record" comment. West posted two apologies on his blog, one the night of the incident and the other the same day he appeared on The Jay Leno Show, on September 14, 2009, where he apologized again. After Swift appeared on The View two days after the outburst, partly to discuss the matter, West called her to apologize personally. Swift said she accepted his apology.
In fall 2009, West is set to make his very first animated television guest appearance, on Fox's new animated television series, The Cleveland Show (a spin-off of Family Guy). West is set to voice "Kenny West", a rival of Cleveland Brown's son. The producers stated working with West was a very good experience and a reason they chose him was because they knew he was a fan of Family Guy. source: wikipedia View Here...
Eminem We Made You Official Music Video
"We Made You" is a song by American hip hop musician Eminem, featuring vocalist Charmagne Tripp. It was released as the first single from his most recent album Relapse on April 7, 2009. Produced by Dr. Dre and co-produced by Doc Ish and Eminem himself, the song samples "Hot Summer Nights" by Walter Egan. Eminem performed this song along with "Crack a Bottle" at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards.
"We Made You" has received mixed reviews. Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone magazine gave it a positive review stating, "It's nice to see Eminem goofing around again after a few years out of the spotlight during which he grappled with serious issues like the death of his friend Proof, and 'We Made You' with its damnation of current celebrities will likely prove to be a solid pop cultural time capsule of this weird 2009 moment we're experiencing now." Billboard said, "Atop Dr. Dre's marching beat is primarily piano instrumentation, which amid drums and tubas give the track a carnival feel... And in case his word play was too fast and strange accent too difficult to decipher, "Jessica Simpson sings the chorus. Tim Jonze of The Guardian however, reported, "'We Made You' is not Eminem doing what he does best."
The music video for "We Made You" premiered on April 7, 2009 at 6:00 AM on several MTV networks, as well as MTV.com. The video also premiered on Channel 4 in the UK on the next day.
The single's music video was directed by Joseph Kahn, who also shot "Without Me" from The Eminem Show. The video was filmed in Las Vegas and features star appearances by Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Cynthia Nixon, Kon Artis, Bobby Lee, The Palms hotel owner George Maloof, Melissa Peterman, pornographic actress Trisha Paytas(playing Jessica Simpson) , Derrick Barry (of America's Got Talent fame) (playing Britney Spears) and pornographic actress Lisa Ann (as Sarah Palin).
The music video is a parody of the TV shows Rock of Love and Star Trek (with the Starfleet insignia replaced with an inverted 2nd Infantry Division (United States), as well as Eminem singing in a background of an imitation version of the notes of Guitar Hero while the casino-based sequence in the video is an homage to the film Rain Man, a film Eminem has previously referenced in his lyrics. The casino scene was shot in The Palms hotel and casino. References to Nanook of the North are also made, especially seen in the scenes with Sarah Palin. On April 3, 2009, Eminem talked about the music video in an MTV News interview, stating that there is some "Celebrity bashing in it," which is often a feature of his album's lead singles. In addition to Sarah Palin, notable celebrities mocked using look-a-like actresses/actors include Jessica Simpson, Bret Michaels, Britney Spears, Kevin Federline, Lindsay Lohan, Samantha Ronson, Amy Winehouse, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Jessica Alba, Elvis Presley, Tony Romo, John Mayer, Jennifer Aniston and Kim Kardashian. Bill O'Reilly of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor deemed the video "crude" for its depiction of Sarah Palin and anti-feminist lyrics, calling Eminem "the lowest form of entertainment." Eminem even spoofed himself, in his Alf t-shirt.
The music video won an MTV Video Music Award for Best hip hop video.
"We Made You" sold 167,000 downloads in its first week to enter the Hot Digital Songs chart in Billboard Magazine at number three. The song also debuted at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, to become Eminem's second top ten in a row on the chart, ranked "Crack a Bottle", a collaboration with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. This marks the first time that Eminem has had back-to-back top-ten hits on the Hot 100 (as a lead artist) since 2002, when he scored with "Without Me", "Cleanin' Out My Closet" and "Lose Yourself".
"We Made You" has reached the top ten in twelve countries, including number one in Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. View Here...
Eminem We Made You Official Music Video"We Made You" has received mixed reviews. Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone magazine gave it a positive review stating, "It's nice to see Eminem goofing around again after a few years out of the spotlight during which he grappled with serious issues like the death of his friend Proof, and 'We Made You' with its damnation of current celebrities will likely prove to be a solid pop cultural time capsule of this weird 2009 moment we're experiencing now." Billboard said, "Atop Dr. Dre's marching beat is primarily piano instrumentation, which amid drums and tubas give the track a carnival feel... And in case his word play was too fast and strange accent too difficult to decipher, "Jessica Simpson sings the chorus. Tim Jonze of The Guardian however, reported, "'We Made You' is not Eminem doing what he does best."
The music video for "We Made You" premiered on April 7, 2009 at 6:00 AM on several MTV networks, as well as MTV.com. The video also premiered on Channel 4 in the UK on the next day.
The single's music video was directed by Joseph Kahn, who also shot "Without Me" from The Eminem Show. The video was filmed in Las Vegas and features star appearances by Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Cynthia Nixon, Kon Artis, Bobby Lee, The Palms hotel owner George Maloof, Melissa Peterman, pornographic actress Trisha Paytas(playing Jessica Simpson) , Derrick Barry (of America's Got Talent fame) (playing Britney Spears) and pornographic actress Lisa Ann (as Sarah Palin).
The music video is a parody of the TV shows Rock of Love and Star Trek (with the Starfleet insignia replaced with an inverted 2nd Infantry Division (United States), as well as Eminem singing in a background of an imitation version of the notes of Guitar Hero while the casino-based sequence in the video is an homage to the film Rain Man, a film Eminem has previously referenced in his lyrics. The casino scene was shot in The Palms hotel and casino. References to Nanook of the North are also made, especially seen in the scenes with Sarah Palin. On April 3, 2009, Eminem talked about the music video in an MTV News interview, stating that there is some "Celebrity bashing in it," which is often a feature of his album's lead singles. In addition to Sarah Palin, notable celebrities mocked using look-a-like actresses/actors include Jessica Simpson, Bret Michaels, Britney Spears, Kevin Federline, Lindsay Lohan, Samantha Ronson, Amy Winehouse, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Jessica Alba, Elvis Presley, Tony Romo, John Mayer, Jennifer Aniston and Kim Kardashian. Bill O'Reilly of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor deemed the video "crude" for its depiction of Sarah Palin and anti-feminist lyrics, calling Eminem "the lowest form of entertainment." Eminem even spoofed himself, in his Alf t-shirt.
The music video won an MTV Video Music Award for Best hip hop video.
"We Made You" sold 167,000 downloads in its first week to enter the Hot Digital Songs chart in Billboard Magazine at number three. The song also debuted at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, to become Eminem's second top ten in a row on the chart, ranked "Crack a Bottle", a collaboration with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. This marks the first time that Eminem has had back-to-back top-ten hits on the Hot 100 (as a lead artist) since 2002, when he scored with "Without Me", "Cleanin' Out My Closet" and "Lose Yourself".
"We Made You" has reached the top ten in twelve countries, including number one in Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. View Here...
Jay-Z Run This Town Official Music Video
"Run This Town" is a 2009 song performed by American rapper Jay-Z. The song features Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna and rap artist Kanye West, who also produced the song alongside No I.D. It is released as the second single of Jay-Z's studio album The Blueprint 3. After the song was released to iTunes on August 11, 2009, it jumped to the third position on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his highest peak as a lead artist to date. It is also Jay-Z's first Top 5 Rap Song since 2006's "Show Me What You Got". Jay-Z, Rihanna and West performed "Run This Town" on the series premiere of The Jay Leno Show on September 14, 2009.
Background
The second official single was originally planned as "Off That" featuring Drake but has since been changed to "Run This Town" with Rihanna and Kanye West, as confirmed by Jay-Z in an interview with Tim Westwood, "We basically run this town. It's myself, Rihanna and Kanye. It's pretty much it." The song made its radio debut on July 24 at 9:11 a.m to coincide with the album's release date, September 11th, 2009. The official single was released on iTunes on August 11, 2009. It was officially released to urban radio the week of August 9, 2009. Its UK release followed on August 31 2009. Rihanna's contribution was her first musical appearance following her February 8th altercation with her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown.
The video was directed by Anthony Mandler and was filmed on August 6, 2009 at Fort Totten Park in New York City. The video was leaked on August 19, 2009 by MTV Germany.
The video premiered on August 20th on MTV, as well other MTV channels across the world, and the internet. Anthony Mandler the director of the music video had this to say:
"There's a tone and feeling to the song, there's a militia, a march and a kind of rambunctious energy to it that, for me, I immediately wanted to tap into. I showed [Jay] some references from the classic rebellious zones of the world. We live in very orderly society in America, but when you get into Brazil, you get into the Middle East, you get into Africa, you get into Eastern Europe, when you get into places like that, there's a different sort of 'we run this town' [going on]. There's less order and more chaos. So we looked at a lot of those references, new photos and historical photos, to capture that kind of falling-apart feeling."
"We wanted you to feel uneasy throughout the piece," he said. "We wanted there to be a constant layer of tension through the piece. Even in the way I shot — where the camera comes by Jay, it doesn't stop on him, it goes to Rihanna — there's kind of this chaos of revealing and covering and concealing. And things happen offscreen that you don't see. I think people are really gonna flip on this". The video was released to iTunes on August 25, 2009. source: wikipedia View Here...
Jay-Z Run This Town Official Music VideoBackground
The second official single was originally planned as "Off That" featuring Drake but has since been changed to "Run This Town" with Rihanna and Kanye West, as confirmed by Jay-Z in an interview with Tim Westwood, "We basically run this town. It's myself, Rihanna and Kanye. It's pretty much it." The song made its radio debut on July 24 at 9:11 a.m to coincide with the album's release date, September 11th, 2009. The official single was released on iTunes on August 11, 2009. It was officially released to urban radio the week of August 9, 2009. Its UK release followed on August 31 2009. Rihanna's contribution was her first musical appearance following her February 8th altercation with her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown.
The video was directed by Anthony Mandler and was filmed on August 6, 2009 at Fort Totten Park in New York City. The video was leaked on August 19, 2009 by MTV Germany.
The video premiered on August 20th on MTV, as well other MTV channels across the world, and the internet. Anthony Mandler the director of the music video had this to say:
"There's a tone and feeling to the song, there's a militia, a march and a kind of rambunctious energy to it that, for me, I immediately wanted to tap into. I showed [Jay] some references from the classic rebellious zones of the world. We live in very orderly society in America, but when you get into Brazil, you get into the Middle East, you get into Africa, you get into Eastern Europe, when you get into places like that, there's a different sort of 'we run this town' [going on]. There's less order and more chaos. So we looked at a lot of those references, new photos and historical photos, to capture that kind of falling-apart feeling."
"We wanted you to feel uneasy throughout the piece," he said. "We wanted there to be a constant layer of tension through the piece. Even in the way I shot — where the camera comes by Jay, it doesn't stop on him, it goes to Rihanna — there's kind of this chaos of revealing and covering and concealing. And things happen offscreen that you don't see. I think people are really gonna flip on this". The video was released to iTunes on August 25, 2009. source: wikipedia View Here...
Keri Hilson Knock You Down Official Music Video
Keri Lynn Hilson (born 1982) is an American recording artist signed to Zone 4, Mosley Music Group and Interscope Records. She is part of a collective of writers and producers known as The Clutch. Through the early and late 2000s, Hilson wrote songs for multiple rappers and singers, including Britney Spears and Ludacris. In 2007, she guest performed on Timbaland's hits "The Way I Are" and "Scream" and began a solo singing career. Hilson has made cameos in music videos for Usher, Ne-Yo and Nelly, amongst others. Her debut album, In a Perfect World..., was released in early 2009, spawning hit singles "Energy", "Turnin' Me On" and "Knock You Down".
Early life
Keri Lynn Hilson was born in 1982 in Decatur, Georgia. During her adolescence, Hilson studied piano and singing, and she joined the girl group D'Signe when she was 14. She became a songwriter and backing vocalist while in high school, and she attended Emory University, where she majored in theater.
2001–2007: Songwriting and backing vocals
Hilson began songwriting in 2001 and would go on to write tracks for Britney Spears, Ciara, Usher and Ludacris. In 2004, she was featured on Xzibit's single, "Hey Now (Mean Muggin)". In 2006, Hilson signed as an artist with Timbaland's label, Mosley Music Group and appeared on a track on Diddy's Press Play. Hilson was also featured on "Help", the second single from Lloyd Banks' Rotten Apple; the single peaked at number 77 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
While Hilson was working with Polow da Don in a studio, he asked her "What producer do you think could take you where you want to go as an artist?" She replied with Timbaland, who was in search of a black female solo R&B artist. After singing for Timbaland over the phone, they began recording at The Hit Factory the following weekend. In 2007, Hilson made several appearances on Timbaland's solo effort Shock Value, including on the singles "The Way I Are" and "Scream". "The Way I Are" reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. She performs the song along with Timbaland and OneRepublic on the soap opera One Life to Live in October 2007. Furthermore, she was featured on the track "Lost Girls" on Zone 4-labelmate Rich Boy's debut album and its second single "Good Things" and was credited as a writer and backing vocalist on Britney Spears's album Blackout.
Hilson also played the lead role in Usher's music video for "Love in This Club", (as well as co-writing its "Pt. II" remix) appeared as one of the "independent women" in Ne-Yo's music video for "Miss Independent". Later in the year, Hilson performed on Nas' debut single "Hero" from his controversial untitled album; it reached number 97 on the Hot 100 and number 82 on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts.
2008–present: In a Perfect World...
After many pushbacks, Hilson's debut solo album In a Perfect World... was released on March 24, 2009. In A Perfect World... debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
The midtempo ballad "Energy" eventually became her first world single and was released as a digital download on May 27, 2008. The video premiered on July 14, 2008. It charted at number 78 on the Billboard Top 100, number 21 and 72 on R&B 100 and Pop 100 respectively. The single performed best in New Zealand where it charted at number 2 but failed to significantly chart elsewhere. The song is being released on CD on September 14, 2009 as the third UK single.
"Return the Favor" was released officially as the second US single on October 7, 2008. The video premiered soon afterward on October 23, 2008 but failed to chart. In the UK, Europe and Australia the single was released from April 10, 2009. "Return the Favour" became a Top 20 hit in the UK, German and Irish Singles charts and a Top 10 hit in the UK R&B Singles Chart.
Keri Hilson and Lil Wayne performing at General Motors Place in Vancouver in January 2009."Turnin' Me On" (featuring Lil Wayne) was released as the third North American single (second in New Zealand) on November 25, 2008. The single peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 2 and 28 on R&B 100 and Pop 100 respectively. It was also the first single to chart in Canada, although it only reached number 80.
"Knock You Down" (featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo) is the 4th US single from the album as confirmed by Hilson on her Official Album Countdown Video-blog.. The video premiered on March 23, 2009 on Ne-Yo's official YouTube channel. The single has been Hilson's most successful solo offering to date as it reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop 100. On 18th May 2009, "Knock You Down" became Hilson's first number one single in the New Zealand Singles chart as lead vocalist and held onto the top spot for six consecutive weeks. Elsewhere, "Knock You Down" peaked at number 5 and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart and UK R&B Singles Chart respectively based on digital sales alone.
She also appeared on rapper Asher Roth's debut album, Asleep In the Bread Aisle on the song "She Don't Wanna Man".
Recently Hilson recorded several performances for Walmart's-Soundcheck promotion where she performed "Alienated", smash hits "Knock You Down" and "Turnin' Me On" as well as new US single "Slow Dance" and new international single "Energy". The performances can be purchased as Walmart exclusive EP. Additionally, during an interview with Walmart Hilson revealed she will be touring for a third time in 2009 as the opening act for the international leg of Ne-Yo's Year of the Gentleman Tour. View Here...
Keri Hilson Knock You Down Official Music VideoEarly life
Keri Lynn Hilson was born in 1982 in Decatur, Georgia. During her adolescence, Hilson studied piano and singing, and she joined the girl group D'Signe when she was 14. She became a songwriter and backing vocalist while in high school, and she attended Emory University, where she majored in theater.
2001–2007: Songwriting and backing vocals
Hilson began songwriting in 2001 and would go on to write tracks for Britney Spears, Ciara, Usher and Ludacris. In 2004, she was featured on Xzibit's single, "Hey Now (Mean Muggin)". In 2006, Hilson signed as an artist with Timbaland's label, Mosley Music Group and appeared on a track on Diddy's Press Play. Hilson was also featured on "Help", the second single from Lloyd Banks' Rotten Apple; the single peaked at number 77 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
While Hilson was working with Polow da Don in a studio, he asked her "What producer do you think could take you where you want to go as an artist?" She replied with Timbaland, who was in search of a black female solo R&B artist. After singing for Timbaland over the phone, they began recording at The Hit Factory the following weekend. In 2007, Hilson made several appearances on Timbaland's solo effort Shock Value, including on the singles "The Way I Are" and "Scream". "The Way I Are" reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. She performs the song along with Timbaland and OneRepublic on the soap opera One Life to Live in October 2007. Furthermore, she was featured on the track "Lost Girls" on Zone 4-labelmate Rich Boy's debut album and its second single "Good Things" and was credited as a writer and backing vocalist on Britney Spears's album Blackout.
Hilson also played the lead role in Usher's music video for "Love in This Club", (as well as co-writing its "Pt. II" remix) appeared as one of the "independent women" in Ne-Yo's music video for "Miss Independent". Later in the year, Hilson performed on Nas' debut single "Hero" from his controversial untitled album; it reached number 97 on the Hot 100 and number 82 on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts.
2008–present: In a Perfect World...
After many pushbacks, Hilson's debut solo album In a Perfect World... was released on March 24, 2009. In A Perfect World... debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
The midtempo ballad "Energy" eventually became her first world single and was released as a digital download on May 27, 2008. The video premiered on July 14, 2008. It charted at number 78 on the Billboard Top 100, number 21 and 72 on R&B 100 and Pop 100 respectively. The single performed best in New Zealand where it charted at number 2 but failed to significantly chart elsewhere. The song is being released on CD on September 14, 2009 as the third UK single.
"Return the Favor" was released officially as the second US single on October 7, 2008. The video premiered soon afterward on October 23, 2008 but failed to chart. In the UK, Europe and Australia the single was released from April 10, 2009. "Return the Favour" became a Top 20 hit in the UK, German and Irish Singles charts and a Top 10 hit in the UK R&B Singles Chart.
Keri Hilson and Lil Wayne performing at General Motors Place in Vancouver in January 2009."Turnin' Me On" (featuring Lil Wayne) was released as the third North American single (second in New Zealand) on November 25, 2008. The single peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 2 and 28 on R&B 100 and Pop 100 respectively. It was also the first single to chart in Canada, although it only reached number 80.
"Knock You Down" (featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo) is the 4th US single from the album as confirmed by Hilson on her Official Album Countdown Video-blog.. The video premiered on March 23, 2009 on Ne-Yo's official YouTube channel. The single has been Hilson's most successful solo offering to date as it reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop 100. On 18th May 2009, "Knock You Down" became Hilson's first number one single in the New Zealand Singles chart as lead vocalist and held onto the top spot for six consecutive weeks. Elsewhere, "Knock You Down" peaked at number 5 and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart and UK R&B Singles Chart respectively based on digital sales alone.
She also appeared on rapper Asher Roth's debut album, Asleep In the Bread Aisle on the song "She Don't Wanna Man".
Recently Hilson recorded several performances for Walmart's-Soundcheck promotion where she performed "Alienated", smash hits "Knock You Down" and "Turnin' Me On" as well as new US single "Slow Dance" and new international single "Energy". The performances can be purchased as Walmart exclusive EP. Additionally, during an interview with Walmart Hilson revealed she will be touring for a third time in 2009 as the opening act for the international leg of Ne-Yo's Year of the Gentleman Tour. View Here...
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