1.
Single (music)
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In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record, an album or an EP record. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats, in most cases, a single is a song that is released separately from an album, although it usually also appears on an album. Typically, these are the songs from albums that are released separately for promotional uses such as digital download or commercial radio airplay and are expected to be the most popular, in other cases a recording released as a single may not appear on an album. As digital downloading and audio streaming have become prevalent, it is often possible for every track on an album to also be available separately. Nevertheless, the concept of a single for an album has been retained as an identification of a heavily promoted or more popular song within an album collection. Despite being referred to as a single, singles can include up to as many as three tracks on them. The biggest digital music distributor, iTunes, accepts as many as three tracks less than ten minutes each as a single, as well as popular music player Spotify also following in this trend. Any more than three tracks on a release or longer than thirty minutes in total running time is either an Extended Play or if over six tracks long. The basic specifications of the single were made in the late 19th century. Gramophone discs were manufactured with a range of speeds and in several sizes. By about 1910, however, the 10-inch,78 rpm shellac disc had become the most commonly used format, the inherent technical limitations of the gramophone disc defined the standard format for commercial recordings in the early 20th century.26 rpm. With these factors applied to the 10-inch format, songwriters and performers increasingly tailored their output to fit the new medium, the breakthrough came with Bob Dylans Like a Rolling Stone. Singles have been issued in various formats, including 7-inch, 10-inch, other, less common, formats include singles on digital compact cassette, DVD, and LD, as well as many non-standard sizes of vinyl disc. Some artist release singles on records, a more common in musical subcultures. The most common form of the single is the 45 or 7-inch. The names are derived from its speed,45 rpm. The 7-inch 45 rpm record was released 31 March 1949 by RCA Victor as a smaller, more durable, the first 45 rpm records were monaural, with recordings on both sides of the disc. As stereo recordings became popular in the 1960s, almost all 45 rpm records were produced in stereo by the early 1970s
Single (music)
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45
rpm single record
2.
Chief Keef
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Keith Cozart, better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper and record producer from Chicago, Illinois. During his teenage years and while under house arrest, Keefs music videos were met with acclaim from local school students. His increasing popularity led to him being the subject of a bidding war among labels. Ultimately, Keef signed a record deal with Interscope Records. Keef also became the CEO of his own label, Glory Boyz Entertainment. His debut album Finally Rich was released on December 18,2012, since becoming famous, Keef has continued to experience ongoing legal issues. Despite being dropped from Interscope in late 2014, Keef continued self-releasing mixtapes through his Glo Gang label, although Keef had originally planned Bang 3 to be released as his second album, a then-track from the album, Nobody, developed into its own project. Keef released Nobody as an album in December 2014, while continuing to delay the often-pushed back Bang 3. Chief Keef was born Keith Cozart in Chicago, Illinois when his mother was 16 and he grew up in the Parkway Garden Homes, located in the Washington Park neighborhood on the citys South Side. Keef is estranged from his father, when he was a minor, Keefs legal guardian was his grandmother. He began rapping at a young age, regularly listed as 5, using his mothers karaoke machine. During his childhood, Keef attended Dulles Elementary School and the Banner School, Keef dropped out of Dyett High School at age 15. In 2011, Keef first earned attention from Chicagos South Side community with his mixtapes, The Glory Road. In December, Keef fired gunshots from a Pontiac Grand Prix in Chicagos Washington Park neighborhood, police showed up at the scene and the incident resulted in Keef being arrested and charged with unlawful use of a weapon. Keef was consequently placed under house arrest at his grandmothers house for 30 days, followed by another 30 days of home confinement. It has been noted that by the time this incident occurred, Keef had already achieved local South Side popularity, while under house arrest, Keef posted several videos to his YouTube account. These videos were at the forefront of Chicagos hip hop subgenre, the attention he received increased during the short time between the release of his mixtapes, Bang and Back From the Dead, and music videos, including Bang, 3Hunna and I Dont Like. Once his house arrest ended, WorldStarHipHop released a video of a child hysterically celebrating Keefs release from house arrest and it also caught fellow Chicago rapper Kanye Wests attention, and West created a remix of the song with rappers Pusha T, Jadakiss and Big Sean
Chief Keef
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Kanye West, a fellow Chicagoan, discovered Chief Keef, and has since remixed his songs and collaborated with Keef
Chief Keef
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Chief Keef performing at
Lollapalooza, 2012.
Chief Keef
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Chief Keef (far right, in grey) performing at Lollapalooza 2012
Chief Keef
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Chief Keef has drawn comparisons to 50 Cent.
3.
Finally Rich
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Finally Rich is the debut studio album by American rapper Chief Keef. It was released on December 18,2012, by Glory Boyz Entertainment, the album features guest appearances from 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Reese, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Master P, French Montana and Fat Trel. The album was supported by three singles, I Dont Like, Love Sosa and Hate Bein Sober. Upon its release, the album was met generally mixed reviews from most music critics. It debuted at number 29 on the Billboard 200, with sales of 50,000 copies in the United States. Finally Rich was originally planned to be released as a mixtape but was turned into a full-length album. The album was scheduled to be released on November 27,2012. I Dont Like featuring Lil Reese, was released as the lead single on March 15,2012. The song has peaked at number 73 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and it also appeared on Chief Keefs mixtape Back from the Dead, which was released for free on March 12,2012. The mixtape was later mastered and made available for purchase on iTunes, on May 1,2012, a notable rapper and producer Kanye West, made a remix featuring Pusha T, Big Sean and Jadakiss. The remix is featured as the track on the G. O. O. D. Love Sosa was released as the second single on October 18,2012. The song peaked at number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, the music video for Love Sosa was released on October 18,2012. It was later announced the song Love Sosa would be featured on the video game Grand Theft Auto V, Hate Bein Sober was released as the albums third single on December 13,2012. The song features an guest appearances from fellow rappers 50 Cent, the song peaked on the US Billboard Heatseekers Songs at number 16. On September 21,2012, the video was released for the song Ballin. On November 10,2012, the video was released for the bonus track Kobe. On August 15,2013, the video was released for Citgo
Finally Rich
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Finally Rich
4.
Songwriter
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A songwriter is an individual who writes the lyrics, melodies and chord progressions for songs, typically for a popular music genre such as rock or country music. A songwriter can also be called a composer, although the term tends to be used mainly for individuals from the classical music genre. The pressure from the industry to produce popular hits means that songwriting is often an activity for which the tasks are distributed between a number of people. For example, a songwriter who excels at writing lyrics might be paired with a songwriter with a gift for creating original melodies, pop songs may be written by group members from the band or by staff writers – songwriters directly employed by music publishers. Some songwriters serve as their own publishers, while others have outside publishers. The old-style apprenticeship approach to learning how to write songs is being supplemented by university degrees and college diplomas, a knowledge of modern music technology, songwriting elements and business skills are necessary requirements to make a songwriting career in the 2010s. Several music colleges offer songwriting diplomas and degrees with music business modules, the legal power to grant these permissions may be bought, sold or transferred. This is governed by international copyright law, song pitching can be done on a songwriters behalf by their publisher or independently using tip sheets like RowFax, the MusicRow publication and SongQuarters. Skills associated with song-writing include entrepreneurism and creativity, songwriters who sign an exclusive songwriting agreement with a publisher are called staff writers. In the Nashville country music scene, there is a staff writer culture where contracted writers work normal 9-to-5 hours at the publishing office and are paid a regular salary. This salary is in effect the writers draw, an advance on future earnings, the publisher owns the copyright of songs written during the term of the agreement for a designated period, after which the songwriter can reclaim the copyright. In an interview with HitQuarters, songwriter Dave Berg extolled the benefits of the set-up, unlike contracted writers, some staff writers operate as employees for their respective publishers. Under the terms of work for hire agreements, the compositions created are fully owned by the publisher. In Nashville, young writers are often encouraged to avoid these types of contracts. Staff writers are common across the industry, but without the more office-like working arrangements favored in Nashville. All the major publishers employ writers under contract, songwriter Allan Eshuijs described his staff writer contract at Universal Music Publishing as a starter deal. His success under the arrangement eventually allowed him to found his own publishing company, so that he could. keep as much as possible, songwriters are also often skilled musicians. In addition to selling their songs and musical concepts for other artists to sing, songwriters need to create a number of elements for a song
Songwriter
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Songwriter and singer
Chris de Burgh.
5.
Kanye West
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Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer, and entrepreneur. Intent on pursuing a career as a rapper, West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004 to widespread critical and commercial success. He went on to pursue a variety of different styles on subsequent albums Late Registration, Graduation, and 808s & Heartbreak. In 2010, he released his fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to rave reviews from critics, West released his abrasive sixth album, Yeezus, to further critical praise in 2013. His seventh album, The Life of Pablo, was released in 2016, Wests outspoken views and life outside of music have received significant mainstream attention. He has been a frequent source of controversy for his conduct at award shows, on social media and he is the founder and head of the creative content company DONDA. His 2014 marriage to television personality Kim Kardashian has also been subject to media coverage. He has won a total of 21 Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all time, three of his albums have been included and ranked on Rolling Stones 2012 update of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. He has also included in a number of Forbes annual lists. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015, West was born on June 8,1977 in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents divorced when he was three years old, after the divorce, he and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois. His father, Ray West, is a former Black Panther and was one of the first black photojournalists at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Ray West was later a Christian counselor, and in 2006, opened the Good Water Store and Café in Lexington Park, Maryland with startup capital from his son. West, was a professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, West was raised in a middle-class background, attending Polaris High School in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois after living in Chicago. At the age of 10, West moved with his mother to Nanjing, China, according to his mother, West was the only foreigner in his class, but settled in well and quickly picked up the language, although he has since forgotten most of it. When asked about his grades in school, West replied, I got As. West demonstrated an affinity for the arts at an early age and his mother recalled that she first took notice of Wests passion for drawing and music when he was in the third grade. Growing up in Chicago, West became deeply involved in its hip hop scene and he started rapping in the third grade and began making musical compositions in the seventh grade, eventually selling them to other artists
Kanye West
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West performing at
Lollapalooza in 2011
Kanye West
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West performing in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 2007
Kanye West
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West performing in
Austin, Texas, March 2009
Kanye West
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West performing with
Jay-Z on their
Watch the Throne Tour in 2011
6.
Love Sosa
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Love Sosa is the second single by rapper Chief Keef from his debut album Finally Rich. It was produced by Young Chop and Dougie and it was written by Keith Cozart and Tyree Pittman for Chief Keefs first studio album Finally Rich. The song was released as the second single on October 18,2012. The accompanying music video was directed by Duan Gaines, more known as DGainz. The film features Chief Keef and his performing in front of the camera while inside a house. The music video was released on October 18,2012, the day the single was released. The song leaked to the internet unfinished in 2012, and about a week later, the song was released through iTunes a few weeks later. The music video, directed by DGainz, was shot and released on October 18,2012 and it was shot in the same spot as the video for Keefs first single I Dont Like. The video was shot on the South Side of Chicago, the video has over 66 million views on YouTube. Although an official remix is not released yet, in December 2012 the songs producer Young Chop stated that Drake, on January 16,2013, MMG artists Rick Ross and Stalley released a freestyle over the instrumental of Love Sosa. Complex named the song #20 of the 50 best songs of 2012, rapper Drake praised the song on Twitter, saying he played it 130 times in 3 days. Chief Keef announced Love Sosa will be on Grand Theft Auto V, jayson Greene of Pitchfork found the song to be very catchy. Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Love Sosa
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"Love Sosa"
7.
Billboard Hot 100
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The Billboard Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales, radio play and online streaming, the weekly sales period was originally Monday to Sunday, when Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991, but was changed to Friday to Thursday in July 2015. Radio airplay, which, unlike sales figures and streaming data, is available on a real-time basis. A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by Billboard on Tuesdays, as of the issue for the week ending on April 15,2017, the Hot 100 has had 1,061 different number one hits. The current number one song is Shape of You by Ed Sheeran, prior to 1955, Billboard did not have a unified, all-encompassing popularity chart, instead measuring songs by individual metrics. At the start of the era in 1955, three such charts existed, Best Sellers in Stores was the first Billboard chart, established in 1936. This chart ranked the biggest selling singles in retail stores, as reported by merchants surveyed throughout the country, Most Played by Jockeys was Billboards original airplay chart. It ranked the most played songs on United States radio stations, as reported by radio disc jockeys, Most Played in Jukeboxes ranked the most played songs in jukeboxes across the United States. On the week ending November 12,1955, Billboard published The Top 100 for the first time, the Top 100 combined all aspects of a singles performance, based on a point system that typically gave sales more weight than radio airplay. The Best Sellers In Stores, Most Played by Jockeys and Most Played in Jukeboxes charts continued to be published concurrently with the new Top 100 chart. The week ending July 28,1958 was the publication of the Most Played By Jockeys and Top 100 charts. On August 4,1958, Billboard premiered one main all-genre singles chart, the Hot 100 quickly became the industry standard and Billboard discontinued the Best Sellers In Stores chart on October 13,1958. The Billboard Hot 100 is still the standard by which a songs popularity is measured in the United States, the Hot 100 is ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen BDS, sales data compiled by Nielsen Soundscan and streaming activity provided by online music sources. There are several component charts that contribute to the calculation of the Hot 100. Charts are ranked by number of gross audience impressions, computed by cross-referencing exact times of radio airplay with Arbitron listener data. Hot Singles Sales, the top selling singles compiled from a sample of retail store, mass merchant and internet sales reports collected, compiled. The chart is released weekly and measures sales of commercial singles. With the decline in sales of singles in the US
Billboard Hot 100
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The Billboard logo
8.
ITunes
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ITunes is a media player, media library, online radio broadcaster, and mobile device management application developed by Apple Inc. It is used to play, download, and organize digital downloads of music and video on personal computers running the macOS, the iTunes Store is also available on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Application software for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch can be downloaded from the App Store. ITunes 12.5 is the most recent major version of iTunes, available for Mac OS X v10.9.5 or later and Windows 7 or later, it was released on September 13,2016. ITunes 12.2 added Apple Music to the application, along with the Beats 1 radio station, soundJam MP, developed by Bill Kincaid and released by Casady & Greene in 1998, was renamed iTunes when Apple purchased it in 2000. Jeff Robbin, Kincaid, and Dave Heller moved to Apple as part of the acquisition and they simplified SoundJams user interface, added the ability to burn CDs, and removed its recording feature and skin support. On January 9,2001, iTunes 1.0 was released at Macworld San Francisco, originally a Mac OS 9-only application, iTunes began to support Mac OS X when version 2.0 was released nine months later, which also added support for the original iPod. Version 3 dropped Mac OS9 support but added smart playlists, in April 2003, version 4.0 introduced the iTunes Store, in October, version 4.1 added support for Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Introduced at Macworld 2005 with the new iPod Shuffle, Version 4.7, Version 7.0 introduced gapless playback and Cover Flow in September 2006. In March 2007, iTunes 7.1 added support for Windows Vista, iTunes lacked support for 64-bit versions of Windows until the 7.6 update on January 16,2008. ITunes is supported under any 64-bit version of Windows Vista, although the iTunes executable is still 32-bit, the 64-bit versions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 are not supported by Apple, but a workaround has been devised for both operating systems. Version 8.0 added Genius playlists, grid view, iTunes 9 added Homeshare, enabling automatic updating of purchased items across other computers on the same subnet and offers a new iTunes Store UI. Genius Mixes were added, as well as improved app synchronization abilities and it also adds iTunes LPs to the store, which provides additional media with an album. Apple added iTunes Extras as well to the store, which adds content usually reserved for films on DVD, both iTunes LPs and Extras use web-standards HTML, JavaScript and CSS. iTunes acts as a front end for Apples QuickTime media framework. Officially, it is required in order to manage the data of an iPod, iPhone, or iPad. In addition, users are able to add PDF files to their library, the PDFs can be synchronized with and read on several devices except the regular iPod. iTunes 8.0 saw the removal of several options in the Preferences window. For example, iTunes once gave users the option to display arrows beside the selected songs title, artist, album and these arrows are no longer removable, except through the direct editing of a preferences file. ITunes keeps track of songs by creating a library, allowing users to access
ITunes
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The icon used by Apple to represent a podcast
ITunes
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A preview of the
Windows 10 version.
9.
Complex (magazine)
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Complex is a New York–based media platform for youth culture which was founded as a bi-monthly magazine by fashion designer Marc Eckō. Complex reports on trends in style, pop culture, music, sports and sneakers with a focus on streetwear, sneaker culture, hip-hop, Complex currently reaches over 120 million unique users per month across its owned and operated and partner sites, socials and YouTube channels. The magazine ceased publication with the December 2016/January 2017 issue, in 2016 December, Complex acquired the website Trillera. com. In 2016, it became a subsidiary of Verizon and Hearst. Complex was established in 2002 by the founder of the Eckō Unltd, Brand, Marc Eckō, as a print magazine aimed at providing young males a report of the latest in hip-hop, fashion and pop culture without regard to race. The name Complex evolved from a slogan developed to promote the Eckō Unltd, the idea was to create a mens magazine that combined Eckōs streetwear and hip-hop attitude along with the style of Japanese mens magazines by providing consumer guides. This was achieved by creating a magazine in two sections, one magazine, and the other a shopping guide. In 2005, Complex was joined by the senior editor of Vibe magazine. He became editor-in-chief and chief content officer a year later, a position he retains as of February 2014. By 2006, Complex had begun to turn a profit which allowed the magazine to consider an expansion of their online presence, in April 2007, Complex soft-launched a media network with four websites, NahRight, Nice Kicks, SlamxHype and MoeJackson. In September 2007, Complex launched Complex Media in order to capitalize on the trend toward digital content. In 2010, ad sales grew 154%, according to comScore, Complex got 12 million unique hits in March 2012. This encouraged large brands such as Coors, AT&T, Ford, McDonalds, Nike, Adidas, Complex now includes over 100 sites. In 2011, Complex acquired Pigeons and Planes, a music and rap blog. In 2013, Complex launched the music site Do Androids Dance and Green Label. That year, Complex also acquired the sneakerhead culture magazine and website Sole Collector, on November 4,2013, Complex premiered a new logo and cover design on Instagram that would appear online, as well as on the December 2013 Eminem cover issue. In 2013, Complex partnered with Mountain Dew to launch Green Label an entertainment, in 2014, Complex launched an NBA-themed website called Triangle Offense in a partnership with Bacardi rum. In August 2014, Complex ranked #3 in the United States in a ComScore survey of visitors between the ages of 18 and 34 with 20.3 million in that demographic per month
Complex (magazine)
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Complex
10.
Vevo
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Vevo hosts music videos from both Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment syndicated on YouTube and its website, with Google and Vevo sharing advertising and similar benefits. EMI also licensed its library of videos for Vevo shortly before its launch, originally, Warner Music Group was reported to be considering hosting its content on the service after it launched, but formed an alliance with rival MTV Networks. The concept for Vevo was described as being a service for music videos. The sites other revenue sources include a store and referral links to purchase viewed songs on Amazon Music. UMG acquired the domain name vevo. com on November 20,2008, SME reached a deal to add its content to the site in June 2009. The site went live on December 8,2009, and that month became the number one most visited music site in the United States. In June 2012, Vevo launched its Certified awards, which honors artists with at least 100 million views on Vevo, on March 12,2013, Vevo launched Vevo TV, an advertising-supported internet television channel running 24 hours a day, featuring blocks of music videos and specials. The channel is available to viewers in North America and Germany. Vevo has planned launches in other countries, after revamping its website, Vevo TV later branched off into three separate networks, Hits, Flow, and Nashville. Vevo shut down the service during the first half of 2016 as part of a site wide redesign, during the run of the service, its schedule and programming was heavily repetitive. Many videos would play twice within an hour and a majority of the videos shown were current, programming shows such as the Top10Now and Vevo Lift would air several times per day. Since the service has been shut down, its apps that havent been updated just play the Top10Now in an infinite loop. Vevo is available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The website was scheduled to go worldwide in 2010, but as of January 1,2017, Vevos official blog cited licensing issues for the delay in the worldwide rollout. Most of Vevos videos on YouTube are viewable by users in other countries, the Vevo service in the United Kingdom and Ireland was launched on April 26,2011. On April 16,2012, Vevo was launched in Australia, on August 14,2012, Brazil became the first Latin American country to have the service. It was expected to be launched in six more European and Latin American countries in 2012, Vevo launched in Spain, Italy, and France on November 15,2012. Vevo launched in the Netherlands on April 3,2013, and on May 17,2013, in September 29,2013, Vevo updated its iOS application that now includes launching in Germany
Vevo
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24-Hour Vevo Record
Vevo
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Primary businesses
11.
Billboard (magazine)
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Billboard is an American entertainment media brand owned by the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group, a division of Eldridge Industries. It publishes pieces involving news, video, opinion, reviews, events and it is also known for its music charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200, tracking the most popular singles and albums in different genres. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm, and operates several TV shows, Billboard was founded in 1894 by William Donaldson and James Hennegan as a trade publication for bill posters. Donaldson later acquired Hennegens interest in 1900 for $500, in the 1900s, it covered the entertainment industry, such as circuses, fairs and burlesque shows. It also created a service for travelling entertainers. Billboard began focusing more on the industry as the jukebox, phonograph. Many topics it covered were spun-off into different magazines, including Amusement Business in 1961 to cover outdoor entertainment so that it could focus on music. After Donaldson died in 1925, Billboard was passed down to his children and Hennegans children, until it was sold to investors in 1985. The first issue of Billboard was published in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 1,1894 by William Donaldson, initially, it covered the advertising and bill posting industry and was called Billboard Advertising. At the time, billboards, posters and paper advertisements placed in public spaces were the means of advertising. Donaldson handled editorial and advertising, while Hennegan, who owned Hennegan Printing Co. managed magazine production, the first issues were just eight pages long. The paper had columns like The Bill Room Gossip and The Indefatigable, a department for agricultural fairs was established in 1896. The title was changed to The Billboard in 1897, after a brief departure over editorial differences, Donaldson purchased Hennegans interest in the business in 1900 for $500, to save it from bankruptcy. That May, Donaldson changed it from a monthly to a paper with a greater emphasis on breaking news. He improved editorial quality and opened new offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, London and he also re-focused the magazine on outdoor entertainment like fairs, carnivals, circuses, vaudeville and burlesque shows. A section devoted to circuses was introduced in 1900, followed by more prominent coverage of events in 1901. Billboard also covered topics including regulation, a lack of professionalism, economics and it had a stage gossip column covering the private lives of entertainers, a tent show section covering traveling shows and a sub-section called Freaks to order. According to The Seattle Times, Donaldson also published articles attacking censorship, praising productions exhibiting good taste
Billboard (magazine)
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An 1896 issue of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
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Cover of Billboard (January 26, 2013).
12.
Recording Industry Association of America
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The Recording Industry Association of America is a continental North and South American trade organization that represents the recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors, which the RIAA says create, the RIAA headquarters is in Washington, D. C. The RIAA was formed in 1952 and its original mission was to administer recording copyright fees and problems, work with trade unions, and do research relating to the record industry and government regulations. Early RIAA standards included the RIAA equalization curve, the format of the record groove and the dimensions of 33 1/3 rpm,45 rpm. Since 2001, the RIAA has spent $2 to $6 million each year on lobbying in the United States, the RIAA also participates in the collective rights management of sound recordings, and it is responsible for certifying Gold and Platinum albums and singles in the United States. Cary Sherman has been the RIAAs chairman and CEO since 2011, Sherman joined the RIAA as its general counsel in 1997 and became president of the board of directors in 2001, serving in that position until being made chairman and CEO. Mitch Glazier has been the RIAAs senior executive vice president since 2011 and he served as executive vice president for public policy and industry relations from 2000 to 2011. The past RIAA chairman and CEO is Mitch Bainwol, who served from 2003 to 2011 and he left in 2011 to become president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. The board of directors consists of 26 members of the board, the RIAA operates an award program for albums that sell a large number of copies. The program originally began in 1958, with a Gold Award for singles, the criterion was changed in 1975 to the number of copies sold, with albums selling 500,000 copies awarded the Gold Award. In 1976, a Platinum Award was added for one million sales, the awards are open to both RIAA members and non-members. Since 2000, the RIAA also operates a program for Latin music sales. Currently, a Disco De Oro is awarded for 30,000 units, the RIAA defines Latin music as a type of release with 51% or more of its content recorded in Spanish. In 2006, digital ringtones were added to branch of certification. In the same year, the RIAA introduced the Latin Digital Award for digital recordings in Spanish and this release format includes DVD and VHS releases, and certain live albums and compilation albums. The certification criteria is different from other styles. Gold,50,000 Platinum,100,000 Multi-Platinum,200,000 copies The RIAA opposes unauthorized sharing of its music, studies conducted since the association began its campaign against peer-to-peer file-sharing have concluded that losses incurred per download range from negligible to moderate. The association has commenced high-profile lawsuits against file sharing service providers and it has also commenced a series of lawsuits against individuals suspected of file sharing, notably college students and parents of file sharing children
Recording Industry Association of America
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Recording Industry Association of America
13.
Big Sean
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Sean Michael Leonard Anderson, known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. Sean signed with Kanye Wests GOOD Music in 2007, Def Jam Recordings in 2008, after releasing a number of mixtapes, Sean released his debut studio album, Finally Famous, in 2011. He released his studio album, Hall of Fame, on August 27,2013. Seans third studio album Dark Sky Paradise was released in 2015, Sean Michael Leonard Anderson was born on March 25,1988 in Santa Monica, California to Myra and James Anderson. When he was 3 months old, he moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he was raised by his mother, a school teacher and he attended the Detroit Waldorf School and graduated from Cass Technical High School with a 3.7 GPA. Big Sean is often heard saying west side in his songs, he is referring to the west side of his hometown Detroit, in 2005, Kanye West was doing a radio interview at 102.7 FM. Hearing about this, Sean headed over to the station to meet West, initially West was reluctant to hear him, however he gave Sean 16 bars to rap for him. According to Big Sean, West enjoyed his freestyle, As we get to the entrance of the radio station and we stopped in the middle of the doorway. He starts looking at me and bobbing his head, after the freestyle, Sean left West his demo tape. Two years later, West signed Big Sean to GOOD Music, on September 30,2007, Big Sean released his first official mixtape Finally Famous, The Mixtape. His hit single, Getcha Some, produced by WrighTrax, attained media attention and led to articles in The Source and he also recorded a music video for Getcha Some, which was directed by Hype Williams. Sean released a mixtape hosted by Mick Boogie on April 16,2009. It featured the songs Million Dollars, Getcha Some and Supa Dupa, an unauthorized leak of his collaboration with Drake, called Made made its way onto the internet on April 30,2010. In an interview with TheHipHopUpdate. com on May 1, Big Sean expressed his disappointment over the leak, Big Seans official Facebook page confirmed that his debut album Finally Famous & Consequences Cons TV would be released on September 14,2010. On August 31, Big Sean tweeted that the album was not coming out on that day, the albums lead single, My Last, features vocals from Chris Brown and was produced by No I. D. According to Amazon. com, Big Seans Finally Famous was delayed by a week, Big Sean has revealed the cover art for his G. O. O. D. Music debut and explained that the one-week pushback was to be blamed on sample, the official track list was revealed on June 7. Finally Famous, Seans debut studio album, was released June 28,2011, and spawned three hit singles, My Last, Marvin & Chardonnay and Dance
Big Sean
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Big Sean in November 2009
14.
Jadakiss
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Jason Phillips, better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX and the hip hop collective Ruff Ryders, Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block Records. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records and Def Jam Records, Jadakiss has also released four studio albums, with the most recent being Top 5 Dead or Alive on November 20,2015. By age 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle rapper and he and some of his friends were given the opportunity to compete in the Jack the Rapper Competition in Florida, where Jadakiss had been noticed for his battle rap ability. He met Dee and Wah of the Ruff Ryders, and began hanging out, Phillips founded the rap group The Warlocks in 1994 with friends, Sheek Louch and Styles P. They later signed to Bad Boy Entertainment, where it was suggested that change their name simply to The LOX. They made their first appearance on The Main Sources 1994 LP Fuck What You Think on the track Set it Off, the group, especially Jadakiss, developed a close relationship with The Notorious B. I. G. during which time Jadakiss was taken under Biggies wing. The LOXs first hit was the tribute to The Notorious B. I. G. called Well Always Love Big Poppa in 1997, in 1998, the LOX released Money, Power & Respect. Though the record was successful, eventually going Platinum, The LOX grew unhappy with Bad Boy Records and Puffys glossy, following this album, they left the label to sign with Ruff Ryders Entertainment. Jadakisss debut album, Kiss Tha Game Goodbye, was released in August 2001 on the Ruff Ryders/Interscope label. The album featured guests and producers such as DJ Premier, The Alchemist, DMX, Eve, Snoop Dogg and Swizz Beatz. Jadakiss has acknowledged the criticism as, generally speaking, valid, the album produced three singles, We Gonna Make It featuring Styles P, Knock Yourself Out and Put Ya Hands Up. Jadakiss is mentioned in Eminems 2002 song Till I Collapse as one of the best rappers in the industry, Jadakisss second album, Kiss of Death, was released in June 2004. His song Why. became one of the years biggest hits, spawning a remix featuring Styles P, Common, Nas, why. remains Jadas biggest hit, peaking at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Another single from the record, U Make Me Wanna, featured Mariah Carey and was a more commercially driven love song. Kiss of Death did not reflect the popularity of its lead single, in late 2007, Jadakiss signed to Jay-Zs Roc-A-Fella Records, a move Jay had been trying to arrange for a long time. In 2009, Jadakiss released his official album, The Last Kiss. The first single is By My Side, featuring Ne-Yo, the second official single is Cant Stop Me
Jadakiss
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Jadakiss at the Sound Academy in 2014.
Jadakiss
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Jadakiss in 2009.
15.
Cruel Summer (GOOD Music album)
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Cruel Summer is a compilation album by recording artists of American record label GOOD Music, released on September 14,2012, by the label and Def Jam Recordings. American rapper Kanye West, head of the label, first revealed plans for a collaborative album in October 2011. The album produced four singles—Mercy, Cold, New God Flow, production on the album was primarily handled by members of GOOD Musics production wing, Very GOOD Beats, including West, Hit-Boy, Hudson Mohawke, Travis Scott and Lifted, among others. Cruel Summer received moderately positive reviews critics, who found it uneven as an album but commended its hubristic style. It debuted at two on the US Billboard 200, selling 205,000 copies in its first week. The album also reached the top 10 of charts in Australia, Canada, Switzerland, as of November 4,2012, Cruel Summer has sold 389,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Kanye West founded the GOOD Music label in 2004, since the labels inception, multiple acts have been signed to the label, including close collaborators of West such as Kid Cudi, Common, John Legend, Pusha T, Big Sean and Travi$ Scott. West first announced plans for a GOOD Music album in October 2011 via his Twitter account, writing, later on May 23,2012, the title was revealed in part with a film, Cruel Summer, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. The album was slated for release on August 7,2012. Pusha T said that he recorded over 20 verses for the album, American rapper Azealia Banks also said that she recorded with West earlier in 2012, but her contributions were not included on the album. The albums artwork was designed by DONDA, Wests creative agency, mercy, a collaboration between Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz, was released as the albums lead single on April 3,2012. The track was premiered by Funkmaster Flexs Hot 97 radio show and was released onto the Internet the following day onto Wests official website. The release of the track continued Wests GOOD Fridays, a giveaway that provided free MP3 downloads every week. The song peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Cold, featuring DJ Khaled, was released as the albums second single. The track was released as a single onto iTunes on April 17,2012. Following its digital release, the song impacted urban radio on May 8,2012. The single peaked at numbers 89 and 69 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100, New God Flow, a collaboration between Pusha T and Kanye West, was released onto iTunes as the albums third single on July 21,2012. It first premiered at the 2012 BET Awards on July 2,2012, the song peaked at number 89 on the Billboard Hot 100
Cruel Summer (GOOD Music album)
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Cruel Summer
16.
Nobody (album)
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Nobody is a collaborative studio album, by American hip hop recording artist Chief Keef and record producer 12Million. It was independently released on December 16,2014, by Keefs Glo Gang label, the album is primarily a solo effort, includes two guest features from Tadoe and Kanye West. The albums production and lyrics are representative of the music genre. The album experienced a delay, but was released on December 16 through iTunes digital download. Meaghan Garvey of Pitchfork Media wrote that the album was, released suddenly, on September 2,2014, Chief Keef released the cover art for the song Nobody. The cover art features the heads of Keef and Kanye West side by side, seemingly fading into the black background, the music on the album was noted to be, experimental, and equally devoid of any conventional hits. On the album, Keef touches on the concept of his fame, the album included emotional cornerstones, as well as subtle jokes made by Keef at his own expense. Specifically, on the track Nobody, various sources reached a consensus that Keefs slurs, the Source writes that the song is, one of the more emotionally driven cuts we’ve heard from the Chicago rapper in recent history. Garvey writes that the track is, about Keef at his rawest and most honest, referring to the line, They thought I was a joke, as being burbled, with a melancholy that suggests he reads the comments. Zach Frydenlund of Complex, writes that the song is, decked out in auto-tune from start to finish, however, Brennan Carley of Spin, commented, as West croons in his trademark 808s warble in the background, the drill rapper slurs through bragging lyrics. In comparison to Keefs mixtape, Back From the Dead 2, Meaghan Garvey of Pitchfork Media, stated that Nobody was, sharper, clearer, Garvey adds her opinions on the tracks, commenting, a handful feel more like sketches than completed works. But its high points have a clarity unmatched within Keef’s last two years of work, at times, he’s straight up vulnerable and he may not be coming back to earth any time soon, but he’s looking his audience in the eyes. Garvey gave the album a score of 7 out of 10, stating, Nobody is, at its best. Maybe his recent passion for visual art has rekindled an interest in direct expression, all tracks are produced by 12Million himself, except where noted. Samples credits Nobody samples the instrumentals from Willie Hutchs Brothers Gonna Work It Out
Nobody (album)
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Nobody
Nobody (album)
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Fellow Chicagoan, Kanye West contributed backing vocals on the track, "Nobody"
17.
Clique (song)
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Clique is a song by American rappers Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Big Sean. The song serves as the single from the album Cruel Summer. The songs production was handled by Hit-Boy and West, Clique was released as a single to the iTunes Store on September 7,2012. Additional vocals on the song are provided by American R&B singer James Fauntleroy II, West debuted the song on his website on September 6,2012. The same day, DJ Funkmaster Flex gave the song a radio premiere on his Hot 97 radio show. It was released as a download to the iTunes Store the following day. The song was produced by Hit-Boy, who was signed to Wests label GOOD Music, the song contains vocal samples of American funk musician James Browns 1974 song Funky President. Big Sean said in an interview with Tim Westwood that originally, in the end all the other rappers were cut except Sean, Kanye West and Jay-Z. Jay-Zs guest verse was named the fifth best of 2012 by Complex magazine, on November 14,2012 a remix was released featuring rapper T. I. Complex magazine named the song #15 on their list of the 50 best songs of 2012, the track was ranked at #96 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2012. Digital download Clique –4,54 The credits for Clique are adapted from the single release. Songwriting – Kanye West, Chauncey Hollis, Sean Anderson, Shawn Carter, James Fauntleroy, Alexander Izquierdo Production – Hit-Boy, Kanye West
Clique (song)
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"Clique"
18.
The College Dropout
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The College Dropout is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released February 10,2004, by Roc-A-Fella Records. It was recorded over a period of four years, beginning in 1999, nonetheless intent on pursuing a solo career, it was several years before West finally received a record deal from Roc-A-Fella Records. It features vocal contributions from Jay-Z, Mos Def, Jamie Foxx, Syleena Johnson, diverging from the then-dominant gangster persona in hip hop, Wests lyrics concern themes of family, self-consciousness, materialism, religion, racism, and higher education. The album was promoted by singles including Through the Wire and Jesus Walks, All Falls Down and Slow Jamz both charted within the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, with the latter charting at number one. Upon its release, The College Dropout debuted at two on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 441,000 copies during its first week. It is Wests best-selling album in the United States, with sales of 3.4 million copies. It has been named by Time and Rolling Stone, among other publications, although he had attained success as a producer, Kanye West aspired to be a rapper, but had struggled to attain a record deal. Record companies ignored him because he did not portray the gangsta image prominent in hip hop at the time. After a series of meetings with Capitol Records, West was ultimately denied an artist deal, according to Capitol Records A&R, Joe Weinberger, he was approached by West and almost signed a deal with him, but another person in the company convinced Capitols president not to. Desperate to keep West from defecting to another label, then-label head Damon Dash reluctantly signed West to Roc-A-Fella Records, the crash left him with a shattered jaw, which had to be wired shut in reconstructive surgery. The accident inspired West, two weeks after being admitted to a hospital, he recorded a song at the Record Plant Studios with his jaw wired shut. West added that the album was my medicine, as working on the record distracted him from the pain, through The Wire was first available on Wests Get Well Soon. At the same time, West announced that he was working on an album called The College Dropout, Dont let society tell you, This is what you have to do. The College Dropout was recorded at The Record Plant in Los Angeles, California, according to John Monopoly, Wests friend, manager and business partner, the album. Hes been gathering beats for years and he was always producing with the intention of being a rapper. Theres beats on the album hes been saving for himself for years. At one point, West hovered between making a portion of the production in the studio and the majority within his own apartment in Newark, New Jersey. Because it was an apartment, West was able to set up a home studio in one of the rooms
The College Dropout
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The College Dropout
The College Dropout
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West (center) refined the album's production and incorporated elements such as gospel choirs and string arrangements.
The College Dropout
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The album's second single, "Slow Jamz", features vocalist
Jamie Foxx (left).
19.
All Falls Down
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All Falls Down is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West. It was released as the single from his debut album. The song was produced by West and features singer Syleena Johnson and it was released in February 2004 and entered the UK Singles Chart at number ten and peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 on May 11,2004, his first Top 10 in the USA. The song was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 47th Grammy Awards, the song features an interpolation of Lauryn Hills Mystery of Iniquity. Kanye originally attempted to acquire legal clearance to sample the recording but due to various complications, West then called upon Syleena Johnson to re-sing the relevant vocal portions of Mystery of Iniquity which ended up in the final track. The version of the song with the sample can be heard on Wests Freshman Adjustment mixtape. Lyrically, All Falls Down examines the self-consciousness and insecurity within society, particularly the black community, the music video for All Falls Down was directed by Chris Milk and shot at Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California. It follows Kanye as he accompanies his girlfriend, played by Stacey Dash, the music video is shot in first-person perspective, displaying the journey from their car to the airport terminal through Wests eyes. The video also features cameos by Syleena Johnson, Common, and Kel Mitchell, who act as a counter, gate agent. In addition, rappers GLC and Consequence can also be seen as Kanye is running through the airport in slow motion
All Falls Down
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"All Falls Down"
20.
Jesus Walks
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Jesus Walks is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West. It was released on May 25,2004 as the single from his debut album. The song contains a sample of Walk with Me as performed by the ARC Choir, Jesus Walks was acclaimed by music critics, who praised its compelling sonic atmosphere and boldness in its open embrace of faith. It was met by widespread commercial recognition, peaking at No.11 on the Billboard Hot 100, the single was accompanied by three separate music videos, each of which visually interpreted a portion of its multifaceted context in different ways. Jesus Walks continues to be a favorite and stands as one of the most-performed songs by West. At the 47th Grammy Awards, Jesus Walks was awarded the Grammy for Best Rap Song, Rolling Stone named the song No.19 on their list of 100 Best Songs of the 2000s. The song was named the 6th best song of 2004 on Village Voices Pazz & Jop critics poll, in October 2011, NME placed it at No.69 on its list 150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years. The song was listed at No.123 on Pitchfork Medias 500 songs of the 2000s and it was placed at No.273 on Rolling Stones list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song is essentially a spiritual exultation, wherein West discusses how Jesus walks with all manner of people, towards this end, the first conceptual verse of the song is told through the eyes of a drug dealer contemplating his relationship with God. It reportedly took over six months for West to draw inspiration for the second verse. West also uses the song to express his views on how the media seem to shy away from songs that address matters of faith, while embracing songs discussing violence, sex. This is directly taken from Wests experiences when he was struggling to get signed onto a record label and they reasoned that he did not conform to the stereotypes associated with mainstream hip-hop and therefore was not easily marketable. Many of his friends in the industry also warned him that while the song was outstanding. Jesus Walks is a mid-tempo hip-hop song and it is set in common time with a moderate tempo of 87 beats per minute and composed in the key of E-flat minor. The song expresses a pulsating rhythm reminiscent to that of a marching band, the rhythm is accompanied by background vocal samples from the ARC Choirs arrangement of the traditional gospel song Walk With Me that emit a chant in cadence to the beat. Because of these elements, the composition has been described as evoking a militaristic atmosphere. The song begins with a medium followed by its backing vocals. After Wests brief opening dialog, a drumroll sounds and the titular hook is belted by the ARC choir
Jesus Walks
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"Jesus Walks"
21.
Slow Jamz
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Slow Jamz is a single by American rapper Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx. It was released in late 2003 as the single from his album Kamikaze. The Kanye West version includes an intro and two verses by Jamie Foxx, and excludes the original outro by Twista. The song is a tribute to classic smooth soul artists and slow jam songs, Kanye West is the songs producer and supplies the first verse, Twista gives the second verse and the outro, and actor/singer Jamie Foxx sings the chorus. But now I need you to do it faster baby, can you please, do it faster baby, West, Damn, baby, I cant do it that fast. but I know somebody who can. The video shows a party, at first we see Jamie Foxx buying records for the party then it goes to the party where Kanye West and it includes cameo appearances by Consequence, Aisha Tyler, John Legend, Mike Epps, and Common. The song peaked at one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a week on February 10,2004 becoming Twistas, Wests. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Q magazine listed it as the nineteenth greatest hip-hop song of all time
Slow Jamz
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"Slow Jamz"
22.
Through the Wire
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Through the Wire is the debut single by American rapper Kanye West. West wrote and recorded the song with his jaw wired shut after a car accident in October 2002, the song samples Chaka Khans 1985 single Through the Fire and was released on the last day of September 2003 as the lead single from his debut album, The College Dropout. The song is featured on his 2003 mixtape Im Good. Through the Wire peaked at fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was nominated for a 2005 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, the music video was financed by West, who was inspired by an Adidas advertisement. It won Video of the Year at the 2004 Source Hip Hop Awards, on October 23,2002, West was in a California recording studio producing music for Beanie Sigel, Peedi Crakk, and The Black Eyed Peas. After leaving the studio at around 3 a. m. in his rented Lexus, he had an accident when fell asleep at the wheel. He was taken to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, mentioned in the song as the hospital where Biggie Smalls died. Two weeks after being admitted to hospital, he recorded the song at the Record Plant Studios with his jaw wired shut. The songs title refers to the used to hold his broken jaw together. To nearly lose your life, to lose your mouth, your voice, your whole face. My face looks crazy to me now, but I have to just thank God for the situation that I am in. Through The Wire is the worst thing that couldve possibly happen to me, the track circulated on Wests mixtape Get Well Soon. Before being officially released in re-recorded form in late 2003, although he initially had trouble convincing Roc-A-Fella Records executives to let him make his own album as a rapper, he was able to change their minds after the songs release. Through the Wire was inspired by the 2002 car accident and West has provided an account of his difficult recovery. The chorus and instrumentals samples a pitched up version of Chaka Khans 1985 single Through the Fire, West did not receive writing credit for the song, which instead went to David Foster, Tom Keane, and Cynthia Weil, who wrote Through the Fire. Wests rapping is described as a Snoop-meets-Hova flow, twisting up his words with the patented izz inflection, popMatters called it as riveting and moving as everyone says it is and it may be the albums most startling personal horror story. Allmusics Andy Kellman said it was a way to introduce himself to the masses as an MC and it couldnt have forged his dual status as underdog
Through the Wire
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"Through the Wire"
Through the Wire
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Kanye West at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.
23.
Late Registration
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Late Registration is the 2005 second studio album by American hip hop producer and rapper Kanye West. It was recorded over the course of a year in sessions held across studios in New York City and Hollywood, the album features guest contributions from Adam Levine, Lupe Fiasco, Jamie Foxx, Common, Jay-Z, Brandy, and Nas, among others. Its production was notably more lush and elaborate than Wests 2004 debut album The College Dropout, as he utilized intricate sampling methods, Wests lyrics explore both personal and political themes, including poverty, drug trafficking, racism, healthcare, and the blood diamond trade. Late Registration was released by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings on August 30,2005 and it earned West the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and an Album of the Year nomination, while appearing at the top of several publications year-end lists ranking the years top albums. Rolling Stone named it the best album of 2005, and later included it at number 118 on its 2012 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Late Registration debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 860,000 copies in its first week. The album has thus far sold over 3.1 million copies in the United States and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It produced five singles, including the international hits Touch the Sky, Heard Em Say and Gold Digger, Music videos for all five singles were produced, and West also supported the album with a promotional concert tour, and the live album Late Orchestration. Late Registration is the second of Kanye Wests planned four education-themed studio albums, following the major success of The College Dropout, the album reveals his progression in writing lyrics and an incorporation of a wider range of musical styles. At the time, the point of Wests production style was the use of sped-up vocal samples from soul records. A longtime fan of the English trip hop group Portishead, West had been influenced by Roseland NYC Live. Early in his career, the album had inspired him to incorporate string arrangements into his hip hop production. Though West had not been able to afford many live instruments around the time of his debut album, West juxtaposed the lush, intricate melodies of the string section with the hard, pounding drum rhythms of hip-hop, and used the sound for the foundation of his rapping. West collaborated with American film score composer Jon Brion, who served as the albums co-executive producer for several tracks, West had been exposed to Brions work while watching the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, for which Brion had composed music. Hes got this sense of pop record-making which is really solid and he was already barking up that tree. This is definitely not just a hip-hop album, but it is also by no means overtly arty, or non-hip-hop. I dont think its a record by any means. West took over a year and invested two million dollars towards the construction of Late Registration and he began working in the studio after he finished touring with Usher on the R&B singers The Truth Tour. By November 2004, West had completed nearly seventy-five percent of the album, however he felt unsatisfied with its outcome and in March of the following year, he brought in Jon Brion, which drastically altered the projects direction
Late Registration
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Late Registration
Late Registration
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Film composer
Jon Brion assisted with the album's production.
Late Registration
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West and Foxx collaborated on the track "Gold Digger".
24.
Graduation (album)
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Graduation is the third studio album by American hip hop recording artist and record producer Kanye West. It was released on September 11,2007, by Roc-A-Fella Records, Recording sessions for the album took place during 2005 to 2007 at Chung King Studios, Sony Music Studios in New York City, at Chalice Studios and The Record Plant in Los Angeles. It was primarily produced by West himself, with contributions from DJ Toomp, as well as Mike Dean, Nottz, Brian All Day Miller, Eric Hudson, Warryn Campbell, Gee Roberson, Plain Pat and Jon Brion. It features guest contributions from artists, including Mos Def, Dwele, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, DJ Premier, the albums cover artwork was designed by Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami. Toward this end, West incorporated synthesizer sounds into his production and dabbled with electronic music, lyrically, the album is more introspective in comparison to its predecessors, as West dedicated much of Graduation towards analyzing himself and conveying his ambivalent outlook on his newfound fame. It continues the theme of Wests previous two studio albums, The College Dropout and Late Registration. The album debuted at one on the US Billboard 200. It produced five singles, including the international hits Cant Tell Me Nothing, Stronger, the outcome of the competition marks a turning point in hip-hop culture, when the dominance of gangsta rap in mainstream hip-hop was brought to an end. Graduation received positive reviews from most critics and earned West several accolades, the album has sold 2,700,000 copies in the US and has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album demonstrates yet another distinctive progression in Wests musical style, Kanye West was particularly influenced by house music, a subgenre of electronic dance music that first originated in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois in the early 1980s. West has stated growing up, he would listen to hip-hop music at home or in his car. While he rarely listened to house at home, he felt it was an important part of his culture. Along with house music, Graduation contains samples and music elements of euro-disco, hard rock, electronica, lounge, progressive rock, synth-pop, electro, krautrock, dub, reggae, and dancehall. Also, for much of the studio album, Kanye West modified his style of rapping and adopted a dilatory. West altered his vocabulary, he utilized less of the percussive, rhythmic consonants in favor of the more smoother, in addition to U2, West drew inspiration from other arena rock bands such as The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin for the melodies and chord progressions of his songs. He also chose to back on the guest appearances, limiting himself to just one single guest rap verse on the entire studio album. Largely due to all this and the inclusion of the layered electronic synthesizers, but he also acknowledged the fact that the differences did not right away and without a doubt make Graduation a good album. However, he felt it was a representation of the music he was listening to at that time, Kanye West began working on Graduation immediately after releasing his second studio album Late Registration
Graduation (album)
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Graduation
Graduation (album)
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West's experiences on arena rock tours such as U2's Vertigo Tour (pictured) inspired his direction for the album.
Graduation (album)
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Connie Mitchell contributed vocals to several songs on the album.
Graduation (album)
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The track "Everything I Am" features turntable
scratches by famed record producer
DJ Premier
25.
Good Morning (Kanye West song)
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Good Morning is a song by American hip-hop artist Kanye West. It serves as the track for his third album, Graduation. The song was produced by West and contains samples of Someone Saved My Life Tonight by Elton John and it also contains vocals provided by Connie Mitchell and Tony Penafire Williams, concluding with Jay Zs reiteration of a lyric taken from his own album intro track, The Rulers Back. Though not released as a single, a video directed by Graduation album artwork designer Takashi Murakami was produced for the track. Its story takes place within a metropolis called Universe City. The protagonist of the video is Dropout Bear, Wests longtime mascot, the story chronicles Dropout Bear overcoming various obstacles in an effort to reach his college campus in time for his graduation ceremony. An edited version of the video was used as pre-release promotion for the album. In April 2008, the video was shown in its length during a tour of Murakamis work at the Brooklyn Museum. The video was featured in an exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. The video was available to the public upon its release in the iTunes Store on August 26,2008. Information taken from Graduation liner notes
Good Morning (Kanye West song)
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Dropout Bear arriving at the graduation ceremony.
26.
Good Life (Kanye West song)
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Good Life is a song by American hip-hop artist Kanye West. It was released on October 2,2007 as the single for his third studio album Graduation. The song was produced by West and DJ Toomp and contains a sample of the outro to P. Y. T. as performed by Michael Jackson. Good Life also has additional drum programming and additional production by Timbaland and Mike Dean, the track features singer/rapper T-Pain as well as background vocals provided by John Legend and Ne-Yo. Good Life managed to enter charts prior to actually being released as a single, the single has since sold over two million copies in the United States and has been certified double platinum. For the chart week of September 29,2007, Good Life was the Hot Shot Debut of the week on the Billboard Hot 100, as it entered at number fourteen due to strong digital downloads. The song climbed to the position, becoming Wests second consecutive top ten Hot 100 single from Graduation as well as T-Pains sixth top ten single. Good Life debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at number thirty-nine and has peaked at number twenty-three, the single generated a strong reaction from the MuchMusic Countdown, where it reached number-one. Good Life was able to enter at number thirty-three on the UK Singles Chart before it was released in the UK until November 5,2007. Upon its release, the single was able to rise and peak at the position on the chart. The music video for Good Life was directed by Jonas & François with animation by So-Me, the video premiered on September 11,2007 as MTV Jams Jam of the Week. It features West and T-Pain performing with animated backdrops and often mouthing the words of the song lyrics, the version of the song used in the video contains an additional twenty-three second intro that the album version does not have. The video also features rapper/model LoLa Monroe, the video has reached #4 so far on VH1s VSpot Top 20 Countdown. It ranked #40 on VH1s Top 40 Videos of 2007, the video was the recipient of several awards nominations, winning Best Hip-Hop Video at the BET Hip Hop Awards and Best Special Effects in a Video at the MTV Video Music Awards. The song was featured on the HBO television series Entourage during season 4, episode 11, titled No Cannes Do. In the final moments of the episode, Kanye West makes an appearance and lets Vincent Chase and his crew use his plane to fly to Cannes as the song Good Life faded into the credits. US CD single Good Life –3,30 Good Life –3,24 Cant Tell Me Nothing –4,09 Good Life –3,56 UK CD single Good Life –3,27 Cant Tell Me Nothing –4,07 Information taken from Graduation liner notes
Good Life (Kanye West song)
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"Good Life"
27.
Flashing Lights (Kanye West song)
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Flashing Lights is a song by American hip-hop artist Kanye West. It features Detroit R&B singer Dwele and contains vocals from Australian singer Connie Mitchell. West co-wrote and co-produced the song with Eric Hudson and released it on November 22,2007 as the single for his third studio album. The singles cover art was designed by Japanese pop artist, Takashi Murakami, the single received acclaim from music critics and is cited as one of the best songs on Graduation. The song features Detroit R&B singer Dwele on its chorus and contains vocals provided by Connie Mitchell of the Australian electronic group Sneaky Sound System. The collaboration came about when Kanye met Mitchells bandmates Angus McDonald and Daimon Downey at a diner in Sydney, seeking musical inspiration, West asked McDonald for ideas, who in turn suggested that he be introduced to Mitchell. After their meeting, West asked Mitchell to record vocals for the song, Mitchell later admitted that while she previously didnt know who West was and never really cared for hip-hop, the collaboration had changed her views. As a result of its popularity, Flashing Lights was utilized by media outlets. In December 2007, the song was used in an ad campaign for French vodka Cîroc and it is featured in the popular action-adventure video game Grand Theft Auto IV on the in-game contemporary hip-hop radio station, The Beat 102.7. The song came to be included on Now Thats What I Call Music 27, the promo won gold at the North American Promax Awards. The song has been confirmed to be included within the setlist of the music video game Scratch. The song appeared in one episode of the MTV series My Life as Liz, Flashing Lights is an electronic-tinged hip-hop/R&B song composed in the key of F♯ minor. It is written in time and moves at 90 beats per minute. The main and background vocal range for the song spans nearly three octaves, from C4 to E5. After the introduction, in which Mitchells processed vocals repeat the titular hook four times, following a break, the song enters a passage where its heavily manipulated hook echoes in and out before the coda draws the composition to a close. Flashing Lights received widespread acclaim from music critics and was widely regarded as the best song on Graduation. Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy highly approved of the single, awarding it a four-star review, mixing chilled-out electronics, jittering synths and laid-back, old-skool hip-hop, he creates a sumptuous track that grows more intriguing with every listen. Billboard gave a review, claiming that it does a great job of reintroducing Miami Vice-esque keys
Flashing Lights (Kanye West song)
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West performing the song at the
2008 Democratic National Convention
Flashing Lights (Kanye West song)
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"Flashing Lights"
28.
Homecoming (Kanye West song)
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Homecoming is a song by American hip-hop recording artist and record producer Kanye West. It was included as the song on the track-listing of his third studio album Graduation. The track was produced by West with Warryn Campbell and features guest vocals from Chris Martin, West met Chris Martin by chance at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London, England on February 14,2006. Afterwards, the two held an impromptu jam session and recorded the track. Kanye West wrote Homecoming as a dedicated to his hometown of Chicago. His songs conceptual lyrics feature an extended metaphor where he uses a love interest to speak on his relationship with her, the composition is actually a re-recording of a track known as Home that originated from a demo tape dating back to the year 2001. The early recordings of Home exhibit Wests once trademark soulful vocal sample production style, in addition, the lyrics of the original chorus are different and were sung by singer John Legend, who was known at the time as John Stephens. It was released as the single from his third studio album Graduation. Homecoming was released in the United Kingdom as a download and was due to be released as a physical single on February 4,2008. However, the single was cancelled due to downloads starting to decline before the release. It was, however, released on single on 18 February. Homecoming reached Number 9 in the United Kingdom on January 20,2008, the single was met with moderate commercial success, reaching the top twenty on international charts. However, the song received mixed reviews from music critics. Many praised Wests introspective lyricism and storytelling abilities, but others panned Chris Martins appearance due to him not being from Chicago, an accompanying music video for Homecoming was directed by Hype Williams and filmed in the city of Chicago. Shot entirely in black-and-white, the video features a montage of Kanye West walking throughout the streets of Chicago and showcases its landmarks, monuments. Homecoming was written by American hip-hop recording artist and record producer Kanye West with Chris Martin, West co-produced the track with record producer Warryn Campbell. In an interview with Billboard, West first revealed that he had collaborated with the Coldplay frontman and this was for a song that was entitled Homecoming, and West also alluded that it just might be released as the lead single for his third studio album Graduation. The collaboration occurred just the year prior when Kanye West and Chris Martin met and teamed up for a jam session at the Abbey Road Studios in London
Homecoming (Kanye West song)
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"Homecoming"
29.
Big Brother (Kanye West song)
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Big Brother is a song by American hip-hop artist Kanye West. It was released on his 2007 studio album, Graduation, the song was produced by Atlanta record producer DJ Toomp. Big Brother is a tribute by Kanye dedicated to Jay-Z, containing lyrics that discuss the ups, the song received very positive reviews from music critics, who praised Wests lyricism and storytelling ability. Though not released as a single, Big Brother managed to enter, Big Brother uses a sample from Princes Its Gonna Be Lonely guitar riff. Big Brother was written by Kanye West while the music was produced by Atlanta record producer DJ Toomp and it stands as the sole track on the entire album not to have production by West. Kanye wrote the song as a tribute to Jay-Z, whom he feels so close to as a friend that he sees him as a brother, the songs hook and concept was conceived while West was riding an elevator. Music soul singer Tony Williams, recalled that Jay-Z himself became quite emotional when West played Big Brother for him in the studio for the very first time. When asked of his opinion of the song, Jay-Z responded that he thought it was brilliantly written and it was there that Kanye claimed that he felt that Big Brother is his strongest ever lyrically, career defining record. While making an appearance on DJ Tim Westwoods radio show on August 18,2007, Kanye played a preview of Big Brother alongside Champion, the second song on the track-listing of Graduation. Big Brother in its entirety was first unveiled at a secret concert West held with Rihanna before an audience of one thousand fans. The concert took place on August 20,2007 at the Westminster Central Hall in London, West went on to play a snippet of Big Brother while hosting an album listening session for Graduation on August 28,2007 at the New World Stages in New York City. In an interview with Blender, R&B singer-songwriter The-Dream said that he was set to sing on the remix of Big Brother, Big Brother is a mid-tempo hip-hop song. It is set in the signature of common time, with a moderate tempo of beats per minute. The song opens with Wests voice uttering the words, Stadium status, backed by string arrangements, pounding drums, a distorted guitar riff and soft piano keys. Kanye then begins reciting the chorus of Big Brother in a rhythmic, half-sung manner, followed by him rapping its smooth, approximately half-way through its first verse, the song suddenly adopts synthesizer sounds which replicate the melody of the string section. During Wests second delivery of the chorus of Big Brother, after the end of its first verse, the song incorporates more musical aspects, including handclaps, percussion, and a bassline. Throughout the song, the pacing of Wests rapping varies, from swift raps typical of music to a slower style reminiscent of spoken word. The lyrics of Big Brother possess an honest, heartfelt examination of the complexities that encompass Wests relationship with Jay-Z
Big Brother (Kanye West song)
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Kanye wrote "Big Brother" as an ode to his brotherly friendship with Jay-Z.
Big Brother (Kanye West song)
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West performing at
Westminster Central Hall in London, England.
30.
Welcome to Heartbreak
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Welcome to Heartbreak is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West. The song was inspired by a conversation West had with MTV Executive Vice President Dave Sirulnick and it struck West that he really wanted to be married and have a family, but it hadnt worked out for him. It features then-newly signed GOOD Music artist Kid Cudi, and was co-produced by West with Jeff Bhasker, despite not being released as a single at that time, the song managed to enter the pop charts. The song did feature on the Kiss and BBC Radio 1Xtra playlists in the United Kingdom, the song was supposed to be officially released as the third single from 808s & Heartbreak in the U. K. on May 18,2009, but was never released. Welcome to Heartbreak was met by positive reviews music critics, many of whom cited it, along with Love Lockdown. In the landscape of 808, Kanyes aspirations for fame have created a mutually exclusive dichotomy with family, blender describes the songs sonic texture as, so icy and desolate it should come with a pair of snowshoes while PopMatters commented that. Its the tone of the story leaves the impression, not the stories themselves. He turns the vocal effects off to sound naked, vulnerable, backed by the momentum produced by the release of 808s & Heartbreak, Welcome to Heartbreak charted on the Billboard Pop 100. The song peaked at number eighty-seven based only on digital downloads. S. and at number twenty-two in Canada, on May 10, just a week prior to being released as a single, the song debuted in the thirty-fifth position on the UK R&B Chart. The following week, it moved up two places to reach its peak on the chart at number thirty-three, the music video for Welcome to Heartbreak was released on February 17,2009 on Wests blog, and was directed by Nabil Elderkin. The resulting choppy, pixelated imagery makes it appear as if the software that rendered the final video made output a low-resolution, artifact-heavy product. Elderkin pitched the concept, which he refers to as, datamoshing to Kanye while the two were collaborating on the album for Wests Glow In The Dark Tour book. I knew that was the song this video had to be for and he liked what I showed him, and I nagged him a few times about doing it. I told him again, I really felt this would be a visual for the song. I got busy on the phone trying to put it together, I shot all the extra components the following week in L. A. Elderkin felt the visual technique was perfect for portraying the tone of the introductory track. I wanted to use in a more of strategic way, using calculated moshes, colors, different parts of the songs represented different feelings, and I wanted to come with a visual representation of the flow and textures that are I feel are very important in this song. While showcasing artists signed onto his G. O. O. D, Music imprint, West performed the song live with Kid Cudi at SXSW on March 21,2009. Information taken from 808s & Heartbreak liner notes, cello, James J. Cooper, III, Jennie Lorenzo Bass, Miles Davis Background vocals, Jeff Bhasker Mixer, Manny Marroquin Engineer, Jeff Chestek
Welcome to Heartbreak
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Kanye West as he appears in the music video of "Welcome to Heartbreak."
31.
Heartless (Kanye West song)
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Heartless is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released on November 4,2008 digitally as the second single for his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. It debuted at the number four spot on the Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at number two and reached number-one on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks and U. S. Heartless is one of the best selling singles of all time, on his fourth studio album 808s & Heartbreak and in the pop song Heartless, Kanye West utilized the voice audio processor device known as Auto-Tune. West had previously experimented with the technology on his album, The College Dropout, for the background vocals of Jesus Walks. The voice altering device created a unique sound helping West express his feelings of his break up with fiancée Alexis Phifer months after the untimely passing of his mother. The pipe-organ sound was sampled from The Alan Parsons Project song Ammonia Avenue, the single fluctuated in and out of the top ten for two months before reaching number three in mid-January, and rose to its peak at number two on the chart issue dated February 21. In early March it also reached number four on the Pop 100 chart and it is Wests second consecutive top five hit on the Hot 100, and his second consecutive song to debut in the top five there. This makes 808s & Heartbreak the first West album to contain two Hot 100 top five hits, on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, it peaked at four. It debuted at eleven on the Hot Rap Tracks and has managed to reach number-one in late January. As of September 2012, the song has sold over 4 million paid downloads in the United States, becoming Wests second song to reach that mark. In Canada, it made a Hot Shot Debut at #8 on the Canadian Hot 100. On 1 December 2008, the song debuted at #63 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and it reached #6 on the New Zealand RIANZ chart. On the UK Singles Chart, the song debuted at number #45, the official digital release date for the single was 12 January 2009. On the Irish Singles Chart the song has peaked at #10, directed by Hype Williams, the animated music video for Heartless pays tribute to Ralph Bakshis 1981 film American Pop. It features use of rotoscoped animation, in which people were filmed and had their every move drawn over. The video portrays West wandering through a city alone at night, the video also takes place in Wests actual apartment den, where the Jetsons portraits are located. West stands by the Astro portrait in five scenes of the video and it was the first animated video directed by Williams. The song was performed for the first time in Denver, Colorado, the song was also performed at a T. I. concert at Key Club in Los Angeles
Heartless (Kanye West song)
Heartless (Kanye West song)
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"Heartless"
32.
See You in My Nightmares
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See You in My Nightmares is a song from Kanye Wests fourth studio album 808s & Heartbreak. Produced by West and his former mentor No I. D. the song features a duet between West and rap artist Lil Wayne. It was to be sent to radios on March 10,2009, while to Rhythm/Crossover radio on February 28,2009. Though not released as a single, See You in My Nightmares still managed to enter the top forty on charts in Canada, along with Amazing, See You in My Nightmares charted without actually being released as a single following the release of 808s & Heartbreak. In the U. S. the song was certified as a Hot Shot Debut and that same week, it also a Hot Shot Debut on the Pop 100, peaking at number twenty-seven. The song was a Hot Shot Debut once more in Canada, West has collaborated with Spike Jonze to direct a short film, We Were Once a Fairytale for See You in My Nightmares. According to Jonzes producing partner, Vincent Landay, the project was mostly for fun and is not necessarily a video for See You in My Nightmares. Set to run between ten and fifteen minutes, the film was shot near the end of January within two days in Los Angeles and has received editing over the course of several weekends. Its plot is based on a developed by Jonze, who then reached out to Kanye under the belief that hed be perfect for it. On October 18, “We Were Once a Fairytale” was leaked to the Internet and posted on Mr. West’s official Web site, kanyeuniversecity. com. Mr. Jonze said the film was leaked from the postproduction studio of a friend. “I think he was like, ‘Oh, it’s out, i’ll link to it, ’ ” Mr. Jonze said. On October 19th the video was removed from the site, with only a message left from West saying SORRY I HAD TO TAKE IT DOWN. The video, however, can still be found on video sharing websites and is now available through iTunes. Information taken from 808s & Heartbreak liner notes, songwriters, Kanye West, Ernest Wilson, Jeff Bhasker, Dwayne Carter Producers, Kanye West, No I. D. Recorders, Andrew Dawson, Anthony Kilhoffer Keyboards, Jeff Bhasker Strings arrangements, violins, Emma Kummrow, Igor Szwec, Luigi Mazzochi, Gregory Teperman, Olga Konopelsky, Charles Parker Viola, Davis Barnett, Alexandra Leem. Cello, James J. Cooper, III, Jennie Lorenzo, bass, Miles Davis Mixer, Manny Marroquin Engineer, Jeff Chestek Assistant engineers, Montez Roberts, Rick Friedrich, John Stahl Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
See You in My Nightmares
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"See You in My Nightmares"
33.
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
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My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is the fifth studio album by American hip hop rapper and producer Kanye West. Following a period of public and legal controversy, West retreated to an exile in Hawaii in 2009. There, he worked on the album in a communal recording environment that involved numerous contributing musicians, the album features guest appearances from Bon Iver, Jay Z, Pusha T, Rick Ross, Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj, John Legend and more. Production is led by West himself, alongside a variety of record producers including Mike Dean. Jeff Bhasker, RZA, S1, Bink and DJ Frank E, the album deals with themes of excess and celebrity, and explores such issues as consumer culture, race, and the idealism of the American Dream. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was released on November 22,2010, to promote the album, West released free songs through his GOOD Fridays series and four singles, the Billboard hits Power, Monster, and Runaway, and the international hit All of the Lights. It was also promoted with a film set to the records music. The album debuted at one on the Billboard 200 and eventually sold 1,032,000 copies in the United States. A widespread critical success, it was named the best record of 2010 by many publications and has appeared on several lists ranking the greatest albums of all time. The album was conceived during Wests self-imposed exile in Oahu, Hawaii, following a period of legal and public image controversy amid an overworked mental state. West later said that his fatigue from overworking led to his controversial outburst at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, his disgust with its ensuing media response and it was formerly known as Good Ass Job and tentatively Dark Twisted Fantasy. GOOD Music artist Big Sean was the second to announce the title of the album as Good Ass Job, on July 24,2010, on Kanye Wests blog, a banner appeared reading My Dark Twisted Fantasy Trailer. On July 28,2010, West announced via his new official Twitter account that The album is no longer called Good Ass Job Im bouncing a couple of titles around now, the official title, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, was announced on October 5,2010. It was reported that West spent over $3 million in expenses from his record label Def Jam on the recording. Drake, Common, Jay-Z, Eminem, Lil Wayne, John Legend, Fergie, Rihanna, The-Dream, Ryan Leslie, Elton John, Justin Vernon, Seal, Beyoncé, Kid Cudi, Mos Def, Santigold, Alicia Keys, Elly Jackson, and Tony Williams. Record producers who participated in the sessions with West included Q-Tip, RZA, DJ Premier, Madlib, Madlib said he made five beats for the album, while DJ Premier said his beats were ultimately discarded. West, who had recorded at Avex for 808s & Heartbreak. According to Noah Callahan-Bever, who visited West during the recording sessions and he heads to another studio room to make progress on another song
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
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My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
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Physical release sold in retail stores
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
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Kid Cudi contributed vocals to several tracks on the album.
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
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West performing at the
SWU Music & Arts Festival in Brazil, 2011
34.
Monster (Kanye West song)
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Monster is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, released as the third single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The track features rappers Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, all five credited performers have writing credits on the posse cut, with the production handled by West and Mike Dean. Lyrically the song expresses often disturbing, horror film influenced concepts, the song contains an atmospheric, drum-heavy composition, notable for featuring no samples. The song was listed amongst the best tracks of 2010 by publications, the song debuted and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at position 18. The track was promoted with a video directed by Jake Nava. The music video had several references to films and featured extensive horror imagery, with zombies, decapitated corpses. The music video was controversial, being banned from MTV. The video has been criticized for its portrayal of women, to promote his upcoming fifth album, West launched GOOD Fridays, a weekly free music giveaway. In the first week West released onto his website a remix of the albums first single, Power, the song was promptly removed from his website and replaced with another track, with Monster being uploaded as a digital single onto iTunes. West announced that Monster was actually intended for his collaborative album Watch the Throne with Jay-Z, Wests announcement failed to surface however, and the song actually appeared on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and was released as the albums third single. Following some media controversies, West chose to record his fifth studio My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in a manner in Oahu. Like the majority of the album, Monster was composed there, rapper Rick Ross was invited to Hawaii to work with West, because West was set to produce the song Live Fast, Die Young, which appeared on Teflon Don, an album by Ross. While Ross was there with West in his studio, he actually walked in on West while recording another song. Ross was not initially intended to be featured on Wests album, however Ross was so impressed with what he heard he decided to record a quick, Ross had the concept of the song explained to him by West, which according to Ross, blew him away in presentation. West was so impressed by Ross that he invited him back to his studio during the stages of the album. While Ross was there, both Jay-Z and Minaj were recording their verses, Ross expressed his admiration for Minaj, who impressed him during the recording. He stated that what he had observed had earned him respect for Minaj, Minaj expressed excitement when approached to collaborate on the song, and she had contributed 32 bars to the track. Her main inspiration behind working on the track was the possibility of meeting Jay-Z, according to her, she literally couldnt have a conversation without quoting a line by him, and it was a dream come true to collaborate with the artist
Monster (Kanye West song)
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Rap artists
Rick Ross (left) and
Nicki Minaj (right) are both featured on the song. Ross was impressed with the song's concept and asked if he could deliver the intro. Minaj appeared on the song due in part to her admiration of Jay-Z. Ross expressed admiration for Minaj, and praised her lyricism.
Monster (Kanye West song)
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"Monster"
Monster (Kanye West song)
Monster (Kanye West song)
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Watch the Throne collaborators
Jay-Z (left) and
Kanye West (right) received acclaim for their performances on "Monster". Critics were divided on who had the superior verse out of the two, though Minaj was often cited as surpassing both rappers on the track. The production by West was also widely praised.
35.
So Appalled
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So Appalled is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The song was produced by West, along with No I. D. and Mike Dean, and features verses by Jay-Z, Cyhi the Prynce, Pusha T, Swizz Beatz, and RZA respectively who all receive writing credits. The song explores topics such as the produced from being famous, social concerns. The posse cut received mostly positive reviews music critics, with West. Critics generally praised the production of the song, though the verse given by Cyhi received a mixed reception, originally released in an unmastered form through Wests GOOD Friday initiative, a weekly free music giveaway started by the rapper to promote the album. Following this, So Appalled made its way onto My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy with the addition of an extended verse, so Appalled charted on the Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles singles chart. West performed the song with Jay-Z at their Watch the Throne Tour, so Appalled was first released on September 24,2010, and was the seventh song to be featured on Wests GOOD Fridays, a music giveaway that provided free MP3 downloads every week. It was originally believed to be a song for West and Jay-Zs collaborative album Watch the Throne, the song would later find its way onto Wests fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy along with two other GOOD Friday songs. The version on the album was altered production-wise and was longer, before its release the song was leaked online and was nearly scrapped. The majority of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was recorded in Oahu, Hawaii, following several media controversies, West decided to record his next album in a reclusive manner only working with artists he considered himself familiar with. Amongst the various artists invited down to Hawaii to record songs for the album was Pusha T, while in Hawaii, Pusha-T commented that the very first thing he recorded was his verse for So Appalled. He favorably compared recording with West with another producer he was used to working with, Pharrell Williams, commenting that he enjoyed how the process was more of a canvas. When working with other producers usually a majority of the track was already done by the time he got to the studio, but with West. Pusha described the process with West as a roller coast. Upon hearing the production of the song, Pusha-T commented that it was so good it persuaded him to write a particularly inspired verse, on the production of So Appalled, he said its Kanye, the beat brings the ghost out of you. The rapper described his verse as self-explanatory and stated that it was one of his favorite of his career, Pusha T called his verse his personal favorite and that the track was originally supposed to be just him and Kanye. He commented, I had already raved over the record because it leaked, I was like listen, there is no way this cant be on your album, you’d have to be crazy. He was like Really, you think so, I was like c’mon man we got to stop treating rap like oh it came out it’s dead
So Appalled
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"So Appalled"
So Appalled
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Rap artists
Pusha T (left) and
RZA (right) are amongst the various performers featured on the song. Pusha T convinced West to include the track on his album
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. RZA served as both a rapper and a producer on the song.
So Appalled
So Appalled
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Jay-Z was cited by several critics as the rapper who gave the best verse on "So Appalled".
36.
Devil in a New Dress
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Devil in a New Dress is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Originally released through Wests GOOD Friday initiative, a free music giveaway started by the rapper to promote My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It later appeared on the album with a guitar solo by producer Mike Dean. Devil in a New Dress was produced by Bink and it was the only song in the album not to be produced by West, who wrote it alongside Bink. The song samples Smokey Robinsons quiet storm recording Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, both the topics of love and religion serve as the main inspiration to the song. The song received acclaim from critics, who praised the delivery of Wests verse, the lush production. It has been remixed by several musicians, such as J. Cole, Jay Electronica, Ross promoted the song releasing a music video in which he showcased his verse. The song was featured in Wests short film Runaway during a dinner room sequence. It charted on the South Korean Gaon Chart at position 99, Devil in a New Dress was first released on September 3,2010, and was the fourth song to be featured apart of Kanye Wests GOOD Fridays, a music giveaway that provided free MP3 downloads every week. Though it was the fourth GOOD Fridays song released, it was the second original track premiered. Compared to his other recent joints, the track is rather minimal in nature and it clocks in at less than three minutes and features no guest contributors. In fact, it’s the accompanying beat which makes the post-midnight release worth our time. The song was rumored to be featured on Wests new album. It was later confirmed to appear on the album, albeit as a different version. It was released following the release of the album. Following some media controversies, West chose to record the majority of his fifth studio My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in a manner in Oahu. Like the majority of the album, Devil in a New Dress was composed there. Rapper Rick Ross was invited to Hawaii to work with West, because West was set to produce the song Live Fast, Die Young, which appeared on Teflon Don, an album by Ross
Devil in a New Dress
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"Devil in a New Dress"
Devil in a New Dress
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Rick Ross recorded his verse for "Devil in a New Dress" within a very close proximity from when the album had to be turned into the record label.
Devil in a New Dress
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Even though West was not a credited producer on the tracks, the composition style of "Devil in a New Dress" was compared favorably to his own.
Devil in a New Dress
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Rick Ross in the "Devil in a New Dress" music video.
37.
Lost in the World
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Lost in the World is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The song features vocals by Justin Vernon of indie folk band Bon Iver and it also contains portions of Soul Makossa written by Manu Dibango, and samples of Comment No. It was produced by West and Jeff Bhasker, who wrote the track with Vernon, Lost in the World was initially leaked on September 29,2010 and was 6 minutes and 4 seconds long. The version on the album was split up into two parts, with the outro becoming a new track entitled Who Will Survive in America, the song received acclaim from music critics, who praised the atmospheric production, the appearance of Vernon, and Wests verse. The verse by West was described as one of the most poetic of his career, Lost in the World was featured during the closing credits of Runaway, a 35-minute short film directed by West set with music from the album. The song peaked at number 104 on the South Korean Gaon Chart, a music video was directed by Ruth Hogben, featuring black and white cinematography, frantic dancing by models and a brief cameo by West. The music video received positive reviews from critics, Lost in the World was sampled in a freestyle by Wests GOOD Music labelmate Pusha T, and a remix produced by DJ Tiësto. Lost in the World was proposed by West as the fifth single. Kanye West previewed Lost in the World in July 2010 at the offices of Facebook, West performed production-free versions of several songs at the event, standing on top of a table. Before launching into a performance of Lost in the World, West mused that this is actually a bit more like a poem, a version of the song leaked online on September 29,2010, the version was unfinished, with a length of approximately 6 minutes. At this time, it was whether or not the song would appear on Wests upcoming fifth studio album. The first part of the track remained titled Lost in the World, while the end became another song, following some media controversies, West chose to record My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in a reclusive manner in Oahu, Hawaii. Like the majority of the album, Lost in the World was composed there, West attempted to shy away from working with artists he didnt consider himself familiar with, however made the exception for Justin Vernon, singer of the band Bon Iver. Vernons involvement in the project stemmed from a call by West. West had gotten into contact with Vernon and described his intention of sampling the song Woods from Bon Ivers Blood Bank EP, after the phone message, West invited Vernon down to his record studio in Hawaii to appear on the album. West also cited the Bon Iver album For Emma, Forever Ago as something he was a fan of, the two quickly became friends through discussions of music and games of basketball. While at Hawaii, Vernon collaborated extensively, reportedly producing a total of 10 tracks together, including the album cuts Dark Fantasy and it was kind of bare so I added some choir-sounding stuff and then thicked out the samples with my voice. That whole first week I was there we worked on the Woods song and we were just eating breakfast and listening to the song on the speakers and hes like, Fuck, this is going to be the festival closer
Lost in the World
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Bon Iver 's
Justin Vernon was invited by West to his recording studio in Hawaii. Vernon described West as demanding, but mused that the recording process was creative and enjoyable.
Lost in the World
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The production by West received acclaim from critics, with several writers commenting that West included production styles not commonly associated with rap music.
Lost in the World
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West performing at
Coachella in 2011.
38.
See Me Now
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See Me Now is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West featuring R&B singers Beyoncé Knowles and Charlie Wilson. The album version has a verse by Big Sean and is included on Wests fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as an iTunes Store bonus track. It was written by West, Knowles, Wilson and Sean while production was handled by West, Lex Luger, see Me Now received generally positive reviews from music critics. The song debuted and peaked at two on the US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles on August 28,2010. See Me Now was written by Kanye West, Beyoncé Knowles, Charlie Wilson and Big Sean while production was handled by West, Lex Luger and it premiered on August 11,2010. The song was available on Wests website, also on the same day. The album version has a verse by Big Sean and is included on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as an iTunes bonus track. Knowles recorded her vocals for the song at 5am, during the bridge of the song, Knowles sings the lines, I know one thing, my momma would be proud/And you see me looking up cause I know shes looking down right now. During the hook Wilson sings the lines I know you see me now right now, see Me Now received generally positive reviews from music critics. Christian Hoard of the Rolling Stone gave the three and half out of five stars. But the sound is warm, a gospel-style mix of heartfelt crooning. See Me Now debuted and peaked at two on the US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles on August 28,2010. Kanye West Official Website Beyoncé Knowles Official Website
See Me Now
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"See Me Now"
39.
Watch the Throne
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Watch the Throne is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay Z and Kanye West, released on August 8,2011, by Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Before the album, Jay Z and West had collaborated on their respective singles, as longtime friends, they originally sought out to record a five-song EP together, but the project eventually evolved into a full-length album. Recording sessions took place at locations and began in November 2010. Production on the album was led by West himself, alongside a variety of record producers including Mike Dean, Swizz Beatz, Sak Pase, Jeff Bhasker, The Neptunes. Jay-Z and Wests braggadocio lyrics exhibit themes of opulence, fame, materialism, power, the album expresses other topics such as Jay-Zs thoughts on fatherhood, Wests reflection on being deemed a social villain, and their legacy as performers. Music writers interpreted the subject matter to concern the rappers plight as African Americans struggling with financial success in America. The album produced seven singles, including H•A•M, Otis, Lift Off, No Church in the Wild, and the Billboard Hot 100 top five Niggas in Paris, which all received music videos. Jay-Z and West promoted the album with the Watch the Throne Tour that spanned October 2011 to June 2012, Watch the Throne debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 436,000 copies its first week. While some critics found the lyrical content uninspiring, its production. Many critics and publications placed the album in their year-end best-of lists and it also earned Jay-Z and West seven Grammy Award nominations. The album is certified platinum in the US, Wests early production work on Jay-Zs music helped raise his profile in the music industry. While originally only viewed as a producer, West eventually was seen as both a viable rapper and producer thanks to the success of his debut album The College Dropout, West continued to be one of Jay-Zs main producers on subsequent albums such as The Black Album and Kingdom Come. Jay-Z appeared on Kanyes first two albums as well, and the two frequently collaborated, during the promotional stages of Wests My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, a remix of the song Power surfaced featuring Jay-Z. Following this, West announced on Twitter his intention to drop a five-track EP with Jay-Z, also according to the rapper, the track Monster was intended for the EP, though that failed to surface. It was later revealed by West that the project had expanded into a full-length album in an October 2010 interview for MTV. He said in the interview that they planned to record in the south of France, production began in November 2010 in England and continued during available times in Jay-Zs and Wests schedules at locations in Australia, Paris, Abu Dhabi, New York City, and Los Angeles. He noted difficulties in the process, including arguments with West regarding their direction. Following the release of single, H•A•M in January 2011
Watch the Throne
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Watch the Throne
Watch the Throne
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Jay-Z and West recorded at various locations, including
Real World Studios in Wiltshire, England.
Watch the Throne
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Singer
Frank Ocean appears on "No Church in the Wild" and "Made in America". Ocean was brought onto the project per the reception of his prior musical ventures.
Watch the Throne
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Stylistically the album features samples largely considered unconventional, an aesthetic quality shared with West's previous album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Both albums had production handled by West.
40.
Lift Off (song)
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Lift Off is a song by Jay-Z and Kanye West featuring American recording artist Beyoncé. The song was rumored to be released as the single from the album containing additional vocals by Bruno Mars. However, Mars never appeared on the song and it was sent to contemporary radio on August 23,2011. Musically, Lift Off is a pop song which uses baroque strings and it contains a chorus sung by Beyoncé, while other verses are sung by West and Jay-Z in a rap style. Instrumentally, the song is completed with synthesizers, martial drums, Lift Off received mixed to positive reviews from music critics who highlighted the song and praised its hook as well as Beyoncés vocals. The song peaked at one on the South Korea Gaon International Chart. Lift Off was performed live by Jay-Z and Kanye West during their tour in promotion of Watch the Throne titled Watch the Throne Tour. Lift Off was written by Kanye West, Jay-Z, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean, Bruno Mars and Seal, while production was handled by West, Bhasker, Mike Dean, Pharrell, Q-Tip, the song was recorded in Sydney, Australia. In early May 2011, it was rumored that Bruno Mars recorded vocals for the song along with Beyoncé, however, Mars never appeared on the song and Beyoncé sang several lines during the chorus instead. In February,2011, Kanye West and Jay-Z held a party at the AMNH’s Hayden Planetarium, during the party, Lift Off was one of the previewed songs. It was described as a track on the album by a writer for Vulture. Lift Off is a pop song mainly in 6/8 time, which features baroque strings, the song contains horns and martial drums as Beyoncé sings, We gon take it to the moon/ Take it to the stars. Throughout the song Wests vocals are enhanced by Auto-Tune in some places, Seal provides backing vocals in the song, which according to Jon Caramanica of The New York Times were impossible-to-notice. In the song, Beyoncé sings about having so many scars, Jeff Weiss of The Hollywood Reporter found an old NASA movie sample and Kanye showing off his tattoos and inflexible singing voice. Simon Price of The Independent found neurofunk influences on Lift Off, a writer of The Guardian compared the synthesizers in the song with the song The Final Countdown by Swedish rock band Europe. Lift Off was sent to contemporary radio in the United States on August 23,2011. According to several media, the song was popular on Twitter and across the Internet. According to Billboard magazine, Jay-Z suggested that a video for the song could appear
Lift Off (song)
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Bruno Mars (pictured), who co-produced "Lift Off", was rumored to sing several lines in it. However, he did not appear on the final version of the track.
Lift Off (song)
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Several critics praised Knowles ' (left) vocals in the song, while Jay-Z 's (center) and Kanye West 's (right) were discussed in a less positive light.
Lift Off (song)
Lift Off (song)
41.
Made in America (Jay-Z and Kanye West song)
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Made in America is a song by American hip hop recording artists Kanye West and Jay Z, from their first collaborative album Watch the Throne. It is the track on the album and features vocals from OFWGKTA singer Frank Ocean. Lyrically, the song explores themes of life and the American Dream. It expresses the hardships of youth and coming of age, the track received positive reviews from music critics who praised Oceans vocal hook, and the subject matter of the verses. The song has been compared to inspirational ballads of late-period Michael Jackson, the song charted on South Korea Gaon International Chart at number 178. Jay Z and West performed the song at their 2011 Watch the Throne Tour, Jay Z and Kanye West are both American rappers who have collaborated on several tracks together. In 2010, they began production and recording on a collaborative record Watch the Throne, Frank Ocean is an R&B singer who released his debut mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra in early 2011 to critical acclaim. The release of the mixtape interested West, who was reported to be a big fan, West invited Ocean to write and sing on two songs off of the record. Frank wrote and provided vocals on tracks No Church in the Wild and Made in America, the song has been described as an understated soft-pop track with influence from Michael Jackson and his 1985 charity single We Are the World. Oceans hook pays tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. Coretta Scott King, Malcolm X, Betty Shabazz and, of course, rob Harvilla of Spin stated that PBR&B prince Frank Ocean sings on the subdued but triumphant Made in America. The song invokes heroes of the civil movement and reflects on how West. Jay Z muses on his drug-dealing past with lines like our apple pie was supplied by Arm & Hammer, utilizing his skill at baking double- and triple-meanings into a line. Wests verse describes his original hustle in terms of blogging and web traffic and his conflict with fame, popdust reported that this is Jay at his most vulnerable, revealing things he may be thinking but not regularly willing to share with others. While the song’s chorus seems to all of those “Made In America. Made in America received mostly positive reviews from most music critics, rolling Stone stated that both rappers deliver sentimental verses, but Ocean carries most of the emotional weight here. Steve Jones of USA Today commented on the equally potent Made in America, the two talk about their rises to fame, while acknowledging those who helped and inspired them. Sputnikmusics Tyler Fisher noted that Frank Ocean asks, “What’s a god to a nonbeliever. ”On “No Church in the Wild”, rolling Stones Simon Vozick-Levinson mused Frank Oceans second appearance on the album is another keeper. Hip-hop heads will be singing his honey-voiced, religiously-themed hook all fall, Jay Z and Kanye keep the thoughtful mood going with verses that revisit their respective rises to fame
Made in America (Jay-Z and Kanye West song)
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Ocean's hook received the most praise of any aspect of the song, being described as the "emotional weight" of the track.
42.
Why I Love You (Jay-Z and Kanye West song)
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Why I Love You is a song by American hip hop artists Kanye West and Jay-Z, from their first collaborative album Watch the Throne. The song features pop musician Mr Hudson who is signed to Wests GOOD Music label. Why I Love You heavily samples French house duo Cassius 2010 single I <3 U So, the song almost entirely features Jay-Z rapping and only contains a few lines provided by West. Lyrically, the song is about the people who have stood in the way of Jay-Z throughout the year and expresses themes of victory, the song received positive reviews from critics who generally praised the production. The song was released as the single from Watch the Throne on September 13,2011. However the song was released outside of the US. The song became a top 40 single in the UK, in Iceland, the song has since been certified Gold for sales exceeding 500,000. Jay and West performed the song at all the stops on their 2011 Watch the Throne Tour, Jay-Z and Kanye West are both American rappers who have collaborated on several tracks together. In 2010, they began production and recording on a collaborative record Watch the Throne, the track features Mr Hudson, who is signed to Wests GOOD Music label singing an interpolation of Cassius track I <3 U So. Mike Dean and West handled the production of the song, the track was performed by West and Jay on their Watch the Throne tour. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom on November 28,2011, the track contains a sledgehammer beat which is built around French house duo Cassius 2010 single I <3 U So. Slashing violin parts come in on the bridge before the song ends abruptly, lyrically the song is about Jays dismay at past crewmates betrayals. The song revisits the split-up of Roc-A-Fella Records and has Jay-Z lamenting betrayal, the track makes the trendentious point that being Sean Carter or Kanye West can have its downsides. Rob Harvilla of Spin commented that Why I Love You closes out the proper with a monster Cassius-lifted chorus. Craig Jenkins of Prefix wrote that Mike Deans titanic, Cassius-sampling Why I Love You slowly peels layers off its stuffy largess to reveal the gorgeous string accompaniment underfoot. Kanye and his team are still trafficking in proggy, kitchen-sink experimentation, due to the hype around Watch the Throne worldwide, Why I Love You debuted on various charts globally on the week of the albums release. In the UK the song reached a peak of 87, and 27 on their R&B chart, in South Korea, the track charted at position 94. The song became a top 40 single in both Iceland and Belgium and it also charted in France at number 56, and in Switzerland at 52
Why I Love You (Jay-Z and Kanye West song)
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"Why I Love You"
43.
I Am a God
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I Am a God is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his sixth solo studio album Yeezus. It was produced by West, Hudson Mohawke, Daft Punk, originally it was rumored Kanye Wests sixth studio album was to be titled I Am God which caused controversy. Then it was revealed there was a song titled I Am a God. Wests camp said the title was a reference to Psalm 82, I said, You are gods, Kanye West debuted the song at the 2013 New York Governors Ball. On June 12,2013, six days before the album Yeezus was released, the song was also featured in the Assassins Creed film teaser trailer. Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 65 on their list of the 100 best songs of 2013, NME positioned it at number 18 on their list of the 50 best songs of 2013. Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
I Am a God
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A masked Kanye West performing "I Am a God" at
Barclays Center in
Brooklyn,
New York City, 2013
44.
Bound 2
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Bound 2 is a song by American rapper Kanye West, featured as the final track from his sixth studio album, Yeezus. It was produced by West and Che Pope, with production being handled by Eric Danchick, Noah Goldstein, No ID. The song features vocals from American soul singer Charlie Wilson and serves as the second single. Bound 2 incorporates samples from Bound by Ponderosa Twins Plus One, the controversial music video features his wife Kim Kardashian West, topless, riding on a motorbike with West through various landscapes. The song peaked at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart and 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, on June 1,2013, West revealed the cover of his sixth studio album Yeezus and premiered a 13-second preview of Bound 2. It was only one of three songs that were previewed prior to the release, the others being New Slaves. Bound 2 features substantial soul music samples, which critics noted as reminiscent of Wests production style in his earlier work. The song is built around a sample taken from Bound. Lee reacted to the sampling of her song on the track, saying, As Ive said and it says a wonderful thing about Ronnie Self, who wrote the song. That 50 years after it was written, somebody in Kanyes camp knew the song and said, on February 15,2014, Hudson Mohawke played an original version of Bound 2 during a DJ set in Leeds. The earlier version features piano-driven production and a more stripped down ending compared to the album version. Rapper/Producer Tyler, The Creator revealed over Twitter that he helped produce the version along with Hudson Mohawke. Bound 2 was revealed to be the single released from Yeezus in August 2013. On September 9,2013, West appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon for the first time, during his appearance, he performed Bound 2 with Charlie Wilson, The Roots and a male childrens choir. It was his first national performance of the song. The song was performed on the season premiere of Later. With Jools Holland by West and Wilson on September 17,2013, to take a more minimal approach, they were accompanied by just the songs signature Ponderosa Twins sample and a brief piano intro for the Later. Bound 2 received universal acclaim from music critics, rolling Stone described Bound 2 as maybe the most audacious song hes ever written, not to mention the most beautiful
Bound 2
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Soul singer
Charlie Wilson appears uncredited on the song and performed it with West numerous times, upon its single release.
45.
Christmas in Harlem
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Christmas in Harlem is a song by hip-hop recording artist Kanye West. The track features rapper Cyhi the Prynce and R&B singer Teyana Taylor, produced by Hit-Boy, the song contains samples of Aint Nothing Like the Real Thing and Mercy Mercy Me, both by soul musician Marvin Gaye, and Strawberry Letter 23 by singer-songwriter Shuggie Otis. The track features a theme, and features various references to Christmas. Originally released as a part of Wests free music giveaway series GOOD Fridays, the song received positive reviews from critics, who complimented its lyrics and compared it favorably to other Christmas-themed hip-hop songs. Christmas in Harlem was produced by Hit-Boy, a signed to Wests label GOOD Music. I just kept sending him beats to try and get one on there, then, on the night of Kanyes New York release party, Ricky called saying Kanye wanted to use one of my beats for a Christmas song. The song contains samples of two songs by soul musician Marvin Gaye, Aint Nothing Like the Real Thing and Mercy Mercy Me and it also contains samples of Strawberry Letter 23, originally written and performed by singer-songwriter Shuggie Otis. Both Gaye and Otis are given songwriting credits on Christmas in Harlem for use of the samples, before its official release, the track first leaked to the Internet on December 15,2010. Christmas in Harlem was later released as a part of Wests free music giveaway series GOOD Fridays, the version of the track only featuring contributions from West, CyHi the Prynce and Teyana Taylor was later released as a single to the iTunes Store on December 17,2010. Christmas in Harlem received positive reviews from critics, but actual Harlem R&B hopeful Teyana Taylor offers warmth from the wind chill, eventually slipping into the comfy melody from the Brothers Johnsons Strawberry Letter 23. And gruff-rapping Atlanta Santa CyHi Da Prynce promises presents for non-Christian kiddies, too — hauled in a Porsche-speed sleigh. M. C. In his description of the track, Andy Greene of Rolling Stone wrote, Its only been out for a year, with help from Teyana Taylor, CamRon, Jim Jones and Pusha T, West paints a vivid and cheerful portrait of the season. Becky Bain of Idolator wrote of the track, Soulful, sweet and sprightly, Christmas in Harlem peaked at numbers 13 and 3 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles and Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles charts respectively on the chart week of January 8,2011. Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Christmas in Harlem
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"Christmas in Harlem"
46.
FourFiveSeconds
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FourFiveSeconds is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, American musician Kanye West and English musician/former Beatles member Paul McCartney. It was written and produced by West, McCartney, Mike Dean, Dave Longstreth and Noah Goldstein with a writing from Kirby Lauryen, Ty Dolla Sign, Dallas Austin. Previewed by West at the iHeartMedia Music Summit on January 21,2015, the same day the song was made available for digital download. FourFiveSeconds is a folk-pop, pop and soul pop song with an instrumentation consisting of a guitar, organ. Upon its release, it peaked at four on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In doing so it gave Rihanna her 26th top-ten song on the chart, the song also peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Internationally, FourFiveSeconds reached number one in Australia, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Sweden, as well as the top-three in Canada, France and the United Kingdom. To promote the song, an accompanying music video was directed by Dutch photographer duo Inez. The single has been covered by recording artists, including Canadian rapper Drake. He then slammed his laptop shut and walked offstage to a standing ovation, on January 24, Rihanna posted the song on her official website, Rihannanow. com. The song titled FourFiveSeconds was released as single being available for digital download on January 24 via the iTunes Store. In the United Kingdom it was released on January 26 via Amazon. A CD single featuring FourFiveSeconds and its video was released on February 27 in Germany. FourFiveSeconds was written by West, McCartney, Kirby Lauryen, Mike Dean, Sign, Dave Longstreth, Dallas Austin, Elon Rutberg and it was produced by West and McCartney, co-produced by Dean, while additional production was provided by Longstreth and Goldstein. The single was recorded at the Jungle City Studios in New York City, Windmark Recording in Santa Monica, the vocal production of the song was done by Kuk Harrell and it was mixed by Manny Marroquin at the Larabee Studios in Los Angeles. Assistant mixing was made by Chris Galland, Jeff Jackson and Ike Schultz, McCartney played the acoustic guitar, Longstreth played the organ and Dean played the bass guitar. She had to have it on her album, so now we at the Grammys doing it. West further compared Rihannas vocals on the song to that of Scottish singer Annie Lennox, and she even brought it to another level of like soul and heart and artistry
FourFiveSeconds
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The
Jungle City Studios in New York City was one of the studios where the song was recorded.
FourFiveSeconds
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"FourFiveSeconds"
FourFiveSeconds
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Rihanna's vocals on the song received universal praise from music critics
FourFiveSeconds
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With the song's advance in the top-ten on the US Billboard Hot 100, McCartney made record by ending the longest break between top-ten songs on the chart
47.
All Day (Kanye West song)
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All Day is a single by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West. The song features Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom, and Paul McCartney and was produced by West, Puff Daddy, French Montana, Velous, initially leaked in August 2014, it was released on March 2nd,2015 as a non-album single. All Day contains an interpolation from Dance with Me by Jamaican singer Noel Ellis and it received nominations for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance at the 58th Grammy Awards. The track originally leaked in August 2014, but Kanye continued to work on the track on, the track was debuted live at the 2015 Brit Awards on February 26,2015. Rolling Stone provided the first official stream of the track, the track was produced by upcoming producer Velous, who made the skeleton of the instrumental on a friends couch while watching Saturday Night Live. All Day featured McCartneys acoustic guitar playing, whistling and singing of the last verse and this song was the third McCartney/West collaboration to be commercially released. When All Day debuted at number 18 in the UK, it became Wests second top-20 single of 2015, additionally, these songs became his first US top-20 singles since 2013s Bound 2. In the United States, it debuted at number 15 on the Hot 100 and it was certified Gold in the US on 28 July 2015. The entourage held flamethrowers and wore all black, West was confirmed to perform last minute, the day before the awards took place. He also performed the song at the 2015 NBA Playoffs, West performed the track at Glastonbury with a sample of the Noel Ellis track Dance With Me used as the outro
All Day (Kanye West song)
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"All Day"
48.
The Food
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The Food is the first single by rapper Common released on his sixth album Be. Kanye West appears on the chorus and also produces the track. West samples I Never Had It So Good by The Chi-Lites and interpolates Nothing Can Change This Love by Otis Redding for the songs beat, in addition, DJ Dummy scratches on the song and Dave Chappelle introduces the live version of it. The song was performed live on Chappelles Show on March 3,2004. This live version is featured on Be, although a studio version does also exist and it received mostly positive acclaim, but was not promoted heavily and did not chart. IGN. com writer Spence D. describes it as a nice, nathan Brackett of Rolling Stone states that it is one of the hardest-rocking tracks of Commons career. The Food The Food The Food The Food List of Common songs Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
The Food
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"The Food"
49.
The Corner (song)
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The Corner is the second single released by rapper Common on his sixth album, Be. It features a chorus and production by Kanye West as well as spoken word lyrics by The Last Poets, the songs lyrics deal with street corners in poor neighborhoods. The songs beat samples from You Make the Sun Shine by The Temprees. Because of the gritty sound, some fans considered it to be a return to Commons Resurrection days. A music video directed by Kanye West was made for The Corner, the Corner attained some commercial success reaching #42 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, but was even more popular among critics. Amongst other accolades, it was nominated as the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 48th Grammy Awards. Spence D. of IGN. com explains the basis for its success writing, In addition, pitchfork Medias Tom Breihan considers the beat to be dusty and heavenly. Steve Juon of RapReviews. com claims Commons lyrics to contain profound observations of life that show why hip hop is the black mans CNN. Common understands that critics consider The Corner to be a return from his Electric Circus style, as he says on They Say from his 2005 album Be, They say the crochet pants and the sweater was wack/Seen The Corner, now they say that niggas back. The official remix featuring Kanye West, The Last Poets, Scarface, Mos Def and it was also released by Common as a single. This song was covered with heavily-revised lyrics by Clipse on their We Got It 4 Cheap, the Corner The Corner The Corner The Corner The Corner The Corner List of Common songs
The Corner (song)
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"The Corner"
50.
Extravaganza (song)
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Extravaganza is the first single by American R&B artist Jamie Foxx, taken from his second album Unpredictable. It peaked at #52 on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in October 2005, Extravaganza was originally set to be the first single in Foxxs second album, Unpredictable, but was pushed back in favor of the title track. The track was one of the first songs leaked off the album before its release date, however, the song was only released as a single in the UK and Australia in June 2006. A video was made for the song and was released in the UK, the video for Extravaganza is available to view on YouTube, however, the video does not feature Kanye West. UK CD single & Digital download Extravaganza One Too Many Drinks Feat Kanye west Extravaganza Dont Know You Anymore Extravaganza (feat, Kanye West feat kanye west / Extravaganza Extravaganza Music video on YouTube Source for UK single release date Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Extravaganza (song)
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"Extravaganza"
51.
Number One (Pharrell Williams song)
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Number One is by a song by American singer and record producer Pharrell. The heavily synthesized song was written by Williams and Kanye West, who features on the track and it was released as the third single Williams debut studio album In My Mind. The single was released in the UK on August 21,2006 according to Williams official UK mailing list, the music video was directed by Hype Williams, and features models Selita Ebanks, Miranda Kerr, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. There are two versions, one is a version which features many bright colors and the other is one that is in black. The music video was directed by Hype Williams, and features models Selita Ebanks, Miranda Kerr, there are two versions, one is a color version which features many bright colors and the other is in black and white. UK CD Number One Swagger International Raspy Number One UK Vinyl Number One Raspy UK Promo CD Number One
Number One (Pharrell Williams song)
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"Number One"
52.
Pro Nails
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Pro Nails is the second single by American hip hop artist Kid Sister from her debut album Ultraviolet. The song is known for its remix, which features a verse by Kanye West. The single was released in 2007 and reissued in 2008. Originally a solo track, Kanye West added a guest verse to the song for his 2007 Cant Tell Me Nothing mixtape, West discovered the song through A-Trak, who had begun dating Kid Sister. Pro Nails was initially released on both 12 vinyl and via the iTunes Store on October 17,2007, the single featured both the original and remix edits of Pro Nails as well as a B-side entitled Switch Board, produced by Gant-Man. All of Kid Sisters releases were removed from iTunes when she signed a new record deal with Downtown Records in February 2008. In April 2008, a single was released and the song was readded to iTunes as the Super High Shine EP. The single was released in the United Kingdom on July 14,2008, the Kanye remix was also featured on Fabric Live 38. The song samples Project Pats Good Googly Moogly, the music video, directed by Ruben Fleischer, uses the remix version and features Kanye West as well as a cameo by A-Trak. Following the theme of the song, a majority of the takes place within a nail salon. Near the end, the scene relocates to an alley and the transitions to the b-side Switchboard. The video was filmed in October 2007, and premiered on mtvU on December 3, Kid Sister on Myspace Pro Nails on YouTube Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Pro Nails
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"Pro Nails"
53.
Finer Things
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James Andrew Corrine, better known by his stage name DJ Felli Fel is a club and radio DJ for L. A. s Power 106, record producer, and a recording artist recently signed to So So Def/Island Urban Music. He is also a member of The Heavy Hitters DJs, DJ Felli Fel was born in Rock Hill, South Carolina and grew up in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Dallas. While a teenager in Dallas, he began spinning turntables for house parties and his radio career began on Dallas radio station K104 and Waco, Texas Spanish-language station KHCK. Later, he joined the Los Angeles hip-hop station Power 106, at Power 106, he hosts the Felli Fel Show on Saturday evenings. He had a role as himself in the 2003 film Malibus Most Wanted. In 2007, he signed with Island Def Jam/So So Def and his debut album for the label is tentatively titled Go DJ. DJ Felli Fel was also featured on the soundtrack of the game Midnight Club, Los Angeles, recently he released the single Boomerang featuring Pitbull, Akon, and Jermaine Dupri. The track has been remixed by DJ Vice in 2011, on April 22,2013 he released his brand new single to iTunes titled Reason To Hate which features singer Ne-Yo and rappers Tyga and Wiz Khalifa. It was co-produced by Ned Cameron
Finer Things
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DJ Felli Fel
54.
American Boy
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American Boy is a song recorded by British rapper and singer Estelle for her second studio album Shine. It features vocals from American rapper Kanye West, the song was written by Estelle, West, will. i. am, John Legend, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, and Keith Harris. It was produced by will. i. am, who produced the albums previous single, Wait a Minute. American Boy is a breezy disco-funk song that describes a romance with an American suitor. The songs conception came after Legend, Estelles mentor, suggested she write a song about meeting an American man, American Boy was released by Atlantic Records as the albums second single on 31 March 2008. The song received positive reviews music critics, who praised its fresh sound. The song reached the top five in many European and Oceanic markets, including Belgium and it also achieved success in the United States, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming Estelles breakout song in the country. The song earned nominations, and ultimately won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. The music video, featuring a variety of celebrity guests, earned a Video Music Award nomination for Best UK Video, as a result of the songs popularity, Estelle performed it at several award shows and venues. American Boy was written by Estelle, will. i. am, John Legend, Kanye West, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir and Keith Harris. It was also produced by will. i. am and recorded over the instrumental of his song Impatient, the credits of Lopez, Speir, and Harris were the result of this sampling. In a 2008 interview with Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul, Estelle explained how the song came to fruition, We were just messing about in the studio, and John just said to me Why dont you write a song about meeting an American boy. So I was like Well, thats pretty easy - because I have a lot of friends out there in New York. And I unwittingly ended up creating a new ladies anthem and she also spoke about Wests involvement on the song, commenting Kanye basically just brought his own cheeky self to the track, his own sense of humour. At first he was like How can you rap over a dance beat. -, instrumentation on the track includes drums, keys, synths, and bass, the former were provided by will. i. am while Caleb Speir provided the latter. Will. i. am also co-recorded and co-engineered the song with Padriac Kerin at The Record Plant in Hollywood, Florida as well as Hit Factory Criteria, serge Tsai mixed the song and recorded Wests rap at Platinum Sound Recording Studios in New York City. American Boy is a disco and funk song that, according to the sheetmusic published at Musicnotes. com by Alfred Publishing Co. Inc. is set to metronome of 120 beats per minute. Estelles vocals, which have been described as sweet and flirty, timothy Gabriele of PopMatters described Estelles vocals as those of one connecting with her inner soul chanteuse
American Boy
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"American Boy"
55.
Put On
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Put On is a song written and performed by American hip hop recording artists Young Jeezy and Kanye West, taken from the formers third studio album, The Recession. The song was released as the lead single on June 3,2008. West uses the popular Auto-Tune effect for his verse, the song received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The music video for Put On, directed by Gil Green as featuring Amber Rose in one of her first high-profile appearances, the music video is aimed at the 2008 recession. In the video, silver and black U. S. flags are hung up around neighborhoods and businesses, an official remix featuring rapper Jay-Z was released on July 29,2008. Jay-Z tried the auto-tune for the phrase, I Put On before his verse for a time and didnt use the effect after that. Lil Wayne also recorded a freestyle for his mixtape Dedication 3, featuring his Young Money recording artists Tyga, another remix was made by Trae. This remix was a freestyle for one of his mixtapes. Other artists to freestyle over the beat include, Rick Ross, Ace Hood & Plies, Wale, Young Jeezy and Kanye West both performed the song at the 2008 BET Awards. It is featured in the video game Midnight Club, Los Angeles and it was also featured in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 video games Skate 3 and Def Jam Rapstar. For the 2008-2009 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers use the song to introduce their starting lineup and it was also featured at the end of the 2009 film Janky Promoters, in which Jeezy starred as himself. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team uses the song, played by its band, to represent its Atlanta roots during games, Put On first made a Hot Shot Debut at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 making it Young Jeezys highest debut on the chart. Since then has risen to number 12, making it Young Jeezys fourth top-twenty hit on the chart and its also his second song to top the Hot Rap Tracks chart. In Canada it also made a Hot Shot Debut at #46 on the Canadian Hot 100
Put On
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"Put On"
56.
Beat Goes On (Madonna song)
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Beat Goes On is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Madonna for her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. The song features American rapper Kanye West and background vocals by Pharrell Williams and it was co-written by West in collaboration with its producers, Madonna and The Neptunes. The song was leaked in August 2007, featuring only Williams and different lyrics than the albums version, Beat Goes On is a disco song with hip-hop influences, featuring instrumentation from bells, handclaps and whistles. Lyrically, Beat Goes On encourages people to say whatever they like, the song received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who commended the disco environment, while also praising Williams production. However, some felt that the version was better than the final version featuring West. Beat Goes On was certified platinum in Brazil for selling over 100,000 digital downloads and it also charted inside the top-twenty in Finland and on the Canadian Hot 100 chart. The song was performed live during the Sticky & Sweet Tour, featuring Madonna and her dancers on a 1935 Auburn Speedster, while Williams, the live version was also included on the Sticky & Sweet Tour album. In early 2007, it was reported that Madonna was recording songs with American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for her upcoming album, a month later, a song called The Beat Goes On, featuring Madonnas vocals and production by Williams, leaked online. During the pre-chorus Madonna sings the line, Always a bridesmaid, never the bride, followed by Ill throw you some rope, in December 2007, it was announced that a new version of the song was being developed with American rapper Kanye West as featured guest. Beat Goes On was re-recorded in October 2007 by Spike Spent, Andrew Coleman and Alex Dromgoole at Sarm Studios, London, Spent and Coleman also mixed the track at the Record Plant. Williams production team, The Neptunes, produced the track, with Madonna, the song was written by Madonna and Williams, with rap vocals by West, and the title is a reference to The Whispers disco track And the Beat Goes On. Lyrically, Beat Goes On is a song about the freedom to dance, Beat Goes On received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Ganz went on to criticize Wests appearance, calling it uninspired, in a similar review, Thomas Hauner of PopMatters wrote that the song continues the Donna Summer touch, this time opting for beep beep vocals on a surprisingly sweet track. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine believed that compared to the demo, the final version had lost an individuality, talia Soghomolian of musicOMH praised the variations in its tempo, making it the perfect dance floor tune, merging old school and modern takes on urbanity. Miles Marshall Lewis of The Village Voice was not favourable to Wests verses, calling them as playfully tepid lines, music echoed the same thought, calling Wests rap as awful and his addition to the track as redundant. Joan Anderman of The Boston Globe was mixed in his review of the song, praising Madonnas endeavors in Beat Goes On while questioning Wests appearance in it, conversely, Tony Robert Whyte of Drowned in Sound called him a decent guest. Allan Raible of ABC News summarized the track as a disco number. He complimented Madonnas vocals but added that the song felt rejuvenated with the addition of Wests vocals, Beat Goes On was certified platinum by the Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos, for exceeding 100,000 digital downloads
Beat Goes On (Madonna song)
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Kanye West's appearance on the track was heavily criticized.
Beat Goes On (Madonna song)
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Madonna riding a Speedster, during the performance of "Beat Goes On" on the
Sticky & Sweet Tour.
57.
Supernova (Mr Hudson song)
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Supernova is a song by British singer Mr Hudson, featuring American rapper Kanye West. Supernova was premiered on 13 May 2009, on Zane Lowe BBC Radio Show and then released through Mr Hudsons, the song was later remixed by Calvin Harris in a more electronic fashion. After being officially released as a single on 19 July 2009, Supernova was released to iTunes on 19 July 2009 after being able to pre-order throughout the previous week. On the Irish Singles Chart, Supernova debuted in the top ten, the song was the highest debut on the chart for that week. The following week it rose to four, and peaked at number two. It was directed by French duo Jonas & François and released on 30 June 2009 and it follows Mr Hudson and Kanye West in their pursuit of women, with R&B singer Estelle making a cameo appearance in the video as one of the love interests. Juxtaposed with these images is a sequence of a supernova, as well as a flashing light suit. CD single Supernova –3,16 UK single Supernova –3,13 Supernova –5,41 Supernova lyrics at Mr Hudsons official website Supernova Music video on YouTube Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Supernova (Mr Hudson song)
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"Supernova"
58.
Make Her Say
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Make Her Say is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kid Cudi, released as the second single from his debut album Man on the Moon, The End of Day. The single was released to iTunes on June 9,2009. It features fellow American rappers Common and Kanye West, the latter of whom produced the song. The song is perhaps best known for its sample of Poker Face, the song received a nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 52nd Grammy Awards. Make Her Say is performed by Kid Cudi, Kanye West and it was originally titled I Poke Her Face, but was changed to make it more acceptable for radio. The song was written by all three artists, produced by West, and features scratches from DJ A-Trak, Lady Gaga and producer RedOne are credited as co-writers, because an acoustic version of Gagas song Poker Face from The Cherrytree Sessions EP is sampled throughout the song. Gaga voiced approval of the track, saying that West had so much insight into what the song was about, incidentally, just a few weeks later, the two revealed plans to tour together, however, the tour was later canceled. In addition to the Lady Gaga sample, the song makes references to T. I. s Whatever You Like, Asher Roths I Love College. The music video for Make Her Say was directed by Nez Khammal, the video carries a minimal aesthetic, with scenes taking place in empty, wide-open spaces. Although Kid Cudi, Kanye West, and Common all appear in the video, the music video utilizes a split screen effect to create the illusion that the three artists were all filmed in the same location. In reality, they had shot their scenes on opposite coasts of the United States, Common. The group had wanted Lady Gaga to be included in the video, the Make Her Say video is also the first music video to feature the hardware from Activisions DJ Hero. Kid Cudi performed the song solo during his set at the 2009 Bamboozle music festival, Kid Cudi also performed the song on June 13 in Chicago at The B96 Pepsi Summer Bash and in London at the 2009 O2 Wireless Festival. He also performed his verse of the song at Lollapalooza 2009 in Chicago and he performed the song with Lady Gaga on her Monster Ball tour in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. S. CD single Make Her Say –3,59 Day N Night –3,42 Day N Night –4,41 In the United States and that same week, it also entered the Canadian Hot 100 at number seventy-eight. The song entered the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart at six for the issue date of July 4. The following week, it appeared on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number seventy-three, lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Make Her Say
–
Lady Gaga and Kid Cudi performing the piano version of "Poker Face" and "Make Her Say" on
The Monster Ball Tour.
Make Her Say
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"Make Her Say"
59.
Erase Me
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Erase Me is a song by American recording artist Kid Cudi, released August 17,2010, as the lead single from his second studio album Man on the Moon II, The Legend of Mr. Rager. The song features a guest appearance from his mentor Kanye West, the song debuted on a Cleveland radio station June 30,2010, and was officially released to Rhythm/Crossover radio on August 17,2010. On August 24,2010, Erase Me was officially released digitally via iTunes, in 2011, the song was featured on ESPNs hit morning sports show SportsCenter. Jason Goldwatch directed the music video, Kid Cudi plays a Jimi Hendrix influenced character, sporting a black curly afro wig and headband. An excerpt from a longer version of the video will be available through iTunes around the albums release date. Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Clark Duke make up the rest of Kid Cudis band in the video, Erase Me made a Hot Shot debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at #22. On the 30th of August the single debuted on the New Zealand Single Charts at number 22, on September 5, the single debuted on the UK Singles chart at #58 and #18 on the UK R&B Chart. Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Erase Me
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"Erase Me"
60.
Start It Up (song)
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Start It Up is the third single from Lloyd Banks third album H. F. M. The song features Swizz Beatz, Kanye West, Ryan Leslie & Fabolous, the song was released as a digital download on November 2,2010. It was unknown whether that the song would be released as a single or not until he confirmed it in an interview on 102 Jamz. Whilst speaking to MTV News, Banks said this about the track, In an interview with Rap-Up, at first it was thought that Kanye West had produced the track, but it was later confirmed that it was up and coming producer named Cardiak. A testament to the music industry in 2010, Banks said, The difference from that track being me and Fab. The official UK remix featuring Swizz Beatz, Kanye West, Ryan Leslie, Sway DaSafo, the official Extended Version was released on December 7,2010. The extended version is the same as the original with the addition of a verse from Pusha T, the official remix keeps Kanyes and Fabolouss verses, but adds a verse from Young Jeezy and a new verse from Lloyd Banks. In an interview with DJ Whoo Kid on Sirius Radio, Lloyd Banks confirmed that a video will be made for the song. It is believed that the video will feature Swizz Beatz, Kanye West and it had been confirmed that Lloyd Banks was shooting his part for the video on November 12,2010. Via Twitter it was confirmed that the G-Unit Riderz would make a appearance in the video. However it is believed that because of the difficulty of getting the artists together at one time there may be no video
Start It Up (song)
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"Start It Up"
61.
Hurricane (Thirty Seconds to Mars song)
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Hurricane is a song written by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars that is featured on their third studio album, This Is War. The song was written by lead vocalist and songwriter Jared Leto and produced by Leto, Flood and this version only appears on the deluxe version. The latter has a variation in certain parts of the track, Hurricane was awarded Best Single at the Kerrang. An edited version, however, was put on rotation on MTV2. Jared Leto wrote the piano ballad Hurricane in winter 2007 whilst in Berlin, the experimental short film is 12 minutes long and contains excerpts from the tracks Escape and Night of the Hunter. Jared spends the entire video shirtless and being chased by a sledgehammer-wielding killer obsessed with trying to kill him, shannon battles with a woman, who shares romantic feelings for him, ending with a kiss. Tomo, who liberates a woman from her abuser, receives a key as a gift and he composes the orchestral score of the song with three identical copies of himself. The music video for the song was banned by MTV and several other TV channels around the world, the video was censored and banned because of its elements of violence, nudity, and sex in an almost pornographic context. On November 28,2010, Jared Leto posted a letter from an unnamed network about the censorship of the video on his blog. The list features the offending scenes, such as a woman running her finger on the anus of another G-string clad woman, another offensive scene is the Rabbi, Priest, and Monk burning religious books. It was these two shots which had made the video completely restricted, the video is still available online with a viewing certificate of 18+. The video uses the version of the song without Kanye West, during May 2009, Kanye West posted a photo of himself, Brandon Flowers, and Jared Leto together and announced that he and Leto were working together on a song named Hurricane. This collaboration was included on an early version of Hurricane. Leto said that he, Wests vocal contribution to the song was removed because of legal issues surrounding the rights of each record company. Although it was not released on the pressing of the album. The early leaked versions of the album had the version of Hurricane featuring Kanye West included, the deluxe version of This Is War included this version of the song as its first bonus track, retitled Hurricane 2.0. Hurricane Video Clip Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Hurricane (Thirty Seconds to Mars song)
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"Hurricane"
Hurricane (Thirty Seconds to Mars song)
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"Hurricane 2.0"
62.
I Wish You Would (DJ Khaled song)
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I Wish You Would is a song by American hip hop artist DJ Khaled, released as the second single from his sixth studio album, Kiss the Ring. The song features American hip hop artists Kanye West and Rick Ross, the song premiered on Hot 97 with Funkmaster Flex. It was later released for download in the United States on June 27,2012. On July 16,2012, DJ Khaled published images from the sets of the video, the video was directed by Hype Williams, who already worked on the music video for Go Hard, with Khaled and West. The video was recorded in the place of Wests single. On August 6,2012, the video was released showing footage from the sets of it. The video premiered on BETs 106 & Park on August 13,2012, digital single Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics I Wish You Would Official music video on YouTube
I Wish You Would (DJ Khaled song)
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"I Wish You Would"
63.
Deuces (song)
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Deuces is a song written and performed by American recording artist Chris Brown and American rappers Tyga and Kevin McCall. Produced by McCall, Deuces was released digitally on June 25,2010, as the single from Browns first collaborative effort with Tyga. Deuces was later included on Browns fourth studio album, F. A. M. E, following its release, some critics speculated that the lyrics of the song were about Browns former relationship with Barbadian singer Rihanna. Deuces earned Brown two award nominations for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 53rd Grammy Awards and Best Collaboration at the 2011 BET Awards, additionally, it peaked inside the top-thirty in New Zealand and the top-seventy in the United Kingdom. The accompanying music video was directed by Colin Tilley and shot in black, Brown performed Deuces live on the television show 106 & Park, during his F. A. M. E. Tour, and at Supafest in Australia, the songs official remix, featuring rappers Kanye West, T. I. Drake, Fabolous, Rick Ross and André3000, was released as a digital EP on November 2,2010, recording artists Ciara and Teairra Marí also recorded their own remixes of the song. Deuces was written by Chris Brown, Michael Tyga Stevenson and Kevin McCall, vocals were recorded by Michael Congdon at the In Your Ear Studios in Richmond, Virginia, with assistance by Dustin Faltz. The recordings were mixed by Brian Springer at The Record Plant in Los Angeles, California. Deuces leaked online on May 20,2010, and was released digitally on June 25,2010 as the first single from Browns collaborative mixtape with Tyga. In an interview with MTV News, Tyga elaborated on Deuces and its theme, stating, Basically its about you getting rid of this girl, you tried to make it work, so you put up one finger, put up another, and then Deuces. The song appeared as the track on Browns fourth studio album. Musically, Deuces is a slow, down-tempo R&B ballad that displays elements of house, the song has a length of four minutes and thirty-six seconds. It is backed by synth chords and eerie harmonies, with Browns smooth vocals making use of auto-tune effects, according to Sara D. Anderson of AOL Radio, the song contains lyrical content about breaking it off with a girl after failed attempts to make the relationship work. Joanne Dorken of MTV UK wrote that the song was a platform for Brown to show off his silky-smooth vocals. Hannah Ash of The Harber Herald called it a rap track with fantastic beats. In an album review for F. A. M. E, mark Edward Nero of About. com wrote that Deuces was one of the albums best material. A reviewer for Girlfriend magazine wrote that Deuces along with Yeah 3x, mesfin Fekadu of the Associated Press labeled Deuces as one of the best songs of 2010, while August Brown of Los Angeles Times called it his favorite single of 2010
Deuces (song)
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"Deuces"
Deuces (song)
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Critics speculated that the lyrics of the song were about Brown's former relationship with
Rihanna (pictured).
Deuces (song)
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Brown performing at
Supafest in Australia, April 2012.
64.
Pusha T discography
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Pusha T began his music career, alongside his brother No Malice, forming a hip hop duo Clipse. While together as a duo, they have released two albums, before they would formed their hip hop group Re-Up Gang and launched their record label Re-Up Records, in total, they have released four albums, before taking their hiatus in 2010. During that time, Pusha T got started on his solo career, the mixtape was later re-packaged and re-released for purchase, as an EP, titled Fear of God II, Let Us Pray. The lead single from both projects was his debut single, My God. The EP spawned and supported by two singles, Trouble on My Mind featuring Tyler, The Creator and Amen featuring Kanye West. Upon his signing to GOOD Music, he began to work heavily with his label-mates as well as Kanye West and he appeared on several tracks from Wests weekly song giveaway, called GOOD Fridays. In late 2012, Pusha T ultimately appeared on GOOD Musics compilation album Cruel Summer, five times, including the singles Mercy with Kanye West, Big Sean and 2 Chainz, and New God Flow. While working on the compilation, he was working on his debut studio album. The album was released to acclaim on October 8,2013, under GOOD Music. Clipse discography Pusha T at AllMusic Pusha T discography, forum, and marketplace at Discogs Pusha T discography at MusicBrainz
Pusha T discography
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Pusha T discography
65.
Wrath of Caine
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Wrath of Caine is the second mixtape by American rapper Pusha T, released on January 28,2013 under GOOD Music and Re-Up Records. The mixtape features guest appearances from Rick Ross, French Montana, Popcaan, Travis Scott, Troy Ave, Kevin Gates, Andrea Martin, production varies from Kanye West, Young Chop, Jake One and The Neptunes, among others. Wrath of Caine was released via mixtape distribution site LiveMixtapes and was made available for free digital download on DatPiff. The eleven-track mixtape was highly anticipated since it was announced and it served as promotion leading up to the release of Pusha Ts debut studio album My Name Is My Name. On November 11,2012, Pusha T announced he would be releasing a mixtape titled Wrath of Caine, the mixtape was originally expected to have been released at the end of 2012. On January 15,2013, the art for Wrath of Caine was released. On January 17,2013, the trailer for Wrath of Caine was released and its all about just street Hip Hop, street music. Its just something that I like to do and its something that I feel like has no boundaries, no parameters. I can do what I really, really want to do… not about more of a creative, I just think its more of what I want to hear for myself. They want to hear lyrics, they want to hear street …its just the street life perspective. Im trying to make music and recreate that energy that I feel was missing in Hip Hop, like you roll down your windows, you hop in your car and you front until you pull up to the club. Right now, that energy is sort of missing to me, on December 5,2012, the first song was released in promotion of the mixtape titled Blocka featuring Travis Scott and Popcaan. On December 11,2012, the video for Blocka featuring Travis Scott. On January 20,2013, the video was shot for Millions featuring Rick Ross. On January 29,2013, Millions was released as the single from the mixtape. On January 31,2013, the video was shot for Doesnt Matter featuring French Montana. On March 15,2013, Pusha T released the trailer for the video for Trust You which features Kevin Gates. Wrath of Caine was met generally favorable reviews from music critics
Wrath of Caine
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Wrath of Caine
66.
My Name Is My Name
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My Name Is My Name is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist Pusha T. It was released on October 8,2013, by GOOD Music, in 2013, he also released another mixtape Wrath of Caine. The album was met with acclaim from music critics and was positioned highly on many Best Albums of 2013 lists by major publications. The album also fared well commercially debuting at number 4 on the US Billboard 200, as of November 20,2013, the album has sold 122,000 copies in the United States. After establishing his career, while signing a deal to GOOD Music in September 2010, Pusha T released his first solo project. Following the release of his mixtape, he released his first extended play, a sequel to the mixtape, titled Fear of God II, Let Us Pray. After the release of his EP, Pusha T started working on his debut album, in July 2012, Pusha T told MTV that while he was putting together his solo album, he was heavily influenced by Keanu Reeves and Al Pacinos 1997 film The Devils Advocate. This album was based off the movie Devils Advocate, not theme-wise at all, but just in the feel of the album. Devils Advocate is a dark movie, but at the same time, visually. The album is based off of that because I speak about the realities of street life but theres a lot of glitz. If you just look at it at face value, you think, It sounds a bit like hes glorifying. In 2012, in an interview, Pusha T spoke on the inspiration behind the album title, basically, I tried to pick a title that embodied who I am as an artist. I wanted people to understand like Pusha is everything that I really, really am, actually, there is a line in Pain where I say My name is my name, that line comes from Marlo Stanfield from the series The Wire. It was one of the more prominent catch phrases that he said at the end of that series and he was basically saying, I am who I am, I stand on my name I live this. I really felt that embodied my presence in the rap game, Pusha T announced the new title of his album in November 2012, along with Spin reporting that his album had been pushed back until 2013. On March 19,2013 Pusha T said that the album would include 13 songs, in June 2013, Pusha T had been set to turn in the album to Def Jam for mastering, however, Kanye West presented Pusha with some additional beats. This resulted in Pusha going back to the studio to continue the recording, in early stages in the recording process, he began working on the album with Kanye West, Symbolyc One, The Neptunes, Bangladesh, and Ryan Leslie. Since then, he has confirmed that he was working with The-Dream, Just Blaze, No I. D
My Name Is My Name
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My Name Is My Name
My Name Is My Name
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GOOD Music founder
Kanye West provided the majority of the production on the album.
My Name Is My Name
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Singer
Chris Brown made an appearance on the album's third single "
Sweet Serenade ".
67.
Numbers on the Boards
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Numbers on the Boards is a song by American hip hop recording artist Pusha T from his debut studio album My Name Is My Name. Numbers on the Boards is produced by Don Cannon, Kanye West, on May 10,2013, the song was officially released as the albums second official single by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. The result is near-perfect no-bullshit hip-hop, on May 9,2013, the music video was released for Numbers on the Boards which featured cameo appearances from Kanye West and Chief Keef. The video was shot in Paris, the Kanye West and Don Cannon-produced song was then released as the albums second single the following day
Numbers on the Boards
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"Numbers on the Boards"
68.
Sweet Serenade
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Sweet Serenade is a song by American hip hop recording artist Pusha T from his debut studio album My Name Is My Name. Sweet Serenade features vocals from American singer Chris Brown, with production by Swizz Beatz, on September 4,2013, the song was released to iTunes as the albums third official single by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. The song has peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, on August 28,2013, Pusha T premiered the audio to Sweet Serenade featuring singer Chris Brown. It would be the song from the album revealed, after the first two singles Pain, Numbers on the Board and Who I Am featuring Big Sean and 2 Chainz. Shortly after during a Twitter Q&A he revealed the song was produced by Swizz Beatz and it would then be released for retail digital download on September 4,2013. The songs production features a lowdown minimal thump and restrained orchestral beat, throughout the song Pusha T shares his thoughts on his career arc, as well as on the state of the rap game. The song also features a chorus sung by American R&B singer Chris Brown, overall the song conjures up incongruous imagery over the mildly eerie production, driven by choral vocals and slow-rolling percussion. Pusha T explained the track saying, Sweet Serenade is the long exhale after making it past a street life with serious consequences and its basically celebrating the fact that weve made it this far. Weve been through so much, me and my friends, weve been around some of the worst things, the worst environments, weve lived through some really harsh times and were still here and were celebrating that. Sweet Serenade was met generally positive reviews from music critics. The spotlight here is all on Pusha T though, and his verses are strong enough to make you forget that this even has a hook. David Jeffries of AllMusic called the song, aptly titled but still edgy, craig Jenkins of Pitchfork Media stated, disembodied, wraithlike Chris Brown’s good life platitudes on “Sweet Serenade” are waylaid by at every turn by gun-toting mogul talk. The music video for Sweet Serenade was shot on September 23,2013, in Playa del Rey, California, the video was shot on a beach during the night. On September 25, a behind the video was released. The music video was released on October 7,2013, on October 17,2013, a video was released featuring Pusha T performing the song in the studio with DJ Kay Slay. On December 18,2013, The LOX released a remix to Sweet Serenade along with the Kendrick Lamar assisted Nostalgia
Sweet Serenade
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"Sweet Serenade"
69.
Nosetalgia
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Nosetalgia is a song by American hip hop recording artist Pusha T from his debut studio album My Name Is My Name. Nosetalgia features vocals from American rapper Kendrick Lamar, with production handled by Nottz, Kanye West, the song features both artists rapping about their experiences and effects of cocaine on their childhoods. On February 3,2014, the song was released as a single in the United Kingdom by GOOD Music. On September 16,2013, Def Jam released the single artwork, later that same day the song would be premiered via Def Jams website and then on Funkmaster Flexs Hot 97 radio show. The songs spare, nimble beat was produced by Nottz and Kanye West and its production contains a muggy guitar, rattling clave, dinosaur-plodding drums, and the occasional KRS-One sample of The Bridge Is Over. The song also samples Bobby Blands I Dont Want to Be Right, the following day it would be released to DJs as the albums third promotional single, and then be released for pre-order with the album on iTunes. Nosetalgia was officially released as a single in the United Kingdom on February 3,2014, the two artists gave a different perspective of the drug epidemic that was going on in late 1980s and early 90s, as the two were growing up. Lamar looks at it how it affected his family and him, while Pusha T goes into his life, junior high and high school as he was the one selling it. Pusha T also expounds on all of the luxuries being a young kingpin, starting his verse, Kendrick Lamar raps, You wanna see a dead body making reference to a famous scene from the film Boyz n the Hood. From there, Kendrick raps about his missing Sega Genesis video games and he goes on to rap about his fathers drug dealing and substance abuse throughout Lamars childhood. By the end of his verse, Lamar brings it all together, saying his music is dope, Pusha T raps about drug mules and Pyrex pots, which he used to turn cocaine to crack. Nosetalgia was met with acclaim from music critics. Emanuel Wallace of PopMatters called it the albums superlative track, writing for The Boston Globe, Ken Capobianco named the song the albums essential track and called Lamars guest appearance the best one of the album. Louis Pattison of NME called it one of the albums finest moments, jake Jenkins of AbsolutePunk said, Pusha and Kendrick are a match made in heaven, and picking who had the better verse here is a near impossible task. Writing for NOW, Max Mertens praised Lamars verse and named it the albums best song, jay Soul of RapReviews called the song an immediate standout and an unimpeachable classic. Grant Brydon of Clash said the song showcases Pusha T at his unadulterated finest, alec Siegel of DJBooth said, album standout Nosetalgia is as raw as it gets. The understated beat with a guitar riff and a KRS-One vocal sample, co-produced by Nottz and Kanye West, is about as spooky as the verses provided by Pusha. The two rhyme about their personal past dealings with coke, and Kendrick, as is often the case, jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine called the song a tedious bit of dealing/rapping parallelism that benefits greatly from the sharp narrative forms
Nosetalgia
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"Nosetalgia"
70.
Milkshake (song)
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Milkshake is a song by American recording artist Kelis and the lead single from her third studio album, Tasty. The song was released in the United States on August 25,2003, by Star Trak and Arista Records and it was written and produced by The Neptunes, a duo that had made the majority of Kelis songs in the past. According to Kelis, milkshake in the song is used as a metaphor for something that makes women special, the song is noted for its euphemistic chorus and low beat R&B sound. The song peaked at three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in December,2003, becoming Kelis best charting single in the country to this day. Outside the United States, the song topped the charts in the Republic of Ireland, and peaked inside the top ten of the charts in Australia, New Zealand, Milkshake was certified gold in the United States, where it has sold 883,000 paid downloads. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in 2004, Milkshake was written and produced by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, better known as The Neptunes. The song came out when Tasty was chosen as the albums title, when making the song, Kelis knew right away that it was a really good song, and she wanted it to be the albums first single. Recording sessions took place at Hovercraft Studios in Virginia, phil Tan mixed the recordings at Right Track Studios in New York City. However, in an interview with the Associated Press, she likened ones milkshake to ones self-confidence and its what gives us our confidence and what makes us exciting. Milkshake is a R&B song, and Joey Rivaldo of About. com described it as a low beat dance song, the song is noted for its chorus, in which Kelis sings My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. The line was referred to as a sexy, euphemistic playground rap by MTV News, the songs riff was described as blaring synth-funk. Unlike many urban pop songs, which rely on drum machines, a manjira sample resembling an order-up counter bell is used throughout the song. Andy Kellman of Allmusic compared the songs lyrics to Nasty Girl by Vanity 6, In My House by Mary Jane Girls. According to the music published at Musicnotes. com by Hal Leonard Corporation. Milkshake received extremely positive reviews upon its release, both for its inventive and groundbreaking production as well as Kelis vocal performance. About. coms Joey Rivaldioloio rated the song four out of five stars, bjorn Randolph of Stylus said that the song may well be remembered as their masterpiece. It’s obviously supposed to be a kind of electronica. Tony Naylor of NME called the song probably the oddest track on the Tasty album, Music UK said that the song nestles in seamlessly, the rhythm as relentless as a parade of majorettes with Kelis upfront as the cheerleader
Milkshake (song)
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"Milkshake"
71.
Move That Dope
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Move That Dope is a song by American rapper Future. It was released on February 6,2014, as the single from his second studio album. The song peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Futures fourth highest-charting single as a lead artist on the chart only behind Where Ya At, Jumpman with Drake and Low Life. It features guest verses by Pharrell Williams, Pusha T and Casino with production from frequent collaborators Mike Will Made It, casinos verse is cut from the radio edit version of the song. On March 6,2014, the video was released. Rapper Casino was not featured in the video, nor was his verse, the extended version does however feature Casino. The video includes appearances by Tyler, The Creator, Schoolboy Q, Mike Will Made It. Music video on YouTube Extended music video on YouTube Audio on YouTube
Move That Dope
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"Move That Dope"
72.
Chimes (song)
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Chimes is a song by Scottish artist and producer Hudson Mohawke. The song gained attention after its appearance on the MacBook Air TV ad, as well as after Mohawkes success through the likes of Kanye West and with the TNGHT project. On November 21, a remix of the song, featuring rappers Pusha T, Future, Travi$ Scott. The track was featured on an advertisement called Stickers for the Apple MacBook Air. The track was believed to be a collaboration with Canadian producer Lunice. TNGHT first premiered the unfinished version of the track during BBC Radio 1Xtras Diplo & Friends in late 2012 and that sound wasnt as prevalent then, and I just sort of made it. It wasnt really meant to be anything, he stated, after the duo broke up in late 2013. In contrast to its title, according to The Guardian, there isn’t much that’s peaceful about, starting off with a fairly amiable skittering drum pattern, it’s not long before the doom-laden horn synth kicks in, plus there’s a wolf barking. The ominous horn lines was also being compared to TNGHTs Higher Ground, writing for The Guardian, Hannah Jane Parkinson voted the song as the weeks Best New Track, stating If the Grim Reaper and Voldemort hooked up in a David Cronenberg film, this would be their song. A remix version called Chimes RMX, which features Pusha T, Travis Scott, French Montana, Mohawke soon after debuted an interactive video which has similarities to Super Mario 64s menu screen where you can play with the performers faces. After Chimes was already being mastered and going into manufacture, by chance, Apple came along, Chimes is the eight extended play by Hudson Mohawke on September 29,2014 through Warp Records. The EP includes a 170 bpm Gammer remix of the track with UK hardcore influences, after finishing the title track, he decided to release an EP before the full-length album. In July 2015, while debuting the track, he also announced the release of the album on September 30. Described by Pitchfork Media, Brainwave is a synth track that haunted by soaring choir work. The last track from the EP was a remix of Chimes from DJ Gammer
Chimes (song)
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EP cover
73.
Big Sean discography
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The discography of Big Sean, an American hip hop recording artist, consists of four studio albums, four mixtapes, twenty-five singles, eight promotional singles and thirty-nine music videos. In 2008, Big Sean was discovered by an American rapper and record producer Kanye West, since 2008, after signing a record deal to Wests label G. O. O. D. Music, Seans breakthrough career continued through his mixtapes such as Finally Famous Vol.2, UKNOWBIGSEAN and Finally Famous Vol.3, while hes been putting out these mixtapes, hes been collaborating through these artists tracks and/or singles from West, Royce da 59 and Chris Brown. On June 28,2011, Sean released his studio album, Finally Famous. The albums lead single, My Last peaked at number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. The albums second single, Marvin & Chardonnay peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, additionally, it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The albums third single, Dance was released in a remixed form featuring rapper Nicki Minaj, the single peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. In 2012, he collaborated with artists on these multiple Hot 100 top 40 singles, including Mercy by West, My Homies Still by Lil Wayne, on February 24,2015, Big Sean released his best selling album, titled Dark Sky Paradise. The album received reviews and became his first studio album to top the Billboard 200. Since its release, six tracks from the album have charted on the Billboard Hot 100, the albums second single, Blessings was a certified double platinum. Official website Big Sean at AllMusic Big Sean discography, forum, and marketplace at Discogs Big Sean discography at MusicBrainz
Big Sean discography
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Big Sean discography
Big Sean discography
74.
Dance (Ass)
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Dance, often stylized Dance, is a song by American rapper Big Sean, released as the third single from his debut studio album, Finally Famous. It was added to radio formats on September 20,2011 as the albums third official single. The official remix of the song features Nicki Minaj and was available for free download on her website. The song received positive reviews from music critics. The Boston Globe commented on the track by saying it is stale stripper anthem out of synch with what surrounds it, the production is heavy on vocal hooks, synths, and chattering beats, but the focus is Sean’s wit and insistent flow. Nowhere does Big Sean sound more confident or hilarious, club gave a positive review of the track and called it freewheeling, fast-footed, and full of swagger. Ology commented on the song by calling it a minority in the album and complimented the flow-flip. Complex did not favor the track and called it repetitive and minimalist compared to most of the tracks on the album. The music video of the remix version premiered on VEVO on November 1,2011
Dance (Ass)
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"Dance (Ass)"
75.
Guap
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Guap is a song by American hip hop recording artist Big Sean, released on October 26,2012, as the lead single from his second studio album Hall of Fame. The song was produced by frequent collaborator Key Wane and Young Chop with additional production from Darhyl Hey DJ Camper Jr. and Rob Kinelski. In addition to releasing the single, Big Sean also announced that his album would be released on December 18,2012. The song features ad-libs from Kanye West and its producer Key Wane and it has peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The songs creation began in March or April 2012, keY Wane says that Big Sean flew him out to Los Angeles, they went to the studio and were working on the Detroit mixtape and the album. Big Sean was quoted as saying, Man I recorded these records on my phone about this really good song that I have an idea for. Then he texted Wane the reference, Wane listened to it and was quoted as saying, the word guap has its origins as a slang for money. Big Sean described the song as something that strikes a chord in people. He also said, Everybody is about to go crazy, this is one of good feelings. The music video was shot in Detroit on November 18,2012, Big Sean shut down Woodward Ave. and most of downtown to film the video. The video was released on December 16,2012
Guap
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"Guap"
76.
Switch Up
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Switch Up is a song by American hip hop recording artist Big Sean. It was released on April 6,2013, as the single from his second studio album Hall of Fame. The song, produced by No I. D. and Rob Kinelski, the song had little success, peaking at number 50 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The second single, Switch Up, was announced along with its artwork by Big Sean on April 5,2013 via Twitter, the single features fellow rapper Common, while the production was handled by No I. D. The song was released for digital download the following day. Big Sean made a statement saying how the song is for the fans of real rap, in an interview he made, When I put it out, I did it for the believers and the people thats been rocking with me, fans of just real rap. Switch Up came to controversy after fans were asking Big Sean on Twitter if the song was a diss to Kid Cudi, Kid Cudi left the GOOD Music label just four days before Big Sean released Switch Up. Made fans think that Big Sean was angry towards Kid Cudis departure from GOOD Music, Big Sean clarified the controversy with an interview with MTV News. Big Sean said in the interview that he was friends with Kid Cudi as he stated Motherfucker thats the dumbest shit somebody could ever say. When I lost my Jesus piece Cudi gave me his Jesus piece, digital single Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Switch Up
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"Switch Up"
77.
Fire (Big Sean song)
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Fire is a song by American recording artist Big Sean from his second studio album Hall of Fame. It was released on August 20,2013 by GOOD Music and it was written and produced by Darhyl Camper Jr. and Rob Kinelski of Cocaine 80s, with additional songwriting provided by Big Sean and Alexander Izquierdo of The Monsters and the Strangerz. Fire is a hip hop song that describes the perseverance to overcome personal difficulties. Fire received generally favorable reviews from critics, who compared it the catalogs of fellow rappers Kanye West and Jay-Z. The song peaked at number 19 on the U. S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles component chart to the Billboard Hot 100, Fire was officially premiered through SoundCloud on July 29,2013, after having surfaced online earlier that day. On his Instagram account, Big Sean commented that this IS NOT a single. yet, the track was released for digital download on August 20 by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. Its release preceded the launch of Hall of Fame, which was available later that month. Fire is a hip hop song that incorporates a moody but confident bass line celebratory piano keys and it was compared to the musical styles seen on Graduation, the third studio album by Kanye West, and Watch the Throne, a collaborative record between West and Jay-Z. Lyrically, it has described to place emphasis on pushing through personal struggles. Big Sean performed Fire on The Arsenio Hall Show, which had recently revived after a nearly twenty-year hiatus. Upon its release, Fire received generally favorable reviews from music critics, writing for Entertainment Weekly, Kyle Anderson spoke favorably of the track, calling it the centerpiece of Fame, an infectious antidote to his famous mentor s self-seriousness. Khari of The Source felt that Fire was appropriately placed as the song on Hall of Fame. David Jeffries of AllMusic and Edna Gundersen from USA Today both considered the track to be a standout from the record, and both placed it on their lists of recommended purchases from the album. An accompanying music video for Fire was directed by Jack Heller and Matthew Williams, Big Sean commented that the lyrics delivered in the track really have anything to do with her personal story in the video. Critical commentary regarding the video focused on Cyrus increasingly provocative image. Margaret Eby of Daily News stated that she just cant stop strutting her stuff, a writer for The Huffington Post shared a similar sentiment, adding that even though her wardrobe is full of crop tops and itty bitty shorts, Miley Cyrus skimpy outfits still manage to shock. A writer for Rap-Up provided a review, complimenting Cyrus for up the heat in the striking visuals. Credits adapted from the notes of Hall of Fame. S
Fire (Big Sean song)
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Critics compared "Fire" to the works of Kanye West (pictured), who was also referenced in the lyrics for "Fire".
Fire (Big Sean song)
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"Fire"
Fire (Big Sean song)
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Critical commentary was directed towards Cyrus' (pictured) increasingly provocative image.
78.
Dark Sky Paradise
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Dark Sky Paradise is the third studio album by American rapper Big Sean. It was released on February 24,2015, by GOOD Music, Dark Sky Paradise received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the change in Seans production and lyricism being more atmospheric and substance-filled. It debuted at one on the Billboard 200, selling 173,000 album-equivalent units and 139,000 copies in the first week. It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for combined sales, streaming, in December 2015, the album has sold over 350,000 copies in the United States. The albums lead single, titled I Dont Fuck with You featuring E-40, was released on September 19,2014, the production on the song was handled by DJ Mustard, Kanye West and Mike Free. After the reception the received, it was released as the albums first single. It became a success peaking at number one on the Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. To date, the song has sold over a million copies in the United States, the albums second single, Paradise was released on October 7,2014. The song was produced by Mike Will Made It, despite never being sent to radio, the song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on October 13,2015. In January 2015, Sean released the track, Blessings featuring guest appearances by Drake, the song was produced by Vinylz. It was officially released on January 31,2015, as the third single. The shorten version of the song, featuring the collaboration between Sean and Drake, has announced to be included on the album. The song peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, as of March 2016, the song was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. One Man Can Change the World featuring Kanye West and John Legend, was sent to contemporary radio on June 19,2015. The song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on October 13,2015, play No Games featuring Chris Brown and Ty Dolla Sign, was sent to urban contemporary radio on September 22,2015, as the albums fifth single. The song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on February 15,2016, Dark Sky Paradise received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications. Justin Charity of Complex said, Occasionally clumsy but wonderfully plainspoken, here hes dynamic, and a pretty good rapper
Dark Sky Paradise
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Dark Sky Paradise
79.
Play No Games (Big Sean song)
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Play No Games is a song by American rapper Big Sean from his third studio album Dark Sky Paradise. It features American singers Chris Brown and Ty Dolla Sign with production handled by Key Wane, Play No Games also samples Guys 1988 hit single Piece Of My Love. Play No Games was sent to US urban contemporary radio on September 22,2015, the music video for Play No Games, directed by Mike Carson, premiered at the BET Awards on June 28,2015. It was inspired by the popular sitcom Martin, the video features French Montana, Reginald Ballard singing Ty Dolla Signs vocals, along with an appearance by the sitcoms title character, Martin Lawrence. Music video on YouTube Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Play No Games (Big Sean song)
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"Play No Games"
80.
Till I Die (Chris Brown song)
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Till I Die is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown, featuring American rappers Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa. It was written by Brown, Sean Anderson, Cameron Thomaz, Marcella Araica and Nathaniel Danja Hills, Till I Die was released digitally on April 13,2012, as the third single from Browns fifth studio album, Fortune. It was sent to contemporary radio in the United States on May 1,2012. Till I Die is an hip hop and R&B song that displays elements of electro music and features military drumbeats, R&B synths. The song contains lyrics about women, smoking weed, partying in the club, Till I Die garnered positive reviews from music critics, who praised the production and the trios verses. Although it was released worldwide, the only charted in the United States. It peaked at number 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the accompanying music video for Till I Die was directed by Brown and features cameo appearances by Snoop Dogg, Andy Milonakis, Kreayshawn, Jamie Kennedy, Method Man and Redman. The video was dedicated to Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch, who died from cancer in May 2012, Brown included Till I Die in his set list at Supafest Australia. Till I Die was written by Cameron Jabril Thomaz, Chris Brown, Marcella Araica, Nathaniel Danja Hills and Sean Anderson, the audio mixing was completed by Jaycen Joshua, with assistance by Trehy Harris. On March 28,2012, Brown announced via his official Twitter account that he would be releasing Till I Die and it was released as a one-track digital download in Oceania and most European countries on April 13,2012. However, in the United States, Till I Die was released digitally on April 17,2012, Till I Die is an uptempo hip hop and R&B song, which last for a duration of three minutes and 57 seconds. The song blends military drumbeats and R&B synths with elements of electro music, trent Fitzgerald of PopCrush noted that it also uses arcade-game blips. According to Lewis Corner of Digital Spy, Till I Die opens with a dubstep intro, throughout the song, Brown, Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa rap about smoking and intoxication, women and weed, partying and balling in the club, and living the good life. During the first verse, Brown references American politician Sarah Palin in the line Sippin, rob Markman of MTV News noted that Brown harmonizes the line Im high in the background. Till I Die garnered positive reviews music critics. Becky Bain of Idolator appreciated the nice blend of electro and R&B music in the song, writing that it has a sound thats both experimental and easy to lay back to. Andrew Martin of Complex magazine described Till I Die as a laid-back, summer-primed production, trent Fitzgerald of PopCrush complimented the song for having a nice R&B groove and added that it will certainly get some spins on urban radio. Bene Viera of VH1 praised Browns verse, writing that hes going to make some rappers step up their game
Till I Die (Chris Brown song)
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"Till I Die"
Till I Die (Chris Brown song)
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Method Man (left) and
Redman (right) are two of the many celebrities who make an appearance in the video.
Till I Die (Chris Brown song)
81.
Naked (Kevin McCall song)
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Naked is a song by American recording artist and record producer Kevin McCall. The song, released as a single on May 4,2012, the song peaked 77 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Talking about the song in an interview, McCall explained, There was a young producer/songwriter named David Wade, he came on the record and by the time the hook came in, I was like “this is nice. ”It kind of reminds me of SexyBack by Justin Timberlake. I just felt like it was young and fresh and something different than what everybody else was doing. So, I had to go in on it and put my little twist on it and we went and got Big Sean, that took it to the next level. Shout out to Big Sean for blessing me with that verse, the music video for Naked was directed by Chris Brown and Godfrey Tabarez and filmed in Los Angeles, California in April,2012. It was premiered on May 22,2012
Naked (Kevin McCall song)
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"Naked"
Naked (Kevin McCall song)
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The song features
Big Sean.
82.
My Homies Still
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My Homies Still is a song by American hip hop recording artist Lil Wayne featuring fellow American rapper Big Sean, released on June 5,2012, as a standalone single. It was also included on the version of his tenth studio album I Am Not a Human Being II. The song was produced by Streetrunner and Sarom and it reached number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100. A remix featuring Young Jeezy appears on Waynes Dedication 4 mixtape, the album would serve as a sequel to I Am Not a Human Being, an album released whilst Wayne was serving a prison sentence for illegal possession of a weapon. On May 23,2012, American rapper Pusha T released a song titled Exodus 23,1, in which several of his lyrics appear to contain insults aimed at Wayne – igniting a feud between the two rappers. Two days later, Wayne premiered a song titled Goulish online, in several of his lyrics directly insult Pusha T, including the songs opening line Fuck Pusha T. As both Pusha T and Big Sean are signed to the record label – Kanye Wests GOOD Music – members of the media speculated whether that, by association. The media also speculated that My Homies Still must have recorded before the feud began. Despite the feud, Maine confirmed that he would not delete Seans vocals from the song, feeling that to do so would detract from the songs quality. In a later interview with Complex, Sean stated that he remained friends with both Pusha T and Wayne, and expressed his desire for the feud to end, calling it pointless and my Homies Still is a hip hop song of four minutes and seven seconds in length. The songs lyrics are backed by a bouncy and spastic production, the line go stupid, found in the chorus of My Homies Still, is also interpolated from Dance. A reviewer for DJBooth felt Streetrunner and Saroms production to be the type of high energy, for the chart issue dated June 16,2012, My Homies Still debuted on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 60. The song peaked at number 20 for the issue dated August 18,2012. Following its release to digital retailers in the United States, My Homies Still debuted and peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the issue dating June 23,2012. A music video for My Homies Still, directed by Parris, the video, set mostly in a suburban environment, begins with several shots of white mannequins holding various poses, some with missing limbs. After a panda is shown dancing, the elephant then changes color to pink, Big Sean now begins to perform his section of the song, and is seen sitting in a blue chair whilst moving down the street, alongside a skeleton sitting in a red chair. This scene then alternates with shots of Wayne at night, on a skateboard – performing the song in both cases, several female heads appear as trophies on the wall. The video then cuts to a group of people having dinner at a table, upon the opening of a platter
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"My Homies Still"
83.
Oh My (DJ Drama song)
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Oh My is a song by American hip hop artist DJ Drama, released on May 13,2011, as the lead single from his third studio album Third Power. The song was produced by frequent collaborator Drumma Boy and features acclaimed rappers Fabolous, Roscoe Dash, the song peaked at #18 on the Billboard and #12 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, making it the most successful song for DJ Drama to date. The music video, directed by Derek Pike was released on July 6,2011 and can be purchased on iTunes The video features cameo roles from actor and comedian Kevin Hart, Big Sean, New England Patriots Wide Receiver Chad Ochocinco and Pittsburgh Steelers Outside Linebacker LaMarr Woodley. Oh My is a song by American hip hop artist DJ Drama, the song, included as the twelfth track on the album, maintains the original production from Drumma Boy, however features new guest appearances from Trey Songz,2 Chainz and Big Sean. The song was released to retailers on August 9,2011. On September 8, the music video for the remix was released. Cameos in the video for the remix were made by Drumma Boy and Curren$y
Oh My (DJ Drama song)
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"Oh My"
84.
Best Mistake
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Best Mistake is a song by American recording artist Ariana Grande that features American hip hop recording artist Big Sean. The song served as a single from Grandes second studio album, My Everything. Grande has claimed it is her favorite track off My Everything and it peaked on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 49, and within the top 50 on other record charts in North America, Europe, and Oceania. Grande and Big Sean have performed the live, including at the iHeartRadio theater in Los Angeles. Best Mistake was written by Denisia Blu June Andrews, Brittany Coney, Ariana Grande, Big Sean, Corey Jackson Carter, the vocals were produced by Curtis Sauce Wilson, with Gregg Rominiecki engineering Big Seans vocals. Serban Ghenea handled the mixing of the track, which was engineered by John Hanes and it is a minimal hip-hop piano ballad lament that utilizes instrumentation from strings and a drum machine. It is about a couple trying to make up their minds about the future of their relationship, Grande revealed that Best Mistake was her favorite track on My Everything, I just think the world of and Im obsessed with his writing on this song in particular. Im a huge fan of his in general but I feel like his writing on this song is so, so fantastic, it like strikes a chord in my heart. Grande first confirmed the title of Best Mistake on June 28,2014, on July 8,2014, Grande released a 15-second snippet of Best Mistake onto her Instagram profile. The song finally came out on August 12, and the release added more speculation to the rumors between Grande and Big Sean. In the United States, shortly after its release, the reached number two on the weekly Billboard Twitter Real-Time chart and topped the iTunes singles chart. It sold 104,000 units in its first week, landing at number six on the Digital Songs chart and this made Grande the first female to have three songs in the top ten on that chart, the other two being Bang Bang and Break Free. The last artist to do this was Michael Jackson, shortly after his death, the sales of Best Mistake also helped it land at number 49 on the Hot 100. On the Canadian Hot 100, it appeared at number 39, in Oceania, it reached number 45 and 19 on the Australian ARIA pop and urban songs chart respectively, and 29 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart. On the Japan Hot 100, it peaked at the 74th spot, as of Year-End 2016, Best Mistake has sold 684,337 digital downloads in South Korea, according to Gaon Music Chart. HollywoodLifes Caitlin Beck said it was sure to be another hit, carolyn Menyes of the Music Times applauded Grande for her calming vocals and transition into a more mature sound of music. Billboards Jason Lipshutz called the production impressive and said the song rows stickier upon each listen, the Official Charts Company critic Rob Copsey felt it was like an extension of Yours Truly, albeit moodier and more grown up. Newsday critic Glenn Gamboa described Best Mistake as a gorgeous song that showcases her wide-ranging voice
Best Mistake
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With "Best Mistake", Grande became the first act since
Michael Jackson (pictured in 1988) to have three songs in the top ten of the US
Digital Songs chart on the same week.
Best Mistake
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"Best Mistake"
Best Mistake
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Big Sean's verse on "Best Mistake" garnered mixed reviews.
85.
Kiss tha Game Goodbye
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Kiss tha Game Goodbye is the debut studio album by American rapper Jadakiss. The album was released on August 7,2001, by Ruff Ryders Entertainment, the album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album debuted at five on the US Billboard 200 selling 204,000 copies in its first week. It was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States, as of June 2004, the album has sold 877,000 copies. Sample Credits Show Discipline contains a sample of Ive Been Watching You by Southside Movement, jadas Got a Gun does not appear on the clean version of the album. Put Your Hands Up contains a sample of Boogieman by Jackson 5 and we Gonna Make It contains a sample of My Music by Samuel Jonathan Johnson. Kiss Is Spittin contains a sample of I Keep Forgettin by Michael McDonald, Keep Ya Head Up contains a sample of Optimistic by Sounds Of Blackness. Feel Me contains a sample of Noahs Ark by Kitaro and its Time I See You contains a sample of Stop In the Name of Love by Margie Joseph. Contains a sample of One Man Band by Monk Higgins, none of Yall Betta contains samples of Waitin for the Postman by Syreeta, Stick to Ya Gunz by M. O. P. Fuck You by The Lox and Recognize by The Lox, uh-Hunh contains a sample of Esperare by Roberto Yanes and Breakthrough by LL Cool J
Kiss tha Game Goodbye
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Kiss tha Game Goodbye
86.
The Last Kiss (album)
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The Last Kiss is the third studio album by American rapper Jadakiss. The album was released on April 7,2009, on D-Block Records, Ruff Ryders Entertainment, Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings, Lil Wayne, Blood Raw, & Avery Storm. Letter to B. I. G was released as a single from the album and was also included on the soundtrack to the motion picture Notorious released on March 10,2009. Death Wish was released as the official single on March 24,2009. The fourth and final single Whos Real was digitally released on May 5,2009, released for airplay on June 9,2009, the album was given positive to mixed reviews from music critics. After securing a new deal with Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records, Jadakiss began recording in 2008, after multiple push backs, the album was given an April 7,2009 release date. com. As The Last Kiss might lead some to believe that it could be Jadakiss final album, he stated that he has no plans to retire anytime soon. This is the last time the word Kiss is going to be in any of my album titles, the Last Kiss received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 61. This problematic arrival shows too in the product, but the problem may not be the much maligned rappers ability or inspiration. Steve Jones of USA Today said, Though Kiss isnt as gritty as his previous efforts — a sign of maturity, theres no shortage of songs boasting of his accomplishments, hood credentials and microphone prowess. But he also takes a view and more varied sonic palette. HipHopDX said, Even if there are a handful of tracks that shouldve been shaved off, theres nothing outright bad on The Last Kiss and it probably wont be a standout in his overall catalogue when its all said and done but its a solid entry nonetheless. A good album from a great rapper--give it your time, simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly said, When he caters to changed times, the results are forgettable. But when he stays in his lane, there’s no one who can snarl a couplet quite like him, the album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 134,520 copies in its first week. Jadakiss later responded to the sales, by explaining he was pleased with the overall success
The Last Kiss (album)
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The Last Kiss
87.
Why (Jadakiss song)
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Why is a protest song by the rapper Jadakiss, the 1st single released from his 2nd solo album Kiss of Death. It was a hit in several countries. The song ranked #64 in About. coms Top 100 Rap Songs, the remix produced by Elite with a new chorus was later released featuring Anthony Hamilton, Styles P, Common and Nas. Another remix was released, titled Why 2K7, featuring the rapper Lil Wayne and this remix is available on DJ 007s Beast of the East, a collaboration mixtape with Fabolous and Jadakiss. Although not a remix nor a sequel, Jadakiss released the song What If that almost follows the concept as Why. All of the start with the latter title. Bush co-ordinated the September 11 attacks, Why do niggas push pounds of powder. /Why did Bush knock down the towers, Bush is censored in clean versions of the song. The music video shows a man holding up a sign reading BUCK FUSH - a spoonerism of FUCK BUSH. OReilly took the position that the President should be allowed to sue Jadakiss for slander, the track was eventually banned on some radio stations or played with the lyrics in question censored. Kool Savas Kiss of Death The Champ Is Here Why Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Why (Jadakiss song)
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"Why"
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By My Side (Jadakiss song)
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For the song by Dream Evil of the same name, see here. And here for the INXS song of the same name By My Side is the first single off rapper Jadakisss third studio album, the song was produced by Eric Hudson and it features R&B singer Ne-Yo. It had reached good airplay, although it did not make it to the Billboard Hot 100 and it samples Teena Marie - I Need Your Lovin A music video was released on November 13,2008. It was directed by Ray Kay, lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
By My Side (Jadakiss song)
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"By My Side"
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Jenny from the Block
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Jenny from the Block is a song recorded by American entertainer Jennifer Lopez, which features American rappers Jadakiss and Styles P, both members of The LOX. It was released by Epic Records on September 26,2002, the song, first leaked online, was written by Lopez, Troy Oliver, Mr. Deyo, Samuel Barnes, Jean-Claude Olivier and Cory Rooney. Rooney and Oliver, along with Poke & Tone of Trackmasters, the song was noted by critics for using a large amount of musical samples from songs such as 20th Century Steel Bands song Heaven and Hell Is on Earth and Boogie Down Productions South Bronx. It also contained a sample from the track Watch Out Now by The Beatnuts. While some critics praised the song and theme, others disregarded the lyrics as silly and laughable. Despite this, the became a commercial success, topping the charts in Canada. The songs music video caused controversy. It featured Lopez and her boyfriend at the time, Ben Affleck, the song has been referenced in popular culture and since its release, Lopez has been referred to as Jenny from the Block in the media. Then was released in November 2002, in response, Lopez and Epic Records pushed forward the albums release date to November 26. Unlike her previous albums, On the 6 and J. Lo. The album also had more of an adult-R&B sound, musically, majority of the songs on This Is Me. Then were lyrically dedicated to her relationship with then-fiancé, actor Ben Affleck, the Age newspaper said the album was a declaration of love for Affleck. During an interview, Lopez said I wrote a lot of songs inspired, in a way, by what I was going through at the time that album was being made. Several critics highlighted that the album showed how smitten she was, during the production of the album, Affleck and Lopez were a prominent super couple in the media, and were dubbed as Bennifer. Lopez stated We try to make the best of it Im not saying theres not times that we wish could just be going to the movies and come out and theres not a crowd there waiting. You just want to spend your Sunday afternoon not working, If thats something thats part of it, then thats fine. We feel the love and were happy about it. Jenny from the Block is an uptempo R&B and old school hip hop song, Trackmasters produced the song alongside Oliver and Cory Rooney
Jenny from the Block
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Lopez and Affleck on a yacht during the controversial music video for "Jenny from the Block".
Jenny from the Block
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"Jenny from the Block"
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Lose Your Life (The Alchemist song)
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Chemical Warfare is the second studio album by American hip hop producer and recording artist The Alchemist. The album was released on July 7,2009, the first song released from the album was Keys to the City, which features Prodigy and Nina Sky. Alchemist leaked the song himself in 2007, a video for the song, produced, shot, edited and directed by The Alchemist, was released on July 28,2008. The first official single announced was Lose Your Life featuring Jadakiss, the official video for Smile, featuring Maxwell and Twista, was released on June 11,2009
Lose Your Life (The Alchemist song)
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Chemical Warfare
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