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
2.
The Jackson 5
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The Jackson 5, or Jackson Five, also known as The Jacksons in later years, was an American popular music group. Formed in 1964 under the name the Jackson Brothers, the members were elder brothers Jackie, Tito. Younger brothers Marlon and Michael would join soon after and they participated in talent shows and performed in clubs on the chitlin circuit. They entered the music scene in 1967, signing with Steeltown Records. In 1969, the group left Steeltown Records and signed with Motown, the Jackson 5 was one of the first groups of black American performers to attain a crossover following, preceded by the Supremes, the Four Tops and the Temptations. In 1983, Jermaine reunited with the band to perform on Motown 25, Yesterday, Today, Forever, after the end of their tour to promote the album, Michael and Marlon Jackson promptly left the group. The remaining four released the poorly received 2300 Jackson Street album in 1989 before being dropped from their label. Inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999, following the death of Michael Jackson in 2009, the four eldest of the brothers embarked on their Unity Tour in 2012. The five Jackson brothers interest in music began in Gary, Indiana, bolstered by their father, in 1964, Joe caught Tito playing with his guitar after a string broke. Upon fixing the string, threatening punishment, Titos father had him play and was impressed enough to buy Tito his own guitar, Marlon, then seven years old, eventually joined, playing the tambourine. Johnny Jackson and Ronnie Rancifer eventually replaced Milford Hite and Reynaud Jones, during early 1968, the group also performed at strip clubs on Joes behest to earn extra income. Following initial recordings at Detroits Hitsville USA studio, Berry Gordy sent the Jacksons to Hollywood in July, hiring Suzanne de Passe to become a mentor of the brothers. Starting in August, the Jackson Five performed as the act for The Supremes. In October, their first single for Motown was released and the group promoted it while performing at the Hollywood Palace with Ross hosting, in December, the brothers made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Afterwards, their album, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, was released that same month. In January 1970, I Want You Back topped the Billboard Hot 100, led by the Corporation, the Jackson 5 released two more number-one singles, ABC and The Love You Save. All four singles were almost as popular in countries as they were in the United States. Releasing a succession of four albums in one year, the Jackson 5 replaced The Supremes as Motowns best-selling group
3.
G.I.T.: Get It Together
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Get It Together is the tenth studio album by The Jackson 5, released in September 1973 for the Motown label. During the groups last years with Motown, the label struggled to come up with material for the group, as a result, the Jackson 5 fell into a period from 1973 to 1974 where they scored no Top 10 singles. By this point, most of the Jackson 5s members, and their manager/father Joseph Jackson, were complaining about the groups direction. The only member not to complain about Motowns handling of the act was Jermaine Jackson, get It Together would go on to sell over two million copies worldwide. The album was arranged by Arthur G. Wright, David Blumberg, get It Together was the first album to feature Michaels noticeable growth spurt. Now aged 15 and with a slightly deeper singing voice, the sound of the group changed as well. With Michael now a full-fledged tenor and it was also on this album that he first employed what would later be known as his vocal hiccup, notably on the song Its Too Late to Change the Time. As Motown frowned on any sort of control being relinquished to the group, get It Together was one of the earliest albums to experiment with a pre-disco sound, released at a time before the genre was mainstream. The album was a breakaway from the groups bubblegum soul sound as they came up with a more funk-oriented album similar to The Temptations Norman Whitfield-produced albums, two of Whitfields Temptations songs — You Need Love Like I Do and Hum Along and Dance— appeared on Get It Together. The sequence of songs was also arranged for Get It Together. There was no silence separating one song from the other, each track flowed together thematically, a technique borrowed from Stevie Wonders landmark album Music of My Mind, released the year prior. Get It Together was also the first Jackson 5 album to all five Jackson brothers sharing lead vocals. Marlon, in particular, is featured on Mama I Gotta Brand New Thing and Jackie and Tito lead the brothers through Hum Along. In addition, the album did not feature production or songwriting from any of the now-disbanded Corporation, Motown head Berry Gordy, a member of the Corporation, was busy expanding his Motown empire into movie ventures, mostly starring Diana Ross. Lead vocals are as of noted in superscripts, Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Jackie Jackson and this album was paired up with Skywriter. The bonus tracks were the outtakes Pride and Joy, Loves Gone Bad, Love Is the Thing You Need and Pride and Joy were released on Joyful Jukebox Music in 1976, and Loves Gone Bad was released on Boogie in 1979. Get It Together overview at www. jackson5abc. com
4.
Dancing Machine (album)
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Dancing Machine is the eleventh studio album released by Motown quintet The Jackson 5 in 1974. The albums title track was a #2 pop hit and a #1 R&B hit in the United States, the group released two additional singles from the album, the funky Whatever You Got, I Want and the groups last top twenty hit for Motown called I Am Love. Although the Jacksons were back on the charts, the brothers still complained of their artistic direction, nonetheless, the album became another disco concept album for the group, and showcased lead singers Michael and Jermaine Jackson. This album also marks the first time all the brothers sang in their natural voices on the same song. The order is Tito, Jackie, Michael, Marlon and Jermaine, around this time, the Jacksons were performing in Las Vegas with the rest of the family leaving this album with low promotion. According to an interview with Don Cornelius on R&B TV show Soul Train, Michael said that his songs were If I Dont Love You This Way. The album was arranged by Arthur G. Wright, Jerry Marcellino, Mel Larson, John Bahler, James Anthony Carmichael and this album was paired up with Moving Violation. The bonus tracks were the outtakes Through Thick and Thin and the Disc-o-Tech #3 Remix of Forever Came Today
5.
Funk
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Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid- 1960s when African American musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of soul music, jazz, and rhythm and blues. Like much of African-inspired music, funk typically consists of a groove with rhythm instruments playing interlocking grooves. Funk uses the same richly-colored extended chords found in jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths. Other musical groups, including Sly and the Family Stone and Parliament-Funkadelic, soon began to adopt, Funk samples have been used extensively in genres including hip hop, house music, and drum and bass. It is also the influence of go-go, a subgenre associated with funk. The word funk initially referred to a strong odor and it is originally derived from Latin fumigare via Old French fungiere and, in this sense, it was first documented in English in 1620. In 1784 funky meaning musty was first documented, which, in turn, in early jam sessions, musicians would encourage one another to get down by telling one another, Now, put some stank on it. At least as early as 1907, jazz songs carried titles such as Funky, as late as the 1950s and early 1960s, when funk and funky were used increasingly in the context of jazz music, the terms still were considered indelicate and inappropriate for use in polite company. According to one source, New Orleans-born drummer Earl Palmer was the first to use the word funky to explain to other musicians that their music should be made more syncopated, the style later evolved into a rather hard-driving, insistent rhythm, implying a more carnal quality. This early form of the set the pattern for later musicians. The music was identified as slow, sexy, loose, riff-oriented, a great deal of funk is rhythmically based on a two-celled onbeat/offbeat structure, which originated in sub-Saharan African music traditions. New Orleans appropriated the bifurcated structure from the Afro-Cuban mambo and conga in the late 1940s, New Orleans funk, as it was called, gained international acclaim largely because James Browns rhythm section used it to great effect. Funk creates an intense groove by using strong guitar riffs and bass lines, like Motown recordings, funk songs used bass lines as the centerpiece of songs. Slap basss mixture of thumb-slapped low notes and finger popped high notes allowed the bass to have a rhythmic role. In funk bands, guitarists typically play in a style, often using the wah-wah sound effect. Guitarist Ernie Isley of The Isley Brothers and Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic were notably influenced by Jimi Hendrixs improvised solos, Eddie Hazel, who worked with George Clinton, is one of the most notable guitar soloists in funk. Ernie Isley was tutored at an age by Jimi Hendrix himself. Jimmy Nolen and Phelps Collins are famous funk rhythm guitarists who both worked with James Brown, on Browns Give It Up or Turnit a Loose, Jimmy Nolens guitar part has a bare bones tonal structure
6.
Motown
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Motown is an American record company. The record company was founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12,1958, the name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has also become a nickname for Detroit. Motown played an important role in the integration of popular music as an African American-owned record label that achieved significant crossover success. In the 1960s, Motown and its subsidiary labels were the most successful proponents of what came to be known as the Motown Sound, a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence. During the 1960s, Motown achieved spectacular success for a record company,79 records in the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 record chart between 1960 and 1969. The company was sold to MCA Inc. Motown was later sold to PolyGram in 1994, before being sold again to MCA Records successor, Universal Music Group, Motown spent much of the 2000s as a part of the Universal Music subsidiaries Universal Motown and Universal Motown Republic Group, and headquartered in New York City. From 2011 to 2014, Motown was a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group division of Universal Music. On April 1,2014, Universal Music Group announced the dissolution of Island Def Jam and it now operates out of the landmark Capitol Tower. For many decades, Motown was the highest-earning African American business in the United States, Berry Gordy got his start as a songwriter for local Detroit acts such as Jackie Wilson and the Matadors. Wilsons single Lonely Teardrops, written by Gordy, became a huge success and he realized that the more lucrative end of the business was in producing records and owning the publishing. In 1959, Billy Davis and Berry Gordys sisters Gwen and Anna started Anna Records, Davis and Gwen Gordy wanted Berry to be the company president, but Berry wanted to strike out on his own. On January 12,1959, he started Tamla Records, with a loan from his family. Gordy originally wanted to name the label Tammy Records, after the hit song popularized by Debbie Reynolds from the 1957 film Tammy, when he found the name was already in use, Berry decided on Tamla instead. Tamlas first release, in the Detroit area, was Marv Johnsons Come to Me in 1959 and its first hit was Barrett Strongs Money, which made it to number 2 on the Billboard R&B charts. Gordys first signed act was the Matadors, who changed their name to the Miracles. Their first release, Got a Job, was a record to the Silhouettes Get a Job. The Miracles first, minor hit was their single, 1959s Bad Girl, released in Detroit as the debut record on the Motown imprint
7.
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
8.
Record producer
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A record producer or music producer oversees and manages the sound recording and production of a band or performers music, which may range from recording one song to recording a lengthy concept album. A producer has many roles during the recording process, the roles of a producer vary. The producer may perform these roles himself, or help select the engineer, the producer may also pay session musicians and engineers and ensure that the entire project is completed within the record companies budget. A record producer or music producer has a broad role in overseeing and managing the recording. Producers also often take on an entrepreneurial role, with responsibility for the budget, schedules, contracts. In the 2010s, the industry has two kinds of producers with different roles, executive producer and music producer. Executive producers oversee project finances while music producers oversee the process of recording songs or albums. In most cases the producer is also a competent arranger, composer. The producer will also liaise with the engineer who concentrates on the technical aspects of recording. Noted producer Phil Ek described his role as the person who creatively guides or directs the process of making a record, indeed, in Bollywood music, the designation actually is music director. The music producers job is to create, shape, and mold a piece of music, at the beginning of record industry, producer role was technically limited to record, in one shot, artists performing live. The role of producers changed progressively over the 1950s and 1960s due to technological developments, the development of multitrack recording caused a major change in the recording process. Before multitracking, all the elements of a song had to be performed simultaneously, all of these singers and musicians had to be assembled in a large studio and the performance had to be recorded. As well, for a song that used 20 instruments, it was no longer necessary to get all the players in the studio at the same time. Examples include the rock sound effects of the 1960s, e. g. playing back the sound of recorded instruments backwards or clanging the tape to produce unique sound effects. These new instruments were electric or electronic, and thus they used instrument amplifiers, new technologies like multitracking changed the goal of recording, A producer could blend together multiple takes and edit together different sections to create the desired sound. For example, in jazz fusion Bandleader-composer Miles Davis album Bitches Brew, producers like Phil Spector and George Martin were soon creating recordings that were, in practical terms, almost impossible to realise in live performance. Producers became creative figures in the studio, other examples of such engineers includes Joe Meek, Teo Macero, Brian Wilson, and Biddu
9.
Rhythm and blues
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Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated as R&B or RnB, is a genre of popular African-American music that originated in the 1940s. In the commercial rhythm and blues music typical of the 1950s through the 1970s, R&B lyrical themes often encapsulate the African-American experience of pain and the quest for freedom and joy. Lyrics focus heavily on the themes of triumphs and failures in terms of relationships, freedom, economics, aspirations, the term rhythm and blues has undergone a number of shifts in meaning. In the early 1950s it was applied to blues records. This tangent of RnB is now known as British rhythm and blues, by the 1970s, the term rhythm and blues changed again and was used as a blanket term for soul and funk. In the 1980s, a style of R&B developed, becoming known as Contemporary R&B. It combines elements of rhythm and blues, soul, funk, pop, hip hop, popular R&B vocalists at the end of the 20th century included Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey. Although Jerry Wexler of Billboard magazine is credited with coining the term rhythm and blues as a term in the United States in 1948. It replaced the term race music, which came from within the black community. The term rhythm and blues was used by Billboard in its chart listings from June 1949 until August 1969, before the Rhythm and Blues name was instated, various record companies had already begun replacing the term race music with sepia series. In 2010 LaMont Robinson founded the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Museum, writer and producer Robert Palmer defined rhythm & blues as a catchall term referring to any music that was made by and for black Americans. He has used the term R&B as a synonym for jump blues, however, AllMusic separates it from jump blues because of its stronger, gospel-esque backbeat. Lawrence Cohn, author of Nothing but the Blues, writes that rhythm, according to him, the term embraced all black music except classical music and religious music, unless a gospel song sold enough to break into the charts. Well into the 21st century, the term R&B continues in use to music made by black musicians. In the commercial rhythm and blues music typical of the 1950s through the 1970s, arrangements were rehearsed to the point of effortlessness and were sometimes accompanied by background vocalists. Simple repetitive parts mesh, creating momentum and rhythmic interplay producing mellow, lilting, while singers are emotionally engaged with the lyrics, often intensely so, they remain cool, relaxed, and in control. The bands dressed in suits, and even uniforms, an associated with the modern popular music that rhythm. Lyrics often seemed fatalistic, and the music typically followed predictable patterns of chords, there was also increasing emphasis on the electric guitar as a lead instrument, as well as the piano and saxophone
10.
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
11.
Grammy Award
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A Grammy Award, or Grammy, is an honor awarded by The Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the mainly English-language music industry. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and the presentation of awards that have a more popular interest. It shares recognition of the industry as that of the other performance awards such as the Emmy Awards, the Tony Awards. The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4,1959, to honor, following the 2011 ceremony, The Academy overhauled many Grammy Award categories for 2012. The 59th Grammy Awards, honoring the best achievements from October 2015 to September 2016, was held on February 12,2017, the Grammys had their origin in the Hollywood Walk of Fame project in the 1950s. The music executives decided to rectify this by creating a given by their industry similar to the Oscars. This was the beginning of the National Academy of Recording Arts, after it was decided to create such an award, there was still a question of what to call it, one working title was the Eddie, to honor the inventor of the phonograph, Thomas Edison. They finally settled on using the name of the invention of Emile Berliner, the gramophone, for the awards, the number of awards given grew and fluctuated over the years with categories added and removed, at one time reaching over 100. The second Grammy Awards, also held in 1959, was the first ceremony to be televised, the gold-plated trophies, each depicting a gilded gramophone, are made and assembled by hand by Billings Artworks in Ridgway, Colorado. In 1990 the original Grammy design was revamped, changing the traditional soft lead for a stronger alloy less prone to damage, Billings developed a zinc alloy named grammium, which is trademarked. The trophies with the name engraved on them are not available until after the award announcements. By February 2009,7,578 Grammy trophies had been awarded, the General Field are four awards which are not restricted by genre. Album of the Year is awarded to the performer and the team of a full album if other than the performer. Record of the Year is awarded to the performer and the team of a single song if other than the performer. Song of the Year is awarded to the writer/composer of a single song, Best New Artist is awarded to a promising breakthrough performer who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording that establishes the public identity of that artist. The only two artists to win all four of these awards are Christopher Cross, who won all four in 1980, and Adele, who won the Best New Artist award in 2009 and the other three in 2012 and 2017. Other awards are given for performance and production in specific genres, as well as for other such as artwork. Special awards are given for longer-lasting contributions to the music industry, the many other Grammy trophies are presented in a pre-telecast Premiere Ceremony earlier in the afternoon before the Grammy Awards telecast
12.
Rufus (band)
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Rufus was an American funk band from Chicago, Illinois best known for launching the career of lead singer Chaka Khan. They had several throughout their career, including Tell Me Something Good, Sweet Thing. In 1968, The American Breed had a top ten hit with the rock single, Bend Me. After much success, Colbert and Graziano created a new group, adding later day Breed members Kevin Murphy on and Paulette McWilliams, plus James Stella and they re-emerged in 1969 under the name Smoke. In 1970, after switching their management to Bob Monaco and Bill Traut, the name changed again to Ask Rufus. At this point, Ciner came back to replace Pilder and Willie Weeks was added on bass after Colbert left, in 1971 the band signed a contract with Epic Records recording an album that wasnt released after which Epic dropped their contract in early 1972. Willie Weeks was in turn replaced by Dennis Belfield, James Stella by keyboardist/vocalist Ron Stockert, Paulette McWilliams and Chaka Khan had met and became the best of friends through their spouses Howard Towles and Hassan Khan. Chaka would come to most of Ask Rufus gigs when they were performing in Chicago, when Paulette decided she was leaving Ask Rufus, she went to the band and told them she had the perfect singer to replace her, she had also asked Chaka if she was interested. After the band members hesitantly submitted, Paulette remained with Ask Rufus for a few weeks to teach Chaka all of their material. Paulette also got Chaka a gig with the group formed by Chicagos Cash McCall called Lyfe, Chaka had been performing at the Pumpkin Room on the south side of Chicago, with a local Chicago group called Lock and Chain, led by drummer Scotty Harris. Bob Monaco was part of a company known as Ashley Famous with Jim Golden. They booked Ask Rufus, with Paulette McWilliams and also The Rotary Connection with Minnie Riperton, Monaco was also responsible for helping get Ask Rufus their deal on ABC Dunhill. Monaco returned to Los Angeles, convinced the label to give him a demo budget, after taking the demo tapes back to ABC Dunhill the group was immediately asked to sign a long term recording contract. Khan, who at eighteen was still a minor, had to have her mother sign along with her, even though as a married woman, she could have done the deed herself. The group then drove to Los Angeles and recorded their first Rufus album at Quantum Recording Studios in Torrance, California, Ciner and Belfield would leave the group shortly thereafter along with Stockert, who was replaced by Los Angeles-based keyboardist Nate Morgan. Additionally, Tony Maiden and bassist Bobby Watson, also from Los Angeles, were recruited by drummer Andre Fischer and asked to join the group as well. Maidens, Watsons and Morgans addition to Rufus added a sound to the group, bringing a stronger funk. Tell Me Something Good also brought Rufus their first Grammy Award, in addition, it sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA on August 9,1974
13.
Chaka Khan
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Chaka Khan is an American recording artist whose career has spanned five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. Widely known as the Queen of Funk, Khan has won ten Grammys and has sold an estimated 70 million records worldwide, Khan was ranked at number 17 in VH1s original list of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll. In 2015, she was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the second time, Khan was the first R&B artist to have a crossover hit featuring a rapper, with I Feel for You in 1984. In the course of her career, Khan has achieved three gold singles, three gold albums and one platinum album with I Feel for You. With Rufus, she achieved four gold singles, four gold albums, in December 2016, Billboard magazine ranked her as the 65th most successful dance artist of all-time. Chaka Khan was born Yvette Marie Stevens on March 23,1953 into an artistic, bohemian household in Chicago, Illinois. She is the eldest of five born to Charles Stevens and Sandra Coleman. She was raised in the Hyde Park area, an island in the middle of the madness of Chicagos rough South Side housing projects and her sister Yvonne later became a successful musician in her own right under the name Taka Boom. Her only brother, Mark, who formed the funk group Aurra and she has two other sisters, Zaheva Stevens and Tammy McCrary. Chaka Khan was raised as a Catholic and she attributed her love of music to her grandmother, who introduced her to jazz as a child. Khan became a fan of rhythm and blues music as a pre-teen and at eleven formed a group, the Crystalettes. Though many think that she was given the name Chaka while in the Panthers she has made it clear that her name Chaka Adunne Aduffe Hodarhi Karifi was given to her at age 13 by a Yoruba Baba. In 1969, she left the Panthers and dropped out of school, having attended Calumet High School. She began to perform in groups around the Chicago area, first performing with Cash McCalls group Lyfe, which included her then boyfriend Hassan Khan. She was asked to replace Baby Huey of Baby Huey & the Babysitters after Hueys death in 1970, the group disbanded a year later. While performing in bands in 1972, she was spotted by two members of a new group called Rufus and soon won her position in the group. They later signed with ABC Records in 1973, prior to signing with the label, she married on-and-off boyfriend Hassan Khan, changing her stage name to Chaka Khan. In 1973, Rufus released their eponymous debut album and that changed when Wonder himself collaborated with the group on a song he had written for Khan
14.
Tell Me Something Good
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Tell Me Something Good is a song by Rufus and Chaka Khan, written by Stevie Wonder and released in 1974. The single was a hit in the United States, peaking at three on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent one week at number one on the Cash Box Top 100. It was among the earliest hits to use the talk box. The song has described as having. A beautiful bass, clav and heavy breathing groove, the song can be difficult to count as there is an off-count into the verse. The first note is on the and of four, Rufus won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus for the song at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards in 1975. The Ronnie Laws version was sampled by the Beastie Boys on their 1989 album Pauls Boutique. The UGK song Something Good, from their 1992 debut album Too Hard to Swallow, samples the song - later chopped and screwed by DJ Screw on his 1995 release Volume II, All Screwed Up. The Case song Tell Me, on his 1999 album Personal Conversation, was based on this song, the chorus is sampled in Bay Area rapper Mac Dres song Too Hard For The Fuckin Radio. Yvonne Fair recorded a cover of the song on her 1975 album The Bitch is Black. Saxophonist Ronnie Laws recorded a version on his 1975 debut album Pressure Sensitive, maceo Parker recorded a cover of the song for his album FunkOverload. Eric Marienthal included it on his album Sweet Talk, robbie Nevil recorded a cover on his album Day 1 in 1991. Lee Aaron recorded a cover on her album Some Girls Do in 1991, guitarist Steve Fister recorded a cover on his 2006 album Dodgin Bullets. Pink recorded a cover of the song for the 2006 film Happy Feet which was included on the soundtrack album, guitarist Greg Howe recorded an instrumental version of the song for his 2008 album, Sound Proof. Matthew Morrison performed the song as his Glee character Will Schuester in the first season episode Funk, the single was released on iTunes. In 2002, En Vogue performed the song on their concert DVD, dave Matthews & Friends covered the song live from 2003 to 2005. Singer Kim Yarbrough successfully auditioned for Season 2 of The Voice with the song, landing a spot on Team Adam, Stevie Wonder has performed this song live on several occasions. Govt Mule with Susan Tedeschi and Eric Krasno on guitar on 6/7/14 at Mt. Jam, Hunter Mountain, ray Romanos character sings a variation of the song while eating his wifes braciole in the Everybody Loves Raymond episode, Debra Makes Something Good
15.
Michael Jackson
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Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actor, and philanthropist. Called the King of Pop, his contributions to music, dance, the eighth child of the Jackson family, Michael made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5. He began his career in 1971. In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music, the popularity of these videos helped bring the television channel MTV to fame. Jacksons 1987 album Bad spawned the U. S and he continued to innovate with videos such as Black or White and Scream throughout the 1990s, and forged a reputation as a touring solo artist. Through stage and video performances, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and his distinctive sound and style has influenced numerous artists of various music genres. Thriller is the album of all time, with estimated sales of 65 million copies worldwide. Jacksons other albums, including Off the Wall, Bad, Dangerous and he is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time by Guinness World Records. Jackson won hundreds of awards, making him the most awarded recording artist in the history of popular music. He became the first artist in history to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades when Love Never Felt So Good reached number nine on May 21,2014. Jackson traveled the world attending events honoring his humanitarianism, and, in 2000, aspects of Jacksons personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of sexual abuse, but the civil case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of child sexual abuse allegations. While preparing for his concert series, This Is It, Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25,2009. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and his personal physician, Jacksons death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and a live broadcast of his public memorial service was viewed around the world. Forbes ranks Jackson as the dead celebrity with earnings of $825 million in 2016. Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29,1958 and his mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovahs Witness. She played clarinet and piano and once aspired to be a country-and-western performer, michaels father, Joseph Walter Joe Jackson, a former boxer, was a steelworker at U. S. Steel
16.
Soul Train
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Soul Train was an American music-dance television program which aired in syndication on October 2,1971 to March 25,2006. In its 35-year history, the show featured performances by R&B, soul, dance/pop and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco. The series was created by Don Cornelius, who served as its first host. Production was suspended following the 2005–2006 season, with a rerun package airing for two years subsequently, despite the production hiatus, Soul Train held that superlative until 2016, when Entertainment Tonight surpassed it completing its 35th season. Among non-news programs, Wheel of Fortune will surpass it in 2025, the origins of Soul Train can be traced to 1965 when WCIU-TV, an upstart UHF station in Chicago, began airing two youth-oriented dance programs, Kiddie-a-Go-Go and Red Hot and Blues. These programs—specifically the latter, which featured a predominantly African-American group of in-studio dancers—would set the stage for what was to come to the several years later. Don Cornelius, a reader and backup disc jockey at Chicago radio station WVON, was hired by WCIU in 1967 as a news. Cornelius also was promoting and emceeing a touring series of concerts featuring local talent at Chicago-area high schools, WCIU-TV took notice of Corneliuss outside work and in 1970, allowed him the opportunity to bring his road show to television. After securing a deal with the Chicago-based retailer Sears, Roebuck & Co. Soul Train premiered on WCIU-TV on August 17,1970, as a show airing weekday afternoons. The first episode of the program featured Jerry Butler, the Chi-Lites, Cornelius was assisted by Clinton Ghent, a local professional dancer who appeared on early episodes before moving behind the scenes as a producer and secondary host. By the end of the first season, Soul Train was on in the other sixteen markets, when the program moved into syndication, its home base was also shifted to Los Angeles, where it remained for the duration of its run. Though Don Cornelius moved his operations west, Soul Train continued in Chicago as a local program, Cornelius hosted the local Chicago and Los Angeles–based national programs simultaneously, but soon focused his attention solely on the national edition. He continued to production in Chicago, where Clinton Ghent hosted episodes on WCIU-TV until 1976. The syndicated version was picked up in Chicago by CBS-owned WBBM-TV at its launch, in 1985, Chicago-based Tribune Entertainment took over Soul Trains syndication contract, the series would continue distribution through Tribune for the rest of its original run. Don Cornelius ended his run as host at the end of the shows 22nd season in 1993, the following fall, Soul Train began using various guest hosts weekly until comedian Mystro Clark began a two-year stint as permanent host in 1997. Clark was replaced by actor Shemar Moore in 2000, in 2003, Moore was succeeded by actor Dorian Gregory, who hosted through 2006. Soul Train pulled into its last stop when production of episodes was suspended at the conclusion of the 2005–06 season
17.
MC Hammer
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Stanley Kirk Burrell, better known by his stage name M. C. Hammer, is an American hip hop recording artist, dancer, record producer, entrepreneur and he had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s, until the late 1990s. Remembered for his rise to fame, Hammer is known for hit records, flashy dance movements, choreography. Hammer is considered a forefather/pioneer and innovator of pop rap, and is the first hip hop artist to achieve diamond status for an album, regardless, BET ranked Hammer as the #7 Best Dancer Of All Time. Vibes The Best Rapper Ever Tournament declared him the 17th favorite of all-time during the first round, Burrell became a preacher during the late 1990s with a Christian ministry program on TBN called M. C. Prior to becoming ordained, Hammer signed with Suge Knights Death Row Records by 1995, throughout his career, Hammer has managed his own recording business. As a result, he has created and produced his own acts including Oaktowns 3.5.7, Special Generation, Analise, DRS, B Angie B, stanley Kirk Burrell was born on March 30,1962 in Oakland, California. His father was a poker player and gambling casino manager. He grew up poor with his mother and eight siblings in an apartment in East Oakland. He recalled that six children were crammed into a housing project apartment. The Burrells would also frequent thoroughbred horse races, eventually becoming owners and winners of several graded stakes, in the Oakland Coliseum parking lot the young Burrell would sell stray baseballs and dance accompanied by a beatboxer. Oakland As team owner Charles O. Finley saw the 11-year-old doing splits and hired him as an assistant and batboy as a result of his energy. Burrell served as a batboy with the team from 1973 to 1980, the colorful Finley, who lived in Chicago, used the child as his eyes and ears. I nicknamed him Hammer, because he looked like Hank Aaron, team players, including Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Pedro Garcia, also dubbed Burrell Little Hammer due to his resemblance to Aaron. Ron Bergman, at the time an Oakland Tribune writer who covered the As, recalled that, He was an informant in the clubhouse, an informant for Charlie, according to Hammer, Charlie said, Im getting you a new hat. I dont want you to have a hat that says As on it, Im getting you a hat that says Ex VP, that says Executive Vice President. Youre running the joint around here, every time I come down to the clubhouse, you know, Rollie would yell out Oh, everybody be quiet. He acquired the nickname M. C. for being a Master of Ceremonies which he used when he began performing at clubs while on the road with the As
18.
Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em
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Please Hammer, Dont Hurt Em is the third album by MC Hammer, released on February 12,1990 by Capitol Records. The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Felton Pilate, the album ranked number one for 21 weeks on the Billboard 200, due primarily to the success of the single U Cant Touch This. The song has been and continues to be used in movies and television shows to date. Likewise, the album saw longevity on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at number one because it peaked there for 28 weeks. Hammer, being friends with Arsenio Hall, was invited to first perform U Cant Touch This prior to its release. He also performed Please Hammer, Dont Hurt Em, a song that didnt make it on this album, but did appear in his movie by the same name. The album singles released all proved to be successful on radio and video television, with U Cant Touch This, Pray, Have You Seen Her, Here Comes the Hammer, the album raised rap music to a new level of popularity. It was the first hip-hop album certified diamond by the RIAA for sales of ten million. It remains one of the genres all-time best-selling albums, to date, the album has sold as many as 22 million units. Notorious for dissing rappers in his previous recordings, Hammer appropriately titled his third album Please Hammer, Dont Hurt Em and it included the successful single U Cant Touch This. It was produced, recorded, and mixed by Felton Pilate, despite heavy airplay and a #27 chart debut, U Cant Touch This stopped at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart because it was released only as a twelve-inch single. However, the album was a #1 success for 21 weeks, due primarily to this single, the song has been and continues to be used in many movies and television shows to date, and appears on soundtrack and compilation albums as well. Follow-up successes included Have You Seen Her and Pray, which was his biggest hit in the US, Pray was also a major UK success, peaking at #8. The album was notable for sampling other artists and gave some of these artists a new fanbase. Dancin Machine sampled The Jackson 5, Help the Children interpolates Marvin Gayes Mercy Mercy Me, all of these songs proved to be successful on radio and video television, with U Cant Touch This, Pray, Have You Seen Her, Here Comes the Hammer, and Yo. During 1990, Hammer toured extensively in Europe which included a concert at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. With the sponsorship of PepsiCo International, Pepsi-Cola CEO Christopher A. Sinclair went on tour with him during 1991, by June 1991, the album sold 14.5 million copies worldwide. It would go on to become the first hip-hop album to earn diamond status, the album increased the popularity of hip-hop music
19.
Vanilla Ice
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Robert Matthew Van Winkle, known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Ices 1990 single Ice Ice Baby was the first hip hop single to top the Billboard charts, after surviving a suicide attempt, Ice was inspired to change his musical style and lifestyle. While his later, less mainstream albums failed to chart or receive radio airplay. In 2009, Ice began hosting The Vanilla Ice Project on DIY Network and his latest album WTF – Wisdom, Tenacity & Focus was released in August 2011. Ice is currently signed to Psychopathic Records, robert Matthew Van Winkle was born in Dallas, Texas, on October 31,1967. Van Winkle has never known his father, he was given the family name of the Dutch man his mother was married to at the time of his birth. When Van Winkle was four, his mother divorced, afterward, he grew up moving between Dallas and Miami, where his new stepfather worked at a car dealership. Hip hop affected Van Winkle at an age, saying Its a very big passion of mine because I love poetry. I was just heavily influenced by that movement and its molded me into who I am today. Between the ages of 13 and 14, Van Winkle practiced breakdancing, although he disliked the nickname, it stuck. Shortly afterward, Van Winkle started battle rapping at parties and because of his rhymes, however, when he became a member of a breakdance troupe, Van Winkles stage name was Vanilla Ice combining his nickname Vanilla with one of his breakdance moves, The Ice. When Ices stepfather was offered a job in Carrollton, Texas. He attended R. L. Turner High School for a time before dropping out. When Ice was not learning to ride motorbikes, he was dancing as a performer with his breakdancing group. Ice wrote Ice Ice Baby at the age of 16, basing its lyrics on a weekend he had with friend, the lyrics describe Ice and Shay on a drug run that ends in a drive-by shooting while praising Ices rhyming skills. In 1985, he was focusing all of his energy on motocross, Ice used his beatboxing and breakdancing skills as a street performer with his friends at local malls during this time. One evening he visited City Lights, a South Dallas nightclub and he won the crowd over and was asked by City Lights manager John Bush if he wanted to perform regularly, which he accepted. Ice would be joined on stage with his disc jockey D-Shay and Zero as well as Earthquake, the Vanilla Ice Posse or The V. I. P. would also perform with Ice on stage
20.
To the Extreme
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To the Extreme is the major label debut studio album of American rapper Vanilla Ice. The album was released in 1989 by independent record label Ichiban Records under the title Hooked. Vanilla Ice signed to SBK Records, who reissued the album under its current title, the album contains Vanilla Ices most successful singles, Ice Ice Baby and Play That Funky Music. Although reviews of the album were mixed, To the Extreme spent 16 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, in 1989 Vanilla Ice released an early version of To the Extreme under the title Hooked on Ichiban Records. Play That Funky Music was released as the albums first single, the 12-inch single featured the radio, instrumental and a cappella versions of Play That Funky Music and the radio version and Miami Drop remix of Ice Ice Baby. When a disc jockey played Ice Ice Baby instead of the singles A-side, a music video for Ice Ice Baby was produced for $8000. The video was financed by Vanilla Ices manager, Tommy Quon, in 1990, Vanilla Ice signed to SBK Records, who reissued Hooked under the title To the Extreme. The reissue contained new artwork and music, Ice Ice Baby was given its own single, released in 1990 by SBK Records in the United States, and EMI Records in the United Kingdom. The SBK single contained the Miami Drop, instrumental and radio mixes of Ice Ice Baby, the EMI single contained the club and radio mixes of the song, and the shortened radio edit. Vanilla Ice wrote Ice Ice Baby at the age of 16, the lyrics describe a drive-by shooting and Vanilla Ices rhyming skills. The chorus of Ice Ice Baby originates from the chant of the national African American fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha. The songs hook samples the bassline of the 1981 song Under Pressure by Queen, freddie Mercury and David Bowie did not receive credit or royalties for the sample. In a 1990 interview, Vanilla Ice said the two melodies were slightly different because he had added an additional note. In later interviews, Vanilla Ice readily admitted he sampled the song and claimed his 1990 statement was a joke, others, however, Vanilla Ice later paid Mercury and Bowie, who have since been given songwriting credit for the sample. The stylistic origins of Rosta Man are based upon reggae toasting, to the Extreme became the fastest selling hip hop album of all time, peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200. The album spent 16 weeks at the top of the charts, to the Extreme was the best selling hip hop album up until that time. Ice Ice Baby has been credited for helping diversify hip hop by introducing it to a mainstream, udovitch cited Ice Ice Baby, Play That Funky Music, Dancin and Its a Party as the albums highlights. Robert Christgau gave the album a C- rating, writing that Vanilla Ices suave sexism, allMusic reviewer Steve Huey wrote that Ices mic technique is actually stronger and more nimble than MC Hammers, and he really tries earnestly to show off the skills he does have
21.
Too Short
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Todd Anthony Shaw, better known by the stage name Too Short, is an American rapper, producer, and actor. He is best known for his hit songs like The Ghetto, Too Short is one of the very few musicians to have been able to collaborate with both 2Pac and The Notorious B. I. G. during the height of their careers. Too Short is credited as being one of the rappers of West Coast hip hop. His rap lyrics are primarily about pimping, drug use, Shaw was born and grew up in South Central Los Angeles, California. In the early 1980s, Shaw and his moved to Oakland. He was a drummer in the band at Fremont High School in Oakland, in the mid 1980s, Shaw produced custom songs for people with his high school friend, Freddy B. In 1985, Too Short had his first release, Dont Stop Rappin which, along with the following three releases, featured raw, simple drum beats from a LinnDrum drum machine. This was also one of the first hip hop records to use the word bitch - a word which one of the rappers trademarks and was the focus of subsequent raps such as Aint nothing. In the early 1990s his beats came from mostly a TR-808 and from mid-to-late 2000s, in 1985, Too Short and Freddie B. formed the label Dangerous Music to regionally distribute his music and with others formed rap group The Dangerous Crew. Dangerous Music became Short Records, and then Up All Nite Records, with his 1989 release, Life Is. Too Short, he began using replayed established funk riffs with his beats. Subsequent work was collaborative, including work with Tupac Shakur. One of his notable collaborations during this period was on the track The World Is Filled. on the classic Notorious B. I. G, album Life After Death, he comes in on the third verse after Diddy and Biggie. Being featured on the album introduced him to an audience as well. He also appeared on TWDYs hit single Players Holiday from their 1999 debut album Derty Werk as well as the Priority Records compilation Nuthin, after these appearances, he began working on his eighth album, Cant Stay Away. The album included guest appearances by 8Ball & MJG, Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Sean Combs, E-40, Daz Dillinger, Lil Jon, Soopafly, Scarface and B-Legit. Too Short relocated to Atlanta in 1994, but he did not begin working with a diverse variety of Southern artists until 2000. However, he didnt totally give up on his trademark funk grooves or sexually explicit style, new albums released 2000-2003 were You Nasty, Chase the Cat, Whats My Favorite Word. and Married to the Game. These albums all charted well, as they all were in the top 71 of the Billboard 200
22.
Bun B
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Bernard Freeman, known by his stage name Bun B, is an American rapper and was one half of the southern rap duo UGK. He is also a guest lecturer at Rice University, located in Houston, Texas. He released his official solo album, Trill OG, on August 3,2010. In the late 1980s, Pimp C started the rap duo UGK and he first released a demo tape titled Underground King which didnt feature Bun B on the track. Instead, it featured Pimp Cs friend Mitchell Queen, Bun B and friend Jalon Jackson had their own group called P. A. Both groups joined forces and formed the group 4 Black Ministers, Queen and Jackson later left the group leaving Pimp C and Bun B so they decided to revert to UGK. The demo Pimp C recorded with Mitchell Queen, Underground King and they then released an extended play titled The Southern Way. The release of this record caught the attention of Jive Records, the song Pocket Full of Stones became the first UGK song to get major airplay throughout the United States. Their third album, Ridin Dirty, peaked at number 2 on the R&B Charts in 1996, after releasing their fourth studio album, Dirty Money, Pimp C got sentenced to jail. Singles featuring a Bun B guest appearance included They Dont Know by Paul Wall, Gimme That by Webbie, Bun B also appeared in a documentary titled Screwed In Houston produced by VBS/Vice that details the history of the Houston rap scene. In October 2005, Bun Bs debut solo album Trill was released, singles included Draped Up, Git It, and Get Throwed. The album peaked at the number 6 spot on the American Billboard 200 chart, after Pimp C died in 2007, Bun B returned to a solo career. In 2008, he released his album, II Trill. The first single was Thats Gangsta featuring Jamaican American artist Sean Kingston and it debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 98,000 copies. Other singles were Damn Im Cold featuring Lil Wayne and Youre Everything featuring Rick Ross, David Banner, DJ Corbett and 8Ball & MJG, Bun Bs third album is Trill OG. In an interview with MTV Live, Bun B stated that 2Pac was set to feature on the album, the album was released under Universal Music Group on August 3,2010. On October 28,2011, a song titled The Life, on March 3,2012, Bun B leaked a song featuring Royce da 59 and Redman titled Stop Playin after he reached 400,000 followers on Twitter. He has not announced the appearance on his upcoming album His fourth studio album was rumored to be titled, Trill 4 Life
23.
Q-Tip (musician)
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Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American rapper, singer, actor, record producer and DJ. He embarked on his career as part of the critically acclaimed East Coast hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. In 2012, The Source ranked him #20 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time, born Jonathan William Davis on April 10,1970 in Harlem, he converted to Islam in the mid-1990s, and changed his name to Kamaal Ibn John Fareed. He moved to St. Albans, Queens as a child, as referenced in the song Check the Rhime, he mostly resided around Linden Boulevard. His father was from Montserrat, a British territory in the eastern Caribbean and his sister, Gwen, is eight years his elder. He attended Murry Bergtraum High School in Manhattan, New York, according to Fareed, he was given his stage name by Afrika Baby Bam of Jungle Brothers, which he used as a replacement for his prior name, MC Love Child. He has also said that the Q in Q-Tip stands for Queens, in 1999 a Southern rapper known as TIP signed to Arista Records, but shortened his name to T. I. to avoid confusion with his then-labelmate Q-Tip. Throughout his career, he called himself The Abstract. He said that one of the people in his life that inspired him was his childhood friend. Q-Tip lives in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey and he is the cousin of Consequence, who was featured heavily on Beats, Rhymes and Life. According to a DNA analysis, he descended, mainly, from the Jola people of Guinea-Bissau, in 1985, Q-Tip, together with high school friends Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi White, founded the critically acclaimed hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. The band signed to Jive Records and released five albums during its initial run. A Tribe Called Quest reunited in 2006 and played a number of dates. All members of the original lineup returned for the 2006 group, including Q-Tip, in 2016, shortly before the death of Phife Dawg, A Tribe Called Quest recorded their sixth album, releasing it in November of the same year. After the breakup of Tribe in 1998, Q-Tip pursued a solo career, pitchfork noted on the change in tenor, remarking, Abstract the storyteller and social critic been replaced by a scarcely recognizable, sex-obsessed MC. The release of his 2002 follow-up, Kamaal/The Abstract, was delayed despite critical acclaim and it eventually leaked onto the Internet, and the distribution of promotional copies led several publications to run reviews of the album. The album was released on September 15,2009, on Battery Records after being shelved for seven years. Following his work on Kamaal/The Abstract, Q-Tip featured on R. E. M. s 2004 album Around the Sun, early in 2007, Q-Tip signed a new solo deal with Universal Motown Records
24.
The Renaissance (Q-Tip album)
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The Renaissance is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Q-Tip, released November 3,2008, on Universal Motown Records. The Renaissance was produced primarily by Q-Tip and features guest contributions by DAngelo, Norah Jones, Amanda Diva, the album debuted at number 11 on the U. S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 34,219 copies in its first week. It produced three singles and has sold 131,200 copies in the United States, upon its release, The Renaissance received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised Q-Tips lyricism and production aesthetic, and earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album. The album is Q-Tips second released studio effort, following his solo debut Amplified, Q-Tip put together a band for recording The Renaissance. Production for The Renaissance was primarily handled by Q-Tip, with the exception of the J Dilla-produced Move, the album also features contributions from such artists as Norah Jones, DAngelo, Raphael Saadiq and Amanda Diva. The album cover art features Q-Tip in a silver suit holding an MPC2000XL in front of his face, music videos have been made for Gettin Up, Move, Renaissance Rap, Life Is Better and Manwomanboogie. The Renaissance debuted at number 11 on the U. S. Billboard 200 chart with sales of 34,219 copies. It has sold 131,200 copies in the United States, the Renaissance received universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics. Chicago Tribune writer Greg Kot praised Q-Tips rapping and production, commenting that Comebacks don’t come more effortlessly than this, each song has distinctive characteristics, and brilliant sequencing allows for seamless transitions between tracks. About. coms Shannon Barbour gave it out of five stars. Chicago Sun-Times writer Jim DeRogatis gave the album out of four stars and commented that guest appearances by Raphael Saadiq, Norah Jones. He also touches society and music industry politics with an intelligence often lacking in todays music, barry Walters of Spin noted his eloquent flow over liquid arrangements shimmering with rhythmic finesse and commented that the album blurs distinctions between accessibility and avant-gardism. The Guardians Angus Batey wrote that the album cloak its eclecticism with a homogenising sheen frequent changes of mood and direction dazzle. In his Consumer Guide, Robert Christgau gave the album an honorable mention while picking out its two songs, and quipped, If jazz lite it must be, by all means. Entertainment Weekly ranked The Renaissance number five on its list of the years best albums, the Renaissance received a Grammy Award nomination for a Best Rap Album in 2009. The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. All tracks produced by Q-Tip, except tracks 8 and 14 produced by J Dilla, sample credits Credits adapted from liner notes
25.
The Dirtiest Thirstiest
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The Dirtiest Thirstiest is the first and only album of rapper Yung Wun. It took almost eight years to be released, the album reached #50 in Billboards chart of R&B Albums and #11 in its list of Top Heatseekers. The album included the rappers biggest single to date, Tear It Up, the song features prominent rappers DMX, Lil’ Flip and David Banner and involves a dramatic, marching-band beat
26.
Drumline (film)
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Drumline is a 2002 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Charles Stone III. The story is about a drummer from New York, played by Nick Cannon. Leonard Roberts, Zoe Saldana, and Orlando Jones co-star, the film received generally positive reviews, with most critics praising the energy of the film, as well as the musical talents of the bands. It was a modest box office success, earning over $56 million in the U. S. a television sequel, Drumline, A New Beat premiered on VH1 on October 27,2014. The film centers on Devon Miles, a teen who has just graduated from a school in New York City. Upon graduating, Devon heads to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the fictitious Atlanta A&T University, Devon was personally invited to attend on full scholarship by Dr. James Lee, head of the band, for his prodigious talents. The band has a preseason that is similar to an athletic teams induction in that it is physically and mentally difficult. It challenges all recruits to push themselves past what they thought were their limits. At the end of preseason, the audition for spots on the field, and Devon is the only freshman to make P1. While going through his rigorous process, Devon also finds time to romance an upperclassman dancer, College life starts well for Devon, as he has the girl and a spot on the field. Things begin to turn sour when Sean, Devons percussion leader, Sean later challenges Devon to take a solo in his first game, believing the freshman will panic and be embarrassed in front of everyone. He is shocked when Devon takes the solo and is subsequently humiliated and this sets up some tension in the drumline which is exacerbated when Dr. Lee is told by President Wagner, the schools president, to change his focus from music to entertainment or lose his funding. Lee does not want to give Devon more playing time because he feels Devons attitude, the situation further deteriorates when it is revealed that Devon cannot read music. Devon is demoted to P4 by Dr. Lee until he learns, Devon is finally kicked out of the band by Dr. Lee. The fight also harms his relationship with Laila as she is embarrassed to introduce him to her parents, acting as if he is not bothered by Dr. Lee exiling him, Devon contacts A&Ts rival school Morris Brown College, to discuss playing for their marching band next season. Mr. Wade, Browns band leader, says that Devon does not need to know how to read music and will likely get a full scholarship and a good position on the drumline. When Wade wants to know what Dr. Lee is planning for the BET Big Southern Classic, Devon realizes that his heart and he rejects the scholarship offer from the rival band and returns to A&T. Though Devon is still not playing for the band, he give up his drumming
27.
Suburban Legends
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Suburban Legends are an American ska punk band that formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1998 and later based themselves in nearby Santa Ana. Since 2009, the band has returned to its ska roots, as well as notably including cover versions of songs from Disney films. In 1999 the band changed their name to Suburban Legends, guitarist Brent Feige left the band shortly before the release of the first demo album, Origin Edition, for which they recruited guitarist Brian Klemm. The album was self-pressed and even though Brian Klemm was already in the band, in late 1999, vocalist Tim Maurer and drummer Jimmy Sullivan left the band, the latter to form the band Pinkly Smooth. The former was replaced by Chris Batstone, the latter by Derek Lee Rock, a few months later, bassist Justin Meacham left the band as well and was soon replaced by former lead vocalist Tim Maurers brother, Chris Maurer. Sullivan and Meacham would later perform together as members of metal band Avenged Sevenfold, under the respective pseudonyms The Rev, in 2001, the band released their first, self-titled, EP, Suburban Legends, on We The People Records, featuring some re-recorded songs from Origin Edition. This was the only release with Chris Batstone on vocals. In early 2002 previous vocalist Tim Maurer rejoined the band on vocals, and the band re-recorded the vocals for their EP, during the year, the band played close to 1000 shows at Downtown Disney. They also performed on occasions for the X Games Xperience promotion at Disney California Adventure Park in 2003. In 2003, the recorded and released their first actual album, Rump Shaker. The band released their first live DVD in 2004 titled Season One, at the end of the year trumpet player Vince Walker and bassist Chris Maurer left the band, the former to go to college and the latter to get married. While Maurer was replaced by Mikey Hachey, Walker wasnt replaced, in May 2005, trumpet player Aaron Bertram left the band to get married as well, and was replaced by Luis Beza. In late 2005, former trumpet player Vince Walker rejoined the band for the 2005 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, the band went on a pause until further notice. At 12,25 AM on October 19,2005, trombone player Dallas Cook was killed in a motorcycle accident on the Costa Mesa Freeway. In 2006 the band recruited trombonist Phillip Inzerillo to replace Dallas Cook and they released their first EP with Vince Walker on vocals, Dance Like Nobodys Watching, which showed the bands shift in style towards disco rock. The band promoted the EP by appearing on G4s Attack of the Show, on July 19,2006, while they were on tour and in St. Louis, Missouri, Phillip Inzerillo woke up to notice the bands tour van was on fire. The fire destroyed the front drivers side of the van, the bands tour money had also been missing from the van. It is suspected that the fire and robbery was caused by an arsonist, at the end of the year, trombonist Phillip Inzerillo left the band without official announcement, and wasnt replaced
28.
Japan
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Japan is a sovereign island nation in Eastern Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asia Mainland and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea, the kanji that make up Japans name mean sun origin. 日 can be read as ni and means sun while 本 can be read as hon, or pon, Japan is often referred to by the famous epithet Land of the Rising Sun in reference to its Japanese name. Japan is an archipelago consisting of about 6,852 islands. The four largest are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, the country is divided into 47 prefectures in eight regions. Hokkaido being the northernmost prefecture and Okinawa being the southernmost one, the population of 127 million is the worlds tenth largest. Japanese people make up 98. 5% of Japans total population, approximately 9.1 million people live in the city of Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Archaeological research indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period, the first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other regions, mainly China, followed by periods of isolation, from the 12th century until 1868, Japan was ruled by successive feudal military shoguns who ruled in the name of the Emperor. Japan entered into a period of isolation in the early 17th century. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan is a member of the UN, the OECD, the G7, the G8, the country has the worlds third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the worlds fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It is also the worlds fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer, although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the worlds eighth-largest military budget, used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. Japan is a country with a very high standard of living. Its population enjoys the highest life expectancy and the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world, in ancient China, Japan was called Wo 倭. It was mentioned in the third century Chinese historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms in the section for the Wei kingdom, Wa became disliked because it has the connotation of the character 矮, meaning dwarf. The 倭 kanji has been replaced with the homophone Wa, meaning harmony, the Japanese word for Japan is 日本, which is pronounced Nippon or Nihon and literally means the origin of the sun. The earliest record of the name Nihon appears in the Chinese historical records of the Tang dynasty, at the start of the seventh century, a delegation from Japan introduced their country as Nihon
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Dance Like Nobody's Watching
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Dance Like Nobodys Watching is a six-track EP released by American ska/pop band Suburban Legends, released on May 12,2006. The sudden genre change alienated some of the bands fanbase and this genre change was largely abandoned in favor of the bands original ska-influenced style with the release of Going on Tour in 2010 and Day Job in 2012. The EPs first five tracks are all-new, funk/disco-influenced pop rock, with a soft, melancholy piano rock version of Bright Spring Morning, a track from the groups 2003 album, Rump Shaker. This version of the song was first performed at the bands October 28,2005, performance at iMusicast in Oakland, the band performed Come Back Home on G4s Attack of the Show. On April 28,2006, in promotion of the EP, the album is Japan exclusive but trombone player and webmaster Brian Robertson has hinted the album may be available on iTunes for download in the future. A cover of Katteni-Shindobatto by Southern All Stars was recorded for the album and it was sung entirely in Japanese by Vince Walker
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The Walt Disney Company
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The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney, is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate, headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. It is the second largest media conglomerate in terms of revenue. Disney was founded on October 16,1923 – by brothers Walt Disney, the company also operated under the names The Walt Disney Studio and then Walt Disney Productions. Taking on its current name in 1986, it expanded its operations and also started divisions focused upon theater, radio, music, publishing. In addition, Disney has since created corporate divisions in order to more mature content than is typically associated with its flagship family-oriented brands. The company is best known for the products of its studio, Walt Disney Studios. Disneys other three divisions are Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney Media Networks, and Disney Consumer Products. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6,1991, Mickey Mouse, an early and well-known cartoon creation of the company, is a primary symbol and mascot for Disney. In early 1923, Kansas City, Missouri, animator Walt Disney created a film entitled Alices Wonderland. After the bankruptcy in 1923 of his previous firm, Laugh-O-Gram Studios, Disney moved to Hollywood to join his brother, Walt and Roy Disney formed Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio that same year. More animated films followed after Alice, in January 1926, with the completion of the Disney studio on Hyperion Street, the Disney Brothers Studios name was changed to the Walt Disney Studio. The distributor owned Oswald, so Disney only made a few hundred dollars, Disney completed 26 Oswald shorts before losing the contract in February 1928, due to a legal loophole, when Winklers husband Charles Mintz took over their distribution company. After failing to take over the Disney Studio, Mintz hired away four of Disneys primary animators to start his own animation studio, Snappy Comedies. In 1928, to recover from the loss of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Disney came up with the idea of a character named Mortimer while on a train headed to California. The mouse was later renamed Mickey Mouse and starred in several Disney produced films, ub Iwerks refined Disneys initial design of Mickey Mouse. Disneys first sound film Steamboat Willie, a cartoon starring Mickey, was released on November 18,1928 through Pat Powers distribution company and it was the first Mickey Mouse sound cartoon released, but the third to be created, behind Plane Crazy and The Gallopin Gaucho. Disney used Pat Powers Cinephone system, created by Powers using Lee De Forests Phonofilm system, Steamboat Willie premiered at B. S. Mosss Colony Theater in New York City, now The Broadway Theatre. Disneys Plane Crazy and The Galloping Gaucho were then retrofitted with synchronized sound tracks, Disney continued to produce cartoons with Mickey Mouse and other characters, and began the Silly Symphonies series with Columbia Pictures signing on as Symphonies distributor in August 1929
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Fantasia (1940 film)
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Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. With story direction by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer, and production supervision by Ben Sharpsteen, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Music critic and composer Deems Taylor acts as the films Master of Ceremonies, as production costs grew higher than what it could earn, Disney decided to include the short in a feature-length film with other segments set to classical pieces. Fantasia was first released in theatrical roadshow engagements held in thirteen U. S. cities from November 13,1940, the film was subsequently reissued multiple times with its original footage and audio being deleted, modified, or restored in each version. As of 2012, Fantasia has grossed $76.4 million in revenue and is the 22nd highest-grossing film of all time in the U. S. when adjusted for inflation. Fantasia, as a franchise, has grown to include games, Disneyland attractions, a live concert. Fantasia opens with live action scenes of members of an orchestra gathering against a background and tuning their instruments in half-light. Master of ceremonies Deems Taylor enters the stage and introduces the program, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach. Live-action shots of the orchestra illuminated in blue and gold, backed by superimposed shadows, animated lines, shapes and cloud formations reflect the sound and rhythms of the music. Nutcracker Suite by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, selections from the ballet suite underscore scenes depicting the changing of the seasons from summer to autumn to winter. The Sorcerers Apprentice by Paul Dukas, based on Goethes 1797 poem Der Zauberlehrling. Mickey Mouse, the apprentice of the sorcerer Yen Sid, attempts some of his masters magic tricks. Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky, a visual history of the Earths beginnings is depicted to selected sections of the ballet score. The sequence progresses from the formation to the first living creatures, followed by the reign. Intermission/Meet the Soundtrack, The orchestra musicians depart and the Fantasia title card is revealed, after the intermission there is a brief jam session of jazz music led by a clarinettist as the orchestra members return. Then a humorously stylized demonstration of how sound is rendered on film is shown, an animated sound track character, initially a straight white line, changes into different shapes and colors based on the sounds played. The Pastoral Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, a mythical Greco-Roman world of colorful centaurs and centaurettes, cupids, fauns and other figures from classical mythology is portrayed to Beethovens music. A gathering for a festival to honor Bacchus, the god of wine, is interrupted by Zeus, Dance of the Hours by Amilcare Ponchielli
