1.
Kendrick Lamar
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Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is an American hip hop recording artist and songwriter. He began to gain recognition in 2010, after his first retail release, the following year, Lamar independently released his first studio album, Section.80, which included his debut single, HiiiPoWeR. By that time, he had amassed a large Internet following and collaborated with artists in the hip hop industry, including The Game, Snoop Dogg. Lamar secured a record deal with Aftermath and Interscope Records. His major-label debut, good kid, m. A. A. d city, was released in October 2012 to critical success and it debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The record contained the top 40 singles Swimming Pools, Bitch, Dont Kill My Vibe, Lamar won his first Grammy Award for i, lead single from his critical acclaimed third album To Pimp a Butterfly. The album drew on jazz, funk, soul, and spoken word, debuted atop the charts in the US and the UK. In 2016, Lamar released untitled unmastered, a collection of unreleased demos that originated during the recording sessions for Butterfly. Lamar has received a number of accolades over the course of his career, in early 2013, MTV named Lamar the number one Hottest MC in the Game, on their annual list. Time named Lamar one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016, Kendrick Lamar was born in Compton, California, the son of a couple from Chicago, Illinois. His first name was given to him by his mother in honor of American singer-songwriter Eddie Kendricks and he grew up on welfare and section 8 housing. As a child, Lamar attended McNair Elementary in the Compton Unified School District, as a teenager, Lamar went on to attend Centennial High School in Compton, where he was a straight-A student. In 2004, at the age of 16, Lamar released his first full-length project, the mixtape was released under Konkrete Jungle Muzik and garnered local recognition for Lamar. The mixtape led to Lamar securing a contract with Top Dawg Entertainment. He began recording material with the label and subsequently released a 26 track mixtape two years later, titled Training Day. Throughout 2006 and 2007, Lamar would appear alongside other up-and-coming West Coast rappers, such as Jay Rock and Ya Boy, under the moniker K-Dot, Lamar was also featured on The Games songs The Cypha and Cali Niggaz. Lamar garnered further recognition after a video of a performance of a Charles Hamilton show surfaced. Lamar did not hesitate and began rapping a verse over the instrumental to Miilkbones Keep It Real, after receiving a co-sign from Lil Wayne, Lamar released his third mixtape in 2009, titled C4, which was heavily themed around Waynes Tha Carter III LP
2.
Tottenham
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Tottenham is an area in the London Borough of Haringey, in north London, England. It is situated 8.2 miles north-north-east of Charing Cross, Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book, hence Totas hamlet became Tottenham. It was recorded in the Domesday Book as Toteham, there has been a settlement at Tottenham for over a thousand years. It grew up along the old Roman road, Ermine Street, when the Domesday Book was compiled in 1086, about 70 families lived within the area of the manor, mostly labourers working for the Lord of the Manor. A humorous poem entitled the Tournament of Tottenham, written around 1400, in 1894, Tottenham was made an urban district and on 27 September 1934 it became a municipal borough. As from 1 April 1965, the borough formed part of the London Borough of Haringey. The River Lea was the boundary between the Municipal Boroughs of Tottenham and Walthamstow. It is the ancient boundary between Middlesex and Essex and also formed the boundary of the Viking controlled Danelaw. Today it is the boundary between the London Boroughs of Haringey and Waltham Forest, a major tributary of the Lea, the River Moselle, also crosses the borough from west to east, and often caused serious flooding until it was mostly covered in the 19th century. From the Tudor period onwards, Tottenham became a popular recreation, Henry VIII is known to have visited Bruce Castle and also hunted in Tottenham Wood. A rural Tottenham also featured in Izaak Waltons book The Compleat Angler, the area became noted for its large Quaker population and its schools Tottenham remained a semi-rural and upper middle class area until the 1870s. In late 1870, the Great Eastern Railway introduced special workmans trains and fares on its newly opened Enfield, Tottenhams low-lying fields and market gardens were then rapidly transformed into cheap housing for the lower middle and working classes, who were able to commute cheaply to inner London. The workmans fare policy stimulated the early development of the area into a London suburb. An incident occurred on 23 January 1909, which was at the known as the Tottenham Outrage. Two armed robbers of Russian extraction held up the wages clerk of a works in Chesnut Road. They made their getaway via Tottenham Marshes and fled across the Lea, on the opposite bank of the river they hijacked a Walthamstow Corporation tramcar, hotly pursued by the police on another tram. The hijacked tram was stopped but the robbers continued their flight on foot, after firing their weapons and killing two people, Ralph Joscelyne, aged 10, and PC William Tyler, they were eventually cornered by the police and shot themselves rather than be captured. Fourteen other people were wounded during the chase, the incident later became the subject of a silent film
3.
North London
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North London is the northern part of London, England. It is a description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with south London, however, it is also often used in comparisons with central London, east London and west London. The River Thames divides Greater London into two parts, the northern part includes most of the historic central areas including the City, the East End and the West End, and the majority of the London Underground network. This definition is used by the Boundary Commission for England, the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames includes sections on both sides of the River Thames. The boundary commission class the entire district as part of South London, for the purposes of the London Plan, there has been a north London subregion in operation since 2004, originally consisting of Barnet, Enfield, Haringey and Waltham Forest. In 2001 this area had a population of 1,042,000 and this definition is used by organisations such as Connexions. In 2008 it was amended to consists of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, in 2011 it was amended again to consist Barnet, Enfield and Haringey. This list includes all boroughs included in the Boundary Commission area, north London has, like other parts of London and the UK in general, a temperate maritime climate according to the Köppen climate classification system. Four Met Office weather stations collect climate data for London north of the river, Hampstead, Heathrow, Northolt. Long term climate observations dating back to 1910 are available for Hampstead and this both hilltop and urban position means severe frosts are rare. Occasionally snow can be seen to lie towards the Chilterns while central London is snow-free, typically the warmest day of the year at Hampstead will average 29.3 °C with around 14 days in total achieving a value of 25.1 °C or higher. The average coldest night should fall to −5.6 °C, on average 35.8 nights will report an air frost, some 119 days of the year will register at least 1mm of precipitation, and on 7.4 days a cover of snow will be observed. All annual averages refer to the observation period 1971–2000, north London v South London - The debate. North London v South London - The debate
4.
England
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England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, the Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east, the country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain in its centre and south, and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight. England became a state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the worlds first industrialised nation, Englands terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there are uplands in the north and in the southwest, the capital is London, which is the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the name England is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means land of the Angles. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages, the Angles came from the Angeln peninsula in the Bay of Kiel area of the Baltic Sea. The earliest recorded use of the term, as Engla londe, is in the ninth century translation into Old English of Bedes Ecclesiastical History of the English People. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its spelling was first used in 1538. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus, Germania, the etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars, it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. An alternative name for England is Albion, the name Albion originally referred to the entire island of Great Britain. The nominally earliest record of the name appears in the Aristotelian Corpus, specifically the 4th century BC De Mundo, in it are two very large islands called Britannia, these are Albion and Ierne. But modern scholarly consensus ascribes De Mundo not to Aristotle but to Pseudo-Aristotle, the word Albion or insula Albionum has two possible origins. Albion is now applied to England in a poetic capacity. Another romantic name for England is Loegria, related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr, the earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor, dating to approximately 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago, Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during the Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years
5.
British soul
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British soul, Brit soul, or the British soul invasion, is soul music performed by British artists. In the 1970s, soul gained more popularity in the UK during the disco era. British soul artists began gaining popularity in the United States in the late 2000s, leading to talk of another British Invasion, widespread British interest in soul music developed after the advent of rock and roll from the mid-1950s and the subsequent interest in American music. Most of these were popular with members of the Mod subculture, out of which grew the northern soul movement, britain produced a handful of soul acts in the 1960s, most significantly the blue-eyed soul singers Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield. Dusty in Memphis is one of the few albums by a British performer considered among the great soul recordings, in 1964 Springfield became the first non Beatles act of the British Invasion to chart well in the US. A string of US and British hits followed, in 1965 Springfield hosted a television show The Sound of Motown which has been widely credited with introducing what was called The Sound of Young America to British audiences. A handful of British artists continued to perform soul-inspired music in the 1970s and these included David Bowie, whose Plastic soul on his Young Americans album, helped keep the sound in the British mainstream. Kung Fu Fighting in particular sold eleven million records worldwide, other British soul acts working with Biddu at the time included The Outriders and Jimmy James. Maxine Nightingale had a smash in late 1975 and early 1976 with Right Back Where We Started From. In the 1980s, the situation began to change radically, with a wave of nostalgia for 1960s soul music, britains post-disco sound contributed some new black artists to the emerging Contemporary R&B sound, originating in the U. S. For the first time since the 1960s, there were also notable acts who specialised in soul and these included George Michael, who reinvented himself a white soul singer with the multi-platinum album Faith. Also significant were Sade, Simply Red, Loose Ends, and toward the end of the decade, Lisa Stansfield, and Soul II Soul. The latters breakthrough hits Keep on Movin and Back to Life in 1989 have been seen as opening the door to the mainstream for black British soul, in the 1990s, the British soul-influenced acts included Omar and acid jazz bands Incognito and Brand New Heavies. Particularly noticeable was the proliferation of British female black singers, many, like American artists of the 1950s and 1960s and these included Mica Paris, Caron Wheeler, Gabrielle, Desree, Beverley Knight and Heather Small. Other British artists who gained success during the 1990s include Eternal, Damage, MN8, Mark Morrison, Shola Ama, Honeyz and Another Level. In the early 2000s, a number of British Asian Underground artists began creating music that combines contemporary R&B with Indian music, particularly Punjabi bhangra. British soul in the 2000s has been dominated by singers, most notably Amy Winehouse, Estelle, Joss Stone, Duffy, Paloma Faith, Florence Welch, Adele. They have enjoyed success on the American charts, leading to talk of another British Invasion, in 2008, Amy Winehouse won 5 Grammy Awards, then more than any British female artist had won in one night
6.
Contemporary R&B
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Contemporary R&B, also known as simply R&B, is a music genre that combines elements of rhythm and blues, soul, funk, pop, hip hop and dance. The genre features a record production style, drum machine-backed rhythms, an occasional saxophone-laced beat to give a jazz feel. Electronic influences are becoming a trend and the use of hip hop or dance-inspired beats are typical, although the roughness. Contemporary R&B vocalists are often known for their use of melisma, popularized by such as Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, Craig David, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston. That same year, Teddy Riley began producing R&B recordings that included hip hop influences and this combination of R&B style and hip hop rhythms was termed new jack swing and was applied to artists such as Bobby Brown, Keith Sweat, Al B. Guy, Jodeci and Bell Biv DeVoe, the style became less popular by the end of the 1990s, but later experienced a resurgence. In 1990 Mariah Carey released Vision of Love as her debut single and it was immensely popular peaking at number 1 in many worldwide charts including the Billboard Hot 100, and it propelled Mariahs carrier. The song is said to have popularized the use of melisma. During the mid-1990s, Whitney Houstons The Bodyguard, Original Soundtrack Album sold over 40 million copies becoming the best-selling soundtrack of all time. Janet Jacksons self-titled fifth studio album janet. which came after her historic multimillion-dollar contract with Virgin Records, sold over twenty million copies worldwide. Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey recorded several Billboard Hot 100 No.1 hits, including One Sweet Day, Carey also released a remix of her 1995 single Fantasy, with Ol Dirty Bastard as a feature, a collaboration format that was unheard of at this point. Carey, Boyz II Men and TLC released albums in 1994 and 1995—Daydream, II and CrazySexyCool. In the late 1990s, neo soul, which added 1970s soul influences to the hip hop soul blend, arose, led by such as DAngelo, Erykah Badu. Hill and Missy Elliott further blurred the line between R&B and hip hop by recording both styles, beginning in 1995, the Grammy Awards enacted the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, with II by Boyz II Men becoming the first recipient. The award was received by TLC for CrazySexyCool in 1996, Tony Rich for Words in 1997, Erykah Badu for Baduizm in 1998. At the end of 1999, Billboard magazine ranked Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson as the first, simultaneously, in the second half of the 1990s, The Neptunes and Timbaland set influential precedence on contemporary R&B and hip hop music. R&B acts such as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Usher, in 2001, Alicia Keys released Fallin as her debut single. It peaking at one on the Billboard Hot 100, Mainstream Top 40
7.
Neo soul
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Neo soul is a genre of popular music. The term was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music emerged from soul. It has been noted by writers for its traditional R&B influences, conscious-driven lyrics. Neo soul developed during the 1980s and early 1990s, in the United States and United Kingdom and it earned mainstream success during the 1990s, with the commercial and critical breakthroughs of several artists, including DAngelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell. Their music was marketed as an alternative to the producer-driven, digitally approached R&B of the time and its mainstream presence declined during the 2000s, although newer artists emerged through more independent means of marketing their music. According to music journalist Mark Anthony Neal, neo-soul and its various incarnations has helped to redefine the boundaries, the success of DAngelos 1995 debut album Brown Sugar has been regarded by several writers and music critics as inspiration behind the terms origin. In a 2002 interview for Billboard, Massenburg said that genre classifications are often unpopular because they may be suggestive of a short-lived trend. However, although he said neo soul is still essentially soul music, neo-soul artists tried to look both backward and forward, acting in the belief that a continuum might exist. Despite some ambivalence from artists, the term received widespread use by music critics and writers who wrote about artists, African American studies professor Mark Anthony Neal has described neo soul as everything from avant-garde R&B to organic soul. A product of trying to something outside of the norm in R&B. They also infuse jazz, funk, and African musical elements into R&B, noting that most of the genres artists are singer-songwriters, writers have viewed their lyrical content as more conscious-driven and having a broader range than most other R&B artists. AllMusic calls it roughly analogous to contemporary R&B, dimitri Ehrlich of Vibe said that they emphasize a mix of elegant, jazz-tinged R&B and subdued hip hop, with a highly idiosyncratic, deeply personal approach to love and politics. Music writers have noted that neo soul artists are predominantly female, jason Anderson of CBC News called neo soul a sinuous, sly yet unabashedly earnest alternative and kind of haven for listeners turned off by the hedonism of mainstream hip-hop and club jams. Neo soul artists are associated with alternative lifestyles and fashions, including organic food, incense. In a 1998 article on neo soul, Time journalist Christopher John Farley wrote that such as Hill, DAngelo. Neo soul artists during the 1990s were heavily inspired by the sound and mellow instrumentation of Gil Scott-Herons. All About Jazz cited Jackson as one of the architects of the sound. Neo soul originated in the 1980s and early 1990s, with the work of acts such as Prince
8.
Sony BMG
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Sony BMG Music Entertainment was a record music company, which was a 50–50 joint venture between the Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann AG. The ventures successor, the again-active Sony Music Entertainment, is 100% owned by the Sony Corporation of America, Sony BMG Music Entertainment began in Skem as the result of a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment and Bertelsmann Music Group completed on March 4,2004. The merger affected all Sony Music and Bertelsmann Music Group companies worldwide except for Japan, financial analysts covering the merger anticipated that up to 2,000 jobs would be cut as a result, saving Sony BMG approximately $350 million annually. The companys chief executive officer is Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, who succeeded Andrew Lack on February 10,2006, in the first half of 2005, the companys share of new releases in the United States declined from 33% to 26% according to Nielsen SoundScan. This, and Lacks negotiation of what called a ill-conceived deal with Bruce Springsteen led to Bertelsmann informing Sony that it would not renew Lacks contract. The company signed a content deal with the video sharing community YouTube. On August 5,2008 Sony Corporation agreed to buy Bertelsmann AGs 50 percent stake in the company for $1.2 billion to get full control. The music company was renamed Sony Music Entertainment and became a unit of Sony Corporation of America, epic Records, one of their labels, was specifically cited for using fake contests in order to hide the fact that the gifts were going to disc jockeys rather than listeners. A scandal ensued over digital rights management software produced and shipped by Sony BMG that automatically installed itself on peoples computers, the scandal and attendant controversy about the practice of software auto-installation spawned several lawsuits. Sony BMG eventually recalled all of the affected CDs, uS-CERT advised, Do not install software from sources that you do not expect to contain software, such as an audio CD. In its Top Flops of 05 issue, the enterprise newsweekly eWeek had to create a new category for the Sony BMG root-kit fiasco, peter Coffee, of eWeek Labs reported, The Sony brand name was already in trouble—it lost 16 percent of its value between 2004 and 2005. Now it has taken a blow among tech-product opinion leaders, weve never done it before, and we hope well never have occasion to do it again but, for 2005, eWeek Labs awards a Stupid Tech Trick grand prize to Sony. EWeek Vol.22, No.50 In October 2007, Sony BMG, alongside other large music firms, successfully sued Jammie Thomas. Ms. Thomas – who made US$36,000 a year – was ordered to pay US$222,000 in damages for making 24 songs available for download on the Kazaa file-sharing network. Thomas had allegedly shared 1702 files in total, the court upholding the award called it a case of willful infringement. Sony did not restrict minor childrens participation in its websites, Sony paid a $1 million fine. Sony Commercial Music Group – Official Site Sony Music Entertainment, Incorporated – Company Profile on Yahoo
9.
Beverley Knight
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Beverley Knight MBE is a British recording artist, radio presenter and musical theatre actress who released her debut album, The B-Funk, in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin. Widely labelled as one of Britains greatest soul singers, Knight is best known for her hit singles Greatest Day, shoulda Woulda Coulda and Come as You Are. In 2006 Knight solidified her transmission into the mainstream by starring in the BBC music TV series Just the Two of Us, after releasing a platinum-selling compilation album in 2006, Knight went on to tour the UK with a reformed Take That. She has also hosted four series of the BBC Radio 2 show Beverleys Gospel Nights, to date the show has run for four seasons and has featured interviews with stars such as Michelle Williams and Shirley Caesar. Knight is an ambassador for many such as Christian Aid and has travelled to areas affected by disease. She is an campaigner for anti-Aids organisations such as the Stop AIDS Campaign. On Saturday,15 August 2009, she performed live at the fourth annual UK Black Pride event in Regents Park. After more than a decade in the industry, Knight was made an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II in February 2007 in recognition of her charitable work, in September 2005, Knight was made an honorary Doctor of Music from the University of Wolverhampton. After receiving a host of awards, including three MOBO Awards, Knight was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 at the Urban Music Awards in London, in 2007, Knight was voted number 58 in the 100 Great Black Britons poll. Knight supported Prince during his residency at the O2 Arena and ended up performing at his after party, as a result of this, she was also flown to perform at his Oscars party in front of A-list stars and got a standing ovation from stars such as Quincy Jones. She is planning her American debut sometime in 2015, Knight sang at the London 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony. On 9 September 2013, Knight made her first foray into musical theatre, on 21 February 2014, it was confirmed that Knight would take on the lead role of Felicia in the musical Memphis, opening on 23 October 2014. Knight attended Woodfield Infant and Junior Schools and Highfields School in Wolverhampton, Knight was born to Jamaican parents, and she grew up in a strict Pentecostal household where church attendance was commonplace. It is here where she began her career, The first time I heard music would have been in church. My mum was called upon, Come on sister Dolores. Singing was the most natural thing in the world, I thought, doesnt everybodys mum lead the congregation at church in song. Knight continued singing in her local church throughout her childhood, due to her parents religious beliefs, secular music was largely frowned upon, but artists such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin played a big part in her childhood
10.
Joss Stone
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Joscelyn Eve Stoker, better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame in late 2003 with her debut album, The Soul Sessions. She became the youngest British female singer to top the UK Albums Chart and she released her fourth album, Colour Me Free. on 20 October 2009, which reached the top 10 on Billboard. Stone released her album, LP1, on 22 July 2011. She also made her acting debut in 2006 with the fantasy adventure film Eragon. Stone was the youngest woman on the 2006 Sunday Times Rich List—an annual list of the UKs wealthiest people—with £6 million, in 2012, her net worth was estimated to be £10 million, making her the fifth richest British musician under 30. The Soul Sessions Vol.2 is her fourth album to reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200. Stone was born at Buckland Hospital in Dover, Kent and spent her years in Ashill. She is the third of four born to Wendy and Richard Stoker. Her father owns a fruit and nut import/export business, her mother worked as Stones manager until October 2004, Stone made her first public appearance at the Uffculme Comprehensive School—which she attended—in Uffculme, Devon, with a cover version of Jackie Wilsons 1957 song Reet Petite. Stone has dyslexia and left school at age sixteen with only three GCSE qualifications and it wasnt that I was stupid. Im just a little bit dyslexic and I wasnt very academic, Stone grew up listening to a wide variety of music including 1960s and 1970s American R&B and soul music performed by such artists as Dusty Springfield and Aretha Franklin. As a result, she developed a style of singing like her idols. My first CD that I owned was Aretha Franklin, Greatest Hits, and I saw the advert on TV and it was just like little clips of her songs. I had no idea who she was—I was only like 10 so, I said, Oh yeah, that looks really good, so I wrote it down and I said to my mum, Can I have that for Christmas. So she told my friend Dennis, who gets me good music anyway. So that was one of my first albums that I loved and she would later tell MTV News, I kind of clicked into soul music more than anything else because of the vocals. Youve got to have good vocals to sing soul music and I always liked it ever since I was little, after passing her audition, she sang Donna Summers On the Radio for the broadcast, and eventually won the contest
11.
Styles P
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David Styles, better known by his stage name, Styles P, is an American rapper, author, and entrepreneur. In 2002, he released his debut album A Gangster and a Gentleman. He went on to release Time is Money, Super Gangster, Master of Ceremonies, The Worlds Most Hardest MC Project, Float, Phantom and the Ghost, and A Wise Guy and a Wise Guy. Styles P, a member of The LOX and the larger D-Block Hip-Hop collective, grew up in Yonkers, New York rapping alongside Jadakiss and Sheek Louch. In their late teens the trio met Mary J. Blige who was so impressed with their tough street east coast lyrics, Diddy immediately hired the trio to write for Bad Boy Records. With the label, The LOX quickly started collaborating on hits with Diddy, Mary J. Blige, and Mariah Carey which gave them instant notoriety and status within the hip-hop and mainstream charts. This single was the most played hit in 1997, which opened the door for The LOX first solo debut in January 1998 entitled Money. After another LOX album, We Are the Streets and appearing on albums with Ruff Ryders, Styles released his first solo album, A Gangster, four years later he released his second album Time is Money on Ruff Ryders which was followed by Super Gangster a year later. This began a string of annual releases with his fourth, fifth, sixth. Styles P released his first novel Invincible in 2010 through Random House Publishing Group, in 2011 he opened up a juice bar in Bronx, New York called Juices for Life with his business partners Nyger Rollocks and Leo Galvez. He released his EP with CurrenSy titled, #The1st28 on February 28,2012, a Novel Official Site Styles P Interview at Prefix The DJ Booth, Styles P Interview Styles P Interview New Styles P interview with HipHopGame. com
12.
Lionel Richie
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Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. Beginning in 1968, he was a member of the funk and soul band the Commodores and he also co-wrote the 1985 charity single We Are the World with Michael Jackson, which sold over 20 million copies. Richie has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the worlds best-selling artists of all time and he is also a five-time Grammy Award winner. In 2016, Richie received the Songwriters Hall of Fames highest honor, Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama, the son of Alberta R. and Lionel Brockman Richie, Sr. He grew up on the campus of Tuskegee Institute, Richie graduated from Joliet Township High School, East Campus. A star tennis player in Joliet, he accepted a scholarship to attend Tuskegee Institute. Richie seriously considered studying divinity to become a priest with the Episcopal Church and he is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi, a national honor fraternity for marching band members, and an active life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. As a student in Tuskegee, Richie formed a succession of R&B groups in the mid-1960s, in 1968, he became a singer and saxophonist with the Commodores. They signed a contract with Atlantic Records in 1968 for one record before moving on to Motown Records initially as a support act to The Jackson 5. The Commodores then became established as a soul group. Their first several albums had a danceable, funky sound, as in such tracks as Machine Gun, over time, Richie wrote and sang more romantic, easy-listening ballads such as Easy, Three Times a Lady, Still, and the tragic breakup ballad Sail On. By the late 1970s, Richie had begun to accept songwriting commissions from other artists and he composed Lady for Kenny Rogers, which hit #1 in 1980, and produced Rogerss album Share Your Love the following year. Richie and Rogers maintained a friendship in later years. Latin jazz composer and salsa romantica pioneer La Palabra enjoyed international success with his cover of Lady, also in 1981 Richie sang the theme song for the film Endless Love, a duet with Diana Ross. Issued as a single, the song topped the Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and US pop music charts and its success encouraged Richie to branch out into a full-fledged solo career in 1982. He was replaced as lead singer for the Commodores by Skyler Jett in 1983, the album hit #3 on the music charts and sold over 4 million copies. His 1983 follow-up album, Cant Slow Down, sold twice as many copies. The album contained the #1 hit All Night Long a Caribbean-flavored dance number that was promoted by a music video produced by former Monkee Michael Nesmith
13.
Mary J. Blige
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Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, model, record producer and actress. My Life, in particular, is considered among the greatest albums ever recorded according to Rolling Stone, Time, for her part in combining hip hop and soul in the early 1990s and its subsequent commercial success, Blige received the Legends Award at the World Music Awards. Blige made Time magazines Time 100 list of individuals around the world in 2007. As of 2013, Blige has sold more than 50 million albums and 25 million singles worldwide, Billboard ranked Blige as the most successful female R&B artist of the past 25 years. The magazine also lists her 2006 song Be Without You as the top R&B song of the 2000s, in 2011, VH1 ranked Blige as the 80th greatest artist of all time. Moreover, she is ranked number 100 on the list of 100 greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, in 2012, VH1 ranked Blige at number 9 in The 100 Greatest Women in Music. Blige also earned high remarks for her work in film and she starred in the 2009 Tyler Perry box-office hit I Can Do Bad All By Myself and played a role in the film Rock of Ages. She received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her contribution to the film The Help. In partnership with the Home Shopping Network and Carols Daughter, Blige released her My Life perfume, the perfume broke HSN records by selling 65,000 bottles during its premiere. The scent went on to win two FiFi Awards, including the Fragrance Sales Breakthrough award, in 2017, she stars in the period drama film Mudbound directed by Dee Rees. Blige spent her years in Richmond Hill, Georgia, where she sang in a Pentecostal church. Blige later moved to Schlobohm Houses in Yonkers, New York, immediately north of New York City, Blige dropped out of high school in her junior year. Pursuing a musical career, Blige spent a period of time in a Yonkers band named Pride with band drummer Eddie DAprile. In early 1988, she recorded a cover of Anita Bakers Caught Up in the Rapture at a recording booth in the Galleria Mall in White Plains. Her mothers boyfriend at the later played the cassette for Jeff Redd. Redd sent it to the president and CEO of the label, Harrell met with Blige and in 1989 she was signed to the label, becoming the companys youngest and first female artist. After being signed to Uptown Records, Blige began working with record producer Puff Daddy and he became the executive producer and produced a majority of the album. Derived from Bliges past occupation as a 4-1-1 operator, it was also an indication by Blige of being the real deal, the music was described as revelatory on a frequent basis
14.
JLS
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JLS were an English pop/R&B boy band, which consisted of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill, originally formed by Oritsé Williams. Following their appearance on The X Factor, JLS signed to Epic Records and their first two singles Beat Again and Everybody in Love both went to number one on the UK Singles Chart. The bands self-titled debut album was released on 9 November 2009, JLS won the awards for British Breakthrough and British Single at the 2010 BRIT Awards. They also won awards at the MOBO Awards for Best song for Beat Again in 2009. In 2010 they won the MOBO Awards for Best UK act and they also went on to win their fifth MOBO in 2012 by winning Best Video for Do You Feel What I Feel. They won the title of the UKs hardest-working band for two years, in 2011 and 2012. In 2010, JLS signed a deal with the US record label Jive Records, and released Everybody in Love as their debut US single. The Club Is Alive, the single from their second studio album, was released in the UK on July 2010. Their single Love You More, was the single for Children in Need in 2010. Their single She Makes Me Wanna featuring Dev was their fifth UK number one, as of 2012, their debut album and single has been named one of The X Factors top ten biggest-selling debut singles and albums. As of 2013, they are the 16th richest reality TV stars in the UK, with a fortune of £6 million per member. JLS have sold over 6 million records in the UK alone, the group later split up in 2013 due to personal differences. Oritsé Jolomi Matthew Soloman Williams attended St Edwards School in West London and he has two brothers and one sister. When he was 12, his mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and he had to care for his brothers and sister whilst attending schools and clubs. He attended the British International School in Lagos, Nigeria, here he befriended English/Nigerian singer L Marshall and won his first talent show performing alongside L in his final year. He also attended Larmenier Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School and Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, Williams dreamed of being a solo artist from a very young age. He was recruited for many boy bands but believed that a boy band had to have a good bond between the members. He decided to put together his own boy band, UFO and he also wrote the song Wow Oh Wow for Jedward
15.
Jamelia
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Jamelia Niela Davis is a British recording artist, television presenter and actress. She has released three albums, each of which has reached the Top 40 in the UK, which collectively have spawned eight UK top ten singles. In addition, Jamelia has won four MOBO Awards, a Q Award and has received nine BRIT Award nominations and her career has spanned over ten years after being signed straight out of school at 15 to a major record label. Jamelias professional music career began in 1999, when she released her single, So High, followed by a more successful single. She then released her debut studio album, Drama, in June 2000. Jamelias ten-year-successful career span has led her to becoming a judge on such as Move Like Michael Jackson in 2009. In 2010 she signed a new deal with All Around the World Productions. She was a panelist on the ITV magazine show Loose Women from 2013 until 2016, Jamelia was born in Handsworth, Birmingham to single mother Paulette Davis. Her mother is Jamaican and her father is Zimbabwean and she grew up in nearby Hockley and attended a local primary school, Brookfields Primary School and then later attended the CTC Kingshurst Academy, formerly known as the City Technology College. Jamelia was signed to Capitol Records at 15 after record producers heard recordings of her self-written a cappella songs that she had made on a karaoke machine, in late 1999, Jamelia recorded the single So High, a collaboration with fellow R&B vocalist Rosita Lynch. The single failed to chart in both the UK and mainland Europe, and did not appear on any of Jamelias subsequent albums, following the poor sales of the single, Jamelia left Capitol Records, but was quickly signed up with record company Parlophone, a branch of EMI. The singles mediocre chart success, however, led to the delay of the release of Money, Jamelias third single, Money, was released in February 2000. The single was the breakthrough in the UK, peaking at number five and spending nine weeks in the UK Top 75. Despite the success of Money, Drama did not make a major impression in the UK. The third single from the album, Call Me, reached number 11, recognition for the singers early success came in late 2000 and 2001 at the BRIT Awards. Jamelia was nominated for Best British Newcomer, Best British Video, Jamelia recorded her second studio album, Thank You, in 2002 and early 2003 following the birth of her daughter Teja in 2001. The first single lifted from Thank You was the R&B-influenced Bout, on which she collaborated with American rap star Rah Digga, it debuted at number 37 in the UK. The second single, the much poppier Superstar, became Jamelias highest peaking at the time when it peaked at three, and earned the spot of the 26th best-selling of 2003 in the UK
16.
Fightstar
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Fightstar are a British rock band from London that formed in 2003. The band is composed of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Charlie Simpson, guitarist and vocalist Alex Westaway, bassist Dan Haigh, generally considered a post-hardcore band, Fightstar are known to incorporate metal, alternative rock and other genres into their sound. During the bands early days, they were viewed sceptically because of Simpsons former pop career with Busted and their live shows got a more positive reaction, and their 2005 debut EP, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead, was a critical success. The band released their studio album, Grand Unification, the following year. Editor Paul Brannigan called it one of the best British rock albums of the last decade, Fightstar received a nomination for Best British Band at the 2006 Kerrang. Awards before releasing their album, One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours. A compilation album including B-sides and rarities, Alternate Endings, was released the following year, the band self-funded and co-produced their third album, Be Human, which featured orchestral and choral elements. It was their highest-charting album, peaking at number 20 on the UK Albums Chart, Fightstar went on hiatus in 2010, allowing its members to concentrate on other projects, then reunited in 2014. The following year the released their fourth studio album, Behind the Devils Back. All four studio albums have charted in the top 40 and received critical praise, in 2003, when Charlie Simpson was still a member of the pop punk band Busted, he met fellow songwriter-guitarist Alex Westaway and drummer Omar Abidi at a party. Abidi was studying engineering at college, and guitarist Alex Westaway had recently moved to London after dropping out of university. Future bassist Dan Haigh, also based in London, worked for a development company. During the party, a jam session took place. Simpson, Westaway and Abidi played a loop of Rage Against the Machines Killing in the Name, after the show, they returned to Simpsons flat and played guitars and a v-drum kit, they then wrote their first song, Too Much Punch. Westaway later invited his school friend Haigh to practise with the band, Simpsons time with Fightstar reportedly caused tension in Busted, which was amplified when Fightstar announced a 14-date UK tour. Simpson told Busteds manager in December 2004 over the phone that he was leaving the pop trio to focus on Fightstar, and wanted to do something his heart was in. At a press conference at the Soho Hotel in London on 14 January 2005, after Simpsons decision to focus on Fightstar, the band entered Criterion Studios in London with producer Mark Williams to begin work on their first EP, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead. With nine tracks on its extended mini-album version, it was written in six months while Westaway, recording sessions were often interrupted, since Simpson was in the midst of a sold-out series of Wembley shows with Busted
17.
Usher (musician)
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Usher Raymond IV is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. Born in Dallas, Texas but raised and lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee until moving to Atlanta, at the age of 12, his mother put him in local singing competitions, before catching the attention of a music A&R from LaFace Records. In 1994 he released his debut album, Usher. 8701 produced the number-one singles U Remind Me and U Got It Bad and it sold 8 million copies worldwide and won his first two Grammy Awards as Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2002 and 2003. Confessions established him as one of the musical artists of the 2000s decade. Bolstered by its four consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number one singles, Burn, Confessions Part II, and My Boo, it has been certified Diamond by the RIAA. Here I Stand and Raymond v. Raymond, debuted atop of the Billboard 200, the EP, Versus, also produced the Hot 100 top-five single DJ Got Us Fallin in Love. Looking 4 Myself, also debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, Raymond v. Raymond and Looking 4 Myself received Grammy Awards for R&B singles There Goes My Baby and Climax. Hard II Love peaked at five of the Billboard 200 albums chart. Usher has sold 23.8 million albums and 38.2 million digital songs in the United States, to date, his worldwide sales stand at 43 million albums and 75 million records overall, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Usher has won awards and accolades including 18 Billboard Music Awards and 8 Grammy Awards. Billboard also placed him at number 6 on their list of Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years, Usher has attained 9 US Hot 100 number-one singles. Considered an icon and sex symbol, he was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, in 2008, he started his own record label Raymond-Braun Media Group, a joint venture with talent manager Scooter Braun that includes Canadian singer Justin Bieber. Usher was born in Dallas, Texas, the son of Jonetta Patton, from Tennessee, Usher spent the majority of his young life in Chattanooga, his father left the family when Usher was a year old. Usher grew up with his mother, then-stepfather, and half-brother, while in Atlanta, Usher attended North Springs High School. At age 10, Usher joined an R&B local quintet called the NuBeginnings, Usher recorded 10 songs with the group in 1991, and the ensuing album, Nubeginning Featuring Usher Raymond IV, was only made available regionally and by mail order. However, Patton took him out because, according to her, the album was re-released nationally in April 2002 by Hip-O Records. At age 13, Usher would meet A. J, alexander at local talent show in Atlanta
18.
Destiny's Child
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Destinys Child was an American girl group whose final and best-known line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destinys Child members began their musical endeavors as Girls Tyme comprising, formed in 1990, among others, Knowles, Rowland, LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett. After years of limited success, they were signed in 1997 to Columbia Records, both Roberson and Luckett were soon replaced with Williams and Farrah Franklin, however, in 2000, Franklin left, leaving the group as a trio. Their third album, Survivor, which themes the public interpreted as a channel to the groups experience, contains the worldwide hits Independent Women, Survivor. In 2002, they announced a hiatus and re-united two years later for the release of their fourth and final album, Destiny Fulfilled. Destinys Child has sold more than sixty million records worldwide to date, in 1990, Beyoncé Knowles met rapper LaTavia Roberson while auditioning for a girl group. Based in Houston, Texas, they were joined to a group that performed rapping and dancing, Kelly Rowland, who relocated to Knowless house because of family issues, joined them in 1992. Originally named Girls Tyme, they were cut down to six members including Támar Davis and sisters Nikki. With Knowles and Rowland, Girls Tyme attracted nationwide attention, west-coast R&B producer Arne Frager flew to Houston to see them. He brought them to his studio, The Plant Recording Studios, in Northern California, with focus on Knowless vocals because Frager thought she had personality and the ability to sing. With efforts to sign Girls Tyme to a record deal, Fragers strategy was to debut the group in Star Search. However, they lost the competition because, according to Knowles, their choice of song was wrong, because of the groups defeat, Knowless father, Mathew, voluntarily dedicated his time to manage them. Mathew Knowles decided to cut the original lineup to four, with the removal of Davis and the Taylor sisters, aside from spending time at their church in Houston, Girls Tyme practiced in their backyards and at Headliners Salon, owned by Knowless mother, Tina. The group would test routines in the salon, when it was on Montrose Boulevard in Houston and their try out would be critiqued by the people inside. During their school days, Girls Tyme performed at local gigs, when summer came, Mathew Knowles established a boot camp to train them in dance and vocal lessons. After rigorous training, they began performing as opening acts for established R&B groups of that such as SWV, Dru Hill. Tina Knowles designed the groups attire for their performances, over the course of the early years in their career, Girls Tyme changed their name to Something Fresh, Cliché, the Dolls, and to Destiny. The group signed with Elektra Records with the name Destiny, but were dropped several months later before they could release an album, in 1996, they changed their name to Destinys Child, which was taken from a passage in the Book of Isaiah
19.
Europe
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Europe is a continent that comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, yet the non-oceanic borders of Europe—a concept dating back to classical antiquity—are arbitrary. Europe covers about 10,180,000 square kilometres, or 2% of the Earths surface, politically, Europe is divided into about fifty sovereign states of which the Russian Federation is the largest and most populous, spanning 39% of the continent and comprising 15% of its population. Europe had a population of about 740 million as of 2015. Further from the sea, seasonal differences are more noticeable than close to the coast, Europe, in particular ancient Greece, was the birthplace of Western civilization. The fall of the Western Roman Empire, during the period, marked the end of ancient history. Renaissance humanism, exploration, art, and science led to the modern era, from the Age of Discovery onwards, Europe played a predominant role in global affairs. Between the 16th and 20th centuries, European powers controlled at times the Americas, most of Africa, Oceania. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Great Britain at the end of the 18th century, gave rise to economic, cultural, and social change in Western Europe. During the Cold War, Europe was divided along the Iron Curtain between NATO in the west and the Warsaw Pact in the east, until the revolutions of 1989 and fall of the Berlin Wall. In 1955, the Council of Europe was formed following a speech by Sir Winston Churchill and it includes all states except for Belarus, Kazakhstan and Vatican City. Further European integration by some states led to the formation of the European Union, the EU originated in Western Europe but has been expanding eastward since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The European Anthem is Ode to Joy and states celebrate peace, in classical Greek mythology, Europa is the name of either a Phoenician princess or of a queen of Crete. The name contains the elements εὐρύς, wide, broad and ὤψ eye, broad has been an epithet of Earth herself in the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion and the poetry devoted to it. For the second part also the divine attributes of grey-eyed Athena or ox-eyed Hera. The same naming motive according to cartographic convention appears in Greek Ανατολή, Martin Litchfield West stated that phonologically, the match between Europas name and any form of the Semitic word is very poor. Next to these there is also a Proto-Indo-European root *h1regʷos, meaning darkness. Most major world languages use words derived from Eurṓpē or Europa to refer to the continent, in some Turkic languages the originally Persian name Frangistan is used casually in referring to much of Europe, besides official names such as Avrupa or Evropa
20.
Australia
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Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the worlds sixth-largest country by total area, the neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east. Australias capital is Canberra, and its largest urban area is Sydney, for about 50,000 years before the first British settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who spoke languages classifiable into roughly 250 groups. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades, and by the 1850s most of the continent had been explored, on 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Australia has since maintained a liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy comprising six states. The population of 24 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard, Australia has the worlds 13th-largest economy and ninth-highest per capita income. With the second-highest human development index globally, the country highly in quality of life, health, education, economic freedom. The name Australia is derived from the Latin Terra Australis a name used for putative lands in the southern hemisphere since ancient times, the Dutch adjectival form Australische was used in a Dutch book in Batavia in 1638, to refer to the newly discovered lands to the south. On 12 December 1817, Macquarie recommended to the Colonial Office that it be formally adopted, in 1824, the Admiralty agreed that the continent should be known officially as Australia. The first official published use of the term Australia came with the 1830 publication of The Australia Directory and these first inhabitants may have been ancestors of modern Indigenous Australians. The Torres Strait Islanders, ethnically Melanesian, were originally horticulturists, the northern coasts and waters of Australia were visited sporadically by fishermen from Maritime Southeast Asia. The first recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland, and the first recorded European landfall on the Australian continent, are attributed to the Dutch. The first ship and crew to chart the Australian coast and meet with Aboriginal people was the Duyfken captained by Dutch navigator, Willem Janszoon. He sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula in early 1606, the Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines and named the island continent New Holland during the 17th century, but made no attempt at settlement. William Dampier, an English explorer and privateer, landed on the north-west coast of New Holland in 1688, in 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain. The first settlement led to the foundation of Sydney, and the exploration, a British settlement was established in Van Diemens Land, now known as Tasmania, in 1803, and it became a separate colony in 1825. The United Kingdom formally claimed the part of Western Australia in 1828. Separate colonies were carved from parts of New South Wales, South Australia in 1836, Victoria in 1851, the Northern Territory was founded in 1911 when it was excised from South Australia
21.
Fame Academy (series 1)
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The first series of Fame Academy, a BBC reality talent search, was first broadcast in the United Kingdom over ten weeks in October - December 2002. It was won by David Sneddon, the live shows were presented by Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty. On the Tuesday of each week, the teachers would gather the contestants, the contestant who had impressed the judges the most over the previous week would be named the Grade A student, and would be guaranteed a solo performance at the following live show. When applicable, the contestants who were neither on probation, or the Grade A students would team up for the show, performing as groups. Although they were safe from elimination, their performances in their groups weighed heavily on the decision on who to put up for probation in the following week. Following all of the performances on the Friday live show, the public would vote for the student up for probation who they wanted to save - the person with the most votes would be safe. However, the fate of the two contestants on probation was decided by their fellow contestants, who had to vote for who they wanted to save. In the event of a tie in the student vote the public votes would decide who is eliminated, all four contestants were put on probation in the penultimate week, with the public saving two. Guest teachers were brought in to teach, this happened throughout the series. The Friday night live shows were filmed in front of an audience at the BBCs Shepperton Studios and they featured duets and group performances by all the students which were choreographed by dance teacher Kevin Adams, as well as the songs by the three probation students. The guest teachers also sang on the liveshow, in the case of Lionel Richie he performed twice, returning to duet with Lemar on their co-written song Back To You. As well as the shows, highlight shows aired at 7pm on Tuesday and Thursday nights on BBC One. A late night show was later added to the schedules. Extra coverage was shown on BBC Choice, with live streaming also available on BBCi. Eleven of these contestants were pre-selected and then the public voted in the twelfth, headteacher Richard Park was also never far away, and managed to keep order for most of the series. As well as the dramas of singing for survival, there were dramas among the contestants too, David and Ainslie were claimed to be rivals for most of the series. Katie almost got out of the Academy as a punishment for damaging equipment during a waterfight she instigated. Camilla and Lemar got closer and closer, until on the night all of the contestants returned to the house
22.
Fame Academy
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Fame Academy is a British television talent competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a music artist. In the UK version, the prize consisted of a £1m recording contract with a record company, plus the use of a luxury apartment in London. It was broadcast by the BBC and co-produced by an Endemol company called Initial, the first series was won by David Sneddon and the second and final series by Alex Parks. The show was so successful that the BBC decided to screen celebrity versions for Comic Relief, starting 2003, Comic Relief Does Fame Academy saw celebrities singing as students of the Academy with proceeds from the phone votes being donated to the charity. This was far more successful than the show, and many believe its success secured the second series of the main programme. The format was created in Spain under the title Operación Triunfo. A German version also called Fame Academy had been launched in 2003 on RTL II with far lesser success, every week, depending on the perceived quality of their performances, contestants would be put into either safe or danger zones. Anyone in the latter had to undergo a system of voting by the participants to determine which one would then be forced to leave. The show was partly reality television, because the lives of the contestants could be watched through live streaming via Freeview. This was accomplished through the instalments of spycameras, coverage of the show was widely shown on BBC One, BBC Three, BBC Prime and the CBBC Channel. The show was advertised as being more than just a talent contest with the contestants singing on weekly live TV shows, as on the Pop Idol. The programme makers also included a long-term vision, Fame Academy claimed to emphasise the creative talent of the contestants, who were encouraged to write their own songs and music as well as developing their singing technique and performing skills. Inside the Academy for a period of ten weeks, the students were given a musical education. This included individual vocal coaching with tutors including Carrie Grant and David Grant, songwriting lessons, personal development, fitness/dancing classes, the students stayed at Witanhurst, an historic Georgian-style mansion in Highgate that was specially redressed for the series. They were provided with living accommodation, communal meals and recreation areas. The contestants were televised constantly through a vast network of cameras that were monitored 24 hours day, viewers of the streaming programmes were able to watch almost everything going on behind the scenes. Singing lessons, dance classes, rehearsals and costume fittings were all filmed and this also included mealtimes, relaxation periods and private moments
23.
David Sneddon
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David Sneddon is a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician and music producer of contemporary pop music. He took a route into the music business via performing on stage and television. He went on in 2002 to win the first series of the BBCs music competition Fame Academy. He released his first single Stop Living the Lie in 2003 which was a one hit single selling over 250,000 copies. Sneddons debut album Seven Years – Ten Weeks released in April 2003 and he achieved three more UK Singles Chart singles – Dont Let Go, Best of Order and Baby Get Higher. His song Baby Get Higher was a hit on the floor for Almighty Records and a chart hit for VanVelzen in 2006. In October 2003, he moved from being a pop star to working as a songwriter, in 2009 Sneddon signed to Sony/ATV Music Publishing as a songwriter and described his music as melody-driven indie pop. David Sneddons songs include Nate James, VanVelzen Hurts, Matt Cardle, Lana Del Rey, Newton Faulkner, Charlie Brown, Greyson Chance, David Archuleta, Shane Filan and Jessica Mauboy. Sneddon works with James Bauer-Mein as The Nexus songwriting and music production partnership for high-profile and highly anticipated emerging artists in the US and the UK. They have written for – synthpop duo Hurts 2010 global multi platinum debut album Happiness – the songs Illuminated and Blood, for 2010 The X Factor winner Matt Cardles album Letters and Keep the Sun Away for Morten Harkets album Out of My Hands 2012. The song National Anthem was written by Lana Del Rey and The Nexus for her number one selling UK Albums Chart 2012 album Born to Die. Newton Faulkners Write It on Your Skin contained three Nexus songs – Pick Up Your Broken Heart, Soon and Feel – made No.1 in 2012 UK Albums Chart, in April 2013 The Nexus became part of 365 Artists. Shane Filan, formerly lead singer with Westlife released EP Everything to Me August 2013 which included, Everytime and Todays Not Yesterday, David Sneddon was born and grew up in Paisley, Scotland, with mother Anne, father David Sr. and younger sister Pauline. He studied music at school, won talent competitions and played lead roles in musicals both at school and at PACE Youth Theatre. When his parents bought him a piano he discovered he had a talent for writing songs and taught himself to play. Sneddon was inspired by his fathers collection of The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Van Morrison. I love the Beatles, but as I was growing up, Ive never had any lessons, so he has been my only teacher. He also drew inspirations for his music from Scottish eighties artists such as Del Amitri, Deacon Blue, Sneddon enjoyed performing in musicals from a young age
24.
Brit Awards
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The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industrys annual pop music awards. The name was originally a form of British, Britain or Britannia. In addition, an equivalent awards ceremony for music, called the Classic Brit Awards, is held each May. Robbie Williams holds the record for the most Brit Awards,13 as a solo artist, the awards originated as an annual event in 1982 under the auspices of the British record industrys trade association, the BPI. In 1989 they were renamed the Brit Awards, masterCard has been the long-term sponsor of the event. The Brit Awards were broadcast live until 1989, when Samantha Fox, in subsequent years, the event was recorded and broadcast the following night. From 2007, the Brit Awards reverted to a live broadcast on British television, on 14 February on ITV. In that year, comedian Russell Brand was presenter and three awards were dropped from the ceremony, Best British Rock Act, Best British Urban Act, on 18 February 2009, the venue for the BRITs was once again the Earls Court, London. The Brit Awards were held at The O2 in London for the first time in 2011, the Brit Award statuette given to the winners features Britannia, the female personification of Britain. The first awards ceremony was in 1977, as The BRITish Record Industry BRITannia Awards, there have been 36 editions to date. The 2016 Brit Awards was held on 24 February 2016, the 1988 BPI Awards was the first of the ceremonies to be broadcast on live television. The BBC had previously broadcast the ceremony from 1985, with the shows from 1982 to 1984 not broadcast on television, the BBC continued to broadcast the renamed BRIT Awards, live in 1989 and pre-recorded from 1990 to 1992. ITV have broadcast the awards since 1993, pre-recorded until 2006, BBC Radio 1 has provided backstage radio coverage since 2008. In 1987 the BPI Awards ceremony was held in the Great Room at the Grosvenor House Hotel, at the time there was a BBC electricians strike in effect, and the organisers decided to use a non-TV events production company, called Upfront, to manage the show. Despite the show being picketed, the event was transmitted as intended, for a while the outdoor broadcast scanner was rocked on its wheels by the protesters and they managed to shut off the power to one of the big GE video screen projectors. In 1989, the ceremony was broadcast live and presented by Fleetwood Macs Mick Fleetwood, the inexperience of the hosts, an ineffective autocue and little preparation combined to create an unprofessional show that was poorly received. The 1990 awards ceremony saw the last public appearance of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, Queen appeared at the ceremony to receive the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Mercury did not make a speech, as Brian May did the talking on behalf of the other members, in 1992, dance/art band The KLF were awarded Best British Group and were booked to open the show
25.
MOBO Awards
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The MOBO Awards stands for Music of Black Origin and was established in 1996 by Kanya King and Andy Ruffell. The MOBO Award show is annually in the United Kingdom to recognise artists of any ethnicity or nationality performing black music. In 2009, the ceremony was held for the first time in Glasgow. Prior to that, it had held in London. In 2011, the ceremony returned for a time to Scotland. The awards then moved to Leeds for 2015, the Music Of Black Origin Awards were established in 1996 to recognise and celebrate artists who create Black or urban music. The MOBOs may be the most prestigious but were not the first Black music awards show in the country, in Britain, the Black Music Awards show ran from 1992 to 1996 in various venues in London. For non-music shows, the Afro Hair and Beauty show was set up by Dyke and Dryden beauty company in 1982, the first MOBO award was presented to UK trio Baby D, in the Best Dance Act category. The MOBO Awards are seen as a UK equivalent to the BET Awards, the ceremony was first broadcast regionally on ITV and produced by Carlton Television from 1996 to 1997 before moving to Channel 4 from 1998 until 2003. Since 2004 the awards have been broadcast by the BBC, and in 2006 the show was aired live for the first time in its history on BBC Three, highlight shows were broadcast on BBC One in a late-night timeslot. In 2014, the show moved to ITV2 in a three-year partnership contract due to the BBC launching its own pop music awards. A full repeat is broadcast later the same evening on the main ITV channel, in the course of its history, the MOBO Awards show has witnessed performances from UK and international talent. In 2000, Sade came out of retirement to perform at the Awards, Kanya King launched the MOBO awards in 1996, aiming to establish a platform for music that, according to King, encompasses urban, hip hop, R&B and reggae. After failing to support for her plan, she raised funds by re-mortgaging her house. The 1997 award ceremony was held at Londons New Connaught Rooms on 10 November, the gala included performances by Mary J. Blige and Eternal. It was broadcast nationally by Channel 4, Contribution to Black Music went to Carl McIntosh and B. B. King won the Lifetime Achievement Award. International Hip-Hop Act Award went to Jay-Z, Best Album was awarded to Beverley Knight, International Act to Lauryn Hill and Lifetime Achievement Award to Tina Turner. Performers and presenters included Desree, Dru Hill, Tim Westwood, Lionel Richie, Lulu, Victoria Beckham, Chris Eubank, Another Level, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Destinys Child, and girl band Eternal
26.
Soul music
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Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It combines elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues, Soul music became popular for dancing and listening in the United States, where record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential during the Civil Rights Movement. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music, catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps and extemporaneous body moves, are an important feature of soul music. Other characteristics are a call and response between the lead vocalist and the chorus and a tense vocal sound. The style also occasionally uses improvisational additions, twirls and auxiliary sounds, Soul music reflected the African-American identity and it stressed the importance of an African-American culture. The new-found African-American consciousness led to new styles of music, which boasted pride in being black, Soul music dominated the U. S. R&B chart in the 1960s, and many recordings crossed over into the pop charts in the U. S. By 1968, the music genre had begun to splinter. Some soul artists developed funk music, while other singers and groups developed slicker, more sophisticated, by the early 1970s, soul music had been influenced by psychedelic rock and other genres, leading to psychedelic soul. The United States saw the development of neo soul around 1994, there are also several other subgenres and offshoots of soul music. The term soul had been used among African-American musicians to emphasize the feeling of being an African-American in the United States, according to another source, Soul music was the result of the urbanization and commercialization of rhythm and blues in the 60s. The phrase soul music itself, referring to music with secular lyrics, is first attested in 1961. The term soul in African-American parlance has connotations of African-American pride, gospel groups in the 1940s and 1950s occasionally used the term as part of their name. The jazz style that derived from gospel came to be called soul jazz, important innovators whose recordings in the 1950s contributed to the emergence of soul music included Clyde McPhatter, Hank Ballard, and Etta James. Ray Charles is often cited as popularizing the genre with his string of hits starting with 1954s I Got a Woman. Singer Bobby Womack said, Ray was the genius and he turned the world onto soul music. Charles was open in acknowledging the influence of Pilgrim Travelers vocalist Jesse Whitaker on his singing style, little Richard and James Brown were equally influential. Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson are also acknowledged as soul forefathers. Cooke became popular as the singer of gospel group The Soul Stirrers
27.
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
28.
Cardiff University
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Cardiff University is a public research university located in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It adapted the name of Cardiff University in 1999. It is the third oldest university institution in Wales and is the only Welsh member of the Russell Group of leading British research universities, the university is composed of three colleges, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Biomedical and Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences and Engineering. The research quality of Cardiff University was ranked 5th overall in the UK in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, the impact of Cardiffs research was also ranked 2nd in the UK. For 2015-16, Cardiff had a turnover of £511.8 million, the university has an undergraduate enrolment of 21,575 and a total enrolment of 30,480 making it one of the ten largest universities in the UK. The Cardiff University Students Union works to promote the interests of the student body within the University, the universitys sports teams compete in the British Universities and Colleges Sport leagues. In October 1881, William Gladstones government appointed a committee to conduct an enquiry into the nature and extent of intermediate. The committee was chaired by Lord Aberdare and consisted of Viscount Emlyn, Reverend Prebendary H. G. Robinson, Henry Richard, John Rhys and Lewis Morris. The committee cited the unique Welsh national identity and that students in Wales could not afford to travel to University in England or Scotland. Furthermore, it advocated for a national degree-awarding university for Wales and it also recommended that the colleges should be unsectarian in nature and that they should exclude the teaching of theology. A competition arose between Swansea and Cardiff about where the college should be located and on 12 March 1883, after a period of arbitration, in April Lord Aberdare was appointed as the Colleges first president. The possible locations considered for the college included Cardiff Arms Park, Cathedral Road or Moria Terrace, Roath, before the site of the Old Royal Infirmary buildings on Newport Road were chosen. The University College was incorporated by Royal Charter the following year, this charter was the first in Wales to allow the enrollment of women, John Viriamu Jones was appointed as the Universitys first Principal, at age 27. As Cardiff was not an independent university and could not award its own degrees and this charter was granted to the new University of Wales in 1893, allowing the colleges to award degrees as members of this institution. The chancellor was set ex officio as the Prince of Wales, in 1885, Aberdare Hall opened as the first hall of residence, allowing women access to the university. This moved to its current site in 1895, but remains a single-sex hall,1904 saw the appointment of the first female associate professor in the UK, Millicent Mackenzie. In 1910 she was appointed the first female professor at a chartered university in the UK. In 1901 principal Jones persuaded the Cardiff Corporation to give the college a site in Cathays Park
29.
Uncle Sam
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Uncle Sam represents a manifestation of patriotic emotion. The first use of Uncle Sam in formal literature was in the 1816 allegorical book The Adventures of Uncle Sam in Search After His Lost Honor by Frederick Augustus Fidfaddy, Esq. An Uncle Sam is mentioned as early as 1775, in the original Yankee Doodle lyrics of the American Revolutionary War and it is not clear whether this reference is to Uncle Sam as a metaphor for the United States, or to an actual person named Sam. The lyrics as a whole celebrate the efforts of the young nation. The 13th stanza is, The earliest known personification of the United States was Columbia, with the American Revolutionary War came Brother Jonathan as another personification, and Uncle Sam finally appeared after the War of 1812. Here of late Uncle Sam alias Brother Jonathan has been doing a lot of complaining. The term Uncle Sam is reputedly derived from Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, there was a requirement at the time for contractors to stamp their name and where the rations came from onto the food they were sending. Wilsons packages were labeled E. A – US, when someone asked what that stood for, a coworker joked and said, Elbert Anderson and Uncle Sam, referring to Sam Wilson, though it actually stood for United States. Doubts have been raised as to this being the source of the term, additionally, the earliest reference to the term that has been found is from 1810, predating Wilsons contract with the government. Similarly, the appearance of both personifications varied wildly, more than four million copies of this image were printed between 1917 and 1918. Flaggs image also was used extensively during World War II, during which the U. S. was codenamed Samland by the German intelligence agency Abwehr, the term was central in the song The Yankee Doodle Boy, which was featured in 1942 in the musical Yankee Doodle Dandy. Wilsons boyhood home can still be visited in Mason, New Hampshire and he died on July 31,1854, aged 87, and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, New York. In 1989, Uncle Sam Day became official, a Congressional joint resolution designated September 13,1989 as Uncle Sam Day, the birthday of Samuel Wilson. In 2015, the family history company MyHeritage researched Uncle Sams family tree, Uncle Sam billboard Mouraux, Cecile, and Jean-Pierre Mouraux. Who Was Uncle Sam, Illustrated Story of the Life of Our National Symbol, the Straight Dope Civil War Harpers Weekly newspapers
30.
NatWest
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National Westminster Bank, commonly known as NatWest, is a large retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1968 by the merger of National Provincial Bank, since 2000 it has been part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Today it has more than 7.5 million personal customers and 850,000 small business accounts, in Ireland it operates through its Ulster Bank subsidiary. NatWest was named a runner-up for the Best Business Banking Provider category at the British Bank Awards 2016, the banks origins date back to 1658 with the foundation of Smiths Bank of Nottingham. Westminster Foreign Bank was restyled International Westminster Bank in 1973, duncan Stirling, outgoing chairman of Westminster Bank, became first chairman of the fifth largest bank in the world. In 1969 David Robarts, former chairman of National Provincial, assumed Stirlings position, in 1975 it was one of the first London banks to open a representative office in Scotland. It was a member of the Joint Credit Card Company which launched the Access credit card in 1972. The same banks, excluding Lloyds, were responsible for the introduction of the Switch debit card in 1988. Deregulation in the 1980s, culminating in the Big Bang in 1986, County Bank, its merchant banking subsidiary formed in 1965, acquired various stockbroking and jobbing firms to create the investment banking arm County NatWest. The Action Bank advertising campaign spearheaded a new marketing-led approach to business development, in 1982, the Frankfurt office of International Westminster Bank merged with Global Bank AG to form Deutsche Westminster Bank. In 1985, Banco NatWest España was formed and National Westminster Bank SA was incorporated in 1988, taking over the six branches in France. In 1989, International Westminster Bank was merged into National Westminster Bank by Act of Parliament, completed in 1980, the bank built the National Westminster Tower in London to serve as its international headquarters. Also worthy of note is National Westminster House in Birmingham, the building was sold to British Land in 2007, the banks expansion strategy hit trouble with the stock market crash of 1987 and involvement in the financial scandal surrounding the collapse of Blue Arrow. The Department of Trade and Industry report on the affair was critical of the management and resulted in the resignation of several members of the board. Later, the bank would divest its overseas subsidiaries, the North American operations were sold to Fleet Bank and Hong Kong Bank of Canada, and the Australian and New Zealand branches were sold to Salomon Smith Barney and the National Australia Bank. Thereafter the bank concentrated on its domestic business as the restyled NatWest Group. In 1993, the NatWest Tower was devastated by a Provisional IRA bomb, then, in 1997, NatWest Markets, the corporate and investment banking arm formed in 1992, revealed that a £50m loss had been discovered, revised to £90. 5m after further investigations. The banks move into complicated derivative products that it did not fully understand seemed to indicate poor management, by the end of 1997 parts of NatWest Markets had been sold, others becoming Greenwich NatWest in 1998
31.
London Borough of Enfield
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The London Borough of Enfield is a London borough in north London with some districts within the borough straddling north-east London, England. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest, the districts of Hertsmere, Welwyn Hatfield and Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, the local authority is Enfield Council. The feld would have been a reference to an area cleared of trees within woodland that would become known as Enfield Chase. Enfield Town used to be a market town in the county of Middlesex on the edge of the forest about a days walk north of London. As London grew, Enfield Town and its surrounds eventually became a residential suburb, the current borough was created in 1965 from the former areas of the Municipal Borough of Southgate, the Municipal Borough of Enfield and the Municipal Borough of Edmonton. The armorial bearings of three boroughs were also merged. The heraldic beast on the shield of the Enfield coat of arms is known in heraldry as an Enfield, in Roman times, Enfield was connected to Londinium by Ermine Street, the great Roman road which stretched all the way up to York. Artefacts found in the early 1900s reveal that there were Roman settlements in the areas that are now Edmonton, in 790 King Offa of Mercia was recorded as giving the lands of Edmonton to St Albans Abbey. The area became important as East Anglia was taken over by the Danes. In the 790s strongholds were built by men loyal to King Alfred the Great, after the Norman Conquest, both Enfield and Edmonton were mentioned in Domesday Book. Both had churches, and Enfield had 400 inhabitants, Edmonton 300, Enfield is also described as having a parc. This parc—a heavily forested area for hunting—was key to Enfields existence in the Middle Ages, wealthy Londoners came to Enfield first to hunt, and then to build houses in the green, wooded surroundings. In 1303, Edward I of England granted Enfield a charter to hold a weekly market, Enfield Grammar School with its Tudor Old Hall stands next to the Enfield Town Market Place and St. Andrews Church, the school having been extended several times since 1586. A new hall and further additions were completed shortly before World War II, nearby historically was the palace of Edward VI, where Elizabeth I lived while a princess, including during the final illness of Henry VIII. Later Elizabeth held court there when she was queen, Enfield has a history of armaments manufacture—see Royal Small Arms Factory. The Lee–Enfield.303 rifle was standard issue for the British Army until 1957, other firearms manufactured there include the Bren and Sten machine guns—the en in both cases denoting the place of manufacture. The worlds first solid state circuitry colour televisions were manufactured by Ferguson at their now closed plant in Enfield, the first dishwasher to be mass-produced was in Hotpoints now closed Enfield plant. This historical event was marked by a plaque on the wall of the bank
32.
BBC
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The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. It is headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, the BBC is the worlds oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It employs over 20,950 staff in total,16,672 of whom are in public sector broadcasting, the total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, and fixed contract staff are included. The BBC is established under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The fee is set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and used to fund the BBCs radio, TV, britains first live public broadcast from the Marconi factory in Chelmsford took place in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mails Lord Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian Soprano Dame Nellie Melba, the Melba broadcast caught the peoples imagination and marked a turning point in the British publics attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920, pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office, was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests, John Reith, a Scottish Calvinist, was appointed its General Manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved manufacturers, to this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to inform, educate and entertain. The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate, set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between the GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster-General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee and this was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee with no royalty once the wireless manufactures protection expired. The BBCs broadcasting monopoly was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, the BBC was also banned from presenting news bulletins before 19.00, and required to source all news from external wire services. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee, by now the BBC under Reiths leadership had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit the loss making consortium with Reith keen that the BBC be seen as a service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production and with restrictions on news bulletins waived the BBC suddenly became the source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position, the Government was divided on how to handle the BBC but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PMs own
33.
Al Green
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Inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, Green was referred to on the museums site as being one of the most gifted purveyors of soul music. He has also referred to as The Last of the Great Soul Singers. Green was included in the Rolling Stone list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, Al Green was born Albert Leornes Greene on April 13,1946, in Forrest City, Arkansas. The sixth of ten born to Cora Lee and Robert G. Greene, Jr. a sharecropper. The Greene family relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the late 1950s, Al was kicked out of the family home while in his teens, after his religiously devout father caught him listening to Jackie Wilson. I also listened to Mahalia Jackson, all the great gospel singers, but the most important music to me was those hip-shakin’ boys, Wilson Pickett and Elvis Presley. Whatever he got, I went out and bought, in high school, Al formed a vocal group called Al Greene & the Creations. Two of the members, Curtis Rodgers and Palmer James. In 1968, having changed their name to Al Greene & the Soul Mates, they recorded the song Back Up Train, the song was a hit on the R&B charts. However, the groups subsequent follow-ups failed to chart, as did their debut album, while performing with the Soul Mates, Green came into contact with Memphis record producer Willie Mitchell, who hired him in 1969 to be a vocalist for a Texas show with Mitchells band. Following the performance, Mitchell asked Green to sign with his Hi Records label, having noted that Green had been trying to sing like Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett and James Brown, Mitchell became his vocal mentor, coaching him into finding his own voice. Before releasing his first album with Hi, Green removed the final e from his name, subsequently, he released Green Is Blues, which was a moderate success. His follow-up album, Al Green Gets Next to You, featured the hit R&B cover of the Temptations I Cant Get Next to You, Greens next album, Lets Stay Together, solidified his place in soul music. The title track was his biggest hit to date, reaching number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts, the album became his first to be certified gold. His follow-up, Im Still in Love with You went platinum with the help of the singles Look What You Done for Me and the title track, both of which went to the top ten on the Hot 100. His next album, Call Me, released in 1973, produced three top ten singles, You Ought to Be with Me, Call Me and Here I Am. Greens album Livin for You, released at the end of 1973, was his last album to be certified gold, Green continued to record successful R&B hits in the next several years including Livin for You, Lets Get Married, Sha-La-La, L-O-V-E and Full of Fire. His last Hi Records album, Truth n Time, was released in 1978, two years later, he left Hi for Myrrh Records and recorded only gospel music for the next decade and a half
34.
Easy (Commodores song)
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Easy is a song by Commodores for the Motown label, from their fifth studio album, Commodores. Released in March 1977, Easy reached #1 on the Billboard R&B chart, the success of Easy paved the way for similar Lionel Richie-composed hit ballads such as Three Times a Lady and Still, and also for Richies later solo hits. The song is noted for a noise, with an echo. Also, a guitar solo dominates the instrumental portion of the song. In addition, the other Commodores are heard singing wordless harmonies during the chorus of the song, strings and Brass are also featured as well. The edited version receives the most airplay, the longer version from the album features the chorus being repeated more times, a semitone up, from A-flat major to A major, a few times before it fades out. Written by Commodores lead singer Lionel Richie, the song is a ballad expressing a mans feelings as he ends a relationship. Bassist Billy Gould said the version was a cover because we like in a painful kind of way. It gives us memories of our childhood and it is their highest-charting UK hit, reaching #3, their second number one single on the Australian charts and their final charting single in the American chart Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #58. Other appearances include a 2006 commercial for Levis Jeans and as the tune for the TV programme Goals on Sunday. The biggest difference from the original is that Faith No More left out the second verse, the song was released under three titles, Im Easy, Im Easy, and Easy. The title varies depending upon the region of release or whether it was the single or part of the album Angel Dust, as a single, in most countries apart from the United States, Australia and Japan, releases had the title Im Easy. In the aforementioned countries, the title was simply Easy with the German special edition using Im Easy, there are at least two different mixes in circulation, all of which originate from the same studio recording of the song. The first mix has a voice-over by Mike Patton during the first few seconds of the song, Turn the lights out and this ones for the ladies in the house. It also has fewer guitar overdubs, a different bass line before the guitar solo. Easy was sampled by the Houston-based rap group Geto Boys for the song Six Feet Deep from their 1993 album Till Death Do Us Part and it was also used as a sample in Camrons song Hey Ma. Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
35.
British people
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British people, or Britons, are the citizens of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown dependencies, and their descendants. British nationality law governs modern British citizenship and nationality, which can be acquired, for instance, although early assertions of being British date from the Late Middle Ages, the creation of the united Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 triggered a sense of British national identity. The notion of Britishness was forged during the Napoleonic Wars between Britain and the First French Empire, and developed further during the Victorian era, because of longstanding ethno-sectarian divisions, British identity in Northern Ireland is controversial, but it is held with strong conviction by unionists. Modern Britons are descended mainly from the ethnic groups that settled in the British Isles in and before the 11th century, Prehistoric, Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Norse. The British are a diverse, multi-national and multicultural society, with regional accents, expressions. Although none of his own writings remain, writers during the time of the Roman Empire made much reference to them, the group included Ireland, which was referred to as Ierne inhabited by the different race of Hiberni, and Britain as insula Albionum, island of the Albions. The term Pritani may have reached Pytheas from the Gauls, who used it as their term for the inhabitants of the islands. Greek and Roman writers, in the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD, name the inhabitants of Great Britain and Ireland as the Priteni, the origin of the Latin word Britanni. It has been suggested that name derives from a Gaulish description translated as people of the forms. By 50 BC Greek geographers were using equivalents of Prettanikē as a name for the British Isles. However, the term Britannia persisted as the Latin name for the island, during the Middle Ages, and particularly in the Tudor period, the term British was used to refer to the Welsh people and Cornish people. At that time, it was the held belief that these were the remaining descendants of the ancient Britons. This notion was supported by such as the Historia Regum Britanniae. Wales and Cornwall, and north, i. e. Cumbria, Strathclyde and this legendary Celtic history of Great Britain is known as the Matter of Britain. The indigenous people of the British Isles have a combination of Celtic, Norse, Anglo-Saxon, oppenheimer continues that the majority of the people of the British Isles share genetic commonalities with the Basques, ranging from highs of 90% in Wales to lows of 66% in East Anglia. Oppenheimers opinion is that. by far the majority of male gene types in the British Isles derive from Iberia, ranging from a low of 59% in Fakenham, Norfolk to highs of 96% in Llangefni, north Wales. The English had been unified under a single state in 937 by King Athelstan of Wessex after the Battle of Brunanburh. However, historian Simon Schama suggested that it was Edward I of England who was responsible for provoking the peoples of Britain into an awareness of their nationhood in the 13th century
36.
Hammersmith Apollo
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The Hammersmith Apollo is an entertainment venue and a Grade II* listed building located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace and it has had a string of names and owners, most recently AEG Live and Eventim UK. The venue was opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace and seated nearly 3,500 people and it was designed by Robert Cromie in the Art Deco style. In 1962, the building was renamed Hammersmith Odeon, a name many people use for the venue along with the abbreviation Hammy-O. It became a Grade II listed building in 1990, the venue was later refurbished and renamed Labatts Apollo following a sponsorship deal with Labatt Brewing Company. In 2002, the venue was renamed, this time to Carling Apollo after Carling brewery struck a deal with the owners. The venues listing was upgraded to Grade II* status in 2005, in 2003, the stalls seats were made removable and now some concerts have full seating whilst others have standing-only in the stalls. In the latter format the venue can accommodate around 5,000 people, the event was marked by rock band AC/DC playing an exclusive one-off concert and only charging £10 per ticket. All 5,000 tickets sold out in 4 minutes, in 2006, the venue reverted to its former name, the Hammersmith Apollo. In 2007, the original 1932 Compton pipe organ, still present from the days as a cinema, was restored. The building then changed hands and was bought by the MAMA Group, as a result, the venue was named HMV Apollo from 2009 until 2012. Other venues purchased include The Forum in Londons Kentish Town, the Birmingham Institute, the venue was sold by HMV Group in May 2012 to AEG Live and CTS Eventim. In 2013, the venue was closed for a refurbishment which was carried out by award-winning architect Foster Wilson. The venue reopened as the Eventim Apollo on 7 September 2013, the original 1932 Compton pipe organ is still present at the Apollo and was fully restored to playing condition in 2007. It has a console which rises through the stage on a new lift. Having fallen into disrepair, the organ was disconnected in the 1990s, however at English Heritage and the councils insistence it has been reinstated and the entire organ restored. A launch party was held on 25 July 2007, at which an invited audience, pipe organs such as this were installed in most cinemas of the pre-war period to provide music for film shows, accompany silent movies and to feature in solo performances. Many were also broadcast on the radio and recorded on 78 rpm records and these organs were based on church-type instruments but had many other sounds including percussion instruments built in
37.
Sony Music
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Sony Music Entertainment is an American music company owned by Sony. It is incorporated as a partnership of Sony Music Holdings Inc. through Sony Entertainment. The company was first founded in 1929 as American Record Corporation and renamed Columbia Recording Corporation in 1938, in 1966, the company was reorganized to become CBS Records. Sony Corporation bought the company in 1987 and renamed it Sony Music Entertainment in 1991, the buyout led to the dissolution of BMG, which relaunched as BMG Rights Management. Sony Music Entertainment is one of the Big Three record companies, being the second largest after Universal Music Group, in 1929, ARC was founded through a merger of several record companies. In 1934, in the midst of Great Depression, the Columbia Phonograph Company, ARC was acquired in 1938 by the Columbia Broadcasting System, which, in turn, had been formed by the Columbia Phonograph Company, but then sold off. ARC was renamed Columbia Recording Corporation, RCA Victor Records executive Ted Wallerstein convinced CBS head William S. Paley to buy ARC and Paley made Wallerstein head of the newly acquired record company. The renamed company made Columbia its flagship label and Okeh its subsidiary label and this allowed ARCs leased labels Brunswick Records and Vocalion Records to revert to their former owner Warner Bros. which sold them to Decca Records. Columbia kept the Brunswick catalogue recorded from December 1931 onward on the Columbia label and he was succeeded by James Conkling as head of Columbia Records. In 1951, Columbia severed its ties with the EMI-owned record label of the same name, Okeh Records continued to be distributed by EMI on the Columbia label. Columbia founded Epic Records in 1953 and in 1956, Conkling left Columbia and he would help establish the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences before eventually becoming the first president of the newly launched Warner Bros. His successor, Goddard Lieberson began the first of two stints as head of the record company, and in 1958, Columbia founded another label, Date Records, which initially issued rockabilly music. In 1960, Columbia/CBS began negotiations with its international distributor Philips Records with the goal of starting its own global record company. Philips acquisition of US-based Mercury Records in 1961 paved the way for this, elsewhere, CBSs Mexican record company, Discos Columbia, was renamed Discos CBS by 1963. In 1964, Columbia set out acquiring record companies in countries for its CBS Records International Unit. EMI continued to distribute Epic and Okeh label material on the Columbia label in the UK until the deal with EMI expired in 1968 when CBS took over distribution. In late 1965, the Date subsidiary label was revived and this label released the first string of hits for Peaches & Herb and scored a few minor hits from various other artists. Dates biggest success was Time of the Season by the Zombies, the label was discontinued in 1970
38.
Chenoa
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María Laura Corradini Falomir, popularly known as Chenoa is an Argentine-Spanish female music artist who became successful after appearing on the TV contest Operación Triunfo. Her music style could be described as pop, most of her music is in Spanish, although a few tracks on some albums were recorded in English. Although her albums are not readily available in the U. S. record shelves as they are in Spain and Latin America and she has sold more than 1,000,000 records since 2002. Chenoa was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina on June 25,1975, although her family moved to Majorca, Spain and she grew up in a musical family, both parents were musicians who used to sing in hotels at live music shows. At the age of 16, Chenoa began to sing professionally, when her mother fell ill, Chenoa had to stand in for her. Her fathers family is of Italian descent and her grandmother is Lebanese. She graduated as a school teacher and started performing in the Casino de Mallorca shows when she was 20. There, Chenoa acquired a stage presence before entering the first edition of the Spanish television show Operación Triunfo in 2001. Her first album was Chenoa, released in April 2002 in Spain, year 2002 finished with a Spanish tour that included more than 90 dates. In April 2003, Chenoa competed in and won Eurobest, a European song contest in which she performed Its Raining Men, the unplugged album Mis canciones favoritas was Chenoas second album. It was recorded in Barcelona in April 2003, and included some of her songs such as Man in The Mirror, Respect, Chain of Fools. This CD + DVD was released on an edition of 100,000 copies. Soy mujer was the title of her studio album, recorded in Miami. Pop, rock, Latin, Arab, and Anglo sounds are mixed in this album, the album also charted in Venezuela reaching the number two position. The singles released were En tu cruz me clavaste, Soy lo que me das, Siete pétalos, Dame, Chenoa was nominated again for the Premios Amigo award as best female artist and completed an 80-date tour in Spain. In 2004, she was nominated for the Tu Música award as best new artist in Puerto Rico, in May and June 2004, she started her Soy mujer promotional tour around Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and Argentina. In December, she visited Panama, Costa Rica, and Dominican Republic, in April 2005, the Spanish Radio and Television Associations Federation awarded her the Micrófono de Oro 2005. Venezuela has also awarded Chenoa in 2005 with the Mara de Oro 2005 for the best new international artist of the year, Chenoas third studio album Nada es igual was released in November
39.
Spain
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By population, Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union. Spains capital and largest city is Madrid, other urban areas include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao. Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago, in the Middle Ages, the area was conquered by Germanic tribes and later by the Moors. Spain is a democracy organised in the form of a government under a constitutional monarchy. It is a power and a major developed country with the worlds fourteenth largest economy by nominal GDP. Jesús Luis Cunchillos argues that the root of the span is the Phoenician word spy. Therefore, i-spn-ya would mean the land where metals are forged, two 15th-century Spanish Jewish scholars, Don Isaac Abravanel and Solomon ibn Verga, gave an explanation now considered folkloric. Both men wrote in two different published works that the first Jews to reach Spain were brought by ship by Phiros who was confederate with the king of Babylon when he laid siege to Jerusalem. This man was a Grecian by birth, but who had given a kingdom in Spain. He became related by marriage to Espan, the nephew of king Heracles, Heracles later renounced his throne in preference for his native Greece, leaving his kingdom to his nephew, Espan, from whom the country of España took its name. Based upon their testimonies, this eponym would have already been in use in Spain by c.350 BCE, Iberia enters written records as a land populated largely by the Iberians, Basques and Celts. Early on its coastal areas were settled by Phoenicians who founded Western Europe´s most ancient cities Cadiz, Phoenician influence expanded as much of the Peninsula was eventually incorporated into the Carthaginian Empire, becoming a major theater of the Punic Wars against the expanding Roman Empire. After an arduous conquest, the peninsula came fully under Roman Rule, during the early Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule but later, much of it was conquered by Moorish invaders from North Africa. In a process took centuries, the small Christian kingdoms in the north gradually regained control of the peninsula. The last Moorish kingdom fell in the same year Columbus reached the Americas, a global empire began which saw Spain become the strongest kingdom in Europe, the leading world power for a century and a half, and the largest overseas empire for three centuries. Continued wars and other problems led to a diminished status. The Napoleonic invasions of Spain led to chaos, triggering independence movements that tore apart most of the empire, eventually democracy was peacefully restored in the form of a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Spain joined the European Union, experiencing a renaissance and steady economic growth
40.
Dedicated (Lemar album)
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Dedicated is the debut album by English soul/R&B and Fame Academy runner up Lemar. The now defunct girl group The 411 provided backing vocals for a number of tracks, sony Music signed Lemar to a five-record deal after his success on the BBC Television programme Fame Academy in 2002. His first single Dance was written with Craig Hardy and Fitzgerald Scott who had worked with Keith Sweat. The second single 50/50 was recorded by the Norwegian Stargate production team, fingaz, who has produced hits by British group Big Brovaz, also produced the song What About Love. Lemar also recorded a version of Lets Stay Together by Al Green which was one of his songs by Fame Academy. The first single from the album, Dance With U, reached number 2 on the UK singles charts in early 2003 and his first album Dedicated was released late in 2003 with additional singles 50/50 and Another Day also achieving chart success in the UK. Following the success of the album, he commenced his first headlining tour of the UK, Dedicated was certified double platinum by the BPI for sales in excess of 600,000 copies. Dedicated –1,08 Dance –3,08 Fresh –3,25 50/50 –3,24 Another Day –4,02 Sweet Love –3,35 No Pressure –3,38 Body Talk –3,20 What About Love. –3,39 Good Woman –3,47 Lets Stay Together –3,48 Hot Summer –3,25 Alright With Our Love –4,20 Lullaby –3,22 All I Ever Do –3,20 Lemar Online page Lemar Top of The Pops Interview
