1.
Newburgh, New York
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Newburgh /ˈnuːbərɡ/ is a city located in Orange County, New York, United States,60 miles north of New York City, and 90 miles south of Albany, on the Hudson River. Newburgh is a part of the New York metropolitan area, the Newburgh area was first settled in the early 18th century by the Germans and British. During the American Revolution, Newburgh served as the headquarters of the Continental Army, prior to its chartering in 1865, the city of Newburgh was part of the town of Newburgh, the town now borders the city to the north and west. East of the city is the Hudson River, the city of Beacon, New York across the river, the entire southern boundary of the city is with the town of New Windsor. Most of this boundary is formed by Quassaick Creek, in May 2016, the city requested help for its PFOS contaminated water supply under Superfund. At the time of European contact the area of Newburgh was occupied by the Waoranek, the area that became Newburgh was first explored by Europeans when Henry Hudson stopped by during his 1609 expedition up the river that now bears his name. Around 1683 provincial governor Thomas Dongan purchased the land from the Woaranek, the first settlement was made in the spring of 1709 by fifty-four Palatine refugees, sponsored by Queen Anne of Great Britain. The settlers named it the Palatine Parish by Quassic, in 1743 a ferry at the foot of First Street had been established between Newburgh and Fishkill Landing. In 1752 the land had been surveyed by Cadwallader Colden and named Newburgh after Newburgh in his native Scotland, shipyards were established and docks and warehouses lined the waterfront. Newburgh was the headquarters of the Continental Army from March,1782 until the part of 1783. While the army was camped at Newburgh, some of its senior officers began the Newburgh conspiracy to overthrow the government, General George Washington was able to persuade his officers to stay loyal to him. The army was disbanded here in 1783, Washington received the famous Newburgh letter from Lewis Nicola proposing that he become king here. It drew a rebuke from Washington. In honor of his refusal of that suggestion, Kings Highway, the year 1793 saw Newburghs first newspaper, The Newburgh Packet. The hamlet of Newburgh was incorporated as a village in 1800, at the time of its settlement it was in Ulster County and was that countys seat. When Rockland County was split from Orange County in 1798, Newburgh, Newburgh thus lost its status as the county seat to Goshen. The former Ulster County courthouse still stands as Newburghs old city courthouse building, by 1793 there were four sloop lines operating out of Newburgh. As new turnpikes opened trade extended into the interior, passenger coaches and farm wagons raveled as far west as Canandaigua
2.
Hip hop music
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It developed as part of hip hop culture, a subculture defined by four key stylistic elements, MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching with turntables, break dancing, and graffiti writing. Other elements include sampling beats or bass lines from records, while often used to refer solely to rapping, hip hop more properly denotes the practice of the entire subculture. Hip hops early evolution occurred as sampling technology and drum machines became available and affordable. Turntablist techniques such as scratching and beatmatching developed along with the breaks and Jamaican toasting, rapping developed as a vocal style in which the artist speaks or chants along rhythmically with an instrumental or synthesized beat. The Sugarhill Gangs 1979 song Rappers Delight is widely regarded to be the first hip hop record to gain popularity in the mainstream. The 1980s marked the diversification of hip hop as the genre developed more complex styles, prior to the 1980s, hip hop music was largely confined within the United States. However, during the 1980s, it began to spread to scenes in dozens of countries. New school hip hop was the wave of hip hop music, originating in 1983–84 with the early records of Run-D. M. C. The Golden age hip hop period was a period between the mid-1980s and the early 1990s. Notable artists from this era include the Juice Crew, Public Enemy, & Rakim, Boogie Down Productions and KRS-One, EPMD, Slick Rick, Beastie Boys, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, Ultramagnetic MCs, De La Soul, and A Tribe Called Quest. Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop that often focuses on the violent lifestyles, in the West Coast hip hop style, G-funk dominated mainstream hip hop for several years during the 1990s. I. G. In the 1990s, hip hop began to diversify with other regional styles emerging, such as Southern rap, at the same time, hip hop continued to be assimilated into other genres of popular music, examples being Neo soul and nu metal. Hip hop became a pop music genre in the mid-1990s. The popularity of hip hop music continued through the 2000s, with hip hop influences also increasingly finding their way into mainstream pop, the United States also saw the success of regional styles such as crunk, a Southern genre that emphasized the beats and music more than the lyrics. Starting in 2005, sales of hip hop music in the United States began to severely wane, during the mid-2000s, alternative hip hop secured a place in the mainstream, due in part to the crossover success of artists such as OutKast and Kanye West. Creation of the hip hop is often credited to Keith Cowboy, rapper with Grandmaster Flash. However, Lovebug Starski, Keith Cowboy, and DJ Hollywood used the term when the music was known as disco rap. Cowboy later worked the hip hop cadence into a part of his stage performance, the first use of the term in print was in The Village Voice, by Steven Hager, later author of a 1984 history of hip hop
3.
Poetry
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Poetry has a long history, dating back to the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh. Early poems evolved from folk songs such as the Chinese Shijing, or from a need to retell oral epics, as with the Sanskrit Vedas, Zoroastrian Gathas, and the Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Ancient attempts to define poetry, such as Aristotles Poetics, focused on the uses of speech in rhetoric, drama, song and comedy. Later attempts concentrated on such as repetition, verse form and rhyme. From the mid-20th century, poetry has sometimes been more generally regarded as a creative act employing language. Poetry uses forms and conventions to suggest differential interpretation to words, devices such as assonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhythm are sometimes used to achieve musical or incantatory effects. The use of ambiguity, symbolism, irony and other elements of poetic diction often leaves a poem open to multiple interpretations. Similarly figures of such as metaphor, simile and metonymy create a resonance between otherwise disparate images—a layering of meanings, forming connections previously not perceived. Kindred forms of resonance may exist, between verses, in their patterns of rhyme or rhythm. Some poetry types are specific to cultures and genres and respond to characteristics of the language in which the poet writes. Much modern poetry reflects a critique of poetic tradition, playing with and testing, among other things, in todays increasingly globalized world, poets often adapt forms, styles and techniques from diverse cultures and languages. Some scholars believe that the art of poetry may predate literacy, others, however, suggest that poetry did not necessarily predate writing. The oldest surviving poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh, comes from the 3rd millennium BCE in Sumer. An example of Egyptian epic poetry is The Story of Sinuhe, other forms of poetry developed directly from folk songs. The earliest entries in the oldest extant collection of Chinese poetry, the efforts of ancient thinkers to determine what makes poetry distinctive as a form, and what distinguishes good poetry from bad, resulted in poetics—the study of the aesthetics of poetry. Some ancient societies, such as Chinas through her Shijing, developed canons of poetic works that had ritual as well as aesthetic importance, Classical thinkers employed classification as a way to define and assess the quality of poetry. Later aestheticians identified three major genres, epic poetry, lyric poetry, and dramatic poetry, treating comedy and tragedy as subgenres of dramatic poetry, Aristotles work was influential throughout the Middle East during the Islamic Golden Age, as well as in Europe during the Renaissance. English Romantic poet John Keats termed this escape from logic Negative Capability and this romantic approach views form as a key element of successful poetry because form is abstract and distinct from the underlying notional logic
4.
Nine Inch Nails
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Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock band founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. Despite this, the band has had feuds with the corporate side of the recording industry. Reznor returned to self-releasing material with the second Nine Inch Nails EP, as the bands main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only constant member of the group, and remains solely responsible for its direction. This changed however in 2016 when Atticus Ross was introduced as a permanent member of Nine Inch Nails alongside the announcement of Not the Actual Events, after recording a new album, Reznor usually assembles a live band to perform onstage with him. The touring band features a lineup that often rearranges songs to fit a live setting. On stage, Nine Inch Nails often employs visual elements to accompany performances, Nine Inch Nails has been nominated for thirteen Grammy Awards, and won twice for the songs Wish and Happiness in Slavery in 1992 and 1996, respectively. In 1997, Reznor appeared in Time magazines list of the years most influential people, in 2004, Rolling Stone placed Nine Inch Nails at 94 on its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time. In 2014, Nine Inch Nails was named as nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 2015, they were nominated a second time. Koster agreed and allowed Reznor to use it whenever it was empty, while completing the early recordings, Reznor was unable to find a band that could articulate the material as he desired. Instead, inspired by Prince, Reznor played all the instruments except drums himself and this role remains Reznors on most of the bands studio recordings, though he has occasionally involved other musicians and assistants. Nine Inch Nails debut was at the Phantasy Theater in Lakewood, in 1988, after playing its first shows supporting Skinny Puppy, Reznors ambition for Nine Inch Nails was to release one 12-inch single on a small European label. Several labels responded favorably to the material and Reznor signed with TVT Records. The overall sound on Purest Feeling is lighter than that of Pretty Hate Machine, several songs feature live drumming and guitar work throughout. Reznor coined the name Nine Inch Nails because it abbreviated easily, other rumored explanations have circulated, alleging that Reznor chose to reference Jesus crucifixion with nine-inch spikes, or Freddy Kruegers nine-inch fingernails. The English letters NIN are also noted for their resemblance to the modern Hebrew characters of the Tetragrammaton, the Nine Inch Nails logo, which consists of the letters set inside a border, was designed by Reznor and Gary Talpas. The logo first appeared on the video for Nine Inch Nails debut single, Down in It. Talpas, a native of Cleveland, would continue to design Nine Inch Nails packaging art until 1997, written, arranged, and performed by Reznor, Nine Inch Nails first album Pretty Hate Machine debuted in 1989. It marked his first collaboration with Adrian Sherwood and Mark Flood Ellis, Reznor asked Sean Beavan to mix the demos of Pretty Hate Machine, which had received multiple offers for record deals
5.
The Mars Volta
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The Mars Volta was an American rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The bands final lineup consisted of Omar Rodríguez-López, Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Juan Alderete, Marcel Rodríguez-López, the band formed following the break-up of Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavalas previous band, At the Drive-In. They are known for their live shows and their concept albums. In 2009, the band won a Grammy Award in the Best Hard Rock Performance category for the song Wax Simulacra, in 2008, they were named Best Prog-Rock Band by Rolling Stone magazine. In September 2012 it was announced that the Mars Volta had entered a hiatus, with Rodríguez-López and Parks forming a new project, four months later, the band announced their breakup. Bixler-Zavala and Alderete subsequently formed a new band, Zavalaz, Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala eventually reunited in 2014 for a new project, Antemasque. Yknow, changing of time and the changeover, and Mars, were just fascinated by science fiction so and its something that ultimately looked as in anything I write, its meaning is always up to the listener. The roots of the Mars Volta are found in the band At the Drive-In, ATDI imploded on the verge of breakthrough, partly due to boredom, partly to musical differences. Due to creative differences and discomfort with mainstream success and drug abuse, Rodríguez-López, the remaining members of the band formed Sparta. During 2001 Eva Gardner joined the members of De Facto on bass, the lineup for their first public show at Chain Reaction in Anaheim, California was Rodríguez-López, Bixler-Zavala, Owens, Gardner, Ward, and drummer Jon Theodore. This lineup recorded three tracks with Alex Newport, which became the EP Tremulant, released in early 2002 by Gold Standard Laboratories. After the demise of At the Drive-In, Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala found themselves once again starting from the ground up, in their early years the Mars Volta were characterized by chaotic live shows and heavy drug use. Whereas Tremulant had no general theme De-Loused was a work of speculative fiction telling the first-person story of someone in a drug-induced coma. He died jumping from the Mesa Street overpass onto Interstate-10 in El Paso during afternoon rush-hour traffic, hes got this thing about representing the common mans ears—Id rather jab the common mans ears. If we dont, well never get to a place where future music exists, the Mars Volta had no official bassist during the recording session, but Flea played bass on nine of the albums ten songs, with Justin Meldal-Johnsen playing double bass on Televators. Fleas bandmate John Frusciante also contributed guitar, synthesizer and backing vocals to Cicatriz ESP. After several temporary replacements, a permanent bassist for the band was found in Juan Alderete, despite limited promotion, De-Loused earned strong reviews, and appeared on several year-end best-of lists. The album remains the Mars Voltas best-seller, with over 500,000 copies sold, Rolling Stone ranked a track from De-Loused, Drunkship of Lanterns, the 91st Best Guitar Song Ever
6.
Tupac Shakur
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Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known by his stage names 2Pac, Makaveli or just Pac, was an American rapper, record producer, actor, activist and poet. As of 2007, Shakur has sold over 75 million records worldwide and his double disc albums All Eyez on Me and his Greatest Hits are among the best-selling albums in the United States. He has been listed and ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time by publications, including Rolling Stone. He is consistently ranked as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, on April 7,2017, Shakur will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Shakur began his career as a roadie, backup dancer, and MC for the hip hop group Digital Underground. The themes of most of Shakurs songs revolved around the violence and hardship in inner cities, racism, and other social problems. Both of his parents and several people in his family were members of the Black Panther Party, whose ideals were reflected in his songs. I. G. On September 7,1996, Shakur was fatally shot in a shooting at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane in Las Vegas. He was taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, Shakur was born on June 16,1971, in the East Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City. His mother Afeni Shakur and his father Billy Garland were active members of the Black Panther Party in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Lesane was born a month after his mother was acquitted of more than 150 charges of Conspiracy against the United States government, Many people in Shakurs life were involved with the Black Liberation Army, some were convicted of serious criminal offenses and imprisoned, including his mother. His godfather, Elmer Geronimo Pratt, a high-ranking Black Panther, was convicted of murdering a school teacher during a 1968 robbery and his stepfather, Mutulu, spent four years at large on the FBIs Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list beginning in 1982. Mutulu was wanted for having helped his sister Assata Shakur, Tupacs godmother and she had been imprisoned since 1977 for killing a state trooper in 1973. She lived as a fugitive for years before gaining asylum in Cuba in 1985. Mutulu was caught in 1986, tried and convicted, and imprisoned for the robbery of a Brinks armored truck in two police officers and a guard were killed. Shakur had a stepbrother, Mopreme Komani Shakur, and a half-sister, Sekyiwa. His stepbrother Mopreme performed in many of his recordings, in 1986, his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland. After completing his year at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School
7.
Morehouse College
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Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically African American college located in Atlanta, Georgia. The college is one of the few remaining traditional mens liberal arts colleges in the United States, Morehouse is the largest mens college in the United States with an enrollment over 2,000 students. In 1881, both Morehouse and Spelman students were studying in the basement of Atlantas Friendship Baptist Church. Just two years after the American Civil War, the Augusta Institute was founded by Rev. William Jefferson White, an Atlanta Baptist minister and cabinetmaker, with the support of the Rev. Richard C. Coulter, a slave from Atlanta, Georgia, and the Rev. Edmund Turney, organizer of the National Theological Institute for educating freedmen in Washington. The institution was founded to educate African American men in theology and education and was located in Springfield Baptist Church, the institution moved from Augusta, Georgia, to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1879. The school received sponsorship from the American Baptist Home Mission Society, the Institutes first president was Rev. Dr. Joseph T. Robert. An anti-slavery Baptist minister from South Carolina and 1828 graduate of Brown University, Robert raised funds, taught the classes, in 1879, the institute moved to its own location and changed its name to the Atlanta Baptist Seminary. It later acquired a 4-acre campus in downtown Atlanta, in 1885, Dr. Samuel T. Graves became the second president. That year the seminary moved to its present location, on donated by prominent Baptist and industrialist. In 1890, Dr. George Sale became the third president. In 1906 Dr. John Hope became the first African-American president and led the growth in enrollment. He envisioned an academically rigorous college that would be the antithesis to Booker T. Washingtons view of agricultural, in 1913, the college was renamed Morehouse College, in honor of Dr. Henry L. Morehouse, corresponding secretary of the American Baptist Home Mission Society. Morehouse entered into an agreement with Clark College and Spelman College in 1929. Dr. Samuel H. Archer became the president of the college in 1931 and selected the school colors, maroon and white, to reflect his own alma mater. Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays became president in 1940, Mays, who would be a mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr. presided over the growth in international enrollment and reputation. During the 1960s, Morehouse students were involved in the civil rights movement in Atlanta. Mays’ speeches were instrumental in shaping the development of Morehouse students during his tenure
8.
New York University
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New York University is a private nonprofit research university based in New York City. Founded in 1831, NYU is considered one of the worlds most influential research universities, University rankings compiled by Times Higher Education, U. S. News & World Report, and the Academic Ranking of World Universities all rank NYU amongst the top 32 universities in the world. NYU is a part of the creativity, energy and vibrancy that is Manhattan, located with its core in Greenwich Village. Among its faculty and alumni are 37 Nobel Laureates, over 30 Pulitzer Prize winners, over 30 Academy Award winners, alumni include heads of state, royalty, eminent mathematicians, inventors, media figures, Olympic medalists, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and astronauts. NYU alumni are among the wealthiest in the world, according to The Princeton Review, NYU is consistently considered by students and parents as a Top Dream College. Albert Gallatin, Secretary of Treasury under Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, declared his intention to establish in this immense, a system of rational and practical education fitting and graciously opened to all. A three-day-long literary and scientific convention held in City Hall in 1830 and these New Yorkers believed the city needed a university designed for young men who would be admitted based upon merit rather than birthright or social class. On April 18,1831, an institution was established, with the support of a group of prominent New York City residents from the merchants, bankers. Albert Gallatin was elected as the institutions first president, the university has been popularly known as New York University since its inception and was officially renamed New York University in 1896. In 1832, NYU held its first classes in rented rooms of four-story Clinton Hall, in 1835, the School of Law, NYUs first professional school, was established. American Chemical Society was founded in 1876 at NYU and it became one of the nations largest universities, with an enrollment of 9,300 in 1917. NYU had its Washington Square campus since its founding, the university purchased a campus at University Heights in the Bronx because of overcrowding on the old campus. NYU also had a desire to follow New York Citys development further uptown, NYUs move to the Bronx occurred in 1894, spearheaded by the efforts of Chancellor Henry Mitchell MacCracken. The University Heights campus was far more spacious than its predecessor was, as a result, most of the universitys operations along with the undergraduate College of Arts and Science and School of Engineering were housed there. NYUs administrative operations were moved to the new campus, but the schools of the university remained at Washington Square. In 1914, Washington Square College was founded as the undergraduate college of NYU. In 1935, NYU opened the Nassau College-Hofstra Memorial of New York University at Hempstead and this extension would later become a fully independent Hofstra University. In 1950, NYU was elected to the Association of American Universities, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, financial crisis gripped the New York City government and the troubles spread to the citys institutions, including NYU
9.
Brazil
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Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. As the worlds fifth-largest country by area and population, it is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language. Its Amazon River basin includes a vast tropical forest, home to wildlife, a variety of ecological systems. This unique environmental heritage makes Brazil one of 17 megadiverse countries, Brazil was inhabited by numerous tribal nations prior to the landing in 1500 of explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral, who claimed the area for the Portuguese Empire. Brazil remained a Portuguese colony until 1808, when the capital of the empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, in 1815, the colony was elevated to the rank of kingdom upon the formation of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Independence was achieved in 1822 with the creation of the Empire of Brazil, a state governed under a constitutional monarchy. The ratification of the first constitution in 1824 led to the formation of a bicameral legislature, the country became a presidential republic in 1889 following a military coup détat. An authoritarian military junta came to power in 1964 and ruled until 1985, Brazils current constitution, formulated in 1988, defines it as a democratic federal republic. The federation is composed of the union of the Federal District, the 26 states, Brazils economy is the worlds ninth-largest by nominal GDP and seventh-largest by GDP as of 2015. A member of the BRICS group, Brazil until 2010 had one of the worlds fastest growing economies, with its economic reforms giving the country new international recognition. Brazils national development bank plays an important role for the economic growth. Brazil is a member of the United Nations, the G20, BRICS, Unasul, Mercosul, Organization of American States, Organization of Ibero-American States, CPLP. Brazil is a power in Latin America and a middle power in international affairs. One of the worlds major breadbaskets, Brazil has been the largest producer of coffee for the last 150 years and it is likely that the word Brazil comes from the Portuguese word for brazilwood, a tree that once grew plentifully along the Brazilian coast. In Portuguese, brazilwood is called pau-brasil, with the word brasil commonly given the etymology red like an ember, formed from Latin brasa and the suffix -il. As brazilwood produces a red dye, it was highly valued by the European cloth industry and was the earliest commercially exploited product from Brazil. The popular appellation eclipsed and eventually supplanted the official Portuguese name, early sailors sometimes also called it the Land of Parrots. In the Guarani language, a language of Paraguay, Brazil is called Pindorama
10.
Cannes Film Festival
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Founded in 1946, the invitation-only festival is held annually at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. On 1 July 2014, co-founder and former head of French pay-TV operator Canal+ Pierre Lescure took over as President of the festival, the Board of Directors also appointed Gilles Jacob as Honorary President of the festival. The 2016 Cannes Film Festival took place between 11 and 22 May 2016, australian film director George Miller was the President of the Jury. I, Daniel Blake, directed by British director Ken Loach, in 2017, The Festival de Cannes will celebrate its 70th anniversary edition from May 17 to 28. In 1947, the festival was held as the Festival du film de Cannes, at that time the principle of equality was introduced, with a jury made up of only one representative per country. The festival is now held at the Palais des Festivals, expressly constructed for the occasion, although for its 1949 inaugural the roof was unfinished, the festival was not held in 1948 and 1950 on account of budgetary problems. Although its origins may be attributed in part to the French desire to compete with Autumns Venice Film Festival, in 1955, the Palme dOr was created, replacing the Grand Prix du Festival which had been given until that year. In 1957, Dolores del Rio was the first female member of the jury as a Sélection officielle – Member, in 1959, the Marché du Film was founded, giving the festival a commercial character and facilitating exchanges between sellers and buyers in the film industry. Today it has become the first international platform for film commerce, in 1962, the International Critics Week was born, created by the French Union of Film Critics as the first parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival. Its goal was to showcase first and second works by directors all over the world. In 1965, an hommage was paid to Jean Cocteau after his death, the next year, Olivia de Havilland was named the first female president of the festival. The 1968 festival was halted on 19 May, some directors, such as Carlos Saura and Miloš Forman, had withdrawn their films from the competition. The filmmakers achieved the reinstatement of the President, and they founded the Film Directors Society that same year, during the 1970s, important changes occurred in the Festival. In 1972, Robert Favre Le Bret was named the new President and he immediately introduced an important change in the selection of the participating films. Until that date, the different countries chose which films would represent them in the festival, Bessy created one committee to select French films, and another for foreign films. In 1978, Gilles Jacob assumed the President position, introducing the Caméra dOr award, in 1983, a new, much bigger Palais des Festivals et des Congrès was built to host the Festival. It was nicknamed The Bunker and provoked many reactions against it, in 1984, Pierre Viot replaced Robert Favre Le Bret as President of the Festival. It was not until 1995 that Gilles Jacob created the last section of the Official Selection and its aim was to support the creation of works of cinema in the world and to contribute to the entry of the new scenario writers in the circle of the celebrities
11.
Nas
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Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones, better known by his stage name Nas /ˈnɑːz/, is an American rapper, record producer, actor and entrepreneur. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas has released eight consecutive platinum and multi-platinum albums and has sold over 25 million records worldwide. He is also an entrepreneur through his own label, he serves as associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine and is the owner of a Fila sneaker store. He is currently signed to Mass Appeal Records and his musical career began in 1991 as featured artist on Main Sources Live at the Barbeque. His debut album Illmatic received universal acclaim from critics and the hip hop community and is frequently ranked as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. Nas follow-up It Was Written debuted at one on the Billboard 200, stayed on top for four consecutive weeks. From 2001 to 2005, Nas was involved in a publicized feud with rapper Jay Z. Nas signed to Def Jam in 2006. In 2010, he released Distant Relatives, an album with reggae artist Damian Marley. His eleventh studio album, Life Is Good was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, Nas is often named as one of the greatest hip hop artists. MTV ranked him at number 5 on their list of The Greatest MCs of All Time, in 2012, The Source ranked him number two on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. In 2013, Nas was ranked fourth on MTVs Hottest MCs in the Game list. About. com ranked him first on their list of the 50 Greatest MCs of All Time in 2014, nasir bin Olu Dara Jones was born September 14,1973, in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Olu Dara, is a jazz and blues musician and his mother, Fannie Ann Jones, was a Postal Service worker from North Carolina. He has one sibling, a brother named Jabari Fret who is best known as Jungle and his father took his name Olu Dara from the Yoruba people. His African DNA indicates he has roots in countries with high Yoruba populations Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana – as well as Mali, the Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Congo, and Senegal. His matrilineal DNA haplogroup is of African origin, found among the Yoruba and he also found that his Y-DNA traces directly back to Scandinavia, through which he is a descendant of the Vikings. As a young child, Nas and his family relocated to the Queensbridge Houses in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens and his neighbor, Willy Ill Will Graham, influenced Nass interest in hip hop by playing him records. His parents divorced in 1985, and he dropped out of school after the eighth grade and he educated himself about African culture through the Five Percent Nation and the Nuwaubian Nation
12.
Erykah Badu
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Erica Erykah Abi Wright, better known as Erykah Badu, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, activist, and actress. Badus career began after opening a show for DAngelo in 1994 in her hometown, record label executive Kedar Massenburg was highly impressed with her performance and her first album, Baduizm, was released on February 11,1997. It spawned three singles, On & On, Next Lifetime and Otherside of the Game, the album was certified triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Badus first live album, Live, was released on November 18,1997 and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA, Badus second studio album, Mamas Gun, was released on October 31,2000. It spawned three singles, Bag Lady, which became her first top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at #6, Didnt Cha Know. the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Badus third album, Worldwide Underground, was released on September 16,2003 and it generated three singles, Love of My Life, Danger and Back in the Day with Love becoming her second song to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #9. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA, Badus fourth album, New Amerykah Part One, was released on February 26,2008. It spawned two singles, Honey and Soldier, New Amerykah Part Two was released in 2010 and fared well both critically and commercially. It contained the lead single Window Seat, which led to controversy. Influenced by R&B, 1970s soul, and 1980s hip hop and her work has often been compared to jazz great Billie Holiday. Early in her career, Badu was recognizable for her eccentric style and she was a core member of the Soulquarians. As an actress, she has played a range of supporting roles in movies including Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules. She also speaks at length in the documentaries Before the Music Dies, Erykah Badu was born Erica Abi Wright in Dallas, Texas on February 26,1971. Her mother raised her, her brother Eevin, and her sister Nayrok alone after their father, to provide for her family, the childrens paternal grandmother often helped to look after them while Badus mother, Kolleen Maria Wright, worked as an actress in theatrical productions. Influenced by her mother, Badu had her first taste of business at the age of four. By the age of 14, Badu was free-styling for a radio station alongside such talent as Roy Hargrove. In her youth, she had decided to change the spelling of her first name from Erica to Erykah, the term kah signifies the inner self. She adopted the surname Badu because it is her favorite jazz scat sound, also, among the Akan people in Ghana, it is the term for the 10th-born child
