1.
Jay-Z
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Shawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay Z, is an American rapper, businessman, and investor. He is one of the musicians of all time, having sold more than 100 million records. MTV ranked him the Greatest MC of all time in 2006, Rolling Stone ranked three of his albums—Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album —among the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2014, Forbes estimated his net worth at nearly $520 million, Jay Z co-owns the New York 40/40 Club sports bar, and is the co-creator of the clothing line Rocawear. He is the president of Def Jam Recordings, co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records. He also founded the sports agency Roc Nation Sports and is a certified NBA, as an artist, he holds the record for most number one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200 with 13. He has also had four number ones on the Billboard Hot 100, in 2009, he was ranked the tenth-most successful artist of the 2000s by Billboard as well as the fifth top solo male artist and fourth top rapper behind Eminem, Nelly, and 50 Cent. He was also ranked the 88th-greatest artist of all time by Rolling Stone, Jay Z married Singer-Songwriter Beyoncé in 2008. Shawn Carter was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Marcy Houses and he and his three siblings were raised by their mother, Gloria Carter after their father, Adness Reeves abandoned the family. Reeves would later meet and reconcile with Jay Z before dying from liver failure in 2003, Jay Z claims in his lyrics that in 1982, at the age of 12, he shot his older brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry. Along with future rapper AZ, Carter attended Eli Whitney High School in Brooklyn until it was closed down, according to his interviews and lyrics, during this period he sold crack cocaine and was shot at three times. According to his mother, Carter used to wake up his siblings at night banging out drum patterns on the kitchen table and she bought him a boom box for his birthday, sparking his interest in music. He began freestyling and writing lyrics, known as Jazzy around the neighborhood, Carter later adopted the showbiz/stage name Jay-Z in homage to his mentor Jaz-O. He would drop the hyphen in 2013, Jay Z can be briefly heard on several of Jaz-Os early recordings in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including The Originators and Hawaiian Sophie. Jay Z became embroiled in several battles with rapper LL Cool J in the early 1990s and he first became known to a wide audience on the posse cut Show and Prove on the 1994 Big Daddy Kane album Daddys Home. When I would leave the stage to go change outfits, I would bring out Jay Z and Positive K and let them freestyle until I came back to the stage. The young Jay Z appeared on a song by Big L, Da Graveyard, and on Mic Geronimos Time to Build. His first official rap single was called In My Lifetime, for which he released a music video, an unreleased music video was also produced for the B-side I Cant Get with That
Jay-Z
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Jay Z at the Shawn Carter Foundation Carnival, 2011
Jay-Z
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Jay Z (top) with a friend (bottom) in
Trenton, New Jersey, circa 1988
Jay-Z
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Jay Z in 2003
Jay-Z
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Jay Z at a concert in 2006.
2.
Kanye West
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Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer, and entrepreneur. Intent on pursuing a career as a rapper, West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004 to widespread critical and commercial success. He went on to pursue a variety of different styles on subsequent albums Late Registration, Graduation, and 808s & Heartbreak. In 2010, he released his fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to rave reviews from critics, West released his abrasive sixth album, Yeezus, to further critical praise in 2013. His seventh album, The Life of Pablo, was released in 2016, Wests outspoken views and life outside of music have received significant mainstream attention. He has been a frequent source of controversy for his conduct at award shows, on social media and he is the founder and head of the creative content company DONDA. His 2014 marriage to television personality Kim Kardashian has also been subject to media coverage. He has won a total of 21 Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all time, three of his albums have been included and ranked on Rolling Stones 2012 update of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. He has also included in a number of Forbes annual lists. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015, West was born on June 8,1977 in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents divorced when he was three years old, after the divorce, he and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois. His father, Ray West, is a former Black Panther and was one of the first black photojournalists at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Ray West was later a Christian counselor, and in 2006, opened the Good Water Store and Café in Lexington Park, Maryland with startup capital from his son. West, was a professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, West was raised in a middle-class background, attending Polaris High School in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois after living in Chicago. At the age of 10, West moved with his mother to Nanjing, China, according to his mother, West was the only foreigner in his class, but settled in well and quickly picked up the language, although he has since forgotten most of it. When asked about his grades in school, West replied, I got As. West demonstrated an affinity for the arts at an early age and his mother recalled that she first took notice of Wests passion for drawing and music when he was in the third grade. Growing up in Chicago, West became deeply involved in its hip hop scene and he started rapping in the third grade and began making musical compositions in the seventh grade, eventually selling them to other artists
Kanye West
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West performing at
Lollapalooza in 2011
Kanye West
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West performing in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 2007
Kanye West
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West performing in
Austin, Texas, March 2009
Kanye West
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West performing with
Jay-Z on their
Watch the Throne Tour in 2011
3.
Watch the Throne
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Watch the Throne is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay Z and Kanye West, released on August 8,2011, by Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Before the album, Jay Z and West had collaborated on their respective singles, as longtime friends, they originally sought out to record a five-song EP together, but the project eventually evolved into a full-length album. Recording sessions took place at locations and began in November 2010. Production on the album was led by West himself, alongside a variety of record producers including Mike Dean, Swizz Beatz, Sak Pase, Jeff Bhasker, The Neptunes. Jay-Z and Wests braggadocio lyrics exhibit themes of opulence, fame, materialism, power, the album expresses other topics such as Jay-Zs thoughts on fatherhood, Wests reflection on being deemed a social villain, and their legacy as performers. Music writers interpreted the subject matter to concern the rappers plight as African Americans struggling with financial success in America. The album produced seven singles, including H•A•M, Otis, Lift Off, No Church in the Wild, and the Billboard Hot 100 top five Niggas in Paris, which all received music videos. Jay-Z and West promoted the album with the Watch the Throne Tour that spanned October 2011 to June 2012, Watch the Throne debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 436,000 copies its first week. While some critics found the lyrical content uninspiring, its production. Many critics and publications placed the album in their year-end best-of lists and it also earned Jay-Z and West seven Grammy Award nominations. The album is certified platinum in the US, Wests early production work on Jay-Zs music helped raise his profile in the music industry. While originally only viewed as a producer, West eventually was seen as both a viable rapper and producer thanks to the success of his debut album The College Dropout, West continued to be one of Jay-Zs main producers on subsequent albums such as The Black Album and Kingdom Come. Jay-Z appeared on Kanyes first two albums as well, and the two frequently collaborated, during the promotional stages of Wests My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, a remix of the song Power surfaced featuring Jay-Z. Following this, West announced on Twitter his intention to drop a five-track EP with Jay-Z, also according to the rapper, the track Monster was intended for the EP, though that failed to surface. It was later revealed by West that the project had expanded into a full-length album in an October 2010 interview for MTV. He said in the interview that they planned to record in the south of France, production began in November 2010 in England and continued during available times in Jay-Zs and Wests schedules at locations in Australia, Paris, Abu Dhabi, New York City, and Los Angeles. He noted difficulties in the process, including arguments with West regarding their direction. Following the release of single, H•A•M in January 2011
Watch the Throne
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Watch the Throne
Watch the Throne
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Jay-Z and West recorded at various locations, including
Real World Studios in Wiltshire, England.
Watch the Throne
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Singer
Frank Ocean appears on "No Church in the Wild" and "Made in America". Ocean was brought onto the project per the reception of his prior musical ventures.
Watch the Throne
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Stylistically the album features samples largely considered unconventional, an aesthetic quality shared with West's previous album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Both albums had production handled by West.
4.
Legends of the Summer
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The Legends of the Summer Stadium Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake and American rapper Jay Z. The tour supported Timberlakes third studio album, The 20/20 Experience and Jay Zs twelfth studio album, overall, the duo performed to 622,559 fans in three countries, grossing a total of US $69.8 million. With the 14 dates sold-out, it was the 15th highest-grossing tour of 2013, after a six-year musical hiatus, on January 14,2013, Timberlake released Suit & Tie, the lead single from the singers third studio album, The 20/20 Experience which featured American rapper Jay-Z. Prior the 2013 Grammy Awards ceremony, Ryan Seacrest interviewed Timberlake, on that Timberlake responded, We are still putting it together, but its gonna be a lot of fun. I dont know how much I should say, during the award ceremony, Timberlake was joined by Jay-Z at the stage for the performance of Suit & Tie. The Legends of the Summer tour was announced on February 22,2013. The show is set to start on July 17,2013 in Toronto, the tickets for the show went on sale on February 28, with the pre-sale starting on February 27. Citi cardmembers had access to pre-sale tickets beginning on Friday, February 22, on July 14,2013, Timberlake and Jay-Z performed at the Olympic Park in London, United Kingdom as part of the Wireless Festival for a special preview of the tour. Similarly, Billboards Karen Bliss—after attend the Torontos Rogers Centre date—thought there was no one-upmanship, just camaraderie, not competition and she added Jay Z has always been a masterful rapper, but what Timberlake displayed throughout the night was just how musical he is. The following set list is representative of the show on July 28,2013 and it does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour
Legends of the Summer
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Legends of the Summer
5.
Fame Kills: Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga
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Fame Kills, Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga was a planned co-headlining concert tour by American rapper Kanye West and singer Lady Gaga. For the tour, which would have supported Wests fourth album 808s & Heartbreak and Gagas The Fame Monster EP, shortly after the cancellation, Gaga embarked on her own tour, The Monster Ball Tour, while West took a break from his career. In June 2009, West announced on The View he would be touring with Gaga, shes talented and so incredible that shes not an opening act, he said. Were doing it together, with no opening act, in August, Gaga expressed her belief that the tour would be one of the most groundbreaking moments in touring history. Before the singer agreed to collaborate with West, she demanded that the tour would remain accessible to her gay fans, Im gay, she recalled telling West in an interview with Out magazine, my music is gay. And I love my gay fans and theyre all going to be coming to our show, and its going to remain gay. The tours stage was designed by Gaga and West as a traverse, Instead of being on just one end of the arena and its not really in-the-round, its more of a runway. West would perform his singles, Gaga would perform hers, Gaga said she enjoyed designing Fame Kills with West, calling themselves creative kindreds. She explained that they did not plan to tour for themselves, but rather for everybody else, I make pop music and Kanyes fans love pop music because he has changed what hip-hop means, she said. For me, the tour is more about just bringing people together, the show is a celebration of creativity, art, fashion and choreography. He was like, Im not selling a ticket to a fan who cant see the show, a promotional video for the tour was released in September 2009. West posted the video on his blog accompanied by the text, the 30-second clip features slow-motion footage of a topless Gaga being carried by a man presumed to be West. He declared, Yo, Taylor, Im really happy for you, and Im going to let you finish, West was profusely criticized from celebrities and fans alike over the incident. Following the interruption, the status of Fame Kills was rumored to be in question, a representative from an US urban radio station commented, I think this could potentially affect his upcoming tour with Lady Gaga. This isnt an urban tour — urban audiences can be a bit more forgiving than mainstream audiences are, I can see him going on stage and people booing him. Less than a week after the sales began, the tour was canceled. Various reasons circulated as to why the tour was canceled and it was suspected that it was canceled due to extremely poor ticket sales, feuding between Gaga and Wests management teams, and Gagas desire to play in smaller venues. Gagas choreographer, Laurieann Gibson, said the tour was terminated due to differences between Gaga and West
Fame Kills: Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga
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Title card of the tour
Fame Kills: Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga
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Gaga only agreed to tour with West under the condition that everything "remain gay".
Fame Kills: Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga
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West (pictured) was criticized for his interruption of
Taylor Swift 's VMA speech. The incident reportedly put the fate of the Fame Kills tour in question.
6.
The Yeezus Tour
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The Yeezus Tour was a concert tour by American rapper Kanye West in support of Wests sixth solo studio album, Yeezus. The venture served as Wests first solo tour in five years. Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Quest, Travi$ Scott, and it had the second highest grossing leg of a tour during 2013, behind Paul McCartneys Out There. After the release of Yeezus on June 18,2013, rumors begun circulating that West would embark on a solo tour, co-producer of the album Mike Dean reported that there would be a tour for the album and that he would be a backing producer for the show. On September 6,2013, West tweeted the word TOUR along with the picture of the tour. All of the tour dates became available via his official website. Kendrick Lamar served as an act on the majority of the tour. At the October 25,2013 show, GOOD Music signee Pusha T served as the opening act, on October 15,2013, it was revealed that two of the four New York shows will feature A Tribe Called Quest as supporting acts instead of Lamar. These concerts were stated to be A Tribe Called Quests final performances ever, vanessa Beecroft, Es Devlin and John McGuire created the scenography with both Maison Martin Margiela and West working together to create fashion pieces and outfits for The Yeezus Tour. The stage used by West also resembled a fashion catwalk, another influence for the stage setup, according to West, came from the 1973 film The Holy Mountain, a biblical redemption story. This can be seen one of the stages main features, a 50-foot high mountain, called Mount Yeezus by some. The foot of the then lead to a secondary stage that elevated up to the main stage that was shaped like a triangle. As part of the theme, the performance is separated into five parts, Fighting, Rising, Falling, Searching and Finding. Above Mount Yeezus, a 60-foot wide circular LED screen was placed along with a sound system by DONDA. On October 30,2013 while on the road to Vancouver, a truck carrying custom-made video screens and equipment for the show was involved in a car crash, the crash damaged the equipment beyond repair. Def Jam issued a statement on the saying, This gear is central to the staging of The Yeezus Tour. As a result of event, it is impossible to put on the show. Kanye West will not compromise on bringing the show, as it was envisioned and designed
The Yeezus Tour
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The Yeezus Tour
The Yeezus Tour
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West laying on the triangular main stage accompanied by dancers; all shown on a circular LED screen above Mount Yeezus.
The Yeezus Tour
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West performing during the Yeezus Tour in support of the album of the same name.
7.
Atlanta
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Atlanta is the capital of and the most populous city in the U. S. state of Georgia, with an estimated 2015 population of 463,878. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, home to 5,710,795 people, Atlanta is the county seat of Fulton County, and a small portion of the city extends eastward into DeKalb County. In 1837, Atlanta was founded at the intersection of two lines, and the city rose from the ashes of the American Civil War to become a national center of commerce. Atlantas economy is considered diverse, with dominant sectors that include logistics, professional and business services, media operations, Atlanta has topographic features that include rolling hills and dense tree coverage. Revitalization of Atlantas neighborhoods, initially spurred by the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, has intensified in the 21st century, altering the demographics, politics. Prior to the arrival of European settlers in north Georgia, Creek Indians inhabited the area, standing Peachtree, a Creek village located where Peachtree Creek flows into the Chattahoochee River, was the closest Indian settlement to what is now Atlanta. As part of the removal of Native Americans from northern Georgia from 1802 to 1825, the Creek ceded the area in 1821. In 1836, the Georgia General Assembly voted to build the Western, the initial route was to run southward from Chattanooga to a terminus east of the Chattahoochee River, which would then be linked to Savannah. After engineers surveyed various possible locations for the terminus, the zero milepost was driven into the ground in what is now Five Points. A year later, the area around the milepost had developed into a settlement, first known as Terminus, and later as Thrasherville after a merchant who built homes. By 1842, the town had six buildings and 30 residents and was renamed Marthasville to honor the Governors daughter, later, J. Edgar Thomson, Chief Engineer of the Georgia Railroad, suggested the town be renamed Atlantica-Pacifica, which was shortened to Atlanta. The residents approved, and the town was incorporated as Atlanta on December 29,1847, by 1860, Atlantas population had grown to 9,554. During the American Civil War, the nexus of multiple railroads in Atlanta made the city a hub for the distribution of military supplies, in 1864, the Union Army moved southward following the capture of Chattanooga and began its invasion of north Georgia. On the next day, Mayor James Calhoun surrendered Atlanta to the Union Army, on November 11,1864, Sherman prepared for the Union Armys March to the Sea by ordering Atlanta to be burned to the ground, sparing only the citys churches and hospitals. After the Civil War ended in 1865, Atlanta was gradually rebuilt, due to the citys superior rail transportation network, the state capital was moved from Milledgeville to Atlanta in 1868. In the 1880 Census, Atlanta surpassed Savannah as Georgias largest city, by 1885, the founding of the Georgia School of Technology and the citys black colleges had established Atlanta as a center for higher education. In 1895, Atlanta hosted the Cotton States and International Exposition, during the first decades of the 20th century, Atlanta experienced a period of unprecedented growth. In three decades time, Atlantas population tripled as the city expanded to include nearby streetcar suburbs
Atlanta
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From top to bottom left to right: Atlanta skyline seen from
Buckhead, the
Fox Theatre, the
Georgia State Capitol,
Centennial Olympic Park,
Millennium Gate, the
Canopy Walk, the
Georgia Aquarium,
The Phoenix statue, and the
Midtown skyline
Atlanta
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Marietta Street, 1864
Atlanta
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Atlanta in ruins during the Civil War, 1864
Atlanta
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In 1907, Peachtree Street, the main street of Atlanta, was busy with streetcars and automobiles.
8.
Birmingham
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Birmingham is a major city and metropolitan borough of West Midlands, England lying on the River Rea, a small river that runs through Birmingham. It is the largest and most populous British city outside London, the city is in the West Midlands Built-up Area, the third most populous urban area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2,440,986 at the 2011 census. Birminghams metropolitan area is the second most populous in the UK with a population of 3.8 million and this also makes Birmingham the 8th most populous metropolitan area in Europe. By 1791 it was being hailed as the first manufacturing town in the world, perhaps the most important invention in British history, the industrial steam engine, was invented in Birmingham. From the summer of 1940 to the spring of 1943, Birmingham was bombed heavily by the German Luftwaffe in what is known as the Birmingham Blitz. The damage done to the infrastructure, in addition to a deliberate policy of demolition and new building by planners, led to extensive demolition. Today Birminghams economy is dominated by the service sector and its metropolitan economy is the second largest in the United Kingdom with a GDP of $121. 1bn, and its six universities make it the largest centre of higher education in the country outside London. Birmingham is the fourth-most visited city in the UK by foreign visitors, Birminghams sporting heritage can be felt worldwide, with the concept of the Football League and lawn tennis both originating from the city. Its most successful football club Aston Villa has won seven league titles, people from Birmingham are called Brummies, a term derived from the citys nickname of Brum. This originates from the citys name, Brummagem, which may in turn have been derived from one of the citys earlier names. There is a distinctive Brummie accent and dialect, Birminghams early history is that of a remote and marginal area. The main centres of population, power and wealth in the pre-industrial English Midlands lay in the fertile and accessible river valleys of the Trent, the Severn and the Avon. The area of modern Birmingham lay in between, on the upland Birmingham Plateau and within the wooded and sparsely populated Forest of Arden. Birmingham as a settlement dates from the Anglo-Saxon era, within a century of the charter Birmingham had grown into a prosperous urban centre of merchants and craftsmen. By 1327 it was the third-largest town in Warwickshire, a position it would retain for the next 200 years, by 1700 Birminghams population had increased fifteenfold and the town was the fifth-largest in England and Wales. The importance of the manufacture of goods to Birminghams economy was recognised as early as 1538. Equally significant was the emerging role as a centre for the iron merchants who organised finance, supplied raw materials. The 18th century saw this tradition of free-thinking and collaboration blossom into the phenomenon now known as the Midlands Enlightenment
Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham
9.
Glow in the Dark Tour
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The Glow in the Dark Tour is a critically acclaimed world concert tour by Kanye West featuring Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco, N. E. R. D, Santigold and Nas. It began on April 16,2008 in Seattle, Washington and travelled to Latin America, Asia, Europe, New Zealand, the tour featured some surprise special guest artists, including Gnarls Barkley and Jay-Z. Chris Brown also appeared at shows to perform his remix of Umbrella with Rihanna. For the New Zealand and Australian leg of the special guests Nas and New Zealand rapper Scribe replaced Lupe Fiasco and N. E. R. D. Vanness Wu performed as the act on the Asian leg of the tour. A same titled book authored by Kanye West with photography by Nabil Elderkin was published by Rizzoli USA in October 2009, the tour grossed $30.8 million from 49 shows. A brief controversy emerged when during his performance in Sacramento, West accidentally referred to the city as Seattle, West quickly admitted his mistake and made an apology to fans on his official blog. Wests scheduled time at the Bonnaroo Music Festival was changed from 8,00 pm to 2,45 am to accommodate the show for the Glow in the Dark Tour. This marked the first ever night show on the big What Stage in Bonnaroos 7-year history. Pearl Jam ended up playing 50 mins over their allotted time, a message on the monitors stated that the show would start at 3,30. When that didnt happen, the crowd grew restless and started chanting Kanye Sucks, once West came out on stage at 4,25 am most people quieted down. The delay was due to complications in the set up of Wests elaborate glow in the dark concept concert after the Pearl Jam set. Graffiti was found throughout the festival ranging from Fuck Kanye to Jay-Z Would Have Been on Time, West later wrote an outraged post on his blog, expressing his anger at the crowds response and at Superflys mismanagement. Glow in the Dark LA Times review Entertainment Weekly review New York Times review Perez Hilton review The Observer review
Glow in the Dark Tour
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Glow in the Dark Tour
Glow in the Dark Tour
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Rihanna on the tour
10.
Lady Gaga
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Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She performed initially in theater, appearing in school plays. From there, Akon noticed her vocal abilities and helped her to sign a joint deal with Interscope Records and her debut album The Fame was a critical and commercial success that produced international chart-topping singles such as Just Dance and Poker Face. A follow-up EP, The Fame Monster, was met with a reception and Bad Romance, Telephone. Her second full-length album Born This Way was released in 2011, topping the charts in more than 20 countries, including the United States, the album produced the number-one single Born This Way. Her third album Artpop, released in 2013, topped the US charts, in 2014, Gaga released a collaborative jazz album with Tony Bennett titled Cheek to Cheek, which became her third consecutive number one in the United States. For her work in the television series American Horror Story, Hotel, with her fifth studio album Joanne, she became the first woman to have four US number one albums in the 2010s. In February 2017, Gaga headlined the Super Bowl LI halftime show which had an audience of over 150 million across various platforms worldwide. With global album and single sales of 27 million and 146 million respectively, as of January 2016 and her achievements include twelve Guinness World Records, three Brit Awards, and six Grammy Awards. She is also the first artist to win the Songwriters Hall of Fames Contemporary Icon Award, in 2013, Gaga finished second on Times readers poll of the most influential people of the past ten years, while in 2015, she was named Billboards Woman of the Year. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was born on March 28,1986 and she is the elder daughter of Cynthia Louise Cindy and Internet entrepreneur Joseph Joe Germanotta. Gaga has three Italian grandparents and one American grandparent, as well as French Canadian ancestry, Gagas sister Natali is a fashion student. From age 11, she attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart and she described her academic life in high school as very dedicated, very studious, very disciplined but also a bit insecure. I used to get made fun of for being too provocative or too eccentric. I didnt fit in, and I felt like a freak, in 2014, Gaga said she was raped at the age of 19. She stated, I went through some things that Im able to laugh now, because Ive gone through a lot of mental and physical therapy. Gaga later said that she suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder because of the rape, and that support from doctors, family, and friends really saved my life. Gaga began playing the piano at the age of four, wrote her first piano ballad at 13 and she performed lead roles in high school productions, including Adelaide in Guys and Dolls and Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Lady Gaga
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Gaga performing at the
Cheek to Cheek Tour in June 2015
Lady Gaga
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Gaga (right) performing with
Lady Starlight at
Lollapalooza 2007
Lady Gaga
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Gaga performing in a bar, sporting one of her earlier looks, October 2008
Lady Gaga
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Gaga performing at
The Fame Ball Tour in 2009
11.
Opening act
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An opening act, warm-up act, or supporting act is an entertainment act, that performs at a concert before the featured act, or headliner. Rarely, an act may perform again at the end of the event. The opening acts performance serves to warm up the audience, making it appropriately excited, in rock music, the opening act will usually be an up-and-coming group with a smaller following than the featured artist. On long concert tours, different opening acts may be used for different legs of the tour, the undercard is a similar concept in sports
Opening act
12.
U2
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U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin formed in 1976. The group consists of Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, initially rooted in post-punk, U2s sound grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music, yet has maintained an anthemic sound. Their lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal themes, popular for their live performances, the group has staged several ambitious and elaborate tours over their career. The band formed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency, within four years, they signed with Island Records and released their debut album Boy. Subsequent work such as their first UK number-one album War, by the mid-1980s, they had become renowned globally for their live act, highlighted by their performance at Live Aid in 1985. The groups fifth album, The Joshua Tree, made them international superstars and was their greatest critical and commercial success. Topping music charts around the world, it produced their only number-one singles in the US, With or Without You, facing a backlash and creative stagnation, U2 reinvented themselves in the 1990s through a new musical direction and public image. This experimentation continued through their album, Pop, and the PopMart Tour. U2 regained critical and commercial favour with the records All That You Cant Leave Behind and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and their U2 360° Tour of 2009–2011 is the highest-attended and highest-grossing concert tour in history. The groups thirteenth album, Songs of Innocence, was released at no cost through the iTunes Store, U2 have released 13 studio albums and are one of the worlds best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 170 million records worldwide. They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, Rolling Stone ranked U2 at number 22 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. The band formed in Dublin on 25 September 1976, Larry Mullen Jr. then a 14-year-old student at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, posted a note on the schools notice board in search of musicians for a new band—six people responded. Mullen later described it as The Larry Mullen Band for about ten minutes, then Bono walked in and blew any chance I had of being in charge. Martin, who had brought his guitar and amplifier to the first practice but could not play, did not remain with the group, the group settled on the name Feedback because it was one of the few technical terms they knew. Most of their material consisted of cover songs, which the band admitted was not their forte. Some of the earliest influences on the band were emerging punk rock acts, such as the Jam, the Clash, Buzzcocks, the popularity of punk rock convinced the group that musical proficiency was not a prerequisite to being successful. In April 1977, Feedback played their first gig for an audience at St. Fintans High School. Shortly after, the changed their name to The Hype
U2
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U2 performing at
Madison Square Garden in November 2005, from left to right: The Edge; Larry Mullen, Jr. (drumming); Bono; Adam Clayton
U2
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Bono performs in Norway during the
War Tour in 1983.
U2
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The tree pictured on
The Joshua Tree album sleeve.
Adam Clayton said, "The desert was immensely inspirational to us as a mental image for this record."
U2
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The Zoo TV Tour was a multimedia-intensive event, featuring a stage that used dozens of video screens.
13.
Eminem
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Marshall Bruce Mathers III, known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Eminem is the best-selling artist of the 2000s in the United States, throughout his career, he has had 10 number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Globally, he has more than 172 million albums, thus being one of the worlds best-selling artists. Rolling Stone ranked him 83rd on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and they were followed by Encore in 2004, another critical and commercial success. Eminem went on hiatus after touring in 2005, releasing Relapse in 2009, both won Grammy Awards and Recovery was the best-selling album of 2010 worldwide, the second time he had the international best-selling album of the year. Eminems eighth album, 2013s The Marshall Mathers LP2, won two Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album, it expanded his record for the most wins in that category and his Grammy total to 15. In addition to his career, Eminem is an original member of the Midwest hip hop groups Soul Intent. He is also known for his collaborations with fellow Detroit-based rapper Royce da 59, Eminem has developed other ventures, including Shady Records, with manager Paul Rosenberg, which helped launch the careers of artists such as 50 Cent. Eminem has also established his own channel, Shade 45, on Sirius XM Radio. In November 2002, he starred in the hip hop film 8 Mile, Eminem has made cameo appearances in the films The Wash, Funny People, The Interview and the television series Entourage. Eminem was born on October 17,1972, in St. Joseph, Missouri, Debbie was 14 when she met 18-year-old Bruce, at age 17, she nearly died during her 73-hour labor. Eminems parents were in a band called Daddy Warbucks, playing in Ramada Inns along the Dakotas–Montana border before their separation, Bruce left the family, moving to California and having two other children, Michael and Sarah. Debbie had son Nathan Nate Kane Samara on February 3,1986, during his childhood, Eminem and Debbie shuttled between Michigan and Missouri, rarely staying in one house for more than a year or two and living primarily with family members. In Missouri, they lived in places, including St. Joseph, Savannah. As a teenager Eminem wrote letters to his father, according to Debbie, friends and family remember Eminem as a happy child, but a bit of a loner who was often bullied. One bully, DeAngelo Bailey, severely injured Eminems head, Debbie filed a lawsuit against the school in 1982, Eminem spent much of his youth in a working-class, primarily black, Detroit neighborhood. He and Debbie were one of three white households on their block, and Eminem was beaten by black youths several times, as a child he was interested in storytelling, aspiring to be a comic-book artist before discovering hip hop. Eminem heard his first rap song on the Breakin soundtrack, a gift from Debbies half-brother Ronnie Polkinghorn, when Polkinghorn committed suicide in 1991, Eminem stopped speaking for days and did not attend his funeral
Eminem
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Eminem performing in June 2009
Eminem
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Eminem in Germany, 1999
Eminem
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Eminem and Proof at
Voodoo Experience in October 2000
Eminem
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On the Anger Management Tour promoting Encore
14.
Otis (song)
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Otis is a song by American hip hop artists Kanye West and Jay-Z, from their first collaborative album Watch the Throne. The song posthumously features soul singer Otis Redding, whose version of Try a Little Tenderness is sampled in the song, the production was covered solely by West. The track was premiered by Funkmaster Flexs Hot 97 radio show and was released onto the Internet the day afterward, lyrically, the song has the two rappers sharing lines discussing wealth, decadence and fame. Several publications placed the song amongst the best of the year, the track was released as the second single from Watch the Throne on July 20,2011. The song peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the song has since been certified Platinum for sales exceeding 1,000,000. The song received a video directed by Spike Jonze on August 2011. The video primarily shows West and Jay-Z modifying a Maybach luxury car and then driving around in it with no doors or windows, after its release, the video was met with positive reception. The cover art was designed by Italian fashion designer Riccardo Tisci, Jay and West performed the song at all the stops on their 2011 Watch the Throne Tour. It was also performed at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, at the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012, Otis was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song and won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance. On July 7,2011, Otis was previewed along with the songs from Watch the Throne by Jay-Z at a private listening session at the Mercer Hotel in New York City. A select group of reporters, music journalists, and contest winners were present at the listening session, after the listening session, it was confirmed that a song called Otis, would appear on the album. It was reported that the song would sample soul music singer Otis Reddings version of Try a Little Tenderness, on July 20, Otis was premiered on Funkmaster Flexs Hot 97 radio show and subsequently was released for download to the Internet as a way to promote the upcoming album. On July 22, the song was released to the iTunes Store and was a download for those who pre-ordered the album. It was sent by The Island Def Jam Music Group to rhythmic contemporary, the cover art for Otis was designed by Italian fashion designer Riccardo Tisci, who had previously designed the artwork for the H•A•M single cover and the Watch the Throne album cover. It features the American flag, both names and the name of the song and the album. The artwork was released onto the following the songs release. Bu Thiam, Def Jam Vice-President of A&R, was with West and Jay-Z throughout the recording process and he recalled the story of the song Otis, was late for his flight, we were in the studio working all day and he was late for his flight. As we were leaving he was like, Yo hold on for a second, so he drops his bags and goes to the MPC and his assistant is rushing him and hes just f----ing with
Otis (song)
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"Otis"
Otis (song)
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The production style of "Otis" has been compared to West's
The College Dropout.
Otis (song)
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The video features a Maybach 57 customized by West and Jay.
Otis (song)
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West and Jay-Z performed "Otis" at their Watch the Throne tour.
15.
Lift Off (song)
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Lift Off is a song by Jay-Z and Kanye West featuring American recording artist Beyoncé. The song was rumored to be released as the single from the album containing additional vocals by Bruno Mars. However, Mars never appeared on the song and it was sent to contemporary radio on August 23,2011. Musically, Lift Off is a pop song which uses baroque strings and it contains a chorus sung by Beyoncé, while other verses are sung by West and Jay-Z in a rap style. Instrumentally, the song is completed with synthesizers, martial drums, Lift Off received mixed to positive reviews from music critics who highlighted the song and praised its hook as well as Beyoncés vocals. The song peaked at one on the South Korea Gaon International Chart. Lift Off was performed live by Jay-Z and Kanye West during their tour in promotion of Watch the Throne titled Watch the Throne Tour. Lift Off was written by Kanye West, Jay-Z, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean, Bruno Mars and Seal, while production was handled by West, Bhasker, Mike Dean, Pharrell, Q-Tip, the song was recorded in Sydney, Australia. In early May 2011, it was rumored that Bruno Mars recorded vocals for the song along with Beyoncé, however, Mars never appeared on the song and Beyoncé sang several lines during the chorus instead. In February,2011, Kanye West and Jay-Z held a party at the AMNH’s Hayden Planetarium, during the party, Lift Off was one of the previewed songs. It was described as a track on the album by a writer for Vulture. Lift Off is a pop song mainly in 6/8 time, which features baroque strings, the song contains horns and martial drums as Beyoncé sings, We gon take it to the moon/ Take it to the stars. Throughout the song Wests vocals are enhanced by Auto-Tune in some places, Seal provides backing vocals in the song, which according to Jon Caramanica of The New York Times were impossible-to-notice. In the song, Beyoncé sings about having so many scars, Jeff Weiss of The Hollywood Reporter found an old NASA movie sample and Kanye showing off his tattoos and inflexible singing voice. Simon Price of The Independent found neurofunk influences on Lift Off, a writer of The Guardian compared the synthesizers in the song with the song The Final Countdown by Swedish rock band Europe. Lift Off was sent to contemporary radio in the United States on August 23,2011. According to several media, the song was popular on Twitter and across the Internet. According to Billboard magazine, Jay-Z suggested that a video for the song could appear
Lift Off (song)
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Bruno Mars (pictured), who co-produced "Lift Off", was rumored to sing several lines in it. However, he did not appear on the final version of the track.
Lift Off (song)
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Several critics praised Knowles ' (left) vocals in the song, while Jay-Z 's (center) and Kanye West 's (right) were discussed in a less positive light.
Lift Off (song)
Lift Off (song)
16.
Niggas in Paris
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Niggas in Paris is a song by American rappers Kanye West and Jay-Z from their collaboration album Watch the Throne. The song contains samples from Baptizing Scene by Reverend W. A, donaldson and also samples dialogue from DreamWorks Pictures 2007 film Blades of Glory. It debuted at number 75 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the week of the albums release. The song has peaked at number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Kanye Wests 14th top-10 single. As of November 2012, it has sold 3 million digital units in the United States, Niggas in Paris won Best Rap Performance at the 55th Grammy Awards. In an interview, Kanye West revealed that the song was inspired by his travels in Paris, the sweet spot between the hood and Hollywood. Having a conversation with Karl Lagerfeld and Jay-Z within the same hour, when were in Paris dressing all crazy at fashion shows, we listening to Jay-Z. Jeezy in Paris, thats what it is, the songs production was originally offered to rapper Pusha T by Hit-Boy. However, Pusha turned it down, saying It sounds like a video game, get that shit out of here. Alternative artwork, similar to the cover, was used on Pandora. The official remix features rapper T. I. S. G, titled Niggas in Houston, and a remix by Felony titled Niggas in Harris. Mos Def made a freestyle to the song called Niggas in Poorest, other rappers that did freestyles include Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne, Freddie Gibbs, Emilio Rojas, Traphik, German rapper and Romeo Miller. Casper has at times performed a German version of the track at concerts, British rap-metal band Hacktivist have covered the song, which has become a live staple during the groups shows. American recording artist Katy Perry performed a version of the track on March 19,2012 as part of a Live Lounge special for Fearne Cottons show on BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom. The track, which was performed alongside The One That Got Away, Firework, Thinking of You and Part of Me, saw the artist rap to re-worded verses from Jay-Z, American alternative metal band Faith No More also covered the song live in 2012. The British rap metal/progressive metal/djent band Hacktivist released a cover of the song with a video on 6 August 2013. Prior to this the cover had been a feature of their live sets. Watsky released a freestyle of the song called Ninjas in Paris on his 2012 album Nothing like the first time
Niggas in Paris
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"Niggas in Paris"
17.
Gold Digger (Kanye West song)
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Gold Digger is a song recorded by American rapper Kanye West featuring guest vocals by Jamie Foxx. Co-produced with Jon Brion, the song contains samples of Ray Charles I Got a Woman. The single broke a record for the most digital downloads in a week, selling over 80,000 and it was 2005s second-longest running number one on the Billboard Hot 100 at ten weeks, behind We Belong Together by Mariah Carey. At the 2006 Grammy Awards, Gold Digger was nominated for Record of the Year, the song lists at number 60 on Billboard magazines All Time Top 100 and at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade. Gold Digger was voted number 20 on VH1s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop, as of January 2011, the song has sold over 3,000,000 copies in the United States. Upon its release, many surmised that West conceived Gold Digger after watching Jamie Foxxs Oscar-winning portrayal of Ray Charles in the biographical film Ray, however, he had actually constructed the beat of the song long before the movie was even developed. However, for unknown, Shawnna passed on using the song. Not wanting to let it go to waste, West decided to keep the beat for himself and add lyrics expressed from a males point-of-view. The second verse of Gold Digger was the first to be written, as West used to rap the verse in early 2004 while on tour promoting his debut album, the first verse was made later in the year while West was on Ushers Evolution Tour. Lastly, the third verse was taken from an unreleased song called Drop Dead Gorgeous. The idea of employing Jamie Foxx specifically to sing an interpolation of Ray Charles I Got a Woman in place of its initial sample did in fact arise from West seeing Ray with his friend John Mayer. Foxxs vocals were recorded over many takes, in one version he sang from start to finish, after recording another version, Foxx decided to re-record it once more as he felt it contained too many explicit lyrics. Once the track was finally in place, it was layered with additional instruments provided by American film score composer Jon Brion, by the end of their very first studio session together, the pair had completed the basic tracks for the final version of Gold Digger. Despite being a singer, Foxxs part only appears in the intro. Gold Digger contains samples of I Got a Woman by Ray Charles, towards the end, the song employs vintage 1970s synthesizers which emit a honking sound in cadence to Kanyes voice. West delivers a tongue-in-cheek lyrical narrative within Gold Digger in which he depicts the disastrous life of a man married to a woman who manipulates him for financial gain. However, another story arises within the verse, which illustrates a once destitute black male who earns a fortune and decides to leave a loyal. The songs music video was directed by Hype Williams, who also directed Wests previous video, the titles of the magazines on whose covers the women appear reflect the correlating verses in the song
Gold Digger (Kanye West song)
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"Gold Digger"
Gold Digger (Kanye West song)
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West and Foxx performing "Gold Digger"
18.
Stronger (Kanye West song)
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Stronger is a song by American rapper Kanye West, released as the second single from his third studio album, Graduation. The production was handled by West, with an extended outro co-produced with Mike Dean, the composition is electronic in nature, employing synthesizers as its prominent instrument. For the track, West utilizes a vocal sample of Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by French house duo Daft Punk. West also describes Stronger as an emancipation, using the track to vent his frustration over mistakes he made in the past year, the songs production process was arduous, with West and his team mixing the track reportedly over 75 times, including after its release as a single. West felt Stronger paled in comparison to the original. The singles music video was directed by Hype Williams, features sci-fi imagery based on the 1988 anime film Akira, Kanye Wests use of shutter shades in the music video became a signature of his in the late 2000s. Released as a single on July 31,2007, Stronger would top the Billboard Hot 100 several weeks later and it was a top ten single in ten countries, topping the charts in four of them, including the United Kingdom. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 50th Grammy Awards, Stronger has since been certified 7× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Prior to release, a portion of Stronger was first released in May 2007 on Wests Cant Tell Me Nothing mixtape, on June 27,2007, Stronger was put onto the BBC Radio 1 Up-Front playlist and was later upgraded to the A-List a month prior to its release. The singles front cover art was released on Wests website on June 28,2007 and it was designed by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, whom Kanye West collaborated with to produce the artwork for Graduation. Stronger musically derives from a sample of Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by French house duo Daft Punk. The use of the sample was requested through Pedro Winter. The sample was approved by the duo, who enjoyed the track. West later met Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo at Lollapalooza, the recording sessions for Stronger was a turning point in the production process for Wests third studio album Graduation, whereas prior West had been aimlessly making songs. The sci-fi imagery of the video inspired West to take his music in a more futuristic direction, on July 3,2007, Kanye West told Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 that although he believes Stronger is a great song, it does not compare to the sampled original. Daft Punk went on to say that they were delighted with how Wests single turned out to be. The two had first heard the new song on Power 106 while on a San Francisco flight, as Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of the duo stated, Our song had a good sound, but when put Kanyes record on, the sound was really fat. De Homem-Christo also clarified, Its not a collaboration in the studio, Stronger was recorded in three different recording studios worldwide, including Ape Sounds in Tokyo, Sony Music Studios in New York City, and The Record Plant in Los Angeles
Stronger (Kanye West song)
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"Stronger"
Stronger (Kanye West song)
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Kanye West in 2007. His perfectionist approach led to "Stronger" being mixed 75 times. His further work on the song's
music video included ten weeks of editing.
Stronger (Kanye West song)
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Daft Punk in 2007. The song employs a sample of their song "
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger " (2001).
Stronger (Kanye West song)
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The song's music video was shot in
Tokyo,
Japan.
19.
Heartless (Kanye West song)
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Heartless is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released on November 4,2008 digitally as the second single for his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. It debuted at the number four spot on the Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at number two and reached number-one on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks and U. S. Heartless is one of the best selling singles of all time, on his fourth studio album 808s & Heartbreak and in the pop song Heartless, Kanye West utilized the voice audio processor device known as Auto-Tune. West had previously experimented with the technology on his album, The College Dropout, for the background vocals of Jesus Walks. The voice altering device created a unique sound helping West express his feelings of his break up with fiancée Alexis Phifer months after the untimely passing of his mother. The pipe-organ sound was sampled from The Alan Parsons Project song Ammonia Avenue, the single fluctuated in and out of the top ten for two months before reaching number three in mid-January, and rose to its peak at number two on the chart issue dated February 21. In early March it also reached number four on the Pop 100 chart and it is Wests second consecutive top five hit on the Hot 100, and his second consecutive song to debut in the top five there. This makes 808s & Heartbreak the first West album to contain two Hot 100 top five hits, on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, it peaked at four. It debuted at eleven on the Hot Rap Tracks and has managed to reach number-one in late January. As of September 2012, the song has sold over 4 million paid downloads in the United States, becoming Wests second song to reach that mark. In Canada, it made a Hot Shot Debut at #8 on the Canadian Hot 100. On 1 December 2008, the song debuted at #63 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and it reached #6 on the New Zealand RIANZ chart. On the UK Singles Chart, the song debuted at number #45, the official digital release date for the single was 12 January 2009. On the Irish Singles Chart the song has peaked at #10, directed by Hype Williams, the animated music video for Heartless pays tribute to Ralph Bakshis 1981 film American Pop. It features use of rotoscoped animation, in which people were filmed and had their every move drawn over. The video portrays West wandering through a city alone at night, the video also takes place in Wests actual apartment den, where the Jetsons portraits are located. West stands by the Astro portrait in five scenes of the video and it was the first animated video directed by Williams. The song was performed for the first time in Denver, Colorado, the song was also performed at a T. I. concert at Key Club in Los Angeles
Heartless (Kanye West song)
Heartless (Kanye West song)
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"Heartless"
20.
All of the Lights
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All of the Lights is a song by American rapper Kanye West, as the fourth single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. All of the Lights was well received by critics, who complimented its detailed production. It won Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 54th Grammy Awards, as of December 2011, the song has sold over 1,561,000 digital units in the US. By August 2013, it had been certified platinum by the RIAA. The songs accompanying video, directed by Hype Williams, featured strobe-lit images of Rihanna and West. It was given a warning by Epilepsy Action, stating that the video potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. All of the Lights was written by Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker, Malik Jones and its production was helmed by West himself and co-produced by Bhasker. West and Rihanna previously collaborated with Jay-Z on Run This Town, even though not fully leaked, All of the Lights was featured for the first time on Runaway—a 35-minute film about Wests true labor of love which was released on October 19,2010. The song was featured in the film together with songs from Wests then-upcoming fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, including Monster, Power. The song fully leaked on November 4,2010, online, during the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards, on November 10,2010, Rihanna was interviewed by MTV News staff. In the interview she explained that, West already played his album to her three months ago and that All of the Lights was one of her favorite songs. About it, she commented, So when he asked me to come up to the studio at 2 oclock in the morning, I had to, because I loved it. Andrew Dawson, Anthony Kilhoffer, Mike Dean, HI and Noah Goldstein recorded Wests vocals at Avex Recording Studios in Honolulu, Hawaii, rihannas vocals were recorded by Marcos Tovar at the Westlake Recording Studios in West Hollywood, California. The song was released as fourth and final single from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and it was sent to British urban radio stations on November 25,2010, and to Australian contemporary hit and alternative radio stations on December 13. On January 18,2011, the song was sent to contemporary hit, on February 19,2011, All of the Lights was solicited to mainstream radio stations in the United Kingdom. All of the Lights is a hip hop song that runs for 4 minutes and 59 seconds, according to the sheet music published by Universal Music Publishing Group at Musicnotes. com, it was composed in the key of B flat minor using common time and a steady groove. Rihannas vocal range spans from the low note of Ab3 to the note of F5. Instrumentation is provided by a brass, drum and bass, piano, the piano is played by Elton John, who also together with thirteen other vocalists provides the background vocals
All of the Lights
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Fourteen artists lent their voices as background vocals on "All of the Lights" including Rihanna (pictured) who also sang the song's hook.
All of the Lights
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"All of the Lights"
21.
Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
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Izzo is the first single released by Jay-Z from his sixth album The Blueprint. It is among his most popular singles and this was the second song released off The Blueprint, after the diss track Takeover, but the lead single from it. The song reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U. S and it was Jay-Zs first top 10 single as a lead artist. The song, produced by Kanye West, prominently features a sample of I Want You Back by The Jackson 5, the song was later mashed up with Linkin Parks In the End for their collaborative EP, Collision Course. The first verse deals with the early career as a drug dealer. The second verse narrates his struggles with the recording industry
Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
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"Izzo (H.O.V.A.)"
22.
99 Problems
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99 Problems is the third single released by American rapper Jay Z in 2004 from The Black Album. The chorus hook I got 99 problems but a bitch aint one is taken from the Ice-T single 99 Problems from the album Home Invasion, the hook was coined during a conversation between Ice-T & Brother Marquis of Miami-based 2 Live Crew. Marquis later used the phrase in the 19962 Live Crew song Table Dance, in the song, Jay-Z tells a story about dealing with rap critics, racial profiling from a police officer who wants to search his car, and an aggressor. The song reached number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, the track was produced by Rick Rubin, his first hip hop production in many years. Rubin provided Jay-Z with a riff and stripped-down beat that were once his trademarks. In creating the track Rubin used some classic 1980s sample staples such as The Big Beat by Billy Squier, Long Red by Mountain, the title and chorus are taken from Ice-Ts 99 Problems from his 1993 album Home Invasion. The song featured Brother Marquis of 2 Live Crew, the original song was more profane and describes a wide range of sexual conquests. Ice-T would re-record his version of the song with the Rubin/Jay-Z guitar riff for Body Counts 2014 album Manslaughter in order to reclaim the hook from being mis-attributed to Jay-Z. Portions of Ice-Ts original lyrics were quoted in a song by fellow rapper Trick Daddy on a track also titled 99 Problems from his 2001 album Thugs Are Us. Jay-Z begins his third verse directly quoting lines from Bun Bs opening verse off the track Touched from the UGK album Ridin Dirty, the song has been one of the most discussed songs of the decade. The second verse, describing Jay-Zs traffic stop, has received more attention than the rest of the song. The second verse was based on an experience of Jay-Z in the 1990s in New Jersey. Jay-Z wrote that in 1994 he was pulled over by police while carrying cocaine in a compartment in his sunroof. Jay-Z refused to let the police search the car and the called for the drug sniffing dogs. However, the dogs never showed up and the police had to let Jay-Z go, moments after he drove away, he wrote that he saw a police car with the dogs drive by. Jay-Zs contention that he was pulled over for being black was later confirmed to have been common practice by the New Jersey police, in 2012, Professor Emir Crowne of the University of Windsors, Faculty of Law wrote the Canadian Response to Professor Masons article. In it, he concludes that Jay-Zs lyrics may be legally correct under Canadian Law, in verse two, it refers to a police dog. President Obama quipped, in his humorous monologue at the White House Correspondents Dinner on April 27,2013, for example, this whole controversy about Jay-Z going to Cuba - its unbelievable
99 Problems
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"99 Problems"
23.
Run This Town
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Run This Town is a song by American rapper Jay-Z. The song also features Kanye West and Barbadian singer Rihanna and it was written by the performing trio, with assistance from Ernest Wilson and Jeff Bhasker. Production of the track was made by West and Wilson, Run This Town was released as the second single from Jay-Zs eleventh studio album The Blueprint 3, and is used as the theme song of Battlefield 4. Run This Town received mixed reviews from critics, some praised what each member of the trio brought to the track, whilst others thought that Kanye West. The song was a success, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the charts in the United Kingdom. It additionally made top ten chartings in ten countries including in Australia, Norway, Sweden. The songs accompanying video, directed by Anthony Mandler, depicts the trio in a post-apocalyptic environment. Run This Town was performed by Jay-Z, West, and Rihanna on the premiere of The Jay Leno Show in the United States. Run This Town samples 1970s Greek band The 4 Levels of Existences song Someday in Athens, appearing at the 1,02 mark, and lasting thereafter. The second official single from the album, The Blueprint 3 was originally planned to be Off That featuring Drake, Jay-Z confirmed the release in an interview with Tim Westwood, saying, We basically run this town. The song made its debut on July 24,2009 at 9, 11am to coincide with the albums release date. Run This Town was officially released to radios in the United States on August 9,2009 and was released via iTunes worldwide two days later on August 11. The CD single release followed on August 31,2009 in the UK, Rihannas contribution was her first musical appearance following her February 8 altercation with her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, earlier that year. Run This Town received mixed reviews from music critics, following the leak of the song, Tom Breihan, Pitchfork Media gave a positive review. The new Jay-Z/Kanye West/Rihanna track from The Blueprint 3, leaked this morning, Jays D. O. A. left the impression that The Blueprint 3 might be a cantankerous grumpy-old-man rap album, but Run This Town totally obliterates that. Thanks to a molten motivational Rihanna chorus, its pop-friendly as hell, and Jay is actually rapping like he cares, something hes only done intermittently over the last few years. Still, Kanye gets the hottest line on the song, What you think I rap for, following the albums release, Pitchfork made another review of the song, again praising the track. Rihannas hook may not be Auto-Tuned, but its definitely autopilot, about. com felt that Jay-Z lacked presence, writing, It looks like someone finally got tired of being bullied by Big Brother
Run This Town
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"Run This Town"
Run This Town
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"Run This Town" features singer
Rihanna (left) and rapper
Kanye West (right); both also co-wrote the song.
Run This Town
24.
Empire State of Mind
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Empire State of Mind is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z and featuring vocals by American singer Alicia Keys that was written by Angela Hunte and Janet Sewell-Ulepic. Produced by Al Shux, Angela Hunte and Janet Sewell-Ulepic, it was released as the single from Jay-Zs 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3. The following month they submitted the song to Jay-Zs Roc Nation, the single was supposed to feature Hunte on the songs hook, but when Hunte and Sewell-Ulepic were asked if they thought anyone else would be more appropriate for the chorus, Hunte suggested Keys. Mary J. Blige was also considered for the part, the song was viewed as being an orchestral rap ballad and has pop-rap musical styles. It contains references to locations in New York and its famous residents. Profanity is present throughout the song and, although it is included during live performances. A critical success, the song was included in multiple critics top 10 list for the best songs of 2009, including Rolling Stone magazine, the song was also nominated for three Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Empire State of Mind achieved commercial success worldwide, the track peaked within the top 10 in countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Italy and Sweden. It appeared in 2009 year-end charts in Italy, Australia and the US, as of June 2014, the single has sold over 5.5 million copies in the United States. In the songs video, which is primarily in black-and-white, Jay-Z. Empire State of Mind has been performed by Jay-Z and Keys multiple times, including during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, usually when the duo performs the song, an overhead screen shows images of places in New York. Keys has recorded a sequel entitled Empire State of Mind Broken Down and her version was positively received by critics and did well commercially, although it was not as successful as its predecessor. It was, however, Top 10 in the UK, the Netherlands and she said that she chose to record her own version of Empire State of Mind because she wanted to express her own personal feelings about New York. Empire State of Mind was created by singer-songwriter-producer Angela Hunte, a native of Brooklyn, Hunte grew up in the same building where rapper and hip hop artist Jay-Z lived—560 State Street, an address which is mentioned in the song. The tracks creation was inspired during an overseas trip Hunte and Sewell-Ulepic made to London in February 2009 when they were both feeling homesick, Hunte was ill during that summer, while Sewell-Ulepics mother was ill. Before we left the hotel that night, we knew we would write a song about our city. Although they wrote the song as a way to voice their feelings for their hometown, they sent it to the Roc Nation music label the following month in hope that Jay-Z would like it. When they received negative reviews about the track they were convinced it would never be recorded
Empire State of Mind
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"Empire State of Mind"
Empire State of Mind
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Hunte and Sewell-Ulepic were inspired to write "Empire State of Mind" based on their everyday life in New York.
Empire State of Mind
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Music critics commended Alicia Keys for her chorus line.
Empire State of Mind
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"Empire State of Mind" gave Jay-Z his first number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist.
25.
Who Gon Stop Me
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Who Gon Stop Me is a song by American hip hop recording artists Kanye West and Jay-Z, from their first collaborative effort Watch the Throne. The song is the song on the official track list for the album. The song heavily samples English dubstep producer Flux Pavilions hit single I Cant Stop, taken from his EP Lines in Wax and his mix album Circus One with Doctor P. Rolling Stone similar to Spin also stated that the song was a track that featured a dubstep bass line. Billboard described Who Gon Stop Me by saying The Throne throws the finger to haters. Til I die/ Imma f***in ball, West raps. The Hollywood Reporter stated that the album also had a beat and described Kanye West and Jay-Zs verses by saying It’s unclear what Kanye’s referring to by “our people. ”Jay-Z admits that he still likes Picasso. The Guardian described the song as using Romping, ravey synths, due to the hype around Watch the Throne, Who Gon Stop Me debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at 44, without actually being released as a single. The reason for the relatively high debut on the Billboard Hot 100 is because of the songs high digital performance. On the week of August 27,2011, Who Gon Stop Me debuted on the Billboard digital songs chart at number 19 which was the second highest debut of the week only under Drakes single Headlines. In its second week on the Hot 100 it dropped to 79, the song is the only non-single from Watch the Throne that managed to chart in the Top 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song performed similarly in Canada, debuting at 60 on the Canadian Hot 100 the week of the albums release
Who Gon Stop Me
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Several sources complimented West's vocals on the song.
26.
Try a Little Tenderness
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Try a Little Tenderness is a song written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly and Harry M. Woods. It was first recorded on December 8,1932, by the Ray Noble Orchestra, both Ruth Etting and Bing Crosby recorded it in 1933. A popular version in a new form was recorded by soul artist Otis Redding in 1966. Redding was backed on his version by Booker T. & the M. G. s and this version peaked at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has been named on a number of best songs of all time lists, including those from the Rock and it is in the 204th position on Rolling Stones list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. A live version performed in 1967 at the Monterey International Pop Festival was also recorded and this version was heavily influential in the 1991 cult Irish movie The Commitments, at one point the band performing the song in the style of Otis Redding. It was also sampled in the song Otis, recorded by rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. Three Dog Night released a version of the song, which peaked at #29 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1969 and it is a copy of Reddings interpretation of the song, including the coda that was added in Reddings version. Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Try a Little Tenderness
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"Try a Little Tenderness"
27.
Otis Redding
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Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, and talent scout. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and his singing style influenced many other soul artists of the 1960s. During his lifetime, his recordings were produced by Stax Records, based in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1958, he joined Johnny Jenkinss band, the Pinetoppers, with whom he toured the Southern states as a singer and driver. An unscheduled appearance on a Stax recording session led to a contract and his first single, These Arms of Mine, Stax released Reddings debut album, Pain in My Heart, two years later. Initially popular mainly with African-Americans, Redding later reached a wider American pop music audience, along with his group, he first played small gigs in the American South. He later performed at the popular Los Angeles night club Whisky a Go Go and toured Europe, performing in London, Paris and he also performed at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. Shortly before his death in a crash, Redding wrote. The song became the first posthumous number-one record on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts, the album The Dock of the Bay was the first posthumous album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart. Already on the verge of bankruptcy, the label soon discovered that Atlantic Records owned the rights to his song catalog. Redding received many accolades, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In addition to The Dock of the Bay, Respect and Try a Little Tenderness are among his best-known songs, Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia, the fourth of six children, and the first son, of Otis Redding, Sr. and Fannie Mae Redding. Redding senior was a sharecropper and then worked at Robins Air Force Base, near Macon, when Otis was three the family moved to Tindall Heights, a predominantly African-American public housing project in Macon. At an early age, Redding sang in the Vineville Baptist Church choir and learned guitar, from age 10, he took drum and singing lessons. At Ballard-Hudson High School, he sang in the school band, every Sunday he earned $6 by performing gospel songs for Macon radio station WIBB. His passion was singing, and he often cited Little Richard, Redding said that he would not be here without Little Richard and that he entered the music business because of Richard – he is my inspiration. I used to sing like Little Richard, his Rock n Roll stuff and my present music has a lot of him in it. At age 15, Redding left school to help support his family, his father had contracted tuberculosis and was often hospitalized. He worked as a digger, as a gasoline station attendant
Otis Redding
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"Otis Redding Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay", statue in Gateway Park by Bradley Cooley and Bradley Cooley, Jr of Bronze By Cooley, 2003
Otis Redding
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Otis Redding in January 1967
28.
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1
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In My Lifetime, Vol.1 is the second studio album by American rapper Jay Z, released on November 4,1997 by Roc-A-Fella Records. The album debuted at number 3 on the US Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum by the RIAA. The album features guest contributions by Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Babyface, Blackstreet, Teddy Riley, Too $hort, reasonable Doubt was like an introduction, Jay-Z told MTV News. Like, you know, meeting somebody out on the street, everything, your whole conversation is very general, not too much detail and things like that. Its just that In My Lifetime is more detailed, more in-depth, in a contemporary review, Steve Jones of USA Today called In My Lifetime a rock-solid set with both street and pop appeal. He named Sunshine and Real Niggaz as highlights while calling Jay-Z arrogant yet diffident, chris Norris from Spin said Jay-Zs raps are often in search of meaty ideas or distinctive charm—skills without pleasure, and was also critical of the production. Without one sure, guiding vision, Norris wrote, the Combs blueprint comes off as either mundane or embarrassing, the track Streets Is Watching is edited on both the explicit and clean versions of the album. In My Lifetime, Vol.1 at Discogs Album Review at RapReviews
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1
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In My Lifetime, Vol. 1
29.
Power (Kanye West song)
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Power is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, released as the lead single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The song features vocals by soul singer Dwele and is co-produced by West. It is built around samples of 21st Century Schizoid Man by King Crimson, Afromerica by Continent Number 6, after having recorded it in Hawaii, West reported that he spent 5000 hours composing Power. In its lyrics, West comments about the United States and his critics and its chorus features an abrasive vocal-riff. POWER was Wests comeback single following his 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak, the song received acclaim from music critics and it was listed as the best track of 2010 by several publications, including Time, Pitchfork Media, Spin, and Rolling Stone. Critics described it as a return to form for West, praising its production, lyrical merit. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 53rd Grammy Awards, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at position 22 and thereafter declined. The track was promoted by a video, which was directed by Marco Brambilla. The video features a long take of the camera pulling away from West, the video received positive reviews from critics and received two nominations for MTV Video Music Awards. West performed the song on Saturday Night Live, at the 2010 BET Awards, at the 2011 Coachella Music Festival, when performing the song, West often wore clothes made from red leather. A remix of the track featuring rapper Jay-Z was released on August 20,2010, West explained that the motivation of some of his questionable decisions stemmed from over-work. While composing the album, West assembled a staff of established producers including Pete Rock. Despite having several well-known producers on his team, the majority of the production featured on Power was done by the lesser-known Symbolyc One. The song was produced by him and was initially intended to be given to rapper Rhymefest, until West listened to the song. According to Symbolyc One, West was an admirer of the composition, and asked him to fly down to Hawaii, where he discovered that West had already recorded some of his version of the song. A month later, the producer was asked to return to Hawaii and discovered that the beat had been modified by West. Symbolyc One expressed surprise that West was so interested in using the beat, but on this last album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, I wrote it. I really put myself in the zone that my life was dependent on the success of this album, with that being the case, I said, ‘You know what
Power (Kanye West song)
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Contemporary visual artist
George Condo designed the two cover artworks for "Power", along with the cover of the album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Power (Kanye West song)
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"Power"
Power (Kanye West song)
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West's "Power" was widely acclaimed by music critics, with
Rolling Stone calling it West's best single in years. Several publications named it amongst the best songs of 2010.
Power (Kanye West song)
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"Power (Remix)" was released as a free single through West's
G.O.O.D. Fridays program.
30.
Touch the Sky (Kanye West song)
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Touch the Sky is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West. It was released in early 2006 as the single from his second album. The song features American rapper Lupe Fiasco on his debut and was produced by Just Blaze. Blaze uses a slowed down sample from the Curtis Mayfield song Move On Up. The music video for Touch the Sky was directed by Chris Milk and filmed as a 70s style short movie about daredevil Evel Kanyevel and it is done in homage to Evel Knievels unsuccessful jump across the Snake River Canyon in 1974. The video features Pamela Anderson, Nia Long, Tracee Ellis Ross, and the Booker T. Washington High School Marching Band of Houston, Texas, the production cost for the music video was approximately $1 million, which is the 25th most expensive music video of all time. In December 2006, Evel Knievel filed a lawsuit against Kanye West for trademark infringement, wests attorneys argued that the music video amounted to satire and therefore was covered under the First Amendment. Just days before his death in November 2007, Knievel amicably settled the suit after being paid a visit from West, saying, I thought he was a wonderful guy and quite a gentleman. There is a remix that was leaked on mixtapes and features The LOX, J-Hood. Information taken from Late Registration liner notes
Touch the Sky (Kanye West song)
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"Touch the Sky"
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