1.
Spike Jonze
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Spike Jonze is an American director, producer, screenwriter and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television. Jonze is well known for his music video collaborations with Daft Punk, Fatboy Slim, Weezer, the Beastie Boys, Björk and he was a co-creator and executive producer of MTVs Jackass. He is currently the director of Vice Media, Inc. He is part owner of skateboard company Girl Skateboards with riders Rick Howard and he co-founded Directors Label, with filmmakers Chris Cunningham and Michel Gondry, and the Palm Pictures company. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, Best Director for Being John Malkovich and he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay, the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay, and the 2014 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Her. Jonze was born on October 22,1969 in Rockville, Maryland and his father, Arthur H. Spiegel III, was a distant relation of the Spiegel catalog family, and founded APM Management Consultants. His mother, Sandra L. Granzow, is a writer, communications consultant in developing countries and his brother, Sam Squeak E. Clean Spiegel, is a producer and DJ. He also has a sister, Julia and his father was from a German Jewish family, while his mother has German, Scottish, and English ancestry. Jonze attended the San Francisco Art Institute in San Francisco, California, when he was a junior in high school, Jonze spent time at a Bethesda community store, where the former owner Mike Henderson gave him his nickname Spike Jonze in reference to Spike Jones. He fronted Club Homeboy, an international BMX club, with Mark Lew Lewman and Andy Jenkins, the three also created the youth culture magazines Homeboy and Dirt. In 2006, he was nominated by the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Achievement in Commercials in 2005 and he was nominated for a body of work that included Hello Tomorrow for Adidas, Lamp for IKEA, and Pardon Our Dust for The Gap. He was a producer and co-creator of MTV television series Jackass and Jackass, The Movie, also directing some of the segments. Jonze has acted in videos and films, his most prominent role was in Three Kings as the sweet, dimwitted, casually racist Conrad. Jonze was a co-founder and editor of Dirt magazine along with Mark Lewman and Andy Jenkins, as well as an editor for Grand Royal Magazine and senior photographer for Transworld Skateboarding. In the past, Jonze shot street skateboarding videos, most notably Blinds highly influential Video Days in 1991 and he co-directed the Girl Skateboards film Yeah Right. and the Chocolate Skateboards video Hot Chocolate. In the closing montage of Yeah Right. Spike is shown doing a nollie heelflip in loafers and he is co-owner of Girl Skateboards. Jonze has many alter egos, including Richard Koufey, the leader of the Torrance Community Dance Group, the Koufey persona appeared when Jonze, in character, filmed himself dancing to Fatboy Slims The Rockafeller Skank as it played on a boom box in a public area
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
3.
Los Angeles Film Festival
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The LA Film Festival is an annual film festival held in June in Culver City, California. It showcases independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, since 2001 it is run by the organization Film Independent, which also has been arranging the annual Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica since 1985. The festival began as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1995, the LAIFF ran for six years, until it was absorbed into Film Independent in 2001. At its height, the LAIFF attracted 19,000 attendees, today, the LA Film Festival attracts more than 36,000 visitors. With an attendance of more than 36,000 people, it more than 100 feature films. The event also includes world premieres of such as Disney/Pixars Brave, and a variety of panels, seminars. The Festival features signature programs including the exclusive Filmmaker Retreat, hosted by a film director. In 2010, the Filmmaker Retreat was hosted by Kathryn Bigelow, in 2011, it was hosted by George Lucas at his Skywalker Ranch. In addition to films, it also screens short films created by high school students. Films submitted to the Festival are reviewed by Film Independents programming department, in 2011, the Festival showed over 200 films, music videos and shorts from over 30 countries. The first LAIFF took place over the course of five days in a single location, in 1996, the LAIFF expanded to include the Directors Guild of America Building in Hollywood. In 2001, the Festival became part of the organization Film Independent, in 2006, the Los Angeles Times became the Festivals main sponsor. In 2010 the Festival was moved to the Regal Cinemas at the L. A, live complex in downtown Los Angeles, with additional screenings at several other downtown venues including the Downtown Independent, Orpheum Theatre and the REDCAT Theatre. The Festival also has a tradition of screenings at the open-air John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood. Free screenings are scheduled at California Plaza, in conjunction with Grand Performances, today the LA Film Festival attracts over 36,000 visitors. The LA Film Festival is a festival in all categories for Film Independents Spirit Awards. It is also a festival for the short films categories of the Academy Awards. During the festival of 2009, festival officials was approached by Dole Food Company, Dole urged festival officials to immediately cease and desist their sponsorship of the documentary Bananas. *, directed by Fredrik Gertten
4.
Flashing Lights (Kanye West song)
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Flashing Lights is a song by American hip-hop artist Kanye West. It features Detroit R&B singer Dwele and contains vocals from Australian singer Connie Mitchell. West co-wrote and co-produced the song with Eric Hudson and released it on November 22,2007 as the single for his third studio album. The singles cover art was designed by Japanese pop artist, Takashi Murakami, the single received acclaim from music critics and is cited as one of the best songs on Graduation. The song features Detroit R&B singer Dwele on its chorus and contains vocals provided by Connie Mitchell of the Australian electronic group Sneaky Sound System. The collaboration came about when Kanye met Mitchells bandmates Angus McDonald and Daimon Downey at a diner in Sydney, seeking musical inspiration, West asked McDonald for ideas, who in turn suggested that he be introduced to Mitchell. After their meeting, West asked Mitchell to record vocals for the song, Mitchell later admitted that while she previously didnt know who West was and never really cared for hip-hop, the collaboration had changed her views. As a result of its popularity, Flashing Lights was utilized by media outlets. In December 2007, the song was used in an ad campaign for French vodka Cîroc and it is featured in the popular action-adventure video game Grand Theft Auto IV on the in-game contemporary hip-hop radio station, The Beat 102.7. The song came to be included on Now Thats What I Call Music 27, the promo won gold at the North American Promax Awards. The song has been confirmed to be included within the setlist of the music video game Scratch. The song appeared in one episode of the MTV series My Life as Liz, Flashing Lights is an electronic-tinged hip-hop/R&B song composed in the key of F♯ minor. It is written in time and moves at 90 beats per minute. The main and background vocal range for the song spans nearly three octaves, from C4 to E5. After the introduction, in which Mitchells processed vocals repeat the titular hook four times, following a break, the song enters a passage where its heavily manipulated hook echoes in and out before the coda draws the composition to a close. Flashing Lights received widespread acclaim from music critics and was widely regarded as the best song on Graduation. Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy highly approved of the single, awarding it a four-star review, mixing chilled-out electronics, jittering synths and laid-back, old-skool hip-hop, he creates a sumptuous track that grows more intriguing with every listen. Billboard gave a review, claiming that it does a great job of reintroducing Miami Vice-esque keys
5.
See You in My Nightmares
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See You in My Nightmares is a song from Kanye Wests fourth studio album 808s & Heartbreak. Produced by West and his former mentor No I. D. the song features a duet between West and rap artist Lil Wayne. It was to be sent to radios on March 10,2009, while to Rhythm/Crossover radio on February 28,2009. Though not released as a single, See You in My Nightmares still managed to enter the top forty on charts in Canada, along with Amazing, See You in My Nightmares charted without actually being released as a single following the release of 808s & Heartbreak. In the U. S. the song was certified as a Hot Shot Debut and that same week, it also a Hot Shot Debut on the Pop 100, peaking at number twenty-seven. The song was a Hot Shot Debut once more in Canada, West has collaborated with Spike Jonze to direct a short film, We Were Once a Fairytale for See You in My Nightmares. According to Jonzes producing partner, Vincent Landay, the project was mostly for fun and is not necessarily a video for See You in My Nightmares. Set to run between ten and fifteen minutes, the film was shot near the end of January within two days in Los Angeles and has received editing over the course of several weekends. Its plot is based on a developed by Jonze, who then reached out to Kanye under the belief that hed be perfect for it. On October 18, “We Were Once a Fairytale” was leaked to the Internet and posted on Mr. West’s official Web site, kanyeuniversecity. com. Mr. Jonze said the film was leaked from the postproduction studio of a friend. “I think he was like, ‘Oh, it’s out, i’ll link to it, ’ ” Mr. Jonze said. On October 19th the video was removed from the site, with only a message left from West saying SORRY I HAD TO TAKE IT DOWN. The video, however, can still be found on video sharing websites and is now available through iTunes. Information taken from 808s & Heartbreak liner notes, songwriters, Kanye West, Ernest Wilson, Jeff Bhasker, Dwayne Carter Producers, Kanye West, No I. D. Recorders, Andrew Dawson, Anthony Kilhoffer Keyboards, Jeff Bhasker Strings arrangements, violins, Emma Kummrow, Igor Szwec, Luigi Mazzochi, Gregory Teperman, Olga Konopelsky, Charles Parker Viola, Davis Barnett, Alexandra Leem. Cello, James J. Cooper, III, Jennie Lorenzo, bass, Miles Davis Mixer, Manny Marroquin Engineer, Jeff Chestek Assistant engineers, Montez Roberts, Rick Friedrich, John Stahl Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
6.
Fonzworth Bentley
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Derek Watkins, better known as Fonzworth Bentley or Farnsworth Bentley, is a musician and author. He is perhaps best known for being Sean Combs former personal valet and assistant, as first seen in Making the Band 2 and he was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He first appeared rapping on Da Bands 2002 album Too Hot for TV, in the track Cheers to Me, in 2003, Bentley was featured on the Good Day, Good Sir skit on OutKasts Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. In 2004, he had a role in the video of Kanye Wests The New Workout Plan. His debut album, C. O. L. O. U. R. S. was released via iTunes on April 26,2011 and he was also featured, playing the violin in the Yes We Can music video in support of Barack Obamas 2008 presidential campaign. Bentley was a producer for Borrow My Crew in 2005, in which he allowed one boy, Cory Cole. Since 2008, he has been hosting the MTV series From Gs to Gents, in 2007, Bentley authored an etiquette book, Advance Your Swagger, How to Use Manners, Confidence and Style to Get Ahead. In May 2009, Bentley hosted one of the parties following the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington. In 2007, Bentley contributed to KnowHow2GO, recently, Bentley sang as a member of the chorus for We Are The World, a remake of the original for Haiti, in February 2010. From Gs to Gents Top Ten Gentlemens Club Confessions of a Celebrity Assistant VH1 Fashion Rocks All Shades of Fine,25 Hottest Women of the Past 25 Years P
7.
Lil Wayne
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Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American hip hop recording artist and author from New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1991, at the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, in 1996, Lil Wayne joined the southern hip hop group Hot Boys, with his Cash Money label-mates Juvenile, Young Turk and Lil Doogie. Hot Boys debuted with Get It How U Live. that same year, Most of the groups success came with their platinum-selling album Guerrilla Warfare and the 1999 single Bling Bling. Along with being the flagship artist of Cash Money Records, Lil Wayne is also the Chief Executive Officer of his own imprint, Young Money Entertainment. Lil Waynes solo debut album Tha Block Is Hot, was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and his subsequent albums, Lights Out and 500 Degreez, went on to be certified gold. Wayne reached higher popularity with his fourth album Tha Carter, which was led by the single Go D. J. and his appearance on Destinys Childs Top 10 single Soldier, that same year. The album was followed by Tha Carter II, as well as several mixtapes, Wayne gained more prominence with his sixth album Tha Carter III, which became his most successful album to date, with first-week sales of over one million copies in the United States. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and includes the hit singles Lollipop, A Milli, following the success of Tha Carter III, Wayne decided to record a rock-esque album titled Rebirth. The album, released in 2010, was certified gold by the RIAA, in March 2010, Lil Wayne began serving an 8-month jail sentence in New York after being convicted of criminal possession of a weapon stemming from an incident in July 2007. Waynes eighth album I Am Not a Human Being, was released during his incarceration and his 2011 album and first following his release, Tha Carter IV, sold 964,000 copies in its first week of availability in the United States. It includes the singles 6 Foot 7 Foot, How to Love, on September 27,2012, Lil Wayne passed Elvis Presley as the male with the most entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with 109 songs. The record has since passed by other artists. Lil Waynes thirteenth studio album, Tha Carter V has been delayed multiple times and has no scheduled release date, Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. was born on September 27,1982, and grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. His mother, a cook, gave birth to him when she was 19 years old and his parents divorced when he was 2, and his father permanently abandoned the family. Although Wayne and Birdman have a relationship and Birdman calls Carter his son, Waynes biological father. Lil Wayne has also spoken about his stepfather, Rabbit. Carter has a dedicated to Rabbit, who was murdered before Carter became a star. Carter enrolled in the program of Lafayette Elementary School and in the drama club of Eleanor McMain Secondary School
8.
Bowie knife
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The knife pattern is still popular with collectors, in addition to various knife manufacturing companies there are hundreds of custom knife makers producing Bowies and variations. The early history of the Bowie knife is complicated by murky definitions, limited supporting documentation, the Bowie knife is not well defined. By the mid-20th century most would include some combination of blade length, in the mid-19th century, when the popularity of the knife was at its peak, the term was applied to a wide range of blades. Absent a consensus definition, it is impossible to define the origin of the knife. To complicate matters, some American blades that meet the definition of the Bowie knife may pre-date Bowie. The Bowie knife derives part of its name and reputation from James Bowie, a notorious knife fighter, James Bowie left a very thin paper trail, in the absence of verifiable facts his history was buried in unverifiable knife-fighting legend. Historians seriously entertain the possibility that Bowie only fought one personal knife fight and that Sandbar Fight received national publicity within months of the event. James Bowie prominently wore a large knife after the Sandbar fight, the Bowie family provided a variety of conflicting knife histories. His brother Rezin Bowie provided a terse history 2 years after James death, sixteen years after James death someone slightly amended Rezins explanation to include a blacksmith. Rezins grandchildren named a different blacksmith, a later Bowie claimed that the information attributed to John was a lie and that John probably never saw the document, etc. In the mid-20th century a Bowie knife book author took liberties with the historical facts, some documents were misquoted, some reported facts cannot be confirmed, etc. Others incorporated the errors into their accounts of both Bowie and his knives, with no solid definition and conflicting accounts of knife history, many were credited with the invention or improvement of the blade. The historical Bowie knife was not a design, but was a series of knives improved several times by Jim Bowie over the years. The earliest such knife, made by Jesse Clift at Bowies brothers request resembled Spanish hunting knives of the day, the blade, as later described by Rezin Bowie, was 9.5 inches long,0.25 inches thick and 1.5 inches wide. It was straight-backed, described by witnesses as a butcher knife. They are about the size of a common English carving knife, after the Vidalia Sandbar fight, Bowie was a famous man, and the Bowie brothers received many requests for knives of the same design. Bowie and his brothers would later commission more ornate custom blades from various makers including Daniel Searles. George William Featherstonhaugh described them as, These formidable instruments. are the pride of an Arkansas blood, and got their name of Bowie knives from a conspicuous person of this fiery climate
9.
808s & Heartbreak
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808s & Heartbreak is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Kanye West. It was released on November 24,2008, by Roc-A-Fella Records, West recorded the album during September and October 2008 at Glenwood Studios in Burbank, California and Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii, with the help of producers No I. D. 808s & Heartbreak debuted at one on the Billboard 200. Despite varying responses from listeners, the received positive reviews from most critics and was named one of 2008s best records in several year-end lists. Four singles were released to promote the record, including the hit singles Love Lockdown, by 2013, it had sold 1.7 million copies in the United States. Following the release of his studio album Graduation, the remainder of 2007. On November 10,2007, Wests mother Donda West died due to complications arising following cosmetic surgery involving a tummy tuck, months later, West and fiancée Alexis Phifer ended their engagement and their long-term intermittent relationship, which had begun in 2002. At the same time, West struggled to adapt to his pop star status he had once striven to achieve. The loss, loneliness and longing for companionship and a sense of normality served to inspire 808s & Heartbreak, West stated that This album was therapeutic – its lonely at the top. A photograph taken by Danny Clinch of West kissing his mother on the cheek was included in the booklet liner notes. West felt that his emotions could not be expressed simply through rapping. There were melodies that were in me, he explained, what was in me I couldnt stop. Either call it pop or pop art, either one Im good with, the album was recorded over a span of approximately three weeks from September to October 2008. Recording sessions took place at Glenwood Studios in Burbank, California and at Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, as implied by its title, 808s & Heartbreak prominently features the Roland TR-808 drum machine. West utilized the sounds created by the 808 and manipulated its pitch to produce a distorted, electronic sound and he felt the characteristic of the sound was representative of his state of mind. According to West, the fact that Hawaiis area code was 808 was coincidental, the realization inspired him to pursue his direction with the album, however. In terms of direction, Wests intentions, according to Mike Dean, were to go against the typical sound of hip hop beat. Overall, West maintained a minimal but functional approach towards the studio production
10.
Girl Distribution Company
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Crailtap is a skateboarding distribution company based in Torrance, California, United States. The distribution company houses the following brands, Girl Skateboards, Chocolate Skateboards, Royal Skateboard Trucks, Ruby Republic, Howard explained in a 2000 interview, Part of the reason we started Girl was so pro skateboarders would have a future. When Guy Mariano and Rudy Johnsons legs dont work anymore, at least what theyve done for skateboarding, all the Girl Distribution companies are based around people who have helped Girl get to where it is today. Howard and Carroll revealed in 2013 as part of the companys 20-year anniversary commemoration that the majority of the industry at the time was acrimonious towards the new enterprise. Carroll stated that a particular woodshop was threatened by another company and consequently severed ties with Girl, Carroll explained that Vitello he always just, kinda, let us know that he had our back. In addition to Howard and Carroll, the original Girl team consisted of Jovontae Turner, Guy Mariano, Rudy Johnson, Tim Gavin, Tony Ferguson, Sean Sheffey, and Jeron Wilson. The company has evolved into a company that distributes skateboard hard goods, skateboard videos and films. The Girl logo is similar to the symbol on womens bathrooms and was designed by Girls in-house artist Andy Jenkins, named the Art Dump, the design department of Girl is overseen by Jenkins. Artists such as Geoff McFetridge, Kevin Lyons, and Hershel Baltrotsky have contributed to the aesthetic of Girl through their work for the Art Dump, Biebel had moved from Chicago, US to California, US and had met Ty previously in southern California. At the 2000 premiere of the video, Carroll asked Biebel to join the Lakai skate shoe team, Biebel was assigned professional status in 2002 and stated in a 2012 interview, Girl, Lakai—thats a dream come true. I aint never leaving that shit, rogers left the company in 2007 due to his dissatisfaction with his royalty payments, while Capaldi, Malto, and Olson were assigned professional status the following year. Rogers later explained his issues with Girl in an October 2012 interview, I was getting my cheque, just not my actual royalties. I got a three thousand dollar guarantee a month, which operated as a minimum, meaning I get that no matter what, but if I sell over the minimum, I get the extras - royalties kick in. So what had happened was, they were letting my royalties fall back into the company to cover their overhead, for two years I apparently didnt break my three thousand dollar minimum. Dont forget, were taking about Girl here who sells all around the world, the following month I got a six thousand dollar cheque. The first time I broke my three thousand dollar minimum, apparently, and on top of that, it was April, a statement from Girl was not released in response to Rogerss claims. After winning the Bang Yo Self 2 contest, held by the Berrics website, in April 2009, in regard to Kennedys victory, the Berrics wrote, Today, April 2nd,2009, is the beginning of Cory Kennedys tyranny over skateboarding. May God have mercy on our souls, after 20 minutes, Kennedy eventually realized that his name was written on the decks
11.
Mayer Hawthorne
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Cohen also performs and records in the groups Tuxedo and Jaded Incorporated. Cohen was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the stage name Mayer Hawthorne is a combination of Cohens real middle name and Hawthorne Road, the street he grew up on. Hawthorne moved to Los Angeles in 2005 and he was signed to Stones Throw Records by label head Peanut Butter Wolf. Originally the Mayer Hawthorne tracks were created for sampling purposes and for pleasure, Hawthorne has had no previous vocal training. His debut single, Just Aint Gonna Work Out/When I Said Goodbye, was released on a red heart-shaped 7 record on Stones Throw Records on November 4,2008. His second single Maybe So, Maybe No/I Wish It Would Rain was released on a 12 record on Stones Throw Records on April 19,2009 and his debut album, A Strange Arrangement was released on CD and LP on Stones Throw Records on September 8,2009. The song When I Said Goodbye, was featured in the Kanye West/Spike Jonze short film We Were Once a Fairytale, in 2011, Hawthorne performed guest vocals for the Sebastian song Love in Motion featured on Sebastians 2011 album Total. On July 15,2011, Mayer Hawthorne was a guest, along with famed Memphis/Stax Records keyboardist Booker T. Jones, on Episode 43 of Daryl Halls Live From Daryls House webcast. During Halls dinner for the group, Hawthorne stated that, when working as a hip hop DJ and he also played all the instruments on each of those tracks, in addition to recording all his own vocals. Mayer Hawthorne was a musical guest on the Conan TV show on October 17,2011, on both shows, the group performed The Walk, his first single from How Do You Do. In 2012 Hawthorne released the six-track live EP KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic, in late May 2013, Hawthorne released his single Her Favorite Song from his album Where Does This Door Go. It is noted that the album is a departure from his style in his past three albums. Later that year, he received a Grammy nomination for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package for his album How Do You Do, discussing How Do You Do, Hawthorne says, I found my own unique sound on this album, which Im excited about. He first found his voice in hip-hop and rap from his father. In July 2009, Hawthorne was featured on the cover of the anniversary issue of Beyond Race magazine. Hawthornes song, Your Easy Lovin Aint Pleasin Nothin was featured in the season of Ugly Betty in its finale episode. The song begins in the scene at Bettys goodbye party when Marc asks Troy if he would like to dance, Hawthornes track Do It, released under the alias Tuxedo with Jake One was sampled on Pitbulls track of the same name from his 2013 studio album Global Warming. The title track from Hawthornes album, Where Does This Door Go was featured over the credits of the season one Masters of Sex episode Thank You For Coming in October 2013
12.
Ludwig van Beethoven
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Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he one of the most famous. His best-known compositions include 9 symphonies,5 piano concertos,1 violin concerto,32 piano sonatas,16 string quartets, his great Mass the Missa solemnis, and one opera, Fidelio. At the age of 21 he moved to Vienna, where he began studying composition with Joseph Haydn and he lived in Vienna until his death. By his late 20s his hearing began to deteriorate, and by the last decade of his life he was almost completely deaf. In 1811 he gave up conducting and performing in public but continued to compose, many of his most admired works come from these last 15 years of his life. Beethoven was the grandson of Ludwig van Beethoven, a musician from the town of Mechelen in the Duchy of Brabant in the Flemish region of what is now Belgium, who at the age of twenty moved to Bonn. Ludwig was employed as a singer at the court of the Elector of Cologne, eventually rising to become, in 1761. The portrait he commissioned of himself towards the end of his life remained proudly displayed in his grandsons rooms as a talisman of his musical heritage. Ludwig had one son, Johann, who worked as a tenor in the musical establishment and gave keyboard. Johann married Maria Magdalena Keverich in 1767, she was the daughter of Johann Heinrich Keverich, Beethoven was born of this marriage in Bonn. There is no record of the date of his birth, however. Of the seven children born to Johann van Beethoven, only Ludwig, the second-born, caspar Anton Carl was born on 8 April 1774, and Nikolaus Johann, the youngest, was born on 2 October 1776. Beethovens first music teacher was his father and he later had other local teachers, the court organist Gilles van den Eeden, Tobias Friedrich Pfeiffer, and Franz Rovantini. Beethovens musical talent was obvious at a young age, some time after 1779, Beethoven began his studies with his most important teacher in Bonn, Christian Gottlob Neefe, who was appointed the Courts Organist in that year. Neefe taught Beethoven composition, and by March 1783 had helped him write his first published composition, Beethoven soon began working with Neefe as assistant organist, at first unpaid, and then as a paid employee of the court chapel conducted by the Kapellmeister Andrea Luchesi. His first three piano sonatas, named Kurfürst for their dedication to the Elector Maximilian Friedrich, were published in 1783, Maximilian Frederick noticed Beethovens talent early, and subsidised and encouraged the young mans musical studies. Maximilian Fredericks successor as the Elector of Bonn was Maximilian Francis, the youngest son of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, echoing changes made in Vienna by his brother Joseph, he introduced reforms based on Enlightenment philosophy, with increased support for education and the arts
13.
Moonlight Sonata
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The Piano Sonata No.14 in C♯ minor Quasi una fantasia, Op.27, No. 2, popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata, is a sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven. It was completed in 1801 and dedicated in 1802 to his pupil and this piece is one of Beethovens most popular compositions for the piano, and it was a popular favorite even in his own day. Beethoven wrote the Moonlight Sonata in his thirties, after he had finished with some commissioned work. The first edition of the score is headed Sonata quasi una fantasia, grove Music Online translates the Italian title as sonata in the manner of a fantasy. Translated more literally, this is sonata almost a fantasy, the name Moonlight Sonata comes from remarks made by the German music critic and poet Ludwig Rellstab. In 1832, five years after Beethovens death, Rellstab likened the effect of the first movement to that of moonlight shining upon Lake Lucerne, within ten years, the name Moonlight Sonata was being used in German and English publications. Later in the century, the sonata was universally known by that name. Other critics have approved of the sobriquet, finding it evocative or in line with their own interpretation of the work, instead, the sonata possesses an end-weighted trajectory, with the rapid music held off until the third movement. In his analysis, German critic Paul Bekker states, The opening sonata-allegro movement gave the work a character from the beginning. Which succeeding movements could supplement but not change, Beethoven rebelled against this determinative quality in the first movement. He wanted a prelude, an introduction, not a proposition, the movement opens with an octave in the left hand and a triplet figuration in the right. A melody that Hector Berlioz called a lamentation, mostly by the hand, is played against an accompanying ostinato triplet rhythm. The movement is played pianissimo or very quietly, and the loudest it gets is mezzo forte or moderately loud. The adagio sostenuto has made an impression on many listeners, for instance. Beethovens student Carl Czerny called it a nocturnal scene, in which a ghostly voice sounds from the distance. The movement was popular in Beethovens day, to the point of exasperating the composer himself. Franz Liszt is said to have described the movement as a flower between two chasms
14.
ITunes Store
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ITunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28,2003, and has been the largest music vendor in the United States since April 2008, and the largest music vendor in the world since February 2010. It offers over 35 -40 million songs,2.2 million apps,25,000 TV shows, iTunes Stores revenues in the first quarter of 2011 totaled nearly US$1.4 billion, by May 28,2014, the store had sold 35 billion songs worldwide. On January 6,2009, Apple announced that DRM had been removed from 80% of its catalog in the US. As of June 2013, iTunes Store possesses 575 million active user accounts, before iTunes Store, most of the online music was download through websites like Napster. Steve Jobs expressed concern that people were illegally obtaining music because it was the option they had. In 2002, Steve Jobs made an agreement with the five major record labels to offer their content through iTunes, iTunes Store was introduced by Steve Jobs at a Worldwide Developers Conference to give music listeners a legal alternative to peer-to-peer file sharing networks. When it opened, it was the only legal digital catalog of music to songs from all five major record labels. At first, it was available on Mac OS X. Following the introduction of iTunes Store, individual songs were all sold for the same price, Music in the store is in the Advanced Audio Coding format, which is the MPEG-4-specified successor to MP3. Originally, songs were available with DRM and were encoded at 128 kbit/s. At the January 2009 Macworld Expo, Apple announced that all music would be made available without DRM. Previously, this model, known as iTunes Plus, had available only for music from EMI. Users can sample songs by listening to previews, ninety seconds in length, some Apps cost money and some are free. Developers can decide which prices they want to charge for apps, from a pre-set list of pricing tiers, when someone downloads an App,70 percent of the purchase goes to the developer, and 30 percent goes to Apple. At the Macworld 2008 keynote, Steve Jobs, who was Apples CEO at the time, movies are available for rent in iTunes Store on the same day they are released on DVD, though iTunes Store also offers for rental some movies that are still in theaters. Movie rentals are only viewable for 24 hours or 48 hours after users begin viewing them, iTunes Store also offers one low-priced movie rental a week, in the United States, this rental costs 99 cents. Movie rentals are not yet available in all countries but it is available in the United States, Mexico, there is a weekly promotion in which one to three songs are available to download for free to logged-in users
15.
The Independent
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The Independent is a British online newspaper. The printed edition of the paper ceased in March 2016, nicknamed the Indy, it began as a broadsheet newspaper, but changed to tabloid format in 2003. Until September 2011, the paper described itself on the banner at the top of every newspaper as free from party political bias and it tends to take a pro-market stance on economic issues. The daily edition was named National Newspaper of the Year at the 2004 British Press Awards. In June 2015, it had a daily circulation of just below 58,000,85 per cent down from its 1990 peak. On 12 February 2016, it was announced that The Independent, the last print edition of The Independent on Sunday was published on 20 March 2016, with the main paper ceasing print publication the following Saturday. Launched in 1986, the first issue of The Independent was published on 7 October in broadsheet format and it was produced by Newspaper Publishing plc and created by Andreas Whittam Smith, Stephen Glover and Matthew Symonds. All three partners were former journalists at The Daily Telegraph who had left the paper towards the end of Lord Hartwells ownership, marcus Sieff was the first chairman of Newspaper Publishing, and Whittam Smith took control of the paper. The paper was created at a time of a change in British newspaper publishing. Rupert Murdoch was challenging long-accepted practices of the print unions and ultimately defeated them in the Wapping dispute, consequently, production costs could be reduced which, it was said at the time, created openings for more competition. As a result of controversy around Murdochs move to Wapping, the plant was effectively having to function under siege from sacked print workers picketing outside, the Independent attracted some of the staff from the two Murdoch broadsheets who had chosen not to move to his companys new headquarters. Launched with the advertising slogan It is, and challenging both The Guardian for centre-left readers and The Times as the newspaper of record, The Independent reached a circulation of over 400,000 by 1989. Competing in a market, The Independent sparked a general freshening of newspaper design as well as, within a few years. Some aspects of production merged with the paper, although the Sunday paper retained a largely distinct editorial staff. It featured spoofs of the other papers mastheads with the words The Rupert Murdoch or The Conrad Black, a number of other media companies were interested in the paper. Tony OReillys media group and Mirror Group Newspapers had bought a stake of about a third each by mid-1994, in March 1995, Newspaper Publishing was restructured with a rights issue, splitting the shareholding into OReillys Independent News & Media, MGN, and Prisa. In April 1996, there was another refinancing, and in March 1998, OReilly bought the other 54% of the company for £30 million, brendan Hopkins headed Independent News, Andrew Marr was appointed editor of The Independent, and Rosie Boycott became editor of The Independent on Sunday. Marr introduced a dramatic if short-lived redesign which won critical favour but was a commercial failure, Marr admitted his changes had been a mistake in his book, My Trade
16.
MTV
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MTV is an American cable and satellite television channel owned by Viacom Media Networks and headquartered in New York City. Launched on August 1,1981, the originally aired music videos as guided by television personalities known as video jockeys. In its early years, MTVs main target demographic was young adults and it has received criticism towards this change of focus, both by certain segments of its audience and musicians. MTVs influence on its audience, including issues involving censorship and social activism, has also been a subject of debate for several years, in recent years, MTV had struggled with the secular decline of music-related cable media. In April 2016, MTV announced it would start to return to its original music roots with the reintroduction of the classic MTV series MTV Unplugged. It was also reported that the series MTV Cribs would be making a return on Snapchat, MTV has spawned numerous sister channels in the US and affiliated channels internationally, some of which have gone independent. As of July 2015, approximately 92,188,000 US households have received MTV, several earlier concepts for music video-based television programming had been around since the early 1960s. The Beatles had used music videos to promote their records starting in the mid-1960s, CBS rejected the idea, but Williams premiered his own musical composition Classical Gas on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, where he was head writer. The series featured clips from various popular artists, but was canceled by its distributor in 1971. The channel, which featured video disc jockeys, signed a deal with US Cable in 1978 to expand its audience from retail to cable television, the service was no longer active by the time MTV launched in 1981. The QUBE system offered many specialized channels, One of these specialized channels was Sight on Sound, a music channel that featured concert footage and music-oriented television programs. With the interactive QUBE service, viewers could vote for their favorite songs, the original programming format of MTV was created by media executive Robert W. Pittman, who later became president and chief executive officer of MTV Networks. Pittman had test-driven the music format by producing and hosting a 15-minute show, Album Tracks, the inspiration for PopClips came from a similar program on New Zealands TVNZ network named Radio with Pictures, which premiered in 1976. The concept itself had been in the works since 1966, when record companies began supplying the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation with promotional music clips to play on the air at no charge. Few artists made the trip to New Zealand to appear live. A shortened version of the shuttle launch ID ran at the top of hour in various forms. The first music video shown on MTV was The Buggles Video Killed the Radio Star and this was followed by the video for Pat Benatars You Better Run. Sporadically, the screen would go black when an employee at MTV inserted a tape into a VCR, MTVs lower third graphics that appeared near the beginning and end of music videos would eventually use the recognizable Kabel typeface for about 25 years
17.
The New York Times
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The New York Times is an American daily newspaper, founded and continuously published in New York City since September 18,1851, by The New York Times Company. The New York Times has won 119 Pulitzer Prizes, more than any other newspaper, the papers print version in 2013 had the second-largest circulation, behind The Wall Street Journal, and the largest circulation among the metropolitan newspapers in the US. The New York Times is ranked 18th in the world by circulation, following industry trends, its weekday circulation had fallen in 2009 to fewer than one million. Nicknamed The Gray Lady, The New York Times has long been regarded within the industry as a newspaper of record. The New York Times international version, formerly the International Herald Tribune, is now called the New York Times International Edition, the papers motto, All the News Thats Fit to Print, appears in the upper left-hand corner of the front page. On Sunday, The New York Times is supplemented by the Sunday Review, The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times Magazine and T, some other early investors of the company were Edwin B. Morgan and Edward B. We do not believe that everything in Society is either right or exactly wrong, —what is good we desire to preserve and improve, —what is evil, to exterminate. In 1852, the started a western division, The Times of California that arrived whenever a mail boat got to California. However, when local California newspapers came into prominence, the effort failed, the newspaper shortened its name to The New-York Times in 1857. It dropped the hyphen in the city name in the 1890s, One of the earliest public controversies it was involved with was the Mortara Affair, the subject of twenty editorials it published alone. At Newspaper Row, across from City Hall, Henry Raymond, owner and editor of The New York Times, averted the rioters with Gatling guns, in 1869, Raymond died, and George Jones took over as publisher. Tweed offered The New York Times five million dollars to not publish the story, in the 1880s, The New York Times transitioned gradually from editorially supporting Republican Party candidates to becoming more politically independent and analytical. In 1884, the paper supported Democrat Grover Cleveland in his first presidential campaign, while this move cost The New York Times readership among its more progressive and Republican readers, the paper eventually regained most of its lost ground within a few years. However, the newspaper was financially crippled by the Panic of 1893, the paper slowly acquired a reputation for even-handedness and accurate modern reporting, especially by the 1890s under the guidance of Ochs. Under Ochs guidance, continuing and expanding upon the Henry Raymond tradition, The New York Times achieved international scope, circulation, in 1910, the first air delivery of The New York Times to Philadelphia began. The New York Times first trans-Atlantic delivery by air to London occurred in 1919 by dirigible, airplane Edition was sent by plane to Chicago so it could be in the hands of Republican convention delegates by evening. In the 1940s, the extended its breadth and reach. The crossword began appearing regularly in 1942, and the section in 1946
18.
NME
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New Musical Express is a British music journalism magazine published since 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, in the 1970s it became the best-selling British music newspaper. It started as a newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s and 1990s. An online version of NME, NME. com, was launched in 1996 and it became the worlds biggest standalone music site, with over seven million users per month. With newsstand sales falling across the UK magazine sector, the paid circulation in the first half of 2014 was 15,830. In 2013, the list of NMEs The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, NME magazine was relaunched in September 2015 as a nationally distributed free publication. NMEs headquarters are in Southwark, London, England, the brands editor-in-chief is Mike Williams, who replaced Krissi Murison in 2012. The paper was established in 1952, the Accordion Times and Musical Express was bought by London music promoter Maurice Kinn, for the sum of £1,000, just 15 minutes before it was due to be officially closed. It was relaunched as the New Musical Express, and was published in a non-glossy tabloid format on standard newsprint. On 14 November 1952, taking its cue from the US magazine Billboard, it created the first UK Singles Chart, the first of these was, in contrast to more recent charts, a top twelve sourced by the magazine itself from sales in regional stores around the UK. The first number one was Here in My Heart by Al Martino, during the 1960s the paper championed the new British groups emerging at the time. The NME circulation peaked under Andy Gray, Editor 1957–1972, with a figure of 306,881 for the period from January to June 1964, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were frequently featured on the front cover. These and other artists appeared at the NME Poll Winners Concert. The concert also featured a ceremony where the winners would collect their awards. The NME Poll Winners Concerts took place between 1959 and 1972, from 1964 onwards they were filmed, edited and transmitted on British television a few weeks after they had taken place. The latter part of the 1960s saw the chart the rise of psychedelia. During this period some sections of pop music began to be designated as rock, in early 1972 the paper found itself on the verge of closure by its owner IPC. Alan Smith was made editor and in 1972 was told by IPC to turn things around quickly or face closure, according to The Economist, the New Musical Express started to champion underground, up-and-coming music. NME became the gateway to a more rebellious world
19.
SOHH
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SOHH is a hip hop news website. Felicia Palmer and Steven Samuel founded the website in 1996, in 2000, Rolling Stone magazine writer Mark Binelli called it the best overall hip-hop site. Felicia Palmer attended Cornell University to become a veterinarian, but due to the science courses. After graduating, she worked for a small licensing firm founded by two young women and she credited her experience there for giving her the motivation to launch SOHH. Her husband, Steven Samuel, was part the rap group, the Troubleneck Brothers, after leaving the group, Samuel worked as a postal foot messenger in New York. Palmer and Samuel officially launched the website in 1996, after twelve months, the membership grew to 75,000 people. Samuel stated, We picked up a book on HTML and pretty much figured out how to launch the site in a week, SOHH began as a magazine, but was changed to a website due to high printing costs. It is the longest running hip hop community. The website averages 1.5 million unique visitors a month, in late June 2008, a series of attacks took place against the website. The attack took place in stages, the message board section was infiltrated first, on June 23,2008, an apparent hate group which identified themselves as Anonymous organized DDOS attacks against the website, successfully eliminating 60% of the websites service capacity. Following the defacement, the website was shut down by its administration, allHipHop, an unrelated website, also had its forum raided. On June 30,2008 SOHH placed a statement regarding the attack on its main page. It concluded with a notice that it would be cooperating with the FBI, when interviewed, Felicia Palmer, co-founder of SOHH, confirmed that an FBI probe was ongoing, and that each time the website was attacked, data on the suspects was retrieved. Palmer indicated that some of the attackers were located within the United States, initially under the impression that the hackers were pranksters, she came to believe they were beyond pranksters and the attack was racist in nature
20.
IMDb
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In 1998 it became a subsidiary of Amazon Inc, who were then able to use it as an advertising resource for selling DVDs and videotapes. As of January 2017, IMDb has approximately 4.1 million titles and 7.7 million personalities in its database, the site enables registered users to submit new material and edits to existing entries. Although all data is checked before going live, the system has open to abuse. The site also featured message boards which stimulate regular debates and dialogue among authenticated users, IMDb shutdown the message boards permanently on February 20,2017. Anyone with a connection can read the movie and talent pages of IMDb. A registration process is however, to contribute info to the site. A registered user chooses a name for themselves, and is given a profile page. These badges range from total contributions made, to independent categories such as photos, trivia, bios, if a registered user or visitor happens to be in the entertainment industry, and has an IMDb page, that user/visitor can add photos to that page by enrolling in IMDbPRO. Actors, crew, and industry executives can post their own resume and this fee enrolls them in a membership called IMDbPro. PRO can be accessed by anyone willing to pay the fee, which is $19.99 USD per month, or if paid annually, $149.99, which comes to approximately $12.50 per month USD. Membership enables a user to access the rank order of each industry personality, as well as agent contact information for any actor, producer, director etc. that has an IMDb page. Enrolling in PRO for industry personnel, enables those members the ability to upload a head shot to open their page, as well as the ability to upload hundreds of photos to accompany their page. Anyone can register as a user, and contribute to the site as well as enjoy its content, however those users enrolled in PRO have greater access and privileges. IMDb originated with a Usenet posting by British film fan and computer programmer Col Needham entitled Those Eyes, others with similar interests soon responded with additions or different lists of their own. Needham subsequently started an Actors List, while Dave Knight began a Directors List, and Andy Krieg took over THE LIST from Hank Driskill, which would later be renamed the Actress List. Both lists had been restricted to people who were alive and working, the goal of the participants now was to make the lists as inclusive as possible. By late 1990, the lists included almost 10,000 movies and television series correlated with actors and actresses appearing therein. On October 17,1990, Needham developed and posted a collection of Unix shell scripts which could be used to search the four lists, at the time, it was known as the rec. arts. movies movie database
21.
Kanye West production discography
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The following list is a discography of production by Kanye West, an American rapper and record producer. It includes a list of songs produced, co-produced and remixed by year, artist, album, turn It Out Sample Credit, Davy DMX – One For the Treble Sample Credit, Willie Hutch – Hoespital Prelude of Love Theme 03. My Life Get It Started 02 and you Made Me Sample Credit, Eddie Kendricks – Time In A Bottle 03. Minute Man Sample Credit, Bill Withers – Lovely Day 08, joanne Sample Credit, George Benson – California Dreamin 09. Rebuilding Sample Credit, Grover Washington, Jr. – Love Song 170006, the Truth Sample Credit, Graham Nash – Chicago 01. Lets Get Married Sample Credit, Hall & Oates – Ground for Separation 16, thats Whats Happenin Sample Credit, Sylvia Striplin – Give Me Your Love 09. Stir Crazy Sample Credit, Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell – Sunday Mornin 11, Not the One Sample Credit, Soul Dog – Cant Stop Loving You 12. Dont Mess With Me Sample Credit, Pat Benatar – Heartbreaker 05 and this Can’t Be Life Sample Credit, Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes – I Miss You 17. Nothing Like It Sample Credit, Dynamic Superiors – Aint Nothing Like the Real Thing 10, takeover Sample Credit, The Doors –5 to 103. Izzo Sample Credit, The Jackson Five – I Want You Back 08, Heart of the City Sample Credit, Bobby Bland – Aint No Love In The Heart Of The City 09. Never Change Sample Credit, David Ruffin – Common Man 15, Girls, Girls, Girls Sample Credit, The Persuaders – Trying Girls Out 07. Got Nowhere Sample Credit, The Miracles – Nowhere To Go 12, Dead or Alive Sample Credit, Buffy Sainte-Marie – Lazarus 11. Poppa Was a Playa Sample Credit, Eddie Kendricks – The Newness is Gone 03, in Cold Blood Sample Credit, – Gladys Knight – And This is Love 04. Guess Whos Back Sample Credit, – The Originals – Sunrise Sample Credit, – Dr. Dre – Xxplosive Sample Credit, Heaven Sample Credit, – The Dramatics – That Heaven Kind of Feeling 05. Brown Sugar Sample Credit, Norman Connors – Invitation 02, muzik Sample Credit, Wings – Old Siam Sir Sample Credit, Eddie Bo – Hook and Sling – Part I & Part 2 Disc 1,01. A Dream Sample Credit, The Notorious B. I. G, – Juicy Sample Credit, Blackjack – Stay Sample Credit, The 5th Dimension - The Rainmaker 04. 03 Bonnie & Clyde Sample Credit, Prince – If I Was Your Girlfriend Sample Credit, poppin Tags Sample Credit, The Marvelettes – After All Disc 2,06. Some People Hate Sample Credit, Brenda Russell – Word Called Love 03, get By Sample Credit, Nina Simone – Sinnerman Sample Credit, Love – Doggone 09
22.
The College Dropout
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The College Dropout is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released February 10,2004, by Roc-A-Fella Records. It was recorded over a period of four years, beginning in 1999, nonetheless intent on pursuing a solo career, it was several years before West finally received a record deal from Roc-A-Fella Records. It features vocal contributions from Jay-Z, Mos Def, Jamie Foxx, Syleena Johnson, diverging from the then-dominant gangster persona in hip hop, Wests lyrics concern themes of family, self-consciousness, materialism, religion, racism, and higher education. The album was promoted by singles including Through the Wire and Jesus Walks, All Falls Down and Slow Jamz both charted within the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, with the latter charting at number one. Upon its release, The College Dropout debuted at two on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 441,000 copies during its first week. It is Wests best-selling album in the United States, with sales of 3.4 million copies. It has been named by Time and Rolling Stone, among other publications, although he had attained success as a producer, Kanye West aspired to be a rapper, but had struggled to attain a record deal. Record companies ignored him because he did not portray the gangsta image prominent in hip hop at the time. After a series of meetings with Capitol Records, West was ultimately denied an artist deal, according to Capitol Records A&R, Joe Weinberger, he was approached by West and almost signed a deal with him, but another person in the company convinced Capitols president not to. Desperate to keep West from defecting to another label, then-label head Damon Dash reluctantly signed West to Roc-A-Fella Records, the crash left him with a shattered jaw, which had to be wired shut in reconstructive surgery. The accident inspired West, two weeks after being admitted to a hospital, he recorded a song at the Record Plant Studios with his jaw wired shut. West added that the album was my medicine, as working on the record distracted him from the pain, through The Wire was first available on Wests Get Well Soon. At the same time, West announced that he was working on an album called The College Dropout, Dont let society tell you, This is what you have to do. The College Dropout was recorded at The Record Plant in Los Angeles, California, according to John Monopoly, Wests friend, manager and business partner, the album. Hes been gathering beats for years and he was always producing with the intention of being a rapper. Theres beats on the album hes been saving for himself for years. At one point, West hovered between making a portion of the production in the studio and the majority within his own apartment in Newark, New Jersey. Because it was an apartment, West was able to set up a home studio in one of the rooms
23.
Late Registration
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Late Registration is the 2005 second studio album by American hip hop producer and rapper Kanye West. It was recorded over the course of a year in sessions held across studios in New York City and Hollywood, the album features guest contributions from Adam Levine, Lupe Fiasco, Jamie Foxx, Common, Jay-Z, Brandy, and Nas, among others. Its production was notably more lush and elaborate than Wests 2004 debut album The College Dropout, as he utilized intricate sampling methods, Wests lyrics explore both personal and political themes, including poverty, drug trafficking, racism, healthcare, and the blood diamond trade. Late Registration was released by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings on August 30,2005 and it earned West the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and an Album of the Year nomination, while appearing at the top of several publications year-end lists ranking the years top albums. Rolling Stone named it the best album of 2005, and later included it at number 118 on its 2012 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Late Registration debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 860,000 copies in its first week. The album has thus far sold over 3.1 million copies in the United States and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It produced five singles, including the international hits Touch the Sky, Heard Em Say and Gold Digger, Music videos for all five singles were produced, and West also supported the album with a promotional concert tour, and the live album Late Orchestration. Late Registration is the second of Kanye Wests planned four education-themed studio albums, following the major success of The College Dropout, the album reveals his progression in writing lyrics and an incorporation of a wider range of musical styles. At the time, the point of Wests production style was the use of sped-up vocal samples from soul records. A longtime fan of the English trip hop group Portishead, West had been influenced by Roseland NYC Live. Early in his career, the album had inspired him to incorporate string arrangements into his hip hop production. Though West had not been able to afford many live instruments around the time of his debut album, West juxtaposed the lush, intricate melodies of the string section with the hard, pounding drum rhythms of hip-hop, and used the sound for the foundation of his rapping. West collaborated with American film score composer Jon Brion, who served as the albums co-executive producer for several tracks, West had been exposed to Brions work while watching the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, for which Brion had composed music. Hes got this sense of pop record-making which is really solid and he was already barking up that tree. This is definitely not just a hip-hop album, but it is also by no means overtly arty, or non-hip-hop. I dont think its a record by any means. West took over a year and invested two million dollars towards the construction of Late Registration and he began working in the studio after he finished touring with Usher on the R&B singers The Truth Tour. By November 2004, West had completed nearly seventy-five percent of the album, however he felt unsatisfied with its outcome and in March of the following year, he brought in Jon Brion, which drastically altered the projects direction
24.
Graduation (album)
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Graduation is the third studio album by American hip hop recording artist and record producer Kanye West. It was released on September 11,2007, by Roc-A-Fella Records, Recording sessions for the album took place during 2005 to 2007 at Chung King Studios, Sony Music Studios in New York City, at Chalice Studios and The Record Plant in Los Angeles. It was primarily produced by West himself, with contributions from DJ Toomp, as well as Mike Dean, Nottz, Brian All Day Miller, Eric Hudson, Warryn Campbell, Gee Roberson, Plain Pat and Jon Brion. It features guest contributions from artists, including Mos Def, Dwele, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, DJ Premier, the albums cover artwork was designed by Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami. Toward this end, West incorporated synthesizer sounds into his production and dabbled with electronic music, lyrically, the album is more introspective in comparison to its predecessors, as West dedicated much of Graduation towards analyzing himself and conveying his ambivalent outlook on his newfound fame. It continues the theme of Wests previous two studio albums, The College Dropout and Late Registration. The album debuted at one on the US Billboard 200. It produced five singles, including the international hits Cant Tell Me Nothing, Stronger, the outcome of the competition marks a turning point in hip-hop culture, when the dominance of gangsta rap in mainstream hip-hop was brought to an end. Graduation received positive reviews from most critics and earned West several accolades, the album has sold 2,700,000 copies in the US and has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album demonstrates yet another distinctive progression in Wests musical style, Kanye West was particularly influenced by house music, a subgenre of electronic dance music that first originated in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois in the early 1980s. West has stated growing up, he would listen to hip-hop music at home or in his car. While he rarely listened to house at home, he felt it was an important part of his culture. Along with house music, Graduation contains samples and music elements of euro-disco, hard rock, electronica, lounge, progressive rock, synth-pop, electro, krautrock, dub, reggae, and dancehall. Also, for much of the studio album, Kanye West modified his style of rapping and adopted a dilatory. West altered his vocabulary, he utilized less of the percussive, rhythmic consonants in favor of the more smoother, in addition to U2, West drew inspiration from other arena rock bands such as The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin for the melodies and chord progressions of his songs. He also chose to back on the guest appearances, limiting himself to just one single guest rap verse on the entire studio album. Largely due to all this and the inclusion of the layered electronic synthesizers, but he also acknowledged the fact that the differences did not right away and without a doubt make Graduation a good album. However, he felt it was a representation of the music he was listening to at that time, Kanye West began working on Graduation immediately after releasing his second studio album Late Registration
25.
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
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My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is the fifth studio album by American hip hop rapper and producer Kanye West. Following a period of public and legal controversy, West retreated to an exile in Hawaii in 2009. There, he worked on the album in a communal recording environment that involved numerous contributing musicians, the album features guest appearances from Bon Iver, Jay Z, Pusha T, Rick Ross, Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj, John Legend and more. Production is led by West himself, alongside a variety of record producers including Mike Dean. Jeff Bhasker, RZA, S1, Bink and DJ Frank E, the album deals with themes of excess and celebrity, and explores such issues as consumer culture, race, and the idealism of the American Dream. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was released on November 22,2010, to promote the album, West released free songs through his GOOD Fridays series and four singles, the Billboard hits Power, Monster, and Runaway, and the international hit All of the Lights. It was also promoted with a film set to the records music. The album debuted at one on the Billboard 200 and eventually sold 1,032,000 copies in the United States. A widespread critical success, it was named the best record of 2010 by many publications and has appeared on several lists ranking the greatest albums of all time. The album was conceived during Wests self-imposed exile in Oahu, Hawaii, following a period of legal and public image controversy amid an overworked mental state. West later said that his fatigue from overworking led to his controversial outburst at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, his disgust with its ensuing media response and it was formerly known as Good Ass Job and tentatively Dark Twisted Fantasy. GOOD Music artist Big Sean was the second to announce the title of the album as Good Ass Job, on July 24,2010, on Kanye Wests blog, a banner appeared reading My Dark Twisted Fantasy Trailer. On July 28,2010, West announced via his new official Twitter account that The album is no longer called Good Ass Job Im bouncing a couple of titles around now, the official title, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, was announced on October 5,2010. It was reported that West spent over $3 million in expenses from his record label Def Jam on the recording. Drake, Common, Jay-Z, Eminem, Lil Wayne, John Legend, Fergie, Rihanna, The-Dream, Ryan Leslie, Elton John, Justin Vernon, Seal, Beyoncé, Kid Cudi, Mos Def, Santigold, Alicia Keys, Elly Jackson, and Tony Williams. Record producers who participated in the sessions with West included Q-Tip, RZA, DJ Premier, Madlib, Madlib said he made five beats for the album, while DJ Premier said his beats were ultimately discarded. West, who had recorded at Avex for 808s & Heartbreak. According to Noah Callahan-Bever, who visited West during the recording sessions and he heads to another studio room to make progress on another song
26.
Yeezus
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Yeezus is the sixth solo album and seventh studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released on June 18,2013 by Def Jam Recordings, West gathered a number of artists and close collaborators for production on the album, including Mike Dean, Daft Punk, Noah Goldstein, Hudson Mohawke, Arca, and Travis Scott. Yeezus also features guest vocals from Justin Vernon, Chief Keef, Kid Cudi, Assassin, King L, Charlie Wilson, fifteen days before its release date, West enlisted the help of producer Rick Rubin to strip down the records sound in favor of a more minimalist approach. Yeezus has been characterized as Wests most experimental and sonically abrasive work and it draws from an array of genres, including industrial, acid house, electro, dancehall, punk, and Chicago drill. It also continues Wests unconventional use of samples, as on Blood on the Leaves, the release features no album artwork, and the physical CD edition of the album was released in a clear jewel box with only a strip of red tape and sample credits. Initial promotion of Yeezus included worldwide video projections of the albums music, West released two singles from the album, the song Black Skinhead in July 2013 and Bound 2 the following month. Yeezus received widespread acclaim from critics, many of whom named it among Wests best work and commended its brash direction, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 327,000 copies in its first week of release. It topped the charts of 30 other countries, including the United Kingdom, Yeezus was nominated in two categories at the 2014 Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album. As of 2016, the album has sold 750,000 copies in the United States, following the release of his fifth album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, West collaborated with longtime friend Jay Z on Watch the Throne. In July 2012, producer No I. D, the album features additional vocals by Justin Vernon, Frank Ocean, Kid Cudi, Chief Keef, King L, Assassin and Charlie Wilson. West was influenced primarily by minimalist design and architecture during the production of Yeezus, a single Le Corbusier lamp was his greatest inspiration. West worked closely with the architect Oana Stanescu, and took trips to Le Corbusier homes. West also wanted a deep influence on the album. Alejandro Jodorowskys The Holy Mountain was also an inspiration for the album, in 2012, West began recording his seventh studio album with collaborators, including No I. D. and DJ Khaled. The first recordings were held in January 2013, in the room of his personal loft at a Paris hotel. West kept compositions simple in order to hear the more clearly. The beats emanating from the space, which sometimes lasted through the night. Reports emerged that he and his then-girlfriend Kim Kardashian had moved to the loft in order for West to begin work on the album, the atmosphere in the studio was described by contributor Evian Christ as very focused, and West once again brought in several close collaborators
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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
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Cruel Summer (GOOD Music album)
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Cruel Summer is a compilation album by recording artists of American record label GOOD Music, released on September 14,2012, by the label and Def Jam Recordings. American rapper Kanye West, head of the label, first revealed plans for a collaborative album in October 2011. The album produced four singles—Mercy, Cold, New God Flow, production on the album was primarily handled by members of GOOD Musics production wing, Very GOOD Beats, including West, Hit-Boy, Hudson Mohawke, Travis Scott and Lifted, among others. Cruel Summer received moderately positive reviews critics, who found it uneven as an album but commended its hubristic style. It debuted at two on the US Billboard 200, selling 205,000 copies in its first week. The album also reached the top 10 of charts in Australia, Canada, Switzerland, as of November 4,2012, Cruel Summer has sold 389,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Kanye West founded the GOOD Music label in 2004, since the labels inception, multiple acts have been signed to the label, including close collaborators of West such as Kid Cudi, Common, John Legend, Pusha T, Big Sean and Travi$ Scott. West first announced plans for a GOOD Music album in October 2011 via his Twitter account, writing, later on May 23,2012, the title was revealed in part with a film, Cruel Summer, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. The album was slated for release on August 7,2012. Pusha T said that he recorded over 20 verses for the album, American rapper Azealia Banks also said that she recorded with West earlier in 2012, but her contributions were not included on the album. The albums artwork was designed by DONDA, Wests creative agency, mercy, a collaboration between Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz, was released as the albums lead single on April 3,2012. The track was premiered by Funkmaster Flexs Hot 97 radio show and was released onto the Internet the following day onto Wests official website. The release of the track continued Wests GOOD Fridays, a giveaway that provided free MP3 downloads every week. The song peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Cold, featuring DJ Khaled, was released as the albums second single. The track was released as a single onto iTunes on April 17,2012. Following its digital release, the song impacted urban radio on May 8,2012. The single peaked at numbers 89 and 69 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100, New God Flow, a collaboration between Pusha T and Kanye West, was released onto iTunes as the albums third single on July 21,2012. It first premiered at the 2012 BET Awards on July 2,2012, the song peaked at number 89 on the Billboard Hot 100
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Can't Tell Me Nothing (mixtape)
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Cant Tell Me Nothing, The Official Mixtape is a mixtape by American hip-hop artist Kanye West. It was made available over the internet on May 27,2007 in anticipation of the release of his third studio album. The official mixtape was hosted by Kanye West alongside his A&R, overall, it is compiled of songs made by various artists signed onto Wests G. O. O. D. Music label, collaborations with other unaffiliated musicians, and preview versions of songs that would later appear on Graduation. The mixtape was well received and gave off several tracks that later became successful singles. A physical disc was released exclusively in the United Kingdom on February 18,2008. On its general review of the mixtape, Stylus wrote, Cant Tell Me Nothing is one mixtape that should be legendary on its own and its as diverse as anything Ive heard this year, both as intelligent and as stoopid as it wants to be, and gloriously so. Rock critic Robert Christgau dictated, Get this while you can from the man no matter how much of it is destined for the real album. URB wrote, Although the scatterbrained way Kanye chooses to present himself will continue to face scrutiny and divide opinion, whatever persona he adopts, whether relatively restrained or unsurprisingly in your face, the artist rarely fails to engage. Cant Tell Me Nothing won Mixtape of the Year at the 2007 Vibe Awards, Kanye West discography Kanye West production discography
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The College Dropout Video Anthology
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The College Dropout Video Anthology is a DVD released featuring the music videos to the singles from Kanye Wests first studio album, The College Dropout, released on March 22,2005. It featured the videos to the previously unreleased Two Words, Slow Jamz, Through the Wire, All Falls Down, West has said on many occasions that he feels the imagery of his music videos are very important to him and an integral part to his art. He contributed to the direction of the videos for All Falls Down, the initial music video for Jesus Walks was rejected by MTV and other networks for being inappropriate for airing, so West made an alternate version for MTV. A third video was made, although rarely seen before this DVD. It was accompanied by a bonus audio CD that featured seven otherwise unreleased songs by West, three are remixes or reprises of songs from The College Dropout, two are alternate instrumental versions of Dropout tracks, and two were previously unreleased originals. On June 13,2007, the DVD/CD set was declared certified Gold by the RIAA, such an honor was declared once the album surpassed the 500,000 units sold mark. We Dont Care Produced by Kanye West Contains samples from I Just Wanna Stop performed by The Jimmy Castor Bunch 2, Jesus Walks Produced by Kanye West Additional vocals by John Legend Contains a sample of Walk With Me performed by The Arc Choir 3. Its Alright Produced by Kanye West 4, the New Workout Plan Produced by Lil Jon 5
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Runaway (2010 film)
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Runaway is a 2010 American musical short film directed by Kanye West. It serves as the video for a compilation of songs from Wests album. It is inspired by other music-related films such as Purple Rain, Pink Floyd The Wall and Michael Jacksons Thriller and painters Pablo Picasso, directors Federico Fellini and Stanley Kubrick as well as fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld are also direct inspirations. The film depicts a relationship between a man and a half-woman, half-phoenix, and is set to music by Kanye West from his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The film opens with Griffin running down a road in a forest with his shirt unbuttoned and this is followed with a narration by Nicki Minaj in an English accent. Griffin is then shown driving his MTX Tatra V8 through the forest with Dark Fantasy playing in the background, a phoenix, appearing as half-woman and half-phoenix, crashes down to Earth as a meteorite and Griffin crashes his MTX Tatra V8 in the forest. This scene, according to GQ, echoes Wests car accident that was the inspiration for Through the Wire, while the car explodes in the background, Griffin carries the phoenix in his arms and brings her home. The phoenix comes into contact with objects from the world, including a news display on a flat-screen television. All of the Lights is heard during this sequence, Griffin falls in love with the phoenix and they attend a formal dinner party, during which Devil in a New Dress is heard. The disgusted guests appear to exchange negative comments about the phoenix, the party-goers are dressed in white, with the exception of Griffin and the exotic Phoenix, who stands out as both worldly and other-worldly, by comparison to the other guests. Biblical imagery gives the setting a church-like quality, the first course is bread and a pink beverage served in wine glasses, suggesting Holy Communion. Later, loaves and fishes are on the menu, the diners toast to the lyrics saluting the douche bags and applaud Griffins performance. The dinner ends when the phoenix, horrified, screams in anguish at the revelation that the dish is a large turkey. The beginning of Hell of a Life, is played during this scene and it then cuts to a scene of the phoenix sitting in Griffins garden whilst a dark cloud overwhelms the sky, accompanied by Blame Game. The couple is seen sitting outside under the stars where they chat about the creation of sculptures, the phoenix claims they are phoenixes that have been turned to stone by society. She comments on the nature of his world, declaring. Anything that is different you try to change and she then tells him she must burst into flames to avoid this fate, and thus, return to her world. Griffin, however, cannot accept this and they love to Lost in the World
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Cruel Summer (film)
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Cruel Summer is a short film by American musician Kanye West. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and was out of competition. A custom pyramid-shaped screening pavilion was constructed for the debut, designed by conceptual firms DONDA, OMA. Cruel Summer was shot using a camera rig, which allowed the directors to capture multiple angles simultaneously. This style of filming and screening a movie has become known as the Seven Screen Experience. The film is inspired by the album of the name by Wests record label GOOD Music. It has been described as a fusion of film and art. To date, the film has not been released online or through any media platform, Rafi, a high-end car thief, falls in love with a blind Arabian princess whose father will only allow them to wed if he can pass a series of three challenges. Loosely based on old Arabian folk tales, the story culminates in a challenge where Rafi must cure the Princess of her blindness in order to gain her companionship. Emissaries of Wests team traveled to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha and they met with prominent government officials and private executives in each location to secure funding and shooting permits. It later emerged that Cruel Summer would be shot in Doha. Sarah A. a first time Qatari actress played the lead in Cruel Summer. Never before has a Qatari woman starred in a movie in the countrys history, production of the film took place in mid-April, just one month before the movies premiere during Cannes Film Festival. Post-production and editing subsequently occurred in New York City, West described the seven-screen project as an attempt to change entertainment experiences. Like if McQueen or Tarsem was to meet the entertainment value of Cirque du Soleil or Walt Disney and it related to a post-Steve Jobs, post-Windows era, where were always on our BlackBerry in a ball game or at the movies. I was very particular about having the screens separate, where your mind puts the screens back together, the way you put memories together. Im not the best director in the world, but I had an idea that I thought would be amazing to inspire people and you know, Tarantino doing a movie like this or a horror movie like this, animation, 3-D. in this form that surrounds you. People want to go back and see it more and more because they missed something to their left or to their right, and it feels more like the experience of life
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Vertigo Tour
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The Vertigo Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish rock band U2. Staged in support of the groups 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the Vertigo Tour consisted of five legs that alternated between indoor arena shows in North America and outdoor stadium shows internationally. Much like the previous Elevation Tour, the portion of the Vertigo Tour featured a stripped-down. Protruding from the stage was an ellipse-shaped catwalk that encapsulated a small number of fans. The tour grossed US$260 million in 110 sold-out concerts in 2005, in North America alone, the tour grossed $138.9 million from 1.4 million tickets sold. The Vertigo Tour won the 2005 Billboard Roadwork Touring Awards for Top Tour, Top Draw, and Top Single Event, and U2s management company Principle Management won for Top Manager. By the time it finished, the Vertigo Tour had sold 4,619,021 tickets — with 131 shows — for a gross of $389 million. The tour was depicted in three films, Vertigo 2005, Live from Chicago, Vertigo, Live from Milan. After rehearsing for several months in Vancouver, the opening night was on 28 March 2005 at the iPayOne Center in San Diego. The first leg through North America consisted of 28 sold-out indoor arena shows and finished on 28 May in Boston, the second leg was a European stadium tour, commencing on 10 June in Brussels and finishing on 14 August in Lisbon. They played in a number of venues including Amsterdam, London, Dublin, Madrid, Milan, U2 broke Irish box office marks with ticket sales for three Croke Park concerts in Dublin, after more than 240,000 tickets were sold in record time. In The Netherlands, Belgium, France and Austria, the tickets were all sold within 60 minutes. On 9 March 2006, it was announced the final 10 shows in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, on 20 July 2006, it was announced that they were rescheduled for November and December, with some adjustments and additions of dates. The fifth leg started on 7 November in Brisbane, Australia and concluded on 9 December 2006 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, the Vertigo Tours production was designed by architect Mark Fisher and stage and lighting designer Willie Williams. Key elements were an ellipse-shaped ramp on the connected to the stage, with some fans inside it. The inside area of the came to be known as the bomb shelter. The curtain design permitted concertgoers around the arena to have an excellent view of the curtains above the band, the roll-drop LED screens were designed by Fisher using 360deg golf-ball pixels developed with Frederic Opsomer of Innovative Designs in Belgium. The spherical LED product joined the BARCO product line as the Mi-Sphere, the Vertigo Tour used 189 strings of these MiSphere LED balls suspended from custom truss, which allows the LED curtains to be rolled up
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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
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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
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Watch the Throne Tour
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Following the Glow in the Dark Tour, it marks Wests first concert tour after four years, excluding his ultimately cancelled tour, Fame Kills with Lady Gaga. It follows Jay-Zs opening act for U2 at the U2 360° Tour, additional West singles like Gold Digger, Stronger, Heartless and All of the Lights and Jay-Z singles like Izzo,99 Problems, Run This Town, and Empire State of Mind are also performed. The tour had very little promotion before its premiere, with the exception being behind-the-scene concert footage sponsored by Voyr. The tour had a gross of $75 million off 63 shows. The show begins with West and Jay-Z emerging on two cube-shaped mini stages to the sounds of H•A•M. Afterwards, Kanye leaves the stage, and Jay-Z performs songs like Where Im From and Empire State of Mind, encouraging the audience to sing along. The most energetic part of the show has been reported to be during Niggas in Paris, and sweet brother Malcolm X flashing on the big screen. USA Today described the design, This show was visually spectacular. West and Jay-Z performed separately on these cubes, which showed images at different points of the show. Fireballs the size of car tires shot from the floor toward the ceiling during some performances, two large video screens behind the main stage showed appropriate images during the performances, a virtually non-stop laser light show added to the oomph factor. Critical reception towards the tour was positive, the resulting stomping had Philips Arena rocking and shaking in a way that it hasnt for the Hawks in a long time. Rap-Up mused it was a moment for Jay-Z and Kanye West as they kicked off the Watch the Throne tour to a packed house at Philips Arena in Atlanta on Friday night. The hip-hop kings, collectively known as The Throne, opened the most anticipated hip-hop tour of the year with a bang. Idolator stated that the featured a epic set list that featured selections from each artists own behemoth catalog of hits as well as their Watch The Throne collaborations. The tour has grossed $48.3 million so far by the end of 2011, making it the highest grossing hip-hop tour, rihanna made a special guest appearance on the third date in London, performing her vocals on Run This Town and All of the Lights. She is the only artist to have made a guest appearance on the tour, during the last date in London, Kanye West performed Mercy live for the first time. During the last date in Paris, at the Palais Omnisports de Bercy, they set the record, during the last date in Birmingham, Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian participated in the crowd mosh pit during the performance of Niggas in Paris
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The Yeezus Tour
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The Yeezus Tour was a concert tour by American rapper Kanye West in support of Wests sixth solo studio album, Yeezus. The venture served as Wests first solo tour in five years. Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Quest, Travi$ 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
