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Kendrick Lamar is a hip-hop artist from Compton, California. He's signed with Dr. Dre's label, Aftermath. Kendrick also has his own label, known as 'Top Dawg Entertainment', with includes artists such as Jay Rock, ScHoolboy Q and Ab Soul. Kendrick's major label debut album, 'good kid m.A.A.d city' is already known as a classic and was only released in late 2012. His Music is influenced by the great artists such as Snoop Dogg, 2 pac, Lil wayne and many more.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), known professionally as Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and actor. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007. His Eurodance-influenced single, "Say Yeah", received urban radio airplay, charting on the Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Tracks charts in 2008, becoming his first minor hit.
Khalifa parted with Warner Bros. and released his second album, Deal or No Deal, in November 2009. He released the mix-tape Kush and Orange Juice as a free download in April 2010; he then signed with Atlantic Records. He is also well known for his debut single for Atlantic, "Black and Yellow", which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut album for the label, Rolling Papers, was released on March 29, 2011. He followed that album with O.N.I.F.C. on December 4, 2012, which was backed by the singles "Work Hard, Play Hard" and "Remember You". Wiz released his fifth album Blacc Hollywood on August 18, 2014, backed by the lead single "We Dem Boyz". In March 2015, he released "See You Again" for the soundtrack of the film Furious 7 and the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 non-consecutive weeks.
Khalifa was born Cameron Jibril Thomaz on September 8, 1987 in Minot, North Dakota, to parents serving in the military. His parents divorced when Khalifa was about three years old. He is a military brat with his parents' military service causing him to move regularly. Khalifa lived in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan before settling in Pittsburgh with his mother in around 1996 where he attended Taylor Allderdice High School. Soon after moving to Pittsburgh, Khalifa began to write and perform his own lyrics before he was a teenager.
His stage name is derived from Khalifa, an Arabic word meaning "successor", and wisdom, which was shortened to Wiz when Khalifa was a young boy. Khalifa stated to Spinner.com that the name also came from being called "young Wiz 'cause I was good at everything I did, and my granddad is Muslim, so he gave me that name; he felt like that's what I was doing with my music." He got a tattoo of his stage name on his 17th birthday.
By the age of 15 he was regularly recording his music in a studio called I.D. Labs. The management of the studio was so impressed by his lyrics that they allowed Khalifa to record for free. This allowed him to receive professional grade studio time at no cost to him. Also, this allowed him to receive more exposure at such a young age than other artists.- Producer
- Actor
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Willard Carroll "Will" Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, comedian, producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has enjoyed success in television, film, and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him "the most powerful actor in Hollywood". Smith has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, and has won four Grammy Awards.
In the late 1980s, Smith achieved modest fame as a rapper under the name The Fresh Prince. In 1990, his popularity increased dramatically when he starred in the popular television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show ran for six seasons (1990-96) on NBC and has been syndicated consistently on various networks since then. After the series ended, Smith moved from television to film, and ultimately starred in numerous blockbuster films. He is the only actor to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office, eleven consecutive films gross over $150 million internationally, and eight consecutive films in which he starred open at the number one spot in the domestic box office tally.
Smith is ranked as the most bankable star worldwide by Forbes. As of 2014, 17 of the 21 films in which he has had leading roles have accumulated worldwide gross earnings of over $100 million each, five taking in over $500 million each in global box office receipts. As of 2014, his films have grossed $6.6 billion at the global box office. He has received Best Actor Oscar nominations for Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness.
Smith was born in West Philadelphia, the son of Caroline (Bright), a Philadelphia school board administrator, and Willard Carroll Smith, Sr., a refrigeration engineer. He grew up in West Philadelphia's Wynnefield neighborhood, and was raised Baptist. He has three siblings, sister Pamela, who is four years older, and twins Harry and Ellen, who are three years younger. Smith attended Our Lady of Lourdes, a private Catholic elementary school in Philadelphia. His parents separated when he was 13, but did not actually divorce until around 2000.
Smith attended Overbrook High School. Though widely reported, it is untrue that Smith turned down a scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); he never applied to college because he "wanted to rap." Smith says he was admitted to a "pre-engineering [summer] program" at MIT for high school students, but he did not attend. According to Smith, "My mother, who worked for the School Board of Philadelphia, had a friend who was the admissions officer at MIT. I had pretty high SAT scores and they needed black kids, so I probably could have gotten in. But I had no intention of going to college."
Smith started as the MC of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, with his childhood friend Jeffrey "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Townes as producer, as well as Ready Rock C (Clarence Holmes) as the human beat box. The trio was known for performing humorous, radio-friendly songs, most notably "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Summertime". They gained critical acclaim and won the first Grammy awarded in the Rap category (1988).
Smith spent money freely around 1988 and 1989 and underpaid his income taxes. The Internal Revenue Service eventually assessed a $2.8 million tax debt against Smith, took many of his possessions, and garnished his income. Smith was nearly bankrupt in 1990, when the NBC television network signed him to a contract and built a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, around him.
The show was successful and began his acting career. Smith set for himself the goal of becoming "the biggest movie star in the world", studying box office successes' common characteristics.
Smith's first major roles were in the drama Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and the action film Bad Boys (1995) in which he starred opposite Martin Lawrence.
In 1996, Smith starred as part of an ensemble cast in Roland Emmerich's Independence Day. The film was a massive blockbuster, becoming the second highest grossing film in history at the time and establishing Smith as a prime box office draw. He later struck gold again in the summer of 1997 alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the summer hit Men in Black playing Agent J. In 1998, Smith starred with Gene Hackman in Enemy of the State.
He turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix in favor of Wild Wild West (1999). Despite the disappointment of Wild Wild West, Smith has said that he harbors no regrets about his decision, asserting that Keanu Reeves's performance as Neo was superior to what Smith himself would have achieved, although in interviews subsequent to the release of Wild Wild West he stated that he "made a mistake on Wild Wild West. That could have been better."
In 2005, Smith was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for attending three premieres in a 24-hour time span.
He has planned to star in a feature film remake of the television series It Takes a Thief.
On December 10, 2007, Smith was honored at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Smith left an imprint of his hands and feet outside the world-renowned theater in front of many fans. Later that month, Smith starred in the film I Am Legend, released December 14, 2007. Despite marginally positive reviews, its opening was the largest ever for a film released in the United States during December. Smith himself has said that he considers the film to be "aggressively unique". A reviewer said that the film's commercial success "cemented [Smith's] standing as the number one box office draw in Hollywood." On December 1, 2008, TV Guide reported that Smith was selected as one of America's top ten most fascinating people of 2008 for a Barbara Walters ABC special that aired on December 4, 2008.
In 2008 Smith was reported to be developing a film entitled The Last Pharaoh, in which he would be starring as Taharqa. It was in 2008 that Smith starred in the superhero movie Hancock.
Men in Black III opened on May 25, 2012 with Smith again reprising his role as Agent J. This was his first major starring role in four years.
On August 19, 2011, it was announced that Smith had returned to the studio with producer La Mar Edwards to work on his fifth studio album. Edwards has worked with artists such as T.I., Chris Brown, and Game. Smith's most recent studio album, Lost and Found, was released in 2005.
Smith and his son Jaden played father and son in two productions: the 2006 biographical drama The Pursuit of Happyness, and the science fiction film After Earth, which was released on May 31, 2013.
Smith starred opposite Margot Robbie in the romance drama Focus. He played Nicky Spurgeon, a veteran con artist who takes a young, attractive woman under his wing. Focus was released on February 27, 2015. Smith was set to star in the Sci-Fic thriller Brilliance, an adaptation of Marcus Sakey's novel of the same name scripted by Jurassic Park writer David Koepp. But he left the project.
Smith played Dr. Bennet Omalu of the Brain Injury Research Institute in the sports-drama Concussion, who became the first person to discover chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a football player's brain. CTE is a degenerative disease caused by severe trauma to the head that can be discovered only after death. Smith's involvement is mostly due to his last-minute exit from the Sci-Fi thriller-drama Brilliance. Concussion was directed by Peter Landesman and-bead filmed in Pittsburgh, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. It received $14.4 million in film tax credits from Pennsylvania. Principal photography started on October 27, 2014. Actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw played his wife. Omalu served as a consultant.
As of November 2015, Smith is set to star in the independent drama Collateral Beauty, which will be directed by David Frankel. Smith will play a New York advertising executive who succumbs to an deep depression after a personal tragedy.
Nobel Peace Prize Concert December 11, 2009, in Oslo, Norway: Smith with wife Jada and children Jaden and Willow Smith married Sheree Zampino in 1992. They had one son, Trey Smith, born on November 11, 1992, and divorced in 1995. Trey appeared in his father's music video for the 1998 single "Just the Two of Us". He also acted in two episodes of the sitcom All of Us, and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and on the David Blaine: Real or Magic TV special.
Smith married actress Jada Koren Pinkett in 1997. Together they have two children: Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (born 1998), his co-star in The Pursuit of Happyness and After Earth, and Willow Camille Reign Smith (born 2000), who appeared as his daughter in I Am Legend. Smith and his brother Harry own Treyball Development Inc., a Beverly Hills-based company named after Trey. Smith and his family reside in Los Angeles, California.
Smith was consistently listed in Fortune Magazine's "Richest 40" list of the forty wealthiest Americans under the age of 40.- Actor
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Jaden Smith is an actor, known for The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), The Karate Kid (2010) and After Earth (2013). In addition to being an actor he is also a dancer, songwriter and rapper who won an MTV award for his performance in The Pursuit of Happyness. He co-starred with his father Will Smith in both The Pursuit of Happyness and in the 2013 science fiction film After Earth. Smith and his siblings are youth ambassadors for Project Zambia which provides assistance in conjunction with Hasbro for Zambian children orphaned by AIDS.
Jaden Smith was born on July 8, 1998 in Malibu, California, USA as Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, the son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. He is the older brother of Willow Smith (born on October 23, 2000) and is the younger half-brother of Trey Smith. He is also the nephew of Caleeb Pinkett. His maternal grandmother's family was Afro-Caribbean (from Barbados and Jamaica). His other grandparents' families were African-American.
Before fame, He helped Project Zambia and Hasbro to take care of children in Zambia whose parents have died of AIDS. He made his film debut in 2006 in The Pursuit of Happyness. Along with his sister, Willow Smith, and his elder brother, Trey Smith, are youth ambassadors for Project Zambia, in conjunction with the Hasbro corporation, which helps children orphaned by AIDS in Africa. Along with his younger sister, Willow Smith, he was home-schooled and also attends the New Village Leadership Academy, which was co-founded by his parents.
He co-starred with Jackie Chan in the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid directed by Harald Zwart. Smith's character portrayal was acclaimed by critics and the film received mixed to mainly positive reviews. He also played a role in The Day the Earth Stood Still (2013) with Keanu Reeves. In May 2013, Will Smith and Jaden starred together, playing father and son, in After Earth. In 2014, it was announced that Smith will return for the sequel Karate Kid 2 with Jackie Chan. The movie will be directed by Breck Eisner, produced by James Lassiter and Will Smith and written by Zak Penn. The movie would be released in 2015.
Smith rapped alongside Canadian singer Justin Bieber in the song "Never Say Never." On October 1, 2012, Jaden released his first mix tape, The Cool Cafe.
Smith started his own clothing/lifestyle brand called MSFTSrep. The clothes range from hoodies and T-shirts to trousers and vests. In May 2013 Smith collaborated with a Korean designer, Choi Bum Suk, to create a pop-up store in which customers can buy clothes with their collaborated logos.
In 2015, he began dating Instagram star Sarah Snyder. Before Sarah, Jaden dated Kylie Jenner.- Actor
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- Music Department
Quincy Matthew Hanley (born October 26, 1986), better known by his stage name Schoolboy Q (stylized as ScHoolboy Q), is an American rapper from South Central Los Angeles, California. In 2009, Hanley signed to Carson-based independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and in late 2011, secured a recording contract with major label Interscope Records. Hanley is also a member of the hip-hop super-group Black Hippy, alongside label-mates and fellow California-based rappers Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and Kendrick Lamar.- Actor
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Isaiah Rashad is known for Waves (2019), Boogie (2021) and SZA Feat. Isaiah Rashad: Warm Winds (2014).- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Gerald Earl Gillum (born May 24, 1989), known professionally as G-Eazy, is an American rapper and philanthropist from Oakland, California. His first major-label album, These Things Happen, was released on June 23, 2014 and peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard 200. His second studio album, When It's Dark Out, was released on December 4, 2015. It featured the single "Me, Myself & I", which reached the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100. His third and most recent studio album, The Beautiful & Damned, was released on December 15, 2017.
When Gillum was in the first grade, his mother left his father (who is an associate professor of art at CSU Fresno). Gillum moved in with his grandparents in Berkeley, California. They later moved to North Oakland, although Gillum continued to attend school in Berkeley. Gillum attended Loyola University and graduated in 2011.
Starting out as a record producer, G-Eazy began working on numerous singles while he was still a student at the Loyola University at New Orleans with his producer Christoph Andersson who also was a student there. He then gained some recognition for being a part of the new hip hop scene back in the East Bay Area, joining with such artists as Lil B, Crohn and The Cataracs. During his early years, he became a member of a local hip hop group, called "The Bay Boyz", who had released several songs on their official Myspace page. In 2010, G-Eazy started gaining popularity when he was given an opportunity to open for some well-known artists, most notably Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg.- Music Artist
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Big Sean was born Sean Michael Leonard Anderson on March 25, 1988 in Santa Monica, California & raised in Detroit, Michigan. After releasing a number of mixtapes, Sean released his debut studio album, Finally Famous in 2011, which peaked at number three on Billboard 200, and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He released his second studio album, Hall of Fame in 2013, that peaked at number three on Billboard 200, and became certified Gold. Sean's next albums: Dark Sky Paradise (2015), I Decided (2017) & Detroit 2 (2020), all debuted atop the Billboard 200 and received Platinum certifications.- Actor
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Aminé is known for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) and The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019).- Music Artist
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Considered by many to be hip-hop's greatest producer, Dr. Dre (b. André Young, February 18, 1965) pioneered gangsta hip-hop and his own variation of the sound, dubbed G-Funk. His very early albums were violent but cautionary tales of the criminal mind, but Dre's records with NWA celebrated the hedonistic, amoralistic side of gang life. Being around during the birth of west coast hip-hop during the early 1980s, Dre found himself performing at house parties and clubs with the World Class Wreckin' Cru around South-Central Los Angeles. Wearing a Doctor's mask when he performed, he called himself Dr. Dre, Dre being a nickname from André. In 1986, Dre met Ice Cube. Instantly becoming good friends, the two MCs began writing songs for Ruthless Records, a label started by former drug pusher Eazy-E. Initially they were rejected by the record-buying public, but Eazy formed NWA', with Dre, Cube, and newcomers MC Ren and DJ Yella, releasing their first album in 1987. Then, in 1989, with distribution from Bryan Turner and his Priority Records label (now a part of EMI), N.W.A. delivered "Straight Outta Compton," a vicious, violent, and misogynistic record that became an underground hit with virtually no support from radio, the press, or the still hip-hop-free MTV. N.W.A. became notorious for their violent lyrics, which resulted in the FBI sending a warning letter to Ruthless and its distributor, Priority Records, suggesting that the group should watch their step. Dre would have several bad falls with the police during his life. While it seemed that the group was strong, Ice Cube suddenly departed in late 1989 amidst many financial disagreements with Dre. Suddenly the the music was in Dre's hands. Dre left the group the next year to form Death Row Records with Suge Knight. Knight held NWA's manager at gunpoint and threatening to kill him if he refused to let Dre out of his contract. Dre didn't know how he got out, nor did he care, he was making music. Then Dre discovered Snoop Dogg through his stepbrother 'Warren G', and he immediately began working with the brilliantly talented MC. Snoop would become great friends with the Doctor and was on Dre's 1992 debut "The Chronic" as much as Dre himself. But trouble was soon to follow. Dre grew frustrated with Knight's strong-arm techniques. At the time, Death Row was devoting itself to Tupac Shakur's label debut, "All Eyez on Me," and Snoop was busy recovering from his draining murder trial. Dre, fed up, left the label in the summer of 1996 to form Aftermath, declaring gangsta hip-hop was dead. Soon thereafter, both 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. were murdered, putting a sudden end to the East Side/West Side hip-hop war, and Suge was later arrested and sent to prison. It would be at least three years before anything big came out of the great producer. It wasn't until he began working on his 2001 album, and discovering an underground MC by the name of Eminem that Dre would make his comeback.- Music Artist
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Snoop Dogg is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, media personality, entrepreneur, and actor.
His music career began in 1992 when he was discovered by Dr. Dre and featured on Dre's solo debut, "Deep Cover", and then on Dre's solo debut album, The Chronic. He has since sold over 23 million albums in the United States and 35 million albums worldwide.
Snoop's debut album, Doggystyle, produced by Dr. Dre, was released in 1993 by Death Row Records. Bolstered by excitement driven by Snoop's featuring on The Chronic, the album debuted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Selling almost a million copies in the first week of its release, Doggystyle became certified quadruple platinum in 1994 and spawned several hit singles, including "What's My Name?" and "Gin & Juice". In 1994 Snoop released a soundtrack on Death Row Records for the short film Murder Was the Case, starring himself. His second album, Tha Doggfather (1996), also debuted at number one on both charts, with "Snoop's Upside Ya Head" as the lead single. The album was certified double platinum in 1997.
After leaving Death Row Records, Snoop signed with No Limit Records, where he recorded his next three albums, Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told (1998), No Limit Top Dogg (1999), and Tha Last Meal (2000). Snoop then signed with Priority/Capitol/EMI Records in 2002, where he released Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss. He then signed with Geffen Records in 2004 for his next three albums, R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, and Ego Trippin'. Malice 'n Wonderland (2009), and Doggumentary (2011) were released on Priority. Snoop Dogg has starred in motion pictures and hosted several television shows. He also coaches a youth football league and high school football team.
Snoop has 17 Grammy nominations without a win. In March 2016, the night before WrestleMania 32 in Arlington, Texas, he was inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame, having made several appearances for the company, including as Master of Ceremonies during a match at WrestleMania XXIV. On November 19, 2018, Snoop Dogg was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He released his seventeenth solo album, I Wanna Thank Me in 2019.- Music Artist
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Tory Lanez is known for Creed (2015), Tory Lanez: Friday the 13th (2012) and Tory Lanez: Band A Man (2021).- Music Artist
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Aubrey Drake Graham was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Dennis Graham, an African-American musician born in Memphis, Tennessee, and Sandi (Sher) Graham, a Canadian Jewish educator. As a young man, Drake appeared in several commercials, for such retailers as Sears and GMC. In 2001, Drake rose to fame playing the role of "Jimmy Brooks", a character on Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001), a basketball star who is confined to a wheelchair after being shot by a classmate. In 2006, Drake launched his music career by releasing his first mix tape, "Room for Improvement". Three years later, his third mix tape, "So Far Gone", garnered him critical and commercial success, and, the following year, he released his official debut album, "Thank Me Later", to generally positive reviews. Aubrey Drake Graham has established himself as a multi-talented young Canadian, and the entertainment industry has great expectations for him.- Music Artist
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Nicki Minaj was born Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8, 1982 in St. James, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago and raised in Queens, New York City, New York. She grew up in a troubled family with a father that was a drug addict who later changed after he checked into rehab and started going to church. Minaj went to LaGaurdia High School and studied singing and acting.
She was first spotted by the CEO of Young Money, and was later recruited for The Carter Edition of Young Money's own "The Come Up" DVD series. Her rapping skills caught the eyes of Lil Wayne who later worked with her for many collaborations with his mixtapes.
In April 2007, Minaj released her first mixtape "Playtime Is Over". One year later she made another mixtape "Sucka Free" which made her Female Artist of the Year at the Underground Music Awards. In 2009 she made her third mixtape "Beam Me Up Scotty" which got positive reviews from BET and MTV.
To date, Nicki has released 3 platinum selling studio albums, Pink Friday, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, and the most recent The Pinkprint- Music Artist
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Kanye Omari West (born June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion designer. His musical career has been marked by dramatic changes in styles, incorporating an eclectic range of influences including soul, baroque pop, electro, indie rock, synth-pop, industrial and gospel. Over the course of his career, West has been responsible for cultural movements and progressions within mainstream hip hop and popular music at large.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West first became known as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the early 2000s, producing hit singles for recording artists such as Jay-Z, Ludacris and Alicia Keys. Intent on pursuing a solo career as a rapper, West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004 to widespread critical and commercial success, and founded the record label GOOD Music. He went on to experiment with a variety of musical genres on subsequent acclaimed studio albums, including Late Registration (2005), Graduation (2007), and the polarizing but influential 808s & Heartbreak (2008). He released his fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010 to further rave reviews, and has since succeeded it with Yeezus (2013) , The Life of Pablo (2016) and Ye (2018), as well as full-length collaborations Watch the Throne (2011) and Kids See Ghosts (2018) with Jay-Z and Kid Cudi respectively.
West's outspoken views and life outside of music have received significant media attention. He has been a frequent source of controversy for his conduct at award shows, on social media, and in other public settings, as well as his comments on the music and fashion industries, U.S. politics, and race. His marriage to television personality Kim Kardashian has also been a source of substantial media attention. As a fashion designer, he has collaborated with Nike, Louis Vuitton, and A.P.C. on both clothing and footwear, and have most prominently resulted in the Yeezy collaboration with Adidas beginning in 2013. He is the founder and head of the creative content company Donda.
West is among the most critically acclaimed musicians of the 21st century and one of the best-selling music artists of all time with over 135 million records sold worldwide. He has won a total of 21 Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all time and the most Grammy-awarded artist of his generation. Three of his albums have been included and ranked on Rolling Stone's 2012 update of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list and he ties with Bob Dylan for having topped the annual Pazz & Jop critic poll the most number of times ever, with four number-one albums each. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015.
Kanye Omari West was born on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia. After his parents divorced when he was three years old he moved with his mother 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's mother, Dr. Donda C. (Williams) West, was a professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, and the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University, before retiring to serve as his manager. 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, where she was teaching at Nanjing University as part of an exchange program. 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 high school, West replied, "I got A's and B's. And I'm not even front-in'."
West demonstrated an affinity for the arts at an early age; he began writing poetry when he was five years old. His mother recalled that she first took notice of West's passion for drawing and music when he was in the third grade. West started rapping in the third grade and began making musical compositions in the seventh grade, eventually selling them to other artists. At age thirteen, West wrote a rap song called "Green Eggs and Ham" and persuaded his mother to pay for time in a recording studio. Accompanying him to the studio and despite discovering it being "a little basement studio" where a microphone hung from the ceiling by a wire clothes hanger, West's mother nonetheless supported and encouraged him. West crossed paths with producer/DJ No I.D., with whom he quickly formed a close friendship. No I.D. soon became West's mentor, and it was from him that West learned how to sample and program beats after he received his first sampler at age 15. After graduating from high school, West received a scholarship to attend Chicago's American Academy of Art in 1997 and began taking painting classes, but shortly after transferred to Chicago State University to study English. He soon realized that his busy class schedule was detrimental to his musical work, and at 20 he dropped out of college to pursue his musical dreams. This action greatly displeased his mother, who was also a professor at the university. She later commented, "It was drummed into my head that college is the ticket to a good life... but some career goals don't require college. For Kanye to make an album called College Dropout it was more about having the guts to embrace who you are, rather than following the path society has carved out for you."- Music Artist
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Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He is commonly regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, and often cited as one of the greatest rappers of all time. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label. From then on, Wayne was the flagship artist of Cash Money Records before ending his association with the company in June 2018.- Music Artist
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Gucci Mane is an American rapper. He debuted in 2005 with "Trap House" followed by "Hard to Kill" in 2006, "Trap-A-Thon" and "Back to the Trap House" in 2007. In 2009, his second studio album" The State vs. Radric Davis" was released, and The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted was released in 2010, and is his highest charting album so far. Gucci Mane has released many other mixtapes and independent albums as well.- Actor
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The Diplomats is known for Uncle Drew (2018), The Wire (2002) and The 2003 BET Source Hip Hop Music Awards (2003).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
The multi-talented Donald Glover is a writer, actor, musician, comedian, producer and director, who performs under the stage names Childish Gambino and mcDJ. He was born Donald McKinley Glover at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and was raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia. His mother, Beverly (Smith), ran a daycare center, and his father, Donald Glover, is a retired postal worker. He is not, despite rumors, related to actor Danny Glover. He has a younger brother, Stephen Glover, a screenwriter and producer. Donald graduated from New York University with a degree in Dramatic Writing in 2006.
In 2006, at age 23, while still living in the NYU dorms, Glover joined the writing staff of NBC comedy 30 Rock (2006), for which he received a Writers Guild of America Award nomination in 2009. Later credited as an executive story editor, he also had several cameos in front of the camera. In 2009, he left "30 Rock" for a role on the comedy series Community (2009), in which he played an athlete in a rather odd study group, opposite Chevy Chase and Joel McHale. The show ran for six seasons.
Glover is the creator, writer, producer, director and star of the series Atlanta (2016), which debuted on FX in 2016. The series was an immediate critical and commercial hit, winning the 2017 Golden Globe Award for Best Series and Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy) for Glover. At the 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards, Glover won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, while the show also earned four other nominations: Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Glover (for the episode B.A.N. (2016)) and his brother, Stephen (for the episode Streets on Lock (2016)).
His first stand-up special aired on Comedy Central in March 2010. As Childish Gambino, Glover has released the studio albums "Camp" (2011), "Because the Internet" (2013) and "Awaken, My Love!" (2016). In 2015, he was nominated for Grammy Awards in 2015 for Best Rap Album for "Because the Internet" and Best Rap Performance for his single "3005" In 2018, he was nominated for five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year for "Awaken, My Love!" and Record of the Year for the hit "Redbone," winning the Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance.
On the big screen, Glover's credits include Magic Mike XXL (2015), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), and The Martian (2015). He will star as the young Lando Calrissian in the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) and will provide the voice of Simba in a remake of The Lion King (2019).
In April 2017, Glover was named among Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World."- Music Artist
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Austin Richard Post, known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer.
Post was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Nicole Frazier Lake, from Walton, NY, and Rich Post. His father had been a disc jockey in his youth and introduced Post to many different genres of music including hip-hop, country, and rock. He is of Polish, English, and Scottish descent.
When Post was nine years old, he moved to Grapevine, Texas, with his father and stepmother Jodie, after his father became the manager of concessions for the Dallas Cowboys. Post began to play the guitar and auditioned for the band Crown the Empire in 2010, but was rejected after his guitar strings broke during the audition. He credited his initial interest in learning guitar to the popular video game Guitar Hero. Post has always had a love for emo music, and appeared for a DJ set at Emo Nite in Los Angeles in June 2017, playing My Chemical Romance at the event. According to Post, his very first foray into professional music began when he was in a heavy metal band. Soon after, he says he transitioned to softer rock as well as hip-hop, before beginning to experiment on FL Studio. At 16, using Audacity, Post created his first mixtape, Young and After Them Riches. He showed it to some of his classmates at Grapevine High School.He was voted "Most Likely to Become Famous" by his classmates as a senior in high school. He worked at a Chicken Express as a teenager.
He enrolled in Tarrant County College but dropped out. After leaving college, Post moved to Los Angeles, California, with his longtime friend Jason Probst, a professional game streamer.
According to Post, he chose Post Malone as his stage name when he was 14 or 15. The name was rumored to be a reference to the professional basketball player Karl Malone, but Post later explained that while 'Post' is his last name, he used a "rap name generator" to get "Malone".
After moving to LA, Post, Probst, and several other producers and artists formed the music group BLCKVRD and recorded music together. Several members of the group, including Post, moved into a house in San Fernando Valley together. While living in San Fernando Valley, Austin met 1st Down of FKi. He met 1st and Rich from FKi and Rex Kudo who produced several of Post's tracks, including "White Iverson". Post recorded the song two days after writing it. "White Iverson" is, in part, a reference to the professional basketball player Allen Iverson. In February 2015, upon completion, it was uploaded to Post's SoundCloud account. On July 19, 2015, Post released a music video for "White Iverson". The single received praise from Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa. However, the song was notoriously mocked by Earl Sweatshirt.
After hitting one million views within a month of releasing "White Iverson", Post quickly garnered attention from record labels. In August 2015, he signed a recording contract with Republic Records. Post subsequently worked with a number of prominent rappers such as 50 Cent, Young Thug, and Kanye West, among others. In August 2015, he performed at Kylie Jenner's 18th birthday party, where he met Kanye West, who enjoyed his music, leading to him collaborating with Post on his single "Fade" from his album The Life of Pablo. Post later began his friendship with Canadian singer and songwriter Justin Bieber, which led to Post being an opening act for Bieber's Purpose World Tour. On April 20, 2016, Post premiered his new single, "Go Flex" on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 show. On May 12, 2016, he released his first full-length project, a mixtape, titled August 26, the title of which was a reference to the release date of his debut album. On June 9, 2016, Post made his national television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performing "Go Flex".
In June 2016, XXL editor-in-chief Vanessa Satten revealed Post Malone was considered for XXL's "2016 Freshmen Class" magazine cover, but she was "told by his camp that he wasn't paying attention to hip hop so much. He was going in more of a rock/pop/country direction." However, Post denied these claims, explaining that his latest mixtape as well as his upcoming album were both hip-hop. In August 2016, Post issued an apology for his album, Stoney, being late. It was available for pre-order on November 4, and was finally released on December 9. Post later went on to call the album "mediocre", despite the success of the single "Congratulations" featuring Quavo, Post's first top-ten song on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number eight. Stoney also featured the top 100 hits "I Fall Apart", and "Deja Vu", featuring Bieber, with the album later being certified double platinum by the RIAA in October 2017.
Post's music has described as a "melting pot of the country, grunge, hip-hop and R&B" and Post himself has been described as versatile. His vocal style has been described as laconic. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times described Post as "an artist who toes the line between singing and rapping, and hip-hop and spooky electric folk". Malone himself has called his music "genre-less".
Post cites Bob Dylan, in whom he became interested around the age of 15, as an influence on his music, calling him "a genius" and "a god" though his music has been called "about as far away from Rock n' Roll as you can get." He called "Subterranean Homesick Blues" the "first rap song". He has a tattoo of Dylan as well. Post has also listed rappers 50 Cent, whom he called a legend and Key! as influences.
In February 2017, Post revealed the title of his next project, Beerbongs & Bentleys, and was set to be released in December, before eventually being pushed back to 2018. In September, Malone released the first single from the album, "Rockstar", featuring 21 Savage. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and held the spot for eight consecutive weeks, later prompting Rolling Stone to call him "one of the most popular musicians in the country" in 2017. In November, Malone released the official music video for "Rockstar", directed by Emil Nava.
On February 20, 2018, Malone previewed his new song with Ty Dolla Sign titled "Psycho." "Psycho" was released on February 23, 2018 and a tour with 21 Savage was announced. The song debuted at number 2 and later peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Post's third entry in the top 10. On April 5, 2018, Malone stated that Beerbongs & Bentleys will be released on April 27, 2018. The same day, he also premiered the song "Stay" during the Bud Lite Dive Bar show in Nashville. Upon release, Beerbongs & Bentleys broke the first day streaming records on Spotify, with 78.7 million streams worldwide. The album was also certified platinum by the RIAA after four days and spawned three top 10 songs and six top 20 songs.
In an interview with Billboard in May 2018, Malone's manager announced that Malone was planning to start his own record label and film production company and Post later won Top Rap Song at the Billboard Music Awards for "Rockstar" featuring 21 Savage. Post confirmed in June 2018 that he was writing his third album.- Music Artist
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Lil Uzi Vert is known for Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019), The Fate of the Furious (2017) and Bright (2017).- Music Artist
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Jermaine Cole (a.k.a. J.Cole) was originally born in Germany. But his origins are from North Carolina/Charlotte and he never hides it. He was signed by Jay-Z as the first artist for his record label Roc Nation. He dropped his first mix tape there, 'The Warm Up' and it had received great reviews from public. His song Ladies featuring Lee Fields was the closing credits song for HBO's popular TV show Scared Straight (2009).- Music Artist
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With eight #1 and #2 Soundscan original studio albums, and four Grammy Award® nominations under his belt since 2006, Rick Ross was a core artist on the Def Jam roster. His drawing power was established virtually overnight when, in an earlier digital era, his 2006 label debut, "Hustlin'" became the first mastertone ever certified RIAA platinum before the associated album had been released. That album was his classic debut, Port Of Miami (in tribute to his hometown), the first of four Rick Ross albums to debut at #1.
His long string of signature top-charted Rap and R&B hits went on to include "The Boss" featuring T-Pain (RIAA platinum); "Here I Am" featuring Nelly and Avery Storm (RIAA gold); "Aston Martin Music" featuring Drake and Chrisette Michele (RIAA gold); "You the Boss" featuring Nicki Minaj (RIAA gold); and "The Devil Is a Lie" featuring Jay-Z (RIAA gold).
Twice featured as a Rolling Stone magazine cover artist, the "hip-hop heavyweight," as the New York Times described him, was living up to his reputation as "the number one ghostwriter in the South," his stock and trade since the millennium began. Subsequent albums Trilla (2008) and Deeper Than Rap (2009) also debuted at #1 Soundscan, as did God Forgives, I Don't (2012), which included top hits "Touch'N You" featuring Usher, "So Sophisticated" featuring Meek Mill, and fan favorite "Diced Pineapples" featuring Drake and Wale.
Most recently, Rick Ross aka Ricky Rozay set a high-water mark when he released three consecutive full-length studio albums in less than two years, Hood Billionaire and Mastermind in 2014, and Black Market in 2015. The latter attracted guest appearances by an elite A-list of friends, among them John Legend, Cee-Lo Green, Nas, DJ Premier, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, and Future.
Rick Ross is also the founder of the successful Maybach Music Group (MMG), which has released some 20 albums since he founded the label in 2009.- Actor
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John Felix Anthony Cena was born on April 23, 1977 in West Newbury, Massachusetts to Carol Cena and John Joseph Cena. He is of Italian (father) and French-Canadian and English (mother) descent, and is the grandson of baseball player Tony Lupien. When he was in college, he played football. He then continued on to be a bodybuilder and a limousine driver. The 6-foot-1 tall star weighs exactly at 240 pounds and is a very successful superstar in the WWE.
The Dr. of Thuganomics started training to be a wrestler at Ultimate Pro Wrestling where he also created the character, The Prototype. Cena first appeared on WWE in a match against Kurt Angle on the 27th of June, 2002 which ended up with him losing.
In 2004, John Cena's status as a celebrity began to develop. Cena won the United States Championship from Big Show. Not too long later, Cena lost the title but he gained it back soon. Cena then lost the title again to fellow WWE superstar, Carlito. During that time, Cena apparently got stabbed in the kidney by one of Carlito's bodyguards. This resulted in staying out of action for a month.
In 2005 and 2006 respectively, Cena was involved in controversies. He had a feud with champion John Bradshaw Layfield, manager Eric Bischoff and fellow wrestler Chris Jericho. Cena also had feuds with Edge and Umaga at that time. But even so, some friendships were formed. Cena is said to be friends with Carlito after they won a match with Jeff Hardy against Edge, Randy Orton and Johnny Nitro.
The year 2007 was a big year for Cena as he was involved in a wrestling match with Britney Spears' ex and rap star, Kevin Federline. John ended up losing that match thanks to some assistance from Umaga to Kevin Federline. Later that night, Cena took revenge by body slamming Kevin Federline backstage. The year 2007 also started pretty well for John Cena as he became the first person to defeat the Samoan Bulldozer, Umaga that year. The Chain Gang Soldier also teamed up with Shaun Michaels defeating the RKO tag team, Randy Orton and Edge. The match ended up with Cena and Michaels winning.
As of October 2007, Cena lost his WWE Championship title because of an injury. While wrestling against Mr. Kennedy, Cena tore his pectoral muscle while executing a hip toss. Although he finished the match and completed the rest of the scripted event, a check-up the next day showed that John's pectoral major muscle was torn completely from the bone, requiring seven months to a year rehabilitation. Not able to perform, WWE's CEO, Vince McMahon stripped him off the title and ended his reign.
In 2008, Cena made an unannounced return to action on January 27 as the final participant of the Royal Rumble match. He won the match, and the traditional WrestleMania title shot. Cena also had a match against JBL, which he defeated at Judgment Day and then at One Night Stand in a First Blood match. However, JBL defeated him at the New York City Parking Lot Brawl. In the month of August, Cena was replaced by Rey Mysterio after it was announced Cena had suffered a herniated disk in his neck which required surgery and he would be out of action indefinitely. According to reports, Cena underwent successive surgery to repair the herniated disk in his neck with Doctor Joseph Maroon on August 25.
Aside from wrestling, John has also made a name in the movie business. In 2006, a WWE franchise movie titled The Marine was released with John playing the lead character, John Triton. The movie received mixed reviews due to the poor story-line and discrimination to the US Marines. Even so, fans queued up to watch the movie as this was John's first big screen appearance.
The WWE wrestler also added recording artist to his resume as he released his debut rap album "You Can't See Me" which debuted at #15 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album was recorded with his cousin Tha Trademarc. The album featured his entrance theme song, 'The Time Is Now' & a host of other singles performed by Cena. One of the songs he performed with popular rap band Estoric and a number of other songs Cena performed with famous rapper Bumpy Knuckles. Cena is the only professional wrestler to ever perform on BBC Two's long running TV show Top of the Pops.
While still active with WWE, Cena made a couple of guest appearances: Jimmy Kimmel Live! twice to promote his album. He has also appeared on popular shows like Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Fuse's Celebrity Playlist, Fox Sports Net's The Best Damn Sports Show Period, MADtv, G4's Training Camp and two appearances on MTV's Punk'd. He also served as a co-presenter, with Hulk Hogan, at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards, as a guest judge during the third week of the 2006 season of Nashville Star, and appeared at the 2007 Nickelodeon UK Kids Choice Awards 2007.
In fashion, The Champ has also made a few trademarks. Cena is often seen with knee-high denim jeans and throwback jerseys when he first started on WWE. Lately, Cena has been wearing a lot of Chain Gang merchandise. When his movie, The Marine was released, John was seen to be adding more military-inspired clothing to his outfit to promote his movie.
Cena graduated from Springfield College, Massachusetts with degrees in exercise physiology and human anatomy. He applied to 60 colleges and he got accepted by 58 of them but in the end, he chose Springfield College. He is the second eldest of five brothers and is said to be a family guy when he is not wrestling. His good friends are fellow wrestlers, John Hennigan, Batista, Randy Orton, Carlito, Jeff and Matt Hardy, whom he will have to fight.
John Cena is definitely going to be a big inspiration to all, whether in wrestling, fashion, music or even movies as his participation in the industry is already more than regular celebrity. With all he has achieved, fans can definitely expect to see more of this WWE superstar in the coming future.
Also, recently he has completed his new movie 12 Rounds produced by WWE Films. This movie was said to have finished filming when John suffered from his injury in 2007.- Music Artist
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Abel Tesfaye, professionally known as 'The Weeknd' is a Canadian singer born February 16, 1990 in Toronto. Best known for his performances in his latest album 'Starboy' (2016), and numerous other productions including 'Kissland' (2013), Beauty Behind the Madness (2015) which included the mega-hit; 'The Hills', and House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence.- Music Artist
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50 Cent (Curtis James Jackson) is an American rapper, actor, producer, and entrepreneur.
He began a musical career and in 2000 he produced Power of the Dollar for Columbia Records, but days before the planned release he was shot and the album was never released. In 2002, after Jackson released the compilation album Guess Who's Back?, he was discovered by Eminem and signed to Shady Records, under the aegis of Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.
With the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre (who produced his first major-label album, Get Rich or Die Tryin'), Jackson became one of the world's best selling rappers and rose to prominence with East Coast hip hop group G-Unit (which he leads de facto). In 2003, he founded G-Unit Records, signing his G-Unit associates Young Buck, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Jackson had similar commercial and critical success with his second album, The Massacre, which was released in 2005. He released his fifth studio album, Animal Ambition, in 2014 and as of 2019 is working on his sixth studio album, Street King Immortal.
During his career Jackson has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and won several awards, including a Grammy Award, thirteen Billboard Music Awards, six World Music Awards, three American Music Awards and four BET Awards. He has pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005), the Iraq War film Home of the Brave (2006) and Righteous Kill (2008).- Music Artist
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Eminem was born Marshall Bruce Mathers III in St. Joseph, Missouri, to Deborah R. (Nelson) and Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr., who were in a band together, Daddy Warbucks. He is of English, as well as some German, Scottish, and Swiss-German, ancestry. Marshall spent his early childhood being shoved back and forth from Kansas City and Detroit. He settled on the Eastside of Detroit when he was 12. Switching schools every two to three months made it difficult to make friends, graduate and to stay out of trouble. Marshall attended Lincoln High School in Warren, Michigan, 1986-1989.
Being a rap fan for most of his life, Marshall began rapping at the early age of 4. Rhyming words together, battling schoolmates in the lunchroom brought joy to what was otherwise a painful existence. At the age of 14, he began to get very serious about his rapping but it wasn't until he was 17 that he actually made a name for himself, becoming M&M, which he would later respell as "Eminem". Being rejected by most fellow rappers because of his race, Marshall grew an anger that flows through his music to this day. After failing the 9th grade for three times in a row, he quit school, but has remarked that he does not consider himself stupid and does not advise that people should follow his example. He says that it just wasn't for him. Forcing himself on radio shows, freestyle battles, Marshall threw himself head first into the rap game, where he was swallowed up most of the time. His very first album was titled "Infinite" and, while the album sold less than a thousand copies, it was the gearing up stages for the rapper who became a millionaire. It was then that his daughter, Hailie Jade Scott, was born on December 25th of 1995 with long time girlfriend Kim Scott.
Having nothing to lose at all, flat broke and not knowing where he would be living the next week, Marshall set out to rant about life in general, the set quickly caught the ear of hip-hop's difficult-to-please underground. What came out of this was the Slim Shady EP, the early work for the later Dr. Dre revised Slim Shady LP. Down to nearly his last dime, he went into the 1997 Rap Olympics in Los Angeles, basically hoping to win the $1,500 cash prize which he badly needed. After battling for an hour and throwing back every race diss thrown at him, Marshall made it to second place losing in a slip up. Furious that he had lost, Marshall didn't even notice that he had been spotted. In the crowd were a few producers from Interscope, and they were handed a copy of the "Infinite" tape by way of a demo.
Dr. Dre got to hear it and eventually tracked him down. The two instantly hit it off, recording four songs in their first six hours of working - three which made it to his first LP. After the album was finished, Dr. Dre asked Marshall to come work with him on his new album. He helped produce several tracks and was on the best songs of the album. Now officially making it, Marshall and Dre set to make his second LP. The album became the Marshall Mathers LP and won 3 Grammies and was the first rap album ever to be nominated "Album of the Year", selling more than 8 million records in the United States alone. He also stunned critics when he shot down all homophobic remarks by performing "Stan" with Elton John. Eminem made a movie, 8 Mile (2002). Though 2001 was a rough year for the rapper, being charged with weapon offenses, divorcing his wife, and almost going to prison, Marshall has explained his life in one word: "Claimer".- Music Artist
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Joyner Lucas was born on 17 August 1988. He is a music artist and actor, known for Joyner Lucas: I'm Not Racist (2017), The Family Plan (2023) and Joyner Lucas & Chris Brown: I Don't Die (2018).- Actor
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Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, aka Logic, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter based out of Los Angeles, California. He was born in Gaithersburg, Maryland and spent most of his life there before moving to Los Angeles in 2013. Hall had a very tough childhood, in which both of his parents struggled with substance abuse and could barely make ends meet. Hall often found himself caught up in these illicit activities but decided that he wouldn't end up like his parents, and decided to take up rapping. After releasing a few mixtapes and seeing modest success, he moved in with fellow music artist Big Lenbo, and made his songs out of Lenbo's basement for quite some time. It was not until he released his debut album Under Pressure in 2014 that Logic could finally move out and have a place to call his own. The rest, as they say, is history.- Music Artist
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Chance the Rapper was born on 16 April 1993 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Waves (2019), Slice (2018) and Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021). He has been married to Kirsten Corley since 9 March 2019. They have two children.- Music Artist
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Swae Lee was born on 7 June 1993 in Inglewood, California, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) and The First Purge (2018).- Music Artist
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Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn (born November 20, 1983), better known by the stage name Future, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his mumble-styles vocals and prolific output, Future is considered a pioneer of the use of melody and vocal effects in modern trap music. Due to the sustained contemporary popularity of his musical style, Future is regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation.- Music Artist
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Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip hop and trap music. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, Thug initially released a series of independent mix-tapes beginning in 2011 with I Came from Nothing. In early 2013, he signed with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, and later that year he released his label debut mix-tape 1017 Thug to critical praise- Music Artist
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Tyga was born on 19 November 1989 in Compton, California, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Logan (2017), Fighting (2009) and Furious 7 (2015). He was previously married to Jordan Craig.- Music Artist
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Christopher Maurice Brown is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to Billboard, Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contemporaries as the "King of R&B". His musical style has been defined as polyhedral, with his R&B being characterized by several influences from other genres, mainly hip hop and pop music. His lyrics develop predominantly over themes of sex, romance, fast life, desire, regret, and emotional conflict. Brown has gained a cult following, and wide comparisons to Michael Jackson for his stage presence.- Actor
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Ab-Soul is known for Grand Theft Auto V (2013), Rap Critic Reviews (2010) and Ab-Soul Feat. Danny Brown & Jhene Aiko: Terrorist Threats (2012).- Music Artist
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Pharrell Williams was born on 5 April 1973 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Hidden Figures (2016), Despicable Me 2 (2013) and Despicable Me (2010). He has been married to Helen Lasichanh since 12 October 2013. They have four children.- Actor
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Miles Parks McCollum known professionally as Lil Yachty, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. McCollum first gained recognition on the internet in 2015 for his singles "One Night" and "Minnesota" (featuring Quavo, Skippa Da Flippa and Young Thug) from his debut EP Summer Songs. He released his debut mix-tape Lil Boat in March 2016. In June 2016, Yachty announced that he had signed a joint venture record deal with Motown, Capitol Records, and Quality Control Music.- Music Artist
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Playboi Carti was born on 13 September 1995 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Queen & Slim (2019), Good Mourning (2022) and Insecure (2016).- Composer
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Pi'erre Bourne is known for Insecure (2016), Trippie Redd feat. 6ix9ine: Poles1469 (2017) and Young Thug Feat. Gunna: Surf (2019).- Music Artist
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Lil Baby is known for Queen & Slim (2019), Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) and Lil Baby: The Bigger Picture (2020).- Veeze is known for Lil Baby Feat. 42 Dugg & Veeze: U-Digg (2022) and BTB Savage feat. Veeze: Marilyn Manson (2021).
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American rapper from Manhattan, New York City. Rakim is a member of the hip hop collective A$AP Mob, from which he adopted his moniker. Rocky released his debut mix-tape Live. Love. A$AP, in 2011. The success of his mix-tape led to a record deal with Polo Grounds Music, RCA Records, and Sony Music Entertainment. He subsequently recorded his 2013 debut album Long. Live. A$AP His father was from Barbados. He also has a younger sister. Mayers was named after the hip hop legend Rakim, one half of the Eric B. & Rakim duo. His cousin is a fellow ASAP Mob member, ASAP Nast. Rocky started rapping at age eight. He learned how to rap from his older brother, who also wore the French braids hairdo that Mayers later adopted. When Mayers was 12 years old, his father went to jail in connection with selling drugs; he died in 2012. When Mayers was 13, his brother was killed in Harlem. The death inspired Rocky to take rapping more seriously.- Actor
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A$AP Ferg was born on 20 October 1988 in Harlem, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for The Edge of Seventeen (2016), Game Over, Man! (2018) and Ghostbusters (2016).- A$AP Yams was born on 13 November 1988 in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He died on 18 January 2015 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA.
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Nav is known for Breakaway (2011), Gucci Mane Feat. The Weeknd: Curve (2017) and NAV Feat. The Weeknd: Some Way (2017).- Music Artist
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Jacques Bermon Webster II (born April 30, 1991), better known by his stage name Travis Scott (formerly stylized as Travi$ Scott), is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. His stage name is the namesake of a favorite uncle combined with the first name of one of his inspirations, Kid Cudi (whose real name is Scott Mescudi). He has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards and won a Billboard Music Award and a Latin Grammy Award.- Actor
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MadeinTYO is known for American Honey (2016), MadeinTYO feat. MoneySign Suede: Blunt in the Booth (2023) and Dave (2020).- Actor
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Dexter Gore, better known as Famous Dex, is a rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He was born on September 6, 1993 in New York City. He went to Robeson High School, the same school as fellow Chicago rapper Lil Durk. On March 6th, 2016, Famous Dex was announced as the first signed to Rich The Kid's label Rich Forever Music.- Actor
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Jackson Wang is a Member of South Korean boy band Got7 under JYP entertainment that debut in January 2014. He is the Lead Rapper, Lead dancer and a vocalist. He is a former member of the National Fencing Team in Hong Kong. He is a Chinese National, Born and raised in Hong Kong. He is fluent in 4 languages: English, Korean, Mandarin and Cantonese.- Actor
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Rich Brian was born in West Jakarta, Indonesia. He is known for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), The Invisible Man (2020) and The Man from Toronto (2022).- Music Artist
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Born in Newham, England and raised on the Eastside of Atlanta, 21 Savage, comes from a background of poverty, struggle, crime, and violence. This pain and anger come across as a clear message in his music, do not mess with me or my people. Starting with his debut mixtape 'The Slaughter Starting with his debut mixtape 'The Slaughter Tape,'released in May 2015, 21 has developed a sound that is somewhere between Atlanta's Trap and Chicago's Drill as a hyper violent, hyper real view of the Real Atlanta. He has forged meaningful relationships with super producers Sonny Digital and Metro Boomin as well as upstart F-12. His follow-up tape 'Free Guwop EP' was a collaboration with Sonny Digital and his way of paying homage to the only rapper he has ever looked up to, East Atlanta's own GucciMane. His third release, Slaughter King, released Dec '15, officially put 21 on the map as an artist to watch. Not long after its release, Savage was named by XXL a 2016 Freshman. With the release, 'Savage Mode' (July 2016), a collaboration with super producer, Metro Boomin', 21 Savage has taken his underground stardom to viable mainstream success, receiving 11.6k+ in sales total in its first week as a completely independent artist; charting #1 for a full week ahead of Drake, Schoolboy Q, and Logic. In it's 3rd week, 'Savage Mode' remained #4 on all of Apple Music (not just hip-hop). Momentum only sped up for the rapper after 'Savage Mode,' he then dropped 'Issa' and the collaborative 'Without Warning' with Metro Boomin' and Offset of the Migos. 21 Savage has a partnership with Epic Records, a label owned by Sony Music Entertainment.- Music Artist
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2 Chainz was born on 12 September 1977 in College Park, Georgia, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for The First Purge (2018), Fast & Furious 6 (2013) and Project Power (2020).- Music Artist
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Ice Cube was born in South Central Los Angeles, to Doris (Benjamin), a custodian and hospital clerk, and Hosea Jackson, a UCLA groundskeeper. He first came to public notice as a singer and songwriter with the controversial and influential band N.W.A. His compositions with that group included many of the classic cuts from their debut LP "Straight Outta Compton" (Ruthless/Priority, 1989), including the title track, "Gangsta Gangsta" and "Express Yourself". He quit the band over business differences in 1990 and began a still-growing series of commercially and critically acclaimed solo albums, starting with "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" (Priority, 1990). His second solo album, "Death Certificate" (Priority, 1991), a concept album about the fall and rise of the Black man, sold two million copies, and his subsequent solo output (six albums to date total) has sold over ten million copies. He has also discovered Yoyo, Del the Funky Homosapien, K-Dee and Mack 10. He has also produced, written, toured and recorded with Public Enemy, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, George Clinton, The D.O.C., Michel'e, Big Daddy Kane, WC & The Madd Circle (which spawned the solo career of Coolio), former N.W.A. bandmate Dr. Dre and Cypress Hill. He has also recorded with two post-N.W.A. side-project bands, Da Lench Mob ("Guerillas In Tha Mist", Street Knowledge/East-West, 1991) and Westside Connection ("Bow Down", Priority, 1996). His movie career has been no less stellar. Ice Cube's debut in Boyz n the Hood (1991) led to more roles in such films as Trespass (1992), Dangerous Ground (1997) and Anaconda (1997). He also appeared as himself in the comedy CB4 (1993). He is also no stranger to the other side of the camera, directing videos for himself as well as Prince and Color Me Badd, as well as co-writing his screenwriting debut, Friday (1995).- Actor
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Eric Lynn Wright, better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed solo and as a member of the group NWA Wright is affectionately called "The Godfather Of Gangsta Rap."
He was born in Compton, California. After dropping out of high school in the tenth grade, he supported himself primarily by selling drugs before investing it in and becoming founder of Ruthless Records. He made his debut as a rapper with "Boyz-N-The-Hood" which was a revolutionary song in rap history written by Ice Cube. NWA first released N.W.A. and the Posse in 1987. In 1988, they released their most controversial album, "Straight Outta Compton." The group released two more albums before disbanding in the early 1990s.
Eazy-E continued as a solo artist releasing three solo projects. In addition, he released several notable artists on his Ruthless Records label including but not limited to Jada Michelle, The D.O.C., Above the Law and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
He fathered nine children. He died March 26, 1995 due to complications of pneumonia associated with AIDS.- Actor
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Keenon Daequan Ray Jackson, popularly known by his stage name YG, is an American hip hop artist. He was born in Compton, California. His 2013's single, "My Nigga" featuring Jeezy and Rich Homie Quan peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the highest charting song of his career. His other hit songs are "Who Do You Love?" featuring Drake, "Left, Right" and "Toot It and Boot It" featuring Ty Dolla Sign.- Music Artist
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Denzel Curry was born on 16 February 1995 in Carol City, Florida, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Scream VI (2023) and Elvis (2022).- Actor
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- Boogie was born on 14 September 1981 in the USA. He is an actor, known for House (2004), Jacked Up (2001) and Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything (2015).
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Robert Rihmeek Williams known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he embarked on his music career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group, The Bloodhoundz. In 2008, Atlanta-based rapper T.I. signed Meek Mill to his first record deal. In February 2011, after leaving Grand Hustle Records, Mill signed with Miami-based rapper Rick Ross's Maybach Music Group (MMG). Mill's debut album, Dreams and Nightmares, was released in 2012 under MMG and Warner Bros. Records. The album, preceded by the lead single "Amen" (featuring Drake), peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200.- Actor
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Fetty Wap is known for Fetty Wap: Trap Queen (2015), The Week Of (2018) and I'm Not Really Here (2020).- Actor
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Freddie Gibbs has become one of hip-hop's most important, inimitable, and influential voices via his quotable wordplay, versatile songs, and unflinching honesty. Since 2004, the uncompromising Indiana-raised rapper has built a diehard global fan base and regularly attracted tastemaker adoration. His discography includes 20-plus mixtapes, eight EPs, four official solo albums, and four top-billed collaborative records. 2019's Bandana with Madlib was a new critical and commercial high watermark. After bowing at #21 on the Billboard Top 200, it closed 2019 on year-end lists by Vulture, Vibe, UPROXX, Stereogum, Noisey, SPIN, Complex, and more. GQ called it "one of the best albums of the year" and promised, "Freddie Gibbs will rap circles around anybody." Teaming up with Warner Records in 2020, his momentum only accelerated six months later as The Alchemist-assisted Alfredo drew the same enthusiasm, landing a 2021 GRAMMY nomination for Best Rap Album and hitting #4 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart. Freddie Gibbs has collaborated with everyone from Pusha T, Killer Mike, Anderson .Paak, and Yasiin Bey to Tyler, The Creator, Gucci Mane, A$AP Ferg, Jay Rock, and Young Thug, in addition to contributing music to blockbuster video game franchises, such as Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, and NBA2K. Most recently, Gibbs is teaming up with ESPN for Black History Month, appearing on their upcoming "Black History Always" special The Undefeated Presents: A Room of Our Own and The Undefeated's forthcoming Music For The Moment/Black History Always EP.- Music Artist
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Pusha T was born on 13 May 1977 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Death Race (2008), Venom (2018) and xXx (2002).- Actor
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Juelz Santana was born on 18 February 1983 in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for End of Watch (2012), The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) and The Watch (2012).- Jim Jones was born during the Great Depression. He was the only son of James Thurman Warren Jones Sr. (1887-1951) and Lynetta Putnam (1902-1977). His father was an alcoholic Klansman and he claimed his mother was part Cherokee Indian. He spent most of his formative years in conservative rural Indiana. His father struggled to earn a living as a mystic fortune teller. His parents separated in 1948 and he went to live with his mother in Richmond, Indiana. Jones also worked as an orderly at a local hospital. He got married young, to a nurse 4 years his senior, and adopted 3 children of diverse ethnic backgrounds.
Jones began working as a Methodist minister in Indianapolis in the early 1950 decade. In 1954, when he claimed he had met God on a train ride near Philadelphia, he was defrocked. The charismatic leader then founded his own gathering - the Community National Unity Church. By 1955 he had renamed it the People's Temple Full Gospel Church. He set up a soup kitchen, gave away groceries and clothes to the poor, and established two nursing homes, while preaching messages of apostolic socialism and racial equality. Secretly, he also joined the Communist party on the side. He was appointed director of the Indianapolis Human Rights Commission in 1961. Jones began a dubious path as a "spiritual healer" by planting actors among his believers and miraculously 'healing' them. Jones was getting richer and more popular.
In the early 1960s, during the height of the Cold War, Jones had a vision of apocalyptic destruction. Jones took the vision seriously and decided to move his congregation to Ukiah, California, in the Redwood Valley region north of San Francisco. This area was believed to be one of 9 places on earth that would be safe during a global nuclear war. He then moved to San Francisco's Fillmore district in 1965. Over the next 10 years, his 'flock' of believers reached a peak of 3,000. Jones could be heard on regular radio broadcasts over KFAX radio in California. However, there were occasional bizarre behaviors as well: in April of 1968, when Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, Jones staged a fake attempt on his own life.
Jones received several humanitarian awards in Northern California for his work with the poor. In 1976, he was appointed to the San Francisco Housing Authority by the Mayor George Moscone for his commitment to social activism. However Jones was becoming more and more of a dictator. He demanded sexual favors from some young women, was the only person who could decide if a couple in his congregation could get married, and often separated children from their parents. In 1973, eight close aides defected from his camp and revealed these details to the press, including allegations of misuse of church money. Very soon after, Jones had begun making plans to move his congregation to the socialist nation of Guyana in South America. By 1974, fifteen of Jones' followers had negotiated a lease for 27,000 acres on Guyana's western border with Venezuela, and began clearing the jungle for what would become the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, or "Jonestown." Jones eventually relocated to Guyana in July 1977. In December 1977, his mother Lynetta Jones died at Jonestown.
In 1978, a group of ex-members calling themselves the Committee of Concerned Relatives published literature that likened Jonestown to a concentration camp, complete with torture. Jones began teaching his followers about mass suicide and held practice drills to test his members' loyalty for the "White Night". In November 1978, U.S. House Representative Leo J. Ryan visited the compound and sought to bring back several defectors, including an ex-member's child. Leo's entourage, along with fifteen defectors, were ambushed and killed by Jones' people on the airstrip as they attempted to leave. The next day, the entire community of 914 'followers' (including 276 children) drank a deadly potion of Fla-Vor Aid laced with cyanide poison. Jones' wife was among them. After the mass suicide of his followers, Jones and a close aide shot themselves. - Music Artist
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DJ Khaled was born on 26 November 1975 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016), Bad Boys for Life (2020) and Charlie's Angels (2019).- Composer
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Metro Boomin is known for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), The First Purge (2018) and Creed (2015).- Actor
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Gunna was born on 19 December 1986 in East St. Louis, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for SuperFly (2018), Fortnite (2017) and Gunna - fukumean (2023).- Music Artist
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King Von was born on 9 August 1994 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a music artist and actor, known for F9: The Fast Saga (2021), PnB Rock Feat. King Von: Rose Gold (2021) and King Von: Robberies (2023). He died on 6 November 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.- Actor
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BlocBoy JB is known for BlocBoy JB & Drake: Look Alive (2018), NLE Choppa & BlocBoy JB: ChopBloc Part 2 (2019) and NLE Choppa & BlocBoy JB: ChopBloc (2019).- Music Artist
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YNW Melly was born on 1 May 1999 in Gifford, Florida, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for YNW Melly Feat. 9lokknine: 223s (2019), YNW Melly: City Girls (2019) and YNW Melly Feat. Juice WRLD: Suicidal (Remix) (2020).- Actor
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YBN Nahmir is known for Uncle Drew (2018), Insecure (2016) and YBN Nahmir Feat. 21 Savage: Opp Stoppa (2021).- Music Artist
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Cordae is known for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) and We the People (2021).- Actor
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Quando Rondo is known for Pretty Kitty Cartel (2024), Quando Rondo: Dope Boy Dreams (2019) and My Struggle (2021).- Producer
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Nicholas Scott Cannon is an American television host, rapper, actor, and comedian. Cannon began in television as a teenager on "All That" before going on to host "The Nick Cannon Show", 'Wild 'n Out", 'America's Got Talent", 'Lip Sync Battle Shorties", and "The Masked Singer." He acted in the films "Drumline", "Love Don't Cost a Thing", and "Roll Bounce."
As a rapper he released his debut self-titled album in 2003 with the single "Gigolo", a collaboration with singer R. Kelly. In 2007 he played the role of the fictional footballer TJ Harper in the film Goal II: Living the Dream. In 2006, Cannon recorded the singles "Dime Piece" and "My Wife" for the planned album "Stages", which was never released.- Music Artist
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YoungBoy Never Broke Again is known for The Fate of the Furious (2017), The Hate U Give (2018) and The After Party (2018). He has been married to Jazlyn Mychelle since 7 January 2023.- Actor
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Bashar Barakah Jackson (July 20, 1999 - February 19, 2020), known professionally as Pop Smoke, was an American rapper. He is considered by many to be the face of Brooklyn drill. Born and raised in Canarsie, Brooklyn, Pop Smoke began his musical career in late 2018 with his debut single "MPR (Panic Part 3 Remix)". Pop Smoke rose to fame with the release of his breakout singles "Welcome to the Party" and "Dior" in 2019. He often collaborated with UK drill artists and producers, who employed more minimal and aggressive instrumentation than drill artists from Chicago.- Actress
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Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea is an Australian rapper, singer, songwriter, model and television personality. Azalea moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a career in music, and has since resided in Los Angeles. Her stage name, from the masculine Egnatius, comes from the name of her dog and the street she lived on. She earned public recognition after releasing music videos for her songs "Pu$$y" and "Two Times" on YouTube. In 2012 Azalea signed a recording contract with Grand Hustle Records, which is owned by American rapper T.I., after gaining attention from her first full-length project, a mix tape titled Ignorant Art.
Azalea's debut studio album, The New Classic (2014), peaked among the top five of several charts worldwide and received generally mixed reviews. It topped the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums making Azalea the first non-American female rapper to reach the top of the chart. The album was preceded by her debut single "Work", and generated the US Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping single "Fancy". Azalea was featured on Ariana Grande's single "Problem", which peaked at No. 2 while "Fancy" was No. 1. Azalea joined The Beatles as the only acts to rank at numbers one and two simultaneously with their first two Hot 100 entries. She achieved three top-ten hits simultaneously on the Hot 100 with the aforementioned songs along with the album's fifth single, "Black Widow", later that year. Following a slew of moderately successful singles, Azalea released the EP Survive the Summer (2018).
As of 5 December 2018, Azalea's official YouTube channel has accumulated 2.6 billion views, while she has had 13 music videos receive over 100 million views on Vevo.
When she first arrived in the United States in 2006, she stayed in Miami, Florida, and afterwards lived briefly in Houston, Texas. Azalea settled for a few years in Atlanta, Georgia, working with a member of the Dungeon Family named Backbone. During that period, she met future collaborators FKi and Natalie Sims. She took her stage name from the name of her childhood dog, Iggy, and the street she grew up on, Azalea Street, where her family lives to this day. She said people would laugh at her because "they thought my raps sucked." But having grown up getting laughed at, she was able to shrug it off. Meanwhile, she'd met someone from Interscope Records who encouraged her to move to Los Angeles, and so in the summer of 2010, she decided to do so. She was briefly managed by Interscope.
On 27 September 2011, Azalea released her first full-length project, a mix tape titled Ignorant Art, saying she made it "with the intent to make people question and redefine old ideals". Her song "Pu$$y" was included on the mix tape, alongside guest appearances from YG, Joe Moses, Chevy Jones, and Problem. In November 2011, she released a music video for her song "My World", directed by Alex/2tone. The video features a cameo appearance from character actor and former wrestler Tiny Lister, which earned her more attention due to its rising popularity online. "It's supposed to have like, all the ridiculousness of a big-budget '90s video, but then chopped and screwed," said Azalea, of the video. In December 2011, Azalea revealed she would release her debut studio album, entitled The New Classic, as soon as she signed a major record label deal: "Once that's sorted out and I establish an overall sound and direction for the album, I will be able to know what artists would make for a dynamic collaboration". On 11 January 2012, Azalea released the music video for "The Last Song", her third video from Ignorant Art. In an interview with Billboard, released on 27 January, Azalea hinted at an Interscope Records signing, while also revealing hopes of releasing The New Classic in June, and for her debut single to precede it in March.
In April 2012, via her Twitter feed, Azalea announced plans to release an extended play (EP) entitled Glory, later in May: "I'm just onto something right now, the last two weeks and it's glory. Azaleans need something new." Also in April, Azalea starred alongside Grammy-nominated producer Diplo and FKi in the world's first fully interactive 'shoppable' music video for Canadian fashion retailer, Ssense. In May 2012, it was confirmed by T.I., on MTV's HipHopPov, that Azalea had not yet secured distribution for her deal with Grand Hustle Records, and was described by T.I. as a "free agent". It was later revealed in the interview that she was in negotiation with labels other than Interscope, possibly Def Jam Recordings (wherein Bu Thiam, whom of which originally placed a bid to sign her is VP of A&R). Azalea was also featured on Steve Aoki and Angger Dimas' collaborative electronic track "Beat Down", which was released on 31 May 2012.
On 5 December 2013, an unfinished song by Azalea titled "Leave It" and the tag produced by DJ Mustard, was leaked. Azalea later revealed the song was in fact produced by The Invisible Men and The Arcade, whom she collaborated with on the entire album. In February 2014, Azalea announced that she would be releasing a new single titled "Fancy", featuring English singer-songwriter Charli XCX. The song was premiered on BBC Radio 1 Xtra at 7 pm GMT on 6 February 2014. After the song's premiere, it was revealed "Fancy" was the song that had leaked titled "Leave It". On 17 February 2014, the song was serviced to urban contemporary radio in the United Kingdom as the album's fourth single and became her highest charting song at the time. The music video for "Fancy", inspired by the 1995 American comedy film Clueless was released on 4 March. "Fancy" went on to become Azalea's most successful single to date, becoming her first single to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number-one on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs chart, as well as number-one the US Dance Club Play chart.
In October 2015, Azalea revealed the initial title of her second album to be Digital Distortion. A buzz track off the album, "Azillion", was made available for free streaming on SoundCloud on 9 January 2016. The project's lead single "Team" was released on 18 March 2016 along with a dance video. An accompanying music video premiered on 31 March.[84] In March 2016, Azalea revealed she had started a production company, having "bought the rights to a couple of books that I really like, and also some television shows from Australia that I really believed in and was a fan of when I was a kid, and I had some ideas to rework." In July 2016, she announced that her company, Azalea Street Productions, had signed a deal to create original content for NBCUniversal.
On 8 June, the rapper revealed that Survive the Summer is an EP. She also stated that the reason behind the postponed release date -originally for 2 June, then 30 June release- was the changing president of her record label, Island Records. On 5 July, Azalea released two tracks from the EP: "Tokyo Snow Trip" and "Kream", the latter featuring Tyga. Survive the Summer was released on 3 August 2018, and it debuted at number 144 on the Billboard 200.
On 3 November, Azalea left her record label, Island Records, according to her tweet, which she was signed to in 2017. Two weeks later, she announced she had signed a $2.7 million dollar distribution deal with an unidentified company. She created her own label "New Classic Records", where she would be signing upcoming hip hop artists. She would also be an independent artist and own all her masters, with exceptions to her music licensed under Universal. On 20 November, it was announced that she has signed a partnership deal with Empire Distribution.- Music Artist
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Quavo was born Quavious Keyate Marshall on April 2, 1991 in Athens, Georgia & raised in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Outside of Migos, Quavo has been featured on four singles that have peaked within the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, including DJ Khaled's I'm the One and No Brainer the former of which reached number 1 along with Congratulations, which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. On October 12, 2018, he released his debut solo album, Quavo Huncho which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200.- Music Artist
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Offset was born on 14 December 1991 in Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for The First Purge (2018), Mile 22 (2018) and Triple 9 (2016). He has been married to Cardi B since 20 September 2017. They have two children.- Actor
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Takeoff was born on 18 June 1994 in Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Mile 22 (2018), Bright (2017) and Bad Boys for Life (2020). He died on 1 November 2022 in Houston, Texas, USA.- A-Reece is known for A-Reece: Meanwhile in Honeydew (2017) and A-Reece: Amber Rose (2018).
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Nasty C. is known for Nasty C: NDA (2017), Blood & Water (2020) and AKA & Nasty C: Lemons (Lemonade) (2022).- Music Artist
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Ariana Grande was born Ariana Grande-Butera on June 26, 1993 in Boca Raton, Florida to Joan Grande, a chief executive officer for Hose-McCann Communications & Edward Butera, a graphic designer, photographer, artist and Ibi Designs Inc. owner/founder. She starred in the 2008 musical, 13 before becoming a household name through her roles on Nickelodeon. She appeared as Cat Valentine in the network's sitcoms Victorious (2010) and Sam & Cat (2013), lent her voice to the character Diaspro in Nickelodeon's revival of Winx Club (2004), and was part of the main cast for the Nick TV movie "Swindle". She has since appeared in other theatre and television roles.
Ariana's music career began in 2011 with the soundtrack album "Music from Victorious". In 2013, she released her first studio album Yours Truly, which entered atop the US Billboard 200. The album's lead single, The Way, opened in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, with critics comparing her wide vocal range to that of Mariah Carey.
Ariana's second studio album, My Everything (2014), entered at number one in the US and charted in the top 10 in 24 other countries. With the lead single, Problem and several other singles, she was continuously in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 for 34 weeks and had the most top 10 singles of any artist in 2014. The next year, she gave her first world tour, The Honeymoon Tour, to promote My Everything. In 2016, she released her third studio album Dangerous Woman, which charted at number two on the Billboard 200. The title track debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first person in the history of that chart to have the lead singles from each of their first three albums debut within the top 10 in the US. In 2017, Ariana gave her international Dangerous Woman Tour.
As of June 2017, Ariana's music videos had been viewed a total of more than nine billion times online. Her accolades include three American Music Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award and four Grammy Award nominations. All three of her albums have been certified platinum by the RIAA. She has supported a range of charities and has a large following on social media. In 2016, Time named Ariana one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their annual list.- Music Artist
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Rihanna was born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988 in Bridgetown, St. Michael, Barbados to Monica Braithwaite, an accountant & Ronald Fenty, a warehouse supervisor. Her mother is Afro-Guyanese and her father is of Afro-Barbadian and British Isles ancestry. Rihanna lived the life of a normal island girl going to Combermere, a top sixth form school. Rihanna won numerous beauty pageants and performed Mariah Carey's single, Hero in a school talent show. Her life changed forever when one of her friends introduced her to Evan Rodgers, a producer from New York who was in Barbados for a vacation with his wife, who is a native. Rodgers arranged for her to go to New York to meet Jay-Z, CEO of Def Jam Records. He heard her sing and knew she was going to be incredibly successful. She was age 16 when she was signed to Def Jam. Since then, she's amassed phenomenal success.- Music Artist
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Megan Thee Stallion was born Megan Jovon Ruth Pete on February 15, 1995 in San Antonio, Texas and raised in Houston, Texas to Holly Aleece Thomas & Joseph Pete. The seductive femcee is a full-time college student, as well as a choreographed dancer and model. Under her mother's management company, Pretty Time Entertainment Management, the Texas native first began to gain notoriety after meeting super producer TA and releasing her first single "Like a Stallion" in April 2016. After dropping a number of hot verses on a few Texas Cyphers, her verse on 'The Houston Cypher' over Drake's 4PM in Calabasas caught on like wildfire and placed her as a top trending topic in Houston on Twitter. From there her online following took off. Soon after, she released her mixtape 'Rich Ratchet' on Soundcloud and MyMixtapez and then her first EP "Make It Hot" soon followed.
In February 2018, Megan linked with a Houston legend, T. Farris, which led to her signing to 1501 Certified, a record label owned by retired baseball player Carl Crawford. Her highly anticipated project 'Tina Snow' was released June 10 2018, and debuted at #11 on iTunes Hip.-Hop charts. The rap siren is certainly a new force to be recognized and reckoned with. The H-Town Hottie is from the dirty south but she has a vendetta for the top.- Music Artist
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Cardi B was born Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar on October 11, 1992 in Manhattan, New York City, New York & raised in The Bronx, New York City, New York. She became an Internet celebrity after several of her posts and videos became popular on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to 2017, she appeared as a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series, Love and Hip Hop: New York (2010), which depicted her pursuit of her music aspirations. She released two mixtapes: Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, before signing with label Atlantic Records on early 2017. Her debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy (2018) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, broke several streaming records, was certified triple platinum by the RIAA and named by Billboard the top female rap album of the 2010s. Critically acclaimed, it won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, making Cardi the only woman to win the award as a solo artist, as well as the first female rap artist in 15 years to be nominated for Album of the Year. It spawned two number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100; Bodak Yellow, which made her the second female rapper to top the chart with a solo output-following Lauryn Hill on 1998-and I Like It, which made her the first female rapper to attain multiple number-one songs on the chart. Her Maroon 5 collaboration, Girls Like You made her the only female rapper to top the Hot 100 three times. WAP, the lead single of her second album, expanded her record as the female rapper with the most Hot 100 number-one singles as her fourth leader, and made her the only female rap artist to achieve chart-topping singles in 2 decades (2010s and 2020s).
Recognized by Forbes as one of the most influential female rappers of all time, Cardi's known for her aggressive flow and candid lyrics, which have received widespread media coverage. She's the highest-certified female rapper of all time on the RIAA's Top Artists (Digital Singles) ranking, also appearing among the ten highest-certified female artists and having the top certified song by a female rap artist. She's the only female rapper with multiple billion-streamers on Spotify. Her accolades include a Grammy Award, 8 Billboard Music Awards, 5 Guinness World Records, 4 American Music Awards, 11 BET Hip Hop Awards & 2 ASCAP Songwriter of the Year awards. In 2018, Time included her on their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.- Actor
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Destroy Lonely is known for Destroy Lonely - Nostylist (2022), Look Killa (2023) and Brotherlylove Gossamer Spring 23 Capsule Campaign (2023).- Actor
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Ken Carson was born on 14 November 1914 in Coalgate, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor, known for San Fernando Valley (1944), Song of Nevada (1944) and Sunset in El Dorado (1945). He died on 7 April 1994 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA.- Actor
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Ken Carson is known for Ken Carson: Jennifer's Body (2023), Look Killa (2023) and Ken Carson: Ran + Run (2022).- Music Artist
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D-Block Europe is known for Yxng Bane - Cut Me Off (ft. D Block Europe) (2020), Clavish Feat. D-Block Europe: Rocket Science (2022) and D-Block Europe: Tears in My Amiri's (2023).- Music Artist
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Digga D is known for Digga D: 11 Steps Forward 10 Steps Back, I May Destroy You (2020) and Digga D: Energy (2023).- Actor
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Nardo Wick is known for Nardo Wick Feat. Sexyy Red: Somethin' (2024), Nardo Wick Feat. Lil Baby: Hot Boy (2023) and The Crew League (2021).