Jay-Z

The instrumentation of hip-hop is descended from disco, funk, dub, and R&B. Disco and club DJs' use of mixing originated from the need to have continuous music and thus smooth transitions between tracks, while in hip hop Kool DJ Herc originated the practice of isolating and extending only the break (the percussive solo of funky American songs). DJ Herc's techniques have been developed and expanded upon by DJ's such as Grandmaster Flash, Grandwizard Theodore, and ...

See also:

Hip hop music, Hip hop music - Rhythmic structure, Hip hop music - DJ'ing and Production, Hip hop music - Beatboxing, Hip hop music - Musical impact, Hip hop music - Media, Hip hop music - Social impact, Hip hop music - Censorship issues

Read more here: » Hip hop music: Encyclopedia II - Hip hop music - DJ'ing and Production

The nephew of R&B star Ruth Brown, Rakim became involved in the New York hip hop scene at a young age. He joined the Nation of Gods and Earths, taking the name Rakim Allah, in 1984. Rakim - Eric B. & Rakim. In 1985 he met the Queens-based DJ Eric B, with whom he soon formed a musical partnership. Eric B. and Rakim subsequently became one of the most well-known and influential groups to emerge from hip hop's so-called "golden age" of approximately 1987-1992, with many of their tracks becoming hip ho ...

See also:

Rakim, Rakim - Biography, Rakim - Eric B. & Rakim, Rakim - Solo career, Rakim - Legacy, Rakim - Discography, Rakim - Albums, Rakim - Also appears on, Rakim - Awards & Honors

Read more here: » Rakim: Encyclopedia II - Rakim - Biography

T.I. is an African-American Rapper from the West Side of Atlanta, Georgia. Kids: Messiah YaMajesty Harris, Domani Uriah Harris, Deysah Harris and King Harris T.I. signed to Arista Records' subsidiary LaFace Records in 2001. He was a member of an underground posse known as Grand Hustle, and generated buzz after releasing his debut album I'm Serious, which spawned the single of the same title which featured reggae vocalist Beenie Man. His debut included Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes ...

See also:

T.I., T.I. - History, T.I. - Disputes, T.I. - Comeback, T.I. - Discography, T.I. - Albums, T.I. - Hit singles

Read more here: » T.I.: Encyclopedia II - T.I. - History

RIAA Single certification - Singles released during the modern era. This is a list of singles released and certified during the modern era. "Hollaback Girl", Gwen Stefani (5x platinum) "Since U Been Gone", Kelly Clarkson (5x platinum) "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", Green Day (3x platinum) "We Belong Together", Mariah Carey (3x platinum) "Breakaway", Kelly Clarkson (2x platinum) "Behind These Hazel Eyes", Kelly Clarkson (2x platinum) "1, 2 S ...

See also:

RIAA Single certification, RIAA Single certification - Guidelines, RIAA Single certification - List of certified digital singles modern era, RIAA Single certification - Singles released during the modern era, RIAA Single certification - Singles not released during the modern era, RIAA Single certification - List of certified digital singles previous eras, RIAA Single certification - Multi-platinum singles, RIAA Single certification - Platinum singles, RIAA Single certification - Gold singles, RIAA Single certification - List of certified standard commercial singles commercial-decline era, RIAA Single certification - Multi-platinum singles, RIAA Single certification - Platinum singles, RIAA Single certification - Gold singles

Read more here: » RIAA Single certification: Encyclopedia II - RIAA Single certification - List of certified digital singles modern era

Sampling music - Early precedents. In the 1940s, some musique concrète composers utilized portions of other recordings to create new compositions. In the 1950s, Bill Buchanan and Dickie Goodman released a song, "The Flying Saucer (Parts 1 and 2)", which featured samples of various then-popular songs, all taken out of context from their original material and used as answers to a wacky reporter's question about spaceships from another planet. Goodman would later make a career out of similar "break-in" or "s ...

See also:

Sampling music, Sampling music - History, Sampling music - Early precedents, Sampling music - Modern Sampling, Sampling music - Legal issues, Sampling music - Samplers on sampling

Read more here: » Sampling music: Encyclopedia II - Sampling music - History

R. Kelly - Early Life. Born into poverty and distress in Chicago's projects, young Robert Kelly and his two brothers and sister and mother Joanne struggled. After a shooting by a mugger as a teenager, Kelly looked to basketball and music to get him away from the atmosphere. Guided by his teacher Lena McLin, Kelly entered a career in music after singing the classic ballad, "Ribbon in the Sky" at a talent show to his high school friends. See also:

R. Kelly, R. Kelly - Biography, R. Kelly - Early Life, R. Kelly - Early Career, R. Kelly - 12 Play and Aaliyah, R. Kelly - R. Kelly: The Singer Songwriter and Producer, R. Kelly - I Believe I Can Fly R. Sparkle TP-2.Com, R. Kelly - The Best of Both Worlds at the Worst of Bad Times, R. Kelly - Sexual allegations, R. Kelly - The Pied Piper of R&B, R. Kelly - Music Facts, R. Kelly - Discography, R. Kelly - Albums, R. Kelly - Singles, R. Kelly - Grammy Awards

Read more here: » R. Kelly: Encyclopedia II - R. Kelly - Biography

50 Cent - The Original 50 Cent. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson took his name from a notorious stick-up artist of the 1980s by the same name. The Original 50 Cent was named Kelvin Martin who measured 5'-3". Martin worked with the notorious Supreme Team, and he was aligned with rap artists Eric B and Rakim. Martin robbed and murdered several people, including several former friends and high ranked drug lords, and robbed the rap group Whodini. His criminal pursuit of money eventually caught up with him, resulting in his murder. The surviving family mem ...

See also:

50 Cent, 50 Cent - Early history, 50 Cent - Queens shooting, 50 Cent - Music career, 50 Cent - Recording label signing, 50 Cent - G-Unit, 50 Cent - Commercial products, 50 Cent - Grammy Award History, 50 Cent - Film Career, 50 Cent - Literature, 50 Cent - Disputes and controversy, 50 Cent - The Original 50 Cent, 50 Cent - Ja Rule and Murder Inc. Records, 50 Cent - New York rappers, 50 Cent - The Game, 50 Cent - Other controversies, 50 Cent - Discography, 50 Cent - Studio Albums, 50 Cent - Singles, 50 Cent - Guest Appearances, 50 Cent - DVDs, 50 Cent - Note

Read more here: » 50 Cent: Encyclopedia II - 50 Cent - Disputes and controversy

On June 13, 2005, it was announced the group will disband after their world tour ends in the fall of 2005. [1] It was decided that the split would occur after the very last concert in Vancouver, Canada. The group first appeared on MTV's Total Request Live on June 21, 2005 to officially confirm their split. Their management decided to document their final tour for a special farewell DVD to be released February 28, 2006. The group released their greatest hits album, # 1's on October 25, 2005, [2][3], which includes three new song ...

See also:

Destiny's Child, Destiny's Child - Early Career, Destiny's Child - Destiny's Child, Destiny's Child - The Writing's on the Wall, Destiny's Child - The New Girls, Destiny's Child - Rebirth of the Group, Destiny's Child - Survivor, Destiny's Child - Solo Projects After Survivor, Destiny's Child - Michelle Williams, Destiny's Child - Kelly Rowland, Destiny's Child - Beyoncé Knowles, Destiny's Child - Destiny Fulfilled, Destiny's Child - Final Destiny and The Future, Destiny's Child - Future For Early Members, Destiny's Child - Discography, Destiny's Child - Awards, Destiny's Child - Grammy Award History, Destiny's Child - Endorsements/Enterprising, Destiny's Child - Philanthropy, Destiny's Child - Miscellaneous, Destiny's Child - Tours, Destiny's Child - Books, Destiny's Child - DVDs, Destiny's Child - Records and Facts

Read more here: » Destiny's Child: Encyclopedia II - Destiny's Child - Final Destiny and The Future

Nas rapper - Early years. Nas is the elder of Olu Dara and Ann Jones' two children; his brother Jabari (nicknamed "Jungle" because he was born in the Congo) is the younger of the two. The family lived for a time in Brooklyn, before moving to the large Queens public housing project of Queensbridge. Olu Dara left the household in 1986, when Nas was 13, and Ann Jones raised her two boys on her own. Nas dropped out of school in the ninth grade and began selling drugs on the streets of New York while educating himself, reading about African culture and civilization, the Qur'an ...

See also:

Nas rapper, Nas rapper - Biography, Nas rapper - Early years, Nas rapper - Illmatic, Nas rapper - It Was Written, Nas rapper - The Firm, Nas rapper - I Am..., Nas rapper - Nastradamus, Nas rapper - QB's Finest Stillmatic and the Nas/Jay-Z rivalry, Nas rapper - God's Son, Nas rapper - Street's Disciple, Nas rapper - Recent work, Nas rapper - Discography, Nas rapper - Albums, Nas rapper - Singles, Nas rapper - Underground Releases & Remixes

Read more here: » Nas rapper: Encyclopedia II - Nas rapper - Biography

Williams and Hugo originally recorded an album for European release in 2001 using the same digital production techniques used on Neptunes productions. However, they decided that if N.E.R.D was to be different from the Neptunes it should sound different. This led to them recording the album In Search Of... with the funk-rock band Spymob for worldwide release in 2002. In Search Of... achieved moderate success in the US: the album reached number 59 on the Billboard 200; its first single, "Lapdance", reached the top 40 on th ...

See also:

N.E.R.D, N.E.R.D - In Search Of..., N.E.R.D - Fly or Die, N.E.R.D - Break Up Comments, N.E.R.D - Band members, N.E.R.D - Discography, N.E.R.D - Albums, N.E.R.D - Singles

Read more here: » N.E.R.D: Encyclopedia II - N.E.R.D - In Search Of...

Born to A Italian-American Mother and A Jamaican Father, Growing up in the Baltimore/D.C. area, Mýa studied both singing and dancing as a child, at one point taking lessons in New York City from Savion Glover. As a teenager, she appeared as a panelist on BET's Teen Summit talk show. In 1997, Mýa signed a recording contract with Haqq Islam's University Records, after being brought to the label by her friends in the R&B group Dru Hill. The four members of the group, Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin, Mark "Sisqó" Andrews, Larry "Jazz" ...

See also:

Mýa singer, Mýa singer - Biography, Mýa singer - Voice, Mýa singer - Discography, Mýa singer - Albums, Mýa singer - Singles, Mýa singer - Appeareances, Mýa singer - Album Appeareances, Mýa singer - Soundtrack Appeareances, Mýa singer - Awards & Nominations, Mýa singer - 1998, Mýa singer - 2000, Mýa singer - 2001, Mýa singer - 2003, Mýa singer - 2005, Mýa singer - Filmography, Mýa singer - Official Site, Mýa singer - Top Mýa Fansites

Read more here: » Mýa singer: Encyclopedia II - Mýa singer - Biography

Biggie first gained notice with "Party and Bullshit," his first single. He appeared on "One Million Strong" on a song called "RUNNIN'" with 2Pac & Dramacydal. He also made an appearance on a Trapp album called "Stop The Gunfight" on a track called "Be The Realist" with 2Pac & Trapp. This album also contained a remix of "RUNNIN'" called "Stop The Gunfight". In 1994 he released "Juicy", his second (yet first mainstream) single. He also released Ready to Die, his debut album. Ready to Die is regarded as one of hip-hop's all-time ...

See also:

The Notorious B.I.G., The Notorious B.I.G. - Childhood and drug career, The Notorious B.I.G. - Rap career, The Notorious B.I.G. - East Coast/West Coast feud and death, The Notorious B.I.G. - Posthumous career, The Notorious B.I.G. - Movie, The Notorious B.I.G. - The Final Chapter, The Notorious B.I.G. - Trivia, The Notorious B.I.G. - Discography, The Notorious B.I.G. - Albums, The Notorious B.I.G. - Singles, The Notorious B.I.G. - Featured Roles, The Notorious B.I.G. - B-Sides

Read more here: » The Notorious B.I.G.: Encyclopedia II - The Notorious B.I.G. - Rap career

The song proved to be a big success, peaking at #2 on the USA Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and reaching #1 on the Hot Digital Songs chart. The song almost topped the Billboard Hot 100 but wasn't able to overcome Mariah Carey's We Belong Together. Even when "We Belong Togther"'s digital sales began to drop, "Pon de Replay" was still not able to overcome it due to "We Belong Together"'s airplay lead. "Pon de Replay" was also a major dance hit topping both the Hot Dance Music/Club Play and the Dance Radio Airplay chart for 2 weeks. Al ...

See also:

Pon de Replay, Pon de Replay - Song information, Pon de Replay - Chart performance, Pon de Replay - Music video, Pon de Replay - Video charts, Pon de Replay - Comprehensive charts, Pon de Replay - USA, Pon de Replay - Stats, Pon de Replay - International

Read more here: » Pon de Replay: Encyclopedia II - Pon de Replay - Chart performance

Hamburger describes ninjas through three "facts": Ninjas are mammals. Ninjas fight ALL the time. The purpose of the ninja is to flip out and kill people. The site contains a great deal of dubious information on ninja, including a timeline of ninja throughout history ("4.5 billion years ago: Ninjas discover flipping out and thus God gives them dominion over everything totally sweet"), as well as illust ...

See also:

Real Ultimate Power, Real Ultimate Power - Real Ultimate Ninjas, Real Ultimate Power - Real Ultimate Power's secret, Real Ultimate Power - Book

Read more here: » Real Ultimate Power: Encyclopedia II - Real Ultimate Power - Real Ultimate Ninjas

A rarely-used name for a genre of hardcore rap of the 1990s and 2000s, referring to rap by more pop-oriented artists from about 1997 onward when gangsta rap lost its edge and became a standard. This genre is sometimes also referred to as "bling-bling rap", "glam rap", mainstream rap, or simply gangsta rap as some do not see a difference between post-gangsta and the more original gangsta rap of the 1990s. The existence of such type of music may in fact symbolize that mainstream hip-hop is "frozen in time" and has nowhere to evolve, however indie hip hop acts such as Atmosphere and Posse of Two may eventually overtake the b ...

See also:

Post-gangsta, Post-gangsta - Definition, Post-gangsta - Difference from Gangsta Rap, Post-gangsta - Popularity/Future, Post-gangsta - Crunk - Post-Gangsta or Not?, Post-gangsta - 1990s Artists, Post-gangsta - 2000s Artists, Post-gangsta - See Also

Read more here: » Post-gangsta: Encyclopedia II - Post-gangsta - Definition

Main article: American roots music The first musicians anywhere in North America were Native Americans, who consist of hundreds of ethnic groups across the country, each with their own unique styles of folk music. Of these cultures, many, and their musical traditions, are now extinct, though some remain relatively vibrant in a modern form, such as Hawaiian music. By the 16th century, large-scale immigration of English, French and Spanish settlers brought new kinds of folk music. This was followed by the importation of Af ...

See also:

Music history of the United States, Music history of the United States - American roots music, Music history of the United States - African American music, Music history of the United States - Appalachian folk music, Music history of the United States - Other forms of American roots music, Music history of the United States - Popular music, Music history of the United States - 1940s and 1950s, Music history of the United States - Roots of country music, Music history of the United States - Gospel and doo wop, Music history of the United States - Latin music, Music history of the United States - Cajun and Creole music, Music history of the United States - 1960s and 70s, Music history of the United States - Early 1960s, Music history of the United States - Psychedelic rock, Music history of the United States - Soul and funk, Music history of the United States - Country and folk, Music history of the United States - Tejano, Music history of the United States - 1970s, Music history of the United States - Heavy metal, Music history of the United States - Outlaw country, Music history of the United States - Hip hop, Music history of the United States - Salsa, Music history of the United States - Punk rock, Music history of the United States - 1980s and 90s, Music history of the United States - Hip hop, Music history of the United States - 1990s

Read more here: » Music history of the United States: Encyclopedia II - Music history of the United States - American roots music

The artistic boundaries of hip-hop and rap music had been redefined by artists such as Brand Nubian, De La Soul, and Public Enemy, whose music was more thematically sophisticated and socially conscious than that of their predecessors. By the early 1990s however, this brand of rap had been eclipsed in popularity by gangsta rap. Socially aware rap music (alternative hip hop) has experienced something of a renaissance in the late 1990s and now the 2000s, in part due to artists such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, The Roots and others. "Mos Def ...

See also:

Mos Def, Mos Def - Rap career, Mos Def - Impact on hip-hop, Mos Def - Acting career, Mos Def - Samples, Mos Def - Discography, Mos Def - Filmography

Read more here: » Mos Def: Encyclopedia II - Mos Def - Impact on hip-hop

M.O.P., short for Mash-Out Posse, is an American hip hop group from Brooklyn. Comprised of rappers Lil' Fame aka Fizzy Womack aka Slap and Billy Danzenie aka Billy Danze aka William Berkowitz, the group is best known for their frenetic hit single 2000's "Ante Up". But throughout their career M.O.P. have consistently delivered the hardest, angriest and loudest music hip-hop could offer. Subject matter is either battling with rival criminals or serious talk about life in the ghetto. A typical chorus in an M.O.P. song is shouting out a line and a response repeatedly. The Mash-Out Posse very ra ...

See also:

M.O.P., M.O.P. - Biography, M.O.P. - Current Information, M.O.P. - Discography, M.O.P. - M.O.P., M.O.P. - Mash Out Posse

Read more here: » M.O.P.: Encyclopedia II - M.O.P. - Biography

List of famous tall men - 7 ft 2.5 in 220 cm. Arvydas Sabonis — basketball player ...

See also:

List of famous tall men, List of famous tall men - 10 ft 6 in 320 cm, List of famous tall men - 8 ft 11 in 272 cm, List of famous tall men - 8 ft 4 in 254 cm, List of famous tall men - 7 ft 9 in 236 cm, List of famous tall men - 7 ft 8 and 3/4 in 235 cm, List of famous tall men - 7 ft 7 in 231 cm, List of famous tall men - 7 ft 6 in 229 cm, List of famous tall men - 7 ft 4 in 224 cm, List of famous tall men - 7 ft 3 in 221 cm, List of famous tall men - 7 ft 2.5 in 220 cm, List of famous tall men - 7 ft 2 in 218 cm, List of famous tall men - 7 ft 1 in 216 cm, List of famous tall men - 7 ft ½ in 215 cm, List of famous tall men - 7 ft 213 cm, List of famous tall men - 6 ft 11 in 211 cm, List of famous tall men - 6 ft 10 in 208 cm, List of famous tall men - 6 ft 9 in 206 cm, List of famous tall men - 6 ft 8.5 in 204 cm, List of famous tall men - 6 ft 8 in 203 cm, List of famous tall men - 6 ft 7.5 in 202 cm, List of famous tall men - 6 ft 7 in 201 cm, List of famous tall men - 6 ft 6 in 198 cm, List of famous tall men - 6 ft 5 in 196 cm, List of famous tall men - 6 ft 4.5 in 194 cm, List of famous tall men - 6 ft 4 in 193 cm, List of famous tall men - 6 ft 3.5 in 192 cm, List of famous tall men - 6 ft 3 in 191 cm, List of famous tall men - 6 ft 2 in 188 cm, List of famous tall men - 6 ft 1 in 185 cm, List of famous tall men - Note

Read more here: » List of famous tall men: Encyclopedia II - List of famous tall men - 7 ft 3 in 221 cm

Romanek was born in Chicago, Illinois. He credits seeing Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968 at the age of nine and again during its rerelease in 1973, with inspiring him to become a film director. [1] [2] Romanek experimented with Super 8 and 16mm film as a teenager while he attended New Trier East, a progressive public high school north of Chicago that offered a four-year film production and theory program. He then attended Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, and graduated from its Roy H. Park School of Communicatio ...

See also:

Mark Romanek, Mark Romanek - Background, Mark Romanek - Music video career, Mark Romanek - Feature films, Mark Romanek - Feature film filmography, Mark Romanek - Music video filmography

Read more here: » Mark Romanek: Encyclopedia II - Mark Romanek - Background

Called a "true New Yorker," Rapaport idolized other New Yorkers Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken as a teenager. He was expelled from high school and moved to Los Angeles to try stand-up comedy. Once he got into acting, people began to like him for his kid-like goofy charm, especially as Lisa Kudrow's policeman boyfriend in Friends. His most memorable role came in the TV show Boston Public (which he also occasionally directed) as teacher Danny Hanson. His movie roles include starring alongside Eddie Murphy in Metro ...

See also:

Michael Rapaport, Michael Rapaport - Biography, Michael Rapaport - Selected Movies, Michael Rapaport - Trivia

Read more here: » Michael Rapaport: Encyclopedia II - Michael Rapaport - Biography

Missy Elliott - Early years. Elliott was born in in Portsmouth, Virginia. In the late-1980s, Elliott, LaShawn Shellman, Chonita Coleman and Radiah Scott formed an R&B group called Sista, for which Elliott served as a singer and songwriter. She recruited her neighborhood friend Timothy "DJ Timmy Tim" Mosley as the group's producer and began making demo tracks. In 1991, Sista caught the attention of Jodeci member/producer DeVante Swing by performing Jodeci songs acapella for him backstage after one of hi ...

See also:

Missy Elliott, Missy Elliott - Biography, Missy Elliott - Early years, Missy Elliott - Elliott/Mosley songwriting/production team, Missy Elliott - Solo career, Missy Elliott - Later success, Missy Elliott - Discography, Missy Elliott - Albums

Read more here: » Missy Elliott: Encyclopedia II - Missy Elliott - Biography