Friday, February 15, 2008

Ne-Yo


Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith (October 18, 1979), better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American, Grammy Award-winning, R&B and pop singer, songwriter, and occasional rapper. He is of African-American and Chinese heritage.

Ying Yang Twins


Ying Yang Twins

The Ying Yang Twins are an Atlanta-based American crunk rap duo consisting of Kaine (born Eric Jackson on December 16, 1978) and D-Roc (born Deongelo Holmes on February 23, 1979).

Nelly


Nelly

Cornell Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), best known by his stage name Nelly, is a rapper from St. Louis, Missouri, who experienced popularity in the early 2000s. He is one of the best-selling rappers of all-time, with over forty million albums sold worldwideHe has also achieved three number ones in the United Kingdom (four including his vocal contribution to "Nasty Girl" by Notorious B.I.G.), four U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, and three Grammy Awards. To date, he's the most successful rapper in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 as he has charted nine top ten singles, four of which were number one, a feat yet to be equalled by any rapper

Young Buck


Young Buck

David Darnell Brown (born March 15, 1981), better known by his stage name Young Buck, is an American rapper who is a member of the rap group G-Unit. He founded his own record label called Cashville Records in 2004.

JAY-Z


JAY-Z

Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969) better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper and former president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. In addition, he co-owns The 40/40 Club and the New Jersey Nets NBA team. He is one of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in America. Known for his flow and blending of street and popular style, he can compose lyrics without the use of pen and paper. His critically acclaimed album The Blueprint was allegedly written in only two days. After announcing his retirement from recording music in 2003, he returned in late 2006 with the album Kingdom Come which sold 680,000 copies in its first week, Jay-Z's highest-selling album in a one-week period.
Along with Damon "Dame" Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, Jay-Z was one of the founders of Roc-A-Fella Records, a hip hop record label. Jay-Z is the richest hip hop Entertainer (followed by 50 Cent), having a net-worth estimate of $600 million.
It was announced on 2nd February 2008 that Jay Z will headline this year's Glastonbury Festiv

50 Cent


50 Cent

Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003) and The Massacre (2005). Both albums achieved multi-platinum success, selling over twenty-one million records worldwide.
Born in South Jamaica, Queens, 50 Cent began drug dealing at the age of twelve during the 1980s' crack epidemic. After leaving drug dealing to pursue a rap career, he was shot nine times in 2000. After releasing his album Guess Who's Back? in 2002, 50 Cent was discovered by rapper Eminem and signed to Interscope Records. With the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre—who produced his first major commercial successes—he became one of the highest selling rappers in the world. In 2003, he founded the record label G-Unit Records, which signed successful rappers such as Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo.
50 Cent has engaged in numerous feuds with other rappers including Ja Rule, The Game, and Fat Joe. He has also pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin' in 2005 and the Iraq War film Home of the Brave in 2006.

Obie Trice


Obie Trice

Obie Trice III (born November 14, 1977) is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He began rapping at the age of 11, and had a number of underground hits such as "Respect", "My Club", "Dope Jobs Homeless", and "The Well Known Asshole" before he signed to Shady Records in 2000. Obie Trice credits himself for having no "rap name", but instead using his birth name/given name for performing, as also mentioned in one of his songs, "Rap Name".

T-Psin


T-Pain

Faheem Najm (born June 30, 1985), better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American hip hop, R&B Singer-songwriter and producer who has been noted for using the auto-tune effect (often mis-cited as a vocoder effect) in his singing T-Pain won his first Grammy Award for featuring on Kanye West's "Good Life".

R.kelly

R.kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois) better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American R&B and pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and occasional rapper. He first appeared on the music scene as the founder and lead singer of Public Announcement whose smooth mixture of hip hop beats, soul, and funk propelled the group's 1992 debut album Born into the '90s to platinum status. After leaving the group in 1993, he became one of the top-selling musical acts of the nineties.
Kelly's songs often include explicit sexual references, such as "Bump N' Grind", "Feelin' on Yo Booty", and "Ignition" (Remix). Kelly has also had hits such as "I Believe I Can Fly", "I'm Your Angel" (the Grammy Award-nominated duet with Céline Dion), "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time", "I Wish", "Rise Up", and "Step in the Name of Love" (Remix). Kelly released the rap soap opera mini-opera/film "Trapped in the Closet". Kelly has released twelve LPs, sold 35 million albums in the U.S., 15 million singles and more than 50 million albums worldwide making him one of the most successful R&B male artists of the 1990s. R. Kelly released his eighth solo album Double Up on May 29, 2007.
On June 6, 2002, Kelly was indicted on 21 counts of having sexual intercourse with a minor. The charges, which were later reduced to soliciting a minor for child pornography, stemmed from a video tape allegedly showing Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old girl. To date, Kelly still faces 14 of the original charges. The judge in his case has set the start of his trial on May 9, 2008.

Usher


Usher

Usher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978), best known as Usher, is an American R&B and pop singer and actor who rose to fame in the mid-late 1990s. To date, he has sold approximately 40 million albums worldwide and has won five Grammy Awards. Usher is also a part owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers National Basketball Association franchise. He also has his own record label, US Records.