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Mad Skillz
Donnie Shaquan Lewis, (born June 2, 1974) also known as Skillz, or Mad Skillz is an American rapper known for his acclaimed 1996 album ''From Where???'', a reference to his origins in Virginia, not a New York City or Los Angeles rapper. He is also known for his yearly "Rap Ups," which he has done annually since 2002 (except in 2013). Skillz is also the creator of the web series "Hip Hop Confessions", a series of shows that gathers hip hop purists and hip hop lovers alike where they reveal something hip hop related that they have never told anyone. The show has featured Q-Tip (musician), Q-Tip, Peanut Butter Wolf, Kwamé and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Early life Lewis was born June 2, 1974, in Detroit, Michigan and after spending his early childhood in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he then moved to Richmond, Virginia, at a young age. He credits Run DMC for getting him involved in hip hop as a child. Career He first made a name for himself by finishing in second place (Losing to Supern ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
DJ Skillz
DJ Skillz is a French disc jockey and turntablist, winner of the DMC World DJ Championship in 2018, 2019, 2020. Biography He is from Biarritz. His real name is Jimmy Da Costa Santos. He becomes DJ at twenty. His DJ's name is inspired by the song ''Skills'' of the American hip hop duo Gang Starr with the rapper Guru and DJ Premier Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop du .... He has received influence from DJ's such as Cut Killer, Netik, Troubl, Unkut, D-Styles, Ligone, LL Cool DJ, Rafik, Craze, I-emerge. Awards French awards He has been 9 times champion of France. World awards International DJ Association Championship * 2011 : Second place, technical category * 2013 : Third place, technical category * 2015 : Winner, technical category * 2016 : Second plac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville () is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-America City Award from the National Civic League three times. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 208,501, It is the 6th-largest city in North Carolina. Fayetteville is in the Sandhills in the western part of the Coastal Plain region, on the Cape Fear River. With a population in 2020 of 529,252 people, the Fayetteville metropolitan area is the largest in southeastern North Carolina, and the fifth-largest in the state. Suburban areas of metro Fayetteville include Fort Bragg, Hope Mills, Spring Lake, Raeford, Pope Field, Rockfish, Stedman, and Eastover. History Early settlement The area of present-day Fayetteville was historically inhabited by various Siouan Native American peoples, such as the Eno, Shakori, Waccamaw, Key ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Million Dollar Backpack
''The Million Dollar Backpack'' is the fourth solo studio album by American rapper and record producer Skillz. It was released on July 22, 2008 via Big Kidz Music and Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at Homecookin Studios, Larry Gold's The Studio and The Boom Room in Philadelphia, at Portside Sound, at Donland Studios, at Chung King Studios in New York, at K1 Laboratories, at The House That Quest Built. Production was handled by Bink!, Fusion Unlimited, Khari Ferrari, Carvin & Ivan, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Jake One, James Poyser, Jimmy "Slim" Rose, Kwamé, ?uestlove, Usef Dinero, and Skillz himself. It features guest appearances from Black Thought, Common and Freeway. The first single off the album was "So Far So Good" featuring Common on the album version and Talib Kweli on the video version. It is the follow-up to Skillz 2005 album ''Confessions of a Ghostwriter''. Track listing Personnel *Donnie " Mad Skillz" Lewis – vocals, producer & recording (track 10), co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clipse
Clipse, also known as The Clipse, is an American hip hop duo, chiefly active from 1994 to 2010. It consists of brothers Gene "No Malice" and Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during the group's early years, while No Malice was originally known as Malicious, then changed his stage name to Malice soon after the group's formation, before changing it again to No Malice in 2012 following a conversion to Christianity. The duo were based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and were heavily affiliated with producer and fellow Virginia Beach native, Pharrell Williams, who convinced the two in 1992 to be a rap duo instead of solo artists. Williams would go on to serve as their label head, main producer (via the production duo The Neptunes) and frequent guest artist through most of their career. The duo frequently rapped about the drug dealing they had done in their youth. Clipse was integral in establishing Virginia as one of the East Coast's strongholds in hip hop. In 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fam-Lay
Nathaniel Johnson, also known as Fam-Lay (born May 28, 1974) is an American rapper.Fennessey, Sean (2007)Fam-Lay: Virginia's New Old Hope, '' Vibe'', September 2007, p. 119, retrieved 2011-01-25 Biography Signed to The Neptunes' Star Trak imprint, he first gained notoriety through several guest appearances he made on various Neptunes-related projects, including the Clipse's debut album '' Lord Willin''' in 2002. He also later appeared on The Neptunes' compilation '' The Neptunes Present... Clones'' in 2003, which featured his song "Rock 'N Roll". Then in 2004 he had the single and video "Rock N Roll (Remix)" featuring Lil Flip. It gained heavy rotation on MTV Jams. He also was featured in the video game Def Jam: Fight for New York (2004) in which he was a playable/fightable character added into the storyline. He planned to release his debut album, titled ''Traintogo'', in March 2004, through a joint venture between Star Trak and Def Jam Recordings. Unlike most Neptunes-helm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magoo (rapper)
Timbaland & Magoo were a rap duo consisting of producer/rapper Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and rapper Melvin "Magoo" Barcliff, formed in 1989. Hailing from Norfolk, Virginia, the duo first met when they were teenagers. They later paired up as a duo and released their debut album ''Welcome to Our World'', spawning their highest-charting single " Up Jumps da Boogie". They released two more studio albums as a group, '' Indecent Proposal'' in 2001 and '' Under Construction, Part II'' in 2003. The latter was meant as a sequel to Missy Elliott's fourth album '' Under Construction''. In August 2021, Blackground Records, the label who launched R&B/Pop singer Aaliyah, signed a distribution deal with Empire Distribution to re-release Timbaland & Magoo's catalogue on CD, cassette and vinyl, onto digital download sites and, for the first time ever, streaming services. As a result, Timbaland's 1998 LP '' Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment'' and Timbaland & Magoo albums ''Welcome to Our Worl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Green Gartside
Green Gartside (born Paul Julian Strohmeyer; 22 June 1955) is a Welsh songwriter, singer and musician. He is the frontman of the band Scritti Politti. Early life Gartside was born on 22 June 1955 in Cardiff, Wales, to a " Cup-a-Soup salesman dad and a hairdresser/secretary/whatever mum". His childhood was not always happy, with the family, which included a sister, having to move every twelve months or so because of his father's job. He ended up "living all over ales from Bridgend to Newport to Ystrad Mynach". His father died while he was a child, after which his widowed mother married her boss, a solicitor from Newport named Gordon Gartside, from whom he adopted his new surname. Gartside recalls, "The 'Green' bit came about because I didn’t like the fact there were two other Pauls in my class and I wanted something different. So I just chose something random after listening to a Captain Beefheart album where all the musicians were named odd things like Zoot Horn Rollo. I thou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti are a British band, originally formed in 1977 in Leeds, England, by Welsh singer-songwriter Green Gartside. He is the only member of the band to have remained throughout the group's history. Beginning as a punk-inspired collective of art students and squatters, Scritti Politti released several early post-punk recordings on Rough Trade Records before transitioning into a mainstream pop music project in the early to mid- 1980s, enjoying significant success in the record charts in the UK and the US. The group's most successful album, 1985's '' Cupid & Psyche 85'', spawned three UK Top 20 hits with " Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)", "Absolute", and " The Word Girl", as well as a US Top 20 hit with " Perfect Way". The band's 1988 album '' Provision'' was a UK Top 10 success, though it only produced one UK Top 20 hit single, "Oh Patti". After releasing two non-album singles in 1991, as well as a collaboration with B.E.F., Gartside became disillusioned with the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Ain't Mad No More
''I Ain't Mad No More'' is the second album by Virginia–native rapper Skillz. The album featured guest appearances by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Danja Mowf, Kandi, Pretty Ugly, Big Swells, Musiq Soulchild, AAries, Cee-Lo Green, Pretty Willie, Jazze Pha and Nicole Wray's brother Kenny Wray. The album generated one charting single, "Crew Deep", which peaked at #83 on ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Two other promo singles, "Your Favorite Joints" and "Ghostwriter," were excluded from the album but were added to its sampler release. The lack of success from the album's lead single ("Crew Deep") resulted in a cancellation of the album's U.S. release and a granted promotional release in Canada was made instead. However, Skillz would feature most of the album's tracks on his U.S. independent release, ''Confessions of a Ghostwriter'' (2005). Track listing Leftover tracks *"Your Favorite Joints" *"Full Cooperation" *"Off the Wall" (produced by Timbaland) *"Ghostwriter" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rawkus
Rawkus Records was an American hip hop record label known for starting the careers of many rappers. Rawkus started in 1995 with releases in hip-hop, drum and bass and fun-dustrial (Dystopia One). Label heads Brian Brater and Jarret Myer then signed some of the top underground talent from the New York area, notably Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Hi-Tek and Company Flow, who went on to define the label's sound. The string of 12" releases and full-length albums that followed helped initiate a resurgence in the New York/ East Coast sound. Many of these are considered classics among hip-hop aficionados. During the mid to late 1990s, Rawkus became a dominant label in the underground hip-hop scene, producing a string of gold albums and a platinum album. History Rawkus Records was established in 1995 by Brian Brater and Jarret Myer, with financial backing from their high school buddy James Murdoch, son of Rupert Murdoch. In 1996, Rupert Murdoch bought a majority of Rawkus. In 1999 the label ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop". Born in Brooklyn but raised in Detroit, she first gained recognition at the age of 10, when she appeared on the television show '' Star Search'' and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At the age of 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records. Hankerson introduced her to R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album, '' Age Ain't Nothing but a Number''. The album sold three million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed with Atlantic Rec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are an American songwriting and production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provides additional vocals on records and appears in the duo's music videos, while Hugo tends to stay behind the scenes. The Neptunes have produced hit songs for a multitude of artists, including N.O.R.E., Clipse, Britney Spears, Jay-Z, Mystikal, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Usher, Nelly, Gwen Stefani, and Snoop Dogg. In 2009, '' Billboard'' ranked the Neptunes number one on their list of the top 10 producers of the decade. In January 2020, the Neptunes were announced to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame as a part of the 2020 class, and in May 2021, Hugo and Williams received Honorary Doctorates from Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee. History Williams and Hugo met at a summer camp for the school of the Gifted and Talented in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
