|
Coming Of Age (Memphis Bleek Album)
''Coming of Age'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Memphis Bleek. It was released by Get Low Records, Roc-A-Fella, and Def Jam on August 3, 1999. The album spawned the hit single " Memphis Bleek Is...". The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on September 14, 1999 for shipment of over 500,000 units. Critical reception Matt Diehl of ''Entertainment Weekly'' praised Bleek for holding his own lyrically alongside guest artists Ja Rule and N.O.R.E., and displaying striking sensitivity on "Regular Cat". He also noted how the album's production of "ominous inner-city symphonies and raw street beats" was ageless. Keith Farley from AllMusic noted how Bleek's vocal delivery was more "street-level" than Jay-Z's, along with the album containing an "urban funk" style like most of his material, concluding that "Still, ''Coming of Age'' is a fine debut that shows Memphis Bleek already leaps and bounds ahead of most rappers." In a dual review with Ja's ''Venni Vetti Vecci'', ''Rollin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Memphis Bleek
Malik Deshawn Cox (born June 23, 1978), known by his stage name Memphis Bleek, is an American rapper who was a protégé of fellow New York rapper Jay-Z. Cox started his own labels: Get Low Records in 1998, and Warehouse Music Group in 2016. He has released four albums, the first two certified Gold. Music career Memphis Bleek was one of the first artists signed to Roc-A-Fella, as a protégé of Jay-Z. He grew up in Brooklyn's Marcy Projects, located in Bedford–Stuyvesant, the same neighborhood as Jay-Z. He appears on the Jay-Z albums: ''Reasonable Doubt'', '' Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life'', '' Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter'', '' The Dynasty: Roc La Familia'', and '' The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse''. Bleek's first official appearance was "Coming of Age" from ''Reasonable Doubt''. After the huge success of ''Hard Knock Life'' and the exposure of the Roc-A-Fella camp, (a Memphis Bleek track off the aforementioned Jay-Z album, "It's Alright", actually charted on Billb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virginia. Its newspaper is printed at 37 sites across the United States and at five additional sites internationally. The paper's dynamic design influenced the style of local, regional, and national newspapers worldwide through its use of concise reports, colorized images, informational graphics, and inclusion of popular culture stories, among other distinct features. With an average print circulation of 159,233 as of 2022, a digital-only subscriber base of 504,000 as of 2019, and an approximate daily readership of 2.6 million, ''USA Today'' is ranked as the first by circulation on the list of newspapers in the United States. It has been shown to maintain a generally center-left audience, in regards to political persuasion. ''USA Today ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keith Mansfield
Keith Mansfield (born 1941 in London, England) is a British composer and arranger known for his creation of prominent television theme tunes, including the ''Grandstand'' theme for the BBC. Career Other works include "The Young Scene" (the original 1968 theme to ''The Big Match''), "Light and Tuneful" (the opening theme for the BBC's coverage of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships), "World Champion" (the closing theme for NBC's coverage of the same tournament), and "World Series" (used for the BBC's athletics coverage). One of his library music recordings, "Teenage Carnival", was used as the theme to the cult 1960s ITV children's television series ''Freewheelers''. He has also composed film scores for British movies such as ''Loot'' (1970) and ''Taste of Excitement'' (1970), and the western ''Three Bullets for a Long Gun'' (1971). He also scored the start-up and shutdown themes for Granada Television in 1978, which were used for ten years before it switched to 24-hour televisi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patti Austin
Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington have referred to themselves as her godparents. When Austin was four years old, she performed at the Apollo Theater. As a teenager she recorded commercial jingles and worked as a session singer in soul and R&B. She had an R&B hit in 1969 with "Family Tree". She sang backing vocals on Paul Simon's 1975 number-one hit "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover". The jazz label CTI released her debut album, ''End of a Rainbow'', in 1976. She sang " The Closer I Get to You" for Tom Browne's album '' Browne Sugar'', a duet with Michael Jackson for his album '' Off the Wall'', and a duet with George Benson on "Moody's Mood for Love". After singing on Quincy Jones's album '' The Dude'', she signed a contract with his record label ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roberta Flack
Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles " The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", " Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Feel Like Makin' Love", " Where Is the Love" and " The Closer I Get to You", the latter two duets with Donny Hathaway. Flack is also noted for her influence on the subgenre of contemporary R&B called quiet storm, along with her interpretations of songs by various songwriters, such as Leonard Cohen and members of the Beatles. Flack was the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in two consecutive years: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" won in 1973 and "Killing Me Softly with His Song" won in 1974. Early life Flack was born in Black Mountain, North Carolina, to parents Laron Flack, a Veterans Administration draftsman, and Irene (Council) Flack a church organist, on February 10, 1937 (some sources have cited 1939 but the 1940 Census give ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beanie Sigel
Dwight Equan Grant (born March 6, 1974), better known by his stage name Beanie Sigel, is an American rapper from South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He first became known for his association with Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records, releasing his debut studio album '' The Truth'' through Roc-A-Fella in February 2000 to critical and commercial success. Sigel's second studio album, '' The Reason'', saw similar commercial success, but received mixed reviews from critics. His third album, ''The B. Coming'', was critically acclaimed and peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200. After a short break from music, Sigel returned to Roc-A-Fella in 2007 and released his fourth studio album '' The Solution'' in December 2007 to positive reviews. After leaving Roc-A-Fella once again, Sigel's fifth and sixth studio albums, '' The Broad Street Bully'' and '' This Time'' were released independently in 2009 and 2012, respectively. Sigel is also known for his numerous legal issues, including a trial for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Omen (music Producer)
Sidney Brown (born August 21, 1976), better known as Omen is an American record producer from Harlem. He has produced for artists such as Drake, Beyoncé, Action Bronson, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Fabolous, Vado, Memphis Bleek, Redman, Keith Murray, Immortal Technique, and Amil. Early life and career Omen's production was featured on early Roc-A-Fella releases by Memphis Bleek and Amil. Omen produced "Everybody" from Memphis Bleek's debut album '' Coming of Age'' and "No 1 Can Compare" from Amil's debut album ''All Money Is Legal''. Further placements include "Change You or Change Me" and "Why Wouldn't I" from Fabolous's '' Street Dreams'', "Taste This" from Mýa's ''Moodring'', and "Swagga Back" from Keith Murray's Def Jam debut '' He's Keith Murray''. Omen also provided the entire score for the Roc-A-Fella/Universal Pictures release ''Paper Soldiers'' in 2002. Commercial breakthrough and Grammy Award In 2006 Omen produced " Tell It Like It Is" for Ludacris which appeared as the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dark Half
''The Dark Half'' is a horror novel by American writer Stephen King, published in 1989. ''Publishers Weekly'' listed ''The Dark Half'' as the second best-selling book of 1989 behind Tom Clancy's ''Clear and Present Danger''. The novel was adapted into a feature film of the same name in 1993. Stephen King wrote several books under a pseudonym, Richard Bachman, during the 1970s and 1980s. Most of the Bachman novels were darker and more cynical in nature, featuring a far more visceral sense of horror than the psychological, gothic style common in many of King's most famous works. When King was identified as Bachman, he wrote ''The Dark Half'' – about an author – in response to his outing. The book's central villain, George Stark, was named in honor of Richard Stark, the pen name of writer Donald E. Westlake under which he wrote some of his darkest, most violent books. King telephoned Westlake personally to ask permission. King's own "Richard Bachman" pseudonym was also partly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Irv Gotti
Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. (born June 26, 1970), professionally known as Irv Gotti, is an American DJ, music producer, record executive, and the CEO and co-founder of Murder Inc. Records. He is best known for producing multiple number-one records for Ashanti, Ja Rule, and Jennifer Lopez, as well as his collaborations with Jay-Z, DMX, and Kanye West. Gotti is also the creator of the BET series '' Tales''. Early life Irv Gotti was born in the Hollis neighborhood of the borough of Queens in New York City. Career After helping Def Jam with the success of DMX and Jay-Z, Russell Simmons gave Irv Gotti his own label under Def Jam. While watching ''Biography'' on A&E during gangster week, a Murder, Inc. logo appeared on the screen and Irv Gotti decided to use the name for his label because Murder, Inc. put out hits for murder and Irv wanted to put out hit records. Irv, Ja Rule and the label of Murder Inc. were all involved in a well-publicized feud with G-Unit Records, A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buckwild (music Producer)
Anthony Best (born March 20, 1968) professionally known as Buckwild, is an American hip hop record producer. Hailing from The Bronx borough of New York City, he is a member of Diggin' in the Crates Crew, along with Lord Finesse, Showbiz and A.G., Diamond D, Fat Joe, Big L, and O.C. He has produced a number of tracks for prominent rappers in the music industry, including The Notorious B.I.G.'s "I Got a Story to Tell" and Black Rob's " Whoa!". In 2013, he was described by ''HipHopDX'' as "one of Hip Hop's most prolific and acclaimed producers". Career In 2010, Buckwild released ''Nineteen Ninety Now'', a collaborative album with Celph Titled. In 2014, he released a collaborative album with Meyhem Lauren, titled ''Silk Pyramids''. Discography Studio albums *''Nineteen Ninety Now'' (2010) (with Celph Titled) *''Silk Pyramids'' (2014) (with Meyhem Lauren) * ''Trafficanté'' (2019) (with Pounds) * ''No Expiration Date'' (2022) (with Artifacts) Compilation albums *'' Buckw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the age of 18, he started to gain recognition in the hip hop industry through his family's record label, Ruff Ryders, as well as his friendship and work with East Coast rapper DMX. Working with DMX as his producer, DJ and hype man, helped Dean gain prominence as a high-profile personality in hip hop. Dean later found a protégé in Philadelphia-based rapper Cassidy, whose success helped the launch of his own label imprint, Full Surface, in 2001. He went on to sign multiple artists to the label, including Eve, Mashonda and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, among others. Dean went on to release two albums under the label; the first was a compilation, titled '' Swizz Beatz Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories'', released in 2002, and later his debut studio alb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rob Sheffield
Robert James Sheffield (born February 2, 1966) is an American music journalist and author. He is a long time contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'', writing about music, TV, and pop culture. Previously, he was a contributing editor at ''Blender'', '' Spin'' and ''Details'' magazines. A native of Milton, Massachusetts, Sheffield has a bachelor's degree from Yale University and master's degree (1991) from the University of Virginia. Sheffield lives in Brooklyn, New York. Published works Sheffield has written several books including a memoir, '' Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time'' (an excerpt of which was featured in the January 2007 issue of '' GQ''), was released by Random House in January 2007. It was met with much acclaim and was a national bestseller. Sheffield's fifth book, released in April 2017, is called ''Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World''. An excerpt from Sheffield's most recent book, ''Dreaming the Beatles ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
