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Star (702 Album)
''Star'' is the third studio album from American R&B group 702. It was originally scheduled to be released on November 19, 2002 by Motown, but was later delayed to March 25, 2003. In the United States. The album peaked at number forty-five on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and produced the singles “Star” and " I Still Love You". Critical reception Andy Kellman of Allmusic rated the album two and a half stars out of five and gave the work a rather dismissive review, stating that "it continues in the group's tradition of being able to deliver a couple of solid singles surrounded by middling to fair album tracks." ''PopMatters'' thought the album was dated and "trapped in a time warp" and that "It wants to be pre-Mary J. Blige hip-hop and R&B with some notable exceptions". Overall, they praised both Mario Winans and the Neptunes contributions to the album, and felt they managed "to create some haphazard hits here, lack of creativity aside". Sal Cinquemani from ''Slant Magazine'' wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
702 (band)
702 (pronounced "seven-oh-two") is an American musical girl group whose most notable line-up consisted of Misha Grinstead, Irish Grinstead, and Meelah Williams. The group began their musical career as Sweeter than Sugar, formed in 1993 in Las Vegas. After years of limited success, the original quartet comprising Misha Grinstead, Irish Grinstead, Orish Grinstead, and Amelia Cruz were signed in 1995 to Biv 10 Records as 702. The group first had mainstream success following the release of their 1996 single " Steelo". Spawning from their debut studio album ''No Doubt'' (1996), the song peaked within the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while the album received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Their self-titled second album (1999) became their best-selling release, and contained the top-five single " Where My Girls At?". [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival. History ''Slant Magazine'' was launched in 2001. On January 21, 2010, it was relaunched and absorbed the entertainment blog ''The House Next Door'', founded by Matt Zoller Seitz, a former ''New York Times'' and '' New York Press'' writer, and maintained by Keith Uhlich, former '' Time Out New York'' film critic, who was the blog's editor until 2012. In the media ''Slant''s reviews, which A. O. Scott of ''The New York Times'' has described as "passionate and often prickly", have occasionally been the source of debate and discourse online and in the media. Ed Gonzalez's review of Kevin Gage's 2005 film '' Chaos'' sparked some controversy when Roger Ebert quoted it in his review of the film for the '' Chicago Sun-Time ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert "Kool" Bell
Robert Earl "Kool" Bell (born October 8, 1950), also known by the name Muhammad Bayyan, is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is the last surviving founding member of the American R&B, soul, funk and disco band Kool & the Gang. Biography Early life Bell was born in Youngstown, Ohio, to Aminah Bayyan (1932–2014) and Robert "Bobby" Bell (1929–1985). Bell grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey. Growing up, Bell was nicknamed "Kool", due to being "laid back": Kool & The Gang Along with his brother, Ronald Bell, he began playing jazz, and in 1964 they formed a group named The Jazziacs. They began playing at clubs in New York City under a series of different band names before settling on the name Kool & the Gang in 1968. Their debut album, ''Kool and the Gang'', was released the following year. The band's first major hit came in 1973, with " Jungle Boogie", which charted at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Their first number one hit single was " Spirit o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo the Neptunes, which he formed with Chad Hugo in 1992. 15 of The Neptunes production discography, their productions have peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100, which includes four songs that peaked atop the chart. The two also formed the Rock music, rock and hip-hop band N.E.R.D. with Shay Haley in 1999, for which Williams served as lead vocalist. He has been regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern popular music. He also contributed on all the ''Despicable Me (franchise), Despicable Me'' films as a musical contributor. Williams co-founded the record label Star Trak Entertainment with Hugo in 2001, as an imprint of Arista Records. Williams' 2003 debut single, "Frontin'" (featuring Jay-Z ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pusha T
Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as one half of the Virginia-based hip hop duo Clipse, which he formed with his older brother No Malice, Malice. Mainly active from 1994 to 2010, the duo were discovered by Pharrell Williams and signed with his record label Star Trak Entertainment, an imprint of Arista Records in 2001. They released three studio albums—''Lord Willin''' (2002), ''Hell Hath No Fury (Clipse album), Hell Hath No Fury'' (2006) and ''Til the Casket Drops (Clipse album), Til the Casket Drops'' (2009)—to mild commercial success; the former spawned the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100-top 40 singles "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time", for which they became best known. After the duo disbanded in 2010, Thornton began pursuing a solo career. He signed with Kanye West's record label GOOD Music, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings following his work on West's fifth album, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
No Malice
Gene Elliott Thornton Jr. (born August 18, 1972), better known by his stage name Malice (formerly Malicious and later No Malice), is an American rapper from Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is best known for being one half of hip hop duo Clipse, alongside his brother and fellow rapper Pusha T. No Malice released his solo debut album '' Hear Ye Him'', in 2013, and his second studio album, ''Let the Dead Bury the Dead'', in 2017. Life and career 1972–2009: Early life and Clipse No Malice was born Gene Elliott Thornton Jr. on August 18, 1972, in The Bronx borough of New York City. He and his family later moved down south to Virginia Beach. He and his brother, Pusha T, formed the rap group Clipse in 1992, and later were introduced to fellow Virginian Pharrell Williams, one half of the high-profile production team The Neptunes. Impressed with their lyrical talents, Williams formed a working relationship with the duo. He eventually helped them secure a recording contract with E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clipse
Clipse, also known as the Clipse, is an American hip-hop, hip hop duo from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Formed in 1994, it consists of brothers No Malice, Gene "Malice" and Pusha T, Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during the group's early years, while No Malice was originally known as Malicious, but changed his stage name to Malice soon after the group's formation, before changing it to No Malice in 2012 following his conversion to Christianity. As key figures in establishing Virginia as one of the East Coast's strongholds in hip hop, the duo's frequent subject matter is based around illegal drug trade. The two were discovered by producer and fellow Virginia Beach native, Pharrell Williams, who convinced the artists to work in tandem. Williams served as executive and lead producer for their first two albums, as part of the Neptunes and as a frequent guest performer. Williams led Clipse to sign with Elektra Records, for whom they recorded an album, ''Exclusi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, 1965, in an effort by the magazine to further expand into the field of rhythm and blues music. It then went through several name changes, being known as Soul LPs in the 1970s and Top Black Albums in the 1980s, before returning to the R&B identification in 1990 and affixing a hip hop designation in 1999 to reflect the latter's growing sales and relationship to R&B during the decade. From 1965 through 2009, the chart was compiled based on reported sales at a core panel of stores with a "higher-than-average volume" of R&B and/or hip-hop album sales to monitor buying trends of the African-American community. This panel included more independent and smaller chain stores compared to the high percentage of mass merchants that account for overal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Destiny’s Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final lineup comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited success, the original quartet comprising Knowles, Rowland, LaTavia Roberson, and LeToya Luckett were signed in 1997 to Columbia Records as Destiny's Child. The group was launched into mainstream recognition following the release of the song " No, No, No" and their best-selling second album, '' The Writing's on the Wall'' (1999), which contained the number-one singles "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name", alongside successful singles " Bug a Boo" and "Jumpin', Jumpin'". Despite critical and commercial success, the group was plagued by internal conflict and legal turmoil, as Roberson and Luckett attempted to split from the group's manager Mathew Knowles due to favoritism of Knowles and Rowland. In early 2000, both Roberson and Luckett wer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Supremes
The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful American vocal group, vocal band, with List of Billboard Hot 100 chart achievements and milestones#Most number-one songs, 12 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Most of these hits were written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland. Their breakthrough is considered to have made it possible for future African-American Rhythm and blues, R&B and Soul music, soul musicians to find mainstream success. ''Billboard'' ranked the Supremes as the 16th greatest Hot 100 artist of all time. Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson (singer), Mary Wilson, Diana Ross, and Betty McGlown, the original members, were all from the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects, Brewster-Douglass public ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diana Ross
Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling girl groups of all time. They remain the best-charting female group in history, with a total of 12 number-one pop singles on the Billboard Hot 100, U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Following her departure from the Supremes in 1970, Ross embarked on a successful solo music career with the release of her Diana Ross (1970 album), eponymous debut solo album. She went on to release 26 studio albums, including ''Touch Me in the Morning (album), Touch Me in the Morning'' (1973), ''Diana Ross (1976 album), Diana Ross'' (1976), ''Diana (album), Diana'' (1980), ''Why Do Fools Fall in Love (album), Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' (1981) and ''Swept Away (Diana R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Neptunes
The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while Hugo remained behind the scenes. Since their inception, the Neptunes have produced songs for several music industry artists, including Clipse, Jay-Z, Kelis, N.O.R.E., Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Nelly, Ludacris, T.I., Robin Thicke, Usher (musician), Usher, Gwen Stefani, and Snoop Dogg, among others. In 2009, ''Billboard (magazine), 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 sc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
