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The Beautiful Struggle
''The Beautiful Struggle'' is the second studio album by American rapper Talib Kweli. The album was released on September 28, 2004, by Rawkus Records and Geffen Records. It features guest appearances from Common, Faith Evans, Anthony Hamilton, Mary J. Blige, and John Legend. The album was produced by Kanye West, the Neptunes, Supa Dave West, Just Blaze, and Hi-Tek. The first single, "I Try" featuring Mary J. Blige, was fairly popular as a music video, followed by the second single, "Never Been in Love". Track listing Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. Sample Credits * "Around My Way" contains replayed elements of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" by the Police. Personnel Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. * Mark Batson – piano , keyboards * Steve Baughman – mixing * Elizabeth "Yummy" Bingham – additional vocals * Mary J. Blige – featured artist * Tom Brick – mastering * David Brown – engineer * Charlemagne – producer * Andrew ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records (78s) collected in a bound book resembling a photo album; this format evolved after 1948 into single vinyl LP record, long-playing (LP) records played at rpm. The album was the dominant form of recorded music expression and consumption from the mid-1960s to the early 21st century, a period known as the ''album era''. Vinyl LPs are still issued, though album sales in the 21st-century have mostly focused on CD and MP3 formats. The 8-track tape was the first tape format widely used alongside vinyl from 1965 until being phased out by 1983, being gradually supplanted by the cassette tape throughout the 1970s and early 1980s; the popul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Guardian Media Group, owned by the Scott Trust Limited. The trust was created in 1936 to "secure the financial and editorial independence of ''The Guardian'' in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of ''The Guardian'' free from commercial or political interference". The trust was converted into a limited company in 2008, with a constitution written so as to maintain for ''The Guardian'' the same protections as were built into the structure of the Scott Trust by its creators. Profits are reinvested in its journalism rather than distributed to owners or shareholders. It is considered a newspaper of record in the UK. The editor-in-chief Katharine Viner succeeded Alan Rusbridger in 2015. S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Strong Arm Steady
Strong Arm Steady, often referred to as SAS, is a hip hop group in California's underground hip hop scene. As of December 2009, the act consists of members Phil Da Agony, Krondon, of Los Angeles, and Mitchy Slick of San Diego, California. Originally an amorphous collective of at least eight, formed as an alternative to the gang-focused productions of West Coast hip hop's then-dominant Death Row Records, SAS pared down to four members for recording in the studio and performing live, with Xzibit as the frontman. Since he left the group in 2006, the three remaining members have been a stable trio. Over the years they have recorded many mixtapes and have distributed them all over the world. "Speaking directly to their fans," they were West Coast pioneers in the use of mixtapes as a group's principal method of distribution and marketing, a model necessitated by their neither being DJs nor closely affiliated with a DJ, and a method already proven on the East Coast by 50 Cent and o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blacksmith Records
Blacksmith is a music management company and record label founded by Harlem-born Corey Smyth and Talib Kweli of Black Star in 2005. Signees include Jean Grae, Strong Arm Steady, Vince Staples and Idle Warship. Kweli has stated he hopes to sign Camp Lo and had expressed interest in signing Rakim as well. The label was originally distributed through Warner Bros. Records but split in December 2008. As of 2012, the label is defunct and was disbanded after Kweli's manager decided to focus the Blacksmith brand elsewhere as a Management company rather than a label. As of 2024, Blacksmith Management is home to artists such as Chad Hugo and Vince Staples. Artists Rappers/singers *Talib Kweli (2005– 2012) *Jean Grae (2005–present) * Anjulie *Vince Staples (2013–present) *Kilo Kish * Ameer Vann (ca. 2020-present) Producers *Hi-Tek Groups *Strong Arm Steady (2011–present) ** Krondon ** Mitchy Slick ** Phil da Agony * Idle Warship **Talib Kweli ** Res Releases *2007: Talib Kw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Legend
John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Everything Is Everything", and performing as an uncredited backing vocalist on Jay-Z's " Encore" and Alicia Keys' " You Don't Know My Name". He was the first artist to sign with rapper Kanye West's GOOD Music, through which he released his debut studio album, '' Get Lifted'' (2004). The album reached the top ten of the ''Billboard'' 200, received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and spawned his first hit song, " Ordinary People". Legend won three Grammy Awards from eight nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards—"Ordinary People" won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, ''Get Lifted'' won Best R&B Album, and Legend won Best New Artist; the album's final single, " So High" (remixed wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mary J
Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blessed Virgin Mary * Mary Magdalene, devoted follower of Jesus * Mary of Bethany, follower of Jesus, considered by Western medieval tradition to be the same person as Mary Magdalene * Mary, mother of James * Mary of Clopas, follower of Jesus * Mary, mother of John Mark * Mary of Egypt, patron saint of penitents * Mary of Rome, a New Testament woman * Mary the Jewess, one of the reputed founders of alchemy, referred to by Zosimus. Royalty * Mary, Countess of Blois (1200–1241), daughter of Walter of Avesnes and Margaret of Blois * Mary of Burgundy (1457–1482), daughter of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy * Queen Mary of Denmark (born 1972), wife of Frederik X of Denmark * Mary I of England (1516–1558), aka "Bloody Mary", Queen of England ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Faith Evans
Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 in pursuit of a recording career. Evans initially performed as a backing vocalist for R&B singers Al B. Sure! and Christopher Williams, and by the age of 20, signed with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records as the label's first female artist in 1994. Following her uncredited appearance on labelmate the Notorious B.I.G.'s single " One More Chance", she released her debut studio album, ''Faith'' (1995), to critical acclaim and moderate commercial reception. Evans then guest performed alongside 112 on Puff Daddy’s 1997 single " I'll Be Missing You," which won Best Rap Performance at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards and became the first hip hop song to debut atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her second and third albums, '' Keep the Faith'' (1998) and '' Faithfully'' (2001), peaked at numbers six and 14 on the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Common (rapper)
Lonnie Rashid Lynn (born March 13, 1972), known professionally as Common (formerly known as Common Sense), is an American rapper and actor. The recipient of three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award, he signed with the independent label Relativity Records at the age of 20. The label released his first three studio albums: ''Can I Borrow a Dollar?'' (1992), ''Resurrection (Common album), Resurrection'' (1994) and ''One Day It'll All Make Sense'' (1997). He maintained an Underground hip hop, underground following into the late 1990s, and achieved mainstream success through his work with the Black music collective Soulquarians. After attaining a major label record deal, he released his fourth and fifth albums, ''Like Water for Chocolate (album), Like Water for Chocolate'' (2000) and ''Electric Circus (album), Electric Circus'' (2002), to continued acclaim and modest commercial response. He guest performed on fellow Soulquarian, Erykah Ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rapping
Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The components of rap include "content" (what is being said, e.g., lyrics), "flow" ( rhythm, rhyme), and "delivery" ( cadence, tone). Rap differs from spoken-word poetry in that it is usually performed off-time to musical accompaniment. It also differs from singing, which varies in pitch and does not always include words. Because they do not rely on pitch inflection, some rap artists may play with timbre or other vocal qualities. Rap is a primary ingredient of hip-hop music, and so commonly associated with the genre that it is sometimes called "rap music". Precursors to modern rap music include the West African griot tradition, certain vocal styles of blues and jazz, an African-American insult ga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Studio Album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records (78s) collected in a bound book resembling a photo album; this format evolved after 1948 into single vinyl LP record, long-playing (LP) records played at rpm. The album was the dominant form of recorded music expression and consumption from the mid-1960s to the early 21st century, a period known as the ''album era''. Vinyl LPs are still issued, though album sales in the 21st-century have mostly focused on CD and MP3 formats. The 8-track tape was the first tape format widely used alongside vinyl from 1965 until being phased out by 1983, being gradually supplanted by the cassette tape throughout the 1970s and early 1980s; the popul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vibe (magazine)
''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down production in the summer of 2009, it was purchased by the private equity investment fund InterMedia Partners, then issued bi-monthly with double covers and a larger online presence. The magazine's target demographic is predominantly young, urban followers of hip hop culture. In 2014, the magazine discontinued its print version. The magazine features a broader range of interests than its closest competitors ''The Source (magazine), The Source'' and ''XXL (magazine), XXL'', which focus more narrowly on rap music, or the rock- and pop-centric ''Rolling Stone'' and ''Spin (magazine), Spin''. The May 1998 ''Vibe'' article "Racer X" by Ken Li is credited as the basis for the 2001 film ''The Fast and the Furious (2001 film), The Fast and the Furious'' and th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spin (magazine)
''Spin'' (stylized in all caps as ''SPIN'') is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012. It returned as a quarterly publication in September 2024. History Early history ''Spin'' was established in 1985 by Bob Guccione, Jr. In August 1987, the publisher announced it would stop publishing ''Spin'', but Guccione Jr. retained control of the magazine and partnered with former MTV president David H. Horowitz to quickly revive the magazine. During this time, it was published by Camouflage Publishing with Guccione Jr. serving as president and chief executive and Horowitz as investor and chairman. In its early years, ''Spin'' was known for its narrow music coverage, with an emphasis on college rock, grunge, indie rock, and the ongoing emergence of hip-hop, while virtually ignoring other genres, such as country and metal. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
