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Verzuz
''Verzuz'' is an American webcast series created by record producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. It was introduced during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic as a virtual DJ battle, with Timbaland and Swizz Beatz facing off in its first iteration through an Instagram Live broadcast in March 2020. The series invites two musicians, predominantly R&B and hip hop, such as Mario and Omarion, to highlight their discographies in two 10-song rounds during a three-hour session. Episodes have included battles between producers Teddy Riley/Babyface, singers Erykah Badu/ Jill Scott, Brandy/ Monica, Gladys Knight/Patti LaBelle, and rappers Ludacris/Nelly, as well as Young Jeezy/Gucci Mane. The web series won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Variety Series in 2021. Beginning of Verzuz Verzuz began as an impromptu broadcast before taking on the form of a brand, adopting a logo and official social media accounts with subsequent matches. The Verzuz brand gained its official trademark in April 2 ... [...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 rapper and record producer. Born and raised in the Bronx borough of New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ in 1994. At the age of 18, he gained recognition in the music industry through his family's record label Ruff Ryders Entertainment and affiliation with its flagship artist, Yonkers, New York, Yonkers-based rapper DMX. Dean emerged as a high-profile figure in East Coast hip-hop through his tenure as DMX's hype man, DJ and producer. Dean later found a protégé in Philadelphia-based rapper Cassidy (rapper), Cassidy, whose success foresaw the launch of Dean's own label imprint, Full Surface Records in 2001. The label has since signed acts including Eve (rapper), Eve, Mashonda and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. As a recording artist himself, he released his compilation album, ''Swizz Beatz Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories'' (2002) and debut studio album, ''One Man Band Man'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brandy Norwood
Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, model and actress. Born into a musical family in McComb, Mississippi, Norwood was raised in Carson, California, beginning her career as a backing vocalist for teen groups. After signing with Atlantic Records in 1993, she released her Brandy (album), self-titled debut album the following year, which sold six million copies worldwide. Norwood gained fame by starring in the UPN sitcom ''Moesha'', and further recognition for her role in the television film ''Cinderella (1997 film), Cinderella'' (1997) and the slasher film ''I Still Know What You Did Last Summer'' (1998). Her 1998 duet with fellow contemporary R&B, R&B contemporary Monica (singer), Monica, "The Boy Is Mine (Brandy and Monica song), The Boy Is Mine", won a Grammy Award and became one of the best-selling female duets of all time. Norwood saw continued critical and commercial success with her third and fourth albums, ''Full Moon (Br ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythmic style. In 2007, ''Entertainment Weekly'' stated that "just about every current pop trend can be traced back to him—from sultry, urban-edged Contemporary R&B, R&B songstresses [...] to the art of incorporating avant-garde sounds into No. 1 hits." He has won four Grammy Awards from 22 nominations. Timbaland's first major production credit was on the album ''Ginuwine...the Bachelor'' (1996) by R&B singer Ginuwine. Further commercial success on his following productions—including Aaliyah's album ''One in a Million (Aaliyah album), One in a Million'' (1996) and Missy Elliott's album ''Supa Dupa Fly'' (1997)—made him a sought-after producer for R&B and hip-hop acts. He performed as a recording artist himself while doing so, releasi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gucci Mane
Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He is credited, along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Jeezy, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream audiences during the 2000s. His debut studio album, ''Trap House'' (2005) was released by the independent label Big Cat Records and entered the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200; it was followed by ''Hard to Kill (Gucci Mane album), Hard to Kill'' (2006), which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 entry with its second single, "Freaky Gurl". That same year, he released his third album, ''Trap-A-Thon'' before signing with Atlantic Records to release his fourth album, ''Back to the Trap House'' (2007). During this time, Davis continued independent music, independently releasing mixtapes and collaborative projects. He signed with Atlantic's sister label, Warner Records, Warner Bros. Records to release his sixth album and m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monica (singer)
Monica Denise Arnold (formerly Brown; born October 24, 1980) is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, she began performing as a child and joined a traveling gospel choir by the age of ten. Monica signed with record producer Dallas Austin through his label Rowdy Records in 1993, and gained prominence following the release of her debut studio album, ''Miss Thang'' (1995). Her follow-up albums were met with continued success; her second, ''The Boy Is Mine (album), The Boy Is Mine '' (1998) remains her best-selling album and spawned three Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100-number one singles: "The Boy Is Mine (Brandy and Monica song), The Boy Is Mine" (with Brandy Norwood, Brandy), "The First Night " and "Angel of Mine#Monica version, Angel of Mine". She then parted ways with Arista Records, Arista and Rowdy Records in favor of Clive Davis's J Records upon the label's launch in 2000. Her Japan-exclusive third album, ''All ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began her career in the early 1960s as lead singer and frontwoman of the vocal group Labelle, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. After the group's name change to Labelle in the 1970s, they released the number-one hit "Lady Marmalade" before disbanding in 1976. in 1977, LaBelle began a solo career, starting with her critically acclaimed Patti LaBelle (album), debut album, which included the career-defining song "You Are My Friend". LaBelle became a mainstream solo star in 1984 following the success of the singles "If Only You Knew", "Love, Need and Want You" (later sampled for 2002's "Dilemma (Nelly song), Dilemma"), "New Attitude (song), New Attitude" and "Stir It Up (Patti LaBelle song), Stir It Up". In 1986, LaBelle released a number-one album ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Omarion
Omari Ishmael Grandberry (born November 12, 1984), better known by his stage name Omarion, is an American R&B singer, dancer and actor. He rose to prominence as lead vocalist of the boy band B2K, which was formed in 1998 and managed by record executive Chris Stokes. The group achieved success in the early 2000s with their singles " Gots ta Be", " Uh Huh", " Girlfriend", and the ''Billboard'' Hot 100-number one hit " Bump, Bump, Bump" (featuring P. Diddy). After the group's 2004 disbandment, Omarion promptly embarked on a solo career. He signed with Epic Records to release his first two studio albums, '' O'' (2005) and '' 21'' (2006), both of which debuted atop the ''Billboard'' 200. The former was led by the ''Billboard'' Hot 100-top 40 single " O" and was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, while the latter spawned the single " Ice Box", which remains his highest-charting song on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 12. Om ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jill Scott (singer)
Jill Heather Scott (born April 4, 1972) is an American singer, songwriter, model, poet, and actress. Her 2000 debut album, ''Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1'', went platinum and the follow-ups ''Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2'' (2004) and ''The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3'' (2007) both achieved gold status. Scott made her film debut in 2007 in ''Hounddog (film), Hounddog'' and Tyler Perry's ''Why Did I Get Married?''. In 2008, she starred in the BBC/HBO series ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (TV series), The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency'', based on The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, the novels of the same name by Alexander McCall Smith. After a four-year hiatus from music, Scott released her fourth album, ''The Light of the Sun'', in 2011. In 2014, she starred in the film ''Get on Up (film), Get on Up'' as Deidre "Dee Dee" Jenkins, the second wife of James Brown. In 2015, she released her fifth album, ''Woman (Jill Scott album), Woman.'' Be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. He is credited, alongside fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream audiences. Jenkins began his career in 2001, releasing two independent albums until signing with Def Jam Recordings to release his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'' (2005). The album peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, sold 172,000 copies in its first week, and received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); its lead single, " Soul Survivor" (featuring Akon), peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and remains his highest-charting song. His second and third albums, '' Thug Motivation 102: The Inspiration'' (2006) and '' The Recession'' (2008) were met with continued success as both peaked atop the ''Billboard'' 200; the latter ear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mario (singer)
Mario Dewar Barrett (born August 27, 1986), known Mononymous person, mononymously as Mario, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, he signed a record deal with J Records—at the age of 14—to release his Mario (album), self-titled debut studio album (2002). Its lead single, "Just a Friend 2002", peaked within the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100's top five, while the album peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200. His second album, ''Turning Point (Mario album), Turning Point'' (2004), was supported by the ''Billboard'' Hot 100-number one single "Let Me Love You (Mario song), Let Me Love You," which was nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, won two Billboard Music Award, ''Billboard'' Music Awards, and yielded his furthest commercial success. His third studio album, ''Go (Mario album), Go'' (2007) saw mild success with its singles "How Do I Breathe" and "Crying ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NAACP Image Awards
The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 categories of the Image Awards are voted on by the NAACP members. Honorary awards (similar to the Academy Honorary Award) have also been included, such as the President's Award, the Chairman's Award, the Entertainer of the Year, the Activist of the Year, and the Hall of Fame Award. Beyoncé is the All-Time leading winner with 25 wins as a solo artist. History The award ceremony was conceived by Toni Vaz during an April 1967 NAACP branch meeting in Beverly Hills. "I called it the Image Awards because I wanted a better image for the people who worked in the industry," Vaz said. "I wanted to put this award show together to thank the producers for giving good roles to people of color." The branch president liked the idea, Vaz said, bu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age nine, where he first began rapping. Starting out with a brief stint as a disc jockey, DJ, he formed his own record label, Disturbing tha Peace in the late 1990s to independently release his debut studio album ''Incognegro'' (1999). After its single, "What's Your Fantasy" (featuring Shawnna), became a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the album was re-released by Def Jam Recordings as his major label debut, ''Back for the First Time'' (2000). The latter album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 and spawned his second top 40 single, "Southern Hospitality (song), Southern Hospitality" (featuring Pharrell Williams, Pharrell). Ludacris' following albums, ''Word of Mouf'' (2001), ''Chicken-n-Be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
