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Britney Jean Spears was born on December 2, 1981 in McComb, Mississippi & raised in Kentwood, Louisiana. As a child, Britney attended dance classes, and she was great at gymnastics, winning many competitions and the like. But, most of all, Britney loved to sing. At age 8, Britney tried out for The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989), but was turned down due to her young age. This directed her to an off-Broadway show, "Ruthless", for a 2-year run as the title character. At age 11, she again tried for The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989) and, this time, made it as a mouseketeer alongside many stars of today (Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez of *NSYNC and Ryan Gosling). Her big break, however, came when she was signed as a Jive Recording Artist in the late 90s. With the release of her debut album, "...Baby One More Time" in early 1999, Britney became an international success, selling 13 million copies of "Baby" and 9 million (as of July 2001) of her sophomore album, "Oops!...I Did It Again", released in May of 2000.- Music Artist
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Jennifer Lynn Lopez was born on July 24, 1969 in The Bronx, New York City, New York to teacher Lupe López and computer specialist David López. The two Puerto Ricans were brought to the continental United States during their childhoods and eventually met while living in New York City. Their daughters would have a stable, middle-class upbringing.
Jennifer always dreamed of being a multi-tasking superstar. As a child, she enjoyed a variety of musical genres, mainly Afro-Caribbean rhythms like salsa, merengue, and bachata, and mainstream music like pop, hip-hop, and R&B. Although she loved music, the film industry also intrigued her. Her biggest influence was the Rita Moreno musical, West Side Story (1961). At 5, Jennifer began taking singing and dancing lessons. Aside from being a budding entertainer, Jennifer was also a Catholic schoolgirl, attending eight years at a Catholic elementary school named Holy Family, located in The Bronx, before graduating from all-girls prep school Preston High School after a four-year stay. At school, Jennifer was an amazing athlete and participated in track and field and tennis. She spent most of her upbringing in a two-story house in the Castle Hill neighborhood.
At 18, Jennifer moved out of her parents' home. After high school, she briefly worked in a law office and took dance classes at night. During this time, she continued dance classes at night. Her big break came when she was offered a job as a fly girl on Fox's hit comedy In Living Color (1990). After a two-year stay at In Living Color (1990) where actress Rosie Perez served as choreographer, Lopez then went on to dance for famed singer-actress Janet Jackson. Her first major film was Gregory Nava's My Family/Mi familia (1995), and her career went into overdrive when she portrayed late Tejana singer Selena in Selena (1997).- Music Artist
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Avril Lavigne was born on September 27, 1984 in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, to Judith-Rosanne (Loshaw) and Jean-Claude Joseph Lavigne. Her ancestry is French-Canadian, Polish, English, Irish, and Scottish. At sixteen, she moved to Manhattan and began work on her debut album. She dropped out of high school after the 11th grade when she secured a record deal. When Avril was almost 18, she released "Complicated" from her debut album titled: "Let Go," which went 6x platinum. As a petite skater girl from a small town, Avril has shown she is independent, full of confidence and determination, providing a good combination to make "Complicated" and Avril a musical breakthrough. "Complicated" went to number #1 on Billboards Top 100 while also earning her 5 Grammy nominations, MTV music awards, MTV European music awards and many more.- Music Artist
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Christina Maria Aguilera was born on December 18, 1980 in Staten Island, New York City, New York to musician Shelly Loraine Fidler Kearns and U.S. Army sergeant Fausto Wagner Xavier Aguilera Monge. Her father is Ecuadorian and her mother, who is American-born, has Welsh, Dutch and German ancestry. Her parents divorced when she was young and she lived with her mother, although they moved around a lot. Her goal almost since birth was to be a singer, and at age 12 she was invited to audition for The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989). She won the part and stayed until the show ended. In 1999 she had her breakthrough hit, "Genie in a Bottle." Since then she's made millions of fans, sold millions of records, and won many awards, including a Grammy for Best New Female Artist. She has even made a Latin album and released a Christmas album.
Aguilera is a bilingual singer. She has received many honors including Grammy Nominations and a win for Best New Artist. 2 MTV Video Music Awards, a Radio Music Awards, 2 VH1 Awards, and a Teen Choice Award with 'Lil' Kim', Mya and Pink and the smash hit "Lady Maramalade". She was on The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989) with *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez, Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, and Keri Russell. Her musical influences include Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Janet Jackson.- Music Artist
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Rihanna was born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988 in Bridgetown, St. Michael, Barbados to Monica Braithwaite, an accountant & Ronald Fenty, a warehouse supervisor. Her mother is Afro-Guyanese and her father is of Afro-Barbadian and British Isles ancestry. Rihanna lived the life of a normal island girl going to Combermere, a top sixth form school. Rihanna won numerous beauty pageants and performed Mariah Carey's single, Hero in a school talent show. Her life changed forever when one of her friends introduced her to Evan Rodgers, a producer from New York who was in Barbados for a vacation with his wife, who is a native. Rodgers arranged for her to go to New York to meet Jay-Z, CEO of Def Jam Records. He heard her sing and knew she was going to be incredibly successful. She was age 16 when she was signed to Def Jam. Since then, she's amassed phenomenal success.- Music Artist
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Justin Randall Timberlake was born on January 31, 1981, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Lynn (Bomar) and Randall Timberlake, whose own father was a Baptist minister. At the age of 11, he appeared on the show Star Search (1983), and even though he didn't win, it didn't dampen his ambitions. He also appeared on The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989), where his costars included Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell, Christina Aguilera and future band-mate JC Chasez. At age 14, Justin became a member of the boy band *NSYNC. In 1998, the group released their self-titled debut album. They became a big hit with fans and made a place for themselves in the music world with a succession of big-selling albums. In the beginning of 2002, Justin spent time working on and writing songs for his debut solo album. During this time, he broke up with his longtime girlfriend, Britney Spears. The release of the solo album, titled "Justified", came in November of 2002. Songs from his solo album include: "Like I Love You", "Cry Me A River" and "Rock Your Body".
Timberlake has branched out into an acting career, having most recently starred in The Social Network (2010), Friends with Benefits (2011), and Trouble with the Curve (2012).- Music Artist
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Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He is commonly regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, and often cited as one of the greatest rappers of all time. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label. From then on, Wayne was the flagship artist of Cash Money Records before ending his association with the company in June 2018.- Music Artist
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The beat goes on ... and on ... and as strong as ever for this superstar entertainer who has well surpassed the half-century mark while improbably transforming herself from an artificial, glossy "flashionplate" singer into a serious, Oscar-worthy, dramatic actress ... and back again! With more ups and downs than the 2008 Dow Jones Industrial Average, Cher managed to rise like a phoenix from the ashes each time she was down, somehow re-inventing herself with every decade and finding herself on top all over again. As a singer Cher is the only performer to have earned "top 10" hit singles in four consecutive decades; as an actress, she and Barbra Streisand are the only two Best Actress Oscar winners to have a #1 hit song on the Billboard charts. At age 77, Cher has yet to decide to get completely off her fabulous roller coaster ride, although she has threatened to on occasion.
The daughter of Arkansas-born Georgia Holt (the former Jackie Jean Crouch) and truck driver John Sarkisian, Cher was born in El Centro, California, on May 20, 1946. She has a half-sister, Georganne LaPiere. Cher is of Armenian heritage on her father's side, and of English and German, with more distant Irish, Dutch, and French, heritage on her mother's side. Cher's parents divorced when she was an infant and her mother went on to marry six more times. Her mother, who aspired to be an actress and model, paid for Cher's acting classes. Cher had undiagnosed dyslexia, which acutely affected her studies; frustrated, she quit high school at 16 to pursue her dream. At that time, she had a brief relationship with actor Warren Beatty.
Meeting the quite older (by 11 years) Sonny Bono in November 1962 changed the 16-year-old's life forever. Bono was working for record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood at the time and managed to persuade Spector to hire Cher as a session singer. As such, she went on to record backup on such Spector classics as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" and "Be My Baby". The couple's relationship eventually shifted from soulmates to lovers and she and Sonny married on October 27, 1964.
At first Cher sang solo with Sonny behind the scenes writing, arranging and producing her songs. When the records went nowhere, Sonny decided they needed to perform as a team so they put out two songs in 1964 under the recording names of Caesar and Cleo ("The Letter" and "Baby Don't Go"). Again, no success. The changing of their names, however, made a difference and in 1965, they officially took on the music world as Sonny & Cher and earned instant rewards.
The now 19-year-old Cher and 30-year-old Sonny became huge hits following the release of their first album, "Look at Us" (summer, 1965), which contained the hit single "I Got You Babe". With the song catapulting to #1, they decided to re-release their earlier single "Baby Don't Go", and it also raced up the charts to #8. An assembly line of mild hits dotted the airwaves over the next year or two, culminating in the huge smash hit "The Beat Goes On" (#6, 1967). Between 1965 and 1972 Sonny & Cher charted a total of six "Top 10" hits.
The kooky couple became icons of the mid-'60s "flower power" scene, wearing garish garb and outlandish hairdos and makeup. However, they found a way to make it trendy and were embraced around the world. TV musical variety and teen pop showcases relished their contrasting styles -- the short, excitable, mustachioed, nasal-toned simpleton and the taller, exotic, unflappable fashion maven. They found a successful formula with their repartee, which became a central factor in their live concert shows, even more than their singing. With all this going on, Sonny still endeavored to promote Cher as a solo success. Other than such hits with "All I Really Want to Do" (#16) and "Bang, Bang" (#2), she struggled to find a separate identity. Sonny even arranged film projects for her but Good Times (1967), an offbeat fantasy starring the couple and directed by future powerhouse William Friedkin, and Cher's serious solo effort Chastity (1969) both flickered out and died a quick death.
By the end of the 1960s, Sonny & Cher's career had stumbled as they witnessed the American pop culture experience a drastic evolutionary change. The couple maintained their stage act and all the while Sonny continued to polish it up in a shrewd gamble for TV acceptance. While Sonny on stage played the ineffectual object of Cher's stinging barbs on stage, he was actually the highly motivated mastermind off stage and, amazingly enough, his foresight and chutzpah really paid off. Although the couple had lost favor with the new 70s generation, Sonny encouraged TV talent scouts to catch their live act.
The network powers-that-be saw potential in the duo as they made a number of guest TV appearances in specials and on variety and talk shows and in what was essentially "auditioning" for their own TV vehicle. The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (1971) was given the green light as a summer replacement series and was an instant sensation when it earned its own time spot that fall season. The show received numerous Emmy Award nominations during its run and the couple became stars all over again. Their lively, off-the-wall comedy sketch routines, her outré Bob Mackie fashions and their harmless, edgy banter were the highlights of the hour-long program. Audiences took strongly to the couple who appeared to have a deep-down sturdy relationship. Their daughter Chaz Bono occasionally added to the couple's loving glow on the show. Cher's TV success also generated renewed interest in her as a solo recording artist and she came up with three #1 hits during this time ("Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves," "Half-Breed" and "Dark Lady").
Behind the scenes, though, it was a different story. A now-confident Cher yearned to be free of husband Sonny's Svengali-like control over her life and career. The marriage split at the seams in 1974 and they publicly announced their separation. The show, which had earned Cher a Golden Globe Award, took a fast tumble as the separation and divorce grew more acrimonious. Eventually they both tried to launch their own solo variety shows, but both failed to even come close to their success as a duo. Audiences weren't interested in Cher without Sonny, and vice versa.
In late June of 1975, only four days after the couple's divorce, Cher married rock musician Gregg Allman of The Allman Brothers Band. That marriage imploded rather quickly amid reports of out-of-control drug use on his part. They were divorced by 1979 with only one bright outcome -- son Elijah Allman.
In 1976 Sonny and Cher attempted to "make up" again, this time to the tune of a second The Sonny and Cher Show (1976). Audiences, however, did not accept the "friendly" divorced couple after so much tabloid nastiness. After the initial curiosity factor wore off, the show was canceled amid poor ratings. Moreover, the musical variety show format was on its way out as well. Once again, another decade was looking to end badly for Cher.
Cher found a mild success with the "top 10" disco hit "Take Me Home" in 1979, but not much else. Not one to be counted out, however, the ever resourceful singer decided to lay back and focus on acting instead. At age 36, Cher made her Broadway debut in 1982 in what was essentially her first live acting role with "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean". Centering around a reunion of girlfriends from an old James Dean fan club, her performance was critically lauded. This earned her the right to transfer her stage triumph to film alongside Karen Black and Sandy Dennis. Cher earned critical raves for Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982), her first film role since 1969.
With film #2 came a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe win for her portrayal of a lesbian toiling in a nuclear parts factory in Silkwood (1983), starring Meryl Streep and Kurt Russell. This in turn was followed by her star turn in Mask (1985) as the blunt, footloose mother of a son afflicted with a rare disease (played beautifully by Eric Stoltz). Once again Cher received high praise and copped a win from the Cannes Film Festival for her poignant performance.
Fully accepted by this time as an actress of high-caliber, she integrated well into the Hollywood community. Proving that she could hold up a film outright, she was handed three hit vehicles to star in: The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Suspect (1987), and Moonstruck (1987), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Along with all this newfound Hollywood celebrity came interest in her as a singer and recording artist again. "If I Could Turn Back Time (#3) and the Peter Cetera duet "After All" (#6) placed her back on the Billboard charts.
During the 1990s Cher continued to veer back and forth among films, TV specials and expensively mounted concerts. In January of 1998, tragedy struck when Cher's ex-husband Sonny Bono, who had forsaken an entertainment career for California politics and became a popular Republican congressman in the process, was killed in a freak skiing accident. That same year the duo received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their contribution to television. In the meantime an astounding career adrenaline rush came in the form of a monstrous, disco-flavored hit single ("Believe"). The song became a #1 hit and the same-titled album the biggest hit of her career. "Believe" reached #1 in 23 different countries.
Having little to prove anymore to anyone, Cher decided to embark on a "Farewell Tour" in the early part of the millennium and, after much stretching, her show finally closed in 2005 in Los Angeles. It didn't take long, however, for Cher to return from this self-imposed exile. In 2008, she finalized a deal with Las Vegas' Caesars Palace for the next three years to play the Colosseum, and has since returned live on numerous "farewell" tour extravaganzas. Never say never. Cher returned films with her co-starring role opposite Christina Aguilera in Burlesque (2010), but has since only provided a glitzy cameo in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018). After keeping a low romantic profile for some time, she nearly out-cougared Madonna by embarking on a romance with four-decades-younger Def Jam executive Alexander "A.E." Edwards, father of rapper Amber Rose's second son. The couple celebrated their one-year anniversary in 2023, right before the release of Cher's first holiday album, simply titled Christmas.
In other facets of her life, Cher has been involved with many humanitarian groups and charity efforts over the years, particularly her work as National Chairperson and Honorary Spokesperson of the Children's Craniofacial Association, which was inspired by her work in Mask (1985).- Music Artist
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The remarkable, hyper-ambitious Material Girl who never stops re-inventing herself, Madonna has sold over three hundred million records and CDs to adoring fans worldwide. Her film career, however, is another story. Her performances have consistently drawn scathing or laughable reviews from film critics, and the films have usually had tepid, if any, success at the box office. Born Madonna Louise Ciccone in August 1958 in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York in 1978 and studied with renowned choreographer Alvin Ailey, joined up with the Patrick Hernandez Revue, formed a pop/dance band called Breakfast Club and began working with then-boyfriend Stephen Bray on recording several disco-oriented songs. New York producer/D.J. Mark Kamins passed her demo tapes to Sire Records in early 1982 and the rest is history. The 1980s was Madonna's boom decade, and she dominated the music charts with a succession of multimillion-selling albums, and her musical and fashion influence on young women was felt around the globe. Madonna first appeared on screen in two low-budget films marketed to an adolescent audience: A Certain Sacrifice (1979) and Vision Quest (1985). However, she scored a minor cult hit with Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) starring alongside spunky Rosanna Arquette. Madonna's next effort with then husband Sean Penn, Shanghai Surprise (1986), was savaged by critics, although the resilient star managed to somewhat improve her standing with her next two films, the offbeat Who's That Girl (1987) (although she did receive decidedly mixed reviews, they weren't as negative as those of her previous effort) and the quirky Damon Runyon-inspired Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989). The big-budget and star-filled Dick Tracy (1990) had her playing bad girl "Breathless Mahoney" flirting with Warren Beatty, but the epic failed to catch fire at the box office. Taking an earthier role, Madonna was much more entertaining alongside Tom Hanks and Geena Davis in A League of Their Own (1992), a story about female baseball players during W.W.II. However, she again drew the wrath of critics with the sexy whodunit Body of Evidence (1992). Several other minor screen roles followed, then Madonna starred as Eva Perón in Evita (1996), a fairly well received screen adaptation of the hugely successful Broadway musical, for which she received a Golden Globe for Best Actress. The Material Girl stayed away from the movie cameras for several years, returning to co-star in the lukewarm romantic comedy The Next Best Thing (2000), followed by the painful Swept Away (2002). If those films weren't bad enough, she was woefully miscast as a vampish fencing instructor in the James Bond adventure Die Another Day (2002). After finally admitting that her acting days were over, Madonna began a directing career in 2008 with the barely remembered Filth and Wisdom (2008) and a year later she reunited with Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991) director Alek Keshishian to develop a script about the relationship between the Duke of Windsor and the Duchess of Windsor that led to his abdication in 1936: the result, a movie named W.E. (2011), starring James D'Arcy and Andrea Riseborough as the infernal but still royal couple, was released in 2011 to lukewarm critics but it gathered one Oscar nomination for costumes and won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song for "Masterpiece".- Music Artist
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Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas. Her mom, Tina Knowles designs their glittering costumes & her dad, Mathew Knowles manages Destiny's Child. Solange, her sister (they're 4 years apart) has released her debut album. She dances with her big sister during DC-3 concerts. Beyoncé's of Louisiana Creole & African descent.
She and her group were discovered by Whitney Houston. One of her favorite songs is "Lovefool" by The Cardigans. Her favorite item of clothing is a pair of path work metallic boots. She writes & produces many of the group's songs, including smash hits "Jumpin Jumpin", "Bootylicious", "Nasty Girl", "Independent Women", "Happy Face" and "Apple Pie a la mode".- Actor
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Jayceon Taylor was born on November 29, 1979 in Compton, California. He was born into a life of gang-banging and hustling. When later interviewed, Taylor, aka The Game says at a young age, he recalls seeing both of his parents preparing to do drive-bys. His father was a Nutty Block Crip and his mother a Hoover Crippelette. Drugs and guns were all around Taylor growing up. At around the age of 6, Jayceon says that a friend of his was murdered in the neighborhood by a teenager, for his clothes and shoes. At the age of 7, Taylor went into foster care. In foster care he was teased by other children. He didn't go unnoticed however. Game's intelligence was acknowledged by his caretakers and he usually helped his foster brothers and sisters with their homework. Around 1989, The Game met his idol, Eric Wright aka Eazy-E founder of NWA. This was a defining moment in his life. Game's adolescence was one of many hardships. At 13, one of Game's older brothers, Jevon who was just 17 at the time was shot at a gas station. His brother had just received a record deal. Taylor says that he felt his father played a hand in this by not being there and felt that if he had, his brother would not have been shot. Jevon died the day after Game visited him in the hospital promising that things would be better and lost time would be made up. Two years later at the age of 15, teenage Jayceon was removed from the foster care system and back into his mother's home. Lynette (Taylor's mom) and Taylor had troubles in the beginning. The Game's father was not around. Taylor attended Compton High School and most of the students that were gang affiliated were Crips. His older brother Big Fase 100, attended Centennial High School and was a Cedar Block Piru Blood. The Game followed in his brother's footsteps. Taylor's natural abilities in althletics led him into a spot as point guard on the basketball team. He also ran track and did various other sports. The Game graduated in 1999 and had received many scholarship offers from various colleges. He chose to go to Washington State University to play basketball. His ticket and way out was shortlived after being found with drugs in his possession. Game's scholarship was revoked. Taylor and brother Big Fase had an apartment on the outskirts of Compton in Bellflower. Shortly after moving there, they quickly had a monopoly on the drug trade. That was shortlived however. On October 1, 2001 while at the apartment alone, Jayceon heard a knock on the door at 2 a.m. Wanting to make a late night sale, he opened the door to see a regular customer. His regular however brought two others with him. He and another man fought. Reaching for his pistol, he was shot execution style by one of the assailants five times. After laying still for several minutes, Jayceon used his cell phone and called the ambulance. Taylor was in a coma for two days. While recovering, he told his brother to go out and buy all of the classic hip hop albums. This included Big's "Ready To Die", Snoop's "Doggystyle", Dr. Dre's "The Chronic", Jay-Z's "Reasonable Doubt", and albums by Big Daddy Kane and Ice Cube. In the course of five months, he studied these albums in an almost scientific manner. In the beginning, his flows were weak, but Game was a quick study and eventually learned better freestyling skills. He took elements from his favorite rappers and formulized them into his own persona and style. After recovering, Big Fase and The Game made a mixtape together. The mixtape reached the hands of Sean Combs aka P. Diddy. Diddy was on the verge of signing him when the mixtape reached the hands of super producer Dr. Dre. Dr. Dre contacted Taylor and the deal was sealed. Taylor wanting to carry on the NWA legacy signed on in 2002 and began recording songs. Dre taught him the ropes of the studio and Taylor learned how to count bars. Taylor chose the alias The Game because his grandmother (deceased) used to call him Game saying he was game for anything. Being on the Aftermath label, he appeared in a few music videos including "In Da Club" and "Wanna Get To Know You". In the summer of 2003, Game's son Harlem Caron Taylor was born. Not having dropped an album despite being signed onto Aftermath/Interscope for awhile, Game still created hype around just his image alone. He appeared in ads for P. Diddy's Sean John clothing company and had an endorsement deal with Boost Mobile appearing in a commercial alongside Kanye West and Ludacris. Game also appeared heavily on the mixtape circuit and guest starred on mixtapes for DJ Green Lantern, The Diplomats, and G-Unit. The first single released with Game on it was "Certified Gangstas". Game guest starred on it alongside Jim Jones and Juelz Santana. Though the single wasn't considered mainstream, the buzz increased around the west coast rapper. "How We Do" featuring 50 Cent was Game's first official single. It was an instant hit with major air play. Game's debut was critically acclaimed and considered nothing short of a classic with productions by Kanye West, Cool And Dre, Dr. Dre, Scott Storch, and Timbaland. Game was dubbed the artist to bring the west coast back on the map so to speak. On January 18, 2005, The Documentary, Game's debut album was released and debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts. The album sold over 586,000 units in its first week.
Game's head for business made him a fixture on tv and radio. He frequently did interviews and showed up at award shows and other events. Although he moved into a condo in Beverly Hills, Game still owned many properties in Compton including a Liquor Store. He still hung around his native Compton with his entourage referred to as The Black Wallstreet. In an interview when asked why he has not abandoned his Compton roots, Game stated that the hood was his comfort zone. The Hip Hop artist's buzz was heightened not just by the honesty and openness of his autobiographical album, but his controversial persona as well. Game was known to have beefs with other artists including rumors of his quarrelling with none other than the G-Unit general himself, 50 Cent. Other artists also criticized the emcee for his signature "name dropping" in which he would mention other rappers frequently in his songs. Game and 50 Cent's dislike for eachother was confirmed despite having collaborated several times. 50 did interviews for New York's Power 105 and Hot 97 radio stations where he publicly dishonored Game for not supporting his feud with Fat Joe and Jadakiss. 50 also stated that Game's album was powered mostly by his help and if he hadn't helped, Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine would've subsequently dropped Game from the label. 50 denounced Game saying that he was no longer apart of the G-Unit. On February 28, 2005 while 50 Cent and G-Unit were doing an interview at Hot 97 with Angie Martinez, Game and his entourage attempted to enter the building to confront 50. Before they could enter the building, a man in Game's entourage was shot in the leg. The news was everywhere. On the 9th of March, the feud ended with Game and 50 having a press conference in which both donated money to various organizations and publicly made a truce. A few other controversial incidents have swirled around Taylor including a $280 million dollar lawsuit filed on him, as well as the G-Unit/Shady/Aftermath/Interscope imprint for an alleged attack on a Washington D.C. radio DJ.
In May of 2005, Game was back in the news again. While headlining the "How The West Was Won" tour with Snoop Dogg, their concert in Auburn, Washington was shortened after a man was beaten onstage by Game and Snoop's entourage. A video tape surfaced on the internet and the news of a man being beaten by several other men. The man did an interview with a Seattle news station where he was shown with brutal injuries. His injuries included a broken nose, broken ribs, and one of his eyes swollen shut. The man alleged that his cell phone and wallet were stolen and his diamond earrings were ripped from his ears. Despite being new to the hip hop game and relatively new to battling and freestyling, The Game seems to have substance. He is currently working on his sophomore album.- Music Artist
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Kendrick Lamar is a hip-hop artist from Compton, California. He's signed with Dr. Dre's label, Aftermath. Kendrick also has his own label, known as 'Top Dawg Entertainment', with includes artists such as Jay Rock, ScHoolboy Q and Ab Soul. Kendrick's major label debut album, 'good kid m.A.A.d city' is already known as a classic and was only released in late 2012. His Music is influenced by the great artists such as Snoop Dogg, 2 pac, Lil wayne and many more.- Music Artist
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Carrie Underwood was born on 10 March 1983 in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. She is a music artist and actress, known for Soul Surfer (2011), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) and How I Met Your Mother (2005). She has been married to Mike Fisher since 10 July 2010. They have two children.- Music Artist
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Kelly Brianne Clarkson was born on April 24, 1982 in Fort Worth, Texas and raised in Burleson, Texas to Jeanne Ann Taylor (née Rose), an English teacher & Stephen Michael Clarkson, an engineer. She was the first winner of the series American Idol in 2002. Kelly is also a strong believer in God.- Music Artist
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Joey Tempest is world-known as the lead-singer and frontman of the mega successful hardrock band EUROPE. Starting his career in 1979 together with John Norum, Tempest achieved a nationwide success in Sweden in 1982 by recording the eponymous first album "Europe". The 1984 album Wings Of Tomorrow enabled Europe to tour the whole Scandinavia. Joey Tempest is the author of the world famous anthem of the 80's - The Final Countdown, which reached the top of the Charts in 30 countries of the world. The fame and recognition that he and Europe gained thanks to this song and through other albums (1988 Out Of This World, 1991 Prisoners In Paradise, plus massive touring around the world) endured until 1993 when Europe decided to split. Tempest decided to start his own solo career as a songwriter and singer. His decent and more classic rock oriented albums A Place to Call Home (1995) and Azalea Place (1997) were released only in some European countries and their success was limited only to native Sweden and Norway.- Music Artist
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Spice Girls is the biggest female girlgroup of all time. Their albums "Spice" (1996), "Spice World" (1997) and "Forever" (2000) was sold at 86 millions worldwide and all singles including "Wannabe", "Say You'll Be There", "2 Become 1", "Mama", "Who Do You Think You Are", "Spice Up Your Life", "Too Much", "Stop", "Viva Forever", "Holler", "Let Love Lead The Way" and "Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)", became anthems for an whole generation. They are also the main characters of the movie Spice World (1997) and Spice World (1998).- Music Artist
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Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final and best-known line-up comprised Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland & Michelle Williams. Formed on 1997 in Houston, Destiny's Child members began their musical career as Girl's Tyme when they formed in 1990 comprising Knowles, Rowland, LaTavia Roberson & LeToya Luckett among others. After years of limited success, the quartet were signed in 1997 to Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment as Destiny's Child. Destiny's Child released their self-titled debut album in the U.S. on February 17, 1998 featuring productions by Tim & Bob, Rob Fusari, Jermaine Dupri, Wyclef Jean, Dwayne Wiggins and Corey Rooney. Destiny's Child peaked at number 67 on the Billboard 200 and number fourteen on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It managed to sell over one million copies in the United States, earning a platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The remix version to the album's lead single: No, No, No reached number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Its follow-up single, With Me Part 1 failed to reproduce the success of No, No, No. Meanwhile, the group featured on a song from the soundtrack album of the romantic drama Why Do Fools Fall in Love and Get on the Bus had a limited release in Europe and other markets. In 1998, Destiny's Child garnered three Soul Train Lady of Soul awards including Best New Artist for No, No, No. Knowles considered their debut successful but not huge, claiming as a neo soul record it was too mature for the group at the time. Destiny's Child was launched into mainstream recognition following the release of 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. 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, citing favoritism of Knowles and Rowland.
On February 2000, both Roberson and Luckett were replaced with Williams & Farrah Franklin; however, Franklin quit after 5 months, leaving the group as a trio. Their third album, Survivor (2001), which contains themes the public interpreted as a channel to the group's experience, contains the worldwide hits Independent Women, Survivor and Bootylicious. In 2002, they announced a hiatus and reunited 2 years later for the release of their fourth and final studio album, Destiny Fulfilled (2004).
Destiny's Child has sold more than 60 million records worldwide to date. Billboard magazine ranks the group as one of the greatest musical trios of all time, the ninth most successful artist/band of the 2000s, placed the group 68th in its All-Time Hot 100 Artists list in 2008 and in December 2016, the magazine ranked them as the 90th most successful dance club artist of all-time. The group was nominated for 14 Grammy Awards, winning twice for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and once for Best R&B Song.- Music Artist
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Girls Aloud is known for Run Fatboy Run (2007), It's a Boy Girl Thing (2006) and Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007).- Actress
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Atomic Kitten is known for Bring It On (2000), National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002) and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004).- Actress
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Delta Goodrem is a singer, songwriter, performer, actress, and philanthropist. Born and raised in Sydney, New South Wales, she enrolled in dancing, acting, singing and piano classes at a young age.
At the age of 15, Goodrem signed a record deal with Sony Music Australia. Her first album, Innocent Eyes, was one of the highest-selling debut albums in Australian history. The album spent a record-breaking 29 weeks at #1 in Australia and reached number two on the UK Albums Chart. It topped the Australian Albums Charts and reached 23x platinum in sales. Delta became the first-ever artist to have five #1 singles on the Australian charts from a debut album and was awarded the ARIA Albums Artist of the Decade in 2010 having sold more albums and singles than any other domestic or international artist over the decade. The album won the Highest Selling Album award at the ARIAs two years running, heralded a record seven awards for a female artist in one ARIA year, as well as holding the record for being honored with 16 ARIA #1 Chart Awards.
Since then, Delta has achieved multi-platinum selling status, nine #1 singles, five #1 albums, 17 top 10 hits, 12 ARIA Awards, a Silver Logie Award & three World Music Awards and started her own label imprint with Sony Australia, The House of Oz Records. Her latest album Wings of the Wild debuted at #1 with the platinum hit song "Wings", the singer's 9th #1 single. The album's accompanying sold out arena tour broke records as Delta became the highest-selling female Australian touring artist in 2016. The record setting tour was filmed for a live concert DVD that rocketed to #1 on the ARIA Music DVDs chart.
As an accomplished songwriter, Delta has written and performed songs for Olivia Newton-John, Celine Dion, Tony Bennett, Michael Bolton, LeAnn Rimes and Westlife. Delta also toured with Michael Bolton across the US, joined good friend and renowned maestro tenor Andrea Bocelli on legs of Bocelli's Asian, American and Australian world tours, and toured with Ricky Martin as part of his 2015 Australian tour.
In 2015 & 2016, Goodrem played to critical acclaim in the role of Grizabella in Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic musical CATS, performing a breathtaking rendition of the powerful ballad "Memory" and bringing legions of her multi-generational fans to experience the joys of musical theatre.
With a television resume that started at the age of seven, appearing in regular prime time shows, Hey Dad..! (1987), A Country Practice (1981) and Police Rescue (1989), at the age of 16, Delta joined the cast of Neighbours (1985) that later earned her a Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent and the lead role in 2005's movie Hating Hating Alison Ashley (2005). In 2005, Delta guest starred on Fox's prime time soap opera North Shore (2004). In 2011, Delta voiced Little Beatrice for the animated film Santa's Apprentice (2010). For 9 years Delta was a Coach on the number one rated, multiple Logie Award winning TV show The Voice (2012) Australia. Goodrem mentored her artists to victory, as the winning coach for the 2016 & 2017 seasons of The Voice (2012). She also won the only edition of The Voice Kids (2014) Australia in 2014. Delta also returned to Australian TV with a special guest role in Nine Network's, House Husbands (2012) and filmed the lead role of her mentor, idol, and good friend, Olivia Newton-John in the superstar's biopic, Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You (2018) that released in 2018.
In 2017, Goodrem launched her debut fragrance Delta by Delta Goodrem, smashing records as it debuted as the highest selling fragrance in Australian history. In 2018 she released her second fragrance of her collection "Dream" and in November 2019 released her third fragrance "Destiny".
While 2020 saw the world go through unprecedented times, for Delta Goodrem was a year that has saw her release incredibly powerful pieces of music and connect with fans like only she can do.
In January 2020, Delta was inspired to write 'Let It Rain' after seeing the devastation from the bush fires across Australia. She teamed up with Apple Music, Sony Music, and iHeart radio in Australia & the US for the release, with all proceeds going to aid with Red Cross bush fire relief. In February, she took to the stage in front of 70,000 fans at ANZ Stadium as part of the Fire Fight Australia concert which was broadcast nationally. Her incredibly moving performance of 'Let It Rain' was included on the album release of songs from the day, Artists Unite For Fire Fight: Concert For National Bush Fire Relief.
In April 2020, Global Citizen together with Lady Gaga reached out and invited Goodrem to perform as part of the online One World: Together At Home festival in support of the Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization. Delta was the only artist performing in Australia, with the event capturing over 270 million viewers who had tuned in around the world.
Keen to connect with her fans from all over the world, Delta launched The Bunkerdown Sessions via her social media beginning of April 2020. Performing live deep cuts from her extensive catalog, debuting new songs she had recently written, and performing favorite covers, on the seventh week Delta surprised and delighted fans by performing and releasing new music from her upcoming 6th studio album.
Delta launched the Delta Goodrem Foundation in June 2020, which strives to spread kindness, hope and support for those facing illness, hardship and inequality. With a lead collaboration with St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, to help fund medical research in cellular therapy for blood cancers and auto-immune diseases.
In November Delta released her #1 holiday album Only Santa Knows, which was complimented by the Nine network TV special Christmas with Delta that was produced in conjunction with Delta's production company Atled Productions. Delta performed alongside guests Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, Olivia Newton-John, Pentatonix, Morgan Evans, Hugh Sheridan, Sheppard, and Montaigne.
In May 2021, Delta released her 6th studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Dreams and her first book of the same title, published by Simon & Schuster - both her album and book heralded a #1 chart position.
Delta has announced her Bridge Over Troubled Dreams headlining arena tour throughout Australia and New Zealand in September and October 2021. $1+ GST from every ticket purchased for the tour is being donated to the Delta Goodrem Foundation.- Music Artist
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Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Ricky initiated his singing career in the Latin all boy-band group Menudo. After leaving the group, he moved to New York to study acting. After finishing his studies, he relocated to Mexico where he performed as actor in "Mama ama el Rock", "Alcanzar una Estrella II". In 1991, he began to focus his career as a soloist singer, eventually becoming an international superstar with the release of his self-titled English language album in 1996.- Music Artist
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Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler was born in Madrid, Spain, to Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and Spanish-Filipino socialite Isabel Preysler. In 1979, his parents' marriage was annulled. He was eight years old when he moved to the U.S., and at the age of 15, secretly began writing music. He studied business administration at the University of Miami for a year before he dropped out to pursue a musical career. Five years later, on September 25, 1995, he released his first album at 18 years of age. His second album, which was recorded in Spanish, was released on January 29, 1997.
Iglesias has made 10 albums. "Insomniac" was released 2008 and he did the official song for UEFA Europa League 2008, "Can You Hear Me", which he sang at the soccer league's finale. After "Insomniac" he made "Greatest Hits" and went on tour in 2009. His album "Euphoria" was his first bilingual album, featuring Spanish and English songs. His latest album "Sex and Love" was also bilingual.
Iglesias has sold over 137 million records worldwide, making him one of the best selling Latin artists ever. He has more number-one songs on Billboard's charts, more than any other single male artist.
Iglesias has recorded advertisements or provided songs for major brands, including Salsa Doritos (2002), PepsiCo (2003), Viceroy (2004), Tommy Hilfiger (2005), Azzaro (2009) Atlantico (2011-present), Soap opera theme songs (2013, 2014), Coty (2014), and Kia Soul (2014-2015). He also had guest acting roles on Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Two and a Half Men, and How I Met Your Mother.
Iglesias has supported many charities, including City of Hope, Red Cross, Music for Relief, Habitat For Humanity, Help for Heroes, Live Earth, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Music for Relief, Special Olympics, The Salvation Army, Alex's Lemonade, and Hunger Relief.- Composer
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Hayko Cepkin was born on 11 March 1978 in Istanbul, Turkey. He is a composer and actor, known for Extreme-G: Skydiving (2014), The Pit (2016) and The Abortion (2006).- Actress
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Demet Akalin (born 23 April 1972) is a Turkish singer and former model. Thanks to the popular songs she has released since the middle of the 2000s, she has become one of the most recognizable names of Turkish pop music.
Akalin, who was born in Gölcük, Kocaeli, initially decided to pursue a career in modeling and started working as a model for Nese Erberk's agency. She also acted in a number of motion picture films and television series in the 1990s. Simultaneously with modeling, she started singing in the casinos, and released her first studio album, Sebebim in 1996 which was not successful. With the release of the album Banane in 2004, she became well-known in Turkey. The album's lead single, "Askin Acamadigi Kapi", earned Akalin a Turkey Music Award for the Song of the Year. Kusursuz 19 (2006) received a gold certification from Mü-Yap and with the success of Dans Et (2008), she became one of the influential figures of Turkish pop music. Her album Pirlanta was the best-selling album in Turkey in 2015. Many of her songs, including "Afedersin", "Mucize", "Toz Pembe" and "Hayalet", have been number-one hits in Turkey. Other songs such as "Tecrübe", "Çanta", "Olacak Olacak", "Sabika", "Ilahi Adalet" and "Ders Olsun" have ranked among the top 5 on Turkey's music charts.
Akalin, who is considered by music critics to have created her own style, has frequently appeared on the cover of magazines and has been the subject of numerous tabloid reports. Since 2007, she has been in an on and off feud with Hande Yener, and their arguments are covered in the tabloids from time to time. After her marriages to Oguz Kayhan in 2006 and Önder Bekensir in 2010 ended in divorce, she married Okan Kurt in 2012 and the couple's first child Hira was born in 2014. The couple divorced in 2018. To this day, she has won two Golden Butterfly Awards and four Kral Turkey Music Awards, and has received numerous other awards and nominations.- Actor
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Murat Boz Turkish singer, lyricist and composer.
He was born in Zonguldak in Eregli district. He completed primary school here and then moved to Istanbul. He entered the Jazz Vocal Department in Bilgi University in 1999 as a scholarship student. He continued his studies in the Turkish Music State Conservatory Fundamental Sciences Department in Istanbul Technical University in 2003. He vocalized many singers and notably Tarkan in the same years in their albums and concerts.
Murat Boz made a breakthrough in 2006 with his first single called "Aski Bulamam Ben". He then made his first studio album in 2007 called "Maximum". He was awarded as the "Best New Singer" in the Kral TV Music Awards, Altin Kelebek Awards and Istanbul FM Golden Awards the same year. In 2008 came his first EP called "Uçurum". One year later came his second studio album called Sans. Clips were shot for the songs "Para Yok", "Özledim", "Her Seyi Yak", "Sallana Sallana", "Gümbür Gümbür" and "Buralardan Giderim" in this album. He performed a duet with Soner Sarikabadayi in the clip version of the song "Iki Medeni Insan". In March 2010 came his second single called "Hayat Sana Güzel".
On 12th of April 2011 came the clip for the song in his third studio album called Asklarim Büyük Benden with the same name. And on 9th of May 2011 the album was released. Clips were shot for the songs "Hayat Öpücügü", "Geri Dönüs Olsa", "Kalamam Arkadas", "Bulmaca" and "Soyadimsin" in the album. The two songs "Geri Dönüs Olsa" and "Kalamam Arkadas" were on the top of the lists. Boz then prepared his first remix album called "DanceMix" made up of his most popular songs. The first clip for this album was shot for the remix version of the song "Özledim" and the second was shot for "Geri Dönüs Olsa".
Murat Boz can play the piano, the violin and the reed flute and besides his musical career he has appeared as the advertisement face of various companies. He also acted in the leading role in the film called 'Hadi Insallah' that came to the theaters on 28th of November 2014 inspired from the book by Pucca called the Küçük Aptalin Büyük Dünyasi. He again acted the leading role in the film called 'My Brother (2016)' which will be coming to the theaters in January 2016. He is a member of the jury in the TV program called "O Ses Türkiye" broadcast since 2011 and he was the winner jury in the first session of the competition. He has two Altin Kelebek Awards and two Kral TV Video Music Awards.- Actress
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Hadise Açikgöz is a Turkish-Belgian singer-songwriter, dancer, and television personality. Born and raised in Belgium, her family originally come from Sivas, Turkey. In 2003, she participated in the Belgian singing competition show Idool 2003, but rose to fame after releasing her debut album Sweat in 2005. The album spawned 5 singles and earned Hadise both a TMF Award (Belgium) and "Altin Kelebek" Award (Turkey). Hadise established and maintained a successful career in both Belgium and Turkey with the release of her self-entitled album Hadise (2008). The album which includes English and Turkish songs, features the single "Deli Oglan" that became a number-one hit in Turkey.
In 2009, Hadise represented Turkey at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Düm Tek Tek". The song gained a total of 177 points, placing Turkey fourth in the final round of the competition. "Düm Tek Tek" earned Hadise her first number one single in Belgium and was followed-up with the release of her studio albums Fast Life, (2009) and Kahraman (2009). The single "Evlenmeliyiz" from Kahraman was among the top-ten hits on Türkçe Top 20. She has since focused on her career in Turkey with the release of her albums Ask Kaç Beden Giyer? (2011) and Tavsiye (2014).
Her name was chosen by one of her grandparents, having originally being intended for her older sister. Hadise's parents emigrated to Belgium from Sivas, Turkey. Her mother is Kumyk and her father is Lezgin. She grew up with her older sister, Hülya, a younger sister Derya and also a younger brother named Murat. Hadise was 11 years old when her parents divorced.
Hadise studied economics and modern languages. She is fluent in five languages: Turkish and Dutch (which are her native languages), French, German and English.
At the age of 18 and with the support of her family Hadise participated in the first season of the show Idool, the Flemish version of the Pop Idol series. She failed to qualify for the finals, however, her appearance was acknowledged by her soon-to-be manager Johan Hendrickx. Hendrickx contacted Hadise explaining how impressed he was with her performance on the show and offered her an album contract.
In 2006, Hadise presented Popstar Türkiye (tr) (Turkish version of Popstars). It was her first presenting role in Turkey. From 2008 to 2009, she got a job as a presenter for the first time in Belgium. She was the presenter of the second season of Belgian X Factor at VTM. Although it was her first television job in Belgium, Hadise garnered much praise. She handled a critical moment when Maurice Engelen, one of the judges, left the contest during a live television cast. Hadise was also praised by the candidats of X Factor for guiding them. Since 2011, Hadise has working as one of the judges on the singing competition show O Ses Türkiye (Turkish version of The Voice).
Hadise has said she admires artists such as Shakira, Brandy Norwood, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, Toni Braxton, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, U2 and Prince. Hadise's songs have also clearly been influenced by Turkish music, making her songs rather unusual, as it fuses R&B and Turkish pop. Examples of songs by her combining a strong Turkish slant with an Urban feel include "Stir Me Up", "Bad Boy", "A Good Kiss" and "Don't Ask". Many people have compared Hadise to American R&B singer Beyoncé. Her fans affectionately call her the most famous Turkish star worldwide.
In September 2009, Hadise donated her time in support of the "Schools without Bullying" campaign in Belgium. During a press conference held by the organization, Hadise explained how as a child she "was bullied for her cloths" and even "because of her origin". She explained that she wanted to be part of the project because she loved children and had been a graduate herself, she understood how there was no place for bullying.
Hadise has rejected two offers to star in a film. One of the parts was the leading role in a Turkish movie. Not much is known about this film, apart from the fact that the film supposedly focused on two sisters, one of whom was to be played by Hadise. In July 2008, Hadise was again offered a role in a Turkish comedy film.- Petek Dinçöz was born on 29 May 1980 in Izmir, Turkey. She is an actress, known for Anlat Istanbul (2005), Bir Yildiz Tutuldu (2003) and Kahpe Bizans (1999).
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Sezen Aksu is a Turkish pop music singer, songwriter and producer who has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Her nicknames include the "Queen of Turkish Pop" and Minik Serçe ("Little Sparrow").
Sezen Aksu's influence on Turkish pop and world music has continued since her debut in 1975, and has been reinforced by her patronage of and collaboration with many other musicians, including Sertab Erener, Sebnem Ferah, Askin Nur Yengi, Hande Yener, and Levent Yüksel. Her work with Tarkan resulted in continental hits like "Simarik" and "Sikidim" and her collaboration with Goran Bregovic widened her international audience.
Sezen Aksu was born in Sarayköy, Denizli, Turkey. Her family moved to Bergama when she was three years old and she spent her childhood and early youth there. Aksu's parents discouraged her singing because they wanted her to have a steady profession as a doctor or engineer. She used to wait until they left the house and sing on the family's balcony. After finishing high school, she began studying at the local agricultural institute, but left college to concentrate on music.
Along with her close friend Ajda Pekkan, Aksu is credited with laying the foundations of Turkish pop music in the 1970s. Her sound has also spread across the Balkans and Greece. Aksu has also toured in Europe and the U.S to critical appraise. She has championed a variety of causes, including support for constitutional reform, minority rights, women's rights, the environment, and educational reform in Turkey. She has a son with Sinan Özer, named Mithat Can, who is also a lead vocalist of Pist'on band.
In the 80's, Aksu had a relationship with producer Onno Tunç that was both romantic and professional. As a couple they put their signatures to works that broke new ground in Turkish pop music, such as Sen Aglama, Git, Sezen Aksu'88 and Sezen Aksu Söylüyor. Her music matured in the 90's, when she co-produced her best selling album to-date Gülümse with Tunç. The A-1 track from the album called Hadi Bakalim was a hit in Turkey and Europe, and was published as a single in Germany. It was to be later rediscovered in Europop by singer Loona as Rhythm of the Night. She also began to produce albums for her vocalists, notably producing Askin Nur Yengi's debut album Sevgiliye (To a Lover) again with Tunç. She was to repeat her success with artists Sertap Erener and Levent Yüksel also.
In 2005, she was featured in Fatih Akin's documentary film "Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul" with a performance of the song "Istanbul Hatirasi", Aksu has recently been re-releasing all her old classics digitally remastered and with specially designed new sleeves.
In 2008, Aksu released her album called Deniz Yildizi through Starfish Records. And in 2009 she released her latest album Yürüyorum Düs Bahçelerinde. The album contains new original songs as well as some older songs which were composed by Sezen Aksu for other singers, most notably Çakkidi, Kibir, Yok Ki.- Actress
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Ajda Pekkan was born on February 12, 1946 in Istanbul to a Turkish naval officer father. She spent her childhood at the naval base in Golcuk (Turkey) amongst American families.
In 1962, at the beginning of her musical career, she appears as a singer at a very popular club of the time called 'Cati'. One year later in 1963, she becomes the winner of a contest organized by SES Magazine, searching for new talents for the movie industry. This marks her professional career.
Pekkan became a recognized star in Turkish movie industry. 1963 to 1967 she acted in 47 movies with well known actors such as Ayhan Isik, Cuneyt Arkin, Izzet Gunay, Ediz Hun until her last movie, 'Harun Resid'in Gozdesi'.
What she really wanted to do was to become the best singer ever one can possibly be. She was one of the first to sing western style popular songs in their native languages such as Italian, French and English at early years, later singing the same songs in Turkish.
In 1965 her very own single 'Her Yerde Kar Var - 17' Yasinda was out in the markets. In 1967 her single 'Iki Yabanci' broke sale records. In 1968 and 1969 she represented Turkey at the International Apollonia Music Festival (Greece) with a Turkish song, 'Ozleyis', and 'Perhaps One Day' in English.
At the beginning of the seventies with her growing reputation, Ajda Pekkan drew the attention of foreign music companies and settled in France for many years.
The first success was a song composed by Mort Schuman and Etien Roda Gil just for her, 'Babylone Babylone'. Pekkan was at one of her peaks with a series of concerts took place at world famous Olympia Music Hall in Paris with a world famous French singer Enrico Macias. It was no later than that time she recorded songs in French, German, Greek, Spanish, Japanese and had already acquired international fame.
In the middle of the seventies she boomed. Each and every one of her songs became a Pekkan Classic, e.g. 'Tanri Misafiri', 'Kimler Geldi Kimler Gecti' and 'Hosgor Sen'.
In 1977, she represented Turkey at The Yamaha Music Festival (Japan) with a French song, 'A Mes Amours', and gained two great awards, one for the best performer, one for the best song. Following this success she released two singles in Japan.
Again in 1977, her album 'Superstar' was one of its kind with astonishing design and production, followed by concerts, stage performances, and international tours. With her 'Superstar 2' album in 1979, she once again was at her peak in her musical career.
She also represented Turkey at the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 with the song 'Pet'r Oil', but did not get the expected result. She then moved to the United States for a while.
Following the USA years, without wasting any time, Pekkan successfully performed 'Superstar 83' show, followed by an album with the popular group 'Bes Yil Once On Yil Sonra'. Her marriage caused her to suspend her musical career for many years. She broke her silence with her 'Ajda 90' Album. 'Ajda 91', 'Ajda 93', 'Ajda 96' albums followed. In 1998 it was time for 'The Best Of', followed by 'DIVA' albums in the year 2000. 2003 brought us the single 'Sen Iste', and brought her a successful new beginning.
In 1998, the Turkish Ministry of Culture granted her statute of 'Artist of State' representing so many years of her dedicated career.
With her last album released in 2006, 'Ben Aslında O Gordugun Cool Kadın Degildim', Ajda Pekkan once more proved she was one of the most important quality sounds in Turkey.- Actor
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Muhtar Cem Karaca was a prominent Turkish rock musician and one of the most important figures in the Anatolian rock movement. He is a graduate of Robert College. He worked with various Turkish rock bands such as Apaslar, Kardaslar, Mogollar and Dervisan. With these bands, he brought a new understanding and interpretation to Turkish Rock.
He was the only child of Mehmet Ibrahim Karaca, a theatre actor of Azerbaijani origin, and Irma Felekyan (Toto Karaca), a popular opera, theatre and movie actress of Armenian origin. His first group was called Dynamites and was a classic rock cover band. Later he joined Jaguars, an Elvis Presley cover band. In 1967, he started to write his own music, joining the band Apaslar (The Rowdies), his first Turkish-language group. The same year, he participated in the Golden Microphone (Turkish: Altin Mikrofon) contest, a popular music contest in which he won second place with his song Emrah. In 1969, Karaca and bass-player Serhan Karabay left Apaslar and started an original Anatolian group called Kardaslar (The Brothers).
In 1972, Karaca joined the group Mogollar (The Mongols) and wrote one of his best-known songs, "Namus Belasi". However, Cahit Berkay, the leader of Mogollar, wanted an international reputation for his band, and he left for France to take the group to the next level. Karaca, who wanted to continue his Anatolian beat sound, left Mogollar and started his own band Dervisan (Dervishes) in 1974. Karaca and Dervisan sang poetic and progressive songs.
In the 1970s, Turkey was dealing with political violence between supporters of the left and the right, separatist movements and the rise of Islamism. As the country fell into chaos, the government suspected Cem Karaca of involvement in rebel organisations. He was accused of treason for being a separatist thinker and a Marxist-Leninist. The Turkish government tried to portray Karaca as a man who was unknowingly writing songs to start a revolution. One politician was quoted as saying, "Karaca is simply calling citizens to a bloody war against the state." Dervisan was ultimately dissolved at the end of 1977. In 1978, he founded Edirdahan, an acronym for "from Edirne to Ardahan"; the westernmost and the easternmost provinces of Turkey. He recorded one LP with Edirdahan.
In early 1979, he left for West Germany for business reasons, where he started singing in German language, too, namely since autumn 1980 first a lyric of Nazim Hikmet - Kiz Çocugu (in English: Little girl): Cem performed the German verses alternating with his friend, manager, arranger and bandleader/musician Ralf Mähnhöfer attending Cem on grand piano solo or by the band Anatology singing the song in Turkish-language.
Turkey continued to spin out of control with military curfews and the 1980 Turkish coup d'état on September 12, 1980. General Kenan Evren took over the government and temporarily banned all the nation's political parties. After the coup, many intellectuals, including writers, artists and journalists, were arrested. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Karaca by the government of Turkey.
The state invited Karaca back several times, but Karaca, not knowing what would happen upon his return, decided not to come back.
While Karaca was in Germany his father died, but he could not return to attend the funeral. After some time, the Turkish government decided to strip Cem Karaca of his Turkish citizenship, keeping the arrest warrant active.
Several years later, in 1987, the prime minister and leader of the Turkish Motherland Party, Turgut Özal, issued an amnesty for Karaca. Shortly afterwards, he returned to Turkey. His return also brought a new album with it, Merhaba Gençler ve Her zaman Genç Kalanlar ("Hello, The Young and The Young at Heart"), one of his most influential works. His return home was received cheerfully by his fans, but during his absence Karaca had lost the young audience and acquired only few new listeners. He died on February 8, 2004 and was interred at Karacaahmet Cemetery in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul.- Actor
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Baris Akarsu jumped from completely unknown to a celebrity shortly after winning the title on Akademi Tuerkiye, a singing contest on a private TV station. Soon after releasing his first album, producers decided to use his fame and handsome looks on a TV series called "Yalanci Yarim", where he successfully starred in the lead role alongside actress Merve Sevi. Thanks to this series, he became equally famous as an actor as well as a singer, and in no time, he reached such a level of fame that allowed him to give concerts to collect money for charities.
In June 2007, along with the rest of the filming crew, he went to Bodrum, Turkey, to shoot some episodes for his show "Yalanci Yarim". Following one of the aforementioned non-profit concerts he gave in Bodrum, Akarsu took off to a hotel to attend his birthday party on the 28th of June 2007 organized by his friends, and to announce the winner of a contest he ran in order to discover talented singers the same way he was discovered.
Akarsu never made it to his birthday party. On their way to the hotel, Akarsu and two of his friends were involved in a serious car accident by crashing into a fully loaded truck. The driver of the car and his other friend died on the day of the accident. Akarsu experienced severe injuries and was taken to a hospital in a state of assisted following the crash.
His doctors were unable to stabilize Akarsu. Due to severe injuries in his brain and numerous wounds all over his body and inner organs, Baris Akarsu sadly passed away around 20:30 o'clock on the 4th of July 2007 at the age of 29.- Actress
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Kimberly Denise Jones, was born on July 11, 1974, to parents Linwood Jones and Ruby Mae. She is of Native American and African American descent. Standing just 4 feet 11 inches tall Kimberly Jones seems much less than being just your average girl in the hood, but when "Lil' Kim" was introduced to the world she became known for her provocative over-the-top outfits, glamorous blonde hair-dos, pornographic attitude, sexy man-crazed looks, and a groundbreaking triumph that eventually secured her place as one of the few female rappers in a male-dominated industry. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Kimberly was born into a broken home, by age 9 her parents had filed for divorce, leaving her and older brother Christopher under the custody of their father. A rebellious child living under the strict rules of her dad, Kimberly and her father had constant fights, and eventually she ran away from home. As a teenager she lived with friends, drug-dealing boyfriends, and, occasionally, on the streets. After meeting her mentor and life saver Christopher Wallace, (Notorious B.I.G/Biggie Smalls), she began to clean up her life and it was Christopher who helped her develop a career in music. By then Kimberly had taken in the slogan "Lil' Kim" after her height and curbing her name to just Kim. With the help of Christopher she became the only female member of the short lived rap group Junior M.A.F.I.A. Their 1995 debut album Conspiracy debuted at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and garnered the hit singles "Player's Anthem" (#13) and "Get Money" (#17). Following the release, Lil' Kim appeared on records by Mona Lisa, the Isley Brothers, Total, and Skin Deep. And it was obvious that it was time for her to come out with her own solo album, and that's just what she did in 1996, with the release of "Hard Core". Lil' Kim's marketing campaign for the album was quite challenging - she was dressed in a skimpy bikini and furs in advertisements, as well as the album covers - but instead of resulting in criticism, the album became a hit, debuting at # 11 on the pop charts. The first single from the album, "No Time" a duet with Sean "Puffy" Combs, became a #1 rap single and #20 on the pop charts. A top ten single followed with "Not Tonight" (#6). But while Lil Kim's career was blossoming, her life was shattered along with the music world when her father like figure Notorious B.I.G. was murdered on March 9, 1997. Following that incident, Lil' Kim took a hiatus from recording her own music, but she still kept busy with a string of other projects. She was one of the featured performers of Puff Daddy's highly successful 1998 "Bad Boy Tour", and built her own business with the launch of Queen Bee Records, with Lil' Kim herself as CEO. Her long-awaited "Notorious K.I.M." was released in the summer of 2000 under the Queen Bee record label and debuted at #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Charts. By then, she had lost weight but still kept the sexual techniques and provocative antics coming for fans that were hungry for more. She had also taken a shift into films debuting in the 1999 teen flick "She's All That" and playing Tina Parker in the 2002 comedy "Juwanna Man". In 2001 Lil Kim gained her first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in a remake of Patti Labelle's hit "Lady Marmalade" that collaborated her with singers Mya, Pink, and Christina Aguilera, the success awarded them a Grammy in 2002 for Best Pop Collaboration. Her third full-length album "La Bella Mafia" was released in 2003 debuting at #5 on the pop charts and earned her two more hits with "The Jump Off" (#17) and "Magic Stick/feat.50Cent" that shot to #2. Her album The Naked Truth released in September 2005 debuted at No. 6 on Billboard's Top 200 Album's chart and sold 109,000 copies during the first week of its release.- Actress
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Eve was born on 10 November 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Barbershop (2002), xXx (2002) and Whip It (2009). She has been married to Maximillion Cooper since 14 June 2014. They have one child.- Music Artist
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Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, Hip-hop emcee and R&B songwriter Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott has become one of the most esteemed figures in contemporary American music, providing material for artists including MC Lyte, Adina Howard, and Jodeci, as well as working as an arranger, producer, talent scout, and record executive. She first performed as part of a neighborhood singing group, Sista, which was signed by DeVante DeGrate from Jodeci in 1992 to Capitol/EMI Records. She was already writing with her long-time collaborator Timbaland, aka Timbaland, and with Sista's career terminally stalled since DeVante would not release any of its recordings, she concentrated on songwriting and production.
Her distinctive hee-haw rhyme on Gina Thompson's "The Things You Do" brought her wider exposure and several offers from record companies. Fiercely independent and ambitious, she signed to Elektra Records as a solo artist on the understanding that they would subsidize her own label, which became the Gold Mind. In 1997, she launched her solo career with the album "Supa Dupa Fly" and its lead single "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)".
The well-connected singer was provided with immediate exposure for the song via rotation play of its Hype Williams-directed video on MTV. Co-produced with long-time collaborator Timbaland and producer DJ Magic, the album received excellent reviews, although she was reluctant to commit herself fully to a career as a performer because she didn't want to get caught up and be an artist always on the go. She felt that it was hard to get into the studio once you commit to that kind of venture. The album also featured cameo appearances from Aaliyah and Busta Rhymes, for whom she has written songs. Despite her growing reputation and success, Elliott remained based in her hometown in Virginia.
In September 1998, she collaborated with Mel B from the Spice Girls on the one-off single "I Want You Back," which debuted at number 1 in the UK chart. Further writing and remixing work for Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson followed, although Elliott found time in her busy schedule to release her excellent sophomore album, "Da Real World," in July 1999. Incredibly, Elliott and Timbaland managed to surpass this with the follow-up "Miss E ... So Addictive," a stunning compendium of contemporary hip-hop and dance beats, urban ballads, and left-field samples that was instantly hailed as one of the finest albums of the new millennium.- Actress
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A philanthropist who has presented almost $900,000 in scholarships over the past seven years, an actress on Power, Queen of the South, SWAT, and more, MC LYTE is ONLY female solo hip hop artist to receive the BET I Am Hip Hop ICON Award. First female to perform hip hop in the White House and first African American female to serve as the President of the Los Angeles chapter of the Recording Academy (Grammy Organization): these are just the first of many firsts. Lyricist, inspirational speaker, DJ, pioneer, icon, veteran and entrepreneur describe one of the most prolific and well-respected female Hip Hop artists of all time: MC Lyte. She has consistently found ways to reinvent herself musically, while expanding her resume and gaining new fans. A current member of the Board of Trustees of Dillard University and reared in Brooklyn, New York, MC Lyte always has her finger on Hip Hop's pulse. Many are familiar with her stellar music making skills, but over the course of her extensive career, MC Lyte has ventured out to other avenues that have allowed her to show the world just how talented she truly is.
A pioneer in the industry, she opened the door for future female Hip Hop artists by daring to do what had never been done while doing something she loved. MC Lyte is the FIRST rap artist ever to perform at New York's historic Carnegie Hall, the FIRST female rapper to ever receive a gold single, the FIRST female solo rapper ever nominated for a Grammy and in 2006, MC Lyte became the FIRST solo female rapper to be honored/inducted on VH-1's HIP HOP HONORS.
MC Lyte has graced network television as well as the big screen and she has been the voice behind the VH1 Hip Hop Honors and national campaigns for Wherehouse Music, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Nike. She is the hot of Morning Cup on Centric and recently unveiled her lyrical talent, once again, to the world with the release of her latest album, LEGEND.
A role model to women and respected by men everywhere, MC Lyte never compromises who she is and consistently displays that a woman can turn heads fully clothed! Whenever possible, MC Lyte enjoys traveling across the nation to use her expertise and story of success to motivate others to take ownership of the world around them while striving to be the best they can possibly be. Author of "UNSTOPPABLE: Igniting the Power Within to Achieve Your Greatest Potential," MC Lyte provides keynote addresses at educational institutions, community centers and corporations around the globe and has also been active in many social projects, including anti-violence campaigns, HIV / AIDs prevention, and Rock the Vote. MC Lyte is also the author of "Living in the Lyte: Lessons in Life, Love and Truth" and "Fusion: Bridging the Gap between the Civil Rights Movement and Hip Hop," a book she co-authored with Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
MC Lyte resides in Los Angeles, California, and reigns as the CEO of Sunni Gyrl, Inc. and the Chair of Hip Hop Sisters Foundation, which has presented over $850,000 in college scholarships. She is a past President, Trustee and Governor of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Recording Academy (Grammy organization), a member of the Board of Trustees at Dillard University, and is a proud honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.- Actress
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Da Brat was born on 14 April 1974 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Wasabi (2001), Bad Boys (1995) and Big Momma's House (2000). She has been married to Jesseca Dupart since 2022.- Actress
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One of the most respected and premier mc's - regardless of gender - Rashia Fisher aka Rah Digga, has been legendary. She started off the only female member of New Jersey's acclaimed hip hop group, Da Outsidaz, where she also met future husband, Young Zee. Rah exploded on the music scene when she caught the eye of A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, who introduced Rah to Busta Rhymes, who brought her onboard as the only female member of his Flipmode Squad. It wasn't long before Rah would be featured on some of hip-hop's most ground-breaking and influential projects, from Grammy winners and nominees to platinum juggernauts to gold gems, including: The Fugees' The Score ("Cowboys"); DJ Clue's The Professional, Pt. 2 ("Getting It"); several Busta projects - When Disaster Strikes("We Could Take It Outside"), Genesis ("Betta Stay Up in Your House"); and It Ain't Safe No More ("I Know What You Want"), just to name a few. Following Rah and the Flipmode Squad striking gold with The Imperial Album, and winning the Source Hip Hop Music Award for Best New Group, in 2000 she finally released her solo project, Dirty Harriet. A critically-acclaimed debut, it would produce several chart-topping singles - "Imperial" (featuring Busta), "Tight", "Break Fool" and "Tight The Remix." She also released the hit single, "Party and Bullsh*t" with the heavily spun remix that included Eve and Missy Elliot. Staying true to her roots, Rah has performed consistently on classic "underground" and cutting-edge artist and DJ compilation projects, such as: The Lyricist Lounge Vol. 1 ("Be Ok"); the anti-police brutality Hip Hop For Respect, in memory of Amadou Diallo; Talib Kweli's Reflection Eternal/Train of Thought ("Down for the Count"); DJ Whoo Kid & Lloyd Banks' Money in the Bank ("Party Over Here"), and many others. In addition, Rah has worked with some of hip hop's top producers, including: Rockweilder, Primo, Pete Rock, Scott Storch and Jus Blaze. Over the last ten years she has also revealed yet another great talent - acting. Starring alongside Beyonce and Wyclef Jean, Rah made her debut in MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera. She was also able to display her comedy skills as a guest star on FOX's "MAD TV." Though she was featured in two hip hop documentaries, Rah made her acting film debut in Thirteen Ghosts.
Now, Ten years after her solo gold solo debut, Dirty Harriet, Rah Digga is going back to her hip-hop roots with her new album "Classic". This album, produced by hip-hop super-producer Knotts, is Rah Digga at her purest, going back to her B-girl roots, with ten of her most hard hitting and lyrically challenging tracks to date. It is what her fans and fellow artists have been waiting ten years to hear. The return of Rah Digga has been long overdue, and it is finally upon us.- Soundtrack
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Born in New York City, Tupac grew up primarily in Harlem. In 1984, his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he became good friends with Jada Pinkett Smith. His family moved again in 1988 to Oakland, California. His first breakthrough in music came in 1991 as a member of the group Digital Underground. In the same year he received individual recognition for his album "2Pacalypse Now," but this album was also the beginning of his notoriety as a leading figure of the gangster permutation of hip-hop, with references to cop killing and sexual violence. His solo movie career also began in this year with Juice (1992), and in 1992 he co-starred with Janet Jackson in Poetic Justice (1993).
However, law confrontations were soon to come: A 15-day jail term in 1994 for assault and battery and, in 1995, a conviction for sexual assault of a female fan. After serving 8 months pending an appeal, Shakur was released from jail.- Music Artist
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Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, was born on May 21, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the son of Jamaican parents, Voletta Wallace, a pre-school teacher, and Selwyn George Latore, a welder and small-time politician. He was raised in the poor Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. Dropping out of high school at the age of seventeen, Biggie became a crack dealer, which he proclaimed was his only source of income. Hustlin' one's way was a common life for a young Black man trying to make a living in the ghetto. His career choices involved certain risks. However, a trip to North Carolina for a routine drug exchange ended being the soon-to-be MC a nine-month stay behind bars. Once released, Biggie borrowed a friend's four-track tape recorder and laid down some hip-hop tracks in a basement. The tapes were then passed around and played at local radio station in New York.
Not extremely attractive, Wallace named himself Biggie, for his weight. Biggie was a Black man who was overweight, extremely dark skinned, and had a crook in his eye, yet he was a charmer. A young impresario and sometime producer by the name of Sean Combs heard Biggie's early tapes. Impressed, Puffy went to sign Biggie to his new label, Bad Boy Records.
Puffy and Biggie worked on the artist's first album, and the Notorious B.I.G. was born. Biggie was first heard on a remix of a Mary J. Blige song and a track on the Who's the Man? (1991) soundtrack. After these successes, the album worked on earlier went through its final touches and was released in 1994, titled "Ready to Die." The record was certified platinum quickly, and the Notorious B.I.G. was named MC of the Year at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards. After the quick success of the album, Biggie went back to get his friends, some who didn't even rhyme. He had several run-ins with the law, on charges that ranged from beatings, to drugs and to weapons, while all claimed that Biggie was a gentle person. He soon met a rapper from the west coast named Tupac Shakur, and the two became friends.
Tupac supported Biggie and was often giving him advice. However, their friendship turned into the most violent era of hip-hop music on November 30, 1994. While Biggie and Puffy were at a recording session at Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan, Tupac went there to record with another rapper for his third studio album, "Me Against The World" at the same time, but in the lobby, Tupac was held at gunpoint and robbed of $40,000 worth of jewelry. Tupac was shot five times. Biggie rushed down just in time to see Tupac being loaded into an ambulance. Extending a middle finger, Pac blamed Biggie for the shooting and said that Biggie knew about it and failed to warn him. This sparked the East Coast, West Coast rivalry. Tupac later recovered from his injuries. During this encounter, Biggie admitted that he was scared for his life. Biggie never responded to any of Tupac's disses. Tupac attacked Biggie in every way he could, even starting strong rumors that there was a love affair between Tupac and Biggie's wife, Faith Evans.
Later, The entire country became divided into two groups, the west side and the east side, which became Death Row Records versus Bad Boy Records, Marion 'Suge' Knight versus Puff Daddy, and Tupac versus Biggie. The two of them finally met again late in 1995, and Tupac secretly said to Biggie, "I'm just tryin' to sell some records." Unfortunately, it became very real when on September 7, 1996, Tupac was shot four times in a drive-by shooting off the Las Vegas strip after he left a fight he was involved in inside of the MGM Grand Hotel after a Mike Tyson boxing match. He died six days later on September 13, 1996 as a result of those gunshot wounds at the age of 25. The case is still unsolved. Biggie was scared for his life, but he wanted to put an end to the rivalry between the two coasts. Biggie went to the west coast for several events, to support for his next release album, "Life After Death," but also to make a statement that the rivalry was over. On March 7, 1997, he attended the Soul Train Music Awards and went to the after party hosted by Vibe magazine and Qwest Records on March 8. On March 9, Biggie was sitting in an SUV on the street when he was shot multiple times by an unknown assailant. He died almost instantly. Hip-Hop faced its greatest tragedy when both Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. were killed. Biggie was only 24 years old.- Actress
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The Saturdays are a popular five-piece British pop girl band, consisting of members Vanessa White, Rochelle Humes, Francesca Bridge (known as Frankie), Mollie King and Una Healy. The Saturdays have sold over 8 million records in the UK and Ireland. The group formed during the summer of 2007 and have been on hiatus since 2014.- Actor
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Pulled together in open auditions by Jayne Collins in 2009, Nathan Sykes, Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Tom Parker and Jay McGuiness form "The Wanted". The band's first single, released July 2010, "All Time Low" reached number one in the UK. They also released "Glad You Came", "Heart Vacancy" and "Lose My Mind". All of which were off their first UK self-titled album- released 25 October 2010. The boys then released "Lightning",
- released 7th November 2011. "Gold Forever" was released as the
"The Wanted" are due to release their third album later this year, along with another UK tour.- Music Artist
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NSYNC (sometimes stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. NSYNC consisted of Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass. After heavily publicized legal battles with their former manager Lou Pearlman and former record label Bertelsmann Music Group, the group's second album, No Strings Attached, sold over one million copies in one day and 2.42 million copies in one week, which was a record for over fifteen years. Among the group's singles, "Bye Bye Bye", "This I Promise You", "Girlfriend" and "It's Gonna Be Me" reached the top 10 in several international charts, with the latter being a US Billboard Hot 100 number one. In addition to a host of Grammy Award nominations, NSYNC has performed at the World Series, the Super Bowl and the Olympic Games, and sang or recorded with Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Céline Dion, Aerosmith, Nelly, Left Eye, Mary J. Blige, country music super group Alabama, and Gloria Estefan.
Although NSYNC announced the start of a "temporary hiatus" in early 2002, the band has not recorded new material since then. In 2007, Lance Bass confirmed that the group had "definitely broken up". The band completed five nationwide concert tours and has sold over 70 million records, becoming the fifth-best-selling boy band in history. Rolling Stone recognized their instant success as one of the Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments of all time. Justin Timberlake went on to become one of the world's best-selling music artists, with more than 32 million albums and 56 million singles sold throughout his solo career.
Chris Kirkpatrick, who had missed the cut for the Backstreet Boys, met with Lou Pearlman in 1995 to talk about forming a second group. Pearlman said that he would finance the group if Kirkpatrick would find other young male singers. This prompted Kirkpatrick to call Joey Fatone, a friend he had met while working at Universal Studios. Then, Fatone and Kirkpatrick approached Lou Pearlman for more suggestions. Pearlman looked through some tapes they had, and one of Justin Timberlake from The Mickey Mouse Club caught his eye. Timberlake soon joined the group and recommended his friend JC Chasez, who also was a cast member on Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club. Soon, they decided to even out their sound by recruiting Jason Galasso as their bass singer.
NSYNC received its name after Justin Timberlake's mother commented on how "in sync" the group's singing voices were. The group's name is also a play on the last letter of each of the initial members' names: JustiN, ChriS, JoeY, JasoN, and JC.
After several weeks of rehearsals, the group set up a showcase and began planning to officially sign with Pearlman's Trans Continental Label. However, at the last minute, Galasso dropped out. He was not fond of the group's musical direction, claiming that being a teen idol was never a goal of his. In need of a bass, the group auditioned several people without success. Timberlake soon called his vocal coach, who suggested a 16-year-old from Mississippi named Lance Bass. Bass flew to Orlando to audition and was immediately accepted into the group. He was nicknamed "Lansten" so they could keep the name 'NSYNC.
From there, Pearlman set the five boys up in a house in Orlando, Florida, where they rehearsed constantly, learning dance routines and vocal parts, and working on promotion for their first public performance at Pleasure Island on October 22, 1995. Pearlman hired Johnny Wright, manager of the Backstreet Boys, to manage the group. NSYNC sent him a two-song demo-tape including "I'll Be Back for More" and "We Can Work It Out", which impressed him. The group performed for him and a group of BMG executives. Although the record company had some concerns with the band's name and Bass's dancing abilities, they agreed to sign the group to BMG Ariola Munich with Wright as their manager.
After being signed to BMG Ariola Munich, the group was sent to Sweden to begin working on their debut album with the help of producers such as Denniz Pop, Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson. The album's official lead single, "I Want You Back", was released in Germany on October 7, 1996, and entered the top 10 in Germany on November 18, 1996. With a record deal finally secured, the boys began touring first in German-speaking countries and later in other European territories. Their self-titled debut album was initially released by BMG Ariola Munich on May 26, 1997, in Germany, and peaked at number one in the second week after its release. The group soon became an overnight success throughout much of Europe. The album also charted successfully in both Switzerland and Austria eventually selling 820,000 units in GSA (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) region and Eastern Europe. The group released its second and the third singles, "Tearin' Up My Heart" and "Here We Go", both of which managed to reach the top-10 in numerous countries in Europe. NSYNC captured the attention of Vincent DeGiorgio, an A&R rep for RCA Records. After seeing the group perform in Budapest, he eventually signed them to RCA in 1998. The American label had the group record some new tracks to adjust their album for the US market.
The group's third album, Celebrity, released on July 24, 2001, produced three singles: "Pop" (#19 U.S.), "Gone" (#11 U.S.) and "Girlfriend" (#5 U.S.). The album featured much more creative involvement from the group, especially Chasez and Timberlake, who wrote and produced several of the tracks. The album sold 1,879,955 copies in its first week, making it the second-fastest-selling album in SoundScan history at the time, only behind the group's previous album No Strings Attached. To promote the Celebrity album, the group embarked on a four-month stadium tour entitled the PopOdyssey Tour. The tour earned over $90 million, becoming one of the biggest tours of 2001. In 2002, the band promoted their album further by embarking on the Celebrity Tour, which earned nearly $30 million. Following the tour, the group went on a hiatus. While it was initially meant to be temporary, the group never recorded music or toured together again.
On July 29, 2014, a compilation of *NSYNC's hits and unreleased songs titled The Essential *NSYNC, was released. Bass said of the album on his radio show, Dirty Pop: "There's a lot of these songs I don't think I've ever heard, I remember recording them but I've never heard them before, so I'm interested in just hearing them." Chasez tweeted about the album's release, stating: "I had the strangest dream last night that some old friends and I had a top 10 record on iTunes. Crazy right..." Kirkpatrick said of the album; "It's great to release some of the songs that had never made a record before! I'm glad our long time fans get some new music!" Fatone also said; "Pretty interesting this album comes out, which I really had no idea, and it's in the top of Amazon and iTunes... we owe it to our fans. Thank you." Fatone and Kirkpatrick starred in Dead 7, a western zombie film written by Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter. The film premiered on April 1, 2016 on the Syfy channel. NSYNC is scheduled to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April 2018.
Entertainment Weekly ranked NSYNC as the best boy band of the period late 90s and 2000s; editor Madelne Boardman stated, "the group has a spot in pop history more than a decade late." Washington Post stated it was one of the two boy bands "that dominated the late '90s and early '00s." According to Billboard, No Strings Attached was the top album of the 2000s (decade), with The Independent listing it among the albums "that marked the decade." Billboard also ranked the group at number four on their list of the biggest boy bands (from the period 1987-2012) according to chart performance, with the staff writing, "despite having one of the most short-lived boy band careers, 'N Sync was arguably the most famous." Several acts have cited the group as an influence, including Kelsea Ballerini, Selena Gomez, Meghan Trainor, Why Don't We and Hayley Williams.- Actor
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A1 is known for Steps to the Stars (2000), A1: Summertime of Our Lives (1999) and A1: Same Old Brand New You (2000).- Music Artist
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Drive thirty minutes north from Fukuoka City off the Fukuoka Highway and near the city lies the unassuming town of Koga. Yui Yoshioka was born here. Here lived a shy girl with her mother who played alone and liked to listen to music and sing. Her parents had divorced and her father has died since. She began writing poems and songs at junior high school and eventually determined to make her dream a reality when in the hospital ill one day. Receiving advice from a local amateur band she dropped out of high school, began attending a music school part-time and began performing on the sidewalk near Fukuoka City's Tenjin subway station among other places. Upon advice by her instructors at school Yui participated in the Sony Music Japan's SD Audition in March 2004. She was accorded top scores and received a deal as reward. Her debut single was issued by an independent in December of that year and was called It's Happy Line/I Know. In the process she was developing what would later become known as Yui-Go ('Yui-Language'), which is nothing more than a string of not necessarily related English words. Fuji Television hired her to write music for its serial, Fukigen Na Gene. The singer/songwriter contributed songs to the films Hinoko and Bleach and released her debut album, From Me To You, in 2006. It debuted on the Japanese charts. She appeared in the film Song Of The Sun in the summer of the same year. Playing the main character she also performed her own music. That year the Japan Academy awarded her the Best Newcomer prize. Her sophomore album, Can't Buy Me Love, was released in 2007. This one landed at position number one. She contributed more music to films and soundtracks and issued a live DVD called Thank You My Teens. More commercial endeavours followed as well as a 2008 album, I Loved Yesterday. Next came My Short Stories, but no live activities followed. She focused on writing and extraneous collaborations instead. Another album, entitled Holidays In The Sun, also landed atop of the Japanese charts. She attended a charity concert for the Fukushima disaster in 2011 and released an album called How Crazy Your Love. She staged her first show outside Japan in Hong Kong that year. Amidst all the success she announced another - this time longer - hiatus in 2012. She was back in 2013 with a new band, dubbed Flower Flower and more rocking than her previous work, but several appearances were cancelled due to what she described as "panic attack." She had a shotgun wedding in 2015 and gave birth to twins boys. Live work continued in 2017, but her marriage of two years did not when she obtained a divorce from the construction worker she had married. She did keep her twins however. Yui cites movies, music and badminton as favourite pastimes.