Joseph Lewis Thomas, known mononymously as Joe, is an American R&B singer. He signed to Polygram Records in 1992, and rose to prominence after releasing his debut album Everything the following year. He followed it with a series of successful albums under Jive Records, including All That I Am (1997), the international bestseller My Name Is Joe (2000) as well as the multi-certified albums Better Days (2001) and And Then... (2003). Several songs from these albums became hit singles on the pop and R&B record charts, including the number-one hit "Stutter", the top ten entries "All the Things ", "Don't Wanna Be a Player", and "I Wanna Know" as well as his collaborations "Faded Pictures", "Thank God I Found You" and "Still Not a Player".
Ciara Princess Wilson is an American singer and songwriter. She was discovered by record producer Jazze Pha in the early 2000s, and rose to prominence with her debut studio album, Goodies (2004). Its namesake lead single peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, while the follow-ups, "1, 2 Step" and "Oh", both peaked at number two on the chart. The album received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and received two nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards. Ciara also guest appeared on the 2005 singles "Lose Control" by Missy Elliott and "Like You" by Bow Wow, both of which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
Veteran is the third studio album by American R&B recording artist Marques Houston. It was released by The Ultimate Group and Universal Motown Records on March 20, 2007, in the United States, following the merger of Universal Records in 2005. The album features a wide range of collaborators, including Bryan-Michael Cox, Rob Knox, Ne-Yo, Chris Stokes, The Stereotypes, Tank, and The Underdogs. Guest vocals were provided by singer Mýa as well as rappers Shawnna and Yung Joc.
American singer-songwriter JoJo has released six studio albums, two mixtapes, two extended plays (EP), two re-recordings, twenty-one singles, fifteen promotional singles, and 34 music videos. After JoJo competed on the television show America's Most Talented Kids she signed a seven-album record deal with Blackground Records in 2003 and released her debut album the following year at the age of 13.
Christian J. Ward, known professionally as Hitmaka, is an American record producer and former rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Ward was the first artist to sign with American rapper DMX's vanity label Bloodline Records in 2001, at the age of 14. Six years later, he signed with Epic Records and adopted the stage name Yung Berg. His 2007 debut single, "Sexy Lady" peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, while his guest appearance on Ray J's single, "Sexy Can I" and Ward's own follow-up single, "The Business" peaked at numbers three and 33 on the chart, respectively, the following year; all three of which preceded the release of his debut studio album, Look What You Made Me (2008). Despite generally unfavorable critical reception, it peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200. After releasing a number of follow-up mixtapes and singles that failed to chart, he shifted focus away from recording in favor of a career in music production by 2014.
"Sexy Lady" is the first single by Hitmaka, known then as Yung Berg. It appears on his Almost Famous: The Sexy Lady EP and his first album, Look What You Made Me. Released in 2007, it samples the London Symphony Orchestra's version of "Diamonds Are Forever", and the chorus is an interpolation of Millie Jackson's "Slow Tongue". The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 99 and peaked at number 18. The music video includes cameos by the actress Drew Sidora and the singer Kat DeLuna. At the end of the video, Yung Berg's song "Where Do We Go" can also be heard.
Hustlenomics is the second studio album by American rapper Yung Joc. It was released, by Bad Boy Records on August 28, 2007. The album contains the singles "Coffee Shop" and "Bottle Poppin," both featuring rapper Gorilla Zoe.
Alonzo Keith Mathis Jr., better known by his stage name Gorilla Zoe, is an American rapper from East Point, Georgia. He joined the Bad Boy Records hip hop group Boyz n da Hood in 2006, following the departure of its lead member, Jeezy. His first album with the group, Back Up n da Chevy (2007) was met with lukewarm critical and commercial reception, leading to their subsequent disbandment. He then signed with Bad Boy, an imprint of Atlantic Records in a joint venture with Block Entertainment as a solo act to release his debut studio album, Welcome to the Zoo (2007).
"Sexy Can I" is the first single from Ray J's fourth studio album, All I Feel (2008). It was produced by Noel "Detail" Fisher and features rapper Yung Berg, whose debut album Look What You Made Me also includes the track. The song was released on January 8, 2008, and peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100.
All I Feel is the fourth studio album by American singer Ray J, released on April 8, 2008, by Knockout Entertainment, Deja34, Epic Records and Koch Records. It is the second album by Ray J to be labeled with a Parental Advisory sticker. The album features the singles "Sexy Can I" featuring labelmate Yung Berg, and "Gifts", and was his only album with Koch Records.
"The Business" is the second official single released from Yung Berg's debut album, Look What You Made Me. The song contains a guest appearance from Radio Killa Records signee Casha, and is produced by Rob Holladay with co-production by Yung Berg himself. It was released May 13, 2008. "The Business" peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and received gold certification by the RIAA on November 11, 2008, for sales of 500,000 copies.
Look What You Made Me is the debut studio album by American rapper Yung Berg. It was released on August 12, 2008, via Koch Records. Production was handled by Rob Holladay, Jason 'JFK' Fleming, Boogz, Detail, Mr. Collipark and Xcel. It features guest appearances from Casha Darjean, Amerie, K. Young, Lloyd, Ray J, Trey Songz and Twista among others. The album debuted at #20 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart selling 19,000 copies in its first week.
Exit Wounds: The Album is the soundtrack to Andrzej Bartkowiak's 2001 film Exit Wounds. It was released on March 20, 2001, four days after the film, through Blackground Records and Virgin Records with distribution via Warner Bros. Records, and consists primarily of hip hop music. The album composed of seventeen songs and features performances by the film star DMX, as well as Black Child, Drag-On, Ja Rule, Lady Luck, Mack 10, Memphis Bleek, Nas, Redman, Sheek Louch, Styles P, Three 6 Mafia, Trick Daddy, Trina, and WC among others. American rapper Christian "Yung Berg" Ward, then known as Iceberg, made his debut on this soundtrack on the track "Dog 4 Life".
So Far Gone is the debut extended play by Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on September 15, 2009 by Cash Money Records, Universal Motown Records and Young Money Entertainment. This is his reissued project from his third mixtape that was released earlier on February 13, 2009. This EP features five tracks from the mixtape, with the inclusions of two new songs. The EP features guest appearances from Trey Songz, Lil Wayne, Bun B and Young Jeezy. The EP was supported by three singles: "Best I Ever Had", "Successful" featuring Trey Songz and Lil Wayne, and "I'm Goin' In" featuring Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy. In April 2010, the EP won the Rap Recording of the Year at the 2010 Juno Awards.
American rapper Azealia Banks has released one studio album, two extended plays (EPs), three mixtapes, twenty-six singles and twelve promotional singles. At the age of seventeen in November 2008, Banks adopted the stage name Miss Bank$ and signed to XL Recordings. However, she ended the contract with the label quickly afterwards due to conflicting ideas. In 2009, Banks released several songs onto the internet for free download, including "Gimme a Chance" and "Seventeen". Following her departure from XL Recordings, Banks dropped her stage name, opting to use her legal name, Azealia Banks.
Love and War is the second studio album by American singer Tamar Braxton. The album was released on September 3, 2013, by Epic Records and Streamline Records. It is Tamar Braxton’s first studio album in 13 years. The album was a success, debuting at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart selling 114,000 copies. Even though plans for a re-release of the album with a full version of the song "She Did That" and a rap remix of "One on One Fun" in 2014 with additional songs were announced, the idea was eventually scrapped as Love and War was never re-published. The album also received three 56th Annual Grammy Award nominations for Best Urban Contemporary album, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song for "Love and War".
20 is a compilation album by American girl group TLC. It was released on October 15, 2013, by Epic and LaFace Records, marking both the group's 20-plus year legacy in entertainment business and the release of their biographical VH1 original film, CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story, which largely inspired the track listing for 20. Many of their hits are featured, including their four number-one singles: "Creep", "Waterfalls", "No Scrubs", and "Unpretty", as well as "Meant to Be", a new track co-written by singer Ne-Yo. Most of the tracks are featured in the original radio format, like on their previous compilation album Now and Forever: The Hits, and "No Scrubs" is featured in its original radio version with an accompanying rap of Left Eye.
Omar Jeffery Pineiro, known professionally as Smokepurpp, is an American rapper. He first became known in the SoundCloud rap scene for his 2017 single "Audi", which received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In March of that year, he signed with Alamo and Interscope Records to release the song and his debut mixtape for which it served as lead single, Deadstar (2017), the following September. It peaked at number 42 on the Billboard 200, while his debut studio album and the mixtape's sequel, Deadstar 2 (2019) narrowly entered the chart. His second album, Florida Jit (2020) failed to chart in any known territory and served as his final album on the label.
Alexander Leon Gumuchian, known professionally as bbno$, is a Canadian rapper and singer-songwriter. He is best known for his 2019 single, "Lalala", which peaked at number ten on the Canadian Hot 100; for his 2021 track "Edamame" ; and for his collaborations with American rapper Yung Gravy.
Jeremy Biddle, known professionally as Yung Bleu or Bleu, is an American rapper and singer. He is best known for his 2020 single "You're Mines Still", which peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 after it was remixed by Canadian rapper Drake.
