"Fast Car" is the debut single by American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, released on April 6, 1988, by Elektra Records, as the lead single from her 1988 self-titled debut studio album. Chapman's appearance at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert in June 1988 helped the song become a top-ten hit in the United States, reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100, and led the album to top the Billboard 200. The single also reached number five on the UK Singles Chart.
Jussie Smollett is an American actor and singer. He began his career as a child actor in 1991 debuting in The Mighty Ducks (1992). From 2015 to 2019, Smollett portrayed musician Jamal Lyon in the Fox drama series Empire.
Estelle Fanta Swaray is a British singer, rapper and actress. She is known for her eclectic blending of musical genres including R&B, soul, reggae, grime, hip hop and dance. She has collaborated with prominent American artists including Chris Brown, Kanye West, will.i.am, Nas, Akon, Tyler, the Creator, Robin Thicke and Rick Ross, among others.
"American Boy” is a song by British singer and rapper Estelle featuring American rapper Kanye West from the former's second studio album Shine (2008). The song was written by the artists, alongside Ethan Hendrickson, will.i.am, John Legend, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, and Keith Harris. It was produced by will.i.am, and uses the instrumental from "Impatient" from his own third studio album Songs About Girls (2007). "American Boy" is a breezy R&B and disco-funk song that lyrically describes a romance with an American suitor. The song's conception came after Legend, Estelle's mentor, suggested she write a song about meeting a man from the United States.
The discography of British singer Estelle consists of five studio albums, five extended plays, twenty-three singles, and six promotional singles.
"Empire State of Mind" is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z featuring American singer Alicia Keys from the former's eleventh studio album, The Blueprint 3 (2009). It was released by his then-newfound record label Roc Nation and Atlantic Records on October 20, 2009. Produced by Al Shux, the song features a music sample of "Love on a Two-Way Street" performed by The Moments. Angela Hunte and Janet Sewell-Ulepic originally wrote it as a tribute to their hometown, New York City. The following month, they submitted it to Roc Nation, whose reviews were discouraging. They later took the suggestion of an EMI Music Publishing associate and resubmitted it to Jay-Z, who kept the "New York" singing part on the hook, changed the verses, and recorded it. The song's title, similar to "New York State of Mind" by Billy Joel and "N.Y. State of Mind" by Nas, is a play on and tribute to New York's nickname "Empire State".
"Nothin' on You" is the debut single of both American rapper B.o.B and featured American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It is the lead single from the former's debut studio album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray (2010). It was first released on December 15, 2009, via digital download by Atlantic Records. The track was written by B.o.B, Mars, Philip Lawrence, and Ari Levine, with the latter three producing it as the Smeezingtons. "Nothin' on You" was initially written for Lupe Fiasco, but Atlantic Records' chairman, Craig Kallman, gave it to B.o.B after being displeased with Fiasco's version. The song took several months to finish and was born from a hummed melody by Mars and Lawrence.
"Billionaire" is a song by American rapper Travie McCoy from his debut studio album, Lazarus (2010), featuring vocals by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It was first released on March 9, 2010, in various countries via digital download as the album's lead single by Fueled by Ramen. McCoy co-wrote the song with its producers Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine of the Smeezingtons. The song was created from a melody hummed by Mars and Lawrence. The lyrics were written during an eleven-day trip Mars and Levine made to London to work on a record, supported by Mars's label.
Australian singer-songwriter Sia has released 10 studio albums, six live albums, 68 singles, and 45 music videos. In 1997, she released her debut studio album entitled OnlySee. It was commercially unsuccessful, and none of its songs were released as a single. Sia released her second album, Healing Is Difficult, in 2001. The album yielded three singles: "Taken for Granted", "Little Man" and "Drink to Get Drunk". The lead single, "Taken for Granted", peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Rather Be" is a song by English electronic music group Clean Bandit, featuring vocals by Jess Glynne. It was released on 17 January 2014 as the fourth single from the group's debut studio album, New Eyes (2014). It also appears on the deluxe version of Glynne's debut album, I Cry When I Laugh (2015). It was co-written by band members Jack Patterson and Grace Chatto, along with Jimmy Napes and Nicole Marshall, and produced by Patterson and Chatto. Warner Music Group released a number of official remixes for download, with DJs such as All About She and Cash Cash.
"Bailando" (transl. "Dancing") is a song by Spanish singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias for his tenth studio album Sex and Love (2014). Written by Iglesias with long-time collaborator Bueno, the first and Spanish version was released with Cuban artists Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona. Shortly afterward, the official version of the song was released by Universal Republic Records as the sixth single from the album. The song spent 41 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. "Bailando" was produced by Carlos Paucar.
Empire is an American music drama television series created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong for Fox that ran from January 7, 2015, to April 21, 2020. It is a joint production by Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox Television and syndicated by 20th Television. Although it is filmed in Chicago, the show is set in New York. The series centers on the fictional hip hop music and entertainment company Empire Entertainment, and the drama among the members of the founders' family as they fight for control of it. It stars Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Bryshere Y. Gray, Jussie Smollett and Trai Byers as members of the Lyon Family, along with a supporting cast including Grace Byers, Kaitlin Doubleday, Gabourey Sidibe, Ta'Rhonda Jones, Serayah, Malik Yoba and Vivica A. Fox.
"New Flame" is a song recorded by American singer Chris Brown. It was originally released as a promotional single from Brown's album on March 5, 2014. This version only featured rapper Rick Ross as a guest artist. A few months later, a day after the 2014 BET Awards were held, the single version of the song featuring Ross and Usher was released on June 30, 2014, as the fifth official single from his sixth studio album X. The song peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 in the United Kingdom.
The discography of American singer Ty Dolla Sign consists of three studio albums, two extended plays (EP), seven mixtapes and forty-four singles.
"Bad Blood" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). She wrote the song with the Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback. It is a pop song using keyboards and hip hop–inspired drum beats, and the lyrics are about betrayal by a close friend. A remix featuring the American rapper Kendrick Lamar, with additional lyrics by Lamar and production by the Swedish musician Ilya, was released to radio as 1989's fourth single on May 17, 2015, by Big Machine and Republic Records.
True Romance is the fourth studio album by British rapper and singer Estelle. The album was released on February 17, 2015, by Established 1980 Records. The album was supported by the singles "Make Her Say " and "Conqueror".
Bryshere Yazuan Gray, also known by the stage name Yazz the Greatest or simply Yazz, is an American actor and rapper, best known for his role as Hakeem Lyon in the Fox primetime musical drama television series Empire. He is also known for his portrayal as Michael Bivins in the 2017 BET miniseries The New Edition Story.
"See You Again" is a song by American rapper Wiz Khalifa featuring American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth. It was commissioned for the soundtrack of the 2015 film Furious 7 as a tribute to Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker, who died in a single-vehicle crash on November 30, 2013. The song was released on March 10, 2015, as the soundtrack's lead single in the United States. It was later included as a bonus track on the international release of Puth's debut album, Nine Track Mind.
Empire: Original Soundtrack from Season 1 is the debut soundtrack album by the cast of the musical drama television series Empire, which airs on Fox. The album includes songs that featured during the first season of the show, and performed by various artists. The album was released by Columbia Records. The soundtrack received positive critical reception and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States. On September 11, 2015, another soundtrack titled Empire: The Complete Season 1 was released containing every song heard on the show that weren't included on the official soundtrack.
Walter Anthony "Tony" Bradford, better known by his stage name Montana of 300, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. His debut studio album, Fire in the Church, was released on May 20, 2016. He is best known for his rap style, incorporating trap, R&B, and drill beats, while also making remixes to hit songs that, like his originals, often include religious subtext.
