The Best of Both Worlds is the first collaborative album by Jay-Z and R. Kelly. It was released on March 19, 2002 through Roc-A-Fella, The Island Def Jam Music Group, Rockland Records and Jive Records. The production on the album was primarily handled by R. Kelly and Poke and Tone, but also features production by Megahertz and Charlemagne. The album also features guest appearances by Beanie Siegel, Lil' Kim and Devin the Dude.
American artist Jay-Z has released thirteen solo studio albums, four collaboration albums, one live album, one compilation album, one soundtrack album, two extended plays, one hundred and fifteen singles, nine promotional singles and eighty-two music videos. As of December 2014, Jay-Z has sold 29,179,000 studio albums in United States.
Unfinished Business is the second and final collaboration album between American rapper Jay-Z and singer R. Kelly. The album was released worldwide on October 26, 2004. It was distributed in the United States and Canada by Jive Records and Island Def Jam Music Group, by the Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) and its subsidiary Jive Records, except in Canada and the United States of America where Island Def Jam Music Group and its labels Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records replaced BMG. The album was composed of unreleased tracks from the recording sessions of 2002's The Best of Both Worlds. although slight additions were made.
American singer Alicia Keys has released eight studio albums, two live albums, one remix album, four reissue albums, one extended play, seven box sets, 45 singles as lead artist, and six promotional singles. Throughout her career, Keys has sold over 65 million records worldwide. According to Recording Industry Association of America, Keys is the top certified female R&B artist of the millennium, with 20 million certified albums and 38 million certified digital singles in the United States. Billboard ranked her as the second top female artist of the 2000s decade, fourth top R&B/hip-Hop female artist of the 2010s decade and the 60th Greatest Artist of all time.
"'03 Bonnie & Clyde" is a song recorded by American rapper Jay-Z featuring his then-girlfriend, now wife, American singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was released on October 10, 2002. It was composed by Jay-Z, Kanye West, Prince, Tupac Shakur, Darryl Harper, Ricky Rouse and Tyrone Wrice for Jay-Z's seventh studio album The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse (2002). The song was released as the album's lead single on October 10, 2002. "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" sampled its beat from American rapper Tupac Shakur's 1996 song "Me and My Girlfriend", paraphrasing its chorus, and was inspired by the crime film Bonnie and Clyde. The instrumentation is based on programmed drums, bass instruments, and a flamenco guitar.
American R&B singer-songwriter R. Kelly has released 17 studio albums, five compilation albums, one soundtrack album, six video albums, one mixtape, two extended play, and 129 singles.
American singer Beyoncé has released seven studio albums, five live albums, three compilation albums, five EPs, one soundtrack album, two karaoke albums, and 83 singles. To date, Beyoncé has sold over 200 million records worldwide as a solo artist, and a further 60 million as part of Destiny's Child, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Billboard ranked her as the 37th greatest artist of all time.
"Frontin'" is the debut single by American musician Pharrell Williams featuring fellow American musician Jay-Z. It was written by the artists alongside Chad Hugo, who produced it with Williams as The Neptunes. At the time of its release, Williams insisted the single was a one-off, and that he was purely a producer and not an artist in his own right. However, he released his own solo studio album, In My Mind, in 2006.
"Fiesta (Remix)" is a song by singer R. Kelly featuring rappers Jay-Z & Boo & Gotti. The hit song spent five weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart and peaked at number six on the US pop chart. R. Kelly and Jay-Z have worked several times together. In 2002, they released the album "The Best of Both Worlds" which sold 285,000 copies in its first week. The single is ranked by Billboard as the best selling and most played R&B/Hip Hop song of 2001.
"Umbrella" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007). It features American rapper Jay-Z, who co-wrote the song with its producers Tricky Stewart and Kuk Harrell, with additional writing from The-Dream. The song was rejected on twice; originally written with Britney Spears in mind but her label rejected it, and then Mary J. Blige due to Grammy Awards scheduling. "Umbrella" is a pop, hip hop and R&B song with rock elements, referring to a romantic and platonic relationship and the strength of that relationship.
"Empire State of Mind" is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z featuring vocals by American singer Alicia Keys, from Jay-Z's 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3 (2009). It was released 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. It was originally written by Angela Hunte and Janet Sewell-Ulepic as a tribute to their hometown, New York City. The following month, they submitted it to Jay-Z's label Roc Nation, whose reviews were a discouragement. They later took the suggestion of an associate of EMI Music Publishing 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, is a wordplay and tribute to New York's nickname and could also be a reference to Empire State Building in Manhattan, New York City.
"Happy People" is a song by American R&B recording artist R. Kelly. Like Kelly's previous single, "Step in the Name of Love", the song is about the stepping dance. It was released on March 22, 2004, as the lead single from his second double album, Happy People/U Saved Me (2004). The song went to number 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. In some territories, it was released as a double A-side with "U Saved Me"; this issue peaked at number six in the United Kingdom.
"Numb/Encore" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z and rock band Linkin Park from their EP Collision Course (2004). It was released as a single on December 13, 2004, by Warner Bros., Machine Shop, Def Jam, and Roc-A-Fella Records. The song is a mash-up that fuses rock and hip hop, combining lyrics from "Numb" by Linkin Park and "Encore" by Jay-Z, both released in 2003.
Andrew Charles Grammer is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is signed to S-Curve Records.
American rapper Kendrick Lamar has released five studio albums, one compilation album, one extended play (EP), five mixtapes, 65 singles, three promotional singles, and 55 music videos. Lamar initially performed under the stage name K.Dot, releasing three mixtapes under that moniker: Y.H.N.I.C. (2004), Training Day (2005), and C4 (2009). He gained major attention after the release of his fourth mixtape Overly Dedicated, which was released in 2010. It was Lamar's first full-length project to be released under his birth name and fared well enough to enter the United States Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, where it peaked at number 72.
"Talk That Talk" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her 2011 studio album of the same name. It features a rap verse by American rapper Jay-Z, who had previously collaborated with Rihanna on her song "Umbrella" in 2007 and "Run This Town" in 2009. The song was written by Jay-Z, Ester Dean, together with the Norwegian production duo Stargate. Def Jam Recordings serviced the track to urban contemporary radio in the United States on January 17, 2012, as the third single from Talk That Talk. It was released in France as a CD single on March 26. "Talk That Talk" is a hip hop song with R&B beats, rough drums and unrefined synths, and has a similar style to Rihanna's 2010 single "Rude Boy". It contains a brief sample of "I Got a Story to Tell" by the Notorious B.I.G. Therefore, the Buckwild, Sean Combs, Chucky Thompson, and the Notorious B.I.G are credited as songwriters despite the Notorious B.I.G's death in 1997.
American singer Frank Ocean has released two studio albums, one mixtape, 21 singles and eight music videos. Following the flooding and destruction of his recording studio during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Ocean moved from his hometown of New Orleans to the Californian city of Los Angeles, where he sought to continue his musical career, eventually landing himself a songwriting contract. In 2009, Ocean signed to Def Jam Recordings as a solo artist. Ocean also formed a friendship with rapper Tyler, the Creator, leader of the Los Angeles-based hip hop collective Odd Future (OFWGKTA) and subsequently became a member of Odd Future, as well as making three guest appearances on the album Goblin, including the single "She". In February 2011, he released his first major project, his first mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra, which produced two singles: "Novacane" and "Swim Good". "Novacane" became his first single to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 82. Ocean also made two guest appearances on the Kanye West and Jay Z collaborative album Watch the Throne, including the single "No Church in the Wild", which peaked at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ocean has also written songs for several artists, such as Brandy Norwood, John Legend ("Quickly"), Beyoncé, Bridget Kelly, and Justin Bieber ("Bigger").
"Holy Grail" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z from his twelfth studio album Magna Carta Holy Grail. It features vocals from American singer Justin Timberlake and serves as the album's lead single. It was produced by The-Dream, Timbaland, and J-Roc, with additional production from No ID and contains elements of Nirvana's 1991 hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Following the release of the album, the song charted in many regions, entering at number eight and reaching number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as charting at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. "Holy Grail" had sold over 3.4 million copies in the United States as of 2018.
The singles discography of American rapper Jay-Z consists of 68 singles as a lead artist, and 51 singles as a featured artist, as well as 14 promotional singles.
"Shining" is a song written and performed by American producer DJ Khaled as the lead single from his tenth studio album, Grateful (2017). The song features vocals from American singer Beyoncé and American rapper Jay-Z. The song was released on February 12, 2017, by We the Best and Epic Records. The song contains a sample of Osunlade's 2013 recording "Dionne" which itself samples 1970's "Walk the Way You Talk" by Dionne Warwick.
