Kelendria Trene Rowland is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups. During the group's three-year hiatus, Rowland released her debut solo studio album, Simply Deep (2002), which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and sold over 3 million copies worldwide. It included the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Dilemma", as well as the UK top-five hits "Stole" and "Can't Nobody". Rowland also ventured into acting with starring roles in Freddy vs. Jason (2003) and The Seat Filler (2005).
"Soldier" is a song recorded by American group Destiny's Child, featuring American rappers T.I. and Lil Wayne, for the group's final studio album Destiny Fulfilled (2004). The artists wrote the song with Sean Garrett and Rich Harrison who produced it with the latter co-produced it with Beyoncé. A Southern hip hop mid-tempo song, it lyrically describes each member's favorite type of male love interest. The song was released as the second single from Destiny Fulfilled on November 9, 2004, by Columbia Records and Sony Urban Music.
Keri Lynn Hilson is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, she began her musical career as a songwriter and backing vocalist for other artists under the wing of record producer Anthony Dent in 2002. At the age of 14, Hilson secured a record deal with the girl group D'Signe, which ultimately disbanded. She attended at Oxford College of Emory University while contributing to material for popular artists, including Britney Spears, Usher, Ciara, The Pussycat Dolls, and Mary J. Blige; she joined the songwriting-production group, the Clutch in 2004.
"Get Me Bodied" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her second solo studio album B'Day (2006). It was written by Beyoncé, Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, Sean Garrett, Makeba Riddick, Angela Beyincé, and Solange Knowles, while the production was handled by Dean, Beyoncé and Garrett. Beyoncé was inspired by her sister Solange and former Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams for the writing process. Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment released "Get Me Bodied" as the album's fifth single in the United States on July 10, 2007.
"Flaws and All" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé from the deluxe edition of her second studio album, B'Day (2006). It was composed by Ne-Yo, Shea Taylor, Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, while Beyoncé Knowles and Taylor produced it. In the R&B song, Beyoncé shows appreciation for the love given by her man, who sees through all of her flaws and loves her unconditionally. "Flaws and All" received positive reviews from critics, who lauded Beyoncé's emotion and vulnerability on the track. Some critics also noted that the song was better than some of the songs on the standard edition of B'Day.
Rihanna has released four video albums and appeared in 62 music videos, 12 films, 13 television programs, and several television commercials. In 2005, Rihanna signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings and released her debut single "Pon de Replay", taken from her first studio album Music of the Sun (2005). Like its lyrical theme, the music video for the song was inspired by disco and dance; it was directed by Little X. Three separate videos were released for "SOS", the lead single from her second studio album A Girl like Me (2006), all of which contained various dance sequences. The same year, American director Anthony Mandler directed the accompanying music video for the second single "Unfaithful", which featured Rihanna in a dangerous love triangle with her lover and her husband. "Unfaithful" was Rihanna's first collaboration with Mandler; they later worked together regularly. Also in 2006, Rihanna played herself in the third installment of the Bring It On film series, entitled Bring It On: All or Nothing.
"Ego" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for the deluxe edition of her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). The song was composed by Elvis Williams, Harold Lilly, and Beyoncé. "Ego" was officially remixed with additional vocals from hip hop artist, Kanye West. Initially planned to be released in January 2009 as the second urban single in the US along with the fourth US and third international single "Halo", the release of "Ego" was canceled and replaced by "Diva". "Ego" was later issued as the third urban single, and fifth overall single in the US on May 19, 2009, alongside the sixth US and fourth international single "Sweet Dreams".
The discography of American R&B singer Keri Hilson consists of two studio albums, 29 singles, and 31 music videos. Hilson began her career as a songwriter, penning tracks for several artists in the mid-2000s as part of the five-person production and songwriting team The Clutch. Together, they co-wrote songs for artists including Mary J. Blige, Omarion, The Pussycat Dolls and Britney Spears. Hilson's solo discography began when she was featured on "Hey Now ", a 2004 single by American rapper Xzibit, which reached the top 10 in the United Kingdom. In 2006, Hilson signed to Mosley Music Group, a record label created by American record producer and rapper Timbaland.
American singer Beyoncé has appeared in numerous music videos, documentaries and films. She has also directed eight full-length films, including five concert films and two musical films. Her films have grossed over $2.5 billion worldwide at the box office. She first appeared in the 1997 music video for Destiny's Child's "No, No, No", after which she made her film debut as the lead in the direct-to-video musical Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001). Beyoncé's first solo music video was the soundtrack single "Work It Out" for Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), which also featured her debut theatrical film role. She released her first music video as a solo artist for "Crazy in Love" from Dangerously in Love (2003).
"Commander" is a song performed and co-written by American recording artist Kelly Rowland and French disc jockey and record producer David Guetta from Rowland's third studio album, Here I Am (2011). It serves as the project's international lead single and her debut release with Universal Motown. It was the pair's second collaboration, having previously topped charts around the world with a similar dance production, "When Love Takes Over", in 2009. Rowland and Guetta co-wrote the song with French DJ Sandy Vee and American songwriter Rico Love, who described the song as a "fun and aggressive club record" with themes of female empowerment and lyrics with deliberate grammatical errors. Guetta and Vee produced "Commander" with synthesized dance beats that blend R&B with electronica and house music, with Love providing backing vocals and vocal production. The song was premiered at the 2010 Winter Music Conference and subsequently garnered acclaim from contemporary critics for Rowland's vocal performance as well as Guetta's musical production.
"Why Don't You Love Me" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé Knowles for the platinum edition of her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). It was written by Knowles, Angela Beyincé, Solange Knowles and the Bama Boyz and produced by the Bama Boyz and Knowles. "Why Don't You Love Me" is an R&B song with disco influences that is set in a retro style. According to its lyrics, Knowles questions her love interest about why he does not value her fabulousness. Its 1960s-styled music video was directed by Melina Matsoukas and Knowles under the alias Bee-Z, and it stars the latter as "B.B. Homemaker". Knowles pays homage to Bettie Page in the video, which critics universally commended for its 1960's style sets and costumes. They also complimented Knowles for her acting skills.
"Super Bass" is a song by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj from the deluxe version of her debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010). It was sent to American rhythmic radio stations as the album's fifth single on April 5, 2011. The song was written alongside Ester Dean, Roahn Hylton, and producers Kane Beatz and JMIKE. According to Minaj, the song's lyrics detail the story of a playful romance between Minaj and a potential suitor. The pop rap song contains electronic influences, while Minaj raps over a hip hop beat. An accompanying music video for the single was shot in March 2011 by director Sanaa Hamri and shows Minaj playfully taunting a group of men; while making use of multiple props colored bubblegum pink.
"Look at Me Now" is a song by American singer Chris Brown featuring fellow American rappers Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes released as the second single from Brown's fourth studio album F.A.M.E. on February 1, 2011. The artists co-wrote the song with its producers Afrojack, Diplo, and Free School, with additional writing from Ryan Buendia. Musically, "Look at Me Now" is a "dirty south–inspired" hip hop song that features "thumping bass, spacy synth and horn jam sounds."
"Run the World (Girls)" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé, from her fourth studio album 4 (2011), released as the lead single from the album on April 21, 2011. It was written and produced by Beyoncé, The-Dream and Switch with additional production by Shea Taylor, while heavily sampling "Pon de Floor" by Major Lazer written by Nick "Afrojack" van de Wall, Wesley "Diplo" Pentz and Adidja "Vybz Kartel" Palmer. The song's development was motivated by Beyoncé wanting to do something different: a mixture of different cultures and eras, a new sound, and a message which would give women strength. An unedited demo of the song, then thought to be titled "Girls (Who Run the World)", was leaked on the internet on April 18, 2011. "Run the World" premiered on US radio on April 21, 2011, and was digitally released the same day.
"1+1" is a song that was recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her fourth studio album, 4 (2011). It was released by Columbia Records in the United States on May 25, 2011, as a promotional single. Serving as the opening track on 4, it was written and produced by The-Dream, Tricky Stewart and Beyoncé. "1+1" was originally titled "Nothing But Love" and The-Dream had initially planned to include it on his second studio album, Love vs. Money (2009). A down-tempo contemporary R&B and soul music power ballad, "1+1" lyrically discussing her endless love to her soul mate; the lyrics make strong statements about the power of the relationship.
Chris Brown is an American R&B singer-songwriter and actor who has appeared in many music videos. His videography consists of 93 music videos, eighteen guest appearances, four video albums, seven film appearances and four television appearances. Brown's first music video was for his debut single "Run It!", taken from his self-titled debut album. Directed by Erik White, the video "introduced the world" to Brown's dance moves. White and Brown directed the accompanying music video for the second single "Yo ", which made reference to Michael Jackson. Some of Brown's other videos have been noted for its similarities to Jackson's work, including his music videos for "Wall to Wall" (2007), "Yeah 3x" (2010), "She Ain't You" (2011) and "Turn Up the Music" (2012). In 2007, Brown made his acting debut in the film, Stomp the Yard, as Duron. That same year, he also appeared in This Christmas as Michael "Baby" Whitfield. Brown's music video for the single "Forever" (2008) was directed by Joseph Kahn and was "highly regarded as one of the best videos of 2008". It earned Brown three nominations at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards in the categories of Best Dancing in a Video, Best Choreography and Video of the Year.
Rapper and singer Nicki Minaj has been featured in 89 music videos, nine commercials, and four documentaries. Additionally, she has featured in four films: the animated The Angry Birds Movie 2 where she plays as a pink bird named Pinky, the animated Ice Age: Continental Drift in which she voiced the woolly mammoth, Steffie, Barbershop: The Next Cut in which she plays a sassy recruit named Draya, and The Other Woman, in which she played Lydia, an opinionated law-firm assistant. In 2009, Minaj signed a recording contract with Young Money Entertainment, and released her first solo music video under the label in March 2010.
American rapper 50 Cent has been featured in 88 music videos, 31 television programs, 25 films, and 3 video games.
"Boo Thang" is a song by American rapper Verse Simmonds, featuring singer Kelly Rowland. It was released by Bu Vision, a label run by Akon's brother Bu Thiam, in association with Konvict Muzik and The Island Def Jam Music Group. "Boo Thang" peaked at No. 44 on both the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. The song was ultimately included on Simmonds' mixtape Sextape Chronicles 2.
