Kris Stephens | |
---|---|
Birth name | Kristina Marie Stephens |
Born | Temple Hills, Maryland, U.S. | January 21, 1987
Genres | R&B, pop |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Years active | 2009–present |
Labels | Primary Wave, RoccAge, Grand Hustle Records |
Kristina Marie Stephens (born January 21, 1987) is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her guest performance alongside Kendrick Lamar and B.o.B on rapper T.I.'s 2013 single "Memories Back Then", which entered the Billboard Hot 100. Shortly after, she signed with T.I.'s record label, Grand Hustle Records, an imprint of Epic Records to begin work on her debut studio album for the label, which remains unreleased. Prior to this, she was credited with songwriting work for American singer Tank on his albums Now or Never (2010) and This Is How I Feel (2012). [1]
Stephens began writing poetry when she was nine, singing solos in church and school. [2] She attended Towson University, where she studied business management until she realized she'd been writing songs in class instead of paying attention, leading her to drop out so she could focus on music. [1]
Stephens moved to Atlanta and joined a girl group, and although her time with the group was limited, R&B singer Tank took notice and the two formed a long-term writing partnership and eventually moved in together for a brief period of time. Tank featured her on his song "Compliments" along with rapper T.I., and on set for the music video, Stephens built a rapport with T.I.; he heard her music and decided to go into business with Tank on her behalf. [1]
In 2013, Stephens was featured on T.I.'s single "Memories Back Then", which also featured B.o.B and Kendrick Lamar, as well as "Chasing Me," alongside Iggy Azalea and Young Dro. [3] That same year, she released a cover of Aaliyah's "One in a Million" and signed a major publishing deal with Primary Wave Music through super producer RoccStar. [4] [5] [6]
Year | Artist | Title | Label |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | T.I. and Hustle Gang feat. Iggy Azalea, Kris Stephens and Young Dro | "Chasing Me" | Grand Hustle Records |
Hustle Gang feat. B.o.B, Kendrick Lamar and Kris Stephens | "Memories Back Then" | MTC Records | |
2012 | Tank feat. T.I. and Kris Stephens | "Compliments" | Atlantic Records |
Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., better known by the stage names T.I. and Tip, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Harris is known as one of the pioneers of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers Jeezy and Gucci Mane. He first became aquainted with local music executive Kawan "KP" Prather, and joined his company Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment by the late 1990s. He was led to sign his first major-label record deal in 1999 with its parent company LaFace Records, an imprint of Arista Records. His debut studio album, I'm Serious (2001) was met with lukewarm commercial reception and became his only release with the label. He then signed with Atlantic Records, where he soon reached his mainstream breakthrough and co-founded his own label imprint, Grand Hustle Records by 2003.
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