Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter is an American singer, songwriter, and businesswoman. Known as an influential cultural figure in music history, she has influenced popular music with her vocal ability, live performances and artistic innovations. Her work is considered to be amongst the greatest of all time.
Nivea B. Hamilton, known mononymously as Nivea, is an American R&B singer. She has released three studio albums: her self-titled debut (2001), followed up by Complicated (2005), Animalistic (2006), and an independently released extended play Nivea: Undercover (2011). In 2019, she released her album Mirrors.
Raphael Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to fame as a vocalist for the R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné!, which he formed with his brother D'Wayne and cousin Timothy Christian Riley in 1986. Along with his groupwork and solo career, he has produced and written songs for other R&B artists, including Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Total, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, TLC, En Vogue, Kelis, Mary J. Blige, Ledisi, Whitney Houston, Solange Knowles and John Legend.
Garrett Robin Hamler, known professionally as Sean Garrett, is an American songwriter and record producer. He is known his songwriting work on a series of commercially successful R&B and hip hop songs, beginning with Usher's 2004 single "Yeah!". Peaking atop the Billboard Hot 100, Garrett co-wrote five other songs which did so—"Goodies" for Ciara that same year; "Check on It" for Beyoncé, "Run It!" for Chris Brown in 2005; "London Bridge" for Fergie, "Grillz" for Nelly in 2006—as well as 17 other singles that peaked atop the UK Singles, US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, or Dance Club Songs charts. Throughout his career, Garrett has been nominated for four Grammy Awards.
"If This World Were Mine" is a 1967 song by soul music duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell from their album United. Written solely by Gaye, it was one of the few songs they recorded without Ashford & Simpson writing or producing. When it was released as a single in November 1967 as the B-side to the duo's "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You", it hit the Billboard pop singles chart, peaking at number 68, and peaked at number 27 on the Billboard R&B singles chart. Gaye would later put the song into his set list during his last tours in the early 1980s as he performed a medley of his hits with Terrell. The song was covered by Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn who had an R&B hit with it in 1982.
Robin Alan Thicke is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 2013 single "Blurred Lines", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and remains one of the best-selling singles of all time. At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, it received nominations for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Case Woodard is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for the 1990s hits "Touch Me, Tease Me", "Happily Ever After" and "The Best Man I Can Be" with Ginuwine, R.L. and Tyrese, as well as the early 2000s hits "Missing You" and "Livin' It Up" with Ja Rule. The latter two earned him two Grammy Award nominations.
Richard Preston Butler Jr., better known by his stage name Rico Love, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, but split his childhood between Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Harlem, New York City. He attended Florida A&M and, while visiting Atlanta, worked his way into the music industry through connections with singer Usher, who became one of Butler's frequent collaborators.
Durrell Artaze Babbs, better known by his stage name Tank, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a backing vocalist for R&B singers Aaliyah and Ginuwine, and signed a recording contract with the former's record label, Blackground Records as a performing act in 1998. His 2001 single, "Maybe I Deserve" peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and led his debut studio album, Force of Nature (2001). It peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200, while his second album, One Man (2002), peaked within the top 20 and was met with mixed critical reception.
The Carters are an American musical superduo consisting of singer and songwriter Beyoncé and rapper Jay-Z, who have been married since 2008. Outside of The Carters, the couple has also frequently collaborated in recordings and songwriting. Their first album and single under the moniker, Everything Is Love and "Apeshit", were released on June 16, 2018. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The Carters have performed on two co-headlining concert tours, On the Run Tour (2014) and On the Run II Tour (2018).
Terius Adamu Ya Gesteelde-Diamant, known professionally as The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for having written or co-produced songs for artists in R&B and hip hop, often in tandem with production partner Tricky Stewart. Beginning with I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008), he has been credited on each of American singer Beyoncé's subsequent albums.
Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo is an American R&B singer-songwriter and rapper from Los Angeles, California. Aiko embarked on her musical career in 2002, as a backing vocalist and music video performer for the R&B group B2K. She was signed by their record label, The Ultimate Group that same year and was marketed as the "cousin" of B2K member Lil' Fizz to cultivate her own following, although they are not related. Her debut album, slated for a 2003 release through the label with Epic Records, was shelved due to Aiko instead further pursuing her education.
"The Closer I Get to You" is a romantic ballad performed by singer-songwriter Roberta Flack and soul musician Donny Hathaway. The song was written by James Mtume and Reggie Lucas, two former members of Miles Davis's band, who were members of Flack's band at the time. Produced by Atlantic Records, the song was released on Flack's 1977 album Blue Lights in the Basement, and as a single in 1978. It became a major crossover hit, becoming Flack's biggest commercial hit after her success with her 1973 solo single, "Killing Me Softly with His Song". Originally set as a solo single, Flack's manager, David Franklin, suggested a duet with Hathaway, which resulted in the finished work.
"Love On Top" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé for her fourth studio album 4 (2011). Inspired by her state of mind while playing Etta James in the 2008 musical biopic Cadillac Records, Beyoncé wrote the song alongside Terius Nash and Shea Taylor; its production was handled by Taylor and Beyoncé. A throw-back to 1980s music, the uptempo R&B song exhibits style similar to that of Stevie Wonder, Huey Lewis, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and the Jackson 5, among others. While incorporating four key changes, Beyoncé adopts a high range when repeating the song's chorus towards the end of the song. She sings about a person whom she can always call, even after facing grief and hard work from them, until finally they put her first.
Courtney Michaela Ann "Coco" Jones is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born in Columbia, South Carolina and raised in Lebanon, Tennessee, she began auditioning as a child to pursue a career in entertainment. She first appeared on the competition series Radio Disney's Next Big Thing (2010–11), which led to her being cast in other Disney properties such as the film Let It Shine (2012) and the sitcom Good Luck Charlie, where she appeared from 2012 to 2013.
James Edward Fauntleroy II is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Inglewood, California. He is best known for his songwriting work and guest performances on songs by high-profile artists including Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Drake, J. Cole, Vince Staples, Jhené Aiko, Big Sean, Jay-Z, John Mayer, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Chris Brown, Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Justin Timberlake. In 2014 and 2018, Fauntleroy won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.
"Drunk in Love" is a song by American Rapper/singer and songwriter Future Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn. Sung by Beyoncé, featuring American rapper Jay-Z. The duo sang the song with the help of its producers Detail, Andre Eric Proctor, Rasool Diaz, Brian Soko, Timbaland, J-Roc and Boots. The song was one of the two lead singles from Beyoncé's self-titled fifth studio album (2013), released by Columbia Records five days after the album. The song is dominated by trap beats in chunks and bass. Its lyrics, which depict female sexuality, are performed in a confident, salacious manner. A demo of "Drunk in Love" performed by American rapper Future leaked prior to its release, though he remains uncredited.
Charles Kent Wilson, also known as Uncle Charlie, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer who served lead vocalist for the Gap Band from its 1967 formation until its 2010 disbandment. As a solo act, Wilson has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards and 11 NAACP Image Awards, received a 2009 Soul Train Icon Award, and was a recipient of a BMI Icon Award in 2005. In 2009 and 2020, he was named Billboard magazine's No. 1 Adult R&B Artist, and his song "There Goes My Baby" was named the No. 1 Urban Adult Song for 2009 in Billboard.
Chloe x Halle is an American R&B and Alternative duo composed of sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey. At a young age, the sisters performed in minor acting roles before moving from their hometown of Mableton, Georgia to Los Angeles in 2012. The two began posting music covers to YouTube and were acknowledged by Beyoncé, who became their mentor and later signed them to her label, Parkwood Entertainment. They subsequently released the EP Sugar Symphony (2016) and the mixtape The Two of Us (2017).
"Apeshit" is a song by American musical duo The Carters, composed of Beyoncé and Jay-Z. The song was written by the duo, Pharrell Williams, and Quavo & Offset from the hip hop trio Migos, with the former three producing the song alongside Stuart White and the latter two providing ad-libs on the song. The song was released on June 16, 2018, as the only single from the duo's collaborative studio album Everything Is Love, along with a music video filmed at the Louvre in Paris. The video received eight nominations at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards, including for Video of the Year, and a nomination for Best Music Video at the 61st Grammy Awards.
