Ms. Kelly is the second solo studio album by American recording artist Kelly Rowland. It was released on June 20, 2007, through Columbia Records in collaboration with Music World Entertainment. Originally titled My Story and expected for a mid-2006 release, the album marked Rowland's first solo studio album in four years. Retitled and delayed numerous times prior to its official release, the album's release date was eventually moved to 2007 in favor of a multi-tiered marketing strategy and additional recording sessions. Willed to produce a more personal effort after her debut studio album Simply Deep (2002), Rowland contributed nine tracks to the reworked Ms. Kelly, which took her solo work further into urban music markets, involving production by Scott Storch, Polow da Don, Soulshock & Karlin and singer Tank, among others.
Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty is the debut studio album by American rapper Big Boi, released on July 5, 2010, by Purple Ribbon Records and Def Jam South Recordings. It is his first solo album, following his work as a member of the hip hop duo OutKast. Production for the album took place primarily at Stankonia Recording Studio in Atlanta during 2007 to 2010 and was handled by several record producers, including Organized Noize, J Beatzz, Scott Storch, Salaam Remi, Mr. DJ, and André 3000, among others.
Yukimi Eleanora Nagano is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She is the vocalist for the Swedish electronic group Little Dragon.
The discography of American rapper Big Boi consists of three studio albums, one mixtape, twenty-two singles, five promotional singles and twenty-five music videos. Big Boi initially achieved success as a member of the hip hop duo Outkast with fellow rapper André 3000; they have recorded and released six studio albums together, and the singles "Ms. Jackson", "Hey Ya!" and "The Way You Move" have all topped the US Billboard Hot 100. Big Boi guest appeared on the 1995 single "Dirty South" by Atlanta-based hip hop group Goodie Mob, which entered the Billboard Hot 100. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, he made other appearances on commercially successful singles including "All n My Grill" by Missy Elliott, "A.D.I.D.A.S." by Killer Mike and "Girlfight" by Brooke Valentine—each likewise entered the Billboard Hot 100.
"When Love Takes Over" is a song by French DJ and record producer David Guetta featuring vocals by American singer Kelly Rowland, from Guetta's fourth studio album, One Love (2009). It was released as the lead single from the album on 21 April 2009 by Virgin Records. The song was conceived when Guetta played the instrumental version during one of his DJ sets in summer 2008; American recording artist Kelly Rowland, who fell in love with the track, convinced Guetta to allow her to take it so that she could write and record vocals for it. It was co-written by Nervo.
Jeremy McArthur, known professionally as Arthur McArthur, is a Grammy-nominated Canadian record producer from Toronto, Ontario. A classically trained piano and guitar player, he has been involved in music producing since 2008. He has worked with the artists Drake, Big Boi, Rick Ross, Tyga, Big Sean, Kelly Rowland, Dr. Dre, and Logic, among others.
"Commander" is a song performed and co-written by American singer Kelly Rowland and French DJ 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 widespread acclaim from contemporary critics for Rowland's vocal performance as well as Guetta's musical production.
Here I Am is the third studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland, released through Universal Motown and Universal Music Group on July 22, 2011. The album is Rowland's first release since parting ways with her manager Mathew Knowles and longtime Sony Music record label Columbia Records. Here I Am is predominately a pop, R&B and dance album. It follows Rowland's assertion that "no one puts her in a box" with common themes around womanhood, sexual intimacy and love. Originally scheduled for release in 2010, the album was pushed back after the first round of singles were released to mixed critical and commercial reception.
"Rose Colored Glasses" is a song by American recording artist Kelly Rowland, recorded for her third studio album, Here I Am (2011). It was written by Ester Dean and Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, with lyrics reflecting the different perspectives on relationships and how one can perceive a relationship different from the outside. It opens with an electro-crescendo followed by Rowland's vocals which were produced by Emily Wright; the song's production is based upon layered synths and drums, programmed by Dr. Luke. Dean helped Rowland to record the song, which Rowland said made her cry as it reminded her of her own experiences in past relationships. "Rose Colored Glasses" also had an effect on Rowland's vocals, causing them to swell. The song was serviced to rhythmic and contemporary hit radio on June 29, 2010. Critics praised "Rose Colored Glasses" as one of Rowland's strongest vocal and emotional performances to date.
"Gone" is a song by American recording artist Nelly, taken from his sixth studio album, 5.0. Featuring additional lead vocals from American recording artist Kelly Rowland, "Gone" is the sequel to Nelly's 2002 worldwide number one single "Dilemma", also featuring Rowland. It was written by Eric Goudy II, Nelly, Earl Hood and co-written and produced by Rico Love & Jim Jonsin as a continuum to the love story outlined in "Dilemma". "Gone" was initially known as "Dilemma p.2" but the title was changed and Nelly stopped referring to the song as "Dilemma"' sequel for fear that it would not match people's expectations and through his desire for "Gone" to be recognised as a separate recording.
"Motivation" is a song recorded by American recording artist Kelly Rowland for her third studio album Here I Am (2011). The song was written by Jim Jonsin, Rico Love, Daniel Morris and Lil Wayne, with Jonsin producing the song and Lil Wayne having featured vocals. The R&B slow jam was released as the fourth single from Here I Am on March 2, 2011, by Universal Motown Records.
Original Me is the fourth studio album from German Eurodance act Cascada, first released on 17 June 2011. Recording sessions for the album took place from 2009 to 2011 at Plazmatek Studio, Yanou Studio 1. The entire album, like their previous albums, was produced by the two DJs from Cascada, Yanou and DJ Manian. The album’s genre follows in the footsteps of the preceding album, Evacuate the Dancefloor, completely shifting away from the uptempo eurodance, containing electropop songs that are influenced by urban contemporary and pop music. Musically, the album is composed of electro-infused dance tracks with thick euro synths, cymbal crashing beats and Europop lyrics. Lyrically, the album, like the preceding albums, is composed of songs about love, dancing, and relationships.
"Lay It on Me" is a song by American singer Kelly Rowland featuring two rap verses from American rapper Big Sean, taken from Rowland's third studio album Here I Am (2011). The contemporary R&B and Hi-NRG song was written by Sean, Ester Dean and Chauncy "Hit-Boy" Hollis who also produced the song. "Lay It On Me" has a piano-driven melody and is laced with 808s and high NRG beats; the lyrics centre on Rowland describing sexual encounters with a lover.
"Till I Die" is a song by American singer Chris Brown featuring American rappers Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa. It was written by the artists alongside Marcella Araica and producer Danja. "Till I Die" was released digitally on April 13, 2012, as the third single from Brown's fifth studio album, Fortune (2012). It was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States on May 1, 2012. "Till I Die" is an uptempo hip hop song that displays elements of electro music and features military drumbeats, R&B synths and "arcade-game blips". The song contains lyrics about women, smoking weed, partying in the club and living the good life.
"Ice" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Kelly Rowland, featuring American rapper Lil Wayne. It was released on August 24, 2012. It was originally the lead single from Rowland's fourth studio album, Talk a Good Game (2013), however it did not make the album's final cut. The song was written by Rowland, Sean Garrett, Noel Fisher and Wayne, while the production was helmed by Garrett and Fisher. "Ice" is the third collaboration between Rowland and Wayne, following the Destiny's Child collaboration "Soldier" (2004), and her solo single "Motivation" (2011).
Talk a Good Game is the fourth studio album by the American singer Kelly Rowland. Formerly titled Year of the Woman, the album was released on June 18, 2013, by Universal Republic and its affiliated record labels. Incorporating a base core of R&B and pop music, Talk a Good Game was influenced by the likes of Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder among Rowland's other idols. She wanted the album to be a celebration of womanhood and referred to the record as her most personal album to date. On the album, she co-wrote all but one song, "Freak", a cover version of the 2010 song by the entertainer Jamie Foxx from his fourth studio album Best Night of My Life. A deluxe edition, and a Target-exclusive edition of the album with bonus tracks, were released simultaneously with the twelve-track standard edition.
Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors is the second studio album by American rapper Big Boi, released on December 11, 2012, by Purple Ribbon Records and Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances from Sleepy Brown, Phantogram, T.I., Ludacris, Kid Cudi, Little Dragon, Killer Mike, Kelly Rowland, ASAP Rocky, B.o.B, Wavves, Mouche, Scar, Bosko, Jai Paul, UGK, Big K.R.I.T., Theophilus London, and Tre Luce.
"Kisses Down Low" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Kelly Rowland and is the first single from her fourth studio album Talk a Good Game. The song was written by Rowland, Marquel Middlebrooks, Timothy and Theron Thomas and Michael Williams, the latter of whom also produced the song under his production moniker, Mike WiLL Made It. Complimented for its lyrics about oral sex and steamy content, "Kisses Down Low" was released on February 1, 2013, serving as the lead single from Talk a Good Game. The song has been certified gold by the RIAA.
"Dirty Laundry" is a song recorded by American recording artist Kelly Rowland, for her fourth studio album, Talk a Good Game (2013). Co-written and produced by The-Dream, the R&B ballad was serviced to radio as the album's second single on May 15, 2013, and was released for digital download on May 21, 2013, through Republic Records. The record candidly documents the time in Rowland's life after the release of her debut album Simply Deep (2002); Rowland speaks of her envy of former groupmate Beyoncé's solo success and the domestic abuse she suffered during a previous relationship. Critics praised the sparse piano-led melody, as well as Rowland's openness about her jealousy of Knowles and the inspiring message about leaving an abusive relationship. The official remix features a new introduction from Rowland and new verses from R. Kelly.
Antwan André Patton, known professionally as Big Boi, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Born in Savannah, Georgia and raised in Atlanta, he is best known for being one half of the Southern hip hop duo Outkast, which he formed in 1992 alongside fellow Atlanta-based rapper André 3000.
