Artis Leon Ivey Jr.,known professionally as Coolio,is an American rapper,singer,record producer,and actor. Coolio achieved mainstream success in the mid-to-late 1990s with his albums It Takes a Thief (1994),Gangsta's Paradise (1995),and My Soul (1997). He is best known for his 1995 Grammy Award-winning hit single "Gangsta's Paradise",as well as other singles "Fantastic Voyage" (1994),"1,2,3,4 " (1996) and "C U When U Get There" (1997).
John David Jackson,better known by his stage name Fabolous,is an American rapper. His career began when he was a senior in high school and ended up performing live on record producer and music executive DJ Clue's radio show,then on Hot 97. Jackson was subsequently signed by DJ Clue to his label Desert Storm,and later secured a distribution deal with Elektra Records. Fabolous' first release,Ghetto Fabolous (2001),spawned the hit singles "Can't Deny It" and "Young'n ",which led Jackson to prominence. His second release was 2003's Street Dreams,which was supported by two Top 10 singles "Can't Let You Go" and "Into You".
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD is a Jamaican dancehall recording artist,singer,songwriter,and producer,who is regarded as one of the genre's most prolific artists.
"Gangsta's Paradise" is a song by American rapper Coolio,featuring singer L.V. The song was released on Coolio's album of the same name,as well as the soundtrack for the 1995 film Dangerous Minds. It samples the chorus and instrumentation,and includes some of the lyric,with altered meaning,of Stevie Wonder's 1976 song "Pastime Paradise". Stevie Wonder apparently used 'past-time paradise' in an ironic reference to squandering of the present on nostalgically 'living in the past'. Coolio apparently deplores an ostensibly paradisiacal but factually dangerous and time-wasting 'gangsta' lifestyle.
"Money Maker" is a song written and performed by American rapper Ludacris and R&B singer Pharrell Williams. The song was released to the radio on July 17,2006 as the first single from Ludacris's fifth album Release Therapy. Produced by Williams and Chad Hugo,the song is a reimagining of the 1961 Elmore James blues song "Shake Your Moneymaker". The single became Ludacris' third number-one song on the US Billboard Hot 100,while also topping the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Tracks charts. It also became the number-one single on radio in the United States on October 19,2006.
"International Players Anthem" is a song by American hip hop duo UGK,released on June 6,2007,as the second single from their fifth studio album Underground Kingz (2007). The song,produced by DJ Paul and Juicy J of Three 6 Mafia,features verses from fellow Southern hip hop duo Outkast.
"Got Money" is a hip hop song by American rapper Lil Wayne from his album Tha Carter III (2008). The single features American singer T-Pain. Both Lil Wayne and T-Pain use the Auto-Tune effect in the song. The single was released as a digital download on iTunes on May 27,2008. Lil Wayne and T-Pain performed the song at the BET 2008 awards and the 2008 MTV Music Video Awards. MTV also ranked the song as the number 19 Hip-Hop song of 2008.
"Look at Me Now" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown,featuring fellow American rappers Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne,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."
"How to Love" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne,released as the third single from his ninth studio album,Tha Carter IV. The song features production from Drum Up for Drum Up Digital with Noel "Detail" Fisher and was released as a digital download on June 13,2011. It was later released to urban contemporary radio stations on June 24,2011. The song also makes it his first entry on hot adult contemporary stations,as CJFM-FM Montreal began playing it a month later after the single's release. It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100,making it his third highest peak on the chart as the primary artist. Lil Wayne performed the song at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards,and it received a nomination for "Best Video with a Message" at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards.
American rapper Big Sean has released five studio albums,four mixtapes,thirty-one singles,eight promotional singles,and thirty-nine music videos. In 2008,Big Sean was discovered by American rapper and record producer Kanye West,who signed Sean to his record label GOOD Music—distributed through Def Jam Recordings. Since 2008,after signing a record deal to West's label G.O.O.D. Music,Sean's breakthrough career continued through his mixtapes such as Finally Famous Vol. 2:UKNOWBIGSEAN (2009) and Finally Famous Vol. 3:BIG (2010). While he was releasing these mixtapes,he collaborated on various tracks and/or singles from West,Royce da 5'9" and Chris Brown.
"Blessings" is a song by American rapper Big Sean from his third studio album Dark Sky Paradise (2015). The song was serviced to urban contemporary radio on January 31,2015,as the album's third official single. It is a hip hop song,and it features fellow rappers Drake and Kanye West on the extended version,with production from Vinylz and Allen Ritter. The music video for the song was released on YouTube on March 3,2015. The video features rappers Drake and Kanye West for the extended version of the song which was not included on Dark Sky Paradise. The song received two nominations at the 2015 Soul Train Music Awards for Best Collaboration and Hip-Hop Song of the Year
"Mercy" is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West featuring GOOD Music rappers Big Sean and Pusha T,along with their Def Jam label-mate rapper 2 Chainz. The song,released April 3,2012,serves as the lead single from the compilation album Cruel Summer (2012). The song's production was handled by Lifted,with additional production from West,Mike Dean and Mike Will Made It,and additional instrumentation from Hudson Mohawke. The song heavily samples the dancehall song "Dust a Sound Boy" by Super Beagle. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics who praised the bombastic production,the varying quality of the verses,and the wordplay of the individual rappers. The song was featured on the soundtrack for NBA 2K13.
"Till I Die" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown,featuring American rappers Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa. It was written by Brown,Sean Anderson,Cameron Thomaz,Marcella Araica and Nathaniel "Danja" Hills,while the production was handled by 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 and R&B 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.
"As Long as You Love Me" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber from his third studio album,Believe (2012). The track features American rapper Big Sean. It was written by Eric H,and was produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and Andre Lindal. It was first released on July 10,2012,as a promotional single from the album,and one month later it was released as the album's second single.
"Crooked Smile" is a song by American hip hop recording artist and record producer J. Cole,released June 4,2013,as the second official single from his second studio album,Born Sinner (2013). The song was produced by Cole himself,and Elite. The song samples Jennifer Hudson’s "No One Gonna Love You" and features guest vocals from R&B group TLC. The song has since peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Beware" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Big Sean taken from his second studio album Hall of Fame (2013). "Beware" was released on June 25,2013,as the album's third single,through GOOD and Def Jam. The song was written by Sean Anderson,Dwayne Carter,Dwane Weir II,and Alexander Izquierdo,while production was handled by frequent collaborator Key Wane and Mike Dean and features guest appearances from rapper Lil Wayne and singer JhenéAiko.
"I Don't Fuck with You",also known by the initialism "IDFWU",is a song by American rapper Big Sean,featuring E-40,released on September 19,2014,as the lead single from his third studio album Dark Sky Paradise (2015).
Dark Sky Paradise is the third studio album by American rapper Big Sean. It was released on February 24,2015,by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances from Drake,Kanye West,E-40,Chris Brown,Ty Dolla Sign,JhenéAiko,Lil Wayne,and Ariana Grande,while the production was handled by a variety of collaborators,including Kanye West,DJ Mustard,DJ Dahi and Key Wane,who also serves as the album's executive producer alongside Big Sean himself. The album was supported by five singles:"I Don't Fuck with You","Paradise","Blessings","One Man Can Change the World" and "Play No Games".
"Alright" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar,taken from his third studio album,To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). Lyrically a festive song about hope amid personal struggles,it features uncredited vocals from the song's co-producer Pharrell Williams during the chorus. "Alright" was released to radio stations as the album's fourth single on June 30,2015. Most music publications considered it among the best songs and videos of the year,highlighting their message in the social context of the time. "Alright" received four nominations at the 58th Grammy Awards:Song of the Year,Best Music Video,Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song,winning the latter two. It was also nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year.
"Bounce Back " is a song by American rapper Big Sean,serving as the lead single from his fourth album,I Decided (2017). The song was produced by Hitmaka and Smash David,with additional production by Metro Boomin and Amaire Johnson. It features additional vocals from labelmate Kanye West and American singer Jeremih. It also has the subtitle "Take No L's",which is featured on the single's cover. This song was released on October 31,2016. The single received a nomination for Best Rap Performance at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.
