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Playa | |
---|---|
Origin | Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
Genres | R&B, hip hop |
Years active | 1990–2003 (trio), 2007–2018 (duo) |
Labels | Def Jam |
Past members | Smoke E. Digglera Digital Black Static Major (deceased) |
Website | www |
Playa was an American R&B/hip hop group, formed in 1990. The original lineup consisted of Jawaan "Smoke E. Digglera" Peacock, Benjamin "Digital Black" Bush and Stephen "Static Major" Garrett. [1] Playa is best known for their 1998 hit song, "Cheers 2 U", produced by longtime collaborator Timbaland. Static was notable for being a successful songwriter of hit singles and album tracks for artists such as Ginuwine, Aaliyah, Truth Hurts, Lil Wayne and Brandy.
In 1995, Playa contributed to Jodeci's album The Show, the After Party, the Hotel [2]
Timothy Zachery Mosley, known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, and singer. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinctive "stuttering" rhythmic style. In 2007, Entertainment Weekly stated that "just about every current pop trend can be traced back to him—from sultry, urban-edged R&B songstresses [...] to the art of incorporating avant-garde sounds into No. 1 hits."
Timbaland & Magoo were an American hip hop duo composed of producer/rapper Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and rapper Melvin "Magoo" Barcliff, formed in 1990. The duo signed with Blackground Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records to release three studio albums: Welcome to Our World (1997), Indecent Proposal (2001), and Under Construction, Part II (2003). Following the latter's moderate reception, Timbaland then focused on his solo career and production work, while Magoo failed to release any solo material. Magoo died of a heart attack in 2023.
Swing Mob was a loosely knit musical collective consisting of artists and record labels first discovered by Jodeci member DeVante Swing in 1991. The artists on Swing Mob included Missy Elliott with the group Sista, Timbaland, Magoo, Ginuwine, Static Major and the rest of Playa, Darryl Pearson, Mike "Funky Mike" Jackson, Tweet with the group Sugah, Majik, Jimmy Douglass, Stevie J, Maija Max, Renee Anderson, Bazaar Royale and Chad "Dr. Ceuss" Elliott among others, although the group's full membership has never been documented comprehensively. A list of some known artists in Swing Mob at the time of the group's activity can be found in the liner notes of Jodeci's third studio album, The Show, The After-Party, The Hotel (1995).
Donald Earle DeGrate Jr., better known by his stage name DeVanté Swing, is an American record producer, singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known as the main songwriter and producer of the R&B group Jodeci, which includes his younger brother Dalvin “Mr. Dalvin” DeGrate. DeVante Swing also created Swing Mob, which consisted of various artists he discovered and mentored, such as Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Magoo, Ginuwine, Static Major with Playa, Darryl Pearson, Tweet, Jimmy Douglass, Stevie J, and Chad "Dr. Ceuss" Elliott among others.
Stephen Ellis Garrett Jr., known professionally as Static Major, was an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer from Louisville, Kentucky. He is best known for his posthumous guest appearance on Lil Wayne's 2008 single "Lollipop", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song and its music video were both released in memory of his death in February of that year.
Romeo Must Die: The Album is the soundtrack to Andrzej Bartkowiak's 2000 action film Romeo Must Die, composed of hip hop and R&B music. It was released on March 28, 2000 through Blackground Records and Virgin Records in association with Warner Bros. Records. Recording sessions took time between May 1999 and January 2000.
Darren Grant is an American television, film and music video director. He has directed over eighty music videos for mostly R&B and hip hop artists. In 2005, Grant directed his debut film Diary of a Mad Black Woman. In 2008, he directed the film Make It Happen starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
American singer Aaliyah has released three studio albums, two compilation albums, and 31 singles. Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn, New York City and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At age 10, she appeared on Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At age 12, Aaliyah signed a deal with Jive Records and Blackground Records. During that time, she met R. Kelly through her uncle Barry Hankerson; eventually, he became her mentor, sole lead songwriter, and producer for her debut album. Released in 1994, Aaliyah's debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold three million copies in the United States. Months after the release of her album, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed with Atlantic Records due to allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly.
Tim's Bio: From the Motion Picture – Life from da Bassment is a 1998 album released by Blackground Records. Though nominally the debut solo album by hip-hop/R&B producer Timbaland, the LP is technically a compilation of tracks produced by Timbaland and often – though not strictly – featuring his vocals. A litany of guest stars appear on Tim's Bio, from Timbaland's "Swing Mob" partners Magoo, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Playa, and Skillz, to outside performers Nas, Jay-Z, Twista and others. Tim's Bio notably marks the on-record debut of Ludacris on "Phat Rabbit", later included on his major-label debut LP Back for the First Time (2000).
Welcome to Our World is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Timbaland & Magoo. It was released on November 11, 1997, through Blackground Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The production was handled by Timbaland, except for the song "Joy", which was produced with Smoke E. Digglera. It features guest appearances from Playa, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Shaunta Montgomery, & Mad Skillz.
Indecent Proposal is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Timbaland & Magoo. It was released on November 20, 2001, through Blackground/Virgin Records. Production was entirely handled by Timbaland himself, except for two songs, which were produced with Craig Brockman. It features guest appearances from Sebastian, Petey Pablo, Static Major, Sin, Tweet, Aaliyah, DJ S&S, Fatman Scoop, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Mad Skillz, Ms. Jade, Troy Mitchell and Twista. The album is dedicated to the memory of Aaliyah, who had died in a plane crash on August 25, 2001.
Under Construction, Part II is the third and final studio album released by hip hop duo Timbaland & Magoo. It was released by Blackground and Universal on November 18, 2003, in the United States. The group's third album and Timbaland's fourth overall LP, as he issued Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment, a solo album, in 1998, Under Construction Part II is nominally a sequel to Missy Elliott's fourth studio album Under Construction, which was also chiefly produced by Timbaland. The album was dedicated to R&B singer and regular Timbaland collaborator Aaliyah, who had died on August 25, 2001.
Danny Elliott Means II, better known by his stage name Butch Cassidy, is an American singer from Long Beach, California. He has worked with numerous West Coast hip hop musicians, including Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, Ice Cube, Xzibit, Warren G, Mack-10, Tray Deee, E-40, WC, DJ Quik, DJ Battlecat, Tha Eastsidaz and more.
"Hit 'Em wit da Hee" is a single by singer/rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott. The track is found on her debut album, 1997's Supa Dupa Fly. The single was not eligible to chart in the U.S., and it was a success overseas, reaching No. 25 in the UK, her fourth consecutive top 40 hit. The music video edit of the song contains sampled strings from the Björk song "Jóga". In The U.S. the album version was released to radio and it received minor mainstream urban radio airplay and peaked at No. 61 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Released from Supa Dupa Fly, it was the final single from the album during summer 1998.
Timothy Mosley is an American rapper and record producer better known as Timbaland. This discography lists the recorded performances, writing and production credits as Timothy Mosley, as Timothy Zachery Mosley, as Timbaland or DJ Timmy Tim. Song names that are bold are singles, album names/releases are in italics.
"Same Ol' G" is a song by American R&B singer Ginuwine. It was written by Timbaland, Jimmy Douglass, and Static Major and recorded for the soundtrack of the American fantasy comedy film Dr. Dolittle (1998), with production helmed by the former. "Same Ol' G" describes Ginuwine having matured from his days of clubbing, drinking and thugging with friends as he now has his own album deal and appearing on television, but insists that he hasn't changed. Timbaland also contributed spoken adlibs throughout the song, primarily in between Ginuwine's sung verses.
Cheers 2 U is the only studio album by American R&B group Playa, released March 24, 1998, on Def Jam Recordings subsidiary Def Soul.
"Gin & Juice" is a song by American musical artist DeVante, one of the founding members of R&B group Jodeci, featuring a guest rap performance from Static. The song was released as the fourth single for the soundtrack to the 1995 film Dangerous Minds in August 1995. The single was a promotional only release and not released for sale.
"Here We Come" is a song by American producer/rapper Timbaland. It features frequent collaborators Missy Elliott and Magoo and serves as the lead single for Timbaland's solo debut album, Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment (1998). The song also features background vocals by Playa and Darryl Pearson. While the song charted and was released via radio airplay on November 17, 1998, it was not granted a physical release in the United States until March 2, 1999; and on October 5, 1999, for Germany.