Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop group St. Lunatics. He signed with Universal Records as a solo act in 1999 to release his debut studio album, Country Grammar (2000). Its lead single "Country Grammar " and follow-up, "Ride wit Me",, both entered the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. The album peaked atop the Billboard 200 and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His second album, Nellyville (2002), spawned two consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles: "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma", along with the top-five single, "Air Force Ones".
Howard Earl Bailey Jr., known professionally as Chingy, is an American rapper from St. Louis, Missouri. He toured as an opening act with fellow St. Louis rapper Nelly in 2002, and signed with Georgia-based rapper Ludacris' record label, Disturbing tha Peace (DTP), that same year. Released in a joint-venture with Capitol Records, his 2003 debut single, "Right Thurr" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. Raised in Atlanta as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music production at the age of nine. He discovered the teen hip hop duo Kris Kross in 1991. Dupri wrote and produced their 1992 single "Jump," which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was named the 23rd most successful song of that decade. He established his own record label, So So Def Recordings in a joint venture with Columbia the following year.
"Right Thurr" is the debut single of American rapper Chingy. Written alongside The Trak Starz. It was released on April 14, 2003, by Capitol Records, Priority Records, and Disturbing tha Peace as the lead single from his debut album, Jackpot (2003). The song received positive reviews from critics, who praised the production and Chingy's addictive delivery.
"Let Me Hold You" is a song by American rapper Bow Wow. It was the first single off his fourth album, Wanted (2005). Released on March 11, 2005, the song features American R&B singer Omarion. It was co-written and co-produced by frequent producer Jermaine Dupri and No I.D. and uses a sample of Luther Vandross' 1985 version of Brenda Russell's "If Only for One Night".
"Like You" is a song by American rapper Bow Wow featuring singer Ciara. It was written by Jermaine Dupri, Jaron Alston, and Johnta Austin, and produced by Dupri and Bryan Michael Cox for Bow Wow's fourth album Wanted (2005). The song includes the keyboard chord of New Edition's "I'm Leaving You Again" written by Jaron Alson, Ricky Bell, and Ralph Tresvant. "Like You" was released as the album's second single on July 12, 2005, reaching atop the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaking at number three on the Hot 100, giving Bow Wow his second top 10 hit on that chart, as was Ciara's fifth. The song also charted in the top 40 in countries like Ireland, Germany and the UK. To date, "Like You" remains Bow Wow's highest charting song.
"One Call Away" is a song by American rapper Chingy, featuring actor Jason Weaver singing the chorus, credited as J-Weav. It was released as the third and final single off his debut album, Jackpot (2003), on January 12, 2004. It was released through Capitol Records and Ludacris's Disturbing tha Peace label. The song peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart for three weeks, and peaked at numbers three and six on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Mainstream Top 40 charts, respectively. It also reached the top 40 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. A video for the single was released that featured actress Keisha Knight-Pulliam and streetball player Philip "Hot Sauce" Champion.
"I Think They Like Me" is a song by American hip hop group Dem Franchize Boyz. It was released in August 2005 as a single from their self-titled debut album Dem Franchize Boyz. The song's chorus is sampled from their debut single "White Tee".
"Tipsy" is the debut single by American rapper J-Kwon, released through So So Def Recordings and Arista Records on January 12, 2004, as the lead single from his debut studio album, Hood Hop (2004). Written by J-Kwon alongside Joe Kent and Mark Williams, "Tipsy" was produced by American production team Trackboyz.
"Holidae In" is a song by American rapper Chingy featuring Ludacris and Snoop Dogg. It was released on August 25, 2003, by Capitol Records and Ludacris's Disturbing tha Peace record label as the second single off his debut album Jackpot (2003). Produced by the duo the Trak Starz, the release garnered positive reviews from critics who praised the performances. In 2020, Entertainment Weekly wrote that the legacy of the song was that increased the "coolness factor" of Holiday Inn, hotel chain based in Atlanta, and owned by the hospitality company, Intercontinental Hotels Group.
"Call on Me" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson with guest vocals from American rapper Nelly from Jackson's ninth studio album 20 Y.O. (2006). It was written by Jermaine Dupri, Johnta Austin, James Phillips, Cornell Haynes Jr., James Harris III and Terry Lewis, and produced by Dupri, Phillips, Jam and Lewis, in addition to Jackson. "Call on Me" was released as the album's lead single on June 19, 2006, by Virgin Records. The song is a mid-tempo ballad which talks about calling on a person when a friend or somebody to listen is needed.
Hoodstar is the third studio album by the hip hop artist Chingy, following the release of Powerballin'. Released on September 19, 2006, the disc is split into two sides with different musical styles. While the "Hood" segment has the tracks "Hands Up" and "Cadillac Door", "Star" has more uptempo and club-oriented tracks like "Brand New Kicks" and "Dem Jeans". The guest features are by Three 6 Mafia, Chopper and Chingy's cousin Young Spiffy. The album was produced by Jermaine Dupri, Timbaland, the Trak Starz, Mannie Fresh, Mr. Collipark and the dance group Hoodstarz, among others. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 9 with first week sales of 77,000 copies in the US. It was certified Gold by RIAA for shipping over 500,000 copies in the US.
"Everytime tha Beat Drop" is a song by American recording artist Monica from her fifth studio album The Makings of Me (2006). It was written by Johnta Austin, Jermaine Dupri, Robert Hill, Charles Hammond, Deangelo Hunt, James Phillips, and rap group Dem Franchize Boyz, while production was hemled by Dupri, with additional credits by LRoc. Musically, the downbeat uptempo track was greatly influenced by crunk and snap music, incorporating beats of rapper Nelly's 2005 song "Grillz" and containing a vocal sample of Dem Franchize Boyz' "Lean wit It, Rock wit It" (2006).
"Shortie like Mine" is a song by rapper Bow Wow. Released on October 3, 2006, it is the first single from his fifth studio album, The Price of Fame (2006). This song features American R&B singers Chris Brown & Johntá Austin. The video ranked at number 19 on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2006 countdown. The video also received a BET Award nomination for Viewer's Choice in 2007.
"Dem Jeans" is a song by American rapper Chingy. It's the second and final single off his third album Hoodstar (2006). The song is produced by and features rapper Jermaine Dupri. The song peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100, his first single to not reach the top 40 on that chart. It did better on the Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts respectively. Bun B and David Banner made cameo appearances in the promotional video. "Dem Jeans" was heard on the 100th episode of "CSI: Miami," the fourth episode of the fourth season of "The O.C." and in the 2007 film Norbit.
I Wanna Go There is the third studio album by American singer Tyrese. It was released on December 17, 2002 through J Records. This became his first album to be released on J Records after recording two albums for his previous label RCA Records. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including The Underdogs, Bryan-Michael Cox, Johnny "J", Poke & Tone and Jermaine Dupri. The album also features a guest appearance by Dupri and Mos Def.
"Outta My System" is a song by American rapper Bow Wow. It's the second and final single off his fifth studio album The Price of Fame. It features fellow American rapper T-Pain and American singer Johntá Austin. The original next single was supposed to be "I'm a Flirt" but was cancelled in favor of "Outta My System", that the fact that R. Kelly was preoccupied on the charts with Snoop Dogg's "That's That Shit" and Young Jeezy's "Go Getta" led to it being delayed. The song peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, his eighth top 40 hit and T-Pain's sixth top 40 hit on that chart. It also peaked at number 2 and 12 on the Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts respectively and number 7 in New Zealand. The video premiered on Valentine's Day on BET's Access Granted.
"Rain" is a 1998 single released by the group SWV. The musical backing track is based on Jaco Pastorius's "Portrait of Tracy". Released as the fourth and final single from the group's third album Release Some Tension (1997), the song peaked at number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number 7 on the US Hot R&B Singles chart. Singer and actor Tyrese Gibson appeared in the song's 1998 music video, directed by Darren Grant, and would later sing the hook on rapper Chingy's 2006 hit song "Pullin' Me Back", which samples "Rain".
"Love All Over Me" is a song by American singer Monica. It was written by Crystal Johnson, Jermaine Dupri, and Bryan-Michael Cox for her sixth studio album Still Standing (2010), while production was helmed by Dupri, with Cox credited as co-producer of the song. Musically, "Love All Over Me" is a down-tempo R&B piece that rounds out Still Standing as another laid back, yet soulful track filled with admiration. The song was sent to rhythmic, urban, and urban adult contemporary airplay as the album's second single in the United States on May 31, 2010.
American singer and actor Tyrese has released seven studio albums and twelve singles. According to Billboard, Tyrese has sold 3.69 million albums in the United States.
