Confessions is the fourth studio album by American singer Usher. It was released on March 23, 2004, by Arista Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 2003 to 2004, with its production on the album being handled by his longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri, along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Lil Jon, among others. Primarily an R&B album, Confessions showcases Usher as a crooner through a mixture of ballads and up-tempos, incorporating musical genres of dance-pop, hip hop, and crunk. The album's themes generated controversy about Usher's personal relationships; however, the album's primary producer Jermaine Dupri claimed the album reflects Dupri's own personal story.
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin is an American record producer, rapper, songwriter, music executive, and entrepreneur. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia, 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.
"Burn" is a song by American R&B singer Usher, which he wrote with American songwriters Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox. The song was produced by Dupri and Cox for Usher's fourth studio album, Confessions (2004). A downtempo track about the breakup of a relationship, it was originally planned as the album's lead single, but "Burn" was pushed back after favorable responses for the song "Yeah!". "Burn" was eventually released as the second single from the album on March 21, 2004. "Burn" is considered to be one of Usher's signature hits.
Kasseem Daoud Dean, known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, and DJ. Born and raised in the Bronx borough of New York City, Dean initially embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the age of 18, he gained recognition in the music industry through his family's record label Ruff Ryders Entertainment and his affiliation with its flagship artist, Yonkers-based rapper DMX. Working with DMX as his producer, DJ, and hype man helped Dean gain prominence as a high-profile figure in hip hop in the following years.
Johntá Moore Austin is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his production and songwriting work on hometown native Jermaine Dupri's record label, So So Def Recordings during the mid-2000s.
Complicated is the second studio album by American singer Nivea, released in the United States on May 3, 2005 on Jive Records. It was primarily produced by her then-husband The-Dream, with additional production from Lil Jon, R. Kelly, Bryan Michael Cox and Jermaine Dupri. The album peaked at No. 37 on the US Billboard 200 album charts and peaked at No. 9 on the R&B chart. Complicated failed to receive major commercial success, eventually selling just over 100,000 copies in the US.
"Welcome to Atlanta" is a song by American rapper Jermaine Dupri featuring Ludacris. It was released on May 14, 2002 as the second single from Dupri's 2001 album Instructions, and appeared as a hidden track on Ludacris' second album, Word of Mouf. The song praises Dupri and Ludacris' hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. It interpolates "Five Minutes of Funk" by Whodini and samples "Do It Baby" by The Miracles.
Strength & Loyalty, originally titled The Bone Thugs Story, is the seventh studio album by American hip hop group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, released on May 8, 2007. It was Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's first major album after an absence of nearly five years. The album contains guest appearances by Akon, Autumn Rowe, Bow Wow, Felecia, Fleetwood Mac (sampled), Mariah Carey, Swizz Beatz, The Game, Twista, will.i.am, and Yolanda Adams. Producers include Akon, DJ Toomp, Jermaine Dupri, Mally Mall, Neo Da Matrix, Pretty Boy & Bradd Young, Street Radio, Swizz Beatz, The Individuals, Ty Fyffe, and will.i.am. The executive producer of the album was Swizz Beatz. Bizzy Bone was not featured on the album. Then imprisoned member Flesh-n-Bone was only featured on a track entitled "Into The Future" which did not make the album and also due to his incarceration did not make the album cover.
American hip hop recording artist and record producer Swizz Beatz has released two studio albums, one compilation album, one extended play (EP), one mixtape, thirty-nine singles, three promotional singles and thirty-three music videos.
"Lil L.O.V.E." is a song by hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony for their studio album Strength & Loyalty (2007). It features American singer Mariah Carey and rapper Bow Wow and was released as the second single from the album in 2007. The artists co-wrote the song with Shawntae Harris, James Phillips, and Jermaine Dupri; the latter is also the producer. In the chorus, Carey expresses her need for a 'Lil L.O.V.E' and 'T.I.M.E' from her suspected lover. In the United States, "Lil’ L.O.V.E." was released as a digital download on May 8, 2007. The song was officially released as a single in the U.S. on June 5, 2007.
"My Drink n My 2 Step" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Cassidy, released as the lead single from his third studio album B.A.R.S. The Barry Adrian Reese Story (2007). The song features vocals and production from longtime collaborator Swizz Beatz. The song peaked at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his final song there.
"Lovers and Friends" is a song by American rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz featuring American singer Usher and American rapper Ludacris, from the group's fifth and final studio album, Crunk Juice (2004). The song was written by the artists alongside Michael Sterling, while produced by Lil Jon. It was released by BME and TVT Records in November 2004, as the third single from the album. An R&B slow jam, the song consists of a piano melody and hook, and contains a sample of Sterling's song of the same name. The lyrics depict the three artists attempting to seduce women.
"Damn!" is a song by the Atlanta rap duo YoungBloodZ. It was released as the second single from their second studio album Drankin' Patnaz, and was produced and guest performed by Lil Jon. A club mix appears on the duo's third studio album Ev'rybody Know Me. It is their biggest hit song to date, peaking at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and remaining YoungBloodZ's sole top ten single.
New Jack City II is the sixth studio album by American rapper Bow Wow. It was released on March 24, 2009 through LBW Entertainment and Columbia Records. This is Bow Wow‘s first album to carry a parental advisory label for Adult Language, unlike his past two projects. The production on the album was handled by Jermaine Dupri, LRoc, Nitti, T-Pain and Swizz Beatz among others. The album also features guest appearances from Swizz Beatz, Jermaine Dupri, Nelly, Trey Songz, T-Pain, Ron Browz, Dondria and T.I.
Battle of the Sexes is the eighth studio album by American rapper Ludacris, released March 9, 2010 on Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam South. The album was recorded during 2008 to 2010 and its production was handled by several producers, including T-Minus, Bangladesh, Swizz Beatz, The Neptunes, and The Runners.
Give the Drummer Some is the debut solo studio album by American drummer Travis Barker. Barker had earlier announced that the album would be slated for a September 14, 2010 release, but was later pushed back, with the album being released on March 15, 2011. The album, released under Interscope Records, was produced by the drummer himself, alongside The Neptunes, RZA, Kool Kojak, Chuck Inglish, Transplants, Kid Cudi, edIT, Corey Taylor and Steve Aoki. The album debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 28,000 copies in the United States.
Poison is the second studio album by American hip hop recording artist and record producer Swizz Beatz, released on November 2, 2018 by Epic Records. It is Beatz' first album as a lead artist since his 2007 album One Man Band Man. Poison features collaborations with Nas, Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar, and Young Thug, among others. The music video for the song "Pistol on My Side (P.O.M.S.)", featuring Lil Wayne and keyboards by Alicia Keys, was released on September 14, 2018. The single "25 Soldiers" was released on October 3, 2018.
I Wanna Thank Me is the seventeenth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on August 16, 2019, by Doggy Style Records and Empire Distribution. It was supported by an eponymous single, "I Wanna Thank Me", released on July 3.
"Don't Waste My Time" is a song by American singer-songwriter Usher featuring British singer-songwriter Ella Mai. The song was first uploaded to SoundCloud on November 19, 2019, although it was officially released by RCA Records on December 13, 2019 to online music stores and streaming services. The song was written by the artists alongside Vedo, Christopher Allen Jones, and producers Jermaine Dupri and Bryan Michael-Cox. The song takes inspiration in part from "I Like the Way " (1990) by American R&B quintet Hi-Five and "Show You the Way to Go" (1976) by American family group the Jacksons.
Verzuz is an American webcast series created by record producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. It was introduced during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic as a virtual DJ battle, with Timbaland and Swizz Beatz facing off in its first iteration through an Instagram Live broadcast in March 2020.
