Solange Piaget Knowles is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Knowles expressed an interest in music from an early age and had temporary stints as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child, which featured her older sister Beyoncé Knowles among its members, before signing with her father Mathew Knowles' Music World Entertainment label. At 16, Knowles released her first studio album Solo Star (2002). She also appeared in the films Johnson Family Vacation (2004), and Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006).
Thomas DeCarlo Callaway-Burton, known professionally as CeeLo Green, is an American singer, rapper, and record producer. He is known for his soul-infused delivery in hip hop and R&B, displayed in his signature song "Crazy" and his solo single "Fuck You."
"Get Me Bodied" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her second solo studio album B'Day (2006). It was written by Beyoncé, Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, Sean Garrett, Makeba Riddick, Angela Beyincé, and Solange Knowles, while the production was handled by Dean, Beyoncé and Garrett. Beyoncé was inspired by her sister Solange and former Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams for the writing process. Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment released "Get Me Bodied" as the album's fifth single in the United States on July 10, 2007.
Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams is the second studio album by American R&B singer and songwriter Solange. It was released on August 26, 2008, by Geffen Records. Solange was heavily influenced by the "Motown Sound" of the 1960s and 1970s prior to the album's recording, prompting her to work with several like-minded producers and songwriters such as Jack Splash, CeeLo Green, Mark Ronson, and Lamont Dozier, formerly of Motown's Holland–Dozier–Holland. The production also incorporated elements of downbeat and electronic music that Solange had familiarized herself with on previous trips to Europe, while the songwriting explored themes of independence.
"Sandcastle Disco" is a song by American recording artist Solange Knowles taken from her second album, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams (2008). It is produced by Soulshock & Karlin, who also wrote the song together with Knowles and Cee-Lo Green and was released as the album's second single in August 2008.
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, also known by his stage name Kid Cudi, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi moved to New York City in pursuit of a musical career, where he first gained recognition following the release of his song "Day 'n' Nite." Initially self-published on his MySpace page, the song became a hit online and served as a catalyst for Cudi to team with record producers Plain Pat and Emile Haynie to record his first full-length project, a mixtape titled A Kid Named Cudi (2008). Its release helped Cudi rise to prominence and establish a fan base, soon catching the attention of high-profile rapper Kanye West—who subsequently signed Cudi to his GOOD Music label imprint by late 2008.
"Day 'n' Nite" is a song by American rapper Kid Cudi. The song was written and produced by Cudi alongside his longtime collaborator and friend, Brooklyn-based producer Dot da Genius. It was issued as Cudi's commercial debut single on February 5, 2008, but had initially been released on Cudi's MySpace page and later featured on several music blogs in November 2007.
"Paranoid" is a song by American musician Kanye West from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). The song features vocals from English musician Mr Hudson and background vocals from American singer Kid Cudi. West handled the production, with co-production from Jeff Bhasker and Plain Pat. The song was written by the producers alongside Kid Cudi and American rapper Consequence. It was serviced to top 40 radio stations in the United States on March 23, 2009, as the fourth and final single from the album. An upbeat new wave track, the song features electronic drum effects and pop synths. Its lyrical content is centered around West being pushed away by the mistrustful thinking of a woman that he is in love with.
Man on the Moon: The End of Day is the debut studio album by American rapper Kid Cudi. It was released on September 15, 2009, through Dream On, GOOD Music, and Universal Motown Records. A concept album, narrated by fellow American rapper Common, it follows the release of his first full-length project A Kid Named Cudi (2008), and is the first installment of the Man on the Moon trilogy. Production was handled by several high-profile record producers, including Kanye West, Emile Haynie, Plain Pat, and Jeff Bhasker, as well as contributions from Dot da Genius, Free School and The Kickdrums, among others.
"Make Her Say" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kid Cudi, released as the second single from his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009). The single was digitally released to iTunes on June 9, 2009. It features fellow American rappers Common and Kanye West, the latter of whom also produced the song. The song is perhaps best known for its sample of the US number-one hit single "Poker Face", as performed by American singer Lady Gaga. The song received a nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
"Did It Again" is a song recorded by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira for her eighth studio album, She Wolf (2009). It was released on 16 October 2009, by Epic Records, as the second single from the album. The song was written by Shakira, with production from The Neptunes. There is an alternate version featuring vocals from American rapper Kid Cudi, while its Spanish-language version "Lo Hecho Está Hecho" includes additional lyrical contributions from Uruguayan musician Jorge Drexler. "Did It Again" is an electropop song with elements of samba. Lyrically, it details Shakira's involvement in a man's extramarital affair, which leads to her feeling guilty and hurt about it.
Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager is the second studio album by American rapper Kid Cudi. It was released on November 9, 2010, through Dream On and GOOD Music, and distributed by Universal Motown Records. It serves as a sequel to his debut studio album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009), and is the second installment of the Man on the Moon trilogy. Production for the album took place during 2009 to 2010 at various recording studios and was handled by long-time collaborators Emile Haynie and Plain Pat. It also featured contributions from Anthony Kilhoffer, Blended Babies, Chuck Inglish, Dot da Genius, Jim Jonsin, and Rami Beatz, among others. The album was supported by two singles: "Erase Me" and "Mr. Rager".
"Fuck You", known as "Forget You" or "FU" for the clean versions, is a song by American recording artist CeeLo Green. It was written as a collaboration among Green, Bruno Mars, his production team the Smeezingtons, and Brody Brown. It was released on August 19, 2010, as the first single from Green's third solo studio album, The Lady Killer (2010). "Fuck You" received acclaim from music critics, and was an international commercial success, making the top-10 in thirteen countries, including topping charts in the United Kingdom, and number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced. Katy Perry received the most nominations this year at ten, followed by Adele, and Kanye West, who were both tied at seven. A Britney Spears tribute was held, consisting of adult and children dancers alike, they wore costumes based on the music videos of Spears. Hamish Hamilton directed the show.
"It's OK" is the second single from American soul singer CeeLo Green's third studio album, The Lady Killer. The song is produced by Element, and written by Cee Lo, Element and Noel Fisher. The single was released on December 27, 2010 and peaked at number 20 on the UK Singles Chart. In the UK the single made BBC Radio 1's A-Playlist.
"Bright Lights Bigger City" is the fourth single from American singer CeeLo Green's third studio album, The Lady Killer. The song was produced by Ben H. Allen, co-produced by Graham Marsh, and written by Cee Lo, Tony Reyes, and Allen. The single was released on March 27, 2011, topping the charts in Israel and peaking at number thirteen in the United Kingdom. A remix of the track features a guest appearance from American rapper Wiz Khalifa. The song, which is featured in the film Monte Carlo, samples "You Only Live Twice" from the James Bond film of the same name.
Jack Splash is an American recording artist, musician, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles, California. Splash's works include writing and production on singles for artists such as Alicia Keys, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, John Legend, CeeLo Green, Mayer Hawthorne, Goodie Mob, Ras Kass, B.o.B, R. Kelly, Pixie Lott, Christina Aguilera, Jazmine Sullivan, Jennifer Hudson, Melanie Fiona, Musiq Soulchild, K. Michelle, Keyshia Cole, Anthony Hamilton, Dirt Nasty, Estelle, Elijah Blake, Groove Armada, Zap Mama, Solange Knowles, Raheem DeVaughn, Natasha Bedingfield, Lemar, Kelis, Katy Perry, Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, Sia and Valerie June.
"Fuck the Industry" is a song recorded by American singer Solange. The song leaked online in 2008 and was reported to be part of a mixtape recorded by Solange called I Can't Get Clearance. However, the mixtape was never released and the song received an official release in 2010. The song was released to digital music stores on May 25, 2010, on her father Mathew Knowles's Music World Entertainment, after Solange was dropped by Geffen Records and received no promotion. The single includes remixes of "Fuck the Industry" and remixes of two songs from Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams. The song's main sample comes from American rapper and producer Kanye West's "Everything I Am" from his third studio album, Graduation (2007).
"The Night Begins to Shine" is a song by the band B.E.R. popularized by the Teen Titans Go! TV series. The song was originally co-written and produced in 2005 as an "'80s-style song" for a music library. The song was first featured in the Teen Titans Go! episode "Slumber Party" as a throwaway joke. The song became popular with fans of the show. The song was subsequently featured in the episode "40%, 40%, 20%", and was prominently featured in two specials, the four-part 2017 special "The Day the Night Stopped Beginning to Shine and Became Dark Even Though It Was the Day" and a five-part sequel released in 2020, "The Night Begins to Shine 2".
"Almeda" is a song by American singer Solange. It is the ninth track from her fourth studio album, When I Get Home. It features an guest appearance by American rapper and singer Playboi Carti. The song's title is a reference to Almeda, an area of Knowles' home-town of Houston, Texas. The song was written by Solange Knowles, The-Dream and Playboi Carti and produced by Knowles, Pharrell Williams, and John Carroll Kirby. The song also serves as the vocal debut for record producer Metro Boomin, who provides additional vocals.
