Karrine Steffans is an American author, most notably of the Vixen series of books. She has worked as an actress and as a video vixen, having appeared in more than 20 music videos. In 2007 and 2008, Steffans visited a number of college campuses to speak about her involvement in the hip-hop industry and its expectations of women.
A video vixen is a female model who appears in hip hop-oriented music videos. The video vixen image has become a staple in popular music, especially within the genre of hip hop. Many video vixens are aspiring actors, singers, dancers, or professional models. Women from various cultures have been portrayed either as fragile, manipulative, fetishistic, or submissive within contemporary music lyrics, videos, concert and movie soundtracks.
Laurieann Gibson is a Canadian choreographer, director, television personality, singer, actress and dancer. She has choreographed dance numbers for musical artists such as Michael Jackson, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. Her music video directing credits include "Judas", "You and I" and "Love to My Cobain".
"Ghetto" is a song by American recording artist Kelly Rowland, featuring vocals by rapper Snoop Dogg. It was written by Durrell "Tank" Babbs, Calvin Broadus, Lonny Bereal and Rowland, and produced by the former for Rowland's second solo album Ms. Kelly (2007). A mid-paced R&B ballad which was originally recorded for her shelved My Story album, "Ghetto" is influenced by the Crunk&B subgenre. Its instrumentation consists essentially of synthesizers and a drum machine rhythm and lyrically, finds Rowland, as the protagonist, singing sensually in her whistle register about becoming attracted to dangerous men.
Niatia Jessica Kirkland, better known by her stage name Lil Mama, is an American rapper, singer, actress and television presenter from Brooklyn, New York and Harlem, New York. She experienced top 10 Billboard placements at seventeen with her debut album VYP (2008) which debuted at #25 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned her four major singles including her staple song and dance anthem "Lip Gloss", earning her two Teen Choice Awards and Monster Single of the Year nominations at the MTV VMA's. Lil Mama gained further attention in Pop music after a collaboration with Avril Lavigne, for the remix of her hit single "Girlfriend”.
Mélange Lavonne is an American rapper.
The third season of America's Best Dance Crew premiered on January 15, 2009. The season was once again hosted by Mario Lopez and featured Layla Kayleigh as the backstage correspondent. Lil Mama, JC Chasez, and Shane Sparks returned as the judging panel. This was the first season without a special casting episode. In the live finale, which aired on March 5, 2009, Quest Crew was declared the winner.
LGBTQ representations in hip hop music have been historically low. Hip hop has long been portrayed as one of the least LGBTQ-friendly genres of music, with a significant body of the genre containing homophobic views and anti-gay lyrics. Attitudes towards homosexuality in hip hop culture have historically been negative. Gay slurs like "sus", "no homo", and "pause" can be heard in hip hop lyrics from the industry’s biggest stars. According to the LA Times, these slurs were used to put "queerness as a punchline". However, since the early 2000s there has been a flourishing community of LGBTQ hip hop artists, activists and performers breaking barriers in the mainstream music industry.
Nadine "Hi-Hat" Ruffin is a choreographer of hip-hop dance from New York City. She has worked with Montell Jordan, Big Time Rush, Teddy Riley, P-Diddy, Wyclef, Shakira, Rihanna, Mary J. Blige, Eve, and Jay-Z. Ruffin's work is featured in many Missy Elliott music videos, such as "All n My Grill", "She's a Bitch", "Hit Em wit da Hee", "Sock It To Me", "Beep Me 911", "Get Ur Freak On", and "One Minute Man". Ruffin has served as a guest judge on the American dance competition reality TV series So You Think You Can Dance.
Bettina May is a Canadian born pin-up model, burlesque dancer and photographer currently living in Brooklyn, NY.
"Whip My Hair" is the debut single by American recording artist Willow Smith, released mononomously. The song was written by Ronald "Jukebox" Jackson and Janae Luann Ratliff, and produced by Ronald Jackson.
No Boys Allowed is the second and latest studio album by American recording artist Keri Hilson. It was released on December 17, 2010, by Mosley Music and Zone 4 Records. On the album, Hilson has reunited with Timbaland and Polow da Don, who executively produced the album, as they did with her debut release. Hilson also worked with several other producers and songwriters, including Ne-Yo, John Legend, StarGate, Bei Maejor and Boi-1da, among others. Meanwhile, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, Kanye West, J. Cole, Nelly and Timbaland, are serving as featured guest vocals. Musically, No Boys Allowed is an R&B album, which incorporates elements of pop, soul, electro and dancehall into various songs.
"Pretty Girl Rock" is a song by American singer and songwriter Keri Hilson, taken from her second studio album, No Boys Allowed (2010). It was released as the lead single internationally and was the second single from that album released in the United States. The song was written by Ne-Yo and Chuck Harmony, who also handled its production. It includes a sample of "Just the Two of Us", which was written by Bill Withers, William Salter and Ralph MacDonald. "Pretty Girl Rock" is a mid-tempo R&B song that features a slinky piano and bouncy R&B beats. The lyrics deliver messages of self-love and female empowerment.
Dance Moms is an American reality television series that debuted on Lifetime on July 13, 2011. Created by Collins Avenue Productions, the show follows the training and careers of children in dance and show business under the tutelage of Abby Lee Miller as well as the relationships between Miller, the dancers, and their often bickering mothers. Set originally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and later in Los Angeles, California, the show is primarily filmed at the Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC) studios. The show follows the girls on the ALDC Junior Elite Competition Team as they learn their dances and then compete them at dance competitions all across the country.
Vixen Romeo, is an American singer-songwriter, pin up model and dancer. Romeo is the lead vocalist and founder of the group The Pin Up Girls.
Chelsea Chanel Dudley, better known by her stage name Chanel West Coast, is an American television personality, rapper, singer, songwriter, actress and model. She came to prominence for her roles in MTV's Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory and Ridiculousness, the latter of which she has co-hosted for 20 seasons in over 10 years.
Brianna Perry, also known as Lil' Brianna, is an American rapper and actress from Miami-Dade County, Florida. She was the youngest act signed to Missy Elliott's label The Goldmind Inc. as well as the youngest to be affiliated with Slip-N-Slide Records, home to rappers Trina and Rick Ross. Perry made her debut on Trina's album Diamond Princess on the track "Kandi". Since then, she has released several mixtapes and starred as a regular cast-member on the reality-television series Sisterhood of Hip Hop. In 2016, Brianna left major label Atlantic Records due to low promotion and moved forward with her indie label Poe Boy Entertainment.
Kanary Diamonds, born September 2, 1989 as Johnean Jimenez in Watts, California is an American rapper and entertainer. Diamonds worked as a dancer in videos and after becoming a member of a Destiny's Child-styled group that never made it off the ground, Diamonds got her big break when she landed a guest spot on Mack 10's 2005 album, Hustla's Handbook with the song “By the Bar.” She made an appearance on Chingy's Hoodstar album and then her song was in the movie and on the soundtrack to the film Waist Deep. Her songs have been on the soundtracks for TV shows like MTV's Making the Band, The Real World, and Road Rules, while her collaboration with Tatyana Ali was featured on the 2007 reggaeton compilation Puro Fuego. She has been featured on The Game's mixtape "The Red Room” and has also joined forces with Colby O'Donis, Yo-Yo, Glasses Malone, Kam, Lady of Rage, and others.
World Dance New York is a US home entertainment company, releasing and distributing special interest titles on DVD, video on demand, streaming media, iPhone and iPad apps, and a brand of women's dance and fitness home video products. It was founded in 2001 as "Stratostream - World Dance New York". "Stratostream" designates the company in the business-to-business environment, the home video industry, while "World Dance New York" is the publicly-recognized brand and the name of the consumer-facing operation of the company.
