Tupac Amaru Shakur, known professionally as 2Pac and later Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Much of Shakur's music has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities, and he is considered a symbol of activism against inequality.
Please Please Me is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it was released on EMI's Parlophone label on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom, following the success of the band's first two singles "Love Me Do", which reached number 17 on the Record Retailer Chart, and "Please Please Me", which reached number one on the NME and Melody Maker charts. The album topped Record Retailer's LP chart for 30 weeks, an unprecedented achievement for a pop album at that time.
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, better known by his stage name Nas, is an American rapper and businessman. Rooted in the New York hip hop scene, he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time.
In the early hours of February 4, 1999, an unarmed 23-year-old Guinean student named Amadou Diallo was shot by four New York City Police Department plainclothes officers: Sean Carroll, Richard Murphy, Edward McMellon, and Kenneth Boss. Carroll would later claim to have mistaken him for a rape suspect from one year earlier.
Helen Maxine Reddy was an Australian-American singer, actress, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a showbusiness family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on radio and television and won a talent contest on the television program Bandstand in 1966; her prize was a ticket to New York City and a record audition, which was unsuccessful. She pursued her international singing career by moving to Chicago, and subsequently, Los Angeles, where she made her debut singles "One Way Ticket" and "I Believe in Music" in 1968 and 1970, respectively. The B-side of the latter single, "I Don't Know How to Love Him", reached number eight on the pop chart of the Canadian magazine RPM. She was signed to Capitol Records a year later.
I Am the World Trade Center is an American synthpop duo consisting of musician Daniel Geller and vocalist Amy Dykes. Geller creates almost all of the music using his laptop, occasionally using drum machines, keyboards, or other instruments.
"They Don't Care About Us" is a song by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, released in April 16, 1996 as the fifth single from his ninth album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995). It is a protest song and remains one of the most controversial pieces Jackson ever composed. In the US, media scrutiny surrounding allegations of antisemitic lyrics were the catalyst for Jackson issuing multiple clarifications, an apology, defense from director Spike Lee and re-releasing the song with a new vocal featuring altered lyrics. The singer countered allegations of antisemitism, arguing that reviews had misinterpreted the context of the song, either unintentionally or deliberately.
Anohni, styled as ANOHNI, is an English-born singer, songwriter, and visual artist. She was formerly the lead singer of the band Antony and the Johnsons.
David Richard Berkowitz, also known as the Son of Sam and .44 Caliber Killer, is an American serial killer who pleaded guilty to eight shootings that began in New York City on July 29, 1976.
I Am... Sasha Fierce is the third studio album by American singer Beyoncé. It was released on November 12, 2008, by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment. In its original release, the album was formatted as a double album, intending to market Beyoncé's dichotomous artistic persona. The first disc I Am... contains slow and midtempo pop and R&B ballads, while the second, Sasha Fierce, focuses on more uptempo beats that blend electropop and Europop elements. In composing the songs' lyrics, Beyoncé worked with writers, with each session accompanied by live orchestration.
"Ave Maria" is a song by American singer Beyoncé from her third studio album I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench and Makeba Riddick wrote the song in collaboration with its producers Knowles and production duo Stargate. As stated by Ghost, "Ave Maria" was inspired by Knowles' and her own respective marriages. The song is a re-write of Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria". It is instrumentally complete with a piano and strings. Throughout the pop-R&B ballad, Knowles sings in a lower register with an operatic soprano. Lyrically, it speaks about being surrounded by friends but still feeling alone.
Lawrence "Kris" Parker, better known by his stage names KRS-One and Teacha, is an American rapper, lyricist and occasional producer from New York. He rose to prominence as part of the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, which he formed with DJ Scott La Rock in the mid-1980s. KRS-One is best known for his top hits, "Sound of da Police", "Love's Gonna Get'cha ", and "My Philosophy", among others. Boogie Down Productions received numerous awards and critical acclaim in their early years. Following the release of the group's debut album, Criminal Minded, fellow artist Scott La Rock was shot and killed, but KRS-One continued the group, effectively as a solo project. He began releasing records under his own name in 1993. He is politically active, having started the Stop the Violence Movement after Scott's death. He's also a vegan activist, expressed in songs such as "Beef". He is widely considered an influence to many hip hop artists, including Tupac and Eminem.
"Video Phone" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). The track was released as the eighth single from the album on September 22, 2009. A remixed version featuring Lady Gaga was released on November 17, 2009. Musically, the song consists of simple lyrics and hidden innuendos, with Gaga and Beyoncé trading verses with each other in the song's remix. The lyrics refer to putting up a sexy display to be recorded on a video phone.
Aaron Josef Hernandez was an American football tight end and convicted murderer. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons with the New England Patriots until his career came to an abrupt end after his arrest and conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd.
"Why Don't You Love Me" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé Knowles for the platinum edition of her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). It was written by Knowles, Angela Beyincé, Solange Knowles and the Bama Boyz and produced by the Bama Boyz and Knowles. "Why Don't You Love Me" is an R&B song with disco influences that is set in a retro style. According to its lyrics, Knowles questions her love interest about why he does not value her fabulousness. Its 1960s-styled music video was directed by Melina Matsoukas and Knowles under the alias Bee-Z, and it stars the latter as "B.B. Homemaker". Knowles pays homage to Bettie Page in the video, which critics universally commended for its 1960's style sets and costumes. They also complimented Knowles for her acting skills.
Here I Am is the third studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland, released through Universal Motown and Universal Music Group on July 22, 2011. The album is Rowland's first release since parting ways with her manager Mathew Knowles and longtime Sony Music record label Columbia Records. Here I Am is predominately a pop, R&B and dance album. It follows Rowland's assertion that "no one puts her in a box" with common themes around womanhood, sexual intimacy and love. Originally scheduled for release in 2010, the album was pushed back after the first round of singles were released to mixed critical and commercial reception.
"Tight Connection to My Heart " is a song by Bob Dylan that was released on his 1985 album Empire Burlesque. As a single, it was a Top 40 Hit in New Zealand and Belgium. An earlier version of the song, entitled "Someone's Got a Hold of My Heart", was recorded for Dylan's 1983 LP Infidels, but was not included on that album; it later appeared on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 1961–1991.
"Brand New Me" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys for her fifth studio album, Girl on Fire (2012). It was sent to radio by RCA Records on November 19, 2012, as the album's second official single. It was co-written by Keys and Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé. A follow-up to Keys' previous single "Girl on Fire", "Brand New Me" is a soft ballad, which Keys credits as her autobiography. Lyrically, the song is about personal growth and becoming a brand new version of yourself. It has been met with positive reviews. Keys has performed the song on several occasions including the iTunes Festival of 2012 and VH1 Storytellers.
Talk a Good Game is the fourth studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland. Formerly titled Year of the Woman, the album was released on June 14, 2013 through Universal Republic and its affiliated record labels. Incorporating a base core of R&B and pop music, Talk a Good Game was influenced by the likes of Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder amongst other of Rowland's idols. Rowland wanted the album to be a celebration of womanhood and referred to the record as her most personal album to date. On the album, she co-wrote all but one song, "Freak", a cover of the same 2010 song by entertainer Jamie Foxx from his fourth studio album Best Night of My Life. A deluxe edition, and Target-exclusive edition of the album featuring bonus tracks, was released simultaneously alongside the twelve-track standard edition.
"Hold Tight" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Justin Bieber for his second compilation album Journals (2013). It was released on 21 October 2013, as the third single from Bieber's series Music Mondays, following "Heartbreaker" and "All That Matters".
