Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Awards, twelve NAACP Image Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards, including the Billboard Icon Award. She has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its original song "Mighty River", becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
Todd Anthony Shaw, better known by his stage name Too Short, is an American rapper. A pioneer of West Coast hip hop, Shaw was among the first acts to receive recognition in the genre during the late 1980s. His lyrics were often based on pimping and promiscuity, but also drug culture and street survival; exemplified respectively in his most popular singles "Blow the Whistle" and "The Ghetto." He is one of few acts to have worked with both Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. during the heights of their respective careers.
Tristan Ann Prettyman is an American singer-songwriter from San Diego, California. She was signed to Virgin Records until 2013 and released her first major label album Twentythree on August 2, 2005, followed by her second album Hello...x which was released on April 15, 2008. Her third studio album, Cedar + Gold, was released on October 2, 2012. On October 27, 2014, Prettyman independently released an EP, Back to Home. She toured throughout the United States with Eric Hutchinson in support of his City and Sand tour during the fall of 2014.
Jordin Sparks is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of American Idol at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her 2007 self-titled debut studio album was met with critical and commercial success; it peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200, received platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold over two million copies worldwide. The album was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top ten singles "Tattoo" and "No Air" —the latter received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and remains the third highest-selling song by an American Idol contestant—with three million digital copies sold in the United States.
Salaam Remi Gibbs is an American record producer. He is most known for producing material for close associates Nas, Amy Winehouse, and Jazmine Sullivan, but has also produced for other mainstream acts including Alicia Keys, Fugees, Doja Cat, Miguel, Fergie, Alessia Cara, Nelly Furtado, and Estelle, among others. Gibbs is noted for his reggae-tinged approach to production.
"Hello" is a song by American singer and songwriter Lionel Richie. Taken as the third single from his second solo album, Can't Slow Down (1983), the song was released in 1984 and reached number one on three Billboard music charts: the pop chart, the R&B chart, and the Adult Contemporary chart. The song also went to number one on the UK Singles Chart for six weeks.
Jessica Lowndes is a Canadian actress, singer, and songwriter. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Lowndes began her acting career at a young age, appearing in various television shows and films before landing her breakout role as drug-addicted teen Adrianna Tate-Duncan on The CW TV series 90210. Originally written as a 3-episode arc, the character became a series regular on 90210 for five seasons.
Back to Black is the second and final studio album by English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records. Winehouse predominantly based the album on her tumultuous relationship with then-ex-boyfriend and future husband Blake Fielder-Civil, who temporarily left her to pursue his previous ex-girlfriend. Their short-lived separation spurred her to create an album that explores themes of guilt, grief, infidelity, heartbreak and trauma in a relationship.
Ralph Anwan Glover is an American rapper, actor, model, DJ, and founding member of the D.C.-based go-go band "BackYard Band". Glover is also known for his portrayal of Slim Charles in the HBO crime-drama television series The Wire.
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, known mononymously as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. Her accolades include 16 Grammy Awards, 12 Brit Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award.
Gregory Allen Kurstin is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and contributed to five songs which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100.
English singer-songwriter Adele has released four studio albums, one video album, two extended plays, 17 singles and eleven music videos. Adele has sold over 72 million in pure album sales and over 100 million in album equivalent units worldwide over four studio albums and one video album as of December 2021. She was named the best-selling album artist of the 2010s decade in the US and worldwide. She has also sold over 100 million in single sales with total sales records over 170 million as of December 2021. She also became the best-selling female artist of the 21st century in the UK. Her album 21 became the best-selling album of the 21st century.
"Many Shades of Black" is a song by the band The Raconteurs. It appears as the eighth track on their second album, Consolers of the Lonely. It is second single from the album and was made available in 7" vinyl format. The cover art depicts Mary Todd Lincoln or Abraham Lincoln depending on the way the inner sleeve is turned. The track is also available as downloadable content for the music video game Rock Band 2.
Kimberly Michelle Pate is an American R&B singer and television personality. She was a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta during its first two seasons, later returning to the show during its fifth season. She subsequently signed with Atlantic Records. Her debut studio album, Rebellious Soul, debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, and number one on the US Top R&B Albums charts. Her second studio album Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? was released in 2014, debuting at number six on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the US Top R&B Albums chart selling 87,000 copies in its first week. It spawned three singles, the Platinum selling "Love 'Em All", Gold selling "Maybe I Should Call" and Gold selling "Hard to Do".
"Beautiful Surprise" is a song by Canadian recording artist Tamia. It was written by Claude Kelly, Salaam Remi and the singer herself for her same-titled fifth album (2012), while production was overseen by Remi. The last song to be recorded for Beautiful Surprise, the R&B song has a breezy mid-tempo groove that is structured around a smooth synth. Lyrically, the song is an ode to her family, husband Grant Hill and her two daughters Myla and Lael, on which she sings about how happy she is to have experienced an unexpected but fulfilling love with a man.
New York: A Love Story is the debut studio album by American R&B singer Mack Wilds. It was released on September 30, 2013, by Louder Than Life and RED Distribution. The album features guest appearances from Method Man, Raekwon and Doug E. Fresh. The album was nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 56th Grammy Awards, which was held on January 26, 2014.
Right Here Right Now is the third studio album by American singer Jordin Sparks. It was released on August 21, 2015, through Louder Than Life/Red Associated Labels (RAL), an imprint of Sony Music Entertainment, and 19 Recordings. Following the dissolution of her original label Jive Records in 2011, Sparks was signed to RCA Records, but after years of failed negotiations to release new material under their label, she was released from her contract in 2014 and signed with Louder Than Life/Red Associated Labels. Sparks first confirmed the announcement of the album's release in November 2014, following the release of her mixtape #ByeFelicia. Right Here Right Now marks her first studio album in over six years, since Battlefield (2009).
25 is the third studio album by the English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 20 November 2015 by XL Recordings and Columbia Records. The album is titled as a reflection of her life and frame of mind at 25 years old and is termed a "make-up record". Its lyrical content features themes of Adele "yearning for her old self, her nostalgia", and "melancholia about the passage of time" according to an interview with the singer by Rolling Stone, as well as themes of motherhood, new love, and regret.
"Hello" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 23 October 2015 by XL Recordings as the lead single from her third studio album, 25 (2015). Written by Adele and the album's producer, Greg Kurstin, "Hello" is a piano ballad with soul influences and lyrics that discuss themes of nostalgia and regret. Upon release, the song garnered critical acclaim, with reviewers comparing it favourably to Adele's previous works and praised its lyrics, production and Adele's vocal performance. It was recorded in Metropolis Studios, London.
Love in the 90z is a song by American recording artist Mack Wilds, released by Epic Records on November 24, 2015 as a non-album single. The song was written by Elijah Blake, Salaam Remi and James Poyser, and produced by the latter two alongside new jack swing creator Teddy Riley and Scott Storch. With the music video premiering on January 16, 2016, the song was originally intended to be on Wilds's second studio album.
