Jeffrey Bruce Atkins Sr., better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known as a leading figure in 2000s hip hop for his blending of gangsta rap with commercially-oriented pop sensibilities. He signed with Irv Gotti's Murder Inc Records, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings to release his debut studio album Venni Vetti Vecci (1999), which spawned his first hit single, "Holla Holla". Ja Rule peaked the Billboard Hot 100 thrice in 2001 with his single "Always on Time" and his guest appearances on Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real " and "Ain't It Funny". His encompassing singles, "Put It on Me", "Mesmerize", "Livin' It Up" and "Wonderful" have each peaked within the top ten of the chart and spawned from commercially successful album releases.
"Mesmerize" is a song by American rapper Ja Rule. It was released on December 16, 2002, as the second single from his fourth studio, album The Last Temptation (2002). Containing a sample from the 1974 song "Stop, Look, Listen " by Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, the song was produced by Irv Gotti and features R&B artist Ashanti. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2003, making it Ashanti's and Ja Rule's fourth top-10 hit as a duet.
"Only U" is a song by American singer Ashanti from her third studio album, Concrete Rose (2004). The song's introduction uses a sample of Club Nouveau's 1986 song "Why You Treat Me So Bad". "Only U" is a rock-tinged song, that finds Ashanti in love and willing to do anything to be with the one she loves, no matter the cost.
Algernod Lanier Washington, better known by his stage name Plies, is an American rapper. Born in Fort Myers, Florida, Plies was a wide receiver on the Miami Redskins football team of Miami University in Ohio for two years in 1995 before embarking on a musical career. After a brief transfer to University of Central Florida, he dropped out and signed with South Florida-based record label Slip-n-Slide Records in 2004; after four mixtapes, he signed a joint venture with Atlantic Records two years later.
"Bust It Baby" is a single by American rapper Plies released on January 25, 2008, and is the first single from Plies' second album, Definition of Real. The original was featured as a bonus track on Definition of Real, while "Bust It Baby Pt. 2", which features R&B singer Ne-Yo, is an official track on the album.
"Forever" is a song by American singer Chris Brown. Brown co-wrote the song with Andre Merritt, Rob Allen, Brian Kennedy, and Jamal "Polow da Don" Jones; the latter two are also the producers. Initially created to be used for a Doublemint commercial, "Forever" was selected to be released as the lead single from the reissue version of Brown's second studio album Exclusive, titled the Forever Edition, and the fifth single overall from the album. It was first released for digital download on November 2, 2007, in a few countries, followed the next April with a retail single CD released in Europe.
"Need U Bad" is a song performed by American recording artist Jazmine Sullivan from her debut album, Fearless (2008). The song features rapper Missy Elliott, as well as rapper Pepa of rap duo Salt-N-Pepa speaking a Jamaican chant. "Need U Bad" is Sullivan's debut single and the lead single from Fearless. It was first released on May 13, 2008 in the United States by J and Arista Records. The song was co-written by Sullivan in collaboration with Elliott, Cainon Lamb, and Taurian Osbourne. It was produced by Elliott and Lamb. The song uses a sample from Nicholas Taylor Stanton's "Higher Meditation Riddim Version", and Tapper Zukie's "Papa Big Shirt".
Da REAList is the third studio album by American rapper Plies. It was released on December 16, 2008, by Big Gates Records, Slip-n-Slide Records and Atlantic Records.
"Kiss Me thru the Phone" is a song by American rapper Soulja Boy featuring American singer Sammie. Written by the former alongside David Siegel and producer Jim Jonsin, it was released on November 26, 2008, as the second single from his 2008 album, iSouljaBoyTellem. It was the best-selling single from the album, reaching number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number one on the U.S. Rap Charts, the top 10 in the United Kingdom, in Canada, on the U.S. Billboard Pop 100, and in New Zealand.
"Turn My Swag On" is a song written and recorded by American rapper Soulja Boy Tellem. It was released in October 2008 as the third single from his 2008 album iSouljaBoyTellem. It was performed at the 2009 BET Awards. The song topped the US Rap Charts and peaked at number 19 on the Hot 100. It has so far sold over 1,000,000 digital downloads in the US. It became Soulja Boy's third song to sell more than 1 million downloads, after "Kiss Me thru the Phone" and "Crank Dat ".
"Rockin' That Shit" is the first single from The-Dream's second studio album, Love vs. Money. The song features production by Tricky Stewart.
Lady Love is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist LeToya Luckett. It was released by Capitol Records, on August 25, 2009 in the United States. Originally scheduled for release several times in 2008, the album was released after corporate restructuring at the record company. As with her solo debut, the singer worked with a wide variety of collaborators for the album, including Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, Blac Elvis, Ryan Leslie, Harold Lilly, Bei Maejor, Oak, Soundz, T-Minus, and Tank.
"Never Ever" is a song performed by R&B singer Ciara. It is the first single released from her third studio album, Fantasy Ride. The song features rapper Young Jeezy, was produced by Polow da Don, and was co-written by Ciara and Elvis "BlacElvis" Williams, who both produced and co-wrote Ciara's single, "Promise", from her second album, Ciara: The Evolution.
"Walkin' on the Moon" is the third single by The-Dream from his second album Love vs. Money. The song features rapper Kanye West.
"The One" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige featuring Canadian rapper Drake. Written alongside Ester Dean and producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, it was released on July 21, 2009 as the lead single from her ninth studio album Stronger with Each Tear. The song marked Blige's 5th entry on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, on which it reached number 32. Blige's sum extended her lead for most charted titles among women in the 1990s and 2000s.
"D.O.A. " is a song written by American rapper Jay-Z and produced by No I.D. The song was released as a digital download on June 23, 2009, and as the first single from Jay-Z's 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3. The song made its world premiere on the New York radio station Hot 97 on June 5. Its lyrics address the overusage of Auto-Tune in the music industry. The song samples "In the Space" by French composer Janko Nilović. The bridge is inspired by Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" and interpolates lyrics from Kanye West's "Big Brother", and "You're Nobody " by The Notorious B.I.G. The song won Jay-Z his eighth Grammy Award, and his second for Best Rap Solo Performance. It peaked at No. 24 on Billboard Hot 100.
"Becky" is the first single of Plies's fourth album, Goon Affiliated. The track was released on the internet by Plies via his Twitter.
"Ride" is a song by American recording artist Ciara. The song features American rapper Ludacris. It was co-written by Ciara, Ludacris, Tricky Stewart, and The-Dream, and produced by the latter two. The song served as the lead single from her fourth studio album, Basic Instinct. The song was first released for digital download on April 23, 2010. "Ride" is a down-tempo R&B song, featuring a heavy bass line and seductive tone.
"The Woman You Love" is a song recorded by American recording artist Ashanti and Brooklyn native rapper Busta Rhymes. It was written by Arden "Keys" Altino, Eric Bellinger, Peter Brown, John Bruce, Ashanti, "Jerry Wonder" Duplessis, Shama "Sak Pase" Joseph, Rhymes and Alozono Stevenson while Sak Pase, Jerry Wonder and Arden "Keys" Altino produced the song. "The Woman You Love" samples elements of Cream's 1968 single "White Room", written by Bruce and Brown.
Braveheart is the sixth studio album by American singer Ashanti, released on March 4, 2014, by Ashanti's independent record label Written Entertainment. This was her first studio album to be released in six years, with her last studio album having been 2008's The Declaration. It was also her first release since leaving Murder Inc Records.
