Robert Calvin Bland, known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer.
Christopher Edward Martin, known professionally as DJ Premier, is an American DJ and record producer. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr—alongside the rapper Guru—and presently forms half of the hip hop duo PRhyme, together with Royce da 5'9".
The Blueprint is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2001 at Manhattan Center Studios and Baseline Studios in New York City. Contrasting the radio-friendly sound of Jay-Z's previous work, The Blueprint features soul-based sampling and production handled primarily by Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Bink, as well as Timbaland, Trackmasters, and Eminem, who also contributes the album's sole guest feature.
Arzell J. "Z. Z." Hill was an American blues singer best known for his recordings in the 1970s and early 1980s, including his 1982 album for Malaco Records, Down Home, which stayed on the Billboard soul album chart for nearly two years. The track "Down Home Blues" has been called the best-known blues song of the 1980s. According to the Texas State Historical Association, Hill "devised a combination of blues and contemporary soul styling and helped to restore the blues to modern black consciousness."
Herman "Junior" Parker was an American blues singer and harmonica player. He is best remembered for his voice which has been described as "honeyed" and "velvet-smooth". One music journalist noted, "For years, Junior Parker deserted down home harmonica blues for uptown blues-soul music". In 2001, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. Parker is also inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame.
Snakebite is the first official release by the British hard rock band Whitesnake. The original EP initially featured only four tracks and was released in the UK in June 1978 and never published in the US. Snakebite was re-released in September 1978 as a Double Extended Play containing four extra studio tracks taken from David Coverdale's second solo album Northwinds. The EP sleeve is entitled David Coverdale's Whitesnake and features photographs of the live band in concert. All tracks from the original EP also were used as bonus tracks on the 2006 remaster of Whitesnake's debut studio album Trouble.
John Henry "Jabo" Starks, sometimes spelled Jab'o, was an American funk and blues drummer best known for playing with James Brown as well as other notable musicians including Bobby Bland and B.B. King. A self-taught musician, he was known for his effective and clean drum patterns. He was one of the originators of funk drumming, and is one of the most sampled drummers.
Overton Vertis Wright was an American singer who is generally regarded as a blues artist by African-American fans in the Deep South; he is also regarded as one of Southern soul's most authoritative and individual artists. His best known songs include "That's How Strong My Love Is" (1964), "You're Gonna Make Me Cry" (1965), "Nucleus of Soul" (1968), "A Nickel and a Nail" (1971), "I Can't Take It" (1971) and "Ace of Spades" (1971).
"Excuse Me Miss" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z. It released through his Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings on February 4, 2003, as a single for his seventh studio album The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse (2002). It was also written alongside producers the Neptunes, whose Pharrell Williams sings the hook in falsetto voice (uncredited). The lyrics refer to love at first sight. It contains a more mature sound in comparison of his previous songs about women such as "Girls, Girls, Girls" and "I Just Wanna Love U ". The song samples Prince's 1990 song "Walk Don't Walk," the 2001 hit, "Take You Out" by Luther Vandross as well as "Big Poppa" by the Notorious B.I.G.
Gwen McCrae is an American singer, best known for her 1975 hit "Rockin' Chair".
"Think (About It)" is a funk song recorded by Lyn Collins and released as a single on James Brown's People Records in 1972. The recording was produced by Brown (who also wrote the song) and features instrumental backing from his band The J.B.'s. It was the title track of Collins' 1972 debut album. The song is very popular for its raw drumbeat dressed with tambourine and multiple background vocals, which suggest the song was recorded altogether in one take, with Jabo Starks playing drums. It peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles chart and No. 66 on the Hot 100. Owing to the composition, it became a fan favourite and has been featured on various compilation albums posthumously. In the closing lyrics, Collins sings lines from "Think", which shows that this song was one of the few adaptations of the 5 Royales song that Brown loved to do. "Think (About It)" is among the most sampled songs of all time.
"Turn On Your Love Light" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by Bobby Bland in 1961. It was an important R&B and pop chart hit for Bland and has become one of his most identifiable songs. A variety of artists have recorded it, including the Grateful Dead, who made it part of their concert repertoire.
"Girls Around the World" is a song by American recording artist Lloyd. The song features rapper Lil Wayne and was written by Lloyd and Lil Wayne, along with Eric Barrier and William Griffin. The song was produced by his production team, Big Reese and Jasper Cameron, who also produced his breakthrough hit, "You", which also featured Lil Wayne. The song served as the lead single for Lloyd's third studio album Lessons in Love. "Girls Around the World" received positive to mixed reviews from critics, some of whom noted it as generic, and others named it as a top track from the album. It reached No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 13 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song samples the drum break from "Ashley's Roachclip" by the Soul Searchers, as well as interpolating Rakim's verse in "Paid in Full" by hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim.
"They Don't Love You No More" is a song by American record producer DJ Khaled, released as the first single from his eighth studio album I Changed a Lot. The song features guest appearances from American rappers Jay-Z, Meek Mill, Rick Ross and French Montana. The hip hop song's production was handled by OVO Sound's Mike Zombie.
I Changed a Lot is the eighth studio album by American DJ and producer DJ Khaled. It was released on October 23, 2015, by We the Best Music Group and RED Distribution. Recording sessions took place during 2014 to 2015, with its production by DJ Khaled, along with The Beat Bully, Lee on the Beats, Danja, Bkorn and The Mekanics, as well as guest appearances from Future, Rick Ross, Boosie Badazz, Jeezy, Chris Brown, August Alsina, Fetty Wap, Yo Gotti, Trick Daddy, French Montana, Meek Mill, Beanie Sigel, Jadakiss, Lil Wayne, Big Sean, Trey Songz, Jeremih, Ace Hood, Vado, Jay-Z, Mavado, John Legend, Usher and Fabolous.
Major Key is the ninth studio album by American musician DJ Khaled. It was released on July 29, 2016, by Epic Records and We the Best Music Group. The album features guest appearances from Future, Big Sean, Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Drake, Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Betty Wright, J. Cole, Bryson Tiller, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, August Alsina, Jeremih, Kodak Black, Jeezy, French Montana, YG, Yo Gotti, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Jadakiss, Fabolous, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Kent Jones, Travis Scott, Lil Wayne, Meghan Trainor, Wiz Khalifa, Wale and Mavado.
"Do You Mind" is a single by American musician DJ Khaled featuring Trinidadian musician Nicki Minaj and fellow American musicians Chris Brown, Jeremih, Future, August Alsina, and Rick Ross. It was released on July 28, 2016 by We the Best Music Group and Epic Records as the fourth single of the former's ninth studio album, Major Key. The song peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 9 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. It was eventually certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
Grateful is the tenth studio album by American hip hop producer DJ Khaled, released as a double album on June 23, 2017 by We the Best Music Group and Epic Records. The album features guest appearances from a wide array of artists including Future, Travis Scott, Rick Ross, Migos, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, Nicki Minaj, Kodak Black, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Justin Bieber, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Drake, Rihanna, Sizzla, Mavado, Nas, Calvin Harris, PartyNextDoor, Jeremih, Pusha T, and Betty Wright, among others.
"Shining" is a song written and performed by American producer DJ Khaled as the lead single from his tenth studio album, Grateful (2017). The song features vocals from American singer Beyoncé and American rapper Jay-Z. The song was released on February 12, 2017, by We the Best and Epic Records. The song contains a sample of Osunlade's 2013 recording "Dionne" which itself samples 1970's "Walk the Way You Talk" by Dionne Warwick.
God Did is the thirteenth studio album by American record producer DJ Khaled, released through We the Best Music and Epic Records on August 26, 2022. The record project earned five nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, including for Best Rap Album, and Song of the Year and Best Rap Song for the title track, featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend and Fridayy.
