Music

Melissa Arnette Elliott, better known as Missy Elliott or Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the early-mid 1990s and later became a member of the Swing Mob collective along with childhood friend and longtime collaborator Timbaland, with whom she worked on projects for American R&B acts Aaliyah, 702, Total, and SWV. Following several collaborations and guest appearances, she launched her solo career in 1997 with her debut album Supa Dupa Fly, which spawned the top 20 single "Sock It 2 Me". The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, the highest charting debut for a female rapper at the time.

Stadium is the ninth studio album by American percussionist Eli Keszler. It was released in October 2018 under Shelter Press.

Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinctive "stuttering" rhythmic style. In 2007, Entertainment Weekly stated that "just about every current pop trend can be traced back to him — from sultry, urban-edged R&B songstresses ... to the art of incorporating avant-garde sounds into No. 1 hits."

Timbaland's first full credit production work was in 1996 on Ginuwine...the Bachelor for R&B singer Ginuwine. Further work on Aaliyah's second studio album One in a Million (1996) and Missy Elliott's debut studio album Supa Dupa Fly (1997) made him a prominent producer for R&B and hip hop artists. As a rapper he initially released several albums with fellow rapper Magoo, followed by his debut solo album Tim's Bio in 1998. In 2002, Timbaland produced the hit single "Cry Me a River" for Justin Timberlake and went on to produce most of Timberlake's subsequent LPs, such as FutureSex/LoveSounds and The 20/20 Experience along with their respective hit singles.

Chris Brown (born 1953) is an American composer, pianist and electronic musician, who creates music for acoustic instruments with interactive electronics, for computer networks, and for improvising ensembles. He was active early in his career as an inventor and builder of electroacoustic instruments; he has also performed widely as an improviser and pianist with groups as "Room" and the "Glenn Spearman Double Trio." In 1986 he co-founded the pioneering computer network music ensemble "The Hub". He is also known for his recorded performances of music by Henry Cowell, Luc Ferrari, and John Zorn. He has received commissions from the Berkeley Symphony, the Rova Saxophone Quartet, the Abel-Steinberg-Winant Trio, the Gerbode Foundation, the Phonos Foundation and the Creative Work Fund. His recent music includes the poly-rhythm installation "Talking Drum", the "Inventions" series for computers and interactive performers, and the radio performance "Transmissions" series, with composer Guillermo Galindo.

Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited success, the original quartet comprising Knowles, Rowland, LaTavia Roberson, and LeToya Luckett were signed in 1997 to Columbia Records as Destiny's Child. The group was launched into mainstream recognition following the release of the song "No, No, No" and their best-selling second album, The Writing's on the Wall (1999), which contained the number-one singles "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name". Despite critical and commercial success, the group was plagued by internal conflict and legal turmoil, as Roberson and Luckett attempted to split from the group's manager Mathew Knowles, citing favoritism of Knowles and Rowland.

Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit "Let Me Love You". The single's successful release prompted a meeting between Ne-Yo and Def Jam's then-president Jay-Z, resulting in a long-tenured recording contract.

Ne-Yo's debut solo single, "Stay" (featuring Peedi Crakk), was released in 2005 to moderate success. His debut studio album, In My Own Words (2006), was critically and commercially successful, reaching number one on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States. It is certified platinum in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and Australia and saw the success of the single "So Sick", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.

The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Iovine, Antin decided to take the burlesque troupe mainstream as a pop group. Antin negotiated a record deal with Interscope Geffen A&M Records in 2003 turning the group into a music franchise comprising Nicole Scherzinger, Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, Melody Thornton, and Kimberly Wyatt. Their debut single, "Sway", was featured on the soundtrack of the 2004 film Shall We Dance?.

Sean Love Combs, also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent director at Uptown Records before founding his own record label, Bad Boy Records in 1993. Combs has produced and cultivated artists such as the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Usher.

Eve Jihan Cooper, known mononymously as Eve, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actress. In 1999, she released her debut album, Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady, which reached number one on the Billboard 200, making her the third female rapper to accomplish this feat, and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album produced the hit singles "What Ya Want", "Love Is Blind", and "Gotta Man". That same year, she was featured on The Roots' Grammy Award-winning single "You Got Me", as well as Missy Elliott's "Hot Boyz", the latter of which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100.

William James Adams Jr., known professionally as will.i.am, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He rose to prominence as the founder and lead member of the Black Eyed Peas.

Usher Raymond IV is an American R&B singer. He was born in Dallas, Texas, but raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, until moving to Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of 12, his mother put him in local singing competitions before catching the attention of a music A&R from LaFace Records. He released his self-titled debut album Usher (1994), and rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way (1997). It spawned his first U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Nice & Slow", and the top-two singles "You Make Me Wanna..." and "My Way". His third album, 8701 (2001), produced the number-one singles "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad", as well as the top-three single "U Don't Have to Call". It sold eight million copies worldwide and won his first two Grammy Awards as Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2002 and 2003.

Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the United States to record demo tapes. After signing with Def Jam in 2005, she soon gained recognition with the release of her first two studio albums, Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl Like Me (2006), both of which were influenced by Caribbean music and peaked within the top ten of the US Billboard 200 chart.

Eamon Doyle (born September 19, 1983), better known by his mononym Eamon, is an American singer and songwriter. He is mainly known for his 2003 hit single "Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)".

Some of the songs written by Eamon are in a style called ho-wop, which "blends the smoothness of R&B with the grittiness of hip hop". Eamon's songs are typically soft ballads mixed with aggressive lyrics with the theme of infidelity.

Eamon was born in Staten Island, New York City, the son of Diane (née Zizzo), an Italian American nurse, and Walter Doyle, a counselor with a private practice, of Irish descent. His father was a member of a doo-wop group by the name of The Elations. He began singing at age nine and touring and performing with his father's group at the same age. At 15, while working in a music studio, he caught the attention of Nat Robinson the CEO. of First Priority Music who in turn turned Eamon on to songwriter/producer Milk Dee, who had worked with musicians such as MC Lyte, Janet Jackson, and Mary J. Blige. Dee and his co-producer Mark Passy helped refine Eamon's sound. After Nat Robinson shopped Eamon to over 22 different record labels Nat Robinson finally secured a record deal with record executive Barry Weiss and Eamon was eventually signed to Jive Records.

Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and "Don't Speak", from their 1995 breakthrough studio album Tragic Kingdom, as well as "Hey Baby" and "It's My Life" from later albums.

During the band's hiatus, Stefani embarked on a solo pop career in 2004 by releasing her debut studio album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Inspired by pop music from the 1980s, the album was a critical and commercial success. It spawned six singles, including "What You Waiting For?", "Rich Girl", "Hollaback Girl", and "Cool". "Hollaback Girl" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart while also becoming the first US download to sell one million copies. In 2006, Stefani released her second studio album, The Sweet Escape. Among the singles were "Wind It Up" and "The Sweet Escape", the latter of which was number three on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart of 2007. Her third solo album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016), was her first solo album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Her fourth solo album and first full-length Christmas album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released in 2017 and charted 19 tracks on Billboard's Holiday Digital Song Sales component chart in the United States. Stefani has released several singles with Blake Shelton, including "Nobody but You" (2020), which reached number 18 in the US.

Black Eyed Peas are an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hill in 2002. Originally an alternative hip hop group, they subsequently refashioned themselves as a more marketable pop-rap act. Although the group was founded in Los Angeles in 1995, it was not until the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003 that they achieved high record sales.

Fergie (; born Stacy Ann Ferguson; March 27, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She first achieved chart success as part of the hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas. Her debut solo album, The Dutchess (2006), saw commercial success and spawned three Billboard Hot 100 number one singles: "London Bridge", "Glamorous", and "Big Girls Don't Cry". Although she vocally incorporates rapping into some of her performances, she does not consider herself a rapper.

Fergie was originally a member of the children's television series Kids Incorporated and the girl group Wild Orchid. In 2001, she left the group and in the subsequent year joined the Black Eyed Peas. She worked with the Black Eyed Peas on two albums before releasing her debut solo album, The Dutchess, in 2006. She continued her collaboration with the Black Eyed Peas and released a further two albums with them, The E.N.D. (2009) and The Beginning (2010). Her second solo album, Double Dutchess, was released in 2017.

"Gimmie Dat" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ciara. The song was written by Ciara, along with its two producers Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Kenneth "Soundz" Coby for her fourth studio album, Basic Instinct (2010). "Gimmie Dat" is an uptempo dance song, featuring speedy, kinetic beats and a sensual-breathy tone. The song has been compared to her previous hip hop-flavored dance songs, "Goodies", and "Work", and has also been compared to Missy Elliott's "Work It". "Gimmie Dat" was released as the third single from Basic Instinct on October 15, 2010. In some countries, the song was released alongside "Speechless", as a dual single.

"Gimmie Dat" was well received by music critics, who compliment its uptempo beat. Although the song was well received by critics, it only managed to peak at the lower half of US and UK charts. An official remix of the song, dubbed the "Slow Bass Remix" was released in the United States on December 21, 2010. It was later confirmed that Ciara had paid for the music video, radio play and promotion of the single herself because the label refused to do so. According to Ciara, her record label even told radio stations to stop playing the song. "Gimmie Dat" was Ciara's final single released under LaFace Records, which she had her contract released from due to Basic Instinct's underperforming sales.

Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper and singer. Raised in St. Louis, he embarked on his musical career with the Southern hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in the year 2000, with his commercial debut album Country Grammar, of which the featured title track and the single "Ride wit Me" were top 10 hits. The album peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, and became Nelly's best-selling album to date, selling over 8.4 million copies in the United States. His following album Nellyville produced the number-one hits "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma", along with the top five single "Air Force Ones".