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OutKast
OutKast is a popular American Grammy award winning hip hop duo based
out of East Point, Georgia, a city south of Atlanta, Georgia. Their
original musical style was a mixture of Dirty South and G-Funk; since
then, funk, soul, pop, electronica, rock, spoken word poetry, crunk,
jazz, and blues elements have been added to the group's musical palette.
The duo consists of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin (formerly
known as "Dre") and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton.
The duo is one of the most successful hip-hop groups of all time, having
received six Grammy Awards. Over 20 million copies have been sold of
OutKast's eight releases: six studio albums, a greatest hits release,
and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, a double album containing a solo album
from each member. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is one of only four
hip-hop albums to be certified Diamond in the U.S. for shipping over 10
million units. Despite OutKast's commercial success, they have
maintained an experimental approach in their music and are widely
praised for their originality and artistic content.
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Mariah Carey
The best-selling female performer of the 1990s, Mariah Carey rose to
superstardom on the strength of her stunning five-octave voice; an
elastic talent who moved easily from glossy ballads to hip-hop-inspired
dance-pop. Mariah has earned many awards throughout her career including
2 Grammy Awards, 8 American Music Awards, Billboard's "Artist of the
Decade" Award and the World Music Award for "World's Best Selling Female
Artist of the Millennium" to name a few. Mariah's many accomplishments
and unprecedented career success stand as a testament to her creativity
and talent.
Aside from her chart-topping cover of the Jackson 5"s "I'll Be there,"
Mariah co-wrote all her #1 smashes. As well as being the only artist to
have had a #1 record in each year of the 90's, and have more singles
debut at #1 (three) than any artist, Mariah has more #1 singles than any
female artist ever. Mariah also has had more #1 singles than any
contemporary recording artist today - only the Beatles (20) and Elvis
Presley (18) have more. In addition to the magnitude of winning multiple
Grammy, Soul Train and American Music Awards, she was the first female
to witness two albums reach the diamond-certified, 10 million sales
mark.
Apart from her musical achievements, Mariah Carey's depth of person
stems from her love and support of children in need; evident through her
continuous involvement in a host of charities dedicated to ensuring
their happiness and well being. Mariah is devoted to such charities as
The Make-A-Wish Foundation, The Fresh Air Fund, Save the Music, and The
National Adoption Center to name a few. With an unwavering effort
through appearances, concerts, and donations to these organizations,
Mariah has raised millions of dollars. Her generous involvement and
on-going support of the Fresh Air Fund resulted in Camp Mariah, the
fund's first camp named in honor of an individual. Always willing to
offer her "best" self to others, Mariah has not only established herself
as a talented artist, but also as a sincere kind-hearted individual
worthy of the world's acclaim. |
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Drake
Aubrey Drake Graham a.k.a Drake was raised by his
mother in Toronto, Canada, he had started writing songs when
he was ten years old. However, he did begin his career in the showbiz
industry as a small screen actor.
Drake, who was born on October 24, 1986, got his first role as a junior
high schooler named Jimmy Brooks on Canadian teen drama
TV series "Degrassi: The Next Generation". As years went by,
he got more roles in such TV series as "Soul Food", "Conviction", "Best
Friend's Date", "The Borders"and "Being Erica".
Gaining popularity as small screen actor, Drake couldn't resist trying
his hands at
music industry. In February 2006, he released his first indie
mixtape titled "Room for Improvement".
Drake developed close relationship with Lil Wayne and became his protege
after making a collaboration with the rap mogul on a remix of song "Man
of the Year". Under the assistance of the Young Money's founder, he
worked on an indie mixtape "So Far Gone" and dropped the effort in
February 2009. In the set, he joined forces with his mentor, Trey Songz,
Peter Bjorn, Lloyd, Omarion and many more.
Drake made his debut on Billboard Hot 100 through "Best I Ever Had", the
single in "So Far Gone". Having no featured guest on the hook, this
track climbed to number 18 on the U.S. singles chart. It also peaked at
number 1 on Billboard Hot Rap Tracks and at number 2 on Billboard
R&B&Hip-Hop Songs chart. What made him differed from any other
artists was that he reached all his popularity and achievement as an
indie singer, being signed to no record label not even to Weezy's label,
Young Money.
Being considered as one of rising stars, Drake received several record
deal offers from major labels. There were at least three giant
companies, including Universal Motown and Atlantic
Records, which were involved in "one of the biggest bidding
wars ever" to get Drake signed up to their company. One of the labels
reportedly had offered $2 million dollars to persuade the young artist
to join them.
Drake has been working on his debut studio album "Thank Me Later" since
2008. Besides working on materials for his own record, he is also
involved in the making of
Weezy's rock-themed effort "REBIRTH" and Rihanna's new album.
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