Posted by scxrl3t on Jun 11, 2011 in Artist, K'naan
K’naan is a Somali-Canadian poet and hip-hop artist. Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, at age 13 he left for New York City with his mother and brother and finally settled in the Rexdale neighbourhood of Toronto.
In 2001 K’naan performed in Geneva at the 50th anniversary of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
In 2005, he performed with DobaCaracol during the Live 8 concert in Barrie, Ontario. His full-length debut album, The Dusty Foot Philosopher, was released in 2005.
His song “Soobax” (pronounced “So-Bah”) is now featured in the best selling video game FIFA Football 2006, made by Electronic Arts and he has toured the world with the cup.
K’naan participated in the Breedlove Odyssey Tour with Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch and Jean Grae. He also participated in the “Welcome To Jamrock” tour along with Damian Marley. The Dusty Foot Philosopher received a 2006 Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year, and was nominated for the inaugural Polaris Music Prize. He also featured in a song by M1, titled “Till We Get There”.
The song “In the Beginning” from the album The Dusty Foot Philosopher was featured in the 2008 Comedy “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay”
He also toured with Stephen Marley on Stephen’s “Mind Control” tour.
His latest album Troubadour was released in 2009 featuring guests artists such as Damian Marley, Adam Levine, Kirk Hammett, Mos Def, and Chali 2NA.
A remixed version of K’naan’s single “Wavin’ Flag” was chosen as the Coca-Cola anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
K’naan won the 2010 Juno Awards for Canada’s Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year.
Flo Rida is an American rapper and singer. He released his debut album, Mail on Sunday, in March 2008. His debut single "Low", featuring T-Pain, was a #1 hit for ten weeks in United States in early 2008. Two other singles resulted from Mail on Sunday: "Elevator" and "In the Ayer". In 2009, his second album R.O.O.T.S. was released; its most successful single "Right Round" was at the top of the Hot 100 for six weeks. Since then, he has released his third studio album titled Only One Flo (Part 1), which will see a sequel titled Only One Rida (Part 2).
Posted by scxrl3t on Jun 10, 2011 in Artist, Skank
Skank is a Brazilian rock/reggae band, begun in 1991, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. As of 2004, they had sold approximately 5,200,000 copies of their albums. Initially intending to mix dancehall with traditional Brazilian styles, later the band changed its sonority to music closer to Britpop and local movement Clube da Esquina.
Cee Lo Green is an American singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer. He originally came to prominence as a member of the southern hip hop group Goodie Mob, later launching a critically acclaimed solo career and forming Gnarls Barkley with DJ/producer Danger Mouse.
Internationally, Cee Lo is best known for his hip hop work and Gnarls Barkley 2006 worldwide hit "Crazy", which reached number one in various singles charts worldwide, including the UK. In the United States, "Crazy" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Parent album St. Elsewhere was also a hit, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart and number four on the US Billboard 200 album charts. Gnarls Barkley's second album, internationally less successful, The Odd Couple (2008) missed the top ten in both the UK and US, where it charted at number twelve in the US, and eighteen in the UK.
Cee Lo, taking a break from recording with Gnarls Barkley, released the single "Forget You/Fuck You!" on August 19, 2010 as a solo recording artist. The song was an instant hit, reaching the top spot in the UK and the Netherlands and charted at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100. The parent album, The Lady Killer (2010) saw similar success, peaking within the top five of the UK Album Charts and debuting within the top ten on the Billboard 200 album charts, and received a Gold certification from the BPI in the UK shortly after its release. His second single "It's OK" was a hit in Europe and the third single, "Bright Lights Bigger City" has also seen similar charting success. Cee Lo is currently a vocal coach on the NBC reality talent show The Voice with Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton.
Bruno Mars is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Mars is from a family of musicians and began making music at a young age. After performing in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood, he decided to pursue a musical career and moved to Los Angeles after graduating from high school. Mars began producing songs for other artists, joining production team The Smeezingtons.
After an unsuccessful stint with Motown Records, Mars signed with Atlantic Records in 2009. He became recognized as a solo artist after lending his vocals and co-writing the hooks for the songs "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B, and "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy. He also co-wrote the hits "Right Round" by Flo Rida featuring Ke$ha, "Wavin' Flag" by K'naan, and "Fuck You!" by Cee Lo Green. In October 2010, he released his debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Anchored by the worldwide number one singles "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade", the album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200. He was nominated for seven Grammys at the 53rd Grammy Awards, winning Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Just the Way You Are".
Mars' music is noted for displaying a wide variety of styles and influences, and contains elements of many different musical genres. He has worked with an assortment of artists from different genres; Mars acknowledges the influences that his collaborations have had on his own music. As a child, he was highly influenced by artists such as Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson and would often impersonate these artists from a young age. Mars also incorporates reggae and Motown inspired sounds into his work. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times referred to Mars as "one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop."
