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Confessions Of A Video Vixen
''Confessions of a Video Vixen'' is a memoir written by Karrine Steffans which details the first 25 years of her life. Part tell-all covering her sexual liaisons with music industry personalities and professional athletes, and part cautionary tale about the dangers of the otherwise romanticized hip-hop music industry, it caused considerable controversy in some circles. Summary ''Confessions of a Video Vixen'' recounts Steffans' life from her troubled girlhood living in poverty in St. Thomas, through abuse, drugs, rape and living as a teenage runaway who turns to stripping and hip hop modeling to support herself and, later, her young son. Originally published in 2005 by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, the book was immediately a ''New York Times'' bestseller. (The 2006 paperback edition includes bonus material, and also made the NYT bestseller list.) The book created a stir when it went on sale because of Steffans' allegations of abuse at the hands of her then ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karrine Steffans
Karrine Steffans (born August 24, 1978) is an American author, most notably of the ''Vixen'' series of books. She has worked as an actress and as a video vixen, having appeared in more than 20 music videos. In 2007 and 2008, Steffans visited a number of college campuses to speak about her involvement in the hip hop industry and its expectations of women. Early life Steffans was born in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and moved to Florida when she was 10 years old. She has written about her troubled childhood: she grew up in poverty, suffered emotional and physical abuse at the hands of an alcoholic mother and indifferent father, and was raped when she was 13. She ran away at 16, and began working as an exotic dancer. She lived on the streets for a month. She lived in New York and Arizona, and then moved to Los Angeles in 1999. She currently resides near Hollywood. When she was 17, Steffans moved in with rapper Nathaniel Wilson, better known as Kool G Rap, with whom she had a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bobby Brown
Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started his career in the R&B and pop group New Edition, from its inception in 1978 until his exit from the group in December 1985. Once he started a solo career, Brown enjoyed commercial and critical success with his second album ''Don't Be Cruel'' (1988) which spawned five ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 singles, including the number one hit "My Prerogative", and the Grammy Award-winning "Every Little Step". In 1989, Brown contributed two songs to the soundtrack of '' Ghostbusters II''. Brown's next album ''Bobby'' (1992) spawned several singles including "Humpin' Around", " Get Away", and "Good Enough". However, despite going 3× Platinum, sales of ''Bobby'' did not reach the level of its predecessor. Brown has sold over 50 million copies worldwid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
African-American Autobiographies
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslaved Africans who are from the United States. While some Black immigrants or their children may also come to identify as African-American, the majority of first generation immigrants do not, preferring to identify with their nation of origin. African Americans constitute the second largest racial group in the U.S. after White Americans, as well as the third largest ethnic group after Hispanic and Latino Americans. Most African Americans are descendants of enslaved people within the boundaries of the present United States. On average, African Americans are of West/Central African with some European descent; some also have Native American and other ancestry. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, African immigrants generally do not self-iden ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2005 Non-fiction Books
5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. It has attained significance throughout history in part because typical humans have five digits on each hand. In mathematics 5 is the third smallest prime number, and the second super-prime. It is the first safe prime, the first good prime, the first balanced prime, and the first of three known Wilson primes. Five is the second Fermat prime and the third Mersenne prime exponent, as well as the third Catalan number, and the third Sophie Germain prime. Notably, 5 is equal to the sum of the ''only'' consecutive primes, 2 + 3, and is the only number that is part of more than one pair of twin primes, ( 3, 5) and (5, 7). It is also a sexy prime with the fifth prime number and first prime repunit, 11. Five is the third factorial prime, an alternating factorial, and an Eisenstein prime with no imaginary part and real part of the form 3 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid digital subscribers. It also is a producer of popular podcasts such as '' The Daily''. Founded in 1851 by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones, it was initially published by Raymond, Jones & Company. The ''Times'' has won 132 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any newspaper, and has long been regarded as a national " newspaper of record". For print it is ranked 18th in the world by circulation and 3rd in the U.S. The paper is owned by the New York Times Company, which is publicly traded. It has been governed by the Sulzberger family since 1896, through a dual-class share structure after its shares became publicly traded. A. G. Sulzberger, the paper's publisher and the company's chairman, is the fifth generation of the family to head the pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Irv Gotti
Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. (born June 26, 1970), professionally known as Irv Gotti, is an American DJ, music producer, record executive, and the CEO and co-founder of Murder Inc. Records. He is best known for producing multiple number-one records for Ashanti, Ja Rule, and Jennifer Lopez, as well as his collaborations with Jay-Z, DMX, and Kanye West. Gotti is also the creator of the BET series '' Tales''. Early life Irv Gotti was born in the Hollis neighborhood of the borough of Queens in New York City. Career After helping Def Jam with the success of DMX and Jay-Z, Russell Simmons gave Irv Gotti his own label under Def Jam. While watching ''Biography'' on A&E during gangster week, a Murder, Inc. logo appeared on the screen and Irv Gotti decided to use the name for his label because Murder, Inc. put out hits for murder and Irv wanted to put out hit records. Irv, Ja Rule and the label of Murder Inc. were all involved in a well-publicized feud with G-Unit Records, Afte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players and centers of all time. He is a and center who played for six teams over his 19-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is a four-time NBA champion. After playing college basketball for the LSU Tigers, O'Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He quickly became one of the best centers in the league, winning Rookie of the Year in 1992–93 and leading his team to the 1995 NBA Finals. After four years with the Magic, O'Neal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers. They won three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Amid tension between O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, and his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978) 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. '' Confessions'' (2004) established him as one of the bestselling musical artists of the 2000s decade, cont ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sean Combs
Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, 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. Combs' debut album, '' No Way Out'' (1997), has been certified seven times platinum. The album was followed by ''Forever'' (1999), '' The Saga Continues...'' (2001), and '' Press Play'' (2006), all of which were commercially successful. In 2009, Combs created and produced the musical group Dirty Money; they released their successful debut album ''Last Train to Paris'' in 2010. Combs has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards and is the producer of MTV's ''Making the Band''. In 2022, ''Forbes'' estimated his net worth at US$1 billion. In 1998, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "exhibit"), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and radio personality. Xzibit began his musical career after the release of his debut studio album, ''At the Speed of Life'', on October 15, 1996. The album was both critically and commercially successful, peaking at number 74 on the ''Billboard'' 200. It also contained the single "Paparazzi", which peaked at number 83 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. This success allowed Xzibit to secure a recording contract with Loud Records later that year. Xzibit released his second album, ''40 Dayz & 40 Nightz'', on August 25, 1998; it peaked at number 53 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album also contained the single "What U See Is What U Get", which peaked at #50 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album's success caught attention from West Coast rapper Dr. Dre who acted as the executive producer on Xzibit's third album, '' Restles ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
DMX (rapper)
Earl Simmons (December 18, 1970 – April 9, 2021), known professionally as DMX, was an American rapper and actor. He began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album ''It's Dark and Hell Is Hot'' in 1998, to both critical acclaim and commercial success, selling 251,000 copies within its first week of release. DMX released his best-selling album, '' ... And Then There Was X'', in 1999, which included the hit single "Party Up (Up in Here)". His 2003 singles "Where the Hood At?" and "X Gon' Give It to Ya" were also commercially successful. He was the first artist to debut an album at No.1 five times in a row on the ''Billboard'' 200 charts. Overall, DMX sold over 74 million records worldwide. DMX was featured in films such as ''Belly'', ''Romeo Must Die'', ''Exit Wounds'', ''Cradle 2 the Grave'', and '' Last Hour''. In 2006, he starred in the reality television series '' DMX: Soul of a Man'', which was primarily aired on the BET cable television network. In 2003, he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ja Rule
Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in New York City, he debuted in 1999 with ''Venni Vetti Vecci'' and its lead single "Holla Holla". During the 2000s, Ja Rule was signed to Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records, formerly known as The Inc. From 1999 to 2005, Ja Rule had multiple hits that made the top 20 of the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, including "Between Me and You" (featuring Christina Milian), "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" and "Ain't It Funny" (both with Jennifer Lopez)—which both topped the Hot 100—the number 1 hit "Always on Time" (featuring Ashanti), " Mesmerize" (featuring Ashanti), and " Wonderful" (featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti). Rule has been nominated for two American Music Awards and four Grammy Awards with respective collaborators Lil' Mo, Vita, Ashanti and Case. Following the release of his platinum-selling debut ''Venni Vetti Vecci'' (1999), he released ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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