Di Genius
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Di Genius
Di Genius (real name Stephen McGregor, is a Grammy Award Winning music producer, singer, and songwriter from Kingston, Jamaica. Di Genius comes from a musical family—his father is legendary veteran reggae artist Freddie McGregor and his siblings, Daniel "Chino" McGregor and Yeshemabeth "Shema" McGregor, are also singers. While Di Genius was primarily known for producing riddims out of his "Big Ship" recording studio, he has gone on to produce and write songs for international artists such as Sean Paul, Drake , Nelly Furtado , Lianne La Havas, Shakira, John Legend among others. ''The New York Times'' named him a "Reggae Veteran At The Age of 18." In 2017, Billboard.com listed Di Genius as one of the producers who brought dancehall back to the mainstream, noting his work on Drake's hit song "Controlla" off the multi-platinum selling album ''Views''. His work is also featured on multiple Grammy Awards nominated albums. Biography Stephen McGregor is the son of legendary reg ...
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Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.", Rough Guides, In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably, with digital dancehall (or "ragga") becoming increasingly characterized by faster rhythms. Key elements of dancehall music include its extensive use of Jamaican Patois rather than Jamaican standard English and a focus on the track instrumentals (or "riddims"). Dancehall saw initial mainstream success in Jamaica in the 1980s, and by the 1990s, it became increasingly popular in Jamaican diaspora communities. In the 2000s, dancehall experienced worldwide mainstream success, and by the 2010s, it began to heavily influence the work of established Western artists and producers, which has helped to furth ...
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John Legend
John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Everything Is Everything", and making uncredited guest appearances on Jay-Z's "Encore" and Alicia Keys's "You Don't Know My Name". He then signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music and released his debut album ''Get Lifted'' (2004), which reached the top ten on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Legend received nine nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, including nominations for the singles " So High" with Lauryn Hill and "Ordinary People", with the latter song winning for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. The album also earned him awards for Best New Artist and Best R&B Album. His second studio album ''Once Again'' (2006), spawned the single "Save Room", and became his ...
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Big Ship (Freddie McGregor Album)
''Big Ship'' is a studio album by the Jamaican musician Freddie McGregor. It was released via Greensleeves Records in 1982. McGregor named his studio after the album. The title track was McGregor's first major hit. The album was produced by Linval Thompson. The backing band was the Roots Radics. It was mixed by Scientist. Critical reception AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ... wrote that "McGregor's love of African-American soul music comes through loud and clear—even though many of the more Rastafarian-oriented lyrics are very much a product of the Jamaican experience." Track listing #"Big Ship" - 3:18 #"Sweet Lady" - 3:11 #"Peaceful Man" - 3:45 #"Stop Loving You" - 3:09 #"Get Serious" - 3:06 #"Don't Play the Fool" - 3:15 #"Get United" - 3:21 #"Let Me ...
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Arista Records
Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainment, the North American division of German conglomerate Bertelsmann. Though the label was founded in November 1974 by Clive Davis, Arista in its current form was re-established in 2018. Along with Epic Records, RCA Records, and Columbia Records, Arista is one of Sony Music's four flagship record labels. History Background After being fired from CBS Records, Clive Davis was recruited by Alan Hirschfield, CEO of Columbia Pictures, in June 1974 to be a consultant for the company's record and music operations. Shortly after his hiring by CPI, Davis became president of Bell Records, replacing the departing Larry Uttal. Davis's real goal was to reorganize and revitalize Columbia Pictures' music division. With a $10 million investme ...
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Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the music industry worldwide. It was originally called the Gramophone Awards, as the trophy depicts a gilded Phonograph, gramophone. The Grammys are the first of the Big Three television networks, Big Three networks' major music awards held annually, and is considered one of the EGOT, four major annual American entertainment awards, alongside the Academy Awards (for films), the Emmy Awards (for television), and the Tony Awards (for theater). The 1st Annual Grammy Awards, first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4, 1959, to honor the musical accomplishments of performers for the year 1958. After the 2011 ceremony, the Recording Academy overhauled many Grammy Award categories for 2012. History The Grammys ...
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Views (album)
''Views'' is the fourth studio album by Canadian rapper and singer Drake. It was released on April 29, 2016, by Cash Money Records, Republic Records, and Young Money Entertainment. Recording sessions took place from 2015 to 2016, with both Drake and his longtime collaborator and record producer 40 serving as the record's executive producers. 40 also primarily handled the production on the album alongside Nineteen85, Maneesh Bidaye, Kanye West, and Jordan Ullman, among others. Featured guest appearances include PartyNextDoor, Pimp C, Dvsn, Wizkid, Kyla, Future, and Rihanna. ''Views'' takes influence from West Indian and West African music. The album marks Drake's first full foray into Jamaican dancehall music, while also featuring other genres such as R&B, trap, Afrobeat, UK funky, and pop. Similar to his previous records, the album sees Drake discussing romance, experiences with betrayal, and celebrations of loyalty and friendship. The album was supported by five singles: "One ...
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Controlla (song)
"Controlla" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake, recorded for his fourth studio album ''Views''. The song was released as the fourth single from the album in the US on June 7, 2016. The dancehall song was written by Drake, Matthew Samuels, Dwayne Chin-Quee, Stephen McGregor, Moses Davis, Donald Dennis, Gary Jackson, Patrick Roberts, Andrew Thomas, and produced by Boi-1da, Supa Dups, Di Genius, TheFinal1 and Allen Ritter. It reached number 27 in Canada, number 18 in the UK, and number 16 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Controlla" was the second dancehall single to be released from ''Views,'' along with "One Dance" and "Too Good". ''Pitchfork'' listed "Controlla" on their ranking of the 100 best songs of 2016 at number 62. Background Prior to the album's release, "Controlla" was one of two tracks from ''Views'' leaked online; The leaked version featured dancehall artist Popcaan. The song was still included on the album without Popcaan's contributions and an additional Dra ...
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Billboard (magazine)
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music industry. Its music charts include the Hot 100, the 200, and the Global 200, tracking the most popular albums and songs in different genres of music. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm, and operates several TV shows. ''Billboard'' was founded in 1894 by William Donaldson and James Hennegan as a trade publication for bill posters. Donaldson later acquired Hennegan's interest in 1900 for $500. In the early years of the 20th century, it covered the entertainment industry, such as circuses, fairs, and burlesque shows, and also created a mail service for travelling entertainers. ''Billboard'' began focusing more on the music industry as the jukebox, phonograph, and radio became commonplace. Many topics it covered were spun-off ...
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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 ...
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Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired debut album, '' Whoa, Nelly!'' (2000), which was a critical and commercial success that spawned two top-10 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, "I'm Like a Bird" and " Turn Off the Light". The first of the two singles won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Furtado's introspective folk-heavy 2003 second album, ''Folklore'', explored her Portuguese roots. Its singles received moderate success in Europe, but the album's underperformance compared to her debut was regarded as a sophomore slump. Furtado's third album, ''Loose'' (2006), was a smash hit and became her bestselling album, with more than 10 million copies sold worldwide, also making it one of the bestselling albums of the 2000s. Considered a radical image reinv ...
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Drake (musician)
Aubrey Drake Graham ( ; born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian rapper and singer. An influential figure in contemporary popular music, Drake has been credited for popularizing singing and R&B sensibilities in hip hop. He gained recognition by starring as Jimmy Brooks in the CTV teen drama series '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' (2001–08) and subsequently pursued a career in music releasing his debut mixtape '' Room for Improvement'' in 2006. He released the mixtapes ''Comeback Season'' (2007) and '' So Far Gone'' (2009) before signing with Young Money Entertainment. Drake's first three albums, ''Thank Me Later'' (2010), '' Take Care'' (2011) and ''Nothing Was the Same'' (2013), were all critical successes and propelled him to the forefront of hip hop. His fourth album, ''Views'' (2016), saw exploration of dancehall and stood atop the ''Billboard'' 200 for 13 non-consecutive weeks, making it the first album by a male artist to do so in over a decade, and featured the cha ...
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Riddim
Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm". In the context of reggae and dancehall, it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song and is synonymous with the rhythm section. Jamaican music genres that use the term consist of the ''riddim'' plus the ''voicing'' (vocal part) sung by the deejay. The resulting song structure is distinctive in many ways. A given riddim, if popular, may be used in dozens—or even hundreds—of songs, not only in recordings but also in live performances. Since the 1970s, riddims have accompanied reggae music and through the 1980s, more widely known as dancehall. As seen in dancehall music, there is a voicing part – sung by the DJ – over some riddim that has probably been widely used in many other songs. There is a unique establishment in the combination of riddims and voicing. By 1993, Jamaica finally established a copyright act, but producers still face difficulty in establishing profit. Through proper regist ...
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