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Fast Life (Kool G Rap Song)
"Fast Life" is the second single from American Hip hop music, hip hop artist Kool G Rap's 1995 album ''4,5,6'', featuring Nas Escobar. Released with the song "4,5,6" as a B-side, it later also featured on the compilation album ''Greatest Hits (Kool G Rap & DJ Polo album), Greatest Hits'' (2002). Background Produced by Buckwild (music producer), Buckwild, "Fast Life" is a track that glorifies the criminal lifestyle with Kool G Rap and Nas Escobar portraying themselves as powerful and wealthy cocaine Drug lord, kingpins, boasting of their luxurious possessions and ruthless efficiency. The Mafioso rap, Mafioso theme of "Fast Life" is set early as the song opens with a sound bite from the 1983 film ''Scarface (1983), Scarface'' (Al Pacino's Tony Montana saying "The time has come, we gotta expand, the whole operation. Distribution, New York, to Chicago, L.A. We gotta set our own market, and enforce it.") and Nas later references such American Mafia, mob figures as Lucky Luciano, Bugsy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kool G Rap
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time,Kool Moe Dee, 2003, ''There's A God on the Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs'', Thunder's Mouth Press, p.225, 228. Biography )))">allmusic ((( Kool G Rap > Biography )))/ref> This album and their two later albums, '' Wanted: Dead or Alive'' (1990) and '' Live and Let Die'' (1992), are highly regarded and considered hip-hop classics. Eventually, in 1993, Kool G Rap parted ways with DJ Polo to pursue a solo career. Solo career In 1995, Wilson started his solo career with the album '' 4, 5, 6'', which featured production from Buckwild, and guest appearances from Nas, MF Grimm and B-1. It has been his most commercially successful r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sound Bite
A sound bite or soundbite is a short clip of speech or music extracted from a longer piece of audio, often used to promote or exemplify the full length piece. In the context of journalism, a sound bite is characterized by a short phrase or sentence that captures the essence of what the speaker was trying to say, and is used to summarize information and entice the reader or viewer. The term was coined by the U.S. media in the 1970s. Since then, politicians have increasingly employed sound bites to summarize their positions. Due to its brevity, the sound bite often overshadows the broader context in which it was spoken, and can be misleading or inaccurate. The insertion of sound bites into news broadcasts or documentaries is open to manipulation, leading to conflict over journalistic ethics. History In the 1960s and 1970s, pressure from advertisers on the American television industry to create entertaining news material made sound bites central to political coverage. Politician ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The label has a London-based, UK arm known as 0207 Def Jam (formerly Def Jam UK in the 1990s until the mid-2000s) and is currently operated through EMI Records. It has a Johannesburg, South Africa and Lagos, Nigeria-based arm known as Def Jam Africa. Def Jam distributes releases of various label imprints, including Dave East's From the Dirt Records. Current artists include Justin Bieber, Toya Johnson, Nasty C, 2 Chainz, Dave East, Jeezy, Jeremih, Jhené Aiko, Fredo Bang and YK Osiris, among others. Company history Founding and CBS Records Group era (1983–1994) Def Jam was co-founded by Rick Rubin in his dormitory in Weinstein Hall at New York University, and its first release was a single by his punk-rock group Hose. Russell Simmons jo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kevin Liles
Kevin Liles (born February 27, 1968) is an American record executive and co-founder and CEO of 300 Entertainment. In 2020, Kevin was recognized by Billboard Magazine as R&B/Hip-Hop Executive of the Year for both his efforts in activism and the continued success of Megan Thee Stallion. Early life and education Liles grew up near Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated from Woodlawn High School. He was raised by his mother, Alberta Fennoy, an accountant, and stepfather Jerome Fennoy, a railway conductor, along with three siblings. He attended Morgan State University, studying engineering on an electrical engineering scholarship from NASA, but left the program prior to graduating to pursue a musical career. Career Liles began his music career as a member of the Baltimore-based DJ crew, Numarx. In 1986, the group co-wrote "Girl You Know It's True," which was first recorded by Numarx but later became a massive first hit for Milli Vanilli. Liles was president of Def Jam Recordings and ex ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lyor Cohen
Lyor Cohen born October 3, 1959) is an American record executive and entrepreneur. Cohen has been actively involved in hip hop at various record labels for more than 30 years. He started by managing rappers for Rush Productions, then led Def Jam.Roberts, Johnnie L."Rap's Unlikely King" The Daily Beast, ''Newsweek'', January 31, 2000 After Def Jam, Cohen took on a leadership role at Warner Music Group. In September 2012, Cohen resigned from Warner and started his own independent label, 300 Entertainment. On September 28, 2016, Cohen was named YouTube's Global Head of Music. Early life Born in New York, Cohen grew up in Los Angeles. In 1981, he earned a degree in global marketing and finance from the University of Miami School of Business at the University of Miami. After graduating from the University of Miami, he worked briefly in the Beverly Hills office of Bank Leumi. Music career Rush Productions / Rush Artist Management Late in 1984, after promoting a pair of rock and ra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Refrain
A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the villanelle, the virelay, and the sestina. In popular music, the refrain or chorus may contrast with the verse melodically, rhythmically, and harmonically; it may assume a higher level of dynamics and activity, often with added instrumentation. Chorus form, or strophic form, is a sectional and/or additive way of structuring a piece of music based on the repetition of one formal section or block played repeatedly. Usage in history In music, a refrain has two parts: the lyrics of the song, and the melody. Sometimes refrains vary their words slightly when repeated; recognizability is given to the refrain by the fact that it is always sung to the same tune, and the rhymes, if present, are preserved despite the variations of the words. Such ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Complex (magazine)
Complex Networks is an American media and entertainment company for youth culture, based in New York City. It was founded as a bi-monthly magazine, ''Complex'', by fashion designer Marc (Ecko) Milecofsky. Complex Networks reports on popular and emerging trends in style, sneakers, food, music, sports and pop culture. Complex Networks reached over 90 million unique users per month in 2013 across its owned and operated and partner sites, socials and YouTube channels. The print magazine ceased publication with the December 2016/January 2017 issue. Complex currently has 4.55 million subscribers and 1.3 billion total views on YouTube. As of 2019, the company's yearly revenue was estimated to be US$200 million, 15% of which came from commerce. Complex Networks has been named by ''Business Insider'' as one of the Most Valuable Startups in New York, and Most Valuable Private Companies in the World. Complex Networks CEO Rich Antoniello was named among the Silicon Alley 100. In 2012, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frankie Yale
Francesco Ioele (; January 22, 1893 – July 1, 1928), known as Frankie Yale or Frankie Uale, was an Italian-American gangster based in Brooklyn and second employer of Al Capone. Early life Yale was born in Longobucco, Italy, on January 22, 1893 to Domenico and Isabella (née DeSimone) Ioele. He had an older brother, John, and two younger siblings, Assunta and Angelo. He and his family arrived in the United States c. 1900. As a teenager, Ioele was befriended by John Torrio, who ushered him into the Five Points Gang and groomed him for a life of crime. Shortly after Torrio left for Chicago, in 1909, Ioele "Americanized" his last name to Yale. Despite his medium height and chubby build, Yale was a fearsome fistfighter and thief. In 1910, at age 17, Yale and a friend, a wrestler named Bobby Nelson, severely beat several men during a fight in the Coney Island pool hall, which involved cracking pool cues and hurling billiard balls. One of his early arrests, in October 1912, was on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bugsy Siegel
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (February 28, 1906 – June 20, 1947) was an American mobster who was a driving force behind the development of the Las Vegas Strip. Siegel was not only influential within the Jewish Mob, but along with his childhood friend and fellow gangster Meyer Lansky, also held significant influence within the Italian-American Mafia and the largely Italian-Jewish National Crime Syndicate. Described as handsome and charismatic, he became one of the first front-page celebrity gangsters. Siegel was one of the founders and leaders of Murder, Inc. and became a bootlegger during Prohibition. After the Twenty-first Amendment was passed repealing Prohibition in 1933, he turned to gambling. In 1936, he left New York and moved to California. His time as a mobster during this period was mainly as a hitman and muscle, as he was noted for his prowess with guns and violence. In 1941, Siegel was tried for the murder of friend and fellow mobster Harry Greenberg, who had turned in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lucky Luciano
Charles "Lucky" Luciano (, ; born Salvatore Lucania ; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was an Italian-born gangster who operated mainly in the United States. Luciano started his criminal career in the Five Points gang and was instrumental in the development of the National Crime Syndicate. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for the establishment of The Commission (mafia), The Commission in 1931, after he abolished the capo di tutti capi, boss of bosses title held by Salvatore Maranzano following the Castellammarese War. He was also the first official crime boss, boss of the modern Genovese crime family. In 1936, Luciano was tried and convicted for forced prostitution, compulsory prostitution and running a prostitution racket after years of investigation by District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey. He was sentenced to 30 to 50 years in prison, but during World War II an agreement was struck with the Department of the Navy through his J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Mafia
The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian American criminal society and organized crime group. The organization is often referred to by its members as Cosa Nostra (, "our thing" or "this thing of ours") and by the American government as La Cosa Nostra (LCN). The organization's name is derived from the original ''Mafia'' or ''Cosa nostra'', the Sicilian Mafia, with "American Mafia" originally referring simply to Mafia (or ''Cosa nostra'') groups from Sicily operating in the United States, as the organization initially emerged as an offshoot of the Sicilian Mafia (known also as ''Cosa nostra'' by its members) formed by Italian immigrants in the United States. However, the organization gradually evolved into a separate entity partially independent of the original Mafia in Sicily, and it eventually encompassed or absorbed other Italian immigrant and Italian-American gangsters and Italia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
