Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, keyboards, vocals), and Russel Hobbs ( drums). Their universe is presented in music videos, interviews, comic strips and short cartoons. Gorillaz' music has featured collaborations with a wide range of featured artists, with Albarn as the only permanent musical contributor. With Gorillaz, Albarn departed from the distinct Britpop of his band Blur, exploring a variety of musical styles including hip hop, electronic music and world music through an "eccentrically postmodern" approach. The band's 2001 debut album '' Gorillaz'', which featured dub, Latin and punk influences, went triple platinum in the UK and double platinum in Europe, with sales driven by the success of the album's lead single " Clint Eastwood". Their second studio album ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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2-D (character)
Stuart Harold "2-D" Pot is a fictional English singer, musician and member of the British virtual band Gorillaz. He provides the lead vocals and plays the keyboard for the band. 2-D's singing voice is provided by Blur frontman Damon Albarn on Gorillaz' recordings and performances; his speaking voice was provided by actor Nelson De Freitas in various Gorillaz direct-to-video projects such as '' Phase One: Celebrity Take Down'' and '' Phase Two: Slowboat to Hades''. In 2017, Kevin Bishop was cast as the new speaking voice of 2-D. He was created by Albarn and Jamie Hewlett in 1998. Development Characterization 2-D was loosely based on Chris Gentry from the Britpop band Menswear and a mutual friend of Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn named Stuart Lowbridge, who has worked as a stage engineer for Albarn since the early days of his career. Before co-creating Gorillaz, Hewlett originally had the idea of forming a cartoon band called "Sour Grapes" with Gentry and Graham Coxon of Al ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Murdoc Niccals
Murdoc Faust Niccals (born Murdoc Alphonce Niccals) is the fictional British bassist for the virtual band Gorillaz. He is voiced by Phil Cornwell and was created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. In the Gorillaz universe, Murdoc was responsible for most of the conception and formation of the band, and he is angry that 2-D is the frontman. He was based on The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. As a Satanist, Murdoc's fictional biography is filled with references to Satanism, such as his birthday being on 6/6/66, and indicates that, to become a famous musician, Murdoc made a deal with the Devil—leading him to change his middle name to Faust—who provided Murdoc with his own bass guitar, El Diablo. In 2018, it was revealed that Murdoc was incarcerated and did not contribute to the band's sixth album ''The Now Now'', instead, being replaced by the character Ace, the leader of The Gangreen Gang from Cartoon Network's 1998 animated series ''The Powerpuff Girls''. He ha ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Russel Hobbs
Russel Hobbs is a fictional American musician and member of the British virtual band Gorillaz. He provides the drums and percussion for the band. Like all the other Gorillaz band members, he was created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett in 1998 and made his first official appearance in Gorillaz' debut EP Tomorrow Comes Today in 2000. Russel's spoken voice is supplied by Remi Kabaka Jr., who joined Gorillaz in an official capacity on actual percussion in 2016.''Bananaz''. HanWay Films (2008) Development Characterization Russel Hobbs was originally conceptualized by Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn in 1998 as a metafictional representation of the hip hop aspects of Gorillaz, embodying the spirit of the bands' collaborations with various rappers over the years. He is referenced in the lyrics to the ''Gorillaz'' track "Clint Eastwood". He was originally inspired by Hewlett’s love for hip hop artists like Ice Cube (the cousin of rapper Del the Funky Homosapien, who raps on "Clint E ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Noodle (character)
Noodle is a fictional Japanese musician, singer, and member of the British virtual band Gorillaz. She provides the lead guitar and keyboards, as well as some occasional lead and backing vocals for the band. Like all other band members of Gorillaz, she was created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. Noodle has been voiced by Haruka Kuroda,'' Bananaz''. HanWay Films (2008)''Charts of Darkness''. Dazed Film & TV (2001) Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto, and Haruka Abe. Development Characterization Noodle was originally conceptualised by co-creator Jamie Hewlett as a 17-year-old girl named Paula Cracker, but co-creator Damon Albarn noted that the character was too similar to the characters that Hewlett is typically known for drawing, and recommended that he attempt to create "something different". Taking Albarn's advice, Hewlett designed an illustration of a 10-year-old Japanese girl named Noodle. Jamie Hewlett has stated in interviews that Noodle is his favourite Gorillaz characte ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtual band Gorillaz. Raised in Leytonstone, East London, and around Colchester, Essex, Albarn attended The Stanway School, where he met guitarist Graham Coxon and formed Blur. They released their debut album ''Leisure'' in 1991. After spending long periods touring the US, Albarn's songwriting became increasingly influenced by British bands from the 1960s. The result was the Blur albums ''Modern Life Is Rubbish'' (1993), ''Parklife'' (1994) and '' The Great Escape'' (1995). All three received critical acclaim, while Blur gained mass popularity in the UK, aided by a Britpop chart rivalry with Oasis. Subsequent albums such as '' Blur'' (1997), '' 13'' (1999) and ''Think Tank'' (2003) incorporated influences from lo-fi, art rock, electronic an ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jamie Hewlett
Jamie Christopher Hewlett (born 3 April 1968) is an English comic book creator, illustrator, music video director, and songwriter. He is the co-creator of the comic book ''Tank Girl'' with Alan Martin and co-creator of the virtual band Gorillaz, alongside Blur frontman Damon Albarn. Biography Early life Brought up in Horsham, West Sussex, Jamie Hewlett was a pupil at Tanbridge House School, a local co-educational source comprehensive for pupils aged 11–16 years. He contributed to the artwork of a road safety campaign that ended up as a runner-up in a national television competition. He was inspired by the punk group The Undertones. Whilst still a teenager Hewlett sold his first comic strip creation "One Boring Day". In 1983 he became the youngest person ever to work in the Wardour Street studios of Oscar Award-winning animator Bob Godfrey. Hewlett created the original artwork for a pilot animated cartoon series for Thames Television directed by Bob Godfrey with voiceovers ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Spacemonkeyz
Spacemonkeyz are a musical group consisting of Darren Galea, Richie Stevens and Gavin Dodds. They came together when Galea created a dub remix of the Gorillaz' "Tomorrow Comes Today" ("Tomorrow Dub", which was released as a B-side on the "Tomorrow Comes Today" single), which Gorillaz founder Damon Albarn liked so much that he asked Galea to remix the whole album '' Gorillaz''. The resulting album, '' Laika Come Home'', was released in July 2002. The album's first and only single "Lil' Dub Chefin'" reached #73 on the UK Singles Chart. They also wrote an original song with Taiwanese singer Stanley Huang, "Spacemonkeyz Theme", which appeared as a B-side on "Lil' Dub Chefin'", and did a remix of the Herbert Grönemeyer single "Mensch". Darren Galea performed turntables as part of the Gorillaz live band on all of the 'Gorillaz' & 'Demon Days' Live dates between 2000 and 2006. Like the Gorillaz, they are a virtual band (though not to the degree that Gorillaz are). According to ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Del The Funky Homosapien
Teren Delvon Jones (born August 12, 1972), better known by his stage name Del the Funky Homosapien (sometimes stylized as Del tha Funkee Homosapien) or Sir DZL, is an American rapper. Music career 1988–1997: Early life and beginnings Born in Oakland, California, he is the cousin of seminal West Coast rapper Ice Cube, and began his career writing lyrics for Ice Cube's group Da Lench Mob. In 1991, with the help of Ice Cube, Del released his first solo album, ''I Wish My Brother George Was Here'', at the age of 18. The album was a commercial success largely due to the popularity of the hit single "Mistadobalina". Ultimately Del, who was not pleased with the limited musical range of the album, severed his production-artist relationship with Ice Cube for his next album, ''No Need for Alarm''. ''No Need for Alarm'' saw the introduction of the Oakland clique Hieroglyphics, whose original members included Souls of Mischief (Opio, A-Plus, Phesto and Tajai), Casual, Pep Love, Del, and p ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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De La Soul
De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres. The members are Posdnuos, Trugoy, and Maseo. The three formed the group in high school and caught the attention of producer Prince Paul with a demo tape of the song "Plug Tunin'". With its playful wordplay, innovative sampling, and witty skits, the band's debut album, '' 3 Feet High and Rising'', has been called "a hip hop masterpiece." The album was the band's biggest commercial success to date, with subsequent ones selling progressively less, despite receiving high praise from critics. They were influential in the early stages of rapper/actor Mos Def's career, and are a core part of the Spitkicker collective. They are the second longest standing Native Tongues group, after the Jungle Brothers. In 2006, the group won ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Virtual Band
In entertainment, a virtual band (also called a virtual idol, virtual singer, virtual group, cartoon group, cartoon idol, cartoon singer or cartoon band) is a band or music group whose members are not depicted as corporeal musicians, but animated characters or virtual avatars. The music is recorded (and, in the case of concerts, performed) by real musicians and producers, while any media related to the virtual band, including albums, video clips and the visual component of stage performances, feature the animated line-up; in many cases the virtual band members have been credited as the writers and performers of the songs. Live performances can become rather complex, requiring perfect synchronization between the visual and audio components of the show. The term ''virtual band'' was popularized with Gorillaz in 2000. However, the concept of the virtual band was first demonstrated by Alvin and the Chipmunks in 1958, when their creator, Ross Bagdasarian, accelerated recordings of h ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, "Deep Cover", and then on Dre's debut solo album, ''The Chronic''. Broadus has since sold over 23 million albums in the United States and 35 million albums worldwide. His accolades include an American Music Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and 17 nominations at the Grammy Awards. Broadus' debut solo album, ''Doggystyle,'' produced by Dr. Dre, was released by Death Row Records in November 1993, and debuted at number one on the popular albums chart, the ''Billboard'' 200, and on '' Billboard''s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Selling 800,000 copies in its first week, ''Doggystyle'' was certified quadruple-platinum in 1994 and featured the singles " What's My Name?" and "Gin and Juice". In 1994, Death Row Records released a soundtrack, by Broad ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ace (The Powerpuff Girls)
''The Powerpuff Girls'' is an American animated television series franchise that takes place in the fictional city of Townsville and stars the titular Powerpuff Girls, Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, who appear in the 1998 ''Powerpuff Girls'' series and the 2006 ''Powerpuff Girls Z'' series, as well as Bliss, who joins the trio beginning with the 2016 ''Powerpuff Girls'' series. Secondary characters include Professor Utonium, the girls' father who created them in his lab; Mayor, the goodhearted but dimwitted mayor of Townsville who frequently calls the girls via hotline to ask for help to protect the city; Ms. Bellum, Mayor's secretary who acts as the voice of reason when he makes decisions; and Ms. Keane, the girls' kindergarten teacher at Pokey Oaks school. The series' villains include Mojo Jojo, a hyper-intelligent, megalomaniacal ape; HIM, a mysterious demonic being; Fuzzy Lumpkins, a Bigfoot-like hillbilly; Princess Morbucks, a wealthy, spoiled girl; and the Gangreen Gang, f ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |