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Pieces Of A Man (AZ Album)
''Pieces of a Man'' is the second solo studio album by American rapper AZ. It was released on April 7, 1998 via Noo Trybe Records. Production was handled by Trackmasters, Goldfinga, Gucci Jones, L.E.S., Kenny Kornegay, Nashiem Myrick, RZA and Tony Dofat. It features guest appearances from The Firm, Half-A-Mil, Monifah, RZA and Panama P.I. The album peaked at No. 22 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and at No. 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the United States. The album was highly praised for its complex and insightful lyricism. The first single was intended to be "Hey AZ" featuring SWV, which peaked at No. 50 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Music video for "Hey AZ" was shot, but the song was included only in the Japanese edition of the project. Track listing ;Sample credits *Track 1 contains a sample from " Feeling Good" by Nina Simone, and a sample from "Happy Birthday Maggie" by Hans Zimmer. *Track 3 contains a sample from "Show Me" by Glenn Jones. *Track 7 contains samples fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AZ (rapper)
Anthony Cruz (born March 9, 1972), better known by his stage name AZ, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He is known for being a longtime and frequent music partner of East Coast rapper Nas and also a member of hip hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature. Online magazine About.com listed AZ as the "Most Underrated apperof All Time". AZ also made it onto the sites' "Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)", where he was reiterated as "arguably the most underrated lyricist ever." AZ first became known by appearing on Nas's landmark 1994 album ''Illmatic'' on the song " Life's a Bitch", as well as featuring vocals on the opening track "The Genesis". AZ signed with EMI, and soon released his debut album, ''Doe or Die'', in 1995, to critical acclaim. The album's lead single, "Sugar Hill", became AZ's major commercial success as a solo artist, reaching #25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and achieving Gold status. AZ's EMI contract was transferr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monifah
Monifa Carter (born January 26, 1972), also known as Monifah, is an American R&B singer. She is best known for her association with the late rapper Heavy D and her music from the mid-1990s, including "I Miss You (Come Back Home)", "You" and " Touch It", which was released in 1998. She starred on TV One's reality show '' R&B Divas: Atlanta''. Early life Monifah was born and raised in New York City. Career In 1996, her gold certified debut album, '' Moods...Moments'' was released. In 1997, she contributed the Heavy D.-produced "I Still Love You" to the soundtrack of the film, '' Sprung''. Monifah's second album was ''Mo'hogany''. Released in the last quarter of 1998, it featured " Touch It". The track peaked at No. 29 in the UK Singles Chart. Monifah's third album ''Home'', released in 2000 contained "I Can Tell", "Brown Eyes" and "Fairytales". In 2003, she played a supporting role in Michael Baisden's ''Men Cry in the Dark'' stage play. In August 2012, Monifah and R&B sing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The World's Famous Supreme Team
The World's Famous Supreme Team was an American hip hop radio show duo and recording group active from 1979. The original members were Sedivine the Mastermind (Larry Price) and Just Allah the Superstar (Ronald Larkins Jr.). Career The group's radio show started in 1979 on WHBI-FM 105.9, broadcasting from Newark, New Jersey and primarily serving the North Jersey and New York City area. In a 2007 interview, Sedivine described the radio station as "a little rat trap, not a big station," and said the group paid WHBI between $150 and $300 for each one-hour show. The group rose to international prominence when punk impresario Malcolm McLaren recruited Sedevine, Just Allah, and samples of their radio show (including their use of the then-novel scratching technique) for his 1982 hip hop song "Buffalo Gals". In 1983 the group and their radio samples were featured on McLaren's full album follow-up ''Duck Rock''. The group is credited as the first hip hop group to incorporate Five Perce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hey DJ (The World's Famous Supreme Team Song)
"Hey! DJ" is a song by The World's Famous Supreme Team. Writing is credited to Larry Price (Sedivine the Mastermind), Ronald Larkins Jr. (Just Allah the Superstar), and Malcolm McLaren and it was produced by Stephen Hague. Released on 12" in 1984 on Island Records, there were three mixes included. The song refers to McLaren's previous hit "Buffalo Gals (Malcolm McLaren song), Buffalo Gals", which the group featured on. "Hey DJ" peaked at number fifteen on the US soul chart. Release "Hey D.J." was released in Europe on Charisma Records in February 1984. The song was released in the United States through Atlantic Records. Reception From contemporary reviews, Jim Zebora of ''Record-Journal'' described the song as "one of the better raps to hit vinyl in recent memory" and a must-have for any record collector who "still spins "Rapper's Delight" and "The Breaks (song), The Breaks"." Musician Limahl reviewed the single in ''Smash Hits'' noting that despite not working with Malcolm McLar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Change (band)
Change is an Italian-American post-disco group formed in Bologna, Italy, in 1979 by businessman and executive producer Jacques Fred Petrus (1948–1987) and Mauro Malavasi (born 1957). They were heavily influenced by the disco band Chic. The current incarnation of the group formed in 2018. Career Concept Change was initially formed in early 1979 as a studio band with a revolving stable of musicians, led by businessman and executive producer Jacques Fred Petrus, with the majority of songwriting and production carried out by Mauro Malavasi and Davide Romani. The band's dual Italian and American identity was a result of a production system in which the music, excepting the vocals, were written and recorded by Italian collaborators in studios such as Fonoprint Studios, Bologna, Italy. These backing tracks were then sent to the USA where vocals were added by American performers, before being mixed into finalised versions in major studios such as the Power Station in New York City. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sade (band)
Sade ( ) are an English band, formed in London in 1982 and named after its lead singer, Sade (singer), Sade Adu. Three of its members were originally from Kingston upon Hull, Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Its music features elements of Soul music, soul, quiet storm, smooth jazz and sophisti-pop. All of its albums, including compilations and a live album, have charted in the US Top Ten. The band's debut studio album, ''Diamond Life'' (1984), reached number two on the UK Album Chart, selling over 1.2 million copies and won the Brit Award for Best British Album in 1985. The album was also a hit internationally, reaching number one in several countries and the top ten in the United States, where it has sold four million copies to date. In late 1985, the band released its second studio effort ''Promise (Sade album), Promise'', which peaked at number one in both the United Kingdom and the US. It was certified British Phonographic Industry, double platinum in the UK and RIAA, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glenn Jones
Glenn Jones (born September 27, 1962 in Jacksonville, Florida) is an American R&B/soul singer. He is best known for his songs "Show Me", "We've Only Just Begun (The Romance Is Not Over)" and "Here I Go Again" which reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts in 1991/1992 as well as the track "I've Been Searching (Nobody Like You)". Career Jones started his career as a gospel singer, working and recording with the Florida-based gospel group, the Modulations, before managing a successful move into the R&B field. He got his recording start in R&B in 1980 when Norman Connors featured the singer on a track, "Melancholy Fire" on his album, '' Take It to the Limit''. The song was released as a single, climbing to No. 20 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. Jones toured with Connors, and in 1983 he signed a deal with RCA. In the same year, he issued a five-track mini-album ''Everybody Loves a Winner'' that had the top 30 R&B single, "I Am Somebody". His first full-length album, ''Finesse'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, Oscars and four Grammy Awards, Grammys, and has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmys and a Tony Awards, Tony. Zimmer was also named on the list of Top 100 Living Geniuses, published by ''The Daily Telegraph''. His works are notable for integrating electronic music sounds with traditional orchestral arrangements. Since the 1980s, Zimmer has composed music for over 150 films. His works include ''The Lion King'' (for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score in 1995), ''Gladiator (2000 film), Gladiator'', ''The Last Samurai'', the ''Pirates of the Caribbean (film series), Pirates of the Caribbean'' series, The Dark Knight Trilogy, ''The Dark Knight'' trilogy, ''Inception'', ''Interstellar (film), Interstellar'' and ''Dunkirk (2017 film), Dunkirk''. He won a second Academy Award for ''Dune (2021 film), Dune'' in 2022. Zimmer sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and pop. The sixth of eight children born from a poor family in Tryon, North Carolina, Simone initially aspired to be a concert pianist. With the help of a few supporters in her hometown, she enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. She then applied for a scholarship to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where, despite a well received audition, she was denied admission,Liz Garbus, 2015 documentary film, ''What Happened, Miss Simone?'' which she attributed to racism. In 2003, just days before her death, the Institute awarded her an honorary degree. To make a living, Simone started playing piano at a nightclub in Atlantic City. She changed her name to "Nina Simone" to disguise herself ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Feeling Good
"Feeling Good" (also known as "Feelin' Good") is a song written by English composers Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the musical ''The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd''. It was first performed on stage in 1964 by Cy Grant on the UK tour and by Gilbert Price in 1965 with the original Broadway cast. Nina Simone recorded "Feeling Good" for her 1965 album ''I Put a Spell on You''. The song has also been covered by Sammy Davis Jr., Traffic, Michael Bublé, John Coltrane, George Michael, Victory, Eels, Joe Bonamassa, Eden, Muse, Black Cat Bones, Bassnectar, Sophie B. Hawkins, Leslie West, Avicii, Chlöe and Lauryn Hill among others. It was also performed by John Legend as part of the Celebrating America performance marking the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on January 20th 2021. Early performances and recordings Although Bricusse and Newley shared songwriting credits, the words of the song are usually attributed to Bricusse, with the musi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Foxy Brown (rapper)
Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand (born September 6, 1978), better known by her stage name Foxy Brown, is an American rapper. After signing to Def Jam in 1996, she released her debut album, '' Ill Na Na'', later that year on November 19, 1996. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA and has sold over 7 million copies worldwide. She was also part of the hip hop supergroup the Firm, along with Nas, AZ and Cormega (who was later replaced by Nature). The Firm's sole album arrived in 1997 and was released by Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records. In 1999, her second album '' Chyna Doll'', debuted at the top of the ''Billboard'' 200, making her the second female rapper to top the chart after Lauryn Hill in 1998. Her third album '' Broken Silence'', was released in 2001, which featured the Grammy-nominated track "Na Na Be Like". In 2003, she left Def Jam and canceled the release of her ''Ill Na Na 2'' album, but returned in 2005 once Jay-Z, then the label's president and CEO, signed her again ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nature (rapper)
Jermain Baxter (born December 5, 1972), better known as Nature, is an American rapper, best known for his association with fellow New York City rapper Nas and having replaced Cormega in the original QB group the Firm."Queensbridge's Nature Has Musical Knowledge 'For All Seasons'", '' New York Beacon'', November 15, 2000 Career Baxter grew up in Queensbridge, New York, and went to school with Nas.Dillon, Charlotte " Nature Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 2010-02-11Wilson, Elliott (1999)Nature: Organic MC, ''Vibe'', June 1999, retrieved 2010-02-11 Nas introduced Nature to the public in 1997, as a member of his supergroup The Firm, whose members also included AZ and Foxy Brown. Nature was brought in to replace rapper Cormega, who had a contractual dispute with Nas' manager Steve Stoute. The Firm's first and only album, '' Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature Present The Firm: The Album'', went platinum, and topped the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
