Andre Levins, also known as A+ (born August 29, 1981,
[
]
Hempstead, New York
The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three towns in Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead and Oyster Bay) in the U.S. state of New York. It occupies the southwestern part of the county, on ...
) is an American
rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
. As a teenager he released albums in 1996 and in 1999.
History
A+ began his music career in 1995, after winning a national talent competition sponsored by
Def Jam Records
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 l ...
.
[
]
He was the first act signed to
Kedar Massenburg
William "Kedar" Massenburg (born 1963) is an American record producer and record label executive, who was the president of Motown Records from 1997 to 2004. Massenburg is best known for bringing Erykah Badu to fame. He trademarked the term "neo so ...
's
record label
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...
, Kedar Entertainment.
According to Massenburg, the A+ moniker "means that he's striving for perfection, and he's not really talking about the same things as other young rappers."
In 1996, at the age of 14, A+ released his first
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
, ''
The Latch-Key Child'', which featured contributions from
Prodigy
Prodigy, Prodigies or The Prodigy may refer to:
* Child prodigy, a child who produces meaningful output to the level of an adult expert performer
** Chess prodigy, a child who can beat experienced adult players at chess
Arts, entertainment, and ...
and
Q-Tip.
[
]
"All I See" was chosen as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
,
and it peaked at number 66 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart,
staying for 14 weeks.
[Top Pop Singles 1955-1999. Joel Whitburn. 2000. Record Research Inc. p. 3. ]
His second album, ''
Hempstead High'', was released in February 1999.
[
]
Guest appearances on the album included
DeBarge
DeBarge was an American musical recording group composed of several members of the DeBarge family. In addition to various solo projects completed by members of the family, DeBarge was active between 1979 and 1989. The group originally consisted ...
, the
Lost Boyz
Lost Boyz are an American hip hop group from Queens, New York, consisting of MC Mr. Cheeks, Freaky Tah, and K Chrys.
Originally in the early 90's LB consisted of Mr. Cheeks, Freaky Tah, Spigg Nice, and Pretty Lou.
Member K Chrys or “K ...
and
Canibus
Germaine Williams (born December 9, 1974), better known by his stage name Canibus, is an American rapper and actor. He initially gained fame in the 1990s for his ability to freestyle, and eventually released his debut album Can-I-Bus in 1998 ...
.
[
]
The single "Enjoy Yourself", which
sampled
Sample or samples may refer to:
Base meaning
* Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set
* Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal
* Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...
the 1976
Walter Murphy
Walter Anthony Murphy Jr. (born December 19, 1952) is an American composer, keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for the instrumental " A Fifth of Beethoven", a disco adaptation of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony which top ...
song "
A Fifth of Beethoven
"A Fifth of Beethoven" is a disco instrumental recorded by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band, adapted from the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. The record was produced by production music and sound effects recording p ...
",
[
]
reached the top five of the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
,
number 63 of the US Hot 100
for three weeks,)
[ and was also commercially successful in Germany and Japan.]
Discography
Albums
Singles
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aplus
1981 births
African-American male rappers
Living people
People from Hempstead (village), New York
People from Long Island
Rappers from New York City
Universal Motown Records artists
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American people
de:A+