Redfoo

Stefan Kendal Gordy (born September 3, 1975), better known by his stage name Redfoo, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, record producer and DJ best known for being part of the musical duo LMFAO, and for their hit songs " Party Rock Anthem" and " Sexy and I Know It". Redfoo formed the duo with his half-nephew, Sky Blu, in 2006. They released two studio albums, " Party Rock" in 2009, and " Sorry for Party Rocking" in 2011, before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2012. He is the only son of Nancy Leiviska, and the youngest son of Berry Gordy Jr; the founder of Motown Record Corporation; his half-brother is recording artist Rockwell.

Early life

Gordy was born on September 3, 1975, to Berry Gordy Jr., the founder of the Motown record label, and writer-producer Nancy Leiviska. His maternal grandfather was Finnish. He attended junior high school with will.i.am and GoonRock. Gordy graduated from Palisades Charter High School in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California in 1993.

Career

1994–2005: ''Balance Beam''

In 1994, Redfoo scored his first major production credit for the song " Back in the Day" by Los Angeles rapper Ahmad and co-produced seven other tracks on Ahmad's self-titled debut album. In 1996, he signed with Bubonic Records, and he worked in collaboration with the rapper Dre' Kroon for an album together. The album, ''Balance Beam'', was released on October 10, 1997. Redfoo and Kroon released two singles: "Life Is a Game Of Chess" and "The Freshest". In 1999, he collaborated on "Duet" with The Black Eyed Peas, from their album ''Behind the Front''. He also produced ''Focused Daily'' for Defari. In 2004, Figgkidd released "I Gotta Know" as single which featured vocals from Redfoo and Tech N9ne. The song peaked at number 50 in Australia.

2006–12: Breakthrough with LMFAO

He formed the electro-pop band LMFAO with his nephew Sky Blu in 2006. The duo started building a local buzz through their shows and radio play. Once they had recorded some demos, Redfoo's friend will.i.am introduced them to Interscope head Jimmy Iovine, who gave the green light for them to be signed to Interscope/will.i.am Music. Interscope A&R and will.i.am manager Neil Jacobson told HitQuarters that the demos sounded like "finished records", and that so little artist development work was needed it was essentially a "turnkey operation" for the label. LMFAO released the debut album, '' Party Rock'' on July 7, 2009. The album charted at number 33 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number two on the Billboard Dance Chart. Their first single was "I'm in Miami Bitch", which was released in December 2008, and peaked at number 51 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 37 in Canada. In early 2009, a little-known DJ/producer, "DJ Inphinity", created a bootleg using the Silvio Ecomo remix of DJ Chuckie's 2008 hit "Let the Bass Kick" and the a cappella of LMFAO, creating " Bass Kick in Miami". That same year, LMFAO was featured in The Crystal Method's song " Sine Language".

In 2010, they were featured in David Guetta's song "Gettin' Over You", which was an international hit, peaking in the top ten in eleven countries and at number one in three of them, including in the United Kingdom. It also peaked at number 31 on the U.S. Hot 100 and at number 12 in Canada. The duo then recorded their second album, '' Sorry for Party Rocking'', late in 2010 and released it on June 17, 2011, in the U.S. The first single taken from the album, " Party Rock Anthem", was released on January 1, 2011. It features British singer Lauren Bennett formerly of the girl pop group Paradiso Girls and producer GoonRock, and showcases the Melbourne Shuffle dance style in its popular video. The song is so far the most successful of their career, peaking at number one in the United States, Canada, the UK and over ten other countries, as well as being in the top ten in many others. The second single from ''Sorry for Party Rocking'', "Champagne Showers", was released on May 27, 2011, and features English singer-songwriter Natalia Kills. The third single, " Sexy and I Know It", was released on October 3, 2011, and reached number one on the iTunes charts worldwide and number one on the Australian and Canadian Hot 100.

Also in 2011, LMFAO embarked on the world tour Sorry for Party Rocking Tour. They were also the opening acts for American singer Kesha's "Get Sleazy Tour". After they released " Sexy and I Know It" as single and became the duo's second number one in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. On February 5, 2012, the group appeared with Madonna at the Super Bowl XLVI during the Bridgestone Halftime Show. They performed during her song "Music", which contained a mash-up with " Party Rock Anthem" and " Sexy and I Know It". Also in 2012, Redfoo was sued by a previous management company for $7 million, claiming breach of contract. On September 21, 2012, the duo released a statement announcing their hiatus. Redfoo said, "I feel like we've been doing this for so long, five or six years", and that he and Sky Blu would not be performing together anytime soon as they would be taking their careers in different directions.

2012–15: Television and solo releases

In December 2012, Redfoo released his first solo single " Bring Out the Bottles" and appeared in the film ''Last Vegas''. On April 21, 2013, Redfoo was confirmed as Guy Sebastian's replacement for the fifth season of the Australian version of ''The X Factor'', a singing talent television show, joining Ronan Keating, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and fellow debuting judge Dannii Minogue, who replaced Mel B. Because of commitments to ''The X Factor'', he relocated to Sydney, Australia in 2013. In September, Redfoo released a new hit single titled "Let's Get Ridiculous", which he premiered on ''The X Factor Australia'', performing live during the third live show. The single debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified four times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association. On October 19, 2013, Redfoo released the pilot episode of his new comedy web series, ''Behind the Speedo''. A second episode was released on March 25, 2014. In 2014, Redfoo returned for the sixth season of ''The X Factor Australia''. In June 2014, he released a new single titled "Where The Baes At" with Eric D-lux and Rio. In August 2014, Redfoo released a new single titled " New Thang" and peaked at number three in Australia.
* "Juicy Wiggle":

The promotional single "Like Ya Just Don't Care" was released on September 2, 2014. The single is part of his solo debut album, '' Party Rock Mansion'', but under the title "Keep Shining", the first track on the album. In October 2014, Redfoo was featured on Play-N-Skillz song and video " Literally I Can't" along with Lil Jon and Enertia McFly. The song attracted widespread criticism for being misogynistic. On February 24, 2015, Redfoo was announced as one of the celebrities who will compete on the 20th season of ''Dancing with the Stars''. He was partnered with professional dancer Emma Slater. He had been a guest judge on the 18th season of the show, and is the first guest judge ever to return as a contestant. He and Slater were the first couple eliminated from the competition on March 23, 2015. On May 1, 2015, Redfoo announced that he would not be returning for the seventh season of ''The X Factor Australia''.

2016–present: ''Party Rock Mansion''

Redfoo announced his second album, '' Party Rock Mansion'', near the end of December 2015. He released a promotional single, "Lights Out", on January 15, 2016. The album was released on March 18, 2016, receiving mixed reviews from music critics, as well as being a commercial failure, with only 144 copies sold throughout Australia in its first week of release.

He has since released the singles "Brand New Day" and "Sock It to Ya" in 2017, and "Everything I Need" in 2018.

In 2020, his previously released single "New Thang" went viral on TikTok, being used in many videos and gaining newfound traction.

Business interests

Redfoo is a former day trader and has been featured on business television CNBC's '' Mad Money'' with Jim Cramer.

Personal life

Redfoo began dating former number one ranked tennis player Victoria Azarenka in 2012, but the couple split in 2014. He attended the 2012 US Open, 2013 Australian Open, 2013 Wimbledon Championships and 2014 Australian Open as a member of Azarenka's player box. As a tennis player, he attempted to qualify for the 2013 US Open as a wild-card entry. He entered the USTA Northern California Sectional qualifying tournament in June and was knocked out 6–1, 6–2 in his first match. Since 2018, he has been dating Jasmine Alkouri, a chef and road manager who now lives with him in his mansion.

Redfoo, through his line of Party Rock clothing, sponsored the Red Rock Pro Open, an ITF Women's Circuit tournament held in Las Vegas, from 2012 to 2013. Tyler Weeks, a tennis pro at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, mentioned to Foo that his tournament needed a new sponsor after giving him a lesson, and Foo agreed for Party Rock clothing to be the new sponsor. The event is usually held at the end of September.

Redfoo became a vegan in 2017.

Discography

;Studio albums
* ''Balance Beam'' (1997)
* '' Party Rock Mansion'' (2016)

Filmography

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Redfoo
1975 births
African-American record producers
Record producers from California
African-American male rappers
American male pop singers
American dance musicians
American expatriates in Australia
Gordy family
LMFAO members
Living people
West Coast hip hop musicians
American people of Finnish descent
Pop rappers
American electronic musicians
African-American songwriters
Songwriters from California
21st-century American rappers
American male rappers