NellyCornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwestern hip-hop group St. Lunatics. He signed with Universal Records as a solo act in 1999 to release his debut studio album, Country Grammar (2000).
Kelly RowlandKelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups. During the group's three-year hiatus, Rowland released her debut solo album, Simply Deep (2002), which appeared at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart and sold over five million copies worldwide.
Plies (rapper)Algernod Lanier Washington (born July 1, 1976), better known by his stage namePlies, is an American rapper. Born in Fort Myers, Florida, Plies was a wide receiver on the Miami University (Ohio) football team from 1995 to 1997. After a brief transfer to University of Central Florida, he dropped out and embarked on a musical career.
T.I.Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip-hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgia-based rappers Jeezy and Gucci Mane. He met local music executive Kawan "KP" Prather in the late 1990s, joining his company Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment — an imprint of Arista and LaFace Records — by 1999.
DJ KhaledKhaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, rapper, and record producer. Originally a Miami-based radio personality, Khaled has since become known for enlisting music industry artists to perform on singles and albums, for which he typically serves as producer and hype man. His distinctions are his maximalist production style, booming voice presence, "motivational" abstractions, and numerous catchphrases.
St. LunaticsSt. Lunatics were an American hip hop group formed in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1993. The group consisted of childhood friends Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, City Spud, and Slo Down. Their first single, "Gimme What U Got", gained popularity in 1996. In 2000, the group signed with Universal Records.
Keri HilsonKeri Lynn Hilson (born December 5, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, she began her musical career as a songwriter and backing vocalist for other artists under the wing of record producer Anthony Dent in 2002. At the age of 14, Hilson secured a record deal with the girl group D'Signe, who disbanded without any releases.
Chris BrownChristopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A pop and hip-hop influenced R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "King of R&B" by some contemporaries. His lyrics often address emotional and hedonistic themes. In 2004, Brown signed with Jive Records. The following year, he released his first album, Chris Brown, which reached double Platinum certification by the end of 2006.
Yo GottiMario Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, record executive, and record producer. Rooted in Memphis rap, he released five independent albums—Youngsta's on a Come Up (1996), From da Dope Game 2 da Rap Game (2000), Self-Explanatory (2001), Life (2003), and Back 2 da Basics (2006)—before signing with J Records in 2009.
Derrty EntertainmentDerrty Entertainment is a record label founded by rapper Nelly in 2003. It operated as a division of Motown. Nelly's St. Lunatics cohort, Ali Jones served as president for the label, although it has lacked much activity. A namesake multimedia company—Derrty Ventures—was also co-formed by Nelly, Michael Chaffin and J Erving in 2017, which includes the clothing line Derrty Apparel.
Birdman (rapper)Bryan Christopher Williams (né Brooks; February 15, 1969), better known by his stage names Birdman and Baby, is an American rapper and record executive. He is the public face of Cash Money Records, a record label he co-founded with his older brother, Ronald "Slim" Williams, in 1991.
Universal Motown RecordsUniversal Motown Records was an American record label that operated as a division of Universal Motown Republic Group. It was a contemporary incarnation of the massively successful soul label Motown Records, and the "urban" half of the Universal Records label, although there were some rock artists on the label (along with its sub-labels) as well.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.