Gangnam Style

Gangnam Style" (Korean: 강남스타일, IPA: [kaŋnam sɯtʰail]) is a single by the South Korean pop artist PSY. The song was released on July 15, 2012, as the lead single of his sixth studio album PSY 6 (Six Rules), Part 1. "Gangnam Style" debuted at number one on the Gaon Chart, the national record chart of South Korea. As of November 20, 2012, the music video has been viewed over 770 million times on YouTube,^[5] and is the site's most watched K-pop video and second most watched video ever.^[6][7]
The phrase "Gangnam Style" is a Korean neologism that refers to a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam District of Seoul. The song and its accompanying music video went viral in August 2012 and have influenced popular culture since then. "Gangnam Style" was almost universally praised for its catchy beat and PSY's amusing dance moves in the music video and during live performances in various locations such as Madison Square Garden, The Today Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Samsung commercials.^[8] On September 20, 2012, "Gangnam Style" was recognized by Guinness World Records as the most "liked" video in YouTube history and subsequently won Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards held later that year.^[9][10]
It became a source of parodies and reaction videos by many different groups, organizations, and individuals, including The Oregon Duck, midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy, and the North Korean government. By the end of October 2012, the song reached the number one position in more than 30 countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Although the song's reception in Japan remained lukewarm, the song topped China's Baidu 500 download list and was labelled by state-controlled media as having a "divine melody."^[11][12][13]
As the song continued to rapidly gain popularity and ubiquity, its signature dance moves were performed by many business and political leaders including Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt, the British Prime Minister David Cameron,^[14] and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who hailed the song as a "force for world peace". According to the United Nations, PSY has become an "international sensation" through his song "Gangnam Style".

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Adele

Adele
Adele in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Adele Laurie Blue Adkins
Born	5 May 1988 (age 24) Tottenham , north London, England, UK
Origin	West Norwood, south London, England, UK
Genres	Soul, R&B, pop[1]
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, composer, arranger
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, bass, celesta, percussion, keyboard
Years active	2006–present
Labels	XL, Columbia
Website	adele.tv

Early life

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born in Tottenham, north London, England, to Penny Adkins, an English teenager, and Mark Evans, a Welshman, on 5 May 1988. Evans walked out on Adele when she was two, leaving her 20-year-old mother to raise her single-handedly,^[25] for which Adele has still not forgiven him.^[26][27][28] She began singing at age four and asserts that she became obsessed with voices.^[29][30] Adele has cited the Spice Girls as a major influence in regard to her love and passion for music, stating that "they made me what I am today."^[31] Adele impersonated the Spice Girls at dinner parties as a young girl.^[32] To make her look like English R&B and urban contemporary singer Gabrielle, her mother made an eye patch with sequins, which Adele later said was embarrassing.^[33] At the age of nine, Adele and her mother, a furniture-maker and adult learning activities organiser,^[34] relocated to Brighton.^[35] (Despite this move, she remains an ardent fan of her hometown Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur.)^[36] At 11, she and her mother moved to Brixton,^[35] and then to neighbouring district West Norwood, in south London.^[37] West Norwood is the subject for Adele's first record, "Hometown Glory", written when she was 16.^[38] After moving to south London, she became interested in R&B artists such as Aaliyah, Destiny's Child and Mary J. Blige.^[39]
Adele says that one of the most defining moments in her life was when she watched Pink perform at Brixton Academy. "It was the Missundaztood record, so I was about 13 or 14. I had never heard, being in the room, someone sing like that live [...] I remember sort of feeling like I was in a wind tunnel, her voice just hitting me. It was incredible."^[40][41] Adele graduated from the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon in May 2006,^[42][43] where she was a classmate of Leona Lewis and Jessie J.^[2][44] Adele credits the school with nurturing her talent^[45] even though at the time she was more interested in going into A&R and hoped to launch other people's careers

Personal life

It was reported in January 2012 that Adele had recently begun dating charity entrepreneur Simon Konecki.^[116] In June 2012, Adele announced that she and Konecki were expecting a baby.^[117][118] Adele gave birth to the couple's son on 19 October 2012.^[119] The child is the first for Adele and the second for Konecki, who also has a daughter with his ex-wife.^[120]
Adele bought a flat in Notting Hill, London in 2008. In February 2012, Adele moved into a £7 million, ten-bedroom 25-acre mansion in West Sussex with Konecki.^[121] Politically, Adele is a supporter of the Labour Party, stating; "I'm a Labour girl through and through",^[122] despite in May 2011 having reportedly expressed views on taxation and the NHS counter to those of the party.

Artistry

Initially, critics suggested that her vocals were more developed and intriguing than her songwriting, a sentiment with which Adele agreed.^[125] Adele's first album is of the soul genre, with lyrics describing heartbreak and relationship.^[45] Her success occurred simultaneously with several other British female soul singers, with the British press dubbing her a new Amy Winehouse.^[2] This was described as a third British Musical Invasion of the US.^[44] However, Adele called the comparisons between her and other female soul singers lazy, noting "we're a gender, not a genre".^{[45][62][126]} By the beginning of 2009, listeners and critics started to describe Adele as unique. AllMusic wrote that "Adele is simply too magical to compare her to anyone."^[38] American singer Beyoncé Knowles cited Adele as one of the influences for her fourth album, 4.^[127] Madonna expressed a desire to collaborate with Adele, commenting; "I think she’s brilliant, I love her".^[128] Celine Dion performed "Rolling in the Deep" at her show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, after telling the crowd, "I love Adele so much. She's amazing."^[129] J. J. Burnel of The Stranglers is also a fan, stating; "She had me riveted... Of course she's huge and normally that would turn me off because it's too commercial. But I was seriously impressed".^[130] Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and Nirvana has repeatedly praised Adele in interviews.^[131][132] Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash stated; "She's great. She's a shot in the arm for this industry. She writes her own music that's not at all contrived. And she's managed to sell loads of records which makes her a great example to the younger artists."^[133]

Awards and accolades

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Adele

At the 51st Grammy Awards in 2009, Adele won awards in the categories of Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.^[5][134] She was also nominated in the categories of Record of the Year and Song of the Year.^[135] That same year, Adele was also nominated for three Brit Awards in the categories of Best British Female, Best British Single and Best British Breakthrough Act.^[136] British Prime Minister Gordon Brown sent a thank-you letter to Adele that stated "with the troubles that the country's in financially, you're a light at the end of the tunnel."^[137]
With 21 non-consecutive weeks at number 1 in the US, Adele broke the record for the longest number-1 album by a woman in Billboard history, beating the record formerly held by Whitney Houston's soundtrack The Bodyguard.^[101] 21 spent its 23rd week at number one in March 2012, making it the longest-running album at number one since 1985^[12] and it became the fourth best-selling album of the past 10 years in the United States.^[138]
In February 2012, Adele was listed at number five on VH1′s 100 Greatest Women In Music.^[23] In April 2012, American magazine Time named Adele one of the 100 most influential people in the world.^[24][139] People named her one of 2012 Most Beautiful at Every Age.^[140] On 30 April 2012, a tribute to Adele was held at New York City's (Le) Poisson Rouge called Broadway Sings Adele, starring various Broadway actors such as Matt Doyle.^[141] In July 2012, Adele was listed at number six in Forbes list of the world's highest-paid celebrities under the age of 30 having earned £23 million ($35 million) between May 2011 and May 2012.^[142]
On the week ending 3 March 2012, Adele became the first solo female artist to have three singles in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time, and the first female artist to have two albums in the top 5 of the Billboard 200 and two singles in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously.^[19] Adele topped the 2012 Sunday Times Rich List of musicians in the UK under 30^[143] and made the Top 10 of Billboard magazine's "Top 40 Money Makers".^[144] Billboard also announced the same day that Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" is the biggest crossover hit of the past 25 years, topping pop, adult pop and adult contemporary charts and that Adele is one of four female artists to have an album chart at number one for more than 13 weeks (the other three artists being Judy Garland, Carole King, and Whitney Houston).^[145] On 6 March, 21 reached 30 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Australian ARIA Chart, making it the longest-running number one album in Australia in the 21st century, and the second longest-running number one ever.^[146]
At the 2012 Ivor Novello Awards in May, Adele was named Songwriter of the Year, and "Rolling in the Deep" won the award for Most Performed Work of 2011.^[147] At the 2012 BMI Awards held in London in October, Adele won Song of the Year (for "Rolling in the Deep") in recognition of the song being the most played on US television and radio in 2011

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Adele

Adele
Adele in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Adele Laurie Blue Adkins
Born	5 May 1988 (age 24) Tottenham, north London, England, UK
Origin	West Norwood, south London, England, UK
Genres	Soul, R&B, pop[1]
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, composer, arranger
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, bass, celesta, percussion, keyboard
Years active	2006–present
Labels	XL, Columbia
Website	adele.tv

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Jay Z

Early life

Originally from Marcy Houses, a housing project in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City,^[15] the future "Jay-Z" then known as Shawn Carter, was abandoned by his father and in 1982, he shot his brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry.^[16][17] Carter attended Eli Whitney High School in Brooklyn, along with future rapper AZ, until it was closed down. After that he attended George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in Downtown Brooklyn, with fellow future rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes, and Trenton Central High School in Trenton, New Jersey, but did not graduate.^[18] In his music he refers to having been involved in selling crack cocaine.^[17]
According to his mother, Gloria Carter, her son Shawn used to wake his siblings up at night banging out drum patterns on the kitchen table. Eventually, she bought him a boom box for his birthday, sparking his interest in music. He began freestyling, writing lyrics, and followed the music of many artists popular at the time.^[19] In his neighborhood, Carter was known as "Jazzy", a nickname that eventually developed into his showbiz/stage name^.

Musical style

Influences

Jay-Z that states his earliest exposure to music was through his parents' record collection, which was mostly of soul artists such as Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway. He says "I grew up around music, listening to all types of people... I'm into music that has soul in it, whether it be rap, R&B, pop music, whatever. As long as I can feel their soul through the wax, that's what I really listen to."^[85] He often uses excerpts from these artists as samples in his work, particularly in the Kanye West-productions included on The Blueprint.^[85]

Rapping technique

Royce da 5'9" and Fredro Starr of Onyx both describe Jay-Z's emphasis on flow in the book How to Rap – Starr says that Jay-Z is "a master of the flow—he can flow fast, he can flow slow".^[86] The book describes how Jay-Z uses 'rests' to provide structure to a verse^[87] and how he uses 'partial linking' to add more rhymes to a verse.^[88] Jay-Z's early style is described by Vibe as "a distinctly Das EFX-type, stiggety style" on his 12" single "Can't Get With That",^[89] referring to the fast rhythms and vocal delivery of the group Das EFX. He is also known to write lyrics in his head, as described by Pusha T of Clipse in How to Rap,^[90] a style popular with many MCs such as The Notorious B.I.G.,^[90] Everlast,^[91] Bobby Creekwater^[92] and Guerilla Black.^[92] Shock G of Digital Underground describes Jay-Z's performance style, saying he "rarely breaks a sweat, and instead uses smoothness and clever wordplay to keep the audience interested and entertained."^[93]

Business ventures

Jay-Z has also established himself as an entrepreneur like his fellow hip hop moguls and friends, Russell Simmons, Dr. Dre and Sean "Diddy" Combs, who also have business holdings such as record companies and clothing lines. In an interview, he stated that "my brands are an extension of me. They're close to me. It's not like running GM, where there's no emotional attachment."^[94] He is the founder of the urban clothing brand Rocawear along with Damon Dash.^[95] Rocawear has clothing lines and accessories for men, women and children. The line was taken over by Jay-Z in early 2006 following a falling out with Dash. In March 2007, Jay-Z sold the rights to the Rocawear brand to Iconix Brand Group, for $204 million. He retains his stake in the company and continues to oversee the marketing, licensing and product development.^[95][96] He also co-owns the 40/40 Club, an upscale sports bar that started in New York City and has since expanded to Atlantic City and Chicago. In 2008, the 40/40 club in Las Vegas was closed down and bought back by the hotel after attendance steadily declined. Future plans will see 40/40 Clubs in Tokyo and Singapore.^[97] In 2005, Jay-Z became an investor in Carol's Daughter, a line of beauty products, including products for hair, skin, and hands.^[98]
Jay-Z serves as co-brand director for Budweiser Select and collaborates with the company on strategic marketing programs and creative ad development. He provides direction on brand programs and ads that appear on TV, radio, print, and high-profile events.^[99] He is also yet to expand his 40/40 Club sports bar in as many as 20 airports, as he makes deals with his business partners, Juan and Desiree Perez.^[100] He is a part-owner of the Brooklyn Nets NBA team, having paid a reported $4.5 million for his share. He encouraged the team's relocation to Brooklyn's Barclays Center (from New Jersey) in the 2012–2013 season, at which point the team took on the Brooklyn Nets moniker.^[101][102] In October 2005, he was reported in English media as considering buying a stake of Arsenal F.C., an English soccer team.^[103] He has also invested in a real estate development venture called J Hotels which recently acquired a $66 million mid-block parcel in Chelsea, New York. Jay-Z and his partners are contemplating constructing a high-end hotel or an art gallery building on the newly acquired site which has the potential to go up about twelve stories.^[104] Through his company Gain Global Investments Network LLC, he had an interest estimated between 2 and 7% in the Aqueduct Entertainment Group (AEG) consortium, which in January 2010 was awarded a contract to operate a 4,500 slot machine racino at the Aqueduct Race Track. Jay-Z became interested in the project after New York Governor David Paterson who awarded the contract said there had to be an affirmative action component to the ownership. Jay-Z initially approached Steve Wynn who was also bidding on the contract. On March 9, 2010, Jay-Z and Flake withdrew from the project and Paterson recused himself from further involvement.^[105][106]
On November 16, 2010, Jay-Z published a memoir entitled Decoded.^[107][108]
Jay-Z is also credited as the executive producer of the basketball video game NBA 2K13, where he worked on the look and feel of the game along with its soundtrack.^[109]

Personal life 

Relationship with Beyoncé

Jay-Z is married to American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. In 2002, Jay-Z and Knowles collaborated for the song "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". Jay-Z also appeared on Knowles' hit single "Crazy In Love" and as well as "That's How You Like It" from her debut Dangerously in Love. On her second album, B'Day, he made appearances on the 2006 hits, "Déjà Vu" and "Upgrade U". In the video for the latter song, she comically imitates his appearance.^[111] The couple generally avoid discussing their relationship. Knowles has stated that she believes that not publicly discussing their relationship has helped them. Jay-Z said in a People article, "We don't play with our relationship."^[112] They kept a low profile while dating, and married quietly in April 2008.^[13] It became a matter of public record on April 22, 2008,^[113] but Knowles did not publicly debut her $5 million Lorraine Schwartz-designed wedding ring until the Fashion Rocks concert on September 5, 2008 in New York City.^[114] Knowles and Jay-Z were listed as the most powerful couple for TIME magazine's 100 most influential people of 2006.^[115] In January 2009, Forbes ranked them as Hollywood's top-earning couple, with a combined total of $162 million.^[116] They also made it to the top of the list the following year, with a combined total of $122 million between June 2008 and June 2009.^[116] At the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, Beyoncé revealed that she was pregnant with their first child^[117][118] and on January 7, 2012, she gave birth to their daughter, named Blue Ivy Carter, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.^[119] On January 9, 2012, Jay-Z released "Glory", a song dedicated to their child, on his social website LifeandTimes.com.^[120] The song detailed the couple's pregnancy struggles, including a miscarriage Knowles suffered before becoming pregnant with their daughter.^[120] Because Blue's cries were included at the end of the song and she was officially credited on the song as "B.I.C", at 2 days old she became the youngest person ever to appear on a Billboard chart when "Glory" debuted on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number 74.^[121]

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Beyonce

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (born September 4, 1981), known mononymously as Beyoncé  is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time.

1981–96: Early life and career beginnings

Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Mathew Knowles, a professional record manager, and Tina Knowles (née Beyincé), a costume designer and hair stylist. Knowles' father is African American. Her mother, a Louisiana Creole, has African, French, Native American, and Irish ancestry; she is a descendant of Acadian leader Joseph Broussard.^[16][17] Knowles was baptized after her mother's maiden name, as a tribute to her mother.^[16] She is the elder sister of Solange Knowles, a singer, songwriter and actress.
Knowles was educated at St. Mary's Elementary School in Fredericksburg, Texas, in the Texas Hill Country, where she was enrolled in dance classes, including ballet and jazz. Her talent in singing was discovered when her dance instructor began humming a song and she finished it, hitting the high-pitched notes.^[18] Knowles' interest in music and performing began after participating in a school talent show. She sang John Lennon's "Imagine" and won the competition.^[19][20] At age seven, Knowles started gaining attention from the press, having been mentioned in the Houston Chronicle as a nominee for the local performing arts award The Sammy.^[21] In the fall of 1990, Knowles enrolled in Parker Elementary School, a music magnet school in Houston, where she would perform on-stage with the school's choir.^[18] She also attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston^[22] and later went to Alief Elsik High School, located in the Houston suburban munincipality, Alief.^[16][23] Knowles was a member of the choir at St. John's United Methodist Church for two years, performing as a soloist.^[18][24]
At the age of eight, Knowles met LaTavia Roberson while in an audition for an all-girl entertainment group.^[25] They, along with Knowles' childhood friend Kelly Rowland, were placed into a group that performed rapping and dancing.^[26] Originally named Girl's Tyme, they were eventually cut down to six members.^[18] West coast R&B producer Arne Frager flew into Houston to see them. He eventually brought them to his studio, The Plant Recording Studios, in Northern California, with Knowles' vocals being featured.^[18] As part of efforts to sign Girl's Tyme to a major label record deal, Frager's strategy was to début them in Star Search, the biggest talent show on national TV at the time.^[18] Girl's Tyme participated in the competition but lost it because the song they performed was not good, Knowles herself admitted.^[27][28] Knowles had her first "professional setback" after that defeat but regained confidence after learning that pop stars Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake had also the same experience.^[18] To manage the group, Knowles' father (who was at that time a medical-equipment salesman) resigned in 1995 from his job.^[29] He dedicated his time and established a "boot camp" for their training.^[30] The move reduced Knowles' family's income by half and her parents were forced to move into separated apartments.^[16] Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four,^[18] with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993.^[25] Rehearsing in Tina's Headliners Salon and their backyards, the group continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B girl groups of the time;^[25] Tina contributed to the cause by designing their costumes, which she continued to do throughout the Destiny's Child era. With the continued support of Mathew, they auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to Elektra Records. They moved to Atlanta to work on their first recording, only to be cut by the record company in 1995. They returned home to start over again.^[16] This eventually put a strain on the family, and Beyoncé's parents separated briefly when she was 14. In 1996, the family reunited, and shortly after, the girls got a contract with Columbia Records.^[19]

2008–10: Marriage, I Am... Sasha Fierce and films

Knowles and Jay-Z performing "Crazy in Love" at the I Am... Tour in 2009

On April 4, 2008, Knowles married Jay-Z in New York City. It became a matter of public record on April 22, 2008.^[89] Knowles did not publicly debut her wedding ring until the Fashion Rocks concert on September 5, 2008, in New York City.^[90] She finally revealed their marriage through an opening montage video at the listening party for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce, in Manhattan's Sony Club on October 22, 2008.^[91] In November 2008, Forbes magazine reported that Knowles earned $80 million between June 1, 2007 to June 1, 2008, for her music, tour, films and clothing line.^[92] This made her the world's second best-paid music personality at the time.^[93] I Am... Sasha Fierce was released on November 18, 2008 in the United States.^[94] The album introduces Knowles' alter ego Sasha Fierce, who was born during the making of her 2003 single "Crazy in Love". It sold 482,000 copies in its first week and debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, giving Knowles her third consecutive number-one album in the US.^[95] I Am... Sasha Fierce has sold three million copies in the US and has been certified double platinum by the RIAA.^[12][49] Internationally, the album has sold seven million copies worldwide.^[96] I Am... Sasha Fierce was preceded by the two lead singles "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". "If I Were a Boy" was a commercial success, reaching number one in various European countries, such as Denmark, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.^[44][97] "Single Ladies" topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four non-consecutive weeks, becoming Knowles' fifth number-one single in the United States.^[98] The album's third international single "Halo" was also commercially successful, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and in the top ten in various other countries.^[53][99] "Halo"'s US success helped Knowles achieve more top ten singles on the Hot 100 chart than any other female artist during 2001–10.^[100] Another successful single from I Am... Sasha Fierce was "Sweet Dreams", which also reached the top ten in many countries.^[101] The album spawned four other singles, "Diva", "Ego", "Broken-Hearted Girl" and "Video Phone", which each attained moderate success.

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D'banj

Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo (popularly known as D'banj, born June 9, 1980), is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and harmonica player. He has won several music awards including the awards for Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007,^[1] Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009.^[2] and BET Awards of 2011 for Best International Act; Africa. He adopted the stage name D'banj, a combination of his first name Dapo and his surname Oyebanjo.^[1] D'banj is currently best known internationally for his 2012 summer hit "Oliver Twist", an uptempo dance fusion of Afro-Beats and electronic dance music that topped the African charts 2011 and was a top 10 hit in the UK singles chart in 2012 reaching #2 on the UK R&B chart.

Childhood

D'banj was born in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria to a military officer who commanded an artillery regiment and a church dignitary mother who hailed from Shagamu in Ogun State. Due to his father's profession he moved several times within Nigeria and later moved to England. D'banj was expected to follow his father's military career and was enrolled to the Nigerian Military School at age eleven. However, D'banj resisted the system and disenrolled from the school after three years. While at the Military school he was a member of the elite drum corp of the Nigerian Army. From the Nigerian Military School he proceeded to another military owned institution Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Ibara, Abeokuta where he completed his secondary school education.^[3]

Musical beginning

D'banj was introduced to the harmonica by his late older brother, Femi Oyebanjo, who died in a plane crash at age seventeen.^[3] With D'banj's love for music being greater than his parents' military aspirations, he struggled for his parents' approval; this can be best heard through an album track, All Da Way from his debut album.^[1]

BET Interview

In April, 2011, D'banj was interviewed by BET's April Woodard. The interview titled 'Welcome to America'^[4] was a platform for D'banj to introduce himself to the American Music Industry and audience which he stated he was going to get into. In the interview, D'banj spoke on a wide range of topics including his music, artists he'd like to work with, his parents, Mo'Hits Records, his love life, and his role models: Kanye West, Usher, Jay-Z, R. Kelly, and others. The interview lasted 125 minutes, and was the avenue used to formally declare his determination to lead African music into many quarters that its yet to reach.

Music career

As a tribute to his mentor Fela, D'banj brings Afrobeat to life and into the 21st century with breathless enthusiasm as well as a good dose of humour. His songs are based on his life, often hilarious but with a deeper meaning which documents the struggle of a young Nigerian trying to achieve his dreams. He performs in Yoruba, English and Pidgin English. All his albums are solely produced by Don Jazzy and himself.

2005: No Long Thing

D'banj's debut album, No Long Thing, was released in 2005, yielding several singles, with Tongolo as the lead single. This proved to be his breakthrough single and a hit. It also provided his Koko Master persona, with the term, koko, taking on a variety of meanings. D'banj's debut success led to collaborations with other artists, this includes Dare Art-Alade's album track, Escalade Part 2 and Ikechukwu's album

2006: Rundown Funk U Up

D'banj's second album, Rundown Funk U Up, which was released in 2006, yielded several singles including the club single, Tongolo (Remix) and the lead single, Why Me?. This proved to be another hit.

2007–2008: Curriculum Vitae & The Entertainer

D'banj, as an artist of Mo' Hits Records, is also a member of its collective group, Mo' Hits Allstars (includes artists Dr SID, Wande Coal, k-Switch and D'prince). He has once been spotted with one of Nigeria's most talented singers, "Smile Lasisi". The collective's debut album, Curriculum Vitae, was released in December 2007. It included hit singles, "Be Close To You", "Booty Call" and "Move Your Body", which was the lead single. D'banj was featured in Ikechukwu's 2008 hit, "Wind Am Well".
July 2008 saw the release of D'banj's third album, The Entertainer,^[5] with the singles "Gbono Feli Feli", "Kimon", "Olorun Maje" and "Entertainer".

Mo'Hits/ G.O.O.D. Music

In June 2011, D'banj was signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D Music record label as artiste and producer respectively. On June 9, 2011, D'banj wrote on his Twitter account, @iamdbanj, "Just like yesterday, myself and my brother did Tongolo. 7 years later, Mo'Hits signs with GOOD Music. Best Birthday gift ever. God thank you.

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2 Face

Early life

2Face Idibia was born Innocent Ujah Idibia in Jos, Nigeria. He is from the Okpokwu local government area and from the Idoma ethnic group in the southern part of Benue State, in central Nigeria.^[1] He attended Saint Gabriel's Secondary School in Makurdi, Benue State. He schooled briefly in the Institute of Management & Technology, Enugu (IMT), where he did his preliminary National Diploma course in business administration and management. While attending IMT he performed at school organized shows and parties, as well as other regional schools such as the University of Nigeria and Enugu State University of Science & Technology. He would not graduate college.

Career

While attending IMT, 2face Idibia started composing and singing jingles at the GB Fan Club at Enugu State Broadcasting Services (ESBS) in 1996. He would move to Lagos and started performing with fellow rapper BlackFace, forming the Plantashun Boyz. He had met BlackFace while attending IMT.^[2] He started calling himself "2Face" in 1996. He cited the reasoning as "trying to demarcate my personal life with my business life.^[3]
In 2006, his song "African Queen" was used in the soundtrack for the film Phat Girlz, which was released internationally.^[4] The Plantashun Boyz came together briefly in 2007 to record an album which they titled Plan B.^[2] He also released a promotion album in 2008 releasing the single, "Enter the Place". Problems with album distribution in 2007 caused as shift of the release date of the album from 2008 to 2009. Tuface released two singles from the international version of his Unstoppable album and is the first Nigerian artist to have an appropriately priced^[5] international album.^[6]
2face Idibia released The Unstoppable International Edition album in 2010. For the album, he won two awards at the 2010 SoundCity Music Video Awards.^[7] He also won the Channel O Music Video Awards Best African Western award and the MTV Africa Music Awards for Best Male and Artist of the year.^[8] Upon leaving the music label Kennis Music, he set up his own record label known as Hypertek Entertainment.^[9] He is part of the Sony All African One8 Project alongside seven other musicians across Africa recording a single with R. Kelly and Prince Lee titled "Hands Across the World".^[10] He is the first non-Liberian to become an honorary member of the Liberian music society in recognition for his outstanding contribution to the growth of music in Africa.

Personal life

2Face is known for his narrow escapes from death. He had a close shave with death three times, at different locations and times, including gun shots.^[6][11]
On May 2, 2012, 2Face Idibia and Annie Macaulay, a Nollywood actress, got married in Lagos, in a private ceremony.^[12][13] 2face announced his marriage via his Twitter page. He has a child with Annie Macaulay, and five children from previous relations.

Philanthropy

2Face has established an NGO called 2Face Idibia Reach-Out Foundation.^[14] which motto is service to humanity. In 2009, 2Face was appointed as ambassador the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.^[15] He released a song "Man Unkind" in order to raise awareness on the menace of fake and sub-standard food and drug products in Nigeria.^[16] In 2009, he was presented with the prestigious International Youth Ambassador for Peace Summit and the Nigeria Youth Merit Award by the National Youth Council of Nigeria in recognition of his contributions to youth development in Nigeria.^[17]

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