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Ce Ce Peniston Biography

CeCe Peniston (born Cecilia Veronica Peniston; September 6, 1969) is an American recording artist and former beauty queen. In the early 1990s, she was one of the most successful dance club artists in the history of the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play, scoring five number one hits in the chart within three years. Her signature song "Finally" (#5 in the Hot 100 and #2 in UK Top 75) became one of the biggest dance singles, selling three million copies worldwide.
Peniston has performed at private engagements for Aretha Franklin's private birthday party in Detroit, Michigan, Pope John Paul II in Rome at the Vatican (as a member of the gospel band Sisters of Glory) and the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, during both of his inauguration ceremonies in Washington, D.C. She was the first foreign female entertainer to perform in post-apartheid South Africa.
On February 4, 2011, Peniston signed a record deal with West Swagg Music Group/Bungalo Records, with full distribution through Universal Music Group Distribution, and announced release of a new solo album 15 years after her last studio set (I'm Movin' On from 1996 on A&M Records). By the end of the year, however, only three digital singles had been issued including a new song called "Stoopid!", and two cover versions of her prior hits, "Keep On Walkin'" and "Finally".

Biography:

1969-90: Early life:
Peniston was born in Dayton, Ohio, in United States, but spent the majority of her formative years in Phoenix, where she was raised since she was nine. As a daughter of a former military father, Ronald Peniston (born 1934, married Barbara Anne in 1960), she started singing at church and doing plays and musicals such as H.M.S. Pinafore in the 6th grade. She participated in local karaoke contests and singing talent shows, while taking piano lessons.
She attended Trevor G. Browne High School, class of 1987, in Phoenix, and landed a part in a local theater group's production of Bubblin' Brown Sugar, (playing the young Sweet Georgia Brown). After earning her diploma, she continued to study liberal arts at the Phoenix College where she got involved in athletics, and entered beauty pageants. She was crowned Miss Black Arizona in 1989 and Miss Galaxy in 1990.
Peniston began writing pop lyrics already at school. The words of her international hit "Finally" were purportedly penned during a chemistry class, while thinking about dating in college.

1990-91: Female Preacher:

You know what's so funny is I was always the one that came in and slowed it down. That's what's so ironic about me putting out "Finally", because I was always the R&B person, the balladeer when I came in and did everything. Back then, there was a female rapper Overweight Pooch who was on A&M, and I was asked to do some background vocals. I came over, did the background vocals for her and the label heard it. They were like "We really like your flow, why don't you get your own single together?" Well at the time, I was writing poetry. So I took one of the poems, "Finally". I was thinking about dating in college, and how I hadn't found that Mr. Right. We went to the studio, finished it up, sent it off to the label and they loved it. And that's how everything got started. I came up with the melody and the lyrics to "Finally" and then R.K. Jackson and Felipe Delgado, the guys I was working with at the time, put the music to it

--said by Peniston interviewed by 5 Chicago in 2006

Her music career began in January 1991, when Felipe "DJ Wax Dawg" Delgado, her friend and a record producer based also in Phoenix, asked Peniston to record back-up vocals for Tonya Davis, a black female rapper known after her childhood nickname as Overweight Pooch.
Davis, headed in a direction of a "new" Monie Love, was searching for a singer to add vocals to the title track of her album Female Preacher, which was to be released on A&M Records that summer. At a talent show she met a woman named Malaika LeRae Sallard, but when it came time to get Sallard into the studio, the rapper found she'd lost her future label-mate's number. When Delgado, who'd preferred Peniston instead, brought his favorite in to do background parts, the response from everyone was immediate, but did not move the Pooch to invite Peniston back for more vocals - unless she was successful in locating Sallard.
Later on, as it became clear that Peniston was leaping from the Overweight Pooch's album to the top of the charts, rumor had it the Pooch was stewing over Peniston's using Female Preacher as her springboard. Tonya Davis, pregnant at the time of recording her album, swore she harbored no jealousy towards Peniston. "There's no jealousy, because she has a voice. I gave her the chance, but I didn't give her a voice," the rapper insisted for Phoenix New Times in July 1992, and Peniston, interviewed by the same newspaper in the meantime, reacted by her own words. "I feel like anything's possible and I know one thing. If I wasn't at this spot, I still would be achieving to get to this spot." Ironically enough, Sallard eventually threw in a few back-up vocals for Peniston on a song with a significant title, "You Win, I Win, We Lose", while Peniston, who in return played an agent to get a record deal also for Malaika (whose album Sugar Time scored in 1993 two Top 5 hits on the US Dance chart, including the No.1 single "Gotta Know (Your Name)") mentioned the Pooch's name on her own debut album in addition, leaving Davis a note saying "thanks for letting me be a part of Female Preacher.
Besides the Peniston's vocal performance on three tracks in total, of which "I Like It" was released as a single with a moderate success (at #16 in US Dance and #58 in UK Top 75 the following January), she was eventually given also a credit for co-writing two of those, "Kickin' Da Blues" and the title's, "Female Preacher". But the Overweight Pooch's album flopped on the market, and A&M was the first major label for Delgado himself, who was facing contractual disputes with the record company. After Manny Lehman (a DJ, then A&M Art Director and one of the executive producers of Female Preacher) also noticed the powerful voice of a still back-up vocalist, he offered Delgado a second chance, and commissioned him to produce a track for Peniston herself as a solo artist. Not looking to lose his major deal connections, Delgado called on a hometown friend and music producer too, Rodney K. Jackson (they two met through mutual friends in Arizona), who was brought then to A&M family to help co-produce the Peniston's single, which was soon to be recognized as "Finally".
Despite an initial label's resistance to sign Peniston to more than a one-off single deal, the "Finally" session resulted in recording her own debut album after the final approval of A&M's Vice President, Mark Mazzetti,.

1991-92: Finally:

I was sitting in a Chicago pizza parlor in October and I heard over the radio 'Finally by CeCe Peniston'. I just started looking around going 'That's me! That's me!"

--Peniston recalled for EW magazine in 1992. (Almost 20 years later, when asked by Mega 104.3, she actually denied saying it, during her interview broadcast live on April 5, 2011.)

Peniston was 21 years old when her debut single "Finally" was released. The song burst on to the US club scene in the fall of 1991, where became an instant dance anthem peaking, in October, at the top of the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play for two weeks, while achieving a respectful starting position (at No.#29) overseas.
After her first song climbed the international charts, Peniston was headed into the studio to record a full-length album. However, she "had two months to pull the whole album together" and "didn't realize the impact the record was having until it reached the top five". She also described how difficult it was to begin her career at such an extreme pace, but the result was a solidly produced ten track collection titled Finally, issued in January of the following year.
Both, the single and album entered the US Hot 100, as well as the UK Top 75 chart (at No.#5 and No.#2 for single, respectively at No.#70 and at No.#10 for album release), and ultimately earned Peniston a gold, or silver certification in both countries. By the end of 1992 her debut (in Europe re-released in 1997 with a bonus remix "Finally '97") sold over 540,000 in United States.
"We Got a Love Thang", the second single (co-written by Chantay Savage), with a video clip in heavy rotation on TV music channels, went to No. 1 in the US Dance chart in February (No. 20 in the Hot 100), and in England (where "Finally" skipped to No. 2 eventually) "We Got a Love Thang" peaked at No. 6. Might the only controversial question regarding the title remain who had provided background vocals on the record? While on her album Finally Darnnel Rush was credited, on its single release, the name of Kym Sims (who was a co-writer of "Keep On Walkin'") appeared as one of back-up vocalists actually.
With another hit record on the charts, Peniston began a year of touring clubs and small theaters in the USA in support of her album. Her travels started with a series of shows in the Philippines, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Italy, and after her return to the USA, Peniston continued with such R&B acts as Joe Public, the Cover Girls, R. Kelly and Levert.
While on tour, "Keep On Walkin'", a hip hop swinging composition, joined the list of Peniston's three consecutively running hits, bringing Peniston in June her third No. 1 in the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart (No.#15 in the Hot 100), and another Top 10 hit in UK. Later in August, that was also her highest outing in the US R&B chart, scoring at No. 3.
On October 17, Billboard magazine announced that Peniston was the leading nominee in the Billboard Music Awards, being nominated in four categories: three times in the dance category with "Finally" (Best New Artist, Best Female Artist and Best Director), and one in the R&B/Rap category (Best Female Artist) for her urban hit "Keep On Walkin'". Ultimately the song won two awards, and three of her singles released in 1992 were listed also within the Top 100 songs of the Billboard Year-End chart (at No.#20 with "Finally", at No.#61 with "Keep On Walkin'", and at No.#97 with "We Got a Love Thang"). In the UK, Peniston was listed as the 20th of Top Selling Singles Artists in 1992.
Additional songs taken from album Finally achieved the Top 40 status at least in the hip hop/R&B field. The grieving lyrics of her ballad "Inside That I Cried", co-written by Peniston's then-husband, Malik Byrd (who appeared also in its video), and produced in conjunction with Anita Baker's cohort, Steve Lindsey, peaked at No. 10 in the US R&B (No. 94 in the Hot 100 and No.#42 in UK Top 75). The fifth single, a midtempo, "Crazy Love", climbed to No. 31 (No. 97 in the Hot 100 and No.#44 in UK).
By the end of the year, Peniston received several awards for her achievements in the music industry for 1992. Among them, one Billboard Music Award (as Best New Artist - Dance, the second went to the video director Claude Borenzweig), three ASCAP Awards (for Song of The Year, Most Performed Song of The Year, and Pop Songwriter of The Year), another three awards (as Best New Dance Artist, Best Dance Solo Artist, and for Best 12" Dance Record) at the Annual Winter Music Conference, and the BMI Urban Award of Achievement. The album itself was nominated on a Soul Train Music Award '93 in the Best R&B/Soul Album - Female category.

1993-95: Thought 'Ya Knew:
Within a year, Peniston was back in the studios to record her sophomore release, and the particular challenge for the vocalist was to avoid getting pigeonholed into the dance genre. For that reason, several ballads were arranged to appear on the final set (in the front with "Forever In My Heart", produced by Brian McKnight), of which, however, none was chosen for a single release. This time around, Peniston co-authorized three of thirteen tracks ("Whatever It Is", "Give What I'm Givin" and "Maybe It's The Way", a ballad about her father), and along with Manny Lehman and Damon Jones, who later became Peniston's manager, she was also credited as an executive producer of her scheduled album release, Thought 'Ya Knew. Apart from others, also fellow Ohio-born singer Norma Jean Wright joined the session.
After a certain level of hesitation over the first single, "I'm in the Mood" (originally produced by Soulshock and Karlin) was picked to be the final leader--though as support for "Searchin'", which would be separately delivered on vinyl only to DJs. "I'm in the Mood" did well by itself, and with a video accompanied by a hip-hop remix from M-Doc & Jere M.C. (better known as In Da Soul) the title was on singles reproduced by David Morales for the dance floor. The song spawned Peniston's forth No. 1 (dethroning from the top of the US Dance chart Aretha Franklin's "A Deeper Love") and peaked at No. 16 in UK (#32 in the Hot 100).

I guess the title tells you where I'm coming from with the new album. It's like I Thought 'Ya Knew I could do it, that I was coming right backatcha, real and honest.

--Peniston stated in her A&M biography

On January 25, 1994, the album Thought 'Ya Knew, which was to represent Peniston's musical zenith at that time, arrived on all available formats, including digital compact cassettes. However, as the record promptly entered the music charts, it was soon to be evident Thought 'Ya Knew was not enjoying the high-profile success of her previous set Finally. After its progress had stalled in the Billboard 200 at No. 96,Thought 'Ya Knew climbed to No. 31 in the UK, but the album charted for only two weeks in the UK.
Not certain about the second single either, "Keep Givin' Me Your Love" was accepted to become the British follow-up. But the track, remixed by Eddie Gordon's West End production team, had no supporting music video, and after peaking at No. 36 in April in the United Kingdom, an alternative title ("I'm Not Over You") was chosen for the US market as the second cut from the Thought 'Ya Knew album.
"I'm Not Over You" (written by Steve Hurley, Jamie Principle, and M-Doc) might have missed the highest position of the US Dance chart, but only by about one point (at No. 2), and the single was later classified in the overall Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart as the ninth most successful track of 1994 (leaving "I'm in the Mood" far behind, at #44). However, although the song had sealed the Top 10 of the US R&B chart, it did not succeed in the Hot 100 that much, failing to crack Top 40 (No.# 41). Considering that expectations of A&M Records company must have been bigger than a club play sale of Peniston's singles, "I'm Not Over You" was released in UK only on B-side of the "Hit by Love" release.
"Hit by Love" was to be the third song taken from the album. As with her previous releases, the song (with additional remixes by David Morales) became Peniston's next US Dance hit in a line of her No. 1s, but while on the top of the chart "Hit by Love" stayed for another week, the single stuck at No.# 33 in the UK Top 75, as well as on the bottom positions of the American Hot 100 chart (at No.# 90).
Along with "Hit by Love" in the charts, A&M issued a rare compilation, Remix Collection, in Japan with nine alternate versions of her songs previously available only on vinyl, which tracked Peniston's music career since the "Keep On Walkin'" release. A similar remixed collection, however, consisted of only two singles ("Finally" and "We Got a Love Thang") was earlier issued in Japan as a remix EP album under the title Finally / We Got a Love Thang: Remix Collection featuring overall eight remixed versions.
At the end of the year Peniston was named the No. 1 Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Artist, summarizing all her songs released in 1994 ("I'm Not Over You" #9, "Hit by Love" #24, and I'm in the Mood" #44). While A&M was listed as the sixth best dance label in the Billboard Year-End chart, Peniston was also rated as the 5th Top R&B Singles Female Artist (behind Janet Jackson, Toni Braxton, Aaliyah and Mariah Carey).
In addition, a remix of "Keep Givin' Me Your Love" was popularized on the original motion picture soundtrack of the Prêt-à-Porter (Ready To Wear) film, and released in the U.S. after a one-year delay, scoring No. 4 in the US Dance charts in March 1995. "Keep Givin' Me Your Love" became Peniston's first song not to enter the Hot 100 chart (No.#101), possibly as the result of appearing as a B-side on her previous release, and sharing its sales with the single "Hit by Love".

I have a lot in me still that people haven't heard. There's a whole other side, there's an R&B side, a jazz side that people haven't heard, and think that they'd be really surprised. But I haven't had a chance to showcase that because people want to hear the house songs

--said by Peniston in 2006

The Sisters of Glory
Between releases, Peniston made a jazzy cameo "Don't Forget the Love" with words and music by a Grammy Award-nominated composer, Jeff Lorber, and Eric Benét (also a later Grammy Award nominee) for his album West Side Stories. The title of the Lorber's album was his response to residing the West Side of L.A. (not his adaptation of songs from the Broadway musical or West Side Story film), and after its issue in November 1994, the studio record peaked at No.#5 in the Billboard's list of Top Contemporary Jazz albums.
As a member of the gospel quintet called The Sisters of Glory, which included Thelma Houston, Phoebe Snow, Lois Walden, Albertina Walker, and herself, Peniston also recorded a spiritual album, Good News in Hard Times, that featured two solo traditionals ("How I Got Over" and "Precious Memories") performed by Peniston, four standards with her solo part ("Rough Side of the Mountain", "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands", "I Won't Be Back No More" and "Oh Happy Day"), as well as her chorus vocals on additional nine tracks. Good News in Hard Times (produced by Jennifer Cohen and Lois Walden) was released in August 1995 on Warner Bros, and the album brought Peniston an entry also in the Billboard Top Gospel Albums list, where it reached in October No.#29, remaining in the chart for 6 weeks.

1996-98: I'm Movin' On and The Best Of album:
In February 1996, the Billboard posted information that singer was putting the finishing touches to her new studio album, I'm Movin' On, slated for its release in May. Judging from the magazine's earlier preview of several cuts, the Billboard published that Peniston was about to explore more mature jeep-soul fare a la Faith Evans, and that she has never sounded so assured and convincingly soulful. Though, I'm Movin' On with a noticeably slimmed-down Peniston adorning its cover was not released until September, a similarly sleek sound marked its title single delivered to the radio stations on July 17, while hitting music stores one week later.
"Movin' On", the song considered as the strongest track to reach core R&B listeners with potential across several genres, was produced by Dave "Jam" Hall, the hit maker behind Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover", whose earlier work included also the Madonna's Bedtime Stories album. The song cracked the Top 40 on the US R&B/Hip Hop at No.#29, but failed to show up in the UK chart, while scoring at weak No.#83 in the Hot 100.
On September 9, I'm Movin' On, the record with evident absence of her ever-dependable club workouts finally arrived. Peniston contributed to the set with three songs she co-wrote (except the title's track, the ballad "The Last To Know" and a club potential, "Don't Know What To Do", that was not be promoted). After peaking at No.#48 on the US R&B, the album passed by the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, and soon largely felt victim to mismarketing.

"We named the album I'm Movin' On because it says a lot about me and who I am now in 1996. I'm moving on mentally, physically, spiritually and musically in every way."

Despite insistence from the Peniston's management to release "Somebody Else's Guy" as a follow-up, A&M label preferred an alternate composition, "Before I Lay (You Drive Me Crazy)", which featured Peniston's then-beau JoJo Hailey (of K-Ci & JoJo) who was supposed to help establish Peniston as an R&B artist. But the duet reached its top in the US R&B already at No.#52, with no entry in the Hot 100 chart (No.#121) or in England.
However, Peniston herself seemed to be not worried about losing her audience, when interviewed at the time of I'm Movin' On release by Billboard: "When you're first coming out as an artist, many times label executives have their own vision for you. But as you move forward, it's only fair that you begin determining your own direction. People will make the change with you as long as you're honest about your craft and display a comfort for what it is that you're doing," two years later Peniston actually confirmed her doubts, after being questioned by the magazine: "I can speak about this firsthand, believe me. Sometimes doing what you feel isn't always accepted by the public. You've got to choose where you want to go and be consistent," (said by the artist at the 5th annual Billboard Dance Music Summit that urged members of the dance music community to work together toward greater credibility, visibility and sales for the genre, held July 8-10 in 1998). After only two singles released from her R&B set, A&M did not decide to select a song that would cater to another music format, and capitulated to progress with I'm Movin' On album that Peniston promoted also during Bill Clinton's election campaign, on which she performed several track from the set. Clinton commented on her performance on November 4, 1996 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, mentioning: "I want to thank CeCe Peniston for singing so beautifully."
Following her dismissal, Peniston took playing as Glinda the Good Witch in a theatrical production of musical play The Wiz. The staged concert was opened at Oakland's Paramount Theatre for a five-day run on June 11, 1997, and besides herself, Grace Jones and Peabo Bryson appeared to act.
In September, A&M re-released the single "Finally" that successfully entered the UK Top 75 back again (No.#26), and in addition also her debut album on CD enhanced with the new remix, Finally (Classic Funk Radio Mix), both re-issued only in the overseas.
In February 1998, a David Morales' remix of "Somebody Else's Guy", originally popularized by Jocelyn Brown and recorded for the album I'm Movin' On, became a surprising hit in Europe, where it reached No.#13 in the UK Top 75 (as her last entry to date in England), as well as in April No.#26 in Japan, after being picked to promote Peniston's import greatest hits collection simply titled The Best Of. The black and white photographs for its booklet were done by Daniela Federici, whose art work was noticed already on I'm Movin' On release, and later also on album and single covers of other female recording artists, such as Céline Dion, Toni Braxton, or Pink.
After her departure from A&M Peniston contributed with two songs to the M.C. Magic's compilation of various Phoenix-based artists called Desert Funk! that was issued on Nastyboy Records. The first title, "I Know You Want Me", was a hip-hop duet recorded in common with Nastyboy Klick (#109 on the US R&B), while the second, a Latino hip-hop ballad, "When I'm with You" was her own solo track also produced by Marcus Cardenas.

1998-2000: Cancelled Nobody Else album:

"Steve is really great at bringing out that attitude in me. He gave me a lot in terms of pronouncing words to make them sound like they need to sound, but that's not actually what you're saying. So it puts that vibe on it. So I learned a lot from him vocally as far as in the studio."

--Peniston about Steve Hurley

Rumors about Peniston working in Chicago on a new album with Steve "Silk" Hurley sprung up after "Nobody Else", a gospel-infused sirene and her debut on the producer's label, saw its official release in 1998. However apart from the Billboard, the inlay details of "Nobody Else" also informed her fan base a studio album with the same title was due that summer, this information seemed to be rather optional than reality that followed the artist's future, while she had been signed to the Silk Entertainment company.
To make things surrounding her potential comeback even worse, ferocious house groove "Nobody Else", which was premiered at the 5th Annual Billboard Dance Music Summit on the stage at the Green Dolphin Street, failed to enter the music charts, despite favorable reviews of the Billboard that rated the song "among the artist's strongest recordings", "a sure to-thrill die hards," and as "a triumphant return to clubland" commenting in addition her summit live performance.
In 1999, "He Loves Me 2", co-written by M-Doc (known for a remix production for such major artists as Madonna, Janet Jackson or Keitha Sweat) to whom the singer returned the favor providing background vocals on "Keep It Real", a song recorded for his own album Young, Black, Rich and Famous, might seemed to bring more competitive results than her previous endeavor, reaching No.#24 on the Hot Dance Club Play.
But the Peniston's next single "My Boo" with then already Grammy Award-nominee Hurley (apart from other five remixes for another artists, also for his own 'Silk's 12" Mix' of "He Loves Me 2", eventually lost in favor of Peter Rauhofer alias Club 69, who became the Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical, in 2000) happened to become disappointing again for both actually, and the last act distributed through the producer's record company. The song contained a sample of "The Bottle" by Gil Scott-Heron, one of the most important progenitors of rap music, at that time imprisoned for one to three years following series of drug possession charges.

2000-present: Singles era:
"Lifetime to Love"
While looking for alternative options for the cancelled production of her album, Peniston decided to make a step back and record a cover version of "Lifetime to Love", written by Steven Nikolas and Brendon Sibley, for her ex-major label producer and the Manny Lehman's compilation Circuit Sessions 00.1. The composition almost revived her No. 1 status in February 2001, returning her into the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play list, and delivering her a Top 3 entry also in the millennium (No. 2). Although the song was at the end of the year classified as the 30th most successful US Dance track of 2001, it did not enter the official Hot 100 chart.
The digital version of "Lifetime to Love" was to be offered, along with photos and other information regarding Peniston, for free of charge download via Napster, an online music file sharing service. Timing prevented the deal's followthrough in, unfortunately, and singer left 4 Play label afterwards.
"Reminiscin"
Following the millennium Peniston, no longer part of the mainstream that brought her success in the early '90s, spent the first decade supporting numerous recording artists of various musical styles and influences who would keep her in the music industry and in the eye of public mostly as a guest, but prominent vocalist.,
In 2001, she collaborated with Ella Mae Saison, a singer from Philippines, on a common track. The duet partially mixed in France, and partially in N.Y.C., was sponsored by a multiple world champion boxer, Evander Holyfield, and released on his record label in April. After its slow start, while being classified as the Billboard Hot Dance Breakout No.#1 for Maxi-Singles Sales category, the song hit No.#30 in US Dance chart eventually on August 18, under title "Reminiscin" and with Peniston being credited as a featuring artist.
Peniston later commented on her recording with Saison, "I had the pleasure of working with a very talented and inspiring artist by the name of Saison. Last January 2001, we collaborated on a duet, Reminiscin. I was fortunate to witness the warmth of a beautiful personality and the great talent of a rising star. I hope the world will be allowed to share in this experience too."
"For My Baby" and Colour of My Soul
Accompanied by a line-up of seven other female vocalists coming from both sides of the Atlantic, she joined Rob Derbyshire and Paul 'Solomon' Mullings, the Birmingham's R&B production duo known as Full Flava, to record lead vocals for their album Colour of My Soul. The modern soul set was to be made in England, released on Dôme Records in 2003, and one of the compositions performed by Peniston, "For My Baby", was later given also a treatment for the dance floor with stand-out house mixes from Dave "Leggz" Longmore and Sam Junior Bromfield known as Ruff 'N' Tumble, and duo KT & C.
"For My Baby" did not succeed on the music charts, however Ruf N Tumble's dance remixes of the song were based on a sample of the Delegation hit single "Heartache No. 9" (that scored at number fifty-seven in US Dance in 1980). Her second solo number on the Full Flava's compilation Colour of My Soul was titled "I Think about Him", and it was a mid-tempo that Peniston co-wrote with Derbyshire and Mullings.

"Eternal Lover"
Her next steps afterwards led to Better Days Studios in Paris where, for a change, singer was supposed to work with a French producer, Fréderic Tharreau alias BIBI, on exclusively import single "Eternal Lover". In addition to being released in France on RLPMix Records, the song was also issued in Australia and New Zealand on the domestic premier dance label, Vinyl Pusher Records, in 2004.
Gimme the Mike! and Hit Me, Baby, One More Time
Back to the States on 2 June 2005, Peniston appeared on the NBC network as a contestant of the summer's reality TV Hit Me, Baby, One More Time. During each program five former pop stars would sing their biggest hit plus a cover version of one contemporary hit, and every week the winner, picked by the studio audience, would get a donation of $20,000 in their name to a charity of free choice. Peniston competed on the show performing "Finally" plus a Faith Hill's song, "There You'll Be", in favor of a hip-hop group, Arrested Development (the final winner of the program that night). When two years later asked, while being interviewed by the Say What News online magazine, Peniston would not confirm to record "There You'll Be" also in the studio.
Pastor Jones and Don't Touch if You Ain't Prayed
In the first half of 2005, Peniston wrapped up shooting an independent film called Don't Touch if You Ain't Prayed. Her character was a forty-year-old Christian woman saving herself for marriage, and the film featured gospel music performed by herself. In addition, Peniston took a small part in another urban Gospel film appealing to Christian market, Pastor Jones.
On September 19, 2005, Peniston was invited to appear at Manhattan Center, Grand Ballroom, NYC, to be present at the 2nd Annual Dance Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, along with Wanda Dee (of KLF), Nile Rodgers, Freddie Jackson, and Kathy Sledge. The Dance Music Hall of Fame, created by veteran John Parker in 2003, was supposed to recognize the contributions of those, who have had a significant impact on the evolution and development of dance music, and celebrate the history and significance of the genre. An awards ceremony announcing the inductees in the event was to take place annually at a formal dinner event in New York, but due to financial differences among the Board members, the Dance Music Hall of Fame ceased operations after its second ceremony (in 2005).
"Deeper Love"
Peniston's following music project was a common duet with David Longoria, a trumpet player whose work was previously noticed on records of for example Sting or George Michael. The union became successful when a composition combining jazz and dance music, "Deeper Love", written by Longoria, after six weeks on the chart climbed to No.#14 in the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play (on November 19), returning Peniston lost dance chart positions since another duet number ("Reminiscin") from 2001. The single was released with the copyright owned by Del Oro Music, and included eleven remixes from Junior Vasquez, Ryan Humphries, L.E.X., and Richard Earnshaw. According to David Longoria's official web site, the newest radio version of "Deeper Love 2014" is directed at Rhythmic Radio and to be issued in the Summer of 2014.
"You Are the Universe" and Music Is Our Way of Life
Interviewed by 5 Chicago magazine in June 2006, singer stated that she was, "working on another album," with George Jackson (a former manager of the Silk Entertainment label), Tre, and Ron Carroll, and expressed her wish to work with Steve Hurley as well back again. She further calculated to be done "within the next three or four months" with her studio record.

"I think people consider Diva as someone with a lot of soul, and I consider myself a person with a lot of soul, so I think the description would fit right."

--the artist said after critics mentioned on the strength of her performances the word "diva"

Instead, Peniston co-wrote with Jackson single "It's Alright" for RaShaan Houston, and took part in another proto-D'vas project, produced by Full Flava, to which she contributed with a Brand New Heavies's hit from 1997 (No.#21 in UK), "You Are the Universe". Her cover version was attached to the Full Flava's retro album, Music Is Our Way of Life, which reconstructed eleven dancefloor classics in total, and the compilation was released on Dôme. The Peniston's track was remixed by a Japanese producer, DJ Hasebe, to be featured in his disco medley named after the song, and for the purpose of a limited edition single available only in Japan on vinyl.
"EP Live" and Divas of Disco
On April 25 in 2007, her icon stood on the stage of Avalon, Hollywood on the occasion of a five star concert Divas of Disco - Live, which included Thelma Houston, Linda Clifford, A Taste of Honey, France Joli and herself. Each diva performed overall three songs as a solo artist, while Peniston was the main star closing the night. Her performances of "Keep On Walkin'", the Donna Summer's cover version of "Last Dance", and "Finally" were released as a digital live EP on One Media Publishing the following year. The whole concert titled, Divas of Disco, was available in Europe on DVD on ZYX Music in 2008, as well as on CD in 2010, while in U.S. only its DVD release followed (on RSM Records in 2009).
"I'm Feelin' U"
In 2007, Peniston teamed up with US house DJ Ron Carroll for a funky bomb, "I'm Feelin' U", which was released in May on the Soulfuric Recordings label. The song caught an attention in the European clublands (No.#2 in the DJ House chart) The four track single included also additional mixes from a French, DJ Fudge, and Brian Tappert, but as with her previous Japanese release ("You Are the Universe"), "I'm Feelin' U" was available for sale exclusively on vinyl, or as a digital single to be directly downloaded.
"Shame Shame Shame"
Her following promotional single, "Shame Shame Shame", released in UK in June 2007, was co-written by Matt and Warren Meyers, and Kelly Mueller, better recognized as Soulshaker (alias The Soul Shakers). The British music producers' team produced for Peniston a composition, which by the end of the year achieved several No. 1 statuses within specialized UK magazine charts (including No.#1 Music Week Pop Tip Chart, No.#1 Music Week Club Chart, and No.#1 DJ Mag Hype Chart). While in England Shame Shame Shame" was issued on the AATW label, in the States the title was released on Trackworks Records in several promo editions.
On August 26, 2007, one year after her interview for 5 Chicago Mag, Peniston mentioned again her plans regarding a new album project also for Say What News, however she did not go further this time. When asked, with whom from the industry she would like to once collaborate, she named the winner of twenty-two Grammy Awards, Stevie Wonder.
"Still I"

Originally, the potential release of an R&B song after a lengthy absence, "Still I", was to be cancelled, but the final record actually leaked out after one of the producers, allowed the Adrenaline Music company to distribute the song.,
Behind the song's production were recognized Peniston's former folks from Arizona, Felipe Delgado and Jackson (both in charge of her initial hit, "Finally", from 1991) who reunited in 2005 to form a new production crew, collectively known as SandWorx, altogether with Nick "Cello" Valentine (which joined them in the spring of the following year). Though Peniston herself, who supported the trio by performing live in the Next In club in Scottsdale, Arizona, did not consider the record as a strong enough to be offered for sale, "Still I" was eventually released as a four track virtual single in September 2007, and the session that was supposed to rejoin the former producers with Peniston ended up with an apparent contradiction. The rest of to date unreleased recordings are songs titled "Wonder Woman", "Next to Me" and "Right Here".
"Above Horizons"
However, the year of 2008 also passed with no significant news regarding her new solo studio project, the following June Peniston released "Above Horizons", a national PTA anthem as a tribute to the families, teachers and communities who help children reach their dreams through the PTA, Parent Teacher Association, which resulted from her role being a National Ambassador of the US largest volunteer child advocacy organization. The ballad was written by Byron V. Garrett, Peniston, Erric Carrington, Essej and Marcus L. Barnum, and the CD promo release, issued on National PTA Recordings, included overall four versions. Among others, also two mixes from a Detroit house music producer and DJ, Aaron-Carl Ragland, who listed one of Peniston's compositions ("Nobody Else" from 1998) as one of his musical influences.
On June 17, 2009, Chicago Defender interviewed the artist, who declared that after over a decade she was about to finish recording her comeback album. Although, she did not concrete its release date, Peniston revealed that she was working with such likes as Track Kingz West, Vudu, Status ("Above Horizons"), David Givens, Montell Jordan (on their common duet "He Say, She Say"), Mateo (on "Piece of That"), Isalene Elliot, and Ragland. "Once I reach an agreement and sign with a record company, the album will drop," she added. One month later, Peniston confirmed information regarding her new studio album live as a guest of the Wendy Williams birthday show, during which she performed "Finally". Subsequently, the diva allowed to prelisten a few of her brand new recordings to her community via her web-site at myspace.com. Among them, the song "Runway" met with instant positive feedback due to its hip-hop/dance sound comparable to the Timbaland's production. After a New York correspondent, Kenya Thomas, questioned Peniston for Skinny, she wished to subtitle the album CeCe. Her long-waited record would not be out even following years.
"In Love with a DJ"
In June 2010, Hip-Hop Press posted information about Ron Carroll launching his own independent record label called Electricity, which is to be part of One Entertainment company that will specialize in marketing and promoting concerts, fashion shows and club events all over the world, and signing Electronic, Hip-Hop/R&B and gospel artists. According to the producer himself, Carroll's goal with the label (which has a major distribution deal with Universal) is to focus on artist development, music education and ensuring that Electricity creates a solid foundation for the music industry in Chicago. Following this announcement, a house/groove, "In Love with a DJ", with Peniston as its lead vocalist was released in July, including four remixes. In an interview for Great British Life, Carroll said that he "wanted to make a song that gives the perspective of a woman groovin' to my music, and loving me enough make her night complete."
"Make Me Say Oh", "Stoopid!" and "Celebrate"
On February 4, 2011, Peniston signed a recording contract with the independent label West Swagg Music Group (WWMG), established by Lupe Rose in 2010. The company currently has a deal with Bungalo Records, which is exclusively distributed by Universal Music Group Distribution. Peniston's first single on the label, "Stoopid!" was officially released on April 26 as a download single. One month prior to that, Peniston contributed to the March-issued various artists digital compilation titled Miami 2011 with "Make Me Say Oh", which is her fourth track recorded in collaboration with Ron Carroll (their previous works included songs "My Boo", "I'm Feelin' U" and "In Love with a DJ"). On August 9, WWMG released "Keep On Flossing" (a remixed version of her former single from 90s) recorded as a duet with her fellow rapper Lavon Collins (aka L.C.) While on October 3, a new version of "Finally" by Paul Oakenfold followed. Other track called "Celebrate" was released on March 27.

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Paula Abdul Biography

Paula Julie Abdul (/ˈæbduːl/; born June 19, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 before rising to prominence in the 1980s as a highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era. Abdul later scored a string of pop music hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Her six number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 tie her with Diana Ross for seventh among the female solo performers who have topped the chart. She won a Grammy for "Best Music Video – Short Form" for "Opposites Attract" and twice won the "Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography".
After her initial period of success, Abdul suffered a series of setbacks in her professional and personal life. She saw renewed fame and success as an original judge on American Idol in the 2000s, which she left after the eighth season. She went on to star on CBS's short-lived television series Live to Dance, which lasted one season in 2011, and was subsequently a judge on the first season of the American version of The X Factor along with her former American Idol co-judge Simon Cowell, the creator and producer of the show. She was also a guest judge on the All-Stars edition of Dancing with the Stars in 2012 and the tenth season of So You Think You Can Dance in 2013, and more recently became a permanent judge for that series along with the Australian version of the show for its 2014 revival.

Early life
Abdul was born in San Fernando, California, to Jewish parents. Abdul's father, Harry Abdul, was born into the Syrian-Jewish community in Aleppo, Syria, was raised in Brazil, and subsequently emigrated to the United States. Her mother, the concert pianist Lorraine M. Rykiss, grew up in one of the two Jewish families in Minnedosa, Manitoba in Canada, and has Ashkenazi Jewish ancestors from Ukraine. Abdul holds dual citizenship in the United States and Canada. She has a sister named Wendy. In 1980, she graduated from Van Nuys High School.
An avid dancer, Abdul was inspired towards a show business career by Gene Kelly in the classic film Singin' in the Rain.
Abdul began taking dance lessons at an early age in ballet, jazz, and tap. She attended Van Nuys High School, where she was a cheerleader and an honor student. At 15, she received a scholarship to a dance camp near Palm Springs, and in 1978 appeared in a low-budget Independent musical film, Junior High School.
Abdul studied broadcasting at the California State University, Northridge. During her freshman year, she was selected from a pool of 700 candidates for the cheerleading squad of the Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball team—the famed Laker Girls. Within a year, she became head choreographer.'
Career
1982–1986: Dance and choreography era
Abdul was discovered by The Jacksons, after a few of the band members had watched her while attending a Los Angeles Lakers game. She was signed to do the choreography for the video to their single "Torture". "My only problem was how to tell the Jacksons how to dance," Abdul later recalled. "Imagine me telling them what routines to do. I was young, I was scared. I'm not quite sure how I got through that." The success of the choreography in the video led to Abdul's career of choreographer in music videos. It was also due to the success of the video that Abdul was chosen to be the choreographer for the Jacksons' Victory tour.
Abdul choreographed videos for several singers throughout the 1980s, including many videos for Janet Jackson during her Control era. In 1995, Abdul released a dance workout video entitled Paula Abdul's Get Up and Dance! (re-released on DVD in 2003), a fast-paced, hip-hop style workout. In 1998, she released a second video called Cardio Dance (re-released on DVD in 2000). In December 2005, Abdul launched a cheerleading/fitness/dance DVD series called Cardio Cheer, which is marketed to children and teenage girls involved with cheerleading and dance.
In film, Abdul choreographed sequences for the giant keyboard scene involving Tom Hanks's character in Big. Other credits include appearances in Coming to America, Action Jackson, Jerry Maguire, The Running Man, American Beauty, Can't Buy Me Love, and Oliver Stone's The Doors. Her television appearances include The Tracey Ullman Show, American Music Awards, the Academy Awards, and several commercials, such as The King's touchdown celebration, as seen in a string of popular Burger King television commercials that aired during the 2005–06 NFL season.
1987–1994: Forever Your Girl and Spellbound

In 1987, Abdul used her savings to make a singing demo. Although she had appeared in the musical film Junior High School years earlier, her singing voice was relatively untrained, but her exceptional dancing proved marketable to the visually oriented, MTV-driven, pop music industry. She was a tireless worker, and relied on input from her vocal coach and producers to improve her sound.
In 1988, Abdul released her pop debut album, Forever Your Girl. The album took 64 weeks to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart—the longest an album has been on the market before hitting No. 1—and spent 10 weeks there. The album eventually became multi-platinum in the spring and summer of 1989, and it spawned five American Top Three singles, four of them No. 1s (three in 1989 and one in 1990): "Straight Up", "Forever Your Girl", "Cold Hearted", and "Opposites Attract". A remix album, Shut Up and Dance, was also released and reached No. 7 on Billboard's album chart, becoming one of the most successful remix albums to date. The Grammy award-winning video for "Opposites Attract" featured an animated cat named MC Skat Kat.
At the 33rd Grammy Awards, Abdul won her first Grammy for Best Music Video for "Opposites Attract", She was also nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her song "Straight Up" but lost out to Bonnie Raitt's "Nick of Time".
In early 1991, Yvette Marine, backing vocalist on Forever Your Girl, claimed that she sang "co-lead vocals" on the album and sued Abdul and Virgin Records for compensation. After one month of court proceedings, Abdul and Virgin won the case.
Abdul's follow-up album, 1991's Spellbound, contained another string of hits, and sold 7 million copies worldwide. The first single from Spellbound was the ballad, "Rush, Rush", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five consecutive weeks, and was noted for its music video and Rebel Without a Cause motif featuring Keanu Reeves in the James Dean role. "Promise of a New Day", the second release from the album, also hit No. 1, and was followed by the Top 10 hit "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" and two Top 20 hits: "Vibeology" and "Will You Marry Me?". Many of these songs were written by Peter Lord, Jeffrey Smith and Sandra St. Victor, who were members of The Family Stand. The album, Spellbound, retained much of the dance-oriented formula heard on her debut album. The track "U" was written for Abdul by Prince.
Abdul promoted the album through the "Under My Spell Tour", which was named by an MTV contest for fans. This tour was nearly cancelled due to an accident during rehearsals. The tour began on schedule and ran from October 1991 to the summer of 1992. In 1991, Abdul embraced advertising and starred in a popular Diet Coke commercial in which she danced with a digital image of her idol, a young Gene Kelly.
Abdul was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in December 1991.
1995–2001: Head over Heels
By 1995, Paula Abdul had recovered from her battle with the eating disorder bulimia nervosa and prepared to return to the spotlight with her new album Head over Heels. The first single off the album, "My Love Is for Real" featured a fusion of R&B and traditional Middle Eastern instruments, and was performed with Yemeni-Israeli singer Ofra Haza. Its accompanying Lawrence of Arabia-inspired music video was played in theaters across the world as a prologue to the film Clueless. The single was a hit in the clubs (peaking at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart), and made it to No. 28 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
The second single, "Crazy Cool", peaked at No. 13 on the dance charts. "Ain't Never Gonna Give You Up" was the album's third and final single. To date, Head over Heels has sold 3 million copies worldwide.
In January 1997, Abdul starred in the ABC television movie Touched By Evil, playing a businesswoman who discovers that her boyfriend is a serial rapist. Also that year, Abdul co-wrote the song "Spinning Around" with songwriter and producer Kara DioGuardi, who became a fellow judge on American Idol in 2009. "Spinning Around" was a dance-pop track intended to be the lead single on Abdul's follow-up album to Head over Heels. But the album never materialized, and "Spinning Around" was instead given to Kylie Minogue. The song was highly successful, reaching No. 1 in numerous countries.
While Abdul took a break from the music industry, she remained busy behind the scenes. Abdul served as the choreographer for several film and theater productions, including the 1998 musical Reefer Madness and the cheerleading scenes in the 1999 film American Beauty (she had previously also choreographed the 1991 film The Doors). Abdul also co-produced a 2001 pilot episode of Skirts, a dramatic series that would have aired on MTV about a high-school cheerleading squad; Abdul was also set to appear as the head coach. The pilot never aired.
In 2000, Abdul's Paula Abdul: Greatest Hits CD was released by Virgin Records (with whom Abdul was already no longer affiliated). It included all her hit singles and other noteworthy tracks. The song "Bend Time Back 'Round" had previously been heard only on the 1992 soundtrack for the hit television series Beverly Hills, 90210.
2002–2009: American Idol
In 2002, Abdul appeared as one of three judges for the reality television music competition show American Idol. Abdul, along with fellow judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, evaluated thousands of amateur contestants in their ability to sing. Abdul won praise as a sympathetic and compassionate judge. She seemed especially kind compared to fellow judge Simon Cowell, who was often blunt in his appraisals of the contestants' performances. When she realized that Cowell's over-the-top judging style was heartbreaking for many young contestants, Abdul was so horrified that she considered leaving the show. Although their differences often resulted in extremely heated on-air exchanges and confrontations, Cowell says he played a major role in convincing Abdul not to leave the show.
While serving as a judge on American Idol, Abdul accepted a second assignment as reporter for Entertainment Tonight.
In March 2006, Fox announced that Abdul had signed to stay on American Idol as a judge for at least three more years. Later that year, fellow American Idol judge Simon Cowell invited her to be a guest judge at some of the early auditions for the third series of his similar UK talent show The X Factor. Abdul was present at the initial audition of the eventual winner, Leona Lewis.

Paula Abdul's second greatest-hits CD, Greatest Hits: Straight Up!, was released by Virgin Records on May 8, 2007. Virgin Records also released the music videos to all six of Abdul's No. 1 singles to iTunes. Meanwhile, Bravo began airing the reality television series Hey Paula, which followed Abdul through her day-to-day life. The series was produced by Scott Sternberg Productions and debuted on June 28, 2007. Abdul's behavior as depicted on the show was described as "erratic" by comedian Rosie O'Donnell and decried by numerous fans and critics. The show aired for only one season.
In 2007, Paula Abdul Jewelry launched its nationwide consumer debut on QVC, with the tagline "fashion jewelry designed with heart and soul." Abdul's first QVC appearance resulted in 15 sellouts of her first jewelry collection involving more than 34,000 pieces.
In January 2008, Abdul returned to the music charts for the first time in nearly 13 years with the single "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," the first track on the album Randy Jackson's Music Club Vol 1. The song debuted on On Air with Ryan Seacrest., and Abdul performed it during the pre-game show for Super Bowl XLII. "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" was a modest comeback hit for Abdul, peaking at No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 11 on iTunes and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Abdul has reported other songs that she is working on such as, "Boom Box." Abdul also made a brief guest appearance in season 3 episode 1 of the British television Comedy-Drama Hotel Babylon, which aired in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2008.
In February 2008, it was reported she was to be working on a new album.
In January 2009, Abdul hosted "RAH!," a 90-minute cheerleading competition on MTV. "RAH!" featured five collegiate squads competing in a series of challenges with Abdul crowning one the winner. In May 2009, Abdul debuted her latest song "I'm Just Here for the Music" (originally an unreleased song from Kylie Minogue's ninth album Body Language) on the Ryan Seacrest Radio KIIS-FM show and performed the single on the American Idol results show. "I'm Just Here for the Music" reached No. 87 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Abdul's 15th song to appear on the chart.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times on July 18, 2009, Abdul's manager David Sonenberg told the newspaper that, "Very sadly, it does not appear that she's going to be back on 'Idol'." This came about as a result of stalled negotiations between Abdul and the show. On August 4, 2009, after numerous contract negotiations, Abdul confirmed that she would not be returning to Idol for its ninth season. The Times cited reports Abdul had been earning as much as $5 million per season and that she was reportedly seeking as much as $20 million to return. Abdul was replaced by Ellen DeGeneres.
On August 18, 2009, it was reported that Abdul was negotiating to return to Idol after not taking part in season nine of Dancing with the Stars. Two days later, Abdul's manager said that there were not any talks with Fox, but they were not ruling anything out.
Abdul claimed her departure from Idol was not about money, but that she had to stand on principle.
2010–present: Live to Dance, The X Factor and So You Think You Can Dance Australia & America
In January 2010, Abdul presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to choreographer Julie McDonald at the 11th Anniversary show of The Carnival: Choreographer's Ball. In November, Abdul launched and co-founded AuditionBooth.com, a website that allows aspiring talents to connect with casting directors, producers, and managers.

Abdul kicked off 2011 by serving as lead judge, executive producer, creative partner, mentor and coach on CBS' new dancing competition, Live to Dance (formerly Got to Dance) Abdul said that unlike American Idol, her new show is less about "competition" and more about "celebration." After its first season of seven weekly shows, it was canceled by CBS.
On May 8, 2011, it was announced that Abdul would rejoin Simon Cowell on the first season of the American version of The X Factor. The judging panel consisted of Abdul, Cowell, music executive L.A. Reid and Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole. However, Cole was axed after two audition cites and replaced by Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger who served as co-host alongside Steve Jones. The series premièred on September 21, 2011. She was the mentor for the "Groups" category. She was called by the show's producers about the news of her category whilst at home in Los Angeles, California. During the Judges' Houses stage of the competition, Abdul was aided by guest judge Pharrell Williams in Santa Barbara, California. Abdul's contestants were all eliminated from the competition, her final act Lakoda Rayne were eliminated by the public vote on week five of the Live Shows. They were the Groups category's most successful act.
In January 2012, Abdul announced that she would not be returning as a judge for the show's second season. Fellow season one judge Nicole Scherzinger and host Steve Jones were also axed from the show that month. Abdul was replaced by Demi Lovato. On October 15, 2012, Abdul served as a guest judge during week four of the All-Stars version of Dancing with the Stars. In week seven, she performed the "Dream Medley", a compilation of four of her No. 1 singles: "Straight Up", "Cold Hearted", "Forever Your Girl" and "Opposites Attract". The medley was a re-recording with live instruments. On April 18, 2013, Abdul appeared on the Top 5 results show of season 12 of American Idol to compliment contestant Candice Glover on her performance of Straight Up.
In January 30, 2013, The Carnival: Choreographers Ball 14th Year Anniversary, Abdul was honored with Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions and works in the choreography world.
On July 9, 2013, Abdul was a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance (season ten). In October 2013, Abdul was named as a judge on the revamped So You Think You Can Dance Australia, which aired on Australia's Network Ten from February 9 through May 1, 2014. Abdul was present as a permanent member of the judge's panel for all episodes of this season. Details about the likelihood of the show's return for a fifth season, and of Abdul's continued involvement with it, have yet to be released. She later became a permanent judge on the twelfth season of the American version.
In April 2014, Abdul was a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race (season 6). The episode put Abdul face to face with previous Idol competitor, Adore Delano. In June 2014, Abdul made a cameo appearance on the Australian soap opera Neighbours and shared scenes with established character Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher).
On 2015 Abdul made a guest appearance on the comedy sitcom Real Husbands of Hollywood on its Season 4 premiere. She was shown having a conversation with Arsenio Hall. On the show Abdul was trying to kick Hall out of her pool house. The duo made a comedic scene.
In November 16, 2015, Abdul along with Charles "Chucky" Klapow, Renee Richie and Nakul Dev Mahajan won the World Choreography Award for Outstanding Choreography Digital Format for the video 'Check Yourself'.
In November 22, 2015, Paula Abdul and Donnie Wahlberg presented Favorite Female Artist – Pop/Rock at the 43rd American Music Awards; the award Abdul won in 1990 AMA's, presented to her by Wahlberg.
On August 6, 2016, Paula Abdul performed a full headling set for the first time in 26 years at the Mixtape Festival in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Personal life
Marriages and relationships
Abdul was married to Emilio Estevez from 1992 to 1994. She married clothing designer Brad Beckerman in 1996 at the New England Carousel Museum in Bristol, Connecticut. They divorced in 1998, citing irreconcilable differences.
Religion
Abdul is observant in her Jewish faith, and is proud of her heritage. She once stated, "My father is a Syrian Jew whose family immigrated to Brazil. My mother is Canadian with Jewish roots. My dream is to go to Israel for a real holiday." In November 2006, when Israeli Tourist Minister Isaac Herzog invited her to Israel, Abdul responding with a hug, adding, "I will come; you have helped me make a dream come true." In 2013, at the age of 51, Abdul had her bat mitzvah in Safed, Israel, at a Kabbalah center.
In 2003, Abdul was reported as a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation.
Legal issues
On December 20, 2004, Abdul was driving her Mercedes on a Los Angeles-area freeway when she changed lanes and hit another vehicle. The driver and passenger took a photograph with a cell phone camera and wrote down the license plate number of the car, which was traced to Abdul. On March 24, 2005, Abdul was fined US$900 and given 24 months of informal probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor hit-and-run driving. She was ordered to pay US$775 for damage to the other car.
On April 4, 2006, Abdul filed a report at a Hollywood police station claiming she had been a victim of battery at a private party at about 1am on April 2, according to LAPD spokesman Lt. Paul Vernon. "According to Abdul, the man at the party argued with her, grabbed her by the arm and threw her against a wall," Vernon said. "She said she had sustained a concussion and spinal injuries."
Health
In April 2005, Abdul said that she suffers from a neurological disorder, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, that causes chronic pain. This disorder is also known as CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome)
Activism
Abdul is a dog lover who raised awareness about National Guide Dog Month in May 2009, and she teamed up with Dick Van Patten to help people with blindness to have more independence through the help of guide dogs. She does not wear real fur.
Controversies
Corey Clark
In May 2005, ABC's news magazine Primetime Live reported claims by season two American Idol contestant Corey Clark that he and Abdul had an affair during that season, and that she had coached him on how to succeed in the competition. The fact that Clark came forward at a time when he was marketing a CD and trying to get a book deal was seen as suspicious by some, but Clark maintains that his career was being prejudiced because of his relationship with Abdul and that is why he came forward with the information to clear his name. For the most part, Abdul refused to comment on Clark's allegations. Simon Cowell came to Abdul's defense, calling Corey Clark a creep and stating "It was just somebody using her to get a lot of publicity for an appalling record, full stop."
At the height of the débâcle, Abdul appeared in a Saturday Night Live skit, making light of the situation. While Fox launched an investigation, Abdul received numerous calls of support from celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey and Kelly Ripa; Barbara Walters addressed the camera during an episode of ABC's The View to say she was sad to be part of an operation that would report Clark's flimsy tabloid claims under the guise of a news story. In August 2005, the Fox network confirmed that she would be returning to the show, as the investigation had found "insufficient evidence that the communications between Mr. Clark and Ms. Abdul in any way aided his performance."
Substance abuse allegations
Substance abuse allegations arose as the result of what some described as "erratic behavior" by Abdul during episodes of American Idol. After reading these allegations on message boards, Abdul told People in April 2005 that she suffered from chronic pain for years following a "cheerleading accident" at age 17 and was diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) in November 2004. Abdul says she is now pain-free following treatment, including the anti-inflammatory medication Enbrel.
Allegations arose again in January 2007 when videos circulated on the Internet of Abdul appearing to sway in her chair and slur her speech during a set of interviews. Abdul's publicist attributed this to fatigue and technical difficulties during the recording of the interviews. It was revealed on the Bravo show Hey Paula, which had followed Abdul with a video camera prior to the interviews, that Abdul had not been sleeping, perhaps suffering from some mild form of insomnia.
In February 2007, Abdul told Us Weekly that she had never been drunk or used illegal drugs and called the allegations "lies".
In a March 2007 appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, Abdul joked that her scrutinized behavior was caused by her being "abducted by aliens".
In several interviews given in the late 2000s, Abdul said she had been left in debilitating pain after a 1992 car accident and a 1993 plane crash that required 15 spinal surgeries and which left her dependent on pain medication for years. However, there are multiple inconsistencies in this story; there is no record of any such plane crash having occurred according to NTSB records; nor are there any references to her being in a plane crash in any media at the time.
In May 2009, Ladies' Home Journal posted an article on its website that said that Abdul told them she stayed at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California for three days the previous year to recover from physical dependence on prescription pain medications. The medications, prescribed due to injuries and her RSD diagnosis, included a pain patch, nerve medication, and a muscle relaxant. According to the article, Abdul said the medications made her "get weird" at times and that she suffered from physical withdrawal symptoms during her recovery.
Later that same week, in an interview with Detroit radio station WKQI, Abdul rejected the article's accuracy. She told the radio station she never checked into a rehab clinic and never had a drug abuse problem.
Tours

The Club MTV Tour
The Under My Spell Tour

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Taylor Dayne Biography

Leslie Wunderman (born March 7, 1962), better known by her stage name Taylor Dayne, is an American pop and freestyle music singer-songwriter and actress. In late 1987, she scored her first major hit when her debut single "Tell It to My Heart" reached No. 7 on the Hot 100. She then went on to have a string of hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the No. 1 Billboard hit "Love Will Lead You Back". Overall, she has had eighteen individual hit songs reach the top ten in Billboard magazine. These include most recently, the 2011 American and international hit "Floor on Fire" and the 2008 song "Beautiful", which reached the top spot in Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play Chart. She has also topped the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart three times.

Career

Taylor Dayne began singing professionally after graduating from high school in Baldwin, Nassau County, New York, singing in little-known rock bands such as Felony and Next.[disambiguation needed] She began singing solo after finishing college and released two dance singles under the name Les Lee called "I'm The One You Want" (1985) and "Tell Me Can You Love Me" (1986).
Signed to Arista Records, her first song to crack the top ten was the dance-pop hit "Tell It to My Heart" in late 1987. The song was an instant smash worldwide, peaking in the top five of most major markets worldwide, and achieving a peak of number one in many countries, including West Germany. The hit songs that followed included "Prove Your Love," "I'll Always Love You," "Don't Rush Me," "With Every Beat of My Heart," "Love Will Lead You Back," "I'll Be Your Shelter," "Heart of Stone," "Send Me a Lover" and "Naked Without You."
Together with Arthur Baker and Fred Zarr, Dayne wrote "Whatever You Want" for Tina Turner's 1996 album Wildest Dreams. Dayne later recorded and released the song herself in 1998 as a single from her album Naked Without You.
In the United States, she achieved three gold singles, with "Tell It to My Heart", "I'll Always Love You," and "Love Will Lead You Back." "I'll Always Love You," a change-of-pace ballad compared to Dayne's earlier releases, was her breakout hit on the Adult Contemporary charts in 1988 and paved the way for future uptempo dance tracks such as "Don't Rush Me" (1988) and "With Every Beat Of My Heart" (1989) to gain acceptance at Adult Contemporary radio.
In 1990, "Love Will Lead You Back", a Diane Warren composition, peaked at No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. In 1993, she sang a cover of Barry White' 1974 hit "Can't Get Enough of Your Love". The song reached No. 2 in the Aria Charts in Australia.
As an actress, Dayne appeared in the 1997 sci-fi television series Nightman as Carla Day, a singer who is also the leading character's love interest, performing many jazz songs alongside Marc Bonilla and Dragonchoir. Later on, she performed on Broadway in Elton John's Aida in 2001. She has had roles in independent films such as Fool's Paradise (1997), Stag (also in 1997) and Jesus the Driver (2004), as well as the Warren Beatty-produced 1994 remake of Love Affair. Dayne also had a recurring role on the Showtime series Rude Awakening.
Taylor Dayne was featured in the VH1 series Remaking, which featured her close friends, Leah Remini and Michelle Reid (also referred to as the Don on VH1). The series documents Dayne's return to music after taking time off to have a family, (she has twins, Levi and Astaria via a surrogate mother), and premiered her newest song, "Right Now," a result of her collaboration with Rodney Jerkins.
In April 2006, she was Elton John's choice to perform at the Nile Rodgers We Are Family Foundation tribute to Elton John.
Dayne also appeared as a guest duet partner on the Fox TV show Celebrity Duets which aired in August and September 2006. She was paired with contestant Jai Rodriguez in the fourth episode, which aired September 14, 2006.
On December 11, 2007, Dayne released the first single, "Beautiful", from her studio album Satisfied. The song is written by Taylor Dayne and Hitesh Ceon of production-team 3Elementz. Dayne has been promoting the single on many radio stations, including top markets including New York's WKTU. "Beautiful" went to No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Charts. She also appeared on The Today Show, Chelsea Lately, Wake Up With Whoopi and VH1. The music video for the single and the Satisfied album cover were shot by Tony Duran, who has also shot album covers for Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez.
She released her fifth album in February 2008 to positive reviews - her first recording studio album for over eight years. Producers on this record include Rick Nowels and Gregg Alexander. The album includes both new material and recreations of some of her favorite contemporary songs.
Dayne appeared in the CMT series Gone Country during its third season. Gone Country season 3, aired on the CMT network January 24, 2009 and its finale aired on March 7, 2009. The chosen winner was Sheila E.
In May 2010, she lobbied congressional leaders on Capitol Hill on behalf of NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) and VH1's Save The Music Foundation to reduce cuts in music education in America's schools.
In July 2010, she released "Facing a Miracle", the official theme song to the 2010 Gay Games. Dayne performed the song to an audience of 50,000 fans on July 31, 2010 in Cologne, Germany. It ended the year at No. 9 on Perfect Beat's Top Worldwide Singles of 2010. Five years before, however, she replied to the question what her thoughts on gay marriage were: "In the eyes of the Kaballah, [gays] can't be 'married.' That requires actual male and female energy and DNA. In the bigger picture, I think that 'marriage' is about a certain circuitry. I'm as married to my business manager as I would be any husband."
Taylor Dayne is currently working on remastering her Greatest Hits album. She released a new single called "Floor on Fire" on 22 June 2011, which broke the Billboard Dance/Club Charts Top 10! which will also be included on the Greatest Hits album along with new tracks.
In January 2012, she was one of eight celebrities participating in the Food Network reality series Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. She made it to the second-last episode, beating out Aaron Carter, Alyssa Campanella, Cheech Marin, and Summer Sanders.
In May 2012, Taylor was featured in the live episode of This American Life, which was broadcast to theaters nationwide and on radio in edited form. Comedian Tig Notaro performed a monologue about having encountered Taylor on multiple occasions, greeting her each time with 'Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you, but I just have to tell you. I love your voice'. After her monologue, Taylor made a surprise appearance, serenading Tig with the song I'll Always Love You.

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Slick Rick Biography

Richard Walters (born 14 January 1965), better known by his stage name Slick Rick, is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper. He has also been known as Rick the Ruler and Ricky Dee. He began his career in late 1983, in the hip hop genre, where he recorded a series of acclaimed recordings such as "La Di Da Di" and "Children's Story". He is known for the use of narrative in his raps and has been called "hip hop's greatest storyteller."
Slick Rick rose to stardom in an era known to fans as the Golden age of hip hop. His music has been frequently sampled and interpolated by other artists such as TLC, Black Star, The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, and Color Me Badd, with many of these songs later becoming hit singles. About.com ranked him #12 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time, while The Source ranked him #15 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.

Early life
Walters was born and raised in the south-west London district of Mitcham, to a British Jamaican family. He was blinded in the right eye by broken glass as an infant, and has worn an eyepatch ever since. He and his family moved to The Bronx in 1977. As a child, he met Dana Dane, with whom he later formed a hip hop duo known as the Kangol Crew.
Initial fame
Walters first gained success in the rap industry after joining Doug E. Fresh's Get Fresh Crew, using the stage name MC Ricky D. He was featured on the single "The Show" and its even more popular B-side, "La Di Da Di". La Di Da Di featured Walters' rapping over Doug E. Fresh's beatbox. Both tracks gained some mainstream attention. In 1988 Walters' solo debut The Great Adventures of Slick Rick came out on Def Jam Records. The album was very successful, reaching the #1 spot on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart. It also featured three charting singles: "Children's Story", "Hey Young World", and "Teenage Love".
Incarceration and subsequent albums
In 1990, Walters shot a bystander and his cousin whom he had hired as a bodyguard and who later admitted to having Walters shot outside a club. Walters was indicted on two counts of attempted murder and pled guilty to all charges, which included assault, use of a firearm, and criminal possession of a weapon. He spent five years in prison, two for the second degree attempted murder charges he received for the shooting, and three for his struggle with the Immigration and Naturalization Services over his residency in the US. He was bailed out by Russell Simmons, head of Def Jam Records.
After being bailed out Walters recorded his second album, The Ruler's Back. The album got mixed reviews and wasn't as commercially successful as his debut. In the documentary film, The Show, Russell Simmons interviewed Walters while he was imprisoned on Rikers Island.
Walters' third studio album Behind Bars was released in 1994, while he was still incarcerated. It was met with lukewarm sales and reviews. He was released from prison in 1996.
Walters remained with the Def Jam label, and on May 25, 1999, released a fourth album entitled The Art of Storytelling. Generally considered the authentic follow up to his 1988 debut, The Art of Storytelling was an artistically successful comeback album that paired him with prolific MCs like Nas, OutKast, Raekwon, and Snoop Dogg among others.
Subsequent legal issues
After performing on a Caribbean cruise ship in June 2001, Walters was arrested by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) as he re-entered the United States through Florida. He was promptly told that he was being deported under a law allowing deportation of foreigners convicted of felonies. Rick was continuously refused bail, but after 17 months in prison he was released on November 7, 2003. In October 2006, the Department of Homeland Security began a new attempt to deport Walters back to England, moving the case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit based in New York to the more conservative Eleventh Circuit. The court is based in Atlanta, Georgia but the trial was expected to proceed in Florida, where immigration agents originally arrested Walters.
On May 23, 2008, New York Governor David Paterson granted Slick Rick a full and unconditional pardon on the attempted murder charges.[dead link] The governor was pleased with his behavior since the mishap. Slick Rick has volunteered his time to mentor kids about violence.
Later career
Slick Rick and the Soul Rebels Brass Band collaborated on June 21, 2012 in Washington, D.C. at the historic Howard Theatre which re-opened in April 2012.
Influence
Slick Rick's songs, especially his best-known songs "La Di Da Di" and "Children's Story", have been covered, referenced and sampled by numerous rappers. "La Di Da Di" was covered nearly word-for-word by Snoop Dogg on his 1993 album Doggystyle. It has also been sampled and interpolated on numerous other songs, including as the chorus of the Notorious B.I.G. hit "Hypnotize".
"Children's Story" has been covered by rapper Everlast on his album Eat at Whitey's, by MC duo Black Star on their 1998 album Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star, by Tricky on the album Nearly God and by Israeli rapper Sagol 59 on the album The Two Sides of Sagol 59. Rapper The Game recorded a similar song, "Compton Story". The song has also been referenced and interpolated by numerous artists, including Montell Jordan for his 1995 hit, "This Is How We Do It".
The opening track on Jay-Z's Blueprint album is a cover of Slick Rick's "The Ruler's Back" and borrows heavily from the original lyrics.
Honors
On October 6, 2008, Rick was honoured on the VH1 Hip Hop Honors show.
Rapping style
Slick Rick's style is commended by music critics. Music journalist Peter Shapiro says, "'Children's Story' was important because of its narrative structure and Rick's understanding of how crucial little sonic details—such as his use of a female voice and his yawning rap—were to hip hop style."
He is largely known for his story raps, such as 'Children's Story' and 'La Di Da Di'. Shapiro writes that he "largely introduced the art of narrative into hip hop... none of the spinners of picaresque rhymes who followed did it with the same grace or humor." Allmusic states that he has the "reputation as hip hop's greatest storyteller." In the book Check the Technique, Slick Rick says, "I was never the type to say freestyle raps, I usually tell a story, and to do that well I've always had to work things out beforehand." Kool Moe Dee comments, "Slick Rick raised the lost art of hip hop storytelling to a level never seen again." Devin the Dude notes that Slick Rick's 'Indian Girl' is a good example of the type of humor that existed in hip hop's golden era, and Peter Shapiro says that "he was funnier than Rudy Ray Moore or Redd Foxx."
Slick Rick uses very clear enunciation and raps with the "Queen's English". O.C. states: "The Great Adventures of Slick Rick is one of the greatest albums ever... the stuff he was just saying on there, it was so clear... the [clear] syllable dude was Slick Rick for me". He is also renowned for his unique "smooth, British-tinged flow" which contains distinct structures. In the book How to Rap, it is noted that on the song 'I Own America', he "puts a rest on almost every other 1 beat so that each set of two lines begins with a rest." Kool Moe Dee stated that, "Rick accomplished being totally original at a time when most MCs were using very similar cadences." He has what is described as "singsong cadences"; Andy Cat of Ugly Duckling mentions that Slick Rick uses a melodic delivery on the track 'Hey Young World'. Slick Rick is also known to extensively use punch ins, especially in his story rhymes as different characters; Kool Moe Dee says Rick used "multi-voices to portray multiple characters."
References in popular culture
Slick Rick has been referenced in numerous songs:
2pac references Slick Rick in his song "Old School": "...When Slick Rick was spittin La-Di-Da-Di..."
The Big Sean song "Mula" when French Montana says: "ain't nothing more important than the mula / diamond rings, hundred chains, slick rick the rula!"
The Nicki Minaj song "Super Bass": "...slicker than the guy with the thing on his eye"
The D12 video from their mixtape, Return of the Dozen Volume 2, where Bizarre raps in the track "Outro": "...patch on my eye, I'm the new Slick Rick".
In the KRS-One song "Splash": "...the first time you learned to spit, it was either me, Kane, Rakim or Slick Rick."
In the Keri Hilson song Knock You Down, Kanye West raps: "Hey young world, I'm the new Slick Rick/They say I move too quick..."
In the Amy Winehouse song "Me and Mr Jones", Winehouse sings: "You made me miss the Slick Rick gig..."
In the R.A. the Rugged Man song "Supa", R.A. raps: "...specifically wordplay slick tricky, I'm slicker than Slick Ricky"
In the Kanye West song "Touch the Sky" Kanye West raps: "Back when Slick Rick got the shit to pop"
In the dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip song "Development" Pip raps "KRS is my teacher, Slick Rick's my ruler, Chuck D's my preacher, I'm just a pre-schooler".
In the Lauryn Hill song "Every Ghetto, Every City", Hill sings "Back when Doug Fresh and Slick Rick were together"
In the Wyclef Jean song "Industry," Wyclef raps: "Imagine Slick Rick not gettin deported"
In the CunninLynguists song "Old School" Deacon the Villain raps: "Before [...] Slick Rick had his rings"
In the Insane Clown Posse song "Fearless" features the lyrics: "...I'll sneak up to Slick Rick, and snatch off his eyepatch..."
In the Gorillaz, Andre 3000, & James Murphy song "DoYaThing" where Andre repeats: "...Is you really Slick Rick? No, you Dana Dane."
In the Clipse song Grindin', Pusha T Raps "With one eye closed I hit you/As if I was Slick Rick my aim is still at issue."
In the Lil Wayne song "My Homies Still", Lil Wayne raps "...and before I fuck this bitch, I gotta put that patch over my third eye, Slick Rick."
In the The Roots song "Mellow My Man", Black Thought raps "... La Di Da Di, who likes to party, like Slick Rick the Ruler I'm cooler than a ice brick."
In the Kreayshawn song "The Ruler", raps: "So much gold around my neck, they callin me Slick Rick the Ruler
In the Nas song Loco-Motive on his album Life Is Good ""In My Truck, Play the Greatest Adventures of Slick Rick Buggin' on how his imagination was so sick"
In the Jay-Z song "Jigga My Nigga", Jay-Z raps "Jigga been dope since Slick Rick's first chain."
In the Chip song "Slick Rick", "Oh shit, I think I'm Slick Rick" on his mixtape London Boy.
In the Pitbull and Christina Aguilera song "Feel This Moment," Pitbull raps: "And made him slicker than Slick Rick the Ruler"
In the Macklemore song "Gold", Macklemore raps "Slick Rick Gold, row fun, hella cold."
In the M.I.A. (artist) song "Bring The Noize", she raps "I'm a overweight, heavyweight, female Slick Rick"
In the Nas song "Let Nas Down (Remix)", he raps "Slick Rick was like Jesus, (Kool) G Rap wrote the Bible"
In the Funkoars song "Meet The Family", Sketchy Hons raps "The 'Oars and Pegasus connect like Slick Rick and necklaces"
In the Spose song "Can't get there from here", Spose raps "I'm not Rick but I spit Slick"
In the Leak Bros song "Druggie Fresh", a reference to Doug E. Fresh, Tame One imitates the style of Slick Rick on "La Di Da Di."
In the Keith Murray song "The World", Keith raps "I patch it up, like Slick Rick The Ruler"
In the Will.i.am song "Feelin' Myself", French Montana raps "Slick Rick looking at the mirror"
In the Everlast song "Painkillers" he raps " like Slick Rick said, I know I shouldn't have done it"

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Biz Markie Biography

Marcel Theo Hall (born April 8, 1964), better known by his stage name Biz Markie, is an American rapper, beatboxer, DJ, comedian, actor, singer, reality television personality, and commercial spokesperson. He is best known for his single "Just a Friend", an American Top 10 hit in 1989. In 2008, "Just a Friend" made #100 on VH1's list of the 100 greatest hip hop songs of all time. Biz Markie currently lives in Howard County, Maryland and has helped support County Executive Ken Ulman during his fundraisers.

Markie has been called "the Clown Prince of Hip Hop."

Content: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biz_Markie

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Color Me Badd Biography

Color Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The original members of the group were lead singer Bryan Abrams (born November 16, 1969), Mark Calderon (born September 27, 1970), Sam Watters (born July 23, 1970) and Kevin Thornton (born June 17, 1969). The group sold 12 million records worldwide. The group has been well known in Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, parts of east Asia, the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe, Canada and the United States. The group has been on TV shows, commercials, their songs have been in movies such as New Jack City, No Strings Attached and Glee. The group has not only had songs in movies but has starred as themselves on top TV shows in the 1990s such as Beverly Hills, 90210.

Early success
Color Me Badd had five U.S. hit singles from their debut album C.M.B. throughout 1991 and 1992. These were "I Wanna Sex You Up" (U.S. #2), "I Adore Mi Amor" (U.S. #1), "All 4 Love" (U.S. #1), "Thinkin' Back" (U.S. #16) and "Slow Motion" (U.S. #18). "I Wanna Sex You Up" was also on the New Jack City soundtrack and hit number one in the United Kingdom.
Their debut album, C.M.B., was released in September 1991. It sold over 6 million copies worldwide and became certified 3x platinum in the United States by the RIAA.
Color Me Badd performed at the 1991 Smash Hits Poll Winners' Awards in the United Kingdom, winning the Best New Group trophy. In January 1992, they were awarded the Favorite Single R&B/Soul trophy at the 19th annual American Music Awards, held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. In March 1992, Color Me Badd won the Best R&B/Soul Single and Song of the Year categories at the sixth annual Soul Train Music Awards.
In October 1992, the group released a remix album entitled Young, Gifted & Badd: The Remixes. It contained the hit single "Forever Love" (U.S. #15), which was also featured on the Mo' Money soundtrack. However, the album peaked at U.S. #189.
The group's third album, Time and Chance, was released in November 1993. A hugely ambitious project, consisting of nineteen new tracks, this album represented a slight shift in musical style for Color Me Badd. Working with top producers including David Foster, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, a more soulful and funky sound had clearly emerged. Although some critics gave it positive reviews, the album did not fare well on the Billboard Album Charts, peaking at #56. It was certified gold in the U.S., for shipments of more than 500,000 units. With the music industry at the time embracing groups such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam, it was difficult for Color Me Badd to deliver the same success on the singles charts as they had done before. The album's title track, "Time and Chance", peaked at U.S. #21, while its follow up "Choose" also topped out at U.S. #23.
The group re-emerged in 1996 with their fourth album called Now and Forever. With high-profile producers including Narada Michael Walden, Babyface, Jon B and Boyz II Men, this album was well received by both critics and R&B fans alike. However, once again, sales were well below those expected from the group at around four thousand copies in the U.S. alone.
The album produced one major hit single, "The Earth, The Sun, The Rain," which peaked at U.S. #19. However, it became a popular airwave staple and remained on the Billboard Charts for 19 weeks (the group's second-most-enduring single). The second single, "Sexual Capacity," was a minor hit and appeared on the soundtrack to the Demi Moore film Striptease. This song was co-produced by Robin Thicke under the name Rob Thicke.
After moving to Epic Records, Color Me Badd's fifth album, Awakening, was released in July 1998. Remaining true to their R&B roots, they again received critical acclaim for their vocal harmonies. "Remember When" achieved minor success on radio and has a companion video shot as well.
Kevin Thornton had previously left the group in October 1998 to pursue ministry. He later released a Christian solo album, in 2005, that features contemporary hip-hop/rap material with gospel and soul music. Thornton became a licensed minister, in August 2006, and has since served as an evangelist, youth pastor and worship leader at his home church, Without Walls Church, in Fort Worth, TX. He has partnered with the church's non-profit Fort Worth Hope Center in helping to feed over 100,000 families a year in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. He is also actively involved in bringing awareness to the realities of human sex trafficking in America, through his partnership with "Traffick911."
Sam Watters pursued a second career as a record producer, achieving success in later years with Jessica Simpson, Celine Dion, Fantasia, Anastacia, Natasha Bedingfield, Kelly Clarkson, 98 Degrees, Blake Lewis. Watters is also a member of the production/songwriting team, The Runaways, which also includes Rico Love, Wayne Wilkins, Ryan Tedder, and Louis Biancaniello. Watters married R&B singer and former American Idol contestant Tamyra Gray in 2006.
Mark Calderon continues to write and produce music for various artists including new music for Color Me Badd. He has worked with artists such as Stevie Brock who re-made the hit single "All For Love" which reached #1 on Disney Charts, worked with the artist IPV who is signed with Wright Entertainment as well as getting songs played on the hit series "House MD" and "Knight Rider". He continues to write and produce music. He has been a part of several mission trips to help those less fortunate and continues to be involved with helping the needy. He married Lisa Smedley-Calderon in 1992 who was their fashion stylist and who worked with entertainers such as Whitney Houston, Ralph Tresvant, Bobby Brown,Carmen Electra as well as many other artists and commercials.
In 2001, Bryan Abrams released a solo album entitled Welcome to Me. In 2007, Abrams co-starred in the VH1 reality TV series Mission: Man Band. In 2007, Abrams co-wrote and recorded an appearance on the Insane Clown Posse song "Truth Dare", which was released on the Psychopathic Records compilations Psychopathics from Outer Space 3 (2007) and Featuring Freshness (2011).
Reunion
In July 2010, Color Me Badd re-emerged as a duo composed of members Bryan Abrams and Mark Calderon. They headlined a concert in Hawaii (also starring All-4-One and Shai), and were well received by the audience and the local media. Later that year, Kevin Thornton reunited with the group. The trio first emerged together on the DirecTV gameshow Rock and a Hardplace hosted by Meatloaf. They raised funds for an L.A. charity group called "FACE" (a grass-roots organization bringing alcohol abuse awareness to youth) and competed against 1970s R&B group Divas. In early 2012, Mark Calderon and Bryan Abrams collaborated on a song with the Insane Clown Posse on The Mighty Death Pop!'s "White Pop" version's bonus CD called Mike E. Clark's Extra Pop Emporium. It is a soft R&B remix of the song "Ghetto Rainbows." Although the song is believed to be a full Color Me Badd collaboration with ICP, it features Bryan Abrams and Mark Calderon only, and was also co-written by the duo.
In 2013 Color Me Badd launched their official website colormebaddmusic.com.
In 2015, Bryan Abrams, Mark Calderon, and Kevin Thornton began a tour in Singapore as Color Me Badd.

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Rob Base Biography

Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock are a hip-hop duo from Harlem, New York who are best known for their hit "It Takes Two." The duo consists of Rob Base (Robert Ginyard, born May 18, 1967) and DJ E-Z Rock (Rodney "Skip" Bryce).

Career
The duo's first U.S. single and release was "DJ Interview," appearing on World to World, which later got them a recording contract with Profile Records in 1987.
The first Profile release was "It Takes Two." It uses multiple samples from the James Brown and Lyn Collins 1972 song "Think (About It)." The track first became a regional hit and then slowly climbed the Billboard Hot 100, picking up a multi-platinum single certification. The song also peaked at #3 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
An album, also called It Takes Two, was quickly put together and it produced a significant follow-up hit, "Joy and Pain," which sampled a song of the same name by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, as well as "Put The Music Where Your Mouth Is" by The Olympic Runners. It also hit the Top 10 on the dance chart and climbed to #38 on the Hot 100. "Get On the Dance Floor," a track released to clubs in between the two singles, hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1989. Boosted by those singles the It Takes Two album went platinum seven times over. However, vicious rumors started to circulate that Rob Base had legal problems for using samples from Maze's Frankie Beverly for the hit "Joy and Pain", and he had his own personal problems. DJ E-Z Rock also was forced to leave the group due to his own personal issues, so Rob Base was left to be a solo artist.
He responded in 1989 with The Incredible Base, his debut solo album. It did not sell as well as It Takes Two. One song from the album hit the dance chart in late 1989: "Turn It Out (Go Base)," credited only to Rob Base.
Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock had a reunion album in 1994 with Break of Dawn; however, the album did not do well commercially.
In 2008, their song "It Takes Two" was ranked number 37 on VH1's 100 greatest songs of hip hop.
The duo recently performed in Boston with C+C Music Factory.
Personal life
Ginyard's first child De'Jene' was born in 1989 to his then girlfriend Rhonda. They broke up a little while after. Ginyard later met April and had a son, Robert Ginyard, Jr., in 1993, and later together took guardianship custody of April's cousin Dysell. Rob and April then married and remained so until she passed away in October 2013.

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Jody Watley Biography

Jody Vanessa Watley (born January 30, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, music maverick and one of music's defining artists. whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul. In 1987, she won the Grammy Award for "Best New Artist." Along with Janet Jackson and Madonna, she ranks as one of MTV Video Music Awards most nominated female artists ever, with six nominations for her 'Real Love' video.
To date, she is best known for her role in being a pioneer setting trends and standards for dance, style, music and video. Early in her solo career she was also noted for her commercial dance pop stylings with a funky edge. Jody Watley is also noted as being the first Pop/R&B singer to include a rapper on the specialized verse/bridge with their collaboration on "Friends" featuring Eric B. & Rakim, which would become a popular formula in commercial Pop/R&B/Hip-Hop.
In 2008, she was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from Billboard magazine, and was also prominently featured in the historic black issue of Vogue Italia in 2008.
Her early music influences are Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, The Jackson 5, The Carpenters, Roberta Flack, Prince, Grace Jones and various jazz artists including Nancy Wilson.

Early career: Soul Train and Shalamar (1977–1983)
Watley was born in Chicago, Illinois. Influenced by Diana Ross, Watley made her first stage appearance at 8 years old with family friend and godfather Jackie Wilson. She got her start on the TV dance show Soul Train at the age of 14. Documented by Ebony magazine in 1977 as a part of "The New Generation," Jody Watley was one of the most popular on the show and recognized as a trendsetter for her style and dance moves. As popular stand-outs on the television show, Watley and fellow Soul Train dancer Jeffrey Daniel were selected to join Gary Mumford and become original members of the R&B group Shalamar by show creator Don Cornelius. (Mumford was shortly replaced by Gerald Brown, and Brown himself was soon replaced by Howard Hewett as lead vocalist). The lineup of Hewett, Watley, and Daniel would be the most successful. Watley remained with the group from 1977 to 1983. The trio released several albums and scored several hits including the US Top 20 "Dead Giveaway", and the R&B hits "The Second Time Around", "For The Lover In You", and "A Night To Remember". Watley, however, found it challenging to get songs she had written onto Shalamar albums; having limited success getting songs she wrote recorded. Due to conflicts within the group and disagreements and lack of payment from Solar Records, she eventually left the group in 1983.
Post-Shalamar, Watley moved to England, and while there she recorded a guest vocal with British Jamaican roots reggae group Musical Youth for their album Different Style. She also recorded demos with Gary Langan, Anne Dudley and J.J Jeczalik (who later became Art of Noise). A brief stint with Phonogram Records where two singles were released (in the UK, Europe & Australia – though crucially not America) under the moniker "Jody" (no second name), "Where the Boys Are" and "Girls Night Out."
Also during this era, and after departing the group, she took part in Bob Geldof's historic Band Aid recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas", which included Bono, Boy George, Sting, George Michael, Phil Collins, Status Quo, Paul Weller, Bananarama and other prominent UK artists.
Jody Watley (1987–1988)

After two and a half years in England, Watley returned to America and secured a recording deal with MCA Records, eager to establish her own identity. Her album Jody Watley was released in March 1987, and she co-wrote six of the album's nine songs. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Watley would say that she wanted to showcase her voice against "really funky hard dance tracks." The album's lead single, "Looking for a New Love", became a smash hit with an instant catch-phrase "hasta la vista, baby", and was certified gold. The album peaked at #10 on the US Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, number-one on the Billboard Hot R&B Albums Chart, and sold two million copies in the US, and a total of four million copies worldwide. It produced five uptempo dance and R&B singles that charted on the US Hot 100, with three peaking in the top ten: "Looking for a New Love" (US #2, #1 Dance, #1 R&B, UK #13); "Still a Thrill" (US #56, #3 R&B #1 Dance); "Don't You Want Me" (US #6 #1 Dance #3 R&B); "Some Kind of Lover" (US #10 #1 Dance #3 R&B); and "Most of All" (US #60, #11 R&B) Also included on her debut album Jody Watley was the duet with George Michael, "Learn To Say No", produced by Bernard Edwards.
At the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988, Watley won the award for Best New Artist, and was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. That same year, she also received nominations for four MTV Video Music Awards and three Soul Train Awards.
Shortly after winning the Grammy Award, Watley would be featured in Harper's Bazaar Magazine photographed by Francesco Scavullo.
Larger than Life (1989)

In the spring of 1989, Watley released her second album, Larger than Life, co-writing eleven of the album's twelve songs. The album sold over four million copies worldwide, reaching #16 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, and produced four singles: "Real Love" (US #2, #1 R&B, #2 Dance, UK #31), a US gold single and her first top 40 UK single since "Looking for a New Love"; "Friends" featuring Eric B. & Rakim, (US #9, #3 R&B, #7 Dance, UK #21); and "Everything" (US #4, #3 R&B), her first ballad release. The album's fourth and final single, "Precious Love", was a minor hit, peaking at #87 in the US. "Friends" is notable for being the first multi-format hit single to include the formula of a Pop/R&B singer featuring a guest rapper with the custom full 16-bar verses and bridge concept, and distinguishable from the rap "Intro" by Melle Mel on Chaka Khan's notable cover Prince single "I Feel For You". The successful "Friends" formula would become a mainstay formula in commercial pop music and was added as a category at The Grammy's under Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2002.
During the summer of 1989, Watley's "Real Love" video, directed by David Fincher, was nominated for seven MTV Video Music Awards including Breakthrough Video, Best Art Direction, Best Dance Video, and Best Female Video at the 1989 award show. That record was held until Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson's video "Scream" received 11 VMA nominations in 1995. The next year, she was nominated for two Soul Train Awards, an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist, and a Narm Award for Best Selling R&B Female Album. While riding high on her Larger Than Life World Tour, a remix album, You Wanna Dance with Me?, was released in October 1989 and achieved gold status in America.
1989 also saw Watley featured in Harper's Bazaar "Ten Most Beautiful Women" issue, photographed by Matthew Rolston. That same year Jody Watley appeared on the cover of the Japanese high fashion magazine SPUR for its debut issue.
Music and Fashion (1990s and Beyond)

In 1990, Watley would continue to be involved with fashion. On her second album, she was photographed by fashion photographer Steven Meisel, where she continued to make her own style statements. In the videos for "Real Love", Watley would introduce a higher fashion aesthetic blending vintage and custom designs. "Friends" mixed couture by Jean-Paul Gaultier, with an urban sensibility. She released a million-selling home video, Dance To Fitness. She was featured in the first celebrity ad campaign for Gap LA Eyeworks and in magazines such as Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Vogue Italia, Rolling Stone, Essence, and Vanity Fair. She was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People of 1990 in People Magazine.
In the same year, she contributed a jazzy rendition of "After You, Who?" the compilation album "Red Hot + Blue", an AIDS-awareness charity recording of songs by Cole Porter produced by the Red Hot Organization.
Watley was photographed by famous photographer, Victor Skrebneski, for the popular Saks Fifth Avenue Defining Style Fall Catalog, where she appeared in a 15 page high fashion layout in 1996.
In 2006, Watley would walk the runway with designer Kevan Hall for LA Fashion Week.
She is also noted as an influence on contemporary designer Malan Breton.
Affairs of the Heart (1991–1992)

Watley would state that she was eager to change her musical range and image, and no longer wanted to be seen as just a dance diva. She was inspired toward a more introspective approach for 'Affairs Of The Heart", wanting to address social concerns.
In December 1991, Watley released her third album, Affairs of the Heart, described by Justin Kantor in Guide to Soul as an overlooked standout of her 1980s and 1990s output. The album peaked at #124 on the US chart, and #21 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart.
The lead single, "I Want You," failed to crack the top 40, peaking at #61 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, though peaking at #5 on the US R&B singles chart, and #17 Dance. The second single, "I'm The One You Need", reached #3 Dance and peaked at #19 on the US Hot 100. The final single was the ballad "It All Begins With You", her first single to miss the US Hot 100. Watley earned an invitation by President George H. W. Bush in 1992 to perform this song at the White House. Watley used the opportunity to encourage the government to provide more support and funding for public schools.
Watley recorded "It's All There" for the movie "Switch" with legendary composer Henry Mancini.
Intimacy (1993–1994)

Apparently undeterred by disappointing sales, Watley would say she was more concerned with broadening her creative boundaries than in just having huge record sales. In November 1993, MCA released her fourth solo album, the introspective relationship themed Intimacy. Noting that the New Jack Swing was all the rage in R&B at the time, Amy Linden wrote in People Magazine that Intimacy continued the process of Watley's move toward more refreshingly adult themes and that Watley was deserving of serious attention. Watley herself acknowledged that the songs she wrote were always personal statements.
Intimacy with its songs of "romance and angst" reached #164 on the US Top 200 Album Chart and #38 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. The first single was "Your Love Keeps Working On Me", not a Hot 100 hit, peaked at #2 Dance and #26 R&B/Hip-Hop. Watley added video director to her resume for the next single, the spoken word tune "When a Man Loves a Woman". "When A Man Loves A Woman" reached #11 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop and US #8 Dance. Although not a pop hit in the US or UK as well, the BBG Remix of this song topped the Dance charts in the UK. The album also contained the song "Ecstasy", produced by David Morales, which became an underground hit and later appeared on her Greatest Hits collection. Like its predecessor, "Intimacy" would not be a strong seller, but would continue to give Watley better critical success.
Affection (1995)
Having parted ways with MCA Records, Watley took an independent path and started her own label, Avitone Records, and released her fifth solo album, Affection, in July 1995. The album was engineered and produced by the legendary Booker T. Jones and Angelo Earl. She aligned Avitone with the independent Bellmark Records for distribution. According to a review of the album "Affection" by Jose Promis of Allmusic, the release lacked the urgency and immediency of her dance-era hits, but was an engaging collection of slow burners, mid tempo and jazzy R&B. The album's title track, "Affection", didn't crack the Hot 100 but became a moderate R&B hit, peaking at #28 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart
Greatest Hits (1996)

In 1996, Watley played Rizzo in the musical Grease on Broadway Theater in New York City, the first African American woman to play the role.
Watley was photographed by famous photographer, Victor Skrebneski, for the popular Saks Fifth Avenue Defining Style Fall Catalog, where she appeared in a 15 page high fashion layout.
That fall, Watley appeared on the platinum-selling single "This Is For The Lover In You" by Babyface. The single also featured LL Cool J and Watley's former Shalamar bandmates Howard Hewett and Jeffrey Daniel, essentially reforming the group for the single. It was a remake of Shalamar's R&B hit "For The Lover In You". As the year wound to a close, Watley took a hiatus from her own Avitone label, and signed with Big Beat/Atlantic Records. The same year MCA Records released a Greatest Hits album with Watley's recordings for MCA.
Flower (1997–1998)
After spending most of 1997 in the recording studio crafting her sixth studio album, Flower, Watley was back in early 1998 with its lead singles "Off The Hook" and "If I'm Not In Love." "Off The Hook" peaked at #23 on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and #73 Billboard Hot 100 but fared much better on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Propelled by remixes from Masters At Work and Soul Solution(Dance act), the track reached #1 on the dance chart, making it her first #1 Hot Dance Music/Club Play hit in nine years. Later the same year, a single of "If I'm Not In Love" was released, with promo mixes by Sal Dano (credited as BK Dano), Lenny Bertoldo, and 95 North (Richard Payton and Doug Smith) and that song reached #2 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
Big Beat Records was absorbed into its parent label, Atlantic Records, which then shelved the album from a U.S. release, and left Watley in legal limbo for two years. Flower was, however, released in Canada, Great Britain, and Japan. The critically acclaimed release was championed by many UK magazines, including Blues and Soul and Echoes among others. A previously unreleased song featuring Watley with George Duke titled "Baby Love" was included as a bonus track on The Best of George Duke The Electra Years in 1997. "
The Saturday Night Experience (1999)

It was during the time she was unable to record, that Watley says she was inspired by 4Hero whose 1998 album Two Pages exposed her to the underground electronic dance music out side of the mainstream; she credits this inspiration for not retiring after the disappointment of how Flower was handled. The Saturday Night Experience Vol. 1, as Watley told music historian David Nathan.
In November 1999, Jody reactivated her independent label, Avitone, and released her seventh studio album via Universal Japan The Saturday Night Experience featuring Jody Watley Vol. 1, a collection of organic club music tracks, inspired by her newfound love of electronic music. It was released exclusively in Japan along with a single, "Another Chapter," with remixes by DJ Soma. Also included on the project was the drum and bass title song "Saturday Night Experience." As Watley told music historian David Nathan, "The Saturday Night Experience" was intended to be a concept album, aimed at people looking for something different. The Saturday Night Experience , as told to music historian David Nathan, Watley stated she had no desire to release the project in the U.S.
The title song of the same name was licensed to Giant Step and included on their compilation "Giant Sessions, Volume 1 Mixed by Ron Trent".
The following year, MCA released 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Jody Watley.
Midnight Lounge (2001–2005)

In 2001, Jody released her eighth studio album, Midnight Lounge in Europe and Japan. In an interview with Billboard Magazine Watley would say, "An artist should always explore new frontiers."
"Midnight Lounge" was a collection of tracks that combined a blend of soul, jazz, R&B, and electronic club music.
After achieving moderate success in its original release, Watley arranged for it to be released in the U.S. through her Avitone imprint in a short-term license deal with Shanachie Records on March 11, 2003. Midnight Lounge was Watley's first studio album released in the U.S. in eight years, reaching Top 20 status on Billboard Top Electronic Albums chart. Roy Ayers appeared on the Masters At Work produced, "I Love to Love", Junior Vasquez and several other producers contributed remixes to the single release of "Whenever", bringing the track to #19 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart. One of the album's other singles, "Photographs", became notable in the underground club scene with mixes by Phil Asher and East West Connection. The music and growth of Watley would achieve critical acclaim for the project and Watley, noting she had successfully updated her sound over the years and evolved successfully into a soulful chantese.
In 2005, Watley made history on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Chart when she re-released her 1987 hit "Looking For a New Love." The 2005 remix reached #1 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play chart, making her the first artist ever to take the same song to #1 in two different decades. Jody Watley now has the distinction of being among the few artists who have been to #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in all of the past three decades (the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s).
The same year, Watley was invited to participate in the Force of Nature Relief Concert to aid the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. During the trip Watley and others (including The Black Eyed Peas, Lauryn Hill, and Jackie Chan) were invited to the Royal Palace to meet The King and Queen of Malaysia for a special Tea reception in showing their gratitude for all involved with Force of Nature.
The Makeover (2006–2009)
The Makeover would bring Watley together with 4Hero and King Britt among others in a chilled electronic out musical style. Understanding the shifting paradigms in the music industry and the changing business models, Watley's Avitone Recordings arranged for The Makeover to be released exclusively to the Virgin Megastore chain in its first ever CD exclusive. It debuted at #1 for the retailer, and was accompanied by a Virgin mini-tour where she performed for customers and signed copies of the CD. The first single was a cover of Madonna's "Borderline". The single reached #2 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in January 2007. The second single, a cover of Chic's "I Want Your Love," reached #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play in June 2007.

In 2007, Watley was listed as #5 in the Year End Billboard Dance Play Artists. Her single "I Want Your Love" was #15 and "Borderline" #19 according to Billboard Year End Chart Review for 2007. In January 2008, "I Want Your Love" topped the U.K. Dance Charts in January, giving her first U.K. mainstream dance hit in two decades.
In 2008, she launched an online music store, while scoring another Top Five Billboard Dance Single, "A Beautiful Life," bringing the total of Top Five Singles for The Makeover to three.
In May 2008, continuing over a decade of support for various charities dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS, Watley performed at Life Ball, Europe's largest gala for the cause held in Vienna, Austria.
In May 2009, Watley's Avitone signed a distribution deal with London based Alternative Distribution Alliance Global.
In October 2009, an "International" version of "The Makeover' was released in the U.K. to positive reviews. Pete Lewis from Blues & Soul noted her evolution as an artist and performer as being showcased on the album. Further stating Watley being hailed by some, as exemplifying the 21st century recording artist continuing to exercise her own creative path.
Distinguishable from the original release, The Makeover "International Edition" featured new cover art and track listing. New inclusions featured the bossa-soul rendering of Bob Marley's "Waiting in Vain", a sparsely arranged version of Carole King's 1960s ballad "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", Erasure's anthem "A Little Respect", and a reworking of the Diana Ross dance classic "Love Hangover". Replacing the downtempo ambient version found on the 2006 "The Makeover", Watley recorded the new arrangement originally suggested by songwriter Pam Sawyer, for Ross. Reg Dancy from Basic Soul would write that Watley was able to handpick songs and make them seem as if they had been written for her. Added to the line-up of producers which included King Britt, Mark de-Clive Lowe, 4Hero, DJ Spinna, and longtime co-collaborator Rodney Lee, are remixer/producers Marco Zappala from Brazil and Craig C. from the UK.
In February 2010 Jody Watley joined Jamie Foxx onstage at a post Grammy event for a duet performance of her signature hit "Looking For a New Love" and also appeared in the VH1 documentary "Soul Train: The Hippest Trip In America".
On October 27, 2012, Watley starred in the one time international humanitarian musical event Loving the Silent Tears with performers from 16 countries and cultures, created by Al Kasha directed by Vincent Paterson and choreographed by Bonnie Story at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles
Jody Watley continued to broaden her creative horizons with featured collaborations with upcoming electro pop duo French Horn Rebellion on singles titled "Cold Enough" and "Dancing Out" also featuring Young Empires in December 2012 and June 2013. Watley added high profile summer concerts including Grammy All-Stars in Chengdu, China at Chengdu Sports Centre and Essence Music Festival in July 2013.
Jody Watley continued her creative streak of multiple decades of prominence as a renowned icon and trendsetter with the release of her single Nightlife in 2013. the much heralded return to disco dance was a Top 5 British Urban Single, Top 10 Commercial Pop Single Music Week and Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Top 20 Single.

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Johnny O Biography

Juan Ortiz, better known as Johnny O is an international artist singer born and raised in (Brooklyn, New York, 27 August). According to an interview, his father, who he never knew, was of Cuban descent and his mother was of Puerto Rican descent. He has released eight albums, most of which were top 40 pop hits. His most successful album was the self-titled album from 1988, which included popular songs such as "Fantasy Girl", "Highways of Love", "Memories", Duet with label mate Cynthia " Dream Boy Dream girl" and "Runaway Love".
Johnny O resides with his family in Florida. He performs around the country several times throughout the year. He is currently signed to Bug City records. In 2002 he released the CD The Sounds of My Heart. In 2007, Johnny O. released Peace on Earth 2012, an album of mostly new material, with a couple of remakes mixed in. The album is a Christian album, but contains a variety of different types of dance songs. Johnny O is currently working with several up coming Producers and new upcoming recording artist and worship leaders on a Christian album that will be released in 2013.

Best-known songs
"Fantasy Girl"
"Highways of Love"
"Memories"
"Runaway Love"
"Dreamboy/Dreamgirl" - duet with Cynthia
"We Can't Go On This Way"

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JJ FAD Biography

J. J. Fad is an American female rap group from Rialto, California, a city in the Inland Empire east of Los Angeles. The name was an acronym of the original group members' given names (Juana, Juanita, Fatima, Anna, and Dania), but when the line-up changed the tradition developed that it stood for Just, Jammin', Fresh and Def. The group was backed by DJ Train (Clarence Lars).

Beginnings:
J. J. Fad began in 1985 as a quintet comprising Juana Burns (MC J.B.), Dania Birks (Baby-D), Anna Cash (Lady Anna), Fatima Shaheed (O.G. Rocker) and Juanita Lee (Crazy J.). It was one of the original acts signed to Ruthless Records by Eazy-E. In 1987, this line-up released its only recording, the single "Anotha Ho" backed with "Supersonic" ("Anotha Ho" was the A-side), which was produced by Arabian Prince.

Supersonic:
Due to management and financial disagreements, Cash, Shaheed and Lee quit the group, leaving J. J. Fad as a duo. The surviving original members (Burns and Birks) were joined by Michelle Franklin (Sassy C.) and DJ Train, and together they re-recorded and re-released "Supersonic" in 1988, this time as the A-side. It sold 400,000 copies independently before Eazy and Jerry Heller secured the group a major-label recording contract with Atco Records.
The single was followed by the album Supersonic, which was also produced by Arabian Prince, who made J. J. Fad accessible to pop audiences--unlike many West Coast rappers of the day--by including electro elements in their music. Due to their involvement with Ruthless Records, co-producer credits were added for Dr. Dre and DJ Yella.
J. J. Fad was the first female rap group to earn a Grammy nomination, and both the single "Supersonic" and the album Supersonic were certified gold. (The group believes the single sold a million copies in the U.S.--equivalent to platinum status--but this has not been certified.)

Not Just a Fad:
With Eazy and Heller enjoying success with N.W.A, it was three years before J. J. Fad returned with a follow-up album. Not Just a Fad was released in 1991, produced by Arabian Prince, Yella and overseen by Eazy, but failed to make an impact. The group disbanded shortly afterwards. DJ Train died in 1994 of smoke inhalation.

Later years:
After almost two decades out of the music industry raising families, the famous line-up of J. J. Fad reunited. The group performs at old-school concerts.
In 2006, Fergie used an interpolation of "Supersonic" in her song "Fergalicious", while in 2013 Eminem referenced J. J. Fad and "Supersonic" in his single "Rap God". "Supersonic" appeared in the music video game Dance Central 3 (2012), which J. J. Fad promoted on its Facebook page.
The 2015 biopic film Straight Outta Compton left out the story of J. J. Fad and how some in the media felt the group was responsible for "forging a path for the breakout success of N.W.A."

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Sweet Sensation Biography

P.M. Dawn was an American hip hop act, formed in 1988 by the brothers Attrell Cordes (known by his stage name Prince Be, sometimes credited as Prince Be the Nocturnal) and Jarrett Cordes (known as DJ Minutemix) in Jersey City, New Jersey. They earned significant crossover success in the early 1990s with music that merged hip hop, older soul, and more pop-oriented urban R&B.
After recording their debut single "Ode to a Forgetful Mind" in 1988, P.M. Dawn released their first album Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience in 1991 to critical acclaim. It achieved immediate commercial success because of its single "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss". Their 1993 follow-up The Bliss Album...? (Vibrations of Love and Anger and the Ponderance of Life and Existence) was also praised by critics and featured the hit singles "I'd Die Without You" and "Looking Through Patient Eyes". P.M. Dawn continued to receive strong reviews, but sold poorly with their subsequent albums Jesus Wept (1995) and Dearest Christian, I'm So Very Sorry for Bringing You Here. Love, Dad (1998).

Early history
The Cordes brothers' father died of pneumonia when they were children. Further family tragedy occurred when their baby brother, Duncan, drowned at the age of two. The two elder brothers were raised by their mother and their stepfather George Brown, a founding member of Kool & the Gang.
Attrell Cordes began DJing parties and composing songs in ninth grade. Cordes, known by his stage name Prince Be, and his younger brother, Jarrett Cordes, known as DJ Minutemix, formed P.M. Dawn in 1988. The group's first demo tape was created using $600 that Prince Be had earned through his job as a night security guard at a homeless shelter.
They first approached Tommy Boy Records, the rap music subsidiary of Warner Brothers, with their demo, but they were told that they were too much like alternative hip-hoppers De La Soul, and not hardcore or ghetto, and were turned away. Eventually, Warlock, an independent record label, issued a debut single, "Ode to a Forgetful Mind", in 1989, but it went unnoticed.
The record label that released the single in the United Kingdom, Gee Street Records, found greater success. Gee Street mixed and marketed the song so that it earned considerable attention from music reviewers, and P.M. Dawn found themselves courted not just by Gee Street's head, Jon Baker, but also by most of the major UK record labels. Gee Street brought the brothers to London in 1990 to record tracks for an album; however, the label found itself facing bankruptcy during the recording. The entire Gee Street operation, along with P.M. Dawn's recording contract, was sold to the highest bidder, Island Records. Island issued a few more singles in the United Kingdom before releasing their debut album, Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience.
"Set Adrift on Memory Bliss"
Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross featured the international hit "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss", which sampled the Spandau Ballet song "True", and featured a cameo by Spandau Ballet singer Tony Hadley in the music video of the song. "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" hit #1 the week of November 30, 1991, and holds the distinction of being the first #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart following the introduction of Nielsen SoundScan to the chart. The song also reached #3 in the United Kingdom. "Paper Doll", which was one of the early singles Island released in the United Kingdom, was released in the US as a follow-up to "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss", and peaked at #28 in early 1992. "Paper Doll" is said well over 100 times in the song, which makes it second only to MC Hammer's "Pray", which holds the record for the most times a title is repeated in a US Top 40 hit (147).
With the success of their debut album, the band parted company with their manager Nick Hemmings and embarked on a world tour. During this world tour, Prince Be gave an interview to Details magazine in which he expressed skepticism of rapper KRS-One's activism: "KRS-One wants to be a teacher, but a teacher of what?" KRS-One and his crew, Boogie Down Productions, responded by storming a P.M. Dawn concert, forcing the group off the stage and performing their songs "I'm Still #1" and "The Bridge Is Over". Defending his actions to USA Today's James T. Jones IV, KRS-One remarked, "I answered his question. 'A teacher of what?' I'm a teacher of respect."
In 1992, P.M. Dawn appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD Red Hot + Dance, contributing the Richie Rich Mix of "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss". The album, featuring George Michael and Madonna among others, was meant to raise money and awareness in support of the AIDS epidemic.
The Bliss Album...?
Before releasing their follow-up album, The Bliss Album...? (Vibrations of Love and Anger and the Ponderance of Life and Existence), P.M. Dawn contributed the single "I'd Die Without You" to the 1992 Eddie Murphy comedy Boomerang and its soundtrack. This #2 pop hit was also included on The Bliss Album...?, as was the Billboard #2 pop hit "Looking Through Patient Eyes".
"Looking Through Patient Eyes" featured backing vocals by Cathy Dennis and sampled George Michael's hit "Father Figure". The music video for the song was shot in a church, and featured Christian images throughout — most notably, Prince Be wore a T-shirt with "Thank you, Jesus" written across it in black lettering.
The Bliss Album...? featured the Boy George duet "More Than Likely" and a cover of The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)". The album also included "So On and So On," which led to a 1999 sampling lawsuit. In the lawsuit Batiste v. Island Records, Inc., Paul and Michael Batiste claimed that P.M. Dawn's song "So On and So On" used unauthorized samples from David Batiste & The Gladiators' "Funky Soul". The fifth Circuit Federal Appellate Court found that the Batistes point to no evidence in the record demonstrating that consumers were confused or deceived by either the use of a digital sample of "Funky Soul" in "So On and So On", or the attribution to David Batiste as a co-author of the track. The Batistes' claim that Paul and Michael Batiste were improperly excluded from the liner notes accompanying the album also failed to suggest that consumers were confused, especially because the liner notes do credit the name of the band in which both Paul and Michael Batiste performed. Though Island Records won the lawsuit, the song was removed from subsequent releases of The Bliss Album and is no longer available for purchase in their publishing catalog.
Jesus Wept and DJ Minutemix's arrest to present
P.M. Dawn contributed a cover of "You Got Me Floatin'" to the 1993 compilation album Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix. Artists ranging from Pat Metheny to Eric Clapton to Ice-T's Body Count were included.
Their 1995 album Jesus Wept was unable to attain the success of their first two albums. The album's highest charting single was "Downtown Venus", which contained a sample of Deep Purple's "Hush", and reached #48 on the Billboard chart. Also, in 1995, P.M. Dawn was credited with the remix of White Zombie's "Blood, Milk and Sky" (Miss September Mix) on the Supersexy Swingin' Sounds compilation album. In 1996, P.M. Dawn contributed "Non-Fiction Burning" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Rio produced by the Red Hot Organization. In 1998, Prince Be contributed the tracks "Perfect for You" and "Gotta Be...Movin' on Up" to the Marlon Wayans and David Spade comedy Senseless, followed later in the year by P.M. Dawn's fourth album, Dearest Christian, I'm So Very Sorry for Bringing You Here. Love, Dad. It was less successful again, with the album's single, "Being So Not for You (I Had No Right)" being a minor chart hit.
In the same year, Jarret Cordes (DJ Minutemix) was accused of sexually abusing a 14-year old relative and was subsequently arrested in Burlington County. The girl is said to have been a "close relative".
In 2000, they released the compilation, The Best of P.M. Dawn. Through their website, they also began selling a mail-order-only album called Fucked Music on December 1, 2000. This was paired with a bonus CD, Unreleased Vol. 1, and a T-shirt.
Prince Be suffered a massive stroke in early 2005 that left him paralyzed on the left side of his body. Undeterred, P.M. Dawn appeared on NBC's Hit Me, Baby, One More Time, performing "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss", and covered Puddle of Mudd's "Blurry". Despite the fact that Prince Be was still suffering the effects of this stroke, they beat Animotion, Missing Persons, Juice Newton and Shannon to claim the $20,000 charitable prize, which they contributed to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, as Prince Be was a diabetic.
Following their appearance on Hit Me, Baby, One More Time, Minutemix was terminated for misconduct. This led to the introduction of the Cordes brothers' paternal first cousin, Gregory Lewis Carr II, known by his stage name Doc. G (also known as 'Dr. Giggles' or 'Blissboy #2'.)
On May 15, 2010, Prince Be's 40th birthday, Doc. G performed in Manila before an audience of 50,000 people and dedicated the performance to Guru of Gang Starr and Francis M.
Currently Doc.G is the owner and only current active member of P.M. Dawn and continues to tour and record music.
On June 17, 2016, Attrell Cordes, known within the group as Prince Be, died of renal disease, caused by complications of diabetes, at the age of 46 at a hospital in Neptune City, New Jersey.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P.M._Dawn

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Trinere Biography

Trinere Veronica Farrington (born November 29, 1964 in Miami, Florida), better known as Trinere, is an American singer, songwriter and recording artist who had several major dance hits in the 1980s and early '90s and who was very influential in the freestyle music genre. Today these songs are considered classics of the freestyle genre.

Early career:
Trinere recorded with several record companies, mostly out of Miami, Florida, known for its output of popular freestyle music. Trinere's music was mostly produced by popular Miami DJ, "Pretty Tony" Butler. Many consider her the "Queen of Freestyle". Her most notable chart successes were her album Forever Yours (Pandisc, 1991), which reached the Top 40 on Billboard's Hot Black Albums chart for several weeks, and her single "I'll Be All You Ever Need", which raced up the Hot Dance Singles and Hot Club Play charts in the summer of 1986.
A Miami native, she always wanted to sing professionally since the age of five. After graduating from high school, Trinere went on to study music at the University of Miami, Florida.
Trinere was influenced and inspired by singers such as Donna Summer, Natalie Cole, Phillis Hyman, Madonna, Janet Jackson and Teena Marie. During college, Trinere was the lead vocalist for a popular band in Coconut Grove, Florida, called Euphoria. Upon finishing her studies at the University of Miami, Trinere spent some time working with the music artist Rick James and his group the Mary Jane Girls.
In 1984, Trinere met famed dance, freestyle and electro/hip-hop producer Tony Butler in Miami. Pretty Tony crossed genres and experimented with producing freestyle music with Trinere. Trinere's dynamic voice and Pretty Tony's ability to incorporate sounds captivated and solidified a large Latin fanbase, which spread across the U.S., Europe and South America.
Her first release was the single "I Know You Love Me" in 1984; this was re-released two years later. The following year, Trinere released the popular songs "All Night" and "Can't Get Enough", followed by "How Can We Be Wrong". A remix for "All Night" was also released.
Trinere began to tour extensively, selling millions of records around the world, and having a number of dance chart hits.

1986-1992:
Music Specialists/Jam Packed Records of Miami released her self-titled debut album in 1986. The album contained not only the previous hits she had already released but also several other tracks which would become classic freestyle anthems, "They're Playing Our Song" and "I'll Be All You Ever Need". All of them still receive radio airplay to this day.
Pandisc Records released two more of Trinere's singles, including "Can't Stop The Beat", which was her biggest hit for Pandisc.
She released three more albums between 1990 and 1992: Forever Yours (1990), Games (1991) and Trinere's in the House! (1992).
Trinere and Pretty Tony had a son, Brandon C. Butler. In 1996, the last single that Trinere would release would be "When I Hear Music", a remix of another Pretty Tony production with Debbie Deb.

Present day:
Trinere has continued to perform live internationally, often joining fellow freestyle artists such as Lisa Lisa, Stevie B, among others. Her current album, titled Timeless, is in the process of being recorded with son Brandon Christopher, better known as Miami Marci.

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Will to Power Biography

Will to Power is an American dance-pop and freestyle music group that originated in south Florida in the mid-1980s founded by Miami's Producer, Bob Rosenberg. The group recorded a number of hit singles on the Billboard dance and pop charts in the late 1980s and early 1990s, most notably "Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley", a medley of 1970s hits by Peter Frampton and Lynyrd Skynyrd that reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1988. The group has also two number one singles on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play, "Say It's Gonna Rain" and "Fading Away", and continues to create music into the 21st century- and are currently performing live (Bob Rosenberg and Elin Michaels).
Will to Power The current line up: Bob Rosenberg and Elin Michaels

The early years
Bob Rosenberg was born on January 18, 1959, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His mother, Gloria Mann, was a pop singer who had two Top 40 pop hits in the mid-1950s on the Sound Records label, "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)" and "Teen Age Prayer". After attending school in Florida, Rosenberg became a DJ at various local events, and by 1985 he was working at a Miami CHR radio station, WHQT (Hot 105). He remixed and edited songs as a radio-mix DJ for the station, and these mixes became popular in the Miami area. Rosenberg created a rap record in 1985 that was titled "Miami Vice", based on the popular TV show and its theme song, but MCA Records claimed that Rosenberg had infringed on their copyright. He also remixed and edited the song "Beat Box" for 2 Live Crew's 1986 debut album, The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are.
During 1986 and 1987, Rosenberg worked with various other musicians to create original music. He chose the name Will to Power for the group as an homage to German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's theory of an individual's fundamental will to power.
1986 to 1988: Rosenberg wrote "Dreamin'" as a tribute to his sister, Robin, after she had died. Radio program director Bill Tanner was the first PD to play "Dreamin" on Power 96 in Miami, Florida. Released in Miami on the Thrust Records label, "Dreamin'" became a regional hit and got the attention of Epic Records, who picked up the song for distribution to radio stations and dance clubs around the country. The song peaked at No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in August 1987. It also reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart in September of that year. Epic Records asked Rosenberg if he had enough material for an album. In June 1988, Will to Power released a follow-up single, "Say It's Gonna Rain", This song reached No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July 1988 and spent two weeks atop the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in August and September of that year.
After Rosenberg spent much of 1987 and early 1988 working on new material with a variety of different musicians, keyboardists Lawrence Dermer and David Rosenthal the group's self-titled debut album was released on Epic Records in March 1988. Along with the aforementioned songs "Dreamin'" and "Say It's Gonna Rain", the album contained a medley of two popular rock songs from the 1970s, "Baby, I Love Your Way" (a 1976 hit record for Peter Frampton) and "Free Bird" (a well-known track by the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1973). This medley, titled "Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley (Free Baby)" Although Epic was reluctant to release this hybrid song as a single, Rosenberg had distributed copies of the song to various radio stations in the Miami vicinity, including WPOW (Power 96). According to Rosenberg, "they played it, and a few other stations caught onto it, so Epic put it out." This song became the group's biggest hit, spending a week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching No. 2 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart in December 1988. It also became the group's highest-charting hit in the UK, reaching No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart. That month, the album reached its peak position of No. 68 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. A fourth single from the album, "Fading Away", which spent two weeks atop the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in early 1989.
1989 to 1991: Journey Home
After the success of the debut album, Will to Power's follow-up album, Journey Home, was released in late 1990. Rosenberg continued with the group, producing the album, recording vocals and writing most of the songs. The primary female vocalist was then Elin Michaels, a dance-pop singer who sang background vocals (along by with Rosenberg's cousin, Rachel Newman), on all of the songs on the first album. Both background voices are prominent in both, " Say It's Gonna Rain and " Fading Away". Singer Elin Michaels had respectively released some 12" singles on the Knockout Records label in the mid-1980s. Additional musicians who worked on the album include Donna Allen, Dee Dee Wilde, Wendy Pederson and Harry King on additional vocals, Ed Calle and Tony Concepción on horns, Orlando Hernandez on drums and Lester Mendez on keyboards. The album appeared on the Billboard 200 albums chart in February 1991, peaking at #178.
The first single to be released from the album was "I'm Not in Love", a cover version of a song by the British art rock band 10cc that was a No. 1 UK and No. 2 US pop hit in 1975. Will to Power's version made the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 7 in January 1991 in addition to reaching No. 4 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart. The song reached No. 29 in the UK pop chart. The follow-up single was a cover of the disco hit "Boogie Nights" by the band Heatwave, however this version failed to chart. Other songs on the album include "Fly Bird" and "Clock on the Wall".
1992 to present
In 1996, Sony Music Entertainment (the parent company of Epic Records) released a Will to Power compilation album, Love Power, on their Sony Special Products label. It consists of songs that had appeared on the group's first two albums, including their two US pop top ten songs, "Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley" and "I'm Not in Love".
The group released a new album, Spirit Warrior, in 2004 on Straight Blast Records, which was followed by an EP in 2006 titled Spirit Warrior: The Remixes. For this album, Rosenberg collaborated with vocalists such as Gioia Bruno (member of the freestyle music group Exposé), Donna Allen and Wendy Pederson, and remixers such as Giuseppe D and the Wonder Twins.
Critical reception
Allmusic's retrospective reviews of the group's first two albums are generally positive, with Will to Power receiving four stars out of a possible five and Journey Home receiving three stars. Entertainment Weekly gave Journey Home a D+ rating in a February 1991 review by Bill Wyman, stating that "the material is predominantly colorless pop songs". However, music journalist Chuck Eddy mentions tracks from Journey Home in his 1997 book, The Accidental Evolution of Rock 'n' Roll: A Misguided Tour Through Popular Music. In the section titled "Automotive Rock", Eddy mentions that the song "Journey Home" is the title track of what may have been his favorite album of the 1990s, that it is seemingly based on the 1981 song "Cruising with the Deuce" by Quarterflash and that Rosenberg "says he's got to keep his motor running, but not only can you feel the machine's momentum (in the rhythm), you can also feel stormclouds settling in (in the voices)."

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_to_Power_(band)

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Melle Mel Biography

Melvin Glover (born May 15, 1961), better known as Melle Mel and Grandmaster Melle Mel, is an American hip-hop musician – one of the pioneers of rap as lead rapper and main songwriter for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

Early life
Melvin Glover was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York. He has stated his mother is Cherokee.
Career
Glover began performing in the late 1970s. He may be the first rapper to call himself MC (master of ceremonies). Other Furious Five members included his brother Kid Creole (Nathaniel Glover), Scorpio (Eddie Morris), Rahiem (Guy Todd Williams) and Cowboy (Keith Wiggins). While a member of the group, Cowboy created the term hip-hop while teasing a friend who had just joined the US Army, by scat singing the words "hip/hop/hip/hop" in a way that mimicked the rhythmic cadence of marching soldiers.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five began recording for Enjoy Records and released "Superrappin'" in 1979. They later moved on to Sugar Hill Records and were popular on the R&B charts with party songs like "Freedom" and "The Birthday Party". They released numerous singles, gaining a gold disc for "Freedom," and touring. In 1982 Melle Mel began to turn to more socially-aware subject matter, in particular the Reagan administration's economic (Reaganomics) and drug policies, and their effect on the black community.
A song "The Message" became an instant classic and one of the first glimmers of conscious hip-hop. Mel recorded a rap over session musician Duke Bootee's instrumental track "The Jungle". Some of Mel's lyrics on "The Message" were taken directly from "Superrappin'". Other than Melle Mel, no members of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five actually appear on the record. Bootee also contributed vocals (Rahiem was to later lip sync Bootee's parts in the music video).
"The Message" went platinum in less than a month and would later be the first hip-hop record ever to be added to the United States National Archive of Historic Recordings and the first Hip Hop record inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Mel would also go on to write songs about struggling life in New York City ("New York, New York"), and making it through life in general ("Survival (The Message 2)"). Grandmaster Flash split from the group after contract disputes between Melle Mel and their promoter Sylvia Robinson in regard to royalties for "The Message". When Flash filed a lawsuit against Sugar Hill Records, the factions of The Furious Five parted.
Mel became known as Grandmaster Melle Mel and the leader of the Furious Five. The group went on to produce the anti-drug song "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)". An unofficial music video starred up-and-coming actor Laurence Fishburne and was directed by then-unknown film student Spike Lee). The record was falsely credited to "Grandmaster + Melle Mel" by Sugar Hill Records in order to fool the public into thinking Grandmaster Flash had participated on the record.
Mel gained greater fame and success after appearing in the movie Beat Street, with a song based on the movie's title. He performed a memorable rap on Chaka Khan's smash hit song "I Feel for You" which introduced hip hop to a wider and more mainstream R&B audience. Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five had further hits with "Step Off", "Pump Me Up", "King of the Streets", "Jesse", and "Vice", the latter being released on the soundtrack to the TV show Miami Vice. "Jesse" was a highly political song which urged people to vote for then presidential candidate Jesse Jackson.
In 1988, after an almost 4-year layoff, Mel and Flash reunited and released the album On The Strength, but with up-and-coming new school artists such as Eric B. & Rakim, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, and Big Daddy Kane dominating the hip-hop market, the album failed miserably. Mel performed with The King Dream Chorus and Holiday Crew on "King Holiday" aimed at having Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday declared a national holiday. Mel also performed with Artists United Against Apartheid on the anti-apartheid song "Sun City" which was aimed at discouraging other artists from performing in South Africa until its government ended its policy of apartheid. Mel ended the decade by winning two Grammy Awards for his work on Quincy Jones' Back On The Block and Q – The Autobiography of Quincy Jones albums.
In 1996, Mel contributed vocals to the US edition of Cher's hit "One By One". Their version is only available on the maxi CD format.
In 1997, Melle Mel signed to Straight Game Records and released Right Now, an album which features Scorpio (from the Furious Five) and Rondo. This album took more of a harder rap style. It barely sold at all in the US and the UK.

In 2001, under the name Die Hard, he released the song "On Lock" with Rondo on the soundtrack of the movie Blazin. Die Hard released an album of the same name in 2002 on 7PRecords.
On November 14, 2006, Mel collaborated with author Cricket Casey and released the children's book The Portal In The Park, which comes with a bonus CD of his rapped narration. It also features two songs, "World Family Tree" and "The Fountain of Truth", by a then unknown Lady Gaga performing with Mel. The book was re-released in 2010. Also in 2006, Melle Mel attended professional wrestling school. In 2007 (at age 45), he stated in an interview with allhiphop.com that "I'm going to try to take some of John Cena's money and get with WWE and do my thing".
On January 30, 2007, Mel released his first ever solo album, Muscles. The first single and music video was "M3 – The New Message". On March 12, 2007, Melle Mel and The Furious Five (joined by DJ Grandmaster Flash) became the first rap group ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In his acceptance speech, Mel implored the recording industry members in attendance to do more to restore hip hop to the culture of music and art that it once was, rather than the culture of violence that it has become. He added, "I've never been shot, I've never been arrested, and I've been doing hip hop all my life. I can't change things all by myself. We need everybody's help, so let's do it and get this thing done."
On October 10, 2008, Mel appeared on Bronx-based culinary adventure show Bronx Flavor alongside host Baron Ambrosia. In the episode "Night at the Bodega", he appears as a spiritual mentor to sway the Baron from his over-indulgent ways and get him on the right path to success.
In April 2011, it was revealed that he would take part in a new hip hop/pro wrestling collaboration, the Urban Wrestling Federation. Its first bout "First Blood" was recorded in June 2011.
Mel also appeared in Ice T's 2012 hip hop documentary Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap.
In August 2015, Mel appeared with Kool Moe Dee and Grandmaster Caz in Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's song and music video "Downtown".
In May 2016, Mel and Scorpio, performing as Grandmaster's Furious Five ft. Melle Mel & Scorpio) released their single "Some Kind of Sorry".

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melle_Mel