Kendrick Lamar
ActingCompton, California, USAKendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer. He is regarded by many critics and contemporaries as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, and often cited as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Aside from his solo career, Lamar is also known as a member of the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy, alongside his TDE label-mates Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and Schoolboy Q.
Timbaland
ActingNorfolk, Virginia, USATimothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythmic style. In 2007, Entertainment Weekly stated that "just about every current pop trend can be traced back to him—from sultry, urban-edged R&B songstresses [...] to the art of incorporating avant-garde sounds into No. 1 hits." He has won four Grammy Awards from 22 nominations.Timbaland's first major production credit was on the album Ginuwine... the Bachelor (1996) by R&B singer Ginuwine. Further commercial success on his following productions—including Aaliyah's album One in a Million (1996) and Missy Elliott's album Supa Dupa Fly (1997)—made him a sought-after producer for R&B and hip-hop acts. He performed as a recording artist himself while doing so, releasing three albums as part of the Virginia-based hip-hop duo Timbaland & Magoo, along with his debut solo album, Tim's Bio (1998). He produced Justin Timberlake's 2002 single "Cry Me a River", and thereafter produced the majority of Timberlake's subsequent releases—including FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006) and The 20/20 Experience (2013)—along with their respective hit singles.Timbaland's 2007 single "Give It To Me" (featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake) peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of his second album, Shock Value (2007). It spawned the singles "The Way I Are" (featuring Keri Hilson) and "Apologize" (with OneRepublic), which peaked at numbers three and two on the chart, respectively. His third album, Shock Value II (2009), was supported by the top 40 singles "Carry Out" (featuring Justin Timberlake), "Say Something" (featuring Drake) and "If We Ever Meet Again" (with Katy Perry). Meanwhile, Timbaland's production credits throughout this time expanded to include songs for Michael Jackson, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Madonna, Kanye West, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne, and Björk, among others.Timbaland founded the record labels Beat Club in 2001 and its successor, Mosley Music Group in 2006, through which he has signed artists including Nelly Furtado—whose album Loose (2006) peaked the Billboard 200—as well as OneRepublic, Keri Hilson, Bubba Sparxxx, and Chris Cornell. Beat Club is namesake of a service in which Timbaland mentors upcoming producers, launched in 2020. Along with fellow producer Swizz Beatz, he co-created the webcast series Verzuz that same year.Description above from the Wikipedia article Timbaland, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Justin Timberlake
ActingMemphis, Tennessee, USAJustin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including ten Grammy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, three Brit Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, the Contemporary Icon Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. According to Billboard, he is the best performing male soloist in the history of the Mainstream Top 40.Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, as a child he appeared on the television shows Star Search and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club. In the late 1990s, Timberlake rose to prominence as one of the two lead vocalists and youngest member of NSYNC, which eventually became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. Timberlake won two Grammy Awards for his R&B-focused debut solo album Justified (2002) and its single "Cry Me a River". Another single from the album, "Rock Your Body", was also successful.His critically acclaimed second album FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), characterized by its diversity in music genres, debuted atop the U.S. Billboard 200 and spawned the Hot 100 consecutive number-one singles with "SexyBack" (featuring Timbaland), "My Love" (featuring T.I.), and "What Goes Around... Comes Around". Established as a solo artist worldwide, his first two albums both exceeded sales of 10 million copies, as he continued producing records and collaborating with other artists.From 2008 through 2012, Timberlake focused on his acting career, effectively putting his music career on hiatus. He held starring roles in the films The Social Network, Bad Teacher, Friends with Benefits, and In Time.Timberlake resumed his music career in 2013 with his third and fourth albums The 20/20 Experience and The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2, exploring neo soul styles, partly inspired by the expansive song structures of 1960s and 1970s rock. The former became the best-selling album of the year and spawned the top three singles "Suit & Tie" (featuring Jay-Z) and "Mirrors". Timberlake voiced Branch in DreamWorks Animation's Trolls (2016), whose soundtrack includes his fifth Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping single, "Can't Stop the Feeling!", which earned him an Academy Award nomination. His fifth studio album Man of the Woods (2018) became his fourth number-one album in the US. Supported by the two top ten singles, "Filthy" and "Say Something" (featuring Chris Stapleton), it concluded 2018 as the sixth best-selling album of the year.
Busta Rhymes
ActingRed Hook, Brooklyn, New York, USAAn American rapper, singer, musician, record producer, record executive, and actor. Busta was born to Jamaican parents Geraldine Green and Trevor Smith. He went to Uniondale High School class of '92.Description above from the Wikipedia article Busta Rhymes, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Jay-Z
ActingNew York City, New York, USAShawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as JAŸ-Z (Jay-Z), is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur.He is the founder and chairman of entertainment company Roc Nation, and was the president and chief executive officer of Def Jam Recordings from 2004 to 2007. One of the world's best-selling music artists with over 140 million records sold, Jay-Z has won 24 Grammy Awards, jointly with Kanye West the most Grammy awards of any rapper. Jay-Z was the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the first solo living rapper inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2013, Time included him on its list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World".