DRAKE

Drake

Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986), who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor from Toronto, Ontario. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation, but also began to rise to stardom with the release of multiple mixtapes that began to generate hype for his future career as a rapper, the most successful of these being So Far Gone which led to the release of an EP that would lead to Drake's career breakthrough.

In June 2009, Drake signed a recording contract with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment. Drake rose to stardom with the release of the EP So Far Gone (2009), which spawned the smash single "Best I Ever Had" and moderate hit "Successful". After the success of So Far Gone, Drake prepared to release his first studio album, Thank Me Later. The album was released on June 15, 2010, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album has since gone platinum and has spawned the successful singles "Over" and "Find Your Love". His second studio album titled Take Care was released on November 15, 2011 and topped the charts in the U.S. and Canada and produced multiple smash singles, including "Headlines", "Take Care", "Make Me Proud", and "The Motto", the latter of which is also credited for popularizing the widely used acronym YOLO. Other than his musical career, Drake is a songwriter for other artists in the industry such as Alicia Keys and Jamie Foxx, and continues to pursue his acting career with his latest appearance being in the No. 1 box office hit Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012).

Drake has sold over 5 million albums worldwide, with his latest release Take Care being the most successful. Drake's achievements range from 3 Juno Awards to 3 BET Awards. Drake also claims many significant Billboard records. He currently has more number-one singles, twelve, on Billboard's Rap Songs chart than any other artist, and is, other than 50 Cent, the only artist to simultaneously occupy the chart's top three positions. He also currently has more number-one singles, ten, on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart than any other rapper, recently passing Jay-Z in August 2012. Drake's latest global tour, Club Paradise is the most successful hip-hop tour of 2012, grossing over 42 million worldwide.

Drake was tied with Rihanna for the most nominees at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. He was ranked No. 2 on MTV's Hottest MCs In The Game VII list in 2012.

Birth name: Aubrey Drake Graham

Also known as: Drizzy

Born: October 24, 1986. Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Genres: Hip hop, R&B, pop

Occupations: Rapper, singer, songwriter, actor

Years active: 2001–present

Labels: Cash Money, Young Money, Universal Republic

Associated acts: Young Money, The Weeknd, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Trey Songz, Rihanna, Jamie Foxx, Rick Ross, Birdman, J. Cole, DJ Felli Fel, DJ Khaled, Bun B, Young Jeezy, Mack Maine, Wale, Eminem, 2 Chainz, Meek Mill, French Montana, Game, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, The-Dream, T.I., Justin Bieber

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Drake - Take Care 

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JENNIFER HUDSON

Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981) is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as a finalist on the third season of American Idol, coming in seventh place. She made her film debut in Dreamgirls (2006), which won her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, an NAACP Image Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

She won a Grammy Award for her eponymous debut album, Jennifer Hudson, which was released in 2008 on Arista Records and was certified gold by the RIAA for selling over 800,000 copies in the US; sales exceeded 1 million copies worldwide. Additionally, it spawned the hit single "Spotlight". Her second album, I Remember Me, was released in March 2011, and reached number two on the Billboard 200, selling 165,000 copies in its first week of release. The album was certified gold by the RIAA, for shipping over 500,000 copies in the US.

In late 2008, after Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were killed in a shooting, Hudson stepped out of the limelight for three months. Hudson resumed her public appearances in 2009, and has since performed at the Super Bowl XLIII, the Grammy Awards, American Idol, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Hudson has been described as a friend of President Barack Obama, who invited her to appear with him at a fundraiser in Beverly Hills in May 2009. She also performed at the White House at the "Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement" event. Her vocal range is mezzo-soprano. Hudson has sold 1,280,000 albums and 2,237,000 tracks in the United States as of February 2012.

Birth name: Jennifer Kate Hudson

Born: September 12, 1981. Chicago, Illinois, United States

Genres: R&B, soul

Occupations: Singer, actress, spokesperson

Instruments: Vocals

Years active: 2004–present

Labels:RCA Records (2011–present)

Associated acts: Ne-Yo

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DONNA SUMMER

Donna Summer

LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948 – May 17, 2012), known by the stage name Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the late 1970s. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Summer was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach number one on the United States Billboard chart, and she also charted four number-one singles in the United States within a 13-month period.

Born into a devoutly Christian middle class African American family in Boston, Massachusetts, Summer first became involved with singing through church choir groups before joining a number of bands influenced by the Motown Sound. Influenced by the counterculture of the 1960s, she became the front singer of a psychedelic rock band named Crow and moved to New York City. Joining a touring version of the musical Hair, she spent several years living in West Germany, where she married Helmut Sommer, whose surname she adopted as her stage name.

Returning to the United States, Summer co-wrote the song "Love to Love You Baby" with Pete Bellotte; music producer Giorgio Moroder convinced her to sing it herself, and it was released to mass commercial success in 1975, particularly on the disco scene. Over the following years, Summer followed this success with a string of other disco hits, such as "I Feel Love", "MacArthur Park", "Hot Stuff" and "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)". Becoming known as the "Queen of Disco", she regularly appeared at the Studio 54 club in New York City, while her music gained a particularly large following within the gay community. Struggling with depression, she subsequently became a born-again Christian in 1980.

Diagnosed with lung cancer, Summer died on May 17, 2012, at her home on Manasota Key in Englewood, Florida, after a battle with the disease. She was posthumously described as the "undisputed queen of the Seventies disco boom" who reached the status of "one of the world's leading female singers." Her work with Moroder on the song "I Feel Love" has also been described as "really the start of electronic dance" music, by Moroder himself.

Birth name: LaDonna Adrian Gaines

Also known as: Donna Gaines

Born: December 31, 1948. Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

Died: May 17, 2012. Englewood, Florida, U.S.

Genres: Pop, disco, dance, rock, R&B

Occupations: Singer, songwriter

Instruments: Vocals, piano

Years active: 1968–2012

Labels: Oasis, Casablanca (1975–80), Geffen (1980–88), Atlantic (1988–91), Mercury (1994–96), Warner-Elektra-Atlantic (1980–91), Epic (1999–2001), Burgundy (2006–12)

Associated acts: Giorgio Moroder, Brooklyn Dreams.

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Donna Summer - Live and More Encore 1999 

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GLORIA GAYNOR

Gloria Gaynor

Gloria Gaynor (born September 7, 1949) is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits; "I Will Survive" (Hot 100 number 1, 1979), "Never Can Say Goodbye" (Hot 100 number 9, 1974), "Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (Hot 100 number 42, 1980) and "I Am What I Am" (R&B number 82, 1983).

Also known as: Queen of Disco

Born: September 7, 1949.

Origin Newark, New Jersey, U.S.

Genres: Disco and R&B

Occupations: Singer-songwriter, actress

Instruments: Vocals

Years active: 1965–present

Labels: MGM (1965–76), Polydor (1976–83), Chrysalis (1984–85), Stylus (1986–88), Hot Productions (1996–97), Logic (2000–04), Radikal (2005–Present)

Associated acts: Soul Satisfiers, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross.

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Gloria Gaynor In Concert In Helsinki Finland 1976 Part 1 of 4

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