Amuro Namie

Amuro Namie(安室 奈美恵) is a Japanese singer, dancer, and former child actor/singer,who was born in Naha, Okinawa on September 20, 1977. She was raised solely by her mother, Emiko Taira. Namie is one quarter Italian.

She did not have ambitions to become a performer early in life; she wanted to become a flight attendant. However, at the age of twelve, while visiting a friend, Amuro was discovered by Masayuki Makino, the owner of Okinawa Actors School, a performing arts school. Amuro eventually joined the school; after only two years of study, Makino placed her at the age of fourteen in an idol group called Super Monkey's with five other girls. They debuted in September 1992 on Toshiba-EMI. Though mostly unsuccessful, the group gained popularity during their final year together with the single "Try Me: Watashi o Shinjite" (1995). Aside from the group activities, she had bit parts in television dramas and small films. Amuro left Toshiba-EMI after releasing two more solo singles; she continued her music career as a solo singer with the then-small independent label Avex Trax. Under the guidance of producer Tetsuya Komuro, Amuro quickly became a commercial success, producing several million-selling records and starting several fashion trends.

Amuro's debut single under Avex, "Body Feels Exit", was released in October 1995 after she switched record labels. The single was the first produced from her working relationship with producer Tetsuya Komuro. A second Komuro-produced single, "Chase the Chance" was released two months later. It become her first number-one, million-selling single. She won the Golden Arrow Award 1995. In the first half of 1996, Amuro accumulated million-selling singles - "Don't Wanna Cry" and "You're My Sunshine". Her studio album Sweet 19 Blues, released on July 22, 1996, was a commercial success, selling over three million units. Amuro's popularity increased as well: she became a fashion icon, starting a trend called Amuraa characterized by tanned skin, dyed hair, miniskirts and boots. Her single "Can You Celebrate?" (1997) became Japan's best selling single by a solo female artist. However, in late 1997, Amuro put her career on hold to focus on her pregnancy and engagement.

She returned to music in 1998 after the birth of her son named Haruto with the number-one single, "I Have Never Seen", but faced slowly declining sales. in December she worked with Komuro for the last time on a "Lovin' It", a single released as part of Avex's Song+Nation charity project. The single featured hip-hop artist VERBAL of the group M-Flo. She unofficially severed ties with Tetsuya Komuro in 2001, shortly after taking on the project Suite Chic that would transform her from a pop idol to a R&B artist. In July 2002, Amuro was divorced from Maruyama. From December 2002, fully immersed into the Japanese R&B scene releasing music in the musical project Suite Chic, she collaborated with several of Japan's popular hip hop and R&B artists such as Verbal, Zeebra, Dabo and DJ Muro. They released two singles, an original album and one remix album before ending the project in 2003. She later said that after the project she had begun to do what she had wanted to do.

Amuro returned to solo activities on her own with the single "Shine More", released on March 6, 2003. The subsequent single "Put 'Em Up", released on July 16, 2003, was produced by Dallas Austin. On October 16, 2003, the double a-side single "So Crazy / Come" was released. "So Crazy" was written by American R&B producers Full Force. "Come", used for the Japanese anime InuYasha, was a re-arranged song from Sophie Monk. At the end of the year, she released her first original studio album in three years, Style. On April 6, 2005, she released the single "Want Me, Want Me". The song was a well-received hit at home debuting at the number-two position. In May 2005, following a three year split from her former husband Sam, it was reported that she would take back full custody of their child, Haruto. In August, it was reported that she officially did that. On May 29 of that year, she performed at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan for the fourth consecutive year in a row. She received two awards, "Best R&B Video" and "Most Impressive Performing Asian Artist", making the first artist to receive awards four years in a row at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan. She took home the "Inspiration Award Japan" in 2002, "Best Collaboration" in 2003, "Best R&B Video" for 2004, and 2005 as well as "Most Impressive Performing Asian Artist" in 2005.

On July 13, 2005, she released her sixth original studio album, Queen of Hip-Pop. In collaboration with MGM Studios, Amuro used the Pink Panther character in the album; a female panther counterpart was created for the album as well. When the album was completed, Amuro said that she had not been able to sing the songs very well yet. Also, after the production of the album, she became a selfdubbed "Queen of Hip-Pop". Her 7th studio album, Play, was released on June 27, 2007. The album includes 12 songs, 4 of which are single tracks. The album was said to reflect Amuro's new style, and featured a rock number, and a chic slow song. One of her new songs, "Top Secret" was used as the theme song of the drama series Prison Break Season 2 in Japan. Play took the number-one spot on the Oricon Weekly Chart Rankings, becoming her first number-one album in more than 7 years, with her last number-one occurring in 2000 with her album, Genius 2000. It is also her fourth studio album to reach the number-one position. Play spent two consecutive weeks at the number-one position. From August 18, 2007, to February 27, 2008, she performed her concert tour in Japan Namie Amuro Play Tour 2007-2008 which consisted initially of 53 performances but was increased by 12 performances to 65 performances, making this her biggest tour in terms of number of performances by far.

On July 30, 2008, Amuro released her third greatest hits album Best Fiction. It featured all her singles from 2002's "Wishing on the Same Star" to the recently released "60s 70s 80s". It also featured 2 new songs, "Sexy Girl" and "Do Me More". "Sexy Girl" was the theme song for NHK drama Otome no Punch that aired on June 19, and the other called "Do Me More" was the campaign song for Vidal Sassoon. Best Fiction sold 681,000 copies on the first week and debuted at the number-one position on the oricon weekly charts. Within its third week, Best Fiction outsold a million copies, and Amuro became the only artist who produced million-selling albums in the oricon chart for three decades of her teens, twenties, and thirties. Best Fiction eventually spent six consecutive weeks at the number-one position, becoming the first album to do so in more than 14 years since the Dreams Come True's 1993 album Magic. Best Fiction became the second best-selling album behind Exile's Exile Love on the Oricon 2008 yearly album charts. In addition, it became the second best selling digital-format album by Japanese artists behind Hikaru Utada's Heart Station on the iTunes yearly album charts in Japan. Best Fiction won the award for "the best album of the year" at the 50th Japan Record Awards.


Over a decade since her musical debut, Amuro has remained one of the longest surviving popular female acts in Japan. She is the only Japanese female artist to have achieved a Top 10 single each year for fourteen consecutive years. She also continues to successfully combat social stigma as a divorced, working, single mother.

Discography:

1995: Dance Tracks Vol.1

1996: Sweet 19 Blues

1997: Concentration 20

2000: Genius 2000

2000: Break the Rules

2003: Style

2005: Queen of Hip-Pop

2007: Play

Compilation albums:1996: Original Tracks Vol.1, 1998: 181920, 2002: Love Enhanced Single Collection, 2008: Best Fiction

(Got this information from Wikipedia.com. So if some information is wrong I am sorry.)

Amuro Namie is my all time favorite Japansese singer. I got into her later than she debute, but she is still one of my favorite singers in any country. Some songs that I love of hers are Wishing on the same star; So Crazy; Hello; Can't sleep, Can't eat, I'm sick; Baby Don't Cry; and Rock Steady and many more. My favorite albums from her are Style and Play. If a person would like to try her out ,the album to get is her compilation album called BEST FICTION.

Wang Lee Hom

Wang Lee Hom was born Alexander Lee-Hom Wang on May 17, 1976 in Rochester, New York, and is the second among 3 sons. He attended Jefferson Road Elementary School, Pittsford Middle School, then Pittsford Sutherland High School in the town of Pittsford. Wang graduated from Pittsford Sutherland with high honors. As a Undergraduate he attend Williams College, where he graduated with honors, majoring in music and minoring in Asian Studies. He continued his studies in a Graduate School named Berklee School of Music in Boston, Massachusetts in their Professional Music program, with voice as his principal instrument.

In 1995, during a summer trip to visit his grandparents in Taiwan, Wang's music talent was discovered. His debut album Love Rival Beethoven (情敵貝多芬) was released by Decca Records in the winter of 1995, and received little limelight. During the time he was there Lee-Hom was asked to leave his college study to pursue a full time singing career in Taiwan. Wang insisted to stay on to finish school, and at the same time, he was able to convince Decca Records to include some of his own writings in his next album. One of his writings became the title song or zhuda (Chinese: 主打; pinyin: zhǔ dǎ) for his second album If You Heard My Song (如果你聽見我的歌). Wang continued his study at Williams College, and released Missing You (好想你) during winter break of 1996 and White Paper (白紙) during summer of 1997. His music breakthrough did not come until a year later in 1998 when Revolution (公轉自轉) was released after his graduation from Williams.

After graduating from college, Wang was able to devote his full attention to his music career. He signed with Sony BMG Taiwan and released his fifth album, Revolution (公轉自轉) on August 21, 1998. The album became a huge success and won him numerous notable awards including Best Producer of the Year and Best Male Vocalist of the 10th Golden Melody Awards in 1999. He was just 23, making him the youngest person ever to win the award in either of the two categories.

After his album Revolution his future albums were also huge success. Wang Lee hom had established himself as one of the most important, influential, and prolific artists in Chinese music, never repeating himself, Wang continued to invent and experiment with new sounds and voices. He has also coined the term "chinked-out" music to describe his music, which is heavily influenced by traditional Chinese music.

Lee-Hom musical style ranges greatly from album to album. Although he is classified as an R&B artist, Wang demonstrates competence with many styles of music ranging from traditional Mandopop, Broadway, jazz, rock, R&B, gospel, acoustic, Indipop, hip-hop, to rap. Much of the styles were infused with Chinese and Western flavor at the same time. Although he did not begin learning Mandarin until he was 18, Wang is now fluent in the language (including reading and writing) and has written most of the lyrics for his songs. So Wang lee-hom can speak English, Mandarin, French, bits of Cantonese & Japanese. Wang plays over 10 musical instruments. In his albums and live concerts, he can be heard playing piano, drums, guitar, bass, violin, vibraphone, erhu, xun, and more.

Since 1995, Wang has contributed in over 25 albums, and has sold approximately 15 million records. In addition to his music, Wang also participated in several films, he is also an environmental activist.

Discography:

Love Rival Beethoven (1995)

If You Hear My Song (1996)

Missing You(1996)

White Paper(1997)

Revolution(1998)

Impossible to Miss You(1999)

Forever’s First Day(2000)

The One and Only(2001)

Unbelievable(2003)

Shangri-La(2004)

Heroes of Earth(2005)

Change Me(2007)

Heart.Beat(2008)

(Got this information from Wikipedia.com,so information might not be all that right. Also from Leehom Wang US & Canada Fanclub at http://www.homsweethome.com/)

Wang Lee Hom is one of my favorite Taiwanese singing artist. I love his music(can't understand it but love it anyway...lol). What makes me like him more is that he is not scary to try out different musical styles. I love how he always have different types of sounds for his music. I love all his albums... well the ones I have but my favorite ones are Heroes of Earth ,Shangri-La ,and Unbelievable.

Nas

Nas was born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones(September 14, 1973)in Long Island City, Queens, New York. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara and Postal Service worker Fannie Ann Jones. He has one sibling, a brother named Jabari Fret who assumes the alias Jungle. Nas began writing rhymes at the age of nine. His neighbor, Willy "Ill Will" Graham, influenced Nas's interest in hip hop by playing him records. Although he dropped out of middle school, he managed to attain a high degree of literacy that are prominent in his lyrics. As a teenager, Nas enlisted his best friend and upstairs neighbor Willy "Ill Will Graham" as his DJ.

In 1991, Nas performed on Main Source's "Live at the Barbeque", establishing himself as a teenage prodigy. In mid-1992, Nas was approached by MC Serch of 3rd Bass, who became his manager and secured Nas a record deal with Columbia Records the same year. Nas first went by the nickname Kid Wave before adopting his more commonly known alias of Nasty Nas. Nas made his solo debut under the name of "Nasty Nas" on the single "Halftime" from Serch's soundtrack for the film Zebrahead. The single increased the buzz surrounding Nas and when MC Serch's solo album was released later in the year, Nas’ standout appearance on "Back to the Grill Again" only intensified interest. Hailed as the second coming of Rakim, his rhyming skills attracted a significant amount of attention within the hip-hop community.

Nas's debut album Illmatic, was released in 1994 on Columbia Records. Illmatic was critically acclaimed and would go on to be widely hailed a classic. It was the first album awarded Five Mics from The Source. It also featured production from Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, L.E.S. and DJ Premier, as well as guest appearances from Nas' friend AZ and his father Olu Dara. The album spawned several hit singles: "The World Is Yours", "It Ain't Hard to Tell", and "One Love". Shaheem Reid of MTV News coined Illmatic as "the first classic LP" of 1994, Nas performed the song "One on One" for the movie Street Fighter. In 1995, Nas did guest performances on the albums Doe or Die by AZ, The Infamous by Mobb Deep, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx by Raekwon and 4,5,6 by Kool G Rap.

In the late-'90s wake of the Notorious B.I.G.'s assassination, Nas reigned atop the New York rap scene alongside few contemporaries of equal stature . In addition to his endless stream of hits by the industry's most successful producers — "If I Ruled the World" (produced by the Trackmasters), "Hate Me Now" (Puff Daddy), "Nas Is Like" (DJ Premier), and "You Owe Me" (Timbaland), among others — he popularly co-starred in the Hype Williams-directed film Belly (1998) alongside DMX and contributed to the soundtrack. Furthermore, Nas led a short-lived supergroup of New York rappers known as the Firm (also comprised of rappers Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature, with producers Dr. Dre and the Trackmasters) and assembled a broad coalition of fellow Queensbridge rappers for the QB Finest compilation (2000).

Discography

Illmatic (1994)

It Was Written (1996)

I Am… (1999)

Nastradamus (1999)

Stillmatic (2001)

God's Son (2002)

Street's Disciple (2004)

Hip Hop Is Dead (2006)

Untitled (2008)

(Got some of this information from Wikipedia.com and allmusic.com. So if some information is wrong I am sorry.)

Nas to me is one of the most lyrically rappers out there. His work shows why people believe he is one of the best rappers in the game. Nas came out around the early 90's. During that time I didn't really care that much about music. I have to thank my big brother for getting me into hip hop. Without him I won't have thought about Nas back went I was younger. His best albums to me are Illmatic(1994), It Was Written(1996), Stillmatic(2001) ,Hip Hop Is Dead(2006), Untitled album also was known as N*gger (2008)

Aaliyah

Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001), who performed under the mononym Aaliyah (pronounced /əˈliːə/), was an American recording artist and actress. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. Born of African and Native American descent, she was the second and youngest child of Diane and Michael Haughton. Her first name means "highest, most exalted one" in Swahili. She has a older brother named Rashad. At an early age, she appeared on Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At age 12, Aaliyah was signed to Blackground Records by her uncle, Barry Hankerson. He introduced her to R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album. Age Ain't Nothing But a Number introduced a "street but sweet" style that became her trademark throughout her career, followed by two additional albums, One in a Million and the eponymous Aaliyah.

In addition to Aaliyah's commercial success, collaborations with Timbaland helped shape the sound of R&B in the later half of the 1990s. She also modeled for Tommy Hilfiger, appeared in a Victoria Secret ad and starred in two films, Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned, before she and eight others died in a plane crash in the Bahamas on August 25, 2001 after filming the music video for the single "Rock the Boat". Since then, Aaliyah has achieved commercial success with the singles "Miss You" and "I Care 4 U". She became the first artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 based solely on airplay alone with "Try Again".

In 2000, Aaliyah landed her first major movie role in Romeo Must Die. A loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Aaliyah starred opposite martial artist Jet Li, playing a couple who fall in love amid their warring families. It grossed $18.6 million in its first weekend, ranking number two at the box office. In addition to acting, Aaliyah served as an executive producer of the Romeo Must Die soundtrack, where she contributed four songs, including her first U.S. chart-topper, "Try Again". The soundtrack went on to sell 1.5 million copies in the United States

Aaliyah has been credited for helping redefine hip hop in the 1990s. Her second studio album, One in a Million, became one of the most influential R&B albums of the 1990s. Ernest Hardy of Rolling Stone dubbed her as the "undisputed queen of the midtempo come-on".

Discography:
Age Ain't Nothing But a Number (1994)

One in a Million (1996)

Aaliyah (2001)

(Got this information from Wikipedia.com)

Aaliyah is my all time favorite singer. I love all her songs. She will be truly miss in the music entertainment scene. Some songs I love of hers are Try Again, One in the Million, Are you that somebody, Age Ain't Nothing But a Number, If Your Girl Only Knew, and many more. You can say I love all her songs. My favorite album from her is One is a Million.

KAT-TUN

KAT-TUN (カトゥーン ,Katūn, sounding similar to "cartoon") is a Japanese boy band formed under Johnny & Associates (JE) in 2001 who releases records under their own label, J-One Records. The group's name is an acronym formed by the members' surname initials. Currently one of the most popular boy bands in Japan, all 10 singles, 4 studio albums and 7 DVDs released by the group since their debut in 2006 have debuted at number one on the Oricon music and DVD charts.

Their debut was announced on January 29, 2006 for March 22, 2006. This was a five-year long-awaited event for both the members and their fans. On the official date, KAT-TUN released their debut single Real Face, accompanied by an album, Best of KAT-TUN and a DVD Real Face Film. These were released on their own label, J-One Records. The group also went on a nationwide tour, Live of KAT-TUN "Real Face", in support of the album.

Members:
Kamenashi Kazuya (亀梨 和也 ), (born February 23, 1986)

Akanishi Jin (赤西 仁 ), (born July 4, 1984)

Taguchi Junnosuke (田口 淳之介 ?) (born November 29, 1985)

Tanaka Koki (田中 聖 ) (born November 5, 1985)

Ueda Tatsuya (上田 竜也 ) (born October 4, 1983)

Nakamaru Yuichi (中丸 雄一) (born September 4, 1983)

Kazuya Kamenashi is the youngest member of KAT-TUN. Unofficially, he is imaged as the frontman or leader of KAT-TUN. Often described as the most dependable, he serves as co-lead vocalist with Akanishi. He is noted for his talent in baseball, having once represented Japan in a world tournament as a child though he had to give up dreams of playing professionally after joining JE. Kamenashi debuted before the rest of the group as part of Shūji to Akira whose only song, "Seishun Amigo", became 2005's number one single in Japan with over 1.6 million copies sold to date. An established actor with award-winning performances in television dramas Nobuta wo Produce and Gokusen 2, he has also appeared in Yūki, Tatta Hitotsu no Koi, Suppli, 1 Pound no Fukuin and Kami no Shizuku.

Jin Akanishi is the second lead vocalist and arguably one of the most popular members in KAT-TUN. He went on hiatus from October 2006 to April 2007 to study English in Los Angeles just as KAT-TUN were six months into their debut. Most of the group's second studio album did not feature him due to his absence. Known for his imprompto performances, Jin once dragged fellow member, Nakamaru, to Kyoto just to have chicken wings. Akanishi plays the guitar and is a budding songwriter having written several songs for the group and himself such as Love or Like, Ha-ha, Pinky, LOVEJUICE etc. Also an actor, he has had roles in Gokusen 2, Anego, Yukan Club and made his debut as a seiyū in 2008 providing the voice for Speed Racer in Japanese-dubbed version . He will make his film debut in Bandage which is scheduled for release in 2010.

Junnosuke Taguchi is the tallest member of the group. Recognised by his bandmates for being good at acrobatics, he needed an operation in February 2004 after sustaining a bad knee injury during rehearsals and did not return until August 2004. Taguchi is known as the most light-hearted member with a carefree-like nature. Often picked on by the other members for his frequent use of dajare (Japanese word puns), he also has a tendency to randomly jump between topics during talks and interviews leading the others to label him "KY" (a person who is unable to read an atmosphere properly). Taguchi is an award-winning actor[2][3] with roles in Mohou-han, Ganbatte Ikimasshoi, Happy!, Happy! 2, Hanayome to Papa and Yukan Club.

Kōki Tanaka performs most of the rap lyrics, which he writes himself. Though he wanted to leave KAT-TUN when it was first formed, he changed his mind after the group held their first concert. Influenced by hip-hop and reggae at an early age, he found the task of rapping in an idol group made easier due to Shō Sakurai's breakthrough for Arashi. Artistically inclined, Tanaka can illustrate well and designs his own apparel. With bandmate Nakamaru, they made up a comedic unit, TaNaka (a portmanteau of their surnames)unit resurrected in their latest concerts. An actor who won multiple awards for his performance in My Boss, My Hero[5], he has also appeared in Byakkotai, Tatta Hitotsu no Koi and took on his first lead role in 2007 in Tokkyu Tanaka 3 Go.Older brother of Johnny's Jr. Group HipHop Jump's Juri Tanaka

Tatsuya Ueda is the quietest member and rarely speaks unless spoken to. Ironically, he chose to become KAT-TUN's leader at first but later quit because he could not handle being scolded during dance rehearsals, also denoting his sensitive nature. Ueda plays the piano and guitar and is an able composer and lyricist, having written songs for the group and himself. He is the first KAT-TUN member to hold a series of solo concerts entitled "Mouse Peace" in September 2008 performing songs across various genres, such as rock, dance, ballad, and folk, all of which he penned himself. Ueda is an avid boxer and has enough skill in the sport for him to be advised by professionals to get a professional boxing license. He made his acting debut as a stage actor in the play Romeo and Juliet in March 2009. Within the same month, it was announced that he will be acting on television for the first time in a drama starring senpai Masahiro Nakai and Aya Ueto called Konkatsu! which began airing on Fuji TV, Mondays at 21:00pm from April 20 to June 2009.

Yuichi Nakamaru is the oldest member of the group. The first JE idol to prominently showcase beatboxing and vocal percussion ability, Nakamaru learned by diligently studying hundreds of examples from hip-hop albums after KAT-TUN was formed. His primary motivation was to set himself apart from the rest of the members since he did not want to be seen as dull. He often shares MC duties with Kamenashi but in private, is rather shy and reserved and whose meek nature particularly shows when amongst strangers. He is currently studying at Waseda University reading Environmental Studies. He writes his solo songs. He is also the first member to do a solo stage show -- performing songs, dance, beat boxing and skits for two weeks in August 2008.In January 2009 his first drama lead role will be aired titled RESCUE casting along NEWS Takahisa Masuda

Discography:
Best of KAT-TUN (2006)

Cartoon KAT-TUN II You (2007)

KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates (2008)

Break the Records: By You & For You (2009)

(Got this information from Wikipedia.com)

I love this group. They are my favorite Japanese group that I listen to. My favorite albums from them are Best of KAT-TUN and KAT-TUN III:QUEEN OF PIRATES. Some song that should be check out from them are Real Face, Rescue, and Keep the Faith. They have more good songs.

Ludacris

Christopher Bridges (born September 11, 1977) better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper, and actor Entrepreneur. Philanthropist. Restaurateur. Pitchman. Online visionary. Columnist . Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Ludacris is the highest-selling Southern hip hop solo artist of all time with over 15 million units sold in the United States and 20 million records sold worldwide. Ludacris has won SAG, Critic's Choice, MTV, and Grammy Awards during his career

Ludacris wrote his first rap song at age nine and joined an amateur rap group three years later. He attended Oak Park and River Forest High School and Banneker High School. From 1998 to 1999, he studied music management at Georgia State University.

Ludacris released his major label debut, Back for the First Time, in November 2000. This album was actually a modified re-release of the album Incognegro, made in 1998. It was produced with the help of the underground producer Sessy Melia, whom he also dated for a short while. The album reached as high as #4 on the charts, and was a major success. Ludacris made his mark on the industry with singles such as "Southern Hospitality" and "What's Your Fantasy", which was heavily inspired by rapper Too Short, along with his first ever single the "Phat Rabbit", from two years prior. Guest appearances included 4-Ize, I-20, Lil Fate, Shawnna, Pastor Troy, Timbaland, Trina, Foxy Brown, UGK, and others. Ludacris stated in an interview on MTV's hip hop program Direct Effect that he came up with his stage name based on his "split personality" that he considered "ridiculous" and "ludicrous".

Discography:

Back for the First Time (2000)

Word of Mouf (2001)

Chicken-N-Beer (2003)

Red Light District (2004)

Release Therapy (2006)

Theater Of The Mind (2008)

[got this information from Wikipedia.com so information might not be all that right]

Ludacris is one of my favorite rappers. To me it seem he can get on anything and sound good. My two favorite albums from him are Back for the First Time and Release Therapy.

1TYM

1TYM (원타임, pronounced "One Time") is a four-member Korean hip hop group. The four members are, from oldest to youngest, Oh Jin Hwan (오진환), Teddy Park (박홍준), Song Baek Kyoung (송백경), and Danny Im (임태빈, also known as Taebin).

1TYM began when Park and Im auditioned for Brothers Entertainment. Park and Im had been best friends and had attended Diamond Bar High School prior to their audition. After their audition, they were both selected to be sent to South Korea to further their careers as artists. It was there that Brothers Entertainment introduced 1TYM to the YG Entertainment, a renowned Korean entertainment company that introduced the music genres, Hip Hop and R&B in South Korea.

after their change, 1TYM opened auditions to a large group of talented Koreans. Jin Hwan, formerly a member of a dance group, auditioned and made it into 1TYM. Baek Kyoung also auditioned, but failed to make it in on first attempt. Despite the denial, Baek Kyoung persisted in persuading 1TYM's manager, and finally made it in as 1TYM's fourth.

1TYM originally had seven members, but was cut down to four prior to album release. It debuted in November 1998 with the release of their first album: "One Time for Your Mind."

1TYM is one of the main groups of the YG Entertainment. 1TYM is no longer very active as a group in YG Entertainment,because in 2006, Oh Jin Hwan had to serve his official Korean military service, so the group has ceased their activities but plays important roles behind the scenes. Danny and Teddy returned to the US and have still been working in the business end of YG Family and Song Baek Kyoung is in a new side group called Moo Ga Dang for the time being.

Profiles:
Teddy Position: Leader/Main Rapper ,Full Korean Name: Park Hong Jun ,Nickname: None ('cept Teddy, since that's not his korean name ),Sibblings: One younger sister
Birthday: September 9, 1978 ,Height: 176 cm ,Weight: 62 kg ,Religion: Atheist
School: Myoung Ji University, English Major, 2nd year ,Hobbies: Rapping, listening to hip-hop, playing guitar, collecting hip-hop CDs ,Talent: Rapping and playing electric guitar ,Sleeping Habit: Sleeps with a pillow between his legs and curled up, screams, and wakes up a lot during the night ,Favorite musicians: Method Man, Noreaga Def Squad ,Ideal Girl: A girl who is kind, understanding and charming

Danny Position: Lead Vocal ,Full Korean Name: Im Tae Bin
Nickname: Dduk Bo, Muhk Bo ,Sibblings: One older brother ,Birthday: May 6, 1980
Height: 180 cm ,Weight: 65 kg ,Religion: Chistian ,School: Diamond Bar High School Graduate ,Hobbies: Listening to R&B, watching movies ,Talent: Sports (all of them, like me!) ,Sleeping Habit: Sleeps with a stuffed animal ,Favorite musicians: Usher, Baby Face ,Ideal Girl: A nice girl who loves only him

Jin Hwan Position: Choreographer/Rap ,Full Name: Oh Jin Hwan ,Nickname: Oh Ji Ral, Penguin ,Sibblings: One older brother ,Birthday: July 6, 1978 ,Height: 174 cm ,Weight: 58 kg ,Religion: Christian ,School: Sun Moon University, Business Management Major, 1st year ,Hobbies: Collecting hip-hop things, playing video games ,Talent: Playing the drums, dancing ,Sleeping Habit: If someone doesn't wake him up, he'll sleep for 2~3 days straight ,Favorite musicians: J.D., DMX
Ideal Girl: A girl who is pretty and cute

Baek Kyoung Position: Songwriter/Vocal ,Full Name: Song Baek Kyoung ,Nickname: Dog Dish (Because of his sloppy eating), Kko Kko Ri Kko
Sibblings: Only child I guess ,Birthday: April 12, 1979 ,Height: 165 cm
Weight: 48 kg ,School: Graduated Soo Do Technical High ,Hobbies: Collecting perfume and CDs ,Talent: Playing the piano and saxophone ,Sleeping Habit: Sprays perfume on himself before going to sleep ,Favorite musicians: Dupri, Teddy Riley ,Ideal Girl: An non-intimidating, neat, honest girl who's bigger in size than him.

Disography:
1TYM (1st album, 1998)

2ND ROUND (2nd album, 2000)

Third Time To Yo' Mind!! (3rd album, 2001)

ONCE N 4 ALL (4th album, 2003)

One Way (5th album, 2005)

[information from asianfanatics 1TYM forum,1Tym Lovers group from crunchyroll.com]

I love this group. Some songs that you should give a try from them are One Love , How many times , and Can't let you go. Those are my favorite songs from them. They have more goods songs but give them a try.

Gummy

Gummy (Hangul:거미) is the stage name of Korean R&B singer Park Ji-yeon (박지연). Born in April 8, 1981, she debuted in 2003 with her album Like Them. Blood Type-B, Height:165 cm, Education: Dongduk Women's University, Affiliation : YG Entertainment, Religion:Christianity, A respected musicians : Lauryn Hill, Career : 2007 drama 'hit' participation OST,Rexie picheoring Vol 1 & Chorus, Hobbies: singing, piano


Gummy, a charismatic singer with a burning passion for R&B music stepped into the local pop scene with her impressive debut song "When You Come Back" in 2003. Later, she completely changed her image with another hit song "Better Friends Than Lovers", that vividly manifested the singer's rich emotions. It took seven years for her to release her own album after she was acquainted with an entertainment agency, cherishing a dream of becoming a singer. The entertainment agency, M-Boat Entertainment was the same agency that made Whee Sung, now one of the best R&B solo artists around into a star. Influenced by her mother who was an enthusiastic music lover, Gummy began to learn the piano at the tender age of six. If she hadn't become a singer, she would have become a pianist.

Gummy participated in a live album work in 2003 in which, popular newcomers such as Whee Sung, Se7en and Big Mama, gathered together to present past hits, upcoming songs from their own albums, and also other well-known songs sung by other artists to their fans. Their joint live concert "The Color of the Soul Train' has now become an annual nation-wide tour, drawing enthusiastic support and love from music fans across the nation. Gumy also sang the "You are My Hero" which, was the theme song to a Korean animated film "Hammerboy", which opened in summer 2004. Gummy has been recognized by fans all over the world to be the "Queen of Soul".

Gummy returned a year later with her second album, "It's Different", featuring collaborations with singers like Wheesung (track 7, Tonight). Hot on the heels of that was her third album in 2005, "For The Bloom", and then her unplugged album the year after. The unplugged album, arranged by bass player Nathan East, included hits from Gummy's previous albums and once again showed off her strong vocals.

In between albums, Gummy had also been keeping busy, showing off her versatility in collaborations with other well-known singers. Notable collaborations include those with Jinusean (보이네), Fly to the Sky (사랑해요 우리 - Sarangheyo Uri), Lexy (Hey Everybody) and Lyn (Call Me).

Gummy has made a comeback recently into the Kpop scene with her fourth official album, "Comfort", which is filled with electronica beats and Euro-funk. Her title song, "I'm Sorry", is a hit due to her fantastic voice and the appearance of Big Bang's T.O.P. Until recently, T.O.P had followed his dear nuna to her promotions of her songs but that ended due to Big Bang's Japan schedules. Even without T.O.P's rap, Gummy still manages to inject her own R&B flavour into the song. Other tracks that demonstrate her vocal abilities include track 6 "Let's Get It Party", a Latin-flavoured hip-hop dance number, and "Yeo Gi Gga Jiman" (track 11) featuring Skull of Stoney Skunk. Fans who have been waiting impatiently for Gummy to return will not be disappointed with her latest offering.
(Credits: Gummy thread in soompi)

Albums:

Feb. 7, 2003- 1st album "Like Them"

Sept. 9, 2004- 2nd album "It's Different"

Aug. 1, 2005- 3rd album "For the Bloom"

April 28, 2006 - Unplugged album. Made up of songs from her past album.

March 12, 2008 - 4th album "Comfort"

Gummy is my favorite female Korean singer. I love it when she sings. My favorite album from her is her second album "It's Different." I also love her last album "Comfort". If you want to hear a song from her you should try out her song call "미안해요" ("I'm Sorry").

Mourning Grace

By Maya Angelou

If today, I follow death

go down its trackless wastes,

salt my tongue on hardened tears

for my precious dear times waste

race

along that promised cave in a headlong

deadlong

haste,

Will you

have

the

grace

to mourn for

Me?

(This is one of my favorite poems by Maya Angelou. I thought it would be a good idea to put this poem here, as it is about death.)

The other four "Cards of Life and Death" art cards

Again these cards were created by the artist Kornel Ravadits from Budapest Hungary. These are the other four cards that I found that he done. I do not believe he did anymore of these cards.

Speakers in Class

Some days ago we had some speakers come to our Death and Dying class. All the speaker were from Hospice(McLeod Hospice). The speakers came in three groups for three days. I learn a whole lot of things about Hospice that did not know or misunderstood. I could have done without hearing the second group of speakers. The two people did say alot of things that was good to know about, it just that they made me feel sad that day in class. These two people are over Spiritual needs, Psychosocial needs and bereavement care at the Hospice. So, yea I did not care for that group of speakers that much. They just made me think about my aunt that had pass away five years ago. Was not in my happy mood that day.


Side information: What is Hospice care? Hospice care provides medical services, emotional support, and spiritual resources for people who are in the last stages of a terminal illness, such as cancer or heart failure. Hospice care also helps family members manage the practical details and emotional challenges of caring for a dying loved one.The goal of hospice treatment is to keep you comfortable and improve your quality of life while you are dying. This philosophy is a shift from usual medical treatments, in which health professionals strive to cure your disease. Hospice services are not intended to speed up or prolong the dying process, but focus instead on relieving pain and other symptoms. Hospice caregivers are concerned with enhancing the quality of remaining life by keeping you as alert and comfortable as possible in a familiar environment with family and friends. (for more information you can go to this website http://www.webmd.com/balance/tc/hospice-care-topic-overview)

One thing that will stick in my head that I learn from all the speakers is that Hospice does nothing to hasten the end of a person life. They goal is to make the patient comfortable and give support during their illness..

Do they have a death wish?

I know this is a crazy thing to think about, but I am in a death and dying class so its not all that crazy. So, I'm thinking do animals have a death wish? Everywhere I drive I see dead animals on the road. I have even road over an animal or two. I know they see the car when it is coming but they still try to cross the road. I just do not understand that. I know I'm wrong to say this but I sometime think they need to be hit. If they going to make that decision of crossing then.....you know. It's like they do not care about their lives.


(I can't believe I am writing about something like this. Sorry, had to think about something to write *_*)

The Five Wishes Living Will

For a class assignment I have to make up my own Five Wishes Living Will. The Five Wishes Will was created by Jim Towey. It is wishes that addresses what you things to be done if something should happen to you in the present. I should had been done this but I am lazy:p Here is how I answer the wishes:

Wish 1) The person I want to make care decision for me when I can't: From some reason my grandmother on my mom side is the first person to pop in my head. Along with her my dad comes to mind also. If I can I would want both of them to make decisions for me.


Wish 2) The kind of medical treatment I want or don't want: I want the best medical treatment I can get. I want everything that can help me sustain my life if I am aware of things around me. I do not want to be kept if I am brain dead. If there is no way and I mean no way for me to be cure(check three time with different doctors) from brain deadness. I do not want to be kept alive.


Wish 3) How comfortable I wish to be: I want to be so comfortable that it will feel like I am at home. I want the right medications giving to me. I wan t daily interaction with people so that if feels like I am not really sick.


Wish 4) How I want people to treat me: I want people to treat me like it is just another day. I really do not want to be treated like I am sick. Do not get me wrong, I want to be treated right in giving care for my sickness. I just do not want to be treated like a sick person all the time. I want it to feel like a normal day when I get a visit from someone.


Wish 5) What I want my loved ones to know: I want them to know that I love them and still will love them when I pass away. I want to be bury and not cremated. I really do not want my body to be on show at the funeral home. My thought is, if you could not come to see me when I was alive do not come and stare at me when I am dead. Also I want my close family members(list of names) to check on my body at the funeral home. I want them to see if things okay with my body there.

Card Art

I find some cards on the internet that had a death theme to them. They are called Cards of Life and Death. I like how they were done. They were created by the artist Kornel Ravadits from Budapest Hungary . I'm only going to put up four of them right now. I put the other four up later.

Five Stages of Dying

Some days ago, we talked about the five stage of adying that a person goes through when he or she is dying from our textbook. These stages were outlined by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her book On Death and Dying (1969).

First stage, Denial: the patient attempts to deny that the condition is fatal. This is a period of shock and disbelief.
Second stage, Anger: The patient may vent anger at a number of individuals---at the physician for not doing enough, at relatives for outliving. They are looking for a scapegoat.
Third stage, Bargaining: my include promises to God in exchange for an extension of life, following by the wish for a few days without pain or physical discomfort. The promise is rarely kept.
Fourth stage, Depression: the patient begins to realize that a mistake was not made, and the prognosis is not good. The patient realizes that meaningful things of life will be lost as death approaches. They become sad.
Fifth stage, Acceptance: the patient accepts death as a sure outcome. The patients is not happy but he or she has accept it.

Her five stages do have critics. One reason is that not all patients go through the stages in the order she said they will. While we was reading the stages I started to think do the people around the dying patients go through the same stages too. I ask this because when my aunt died I believe I went through about two or three of those stages myself.

Death "Causes" Death?

When I hear this, I wonder does it really happen? I have never seen a person die just because another person had die. Sure I seen it on television or read it in books but I have never seen somebody I know did this. So, I wonder do it really happens? Some classmates in my Death and Dying class have said they have seen it. As I am write this I start to wonder do I really want to know if this can happen. It just be too sad to see a person die like that, but there is that little voice in my head saying to me you still want to know. -__-

Personified Death

Soon in class we are going to talk about how young people personified death. How they represent death as a living person or some variation such as an angel, a skeleton, or etc. It is believe that only younger children would believe this but there are studies that the personification of death is present to some extent through all ages of people. Here are some examples of pictures that I think personified death:

The first drawing is from deviantART.com by Jarling-art call Mister Death and the second drawing is from Macky J. Gallego multiply.com page.

Good Death,tombstone,and Obituary

What would be a good Death for me?

I know everybody says this but a good death for me would be to just died in my sleep. I do not want to died in a exciting way. I would liked to just have a good time with my family or friends the day before and than pass on in my sleep from eating something bad.

______________________________________________________________________

What would my tombstone say?

Here lie

______ _______

Beloved Daughter

and Sister

_____________________________________________________________________

My Obituary:

______ _______, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. _______ _______, was born in Florence County on August 5, 1986, in the Effingham Community. She departed this life on Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at her home.

She recived her formal education at Dewey L. Carter elementary and South Florence High school, in Florence,SC. She was attending Francis Marion Univerity for her higher education. At a early age, she became a member of Pamplico Holy Church of Hyman,SC.

She leaves to cherish her fond memories: her mother and father:______ _____ and ______ _____;one brother and sister:______ ______ and ______ ______; grandparents: Mr. and Mrs.______ and Mrs.______ ______; and a host of uncles, aunts, other relatives and friends.