Total (R&B group)

Total was an American R&B girl group and one of the signature acts of Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records during the mid-1990s. the New Jersey R&B trio Total made their first appearance singing the hook on The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut single, "Juicy". Garnering attention for the new group, they were also featured on the original version and "Hip Hop Remix" of his next single "One More Chance". They then immediately hit the studio with Bad Boy Records CEO Sean "Puffy" Combs and began work on their debut album. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA.

While recording their second album, they appeared on numerous top ten singles, including LL Cool J's "Loungin'/Who Do U Love?", Foxy Brown's "I Can't", and Mase's "What You Want" and Pam sang the chorus to the massive "Hypnotize" by The Notorious B.I.G.. The group also released another single, the Missy Elliott and Timbaland track "What About Us" from the Soul Food soundtrack. When they bought out their second album, Kima, Keisha, and Pam, it debuted to strong reviews, sales, and was certified gold by the RIAA. The first single, another Missy Elliott collaboration, "Trippin'", reached the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

After the release of Kima, Keisha, and Pam, the girls sang the chorus to legendary rap duo Gang Starr's 1999 single "Discipline" and in 2000 they were featured on the Tony Touch single "(I Wonder Why) He's the Greatest DJ". They also contributed to the songs"Crave" to 3 Strikes (film) and the songs "Quick Rush" to ""Bait (film) movie soundtracks.

In their last official appearance together they were thanked in the credits for their collaboration with Da Beatminerz and Talib Kweli - Anti-Love Movement in 2001.
Currently Keisha Spivey got married to actor Omar Epps in 2006 and is living in California. They have daughter K'marie(July 2004) and son Amir(Dec 2007)together; as well as Omar's daughter Aiyanna Yasmine(00) with ex wife Yusra Salama. Pamela Long still lives in New Jersey. She is also a member of Agape Family Worship Center in Rahway, NJ and what is known about Kima is that she did a track that featuring her sister, rapper Vita, called "What U Want", was leaked in 2008, Total have no interest in pursuing to reband.

Discography:

Total (1996)

Kima, Keisha, and Pam (1998)


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

Total is one of my favorite r&b groups from the nineties. I love they sound and would love to see them get back together. They are what you truly call a girl r&b group. Don't get me wrong I like some of the stuff that some of the girl groups put out today but nothing can beat r&b groups like Total and other r&b groups I will put up later. I was kind of young when they were out but I was old enough to know good music when I heard it. Some songs I love by them are Can't You See, Kissin' You, Do You Think About Us, and Trippin'. My favorite album by them is they self-titled album Total.

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.

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.

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").