{"key":"21395","name":"Eve","bio":"Eve Jihan Jeffers-Cooper (born November 10, 1978) is an American hip hop recording artist and actress from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is also the inaugural winner of the Grammy Award for Best Rap\/Sung Collaboration in 2002, for the song \"Let Me Blow Ya Mind\", with American singer Gwen Stefani. Eve was number 48 on VH1's \"50 Greatest Women of the Video Era\" list.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/21395_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"21367","name":"Christina Milian","bio":"Christina Milian (born Christine Marie Flores on September 26, 1981) is an American rnb and pop singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, and former MTV VJ. Milian was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, to Cuban parents Don and Carmen. She has two younger sisters, Dannielle and Elizabeth. Her family moved to Waldorf, Maryland soon after her birth and she set her heart on an entertainment career at the age of four. Milian shot commercials for (Wendy's, Honeycomb) and played the lead role in the musical Annie before moving to Los Angeles at thirteen to pursue an acting career. Soon after the family's move, her father divorced her mother. Milian graduated from Westlake High School in Waldorf, Maryland; and also attended Matthew Henson Middle School in Indian Head, Maryland.In 2000, Milian made her first official musical appearance on Ja Rule's second studio album Rule 3:36, performing guest vocals on his song \"Between Me and You\". Released as the album's lead single in 2001, the track managed to peak at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and in the top 30 of the UK singles chart, building Milian's reputation as a singer. Milian also appeared in M\u00fda's video for \"Best of Me\" playing a friend. In the meantime Milian co-wrote and provided extensive backing vocals for the track \"Play\" for Jennifer Lopez's 2001 album J. Lo which became another success. Milian would later pass down the song to Lopez because of already having a club song with \"AM to PM\" as promotion. She also went on to co-write \"Same Ol' Same Ol\", the first single from girl group PYT's debut album Down With Me.In 2001, Milian eventually released her first solo single, \"AM to PM\", off her self-titled debut album. The song became a worldwide hit reaching the top 5 in the UK and Denmark, top 10 in the Netherlands, and top 30 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and in Australia. The success of \"AM to PM\" sparked the international release of the Christina Milian album which she co-wrote and produced, although not in the United States. The second single \"When You Look At Me\" was another international hit reaching the top 5 in the UK, Netherlands, and Ireland and making the top 40 in Denmark, Germany, Australia, and France. Although a music video for the album's third single \"Get Away\" (another collaboration with Ja Rule) was filmed in Paris, the single was not released officially.Afterwards Milian also was featured on the track \"It's All Gravy\", a duet with British Rapper Romeo of the UK garage group So Solid Crew. While the song was another UK top ten hit single in 2002, Milian provided the theme song for the hit Disney series Kim Possible, \"Call Me, Beep Me\" later that year. In 2002, she also collaborated with Hilary Duff on her Christmas album Santa Claus Lane, on the song \"I Heard Santa on the Radio.\"In 2003, Milian started recording songs with Rodney \"Darkchild\" Jerkins, Bloodshy & Avant and Cory Rooney for her first U.S. release, It's About Time (whose title is a direct reference to how long it had taken for one of her albums to be released domestically). The album was released to positive reviews on July 13, 2004, but failed to receive immense commercial success when it debuted at #21 in the UK and #14 on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling over 36,000 copies in the first week only. While It's about Time ended up with lackluster sales of 394,000 copies in the United States, it gained prominence when it received a Grammy nomination for \"Best Contemporary R&B Album\" in 2005.The album's first single, \"Dip It Low\" (written by singer Teedra Moses and Black Eyed Peas producer Poli Paul) however, became Milian's biggest hit to date, when it peaked at #1 on a world composite dance chart (compiled on data from the U.S., UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Australia), simultaneously reaching #2 in the UK, #5 in the U.S., #7 in New Zealand and the top 20 in Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Norway and the Netherlands. The single was also certified Gold by the RIAA for digital sales. The album's second and final single, \"Whatever U Want\" (featuring Joe Budden) failed to reprise the success of the lead single, but again reached the top 10 in the UK as well as charting on the Billboard Hot 100.Milian's third studio album So Amazin' was released on May 16, 2006. Milian worked with Cool & Dre on the majority of the production of the album, and the project was finished with additional help from Rich Harrison and executive producers Jay-Z and LA Reid. Christina mentions working with Cool & Dre for the entire album \"made a more consistent, very real and personal album\" compared to her other works. The record's first single \"Say I\" featured rapper Young Jeezy and was released in March 2006 as a single and video. The song made it to number 1 on iTunes UK Music Store and was number 1 on AOL music, but altogether saw moderate success only with peak positions on #21 in the United States, #4 in the UK and #45 in Australia.While So Amazin' failed to reach the top 10 when it debuted at #11 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the album saw minor international success only, peaking at #67 in the UK inter alia. With \"Gonna Tell Everybody\" a second single from the album was chosen, but Island Def Jam neither agreed to film a music video nor booked promotional appearances for Milian to promote the song. In June 2006, instead, Milian's representative confirmed that she had left the Island Def Jam record label due to \"creative differences\" - though disappointing album sales were believed to be the main factor, since the album sold less than 500,000 worldwide (over 130,000 in United States).Due to the low sales of So Amazin', Milian released her first compilation album, titled The Best of Christina Milian on November 22, 2006. The album was released under the Universal International label. The album includes her hit singles and songs that she hand picked herself from her first three studio albums, Christina Milian, It's About Time, and So Amazin', though, only one track, Say I, was chosen from So Amazin', possibly due to the fact that it is her lowest selling album. The album was only released in Japan and some other Asian countries; but was not released in the U.S. or Europe. The album peaked at a disappointing #29 on the Japanese ORICON Albums Chart, and has sold only 38,078 copies to date.Following her departure from Island Def Jam Music Group, Milian signed with MySpace Records in 2008. She began writing songs and recording in the studio with numerous different producers, including Cool & Dre, J. R. Rotem, The Runners, Danja, Madd Scientist, T-Pain, Jim Jonsin and Toby Gad. Milian was featured on the cover of Rap-Up's 2008 Winter issue, in which she announced that the album's title was Dream in Color. A single was released in October 2008, ballad \"Us Against the World\". It was written by Milian and produced by Madd Scientist. The single, described by Milian as a \"cinematic power ballad\", premiered via MySpace on October 6, 2008, and was made available by digital download the next day. Milian felt that Madd Scientist \"brought the best out of me\" while producing \"Us Against the World\", and \"was really able to do some amazing things with my vocals\".After recording songs with the aforementioned producers, Milian took a break from music and started filming Bring It On: Fight to the Finish. When Milian returned to music, she concentrated on promoting her single \"Us Against the World\", and shot its music video. Since then, Milian said that she became \"a little bit more meticulous with what I feel deserved to be on the album\", and resumed recording. Songs recorded for the album included the 90's Madonna-styled ballad \"Stay\", Euro-club record \"Tug of War\" and the feel-good song \"Diamonds\", which featured Kanye West. Other features included Rick Ross on the Cool & Dre produced track \"Blissful\", and Pitbull.In early 2009, Milian began working with The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, and L.O.S. Da Maestro, which led to her signing a deal with Radio Killa Records. Milian revealed that aside from \"Us Against the World\", The-Dream and Tricky Stewart would be producing all the songs on her album. In March 2009, Milian changed the album's title to Elope. Regarding the album's title change, Milian explained, \"the definition of elope is to run away secretly with one's beloved. This next album is about taking responsibility for yourself and making your own decisions.\" In June 2009, The-Dream said that the album was finished. Upon completion of the album, Milian said it represented \"independence, not having to answer to any type of 'authority', being a woman at her best and feeling very confident\". She said that fans could expect an \"edgy sound with lots of strong powerful anthems. Big up tempos, R&B and Pop at it's best and two big ballads\".In August 2009, Milian confirmed that she had signed a deal to release Elope through Interscope Records, with a 2010 release date. Originally scheduled to be released in 2009, Tricky Stewart explained the delay, saying \"we just got our label deals done, so the reason why some of these projects got delayed had to do with technicalities and things of that nature\". The album has been furthered delayed because of Milian's marriage to The-Dream and her pregnancy. In January 2010, Milian said that she was going back into the studio in the summer to record more material. Although the album had already been finished when Milian took a break for her pregnancy, she wanted to \"go back and re-do some of the music and make some new songs and find my new inspiration\". In October 2009, Tricky Stewart said that another single had yet to be chosen, and that it would be the first single off Elope. Reported choices for the first single include \"Zipper\", \"I'm a Cheat\", and \"Supersonic\".On February 26, 2010, Milian gave birth to their daughter Violet, although in July 2010, The-Dream announced that he and Milian had separated. Milian was scheduled to resume recording in July 2010 to complete the album; however, after her separation from The-Dream, Milian opted to focus on her acting career. Despite the separation, Milian and The-Dream continued to \"work together and write together\". At the 2010 Los Angeles Fashion Week, Milian performed \"Zipper\" and \"Dip It Low\". At the 2010 American Music Awards, Milian announced that her untitled fourth studio album will be released in 2011.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/21367_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"30000 - 50000"}

{"key":"13428","name":"Ashanti","bio":"Ashanti is a name of, at least, two artists: 1. A popular R&B singer from Glen Cove, New York2. A latin jazz group from Berklee, Massachusetts3. An Indonesian pop singer from Jakarta, Indonesia and should refer to Ashanty1) Ashanti (born Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas on October 13, 1980 in Glen Cove, New York, United States), is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model & fashion designer who has been performing since 2000.Ashanti is most famous for her eponymous Grammy Award-winning debut album Ashanti which featured the hit song Foolish. The album set a Soundscan record as the most albums sold by any first-time female artist in the chart's history, outselling debuts by Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill. Later that year, she was acclaimed as the \"Princess of Hip-Hop & R&B\" by the media and capped off her successful debut by winning eight Billboard awards and two American Music Awards. Ashanti cites Mary J. Blige, Ella Fitzgerald, Yolanda Adams, The Clark Sisters, and Blue Magic as her musical influences. Praised as a gifted songwriter by her peers and critics alike, Ashanti has written\/co-written the bulk of all her music. She is currently working on her own record label entitled Written Entertainment.It was when she was noticed by Murder Inc. mastermind Irv Gotti that Ashanti began to blossom. Gotti noted her dancing and acting abilities in addition to her vocal skills. In 2001, Ashanti was first featured as a background vocalist on rapper Big Pun's song How We Roll. In the same year, Ashanti was featured on fellow labelmate Caddillac Tah's singles Pov City Anthem and Just Like A Thug. She also appeared on the 2001 The Fast and the Furious soundtrack as a featured artist on Vita's 2001 hip hop remake of Madonna's Justify My Love and on the solo track When a Man Does Wrong. She appeared as a background vocalist on I'm Real (Murder Remix), a collaboration by labelmate Ja Rule and Jennifer Lopez (she also appeared in the music video for Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix), the 2nd duet between Lopez & Rule), and was featured on Fat Joe's What's Luv? and Ja Rule's Always on Time. What's Luv? and Always on Time were released simultaneously and became two of the biggest hit songs of 2002. Ashanti became the first female to occupy the top two positions on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart when Always on Time and What's Luv? were number-one and number-two respectively.Following the success of her collaborations with Ja Rule and Fat Joe, Ashanti released her debut single, Foolish, which contained a sample of the 1983 song Stay With Me by DeBarge (also utilized by Notorious B.I.G. in his 1995 hit One More Chance). She became the second artist (after the The Beatles) to have their first three chart entries in the top ten of the Hot 100 simultaneously. Ashanti's self-titled debut album, Ashanti, was released on Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. record label in April 2002. It debuted at number-one on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart, selling over 503,000 copies in its first week (the most successful first week sales for a debut R&B female artist up through that point\u2013record later broken by Mary J. Blige's The Breakthrough). The album has been certified 3x platinum in the U.S and platinum (300,000 copies) in the UK. The album has sold over 6.5 million copies worldwide. Ashanti penned all 12 songs on the album, most written on-the-spot in the studio.Ashanti's follow-up singles, Happy and Baby, were not as successful as her debut single but did peak in the top ten and top twenty in the U.S. respectively. During the summer of 2002, Ashanti appeared on Ja Rule's Down 4 U with labelmates, female rappers Vita and Charli Baltimore. The song appeared on a Murder Inc. compilation titled Irv Gotti Presents The Inc. Ashanti's debut album earned her many awards including eight Billboard Music Awards, two American Music Awards, a Lady of Soul Award for \"Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year,\" and a Grammy Award.In July 2003, Ashanti released her second album, Chapter II, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 326,000 copies in the U.S.. The album went Platinum, selling 1.5 million copies in U.S. The album's success was somewhat eclipsed, however, by all the negative drama surrounding the Murder Inc. camp at the time (i.e., the FBI investigation and the G-Unit feuding). Chapter II's first single, Rock wit U (Awww Baby), became a hit, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Its video, which showed Ashanti in a bikini frolicking on a beach and riding an elephant named Bubbles, was nominated for two 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. A remix of the song contains interpolations of Michael Jackson's Rock with You. The second single, Rain on Me, reached the number-seven spot on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot 100 R&B Songs chart. Chapter II was nominated for a 2004 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album, and Rock wit U (Awww Baby) and Rain on Me were nominated in the categories of Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, respectively. At the end of 2003 in November, Ashanti performed at The American Music Awards and was nominated in two categories.In November 2003, Ashanti's Christmas album, Ashanti's Christmas was released. The album containing 10 Christmas songs, six classic covers and four she wrote herself. To coincide with the release Ashanti premiered a Christmas Medley video for the album. While on BET's 106 & Park, Ashanti said the concept of the Christmas Album came from a guest spot she did on Steve Harvey's radio show. While playing a game with Stevie Wonder, he began playing Christmas medleys on the piano and Ashanti began singing them, giving her label head the idea to push for a Christmas Album. Ashanti went into the studio to record the album during the summer of 2003. According to soundscan, the album sold just around 100,000 units in the U.S.Before Concrete Rose was released, Ashanti did some major promotion for her single Only U, when she premiered it at the 2004 Vibe Music Awards. In 2004, Ashanti was invited back to perform at VH1's Divas 2004. She appeared on stage with Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Jessica Simpson, and others. She performed Diana Ross' single \"I'm Coming Out\", and she performed a soul-influenced rendition of Chaka Khan's funk driven \"Ain't Nobody. Later that year Ashanti collaborated with male R&B newcomer and labelmate Lloyd on the song Southside, which was released as his debut single and was a moderate hit. Wonderful\u2014with Ja Rule and R. Kelly\u2014peaked at number five in the U.S. and at number one in the UK, and Jimmy Choo with rapper Shyne reached number fifty-five on the Billboard Hot R&B\/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. Alongside artist such as Wyclef Jean, Mary J. Blige, Eve, Brandy, Fabolous, Jadakiss, Missy Elliott, and many others, Ashanti participated in a cover of \"Wake Up Everybody\" in support of ACT, the left-leaning political action committee.In December 2004, Ashanti released her third studio album, Concrete Rose, the title of which took on Tupac Shakur's pseudonym \"The Rose That Grew from Concrete\". The album debuted at number seven in the U.S with first week sales of 254,000 copies, and eventually became her third platinum certified album; according to Nielsen SoundScan, it has sold 871,000 copies. The first single, the gold-certified Only U, reached number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and became her biggest hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number two. A second single, the ballad Don't Let Them, garnered little chart success after Def Jam refused to fund a music video due to Irv Gotti's legal troubles during his money laundering trial. Ashanti used her own money to deliver the second video to her fans, with Gotti acting as director. The single was released only in the U.S., where it failed to chart, and the UK, where it reached the lower end of the top forty. In 2005, Ashanti graced the stage at the MTV Japan Music Awards, where she performed her hit single, Only U. She also won a Style award during the show. She performed alongside huge acts like Mariah Carey and Korean star Rain.In December 2005, Ashanti released a remix album of Concrete Rose titled Collectables by Ashanti. It features six remixes of previously released tracks and four newly recorded songs, including the single Still on It, which features rappers Paul Wall and Method Man. The album was an opportunity for her to fulfill her contract with Def Jam (and have the option of working with another label), and did not fare well on the charts.Her fourth studio album, The Declaration, was released on June 3, 2008. Ashanti ventured out and acquired producers and collaborators primarily outside The Inc. for the first time. She said the album was a representation of the freedom she felt she had at that time in her career. \"I'm steering my own ship and taking the lead on everything. You can definitely hear the growth; I'm working with producers I've never worked with before\". Irv Gotti was quoted as saying, \"she's having her little Janet Jackson Control moment. Every artist has their moment when they feel they need to take over their own music and this is hers\".The album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 with sales of 86,000 copies, Ashanti's lowest first-week sales for a studio album. As of September 2008, The Declaration had sold 230,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. Two singles released during 2007 in advance of the album's release\u2014Switch featuring Nelly, and Hey Baby (After the Club) featuring Mario Winans\u2014did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Hey Baby (After the Club) reached number eighty-seven on the Hot R&B\/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and the third single, the L. T. Hutton-produced The Way That I Love You, reached number two on the Hot R&B\/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked at number thirty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The final single, the Jermaine Dupri-produced Good Good, became a minor urban hit, peaking at number thirty on the Hot R&B\/Hip-Hop Songs. Also featured on The Declaration is the Nelly collaboration Body on Me, which is the third single from his 2008 album Brass Knuckles.In May 2009, Irv Gotti announced that he was officially releasing Ashanti from The Inc. Records, stating that \"The relationship has run its course. The chemistry of what's needed \u2014 we're in two totally different places. You're talking to somebody that took her and shaped and molded her and put her out there for the world, and it blew up. We for the selling debut by a female R&B artist \u2014 503 . We did it! My views and philosophies and her views and philosophies are not meeting up.\" Gotti also admitted that he and Ashanti have not spoken to each other in a long time. A rep for Ashanti did not respond.Ashanti confirmed via twitter that she is currently in the studio working on her fifth album, that is being released off her own record label Written Entertainment. Ashanti is rumored to be working with a slew of producers and artist, thus far this is all that has been verified... LT Hutton, Dr. Dre, Deshaun, Game, Theron Feemster bka Neff-U, The-Dream, Cool & Dre, Warryn Campbell, Carvin & Ivan, Common, Darkchild and Tank who co-wrote and co-produced with her the song Paradise. Ashanti\u2019s new single & album is set to be released sometime in 2011.2) A 'latin jazz' combo (formed 1983, Berklee Music College, MA, USA), named in honour their music's African \/ Afro-Cuban roots, with current members: Gabriel Espionsa (bass, vocals), Tim Crumley (drums, vocals), David Kobberdahl (trumpet, electronic wind instrument, flugelhorn), Bryan Schumacker (saxophones), Eric Sickler (piano, keyboards, vocals), Ryan Mullin (percussion), Mike Pfaff (vibes, hand percussion, drums) & Dave Sharp (saxophone). Releases inc: \"Dyos Bo'otik\" (2004), \"Sin Fronteras\" (2003) & \"En Fuego\" (Jul 2001).Former members: Patricio Espinosa (guitar), Ross Vander Werf (guitar), Bob Long (saxophone), Dustin Bear (saxophone), Tammy Brice (vocals) & Ryan Rumery (percussion).Sites: Discogs.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/13428_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"40000 - 75000"}

{"key":"13430","name":"Faith Evans","bio":"Faith Ren\u00e9e Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, actress and author. Born in Coral Gables, Florida and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Evans moved to Los Angeles in 1993 for a career in music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B. Sure, she became the first female artist to be signed to Sean \"P. Diddy\" Combs' Bad Boy Records label in 1994, on which she released three platinum-certified studio albums between the years of 1995 and 2001. In 2003, she left the label to sign with Capitol Records.Next to her recording career, Evans is widely known as the widow of New York rapper Christopher \"The Notorious B.I.G.\" Wallace, whom she married in 1994 two months after meeting at a photoshoot. The turbulent marriage led to Evans' involvement in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop feud, dominating the rap scene at the time, and ended with Wallace's murder in a yet-unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles in March 1997. A 1997 tribute single featuring Puff Daddy and 112, entitled \"I'll Be Missing You,\" became Evans' biggest-selling hit to date and won her a Grammy Award in 1998.After marrying Todd Russaw and having a third child, named Joshua, Evans released her long-awaited follow-up, Keep the Faith in 1998. Unlike the solemn approach to her first album, this album spoke of optimism, good times, and love. Among its biggest hits include the Chic-sampled track \"Love Like This\" (#7 US), the P. Diddy helmed \"All Night Long\" (#9 US), and Babyface lent her a number-one R&B hit song with \"Never Gonna Let You Go\". Outside of her own albums, Evans found another hit that year with Whitney Houston and Kelly Price on the song \"Heartbreak Hotel\".Evans released her third album, 2001's Faithfully, which included the hit singles \"You Gets No Love\" (#8 R&B) and \"I Love You\" (#2 R&B). For the album's promotion, Evans went through a transformation in her physical appearance. Always a slightly full figured woman, Evans shed over fifty pounds and presented a sexier image that was present for the videos to \"I Love You\" and \"Burnin' Up\". Fatman Scoop also sampled her vocals on the song \"Be Faithful\" in 2003, which reached number one in the UK. Although the album wasn't as largely promoted as her first two, it was a moderate success. The album was certified platinum in January 2002, with over 1 million units sold.Evans rebounded with a record that many of her fans have proclaimed as her strongest record to date, The First Lady (released on April 5, 2005) her Capitol record debut album. After finding success with her Twista collaboration, \"Hope\", Evans released her first song of new material in three years with \"Again\", a biographical account of her life struggles. Faith recorded \"Say A Prayer\" with gospel music star Donald Lawrence on his \"I Speak Life\" album in 2004. The First Lady came out commemorating her tenth anniversary in the industry and her first record on Capitol Records after leaving Bad Boy in 2003. With the help of \"Again\" reaching the top ten of Billboard's Hot R&B\/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and appearances on David Letterman, BET, Later\u2026 with Jools Holland and MTV the album entered the Billboard 200 at number two with 160,000 copies sold in its first week, marking the largest first-week total of her career. The First Lady was RIAA certified Gold selling over 600,000 copies to date. The second single, \"Mesmerized\", saw Faith going with a 70's retro-funk soul vibe. The track failed to crack top fifty R&B despite numerous remixes; however a dance remix by the Freemasons went on to hit number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.At the end of 2005, Evans released her fifth studio album, A Faithful Christmas, a Christmas collection of new material and covers of seasonal classics. She also made lots of appearances on holiday TV programming. In early 2006, Faith Evans' third single, \"Tru Love\" (produced by Jermaine Dupri and Bryan Michael Cox), gradually gained ground on urban\/urban AC radio without any assistance from her label since they never promoted (sent to radio) or had a video for \"Tru Love\", becoming her twelfth solo R&B hit (Top 30). Also in 2005, Evans appeared along with Jessi Colter and Cece White as a feature vocalist on the Shooter Jennings song \"Southern Comfort\" from the album \"Put the O Back in Country\".On October 5. 2010, Evans' sixth album, \"Something About Faith.\" The album debuted at #4 on the R&B\/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #15 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 23,586 copies in its first week. The albums' lead single \"Already Gone\" peaked at #22 on the Hot R&B\/Hip-Hop Singles chart. The albums' second single and music video \"Right Here\" was released on February 14, 2011. In 2012, Evans became a cast member of TV One reality show R&B Divas Atlanta alongside Nicci Gilbert, Syleena Johnson, Keke Wyatt and Monifah. Evans also co-executive produces the show. The album R&B Divas Atlanta, led by Evans was released on October 2, 2012. Proceeds from the album will benefit the Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative & Performing Arts in East Orange, New Jersey.On August 6, 2013, Evans confirmed she had begun work on her 6th album, tentatively titled Incomparable. Evans also revealed guest appearances for the album are slated to include Missy Elliott, KeKe Wyatt, B.Slade and Karen Clark Sheard of The Clark Sisters. \"I Deserve It\", a record featuring recurring collaborator Missy Elliott and her prot\u00e9g\u00e9e Sharaya J, was released via iTunes on August 25, 2014 as the album's lead single. Incomparable was released on November 24, 2014. On TMZ, Evans had announced that she is working on a posthumous Notorious B.I.G. album titled The King & I, which will feature duets with the two. She plans to release it sometime in 2015.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/13430_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"30000 - 50000"}

{"key":"21369","name":"En Vogue","bio":"Assembled in Oakland, California, USA in July 1989, En Vogue launched with original members Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones, Dawn Robinson and Terry Ellis. En Vogue is a Grammy-nominated all-female R&B, club\/dance, and soul vocal quartet assembled by the hit music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, formerly of the disco group Club Nouveau.En Vogue has sold over 28 million albums and singles worldwide. They have won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of 7 VMAs. The group was named the second most successful girl group of the 1990s and the 18th most successful act overall of the 1990s according to Billboard magazine.Assembled in Oakland, California in July 1989, En Vogue launched with original members Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones, Dawn Robinson and Terry Ellis. The inspiration for the group came when production duo of Foster and Mc Elroy envisioned a modern-day girl group in the tradition of the 1950s\/1960s female trios. The blueprint was based on the plan of recruiting singers who possessed strong voices, noticeably good looks, and intelligence. Auditions were held in 1988, with Herron, Jones and Robinson making the final cut. Like previous girl groups, En Vogue was originally conceived as a trio, but after hearing Ellis audition, Foster and McElroy decided to create a quartet. At first, they selected the name \"For You.\" They shifted to \"Vogue\", but ultimately settled on En Vogue, upon learning that another group had already claimed the Vogue moniker.After forming, the group began working with their producers on their debut album. Recording began in August 1989 and wrapped up in December of the same year. Born to Sing was released on April 3, 1990. The album charted at number twenty-one on the Billboard 200 and number three on Billboard's R&B Albums Chart. The first single, \"Hold On,\" was released to radio in late February 1990 and became a crossover pop hit, reaching number two on Billboard's Hot 100 singles charts, and number one on both the R&B singles and Hot Dance Music\/Club Play charts. It later went to #5 in the UK, and became a hit in Europe. The next two singles, \"Lies\" and \"You Don't Have to Worry,\" each went to number one on the Billboard R&B charts, while the fourth and final single, \"Don't Go,\" charted at number three on the Billboard R&B. The album was later certified platinum by the RIAA.\"Hold On\" was awarded a Billboard Music Award for \"R&B Single of the Year,\" a Soul Train Award for \"R&B\/Urban Contemporary Single of the Year, Group, Band or Duo\" and have been nominated for a Grammy Award for \"Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group\". In 1990, En Vogue signed an endorsement deal to appear in a Diet Coke commercial directed by Spike Lee.En Vogue's second album, Funky Divas, was released in the spring of 1992. The album debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Billboard R&B and ultimately doubled the take of its predecessor, going multi-platinum. The album's first two singles: \"My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)\" and \"Giving Him Something He Can Feel\" both went top ten pop, and peaked at number one on the R&B charts. The next single, \"Free Your Mind\" also went top ten. The final two singles \"Give It Up Turn It Loose\" and \"Love Don't Love You\" both were top forty hits.The album went on to sell more than three million copies, won an American Music Award for \"Favorite Soul\/R&B Album,\" and was nominated for five Grammy Awards. The music video for \"Free Your Mind\" earned the group three MTV Video Music Awards for \"Best Choreography,\" \"Best Dance Video,\" and \"Best R&B Video.\" They were also honored with Soul Train's prestigious \"Entertainer of the Year Award.\" In addition to this, the group were featured in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Essence among other major publications. Riding high on the success of Funky Divas, a six-song EP entitled Runaway Love was released in the fall of 1993, spawning the hit \"Runaway Love.\"The group was signed to an endorsement deal with Converse, and were featured as an opening act on Luther Vandross' 1993 tour. Among the numerous countries toured were England, Germany, the Netherlands and France which confirmed the group's live vocal and performing prowess. However, according to an article in Vibe magazine, Vandross (by his own admission in interviews) and his entourage clashed with the members of En Vogue during the tour and he vowed never to work with them again afterwards.En Vogue also made numerous television appearances on such series as In Living Color, A Different World, Roc and Hangin' With Mr. Cooper (the latter two of which they also sang the show's theme songs.) In 1993, En Vogue were featured vocalists on Salt-N-Pepa's top ten hit \"Whatta Man\", from Salt-N-Pepa's Very Necessary album. The track also appeared (slightly edited) on En Vogue's Runaway Love EP.In 1995, En Vogue was amongst numerous female vocalists featured on the song \"Freedom\" for the soundtrack to Panther. Also in 1995, group member Terry Ellis recorded a solo album entitled Southern Gal, which spun off the top ten R&B single \"Where Ever You Are.\"In 1996, En Vogue recorded \"Don't Let Go (Love)\" for the soundtrack to the motion picture Set It Off. Released in the autumn, it became the group's biggest hit to date; the single peaked at number two on the Hot 100, number one on the R&B singles chart, and was certified platinum by the RIAA. It, inadvertently, would also be the final En Vogue single to feature Robinson. One of Robinson's final performances with her bandmates came in October of that year, when the group sang the final National Anthem rendition in the history of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, which came in game five of the 1996 World Series.In response to the large commercial success of \"Don't Let Go (Love)\", the group steadfastly went to work on its third album. As the album was nearing completion, Robinson chose to leave the group in April 1997 after difficult contractual negotiations reached a stalemate. Despite Robinson's abrupt departure, En Vogue resolved to continue on as a trio (forcing the group to re-record some of the tracks on their forthcoming album that had originally featured her on lead vocals).EV3, the group's third album, was released in the spring and debuted at number eight on both the Billboard 200 and the Billboard R&B charts. The first single, the Babyface-penned and produced \"Whatever\" went on to become a top-20 pop hit, a top ten R&B hit, while also peaking at number five on the Hot Dance Music\/Club Play chart. On August 26, 1997, the single was certified gold by the RIAA. The follow-up single \"Too Gone, Too Long\" (which was produced by David Foster and written by Diane Warren) performed more modestly, managing to only peak in the top forty.Despite its being certified platinum, and the album being nominated for Grammy Award and a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award, sales of EV3 failed to live up to full commercial expectation. A world tour had been planned, but was canceled due to poor ticket sales. In 1998, En Vogue recorded \"No Fool No More\" for the soundtrack to the motion picture, Why Do Fools Fall In Love as well as a version of I Want A Monster to Be My Friend for the Elmopalooza special on ABC. The following year, a greatest hits compilation, The Best of En Vogue, was released.In 2004, En Vogue (now composed of Ellis, Herron and Bennett) released Soul Flower on independent label 33rd Street Records. While the album failed to chart on the Billboard 200, it managed to peak at number forty-seven on the R&B charts. The albums two singles: \"Losin' My Mind\" and \"Ooh Boy\", however, failed to chart. Soon after promotion had finished on this album, Maxine Jones returned to En Vogue, turning the group back into a quartet for the first time since 1996. The group teamed with Boyz II Men for select concert dates during the summer of 2004. That same year En Vogue graced the cover of R&B Showcase magazine.In 2005, after an eight-year absence, Robinson rejoined En Vogue. The original four went on to sign with one of the industry's largest management firms, The Firm Management Group. That September, they joined Salt N Pepa for the girl groups' first-ever joint public performance of their 1994 hit, \"Whatta Man\" at VH-1's Hip Hop Honors, and briefly toured. They also earned another Grammy nomination for the single \"So What the Fuss\", which featured Stevie Wonder and Prince (on guitar). The group also appeared in the single's music video. After failing to agree on business terms, Robinson once again chose to defect from En Vogue and Bennett returned. As a result, En Vogue was let go from The Firm. En Vogue continued to perform spot dates in North America with Terry Ellis, Maxine Jones, Cindy Herron and Rhona Bennett. This line-up also saw the group return to Europe and Japan for select concert dates. During this time, En Vogue teamed up with Belgian singer Natalia for a song called \"Glamorous\" where Rhona Bennett's vocals are featured. The single reached No. 2 in the Belgian charts and was followed by a DVD release of the concert, which went double platinum.On June 24, 2008, the original lineup of En Vogue appeared on the BET Awards, performing with Alicia Keys, SWV and TLC as a tribute to girl groups of the 1990s. With speculation abuzz, En Vogue received the twenty-eighth highest number of hits on the Rock on the Net website for the month of June 2008. The following month, the group ascended to the twelfth position. As of June 30, Robinson stated via an En Vogue Yahoo! fan site that she had indeed returned to En Vogue. On August 6, the original members appeared on Los Angeles' KTLA television station and announced that they have reunited and would do spot dates around the country during the latter part of 2008. The foursome kicked off the Americana at Brand Concert Series in Glendale, California that same evening. Furthermore, En Vogue performed at the 2009 Essence Music Festival, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. They continue to tour throughout the United States. In October 2010, the band performed their first UK show in 18 years in London.On September 26, 2011, a new single called \"I'll Cry Later\" was sent to select urban adult contemporary radio stations. In December 2011, Dawn Robinson left En Vogue once again.In March 2012, a lawsuit was filed by Wells Fargo Bank against Rufftown, Inc. for breach of contract. On May 8, Cindy Herron announced on their official En Vogue Facebook page that no new album was coming out. En Vogue toured in 2012. In June 2012, Rhona Bennett, who was filling in for Robinson's absence announced on her Facebook page that she was in rehearsals with the group, hinting that she was once again filling in for Robinson.In August 2012, Maxine Jones, as well as Dawn Robinson, left the group and would begin their own En Vogue with two new members and would be touring, releasing solo albums and potentially another group album. Herron and Ellis would continue to tour as En Vogue with Rhona Bennett. It was also soon announced that the members would take each other to court for use of the En Vogue name; a judge ruled that Herron and Ellis, as holders of the group's LLC, had exclusive rights to the group's name. Herron and Ellis filed suit against Jones and Robinson, demanding $1 million for unauthorized use of the name, though the damages request was ultimately determined to be without merit, as Herron and Ellis could not demonstrate harm done to the company from Jones's use of the name (although Robinson was named in the suit, she was not directly involved in the dispute, as she had surrendered her rights to use the name herself when she departed from the LLC years earlier).In late 2012, Robinson and Jones announced that they would be starting a new group called \"Heirs to the Throne\". In 2013, Robinson chose not to begin a new group with Jones and joined the cast of the reality show \"R&B Divas: L.A.\". In early 2013, Jones began a touring with Alison Carney and Maria Freeman as her new line-up of En Vogue, entitled En Vogue to the Max.In March 2012, a lawsuit was filed by Wells Fargo Bank against Rufftown, Inc. for breach of contract. On May 8, Cindy Herron announced on their official En Vogue Facebook page that no new album was coming out. En Vogue toured in 2012. In June 2012, Rhona Bennett, who was filling in for Robinson's absence announced on her Facebook page that she was in rehearsals with the group, hinting that she was once again filling in for Robinson.In July 2014, Pyramid Records announced that En Vogue (Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron-Braggs, Rhona Bennett) will be recording a new studio album. Their first one in almost ten years since their last studio album Soulflower.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/21369_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"30000 - 50000"}

{"key":"8185","name":"Keri Hilson","bio":"Keri Lynn Hilson (born December 5, 1982 in Decatur, Georgia, USA) is a Grammy nominated American R&B singer-songwriter signed to Timbaland's Mosley Music Group. She is also a part of a collective of writers and producers known as The Clutch, and has written hits for many artists including Britney Spears, Usher, Ciara, Ludacris and Omarion, After performing on Xzibit's hit song Hey Now (Mean Muggin') and Timbaland's album Shock Value she released her debut album, In A Perfect World\u2026, in 2009. It spawned the hit singles Energy, Turnin' Me On and Knock You Down which reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her sophomore studio album, No Boys Allowed, was released December 2010 and features the hit singles Pretty Girl Rock and Breaking Point.Hilson has been writing music for other artists since 2001, including Britney Spears, Ciara, Usher, and Ludacris. Despite having made a name for herself as an arranger and background vocalist, lending her vocal talents to many of the songs she wrote on, Hilson remained behind the scenes for the most part until 2004, when she was featured on Xzibit's single, \"Hey Now (Mean Muggin)\" and made her performing debut singing the track live at the 2004 MTV Europe Awards.In 2006, Hilson reappeared on the music scene in the video for Nelly Furtado's single \"Promiscuous\". Meanwhile, she signed as an artist with Timbaland's newly formed Interscope associated label Mosley Music Group and the pair started work on her debut album '\"In A Perfect World\u2026\". The same year, she was featured on \"After Love\" from Diddy's album Press Play which was originally written for Danity Kane. She also wrote \"Right Now\" for Danity Kane as well as \"Help\", the second single from Lloyd Banks' Rotten Apple.In 2007, Hilson made several appearances on Timbaland's solo effort, Shock Value where she featured heavily on the singles \"The Way I Are\" and \"Scream\" and the tracks \"Miscommunication\" and \"Hello\". Furthermore, she was featured on the track \"Lost Girls\" on Rich Boy's debut album and its second single \"Good Things\" and was credited as a writer and backing vocalist on Britney Spears' album Blackout. She also worked on Spears' follow-up \"Circus\", but the tracks didn't appear on the album.A promotional video for her song \"Where Did He Go\" was released in 2008 and she went on to further promote herself as a solo artist on \"Get It Girl\", a track produced by Timbaland & Danja and recorded for a Verizon ringtone promotion and available also through iTunes.She also played the lead role in Usher's music video for \"Love in This Club\", (as well as co-writing its \"Pt. II\" remix) appeared as one of the \"independent women\" in Ne-Yo's music video for \"Miss Independent\" and appeared briefly on Nelly's \"Party People\" music video wearing a T-Shirt with the slogan 'Hip Hop aint dead'. She soon after featured on Nas' debut single from his controversial album Untitled, \"Hero\".After many pushbacks, Hilson's debut solo album In a Perfect World\u2026 has now been set for an early 2009 release. The album's first single was \"Energy\" and its music video was released July 14, 2008. \"Energy\" has peaked at a low #78 on the Billboard Hot 100.A second single \"Return The Favor\" features Timbaland was released officially as a digital download on October 7, 2008 and the video, directed by Melina, premiered on October 23, 2008. In the meantime, she also featured on Chris Brown's single \"Superhuman\" and Kardinal Offishall's 2008 single \"Numba 1 (Tide Is High)\", which was originally featured Rihanna. This single failed to chart on the Hot 100.The track \"Turnin Me On\" features rapper Lil' Wayne and was released as the third official single as a digital download on November 25. The video, which was directed by Erik White after he and Hilson met on the set of the \"Superhuman\" video, premiered on November 20, 2008. \"Turnin Me On\" has so far peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and recently hit #2 on Billboard's Hot R&B\/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming Hilson's most successful single as well as her first Top 50 single in the U.S.. It also peaked as the #1 Mainstream R&B\/Hip-Hop track. \"Turnin Me On\" also stood as the #1 video on BET's 106 & Park for about a week and currently is the #5 video request on that show, flucuating between the Top 5.Recently, Keri Hilson's track \"Alienated\" was played exclusively on UK radio station Kiss 100 after winning the Fresh 40 mixtape deck battle with 51% against Maino's \"All The Above\". It was announced on March 10th that the video for \"Knock You Down\"(featuring Ne-Yo & Kayne West) was in production and would be released as the fourth single.Hilson's music has been favorably received, appearing on list of \"Top Year Singles\" with the songs, \"Energy\" and \"Turnin Me On\". The first was on Blender magazine list of the \"The Top 144 Songs of 2008\", at #61, and the latter was on Vibe magazine's \"The 80 Best Songs of '08\" at #67. Vibe also praised her voice and called her \"ridiculously hot\".In 2010 saw the birth of No Boys Allowed and comes out on the 21st of December 2010. The First Single was Breaking Points and received positive and negative reviews, however failed to chart well. The second single Pretty Girl Rock saw more success and went on to chart respectably well. The song got that much attention that a official remix was made featuring Kanye West, which made the album too. The Suspected third Single is The Way You Love Me and a full length video (short film) appeared on Vevo. The video got mixed reviews, one side saying the video was a side to Keri that had never saw before (a more seductive side). However, some said that this side was too out there and was a bit too much. DISCOGRAPHY:ALBUMS:2009: In A Perfect World\u20262010:No Boys AllowedSINGLES:2004: Hey Now (Mean Muggin) 2006: Help 2007: The Way I Are 2007: Good Things 2008: Scream 2008: Hero 2008: Energy2008: Superhuman 2008: Return The Favor 2008: Numba 1 (Tide Is High) 2008: Turnin Me On 2009: Knock You Down 2009: Slow Dance2010: I Like2010:Got Your Back 2010:Breaking Point2010:Pretty Girl Rock2010:The Way You Love Me","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/8185_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"40000 - 75000"}

{"key":"13432","name":"Monica","bio":"Monica Denise Arnold (born October 24, 1980), professionally known as Monica, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and occasional actress. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Arnold was a member of Charles Thompson and the Majestics, a traveling 12-piece gospel choir prior to signing a solo recording contract with Arista Records in 1995. In 1991, at the age of eleven, Monica was discovered by music producer Dallas Austin at the Center Stage auditorium in Atlanta performing Whitney Houston 1986's Greatest Love of All. Amazed by her voice, Dallas offered her a record deal with his Arista Records-distributed label Rowdy Records and consulted rapper Queen Latifah to work as Monica's first manager. Shortly afterwards Dallas and then staff producers Tim & Bob entered the studio with Monica to start writing and producing her debut Miss Thang which was eventually released in July 1995 and scored number thirty-six on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number seven on the Top R&B Albums chart. It was certified triple platinum by the RIAA for more than three million store-shipped copies and produced three top ten singles, including debut single Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days) and Before You Walk out of My Life both of which made Monica the youngest artist ever to have two consecutive chart-topping hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. Miss Thang subsequently won Monica a Billboard Music Award and garnered her an American Music Award nomination in the Favorite Soul\/R&B New Artist category.After a label change to Clive Davis's Arista Records, Monica mainstream success was boosted, when Diane Warren-written For You I Will, from the Space Jam soundtrack, became her next top ten pop hit. The following year she was asked to team up with singer Brandy and producer Rodney \"Darkchild\" Jerkins to record The Boy Is Mine, the first single from both of their second albums. Released in May 1998, surrounding highly publicized rumors about a real-life catfight between both singers, the duet became both the biggest hit of the summer and the biggest hit of 1998 in general in America, spending record-breaking thirteen weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It earned the pair a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and garnered multi-platinum sales (to date, it remains as one of the top twenty most successful American singles in history based on Billboard chart success).Jermaine Dupri, David Foster and Austin consulted on the album The Boy Is Mine, which was released later that year and eventually became Monica\u2019s biggest-selling album, becoming certified triple platinum by the RIAA for more than three million store-shipped copies. It yielded another two U.S. number-one hits with The First Night and Angel of Mine, a cover of Eternal's 1997 single, as well as a remake of Richard Marx' Right Here Waiting. Rolling Stone Magazine proclaimed it as \"closer to soul's source\u2026 hearking back past hip-hop songbirds like Mary J. Blige and adult-contemporary sirens like Toni Braxton,\" while Allmusic called the album an \"irresistible sounding immaculately crafted musical backdrop as good as mainstream urban R&B gets in 1998.\"In 2000, Monica contributed chorus vocals for I've Got to Have It, a collaboration with Jermaine Dupri and rapper Nas. Released as the Big Momma's House theme song, the song saw minor success in the United States only. The following year, she released the Ric Wake production track Just Another Girl, recorded for the Down to Earth soundtrack, as a single.A year later, Arnold channeled much of her heavily media-discussed experiences into the production of her third studio album, All Eyez on Me, her first release on mentor Clive Davis newly-founded J Records label. \"I just wanted to give the people back something that had personal passion, instead of just, 'Oh, let's dance to this record',\" she said about the issues worked into the tracks. The first single All Eyez on Me a Rodney Jerkins-produced R&B-dance track, saw minor to moderate success on the international charts but failed to enter the higher half of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. A follow-up song, Too Hood, also got a lukewarm response and as a result, the album's tentative release was pushed back several times. \"I don't think people wanted to hear a big fun record from me, after knowing all the things that I had personally experienced,\" Monica second-guessed her new material which saw both early and heavy bootlegging via internet at that time.After the Japan-wide release of All Eyez on Me Monica was asked to substantially reconstruct the record with a host of new producers, and as a result the singer re-entered recording studios to start work with songwriters Kanye West, Jazze Pha, Andre \"mrDEYO\" Deyo, Bam & Ryan and Dupri-replacing executive producer Missy Elliott. Finally released in June 2003, After the Storm debuted at number one on Billboard`s Top R&B\/Hip-Hop albums chart, and on top of the official Billboard 200, with sales of 186,000 copies emerging as Monica's first and only number-one album to date. It eventually received a gold certification, and has sold over one million copies domestically. Media reception of the CD was generally enthusiastic, with the Allmusic saying the album \"has all the assuredness and smart developments that should keep Monica's younger longtime followers behind her \u2014 all the while holding the ability to appeal to a wider spectrum of R&B and hip-hop fans.\" The album's lead single, Elliott-penned So Gone, was one of Monica's biggest commercial successes in years, becoming her first top ten single since 1999's Angel of Mine. In addition, it reached the top position of the Billboard R&B\/Hip-Hop Tracks and Hot Dance Club Play charts. Subsequently, After the Storm spawned another three singles, with final single U Should've Known Better reaching number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.In 2005, Monica appeared on the Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman soundtrack. The track was one of Monica's last production by Dallas Austin.Returning from yet another musical hiatus, Arnold's fourth studio album The Makings of Me was released in October 2006. Titled after Curtis Mayfield's 1970 recording The Makings of You, the album saw her particularly reuniting with producers Elliott, Dupri, and Bryan Michael Cox, all of whom had previously contributed to After the Storm (2003). The Makings of Me received a positive reception from most professional music critics, with Allmusic calling it a \"concise and mostly sweet set of songs,\" and Entertainment Weekly declaring it \"a solid addition\" to Monica's discography. While it debuted at number one on Billboard's Top R&B\/Hip-Hop albums chart, and at number eight on the official Billboard 200, it received a domestic sales total of 328,000 copies, it widely failed to revive the success of its predecessors and became the singer's lowest-selling effort to date. Singles such as snap-influenced Everytime Tha Beat Drop featuring Atlanta hip hop group Dem Franchize Boyz and Elliott-produced A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me) failed to reach the top forty of the regular pop charts.In 2009, Arnold lent her voice to the ballad Trust a duet with Keyshia Cole, that peaked in the top five on Billboard Hot R&B\/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The recording of Arnold's sixth studio album Still Standing was chronicled by her BET reality series of the same name. Featuring production by Stargate, Ne-Yo, and Polow da Don, it was released in March 2010 and garnered a generally positive response by critics, who perceived its sound as \"a return to the mid-'1990s heyday\" of contemporary R&B, The album debuted atop on Billboard's Top R&B\/Hip-Hop albums chart, and number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 with opening week sales of 184,000 copies, becoming the singer's second highest-charting debut since 2003's After the Storm. The leading single Everything to Me scored Monica her biggest chart success since 2003's So Gone, reaching the top position of the Billboard R&B\/Hip-Hop Tracks charts for seven weeks. The album was certified gold by the RIAA with domestic shipments of 500,000 copies within a single month. With it success, the album and Everything to Me was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, presented at the 53rd Grammy Awards in 2011. In August 2010, Arnold joined Trey Songz on his Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour, her first North American concert tour in ten years.The New Life (Intro) Songfacts reports that New Life was Monica's debut release with RCA, following the disbandment of her former label, J Records in October 2011. The album was dropped on April 10, 2012 in the US. She explained the meaning of its title on Twitter: \"A good word goes a long way. Life is hard enough. Me and my followers believe in God, love, strength, family, unity and growth Don't be afraid of new things, new people, new opportunities or new love. It just may give you a New Life.\"","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/13432_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"40000 - 75000"}

{"key":"13443","name":"Truth Hurts","bio":"Shari Watson (born 1972 in St. Louis, Missouri), known as Truth Hurts, is an American R&B singer. She is noted for her funky and powerful vocal style.After signing to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment label, Truth Hurts first appeared on Busta Rhymes' 2001 hit single \"Break Ya Neck\" as a background vocalist. For her first solo LP Truthfully Speaking, issued on Aftermath in 2002, she enlisted the production talents of Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Hi-Tek, and DJ Quik. Her debut single, \"Addictive,\" was a Top 10 hit in the United States, and featured a verse from hip hop artist, Rakim.The song, produced by DJ Quik, utilized an uncleared sample of \"Thoda Resham Lagta Hai\" by Hindi artist Lata Mangeshkar. The copyright holders sued Aftermath and parent company Interscope Records for $500 million dollars, and issued an injunction against further sales or performances of the record. A judge later ruled that the album was not to be sold with out being stickered with proper credits for Mangeshkar.In summer of 2002, Truth Hurts secured a high profile spot on the Smokin' Grooves tour with Lauryn Hill, Outkast, Cee-Lo, The Roots, Jurassic 5, and Erykah Badu. However, following the buzz on \"Addictive\", Truth Hurts became relatively obscure, only contributing guest vocals to \"The Watcher 2\" on Jay-Z's Blueprint 2 album and \"What\" on Eve's Eve-Olution. To date, she remains as a one-hit wonder in both America and the UK. \"Addictive\" was followed up by a song called \"The Truth\" featuring R. Kelly on the chorus. The song underpeformed on American radio and video outlets. This was likely due in part to the firestorm of negative press Kelly received over sex crime allegations that hit media outlets shortly before the single's release.Truth Hurts returned in 2004 with her second album, Ready Now, on Raphael Saadiq's independent Pookie Entertainment label. Its first single, \"Ready Now\", was released in the summer of 2004 without much fanfare, but being critically acclaimed due to its high quality, mainly because of the work of legendary Raphael Saadiq, who executively produced the album and produced most of the songs in it. Some sources state that a Georgia based record company is looking for Truth Hurts for a possible spot on a movie soundtrack. Dream Leader Ent CEO Carlton Richard has stated that he has been a long time fan of hers and would like to know if she would be interested in being on the soundtrack. No word yet on if and when this project will be available.ALBUMSTruthfully Speaking * Released: June 25, 2002 * Chart Positions: #5 Billboard * Singles: Addictive, The TruthReady Now * Released: June 01, 2004 * Chart Positions: #173 Billboard * Singles: Ready NowSINGLES * 2002: \"Addictive\" (featuring Rakim) (U.S. #9, R&B #2) * 2002: \"The Truth\" (featuring R. Kelly) (R&B #47) * 2002: \"I'm Not Really Lookin' (featuring DJ Quik) * 2004: \"Ready Now\"","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/13443_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}