Born Anamaría Tijoux in Lille, France in 1977, daughter to a French mother and a Chilean father while in political exile during Pinochet's dictatorship. She became famous in Latin America as the female MC of hip-hop group Makiza during the late nineties. In 2006 she crossed over to the Latin mainstream pop due to her collaboration with Mexican songstress Julieta Venegas in the radio hit "Eres para mí". She is currently promoting her first solo album, Kaos.
Biography
After the return to democracy in Chile, Anita flew back to her father's land. Being a teenager, she found home in the emerging hip-hop scene of Santiago de Chile and she started rhyming first in French, then in Spanish. For a while she formed part of a group that included Zaturno, later of Tiro de Gracia. In 1997 she joined Seo2, Cenzi and DJ Squat to form Makiza.
Makiza released their first cassette in 1998, Vida Salvaje was an independent production but gained huge acceptance in the local scene.
At the same time, Tiro de Gracia became the best selling Chilean rap group of all times with their debut Ser Hümano and that focused the interest of major record labels in rap music. As a result of this Sony approached Makiza and offered them a record deal. Aerolíneas Makiza was the result of this deal, a CD that included new and improved versions of some songs from Vida Salvaje plus new song, including the hit single "La Rosa De Los Vientos".
Aerolíneas Makiza put Makiza instantly at the top of the game of Latin American hip-hop. Their style of rap was much more evolved than most the other Spanish speaking rap published in the continent to the moment. Their production style resembled the New York underground sound inspired by the Native Tongues. Their lyrics lacked the overwhelming machismo and violence of average rap, focusing more in more sensitive matters. That helped them receive the approval from a wider and more educated audience that weren't involved in hip-hop culture.
However the momentum that Makiza gained with their first album didn't last very long. Right before the release of their second single and their touring through neighbor countries, Anita Tijoux decided to break off the group. At the moment she announced that she was abandoning not only Makiza but hip-hop as a whole and her music career as well.
In 2001 Anita Tijoux moved back to France where half of her relatives still lived. She stayed in France until 2004 and during that period she didn't release any music.
After her return to Chile in 2004 she started singing with a Chilean funk band called Aluzinati. That same year she appeared as a featured artist in Control Machete's last album: Uno Dos Bandera and she also recorded a song with Julieta Venegas for the soundtrack of the movie Subterra.
It came as a surprise to the fans when Makiza announced a reunion show to promote the re-release of Vida Salvaje, now re-mastered and in CD format. Due to the success of that historical concert, Anita and Seo2, the only two remaining members of Makiza decided to reunite the group and started working on new material.
Casino Royale was the name of the new Makiza CD, released on 2005 under the independent lavel Bizarro Records. The new formation of Makiza included a third MC: Sonido Acido and instead of using only one producer like they used to do in the past, they collaborated with different producers. As a result, fans were disappointed with this new album. In 2006 Anita Tijoux announced she was leaving Makiza again and launching her solo career.
Anita started recording demos for her long-awaited solo debut with different producers. At one point she even had a full band of live musicians with caused many of her fans to criticize for having moved from hip-hop to pop-rock. During this time she also collaborated as a guest vocalist in Julieta Venegas' radio-hit "Eres para Mí" which suddenly launched Anita Tijoux to the mainstream pop market all over Latin America, Spain and the U.S.A.
In September 2007 Anita Tijoux finally released her solo debut, named Kaos, under the independent label Oveja Negra. Thanks to the first single, "Despabílate", Anita was nominated for the Latin version of the MTV Video Music Awards 2007 under the categories: Best New Artist and Best Urban Artist. At the same time she was nominated for song of the year together with Julieta Venegas for "Eres Para Mí"
Discography
Vida Salvaje (Independent, 1998)
Aerolíneas Makiza (Sony, 1999)
Casino Royale (Bizarro, 2005)
Kaos (Oveja Negra, 2007)
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Angie Martinez
Angela Martinez (born January 9, 1971 in The Bronx, New York, USA) is an American radio and television personality. She also has a son with Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin [1] [2] of Dru Hill, Niko Ruffin (born 12 June 2003).[3] She is known for being a big time Jay z fan and infamously bias towards j in the great nas battle.
Radio success
Martinez got her first break in radio at the age of 16 answering hot lines at the urban radio station Hot 97. There she met popular dj Funkmaster Flex, and began working as his protégé. Martinez quickly picked up on the craft of running a successful radio program. Executives at the station decided to give her a chance, even though she lacked on-air experience. After only 3 months working over nights, Angie was offered the 6-10pm time slot Monday-Fridays, following the stations headlining talent Wendy Williams. She quickly gained a large fan following, and the popularity of her radio show quickly began to surpass Williams in the ratings. Williams became very competitive and a silent rivalry between the ladies quickly ensued. The tension between them made afternoons at the station very uncomfortable. One night as Williams was delivering her trademark celebrity gossip, she announced that Martinez had been secretly dating rapper Q-Tip, and then questioned her position at the station insinuating that her famous boyfriend had played a role in her promotion. Angie had been in the studio preparing for her own show, and grew infuriated. She stormed into Williams studio and the two ladies began hurling insults back and forth, which led to a physical altercation on-air. Producers and security attempted to break up the fight between the two women. The entire altercation had been broadcasted all over New York City.
Station producers and executives of Emmis Broadcasting began reviewing their options. Since she had started the feud, Williams was released from her contract with the station and Martinez was given her 2-6pm time slot, the most desired time in all of radio. The Angie Martinez Show quickly became the most popular show in all of New York until years later when the black owned radio station "WBLS" hired Wendy Williams. Wendy Williams slowly became the number one radio show in NY of the time slot 2-6. Wendy's show is syndicated and has far surpassed Angie to the point where there is a movie of Wendy's life soon to be released. Because of her radio success, Angie now calls her self "The Voice of New York".
Acting
In 2002 Martinez was hired by HBO to host a late night talk show entitled "Stretch". All guests would ride in the back of a stretch limo on their way to an event, and Angie would interview them about their latest project, what they did to prepare for the event and then they would show up at the event and the pair would go inside together. It gave a very intimate look into a celebrity preparation. The show was successful and caught the attention of television producer Simon Fuller. Fuller thought that Martinez would become an excellent addition to American Idol. Martinez signed a contract to be the fourth judge alongside Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell for the 2, 3 and 4 seasons of the FOX networks ratings giant. After only four days on the audition trial, Martinez admitted to not being able to crush the dreams of hopefuls. She said watching the aspiring singers leave in tears and breaking down with their families comforting them was too much for her to take. Martinez asked the Fox Network to be removed from the program. Throughout the remainder of that season she was replaced with different guests judges such as Clive Davis, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Quentin Tarantino, Brandy and Mark McGrath of rock band Sugar Ray. When HBO decided to branch from one channel into 8 sub channels that would concentrate on a certain demographic, scheduling conflicts while filming "Stretch" ensued. With the new taping schedule, it was cutting into her time with her radio show and promotions, Martinez stepped back from the program at that point.
As an actress, Angie received small roles in independent hip hop films such as Blood is Thicker Than Water and Paper Soldiers. She made her big screen big budget debut in Brown Sugar starring Taye Diggs, Queen Latifah and Sanaa Lathan. Critics praised Angie's performance, they were extremely surprised with her acting ability. Ebert & Roeper labeled her "a natural". This led to her next role in State Property 2. Again Angie received strong critical acclaim. She has also made television appearances for MTV, VH1 and The FUSE Network, and was featured on Ultimate Hustler season finale with show creator and friend Damon Dash on BET.
Music
Music career
In 1996, Martinez was encouraged to give rapping a shot by friend KRS-One. She appeared on his track "Heartbeat" from his 1996 album I Got Next. After the song gained a strong fan following, another friend, Lil' Kim, offered her a position on a remix of her song "Not Tonight" for the Nothing to Lose soundtrack. Along with Missy Elliott, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Da Brat, the ladies enjoyed one of the most successful singles of 1997. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Charts at #2, and reached #1 on the Hip-Hop / R&B charts and the Rap charts respectively. The single sold over 1,000,000 copies and was certified Platinum. The ladies were nominated for two Grammy Awards that year, and were also invited to perform the song live on The MTV Video Music Awards. A major label battle began to sign Martinez to a recording contract. Her appearance on other rapper's material was in high demand. She recorded songs with Mary J. Blige ("Christmas in the City"), Terror Squad ("Freak Out"), N.O.R.E. ("Oh No Remix"), Beenie Man ("Tell Me Remix") and Funkmaster Flex & Big Kap's compilation album The Tunnel ("Wow"). She also recorded interludes for mixtapes by Kid Capri, DJ Clue and DJ Kayslay. In 1999, she appeared in the music video for Jay-Z and R. Kelly's "Guilty Until Proven Innocent".
On August 17 2001, she finally issued her oft-delayed debut album, Up Close and Personal. The album included production by DJ Clue, Doro, Salaam Remi, and RocWilder among others, and featured guest appearances by Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Wyclef Jean, Busta Rhymes and Kool G. Rap. The first single, "Dem Thangz" was produced by The Neptunes, and also featured background vocals by Pharrell Williams and Q-Tip. The track failed to make a strong impression at radio, but the album enjoyed strong first week sales. It debuted at #32 on the Billboard Hot 200 Albums Chart and #10 on the Billboard Hip-Hop / R&B Charts selling 69,000 its first week. The second single, "Coast 2 Coast" (Suavamente) featuring rapper Wyclef Jean re-sparked interest in the album. She promoted the album with magazine posters, in-store signings, club appearances and television appearances with MTV and BET. The record received mixed reviews from critics, but like Martinez herself, was strongly accepted in the hip hop community. The album sold a very respectable 325,000 units.
Following her first album's release, Angie began work on a second record. In order to build anticipation for the record, she appeared on BET's Rap City and began a nation-wide radio tour. She recorded a verse for the remix to rapper Sacario's "Live Big". It became the number one record in the tri-state area and coincidentally considered with the release of Martinez's first single from her second album, "If I Could Go" which also featured rapper Sacario and singer Lil' Mo. "If I Could Go" became a huge crossover hit on pop radio, climbing into the top 10 on The Billboard Hot 100 Pop Charts. It became the #1 played on urban radio in 2002. The album, Animal House (named after Martinez's own production company and recording posse), was released on August 21 2002. It entered the Billboard Hot 200 Albums Chart at #11, and the Billboard Hot Hip-Hop / R&B Charts selling 92,000 units in its first week. The follow-up single, "Take You Home" featuring R&B singer Kelis didn't receive as much attention, did become a minor hit that winter. The album was more strongly received by critics and fans, and was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies. This made Martinez the first Puerto-Rican female hip-hop artist to ever receive an RIAA certified plaque of any kind. Following the release of the album, she was featured on a remix for labelmate Lil' Mo's track "Gangsta", and Nina Sky's hype single "Time to Go". Following this she announced she was retiring from the recording industry to concentrate on her other projects.
Awards/Nominations
BET Awards
2002, Best Female Hip-Hop Artist (Nominated)
Grammy Awards
1998, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group "Not Tonight" (Nominated)
Discography
Up Close and Personal
Release Date: April 17, 2001
Chart Positions: The Billboard 200: #32, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: #7
Sales: 350,000
RIAA Certification: -
Worldwide: -
Animal House
Release Date: August 20, 2002
Chart Positions: The Billboard 200: #11, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: #6
Sales: 500,000+
RIAA Certification: Gold
Worldwide: -
Modeling
As a model, Angie has worked with many "street-casual" hip hop clothing lines. She modeled for Ecko by Marc Ecko, and also became the face of his label RED, which promoted a more fashionable women's line. She has also modeled for IceBerg, Mercedes-Benz and Lucky Magazine.
On April 13 2004, Martinez teamed with rapper Missy Elliott to release their own collection of Adidas, Track Suits, sneakers, hats, etc. The label known as RESPECT ME, has been a huge hit with the company. Both women became the spokesmodels for the clothing line and appeared in promotion ads, posters and billboards. They also hosted the opening of the World's Largest Adidas store in New York City.
Radio success
Martinez got her first break in radio at the age of 16 answering hot lines at the urban radio station Hot 97. There she met popular dj Funkmaster Flex, and began working as his protégé. Martinez quickly picked up on the craft of running a successful radio program. Executives at the station decided to give her a chance, even though she lacked on-air experience. After only 3 months working over nights, Angie was offered the 6-10pm time slot Monday-Fridays, following the stations headlining talent Wendy Williams. She quickly gained a large fan following, and the popularity of her radio show quickly began to surpass Williams in the ratings. Williams became very competitive and a silent rivalry between the ladies quickly ensued. The tension between them made afternoons at the station very uncomfortable. One night as Williams was delivering her trademark celebrity gossip, she announced that Martinez had been secretly dating rapper Q-Tip, and then questioned her position at the station insinuating that her famous boyfriend had played a role in her promotion. Angie had been in the studio preparing for her own show, and grew infuriated. She stormed into Williams studio and the two ladies began hurling insults back and forth, which led to a physical altercation on-air. Producers and security attempted to break up the fight between the two women. The entire altercation had been broadcasted all over New York City.
Station producers and executives of Emmis Broadcasting began reviewing their options. Since she had started the feud, Williams was released from her contract with the station and Martinez was given her 2-6pm time slot, the most desired time in all of radio. The Angie Martinez Show quickly became the most popular show in all of New York until years later when the black owned radio station "WBLS" hired Wendy Williams. Wendy Williams slowly became the number one radio show in NY of the time slot 2-6. Wendy's show is syndicated and has far surpassed Angie to the point where there is a movie of Wendy's life soon to be released. Because of her radio success, Angie now calls her self "The Voice of New York".
Acting
In 2002 Martinez was hired by HBO to host a late night talk show entitled "Stretch". All guests would ride in the back of a stretch limo on their way to an event, and Angie would interview them about their latest project, what they did to prepare for the event and then they would show up at the event and the pair would go inside together. It gave a very intimate look into a celebrity preparation. The show was successful and caught the attention of television producer Simon Fuller. Fuller thought that Martinez would become an excellent addition to American Idol. Martinez signed a contract to be the fourth judge alongside Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell for the 2, 3 and 4 seasons of the FOX networks ratings giant. After only four days on the audition trial, Martinez admitted to not being able to crush the dreams of hopefuls. She said watching the aspiring singers leave in tears and breaking down with their families comforting them was too much for her to take. Martinez asked the Fox Network to be removed from the program. Throughout the remainder of that season she was replaced with different guests judges such as Clive Davis, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Quentin Tarantino, Brandy and Mark McGrath of rock band Sugar Ray. When HBO decided to branch from one channel into 8 sub channels that would concentrate on a certain demographic, scheduling conflicts while filming "Stretch" ensued. With the new taping schedule, it was cutting into her time with her radio show and promotions, Martinez stepped back from the program at that point.
As an actress, Angie received small roles in independent hip hop films such as Blood is Thicker Than Water and Paper Soldiers. She made her big screen big budget debut in Brown Sugar starring Taye Diggs, Queen Latifah and Sanaa Lathan. Critics praised Angie's performance, they were extremely surprised with her acting ability. Ebert & Roeper labeled her "a natural". This led to her next role in State Property 2. Again Angie received strong critical acclaim. She has also made television appearances for MTV, VH1 and The FUSE Network, and was featured on Ultimate Hustler season finale with show creator and friend Damon Dash on BET.
Music
Music career
In 1996, Martinez was encouraged to give rapping a shot by friend KRS-One. She appeared on his track "Heartbeat" from his 1996 album I Got Next. After the song gained a strong fan following, another friend, Lil' Kim, offered her a position on a remix of her song "Not Tonight" for the Nothing to Lose soundtrack. Along with Missy Elliott, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Da Brat, the ladies enjoyed one of the most successful singles of 1997. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Charts at #2, and reached #1 on the Hip-Hop / R&B charts and the Rap charts respectively. The single sold over 1,000,000 copies and was certified Platinum. The ladies were nominated for two Grammy Awards that year, and were also invited to perform the song live on The MTV Video Music Awards. A major label battle began to sign Martinez to a recording contract. Her appearance on other rapper's material was in high demand. She recorded songs with Mary J. Blige ("Christmas in the City"), Terror Squad ("Freak Out"), N.O.R.E. ("Oh No Remix"), Beenie Man ("Tell Me Remix") and Funkmaster Flex & Big Kap's compilation album The Tunnel ("Wow"). She also recorded interludes for mixtapes by Kid Capri, DJ Clue and DJ Kayslay. In 1999, she appeared in the music video for Jay-Z and R. Kelly's "Guilty Until Proven Innocent".
On August 17 2001, she finally issued her oft-delayed debut album, Up Close and Personal. The album included production by DJ Clue, Doro, Salaam Remi, and RocWilder among others, and featured guest appearances by Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Wyclef Jean, Busta Rhymes and Kool G. Rap. The first single, "Dem Thangz" was produced by The Neptunes, and also featured background vocals by Pharrell Williams and Q-Tip. The track failed to make a strong impression at radio, but the album enjoyed strong first week sales. It debuted at #32 on the Billboard Hot 200 Albums Chart and #10 on the Billboard Hip-Hop / R&B Charts selling 69,000 its first week. The second single, "Coast 2 Coast" (Suavamente) featuring rapper Wyclef Jean re-sparked interest in the album. She promoted the album with magazine posters, in-store signings, club appearances and television appearances with MTV and BET. The record received mixed reviews from critics, but like Martinez herself, was strongly accepted in the hip hop community. The album sold a very respectable 325,000 units.
Following her first album's release, Angie began work on a second record. In order to build anticipation for the record, she appeared on BET's Rap City and began a nation-wide radio tour. She recorded a verse for the remix to rapper Sacario's "Live Big". It became the number one record in the tri-state area and coincidentally considered with the release of Martinez's first single from her second album, "If I Could Go" which also featured rapper Sacario and singer Lil' Mo. "If I Could Go" became a huge crossover hit on pop radio, climbing into the top 10 on The Billboard Hot 100 Pop Charts. It became the #1 played on urban radio in 2002. The album, Animal House (named after Martinez's own production company and recording posse), was released on August 21 2002. It entered the Billboard Hot 200 Albums Chart at #11, and the Billboard Hot Hip-Hop / R&B Charts selling 92,000 units in its first week. The follow-up single, "Take You Home" featuring R&B singer Kelis didn't receive as much attention, did become a minor hit that winter. The album was more strongly received by critics and fans, and was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies. This made Martinez the first Puerto-Rican female hip-hop artist to ever receive an RIAA certified plaque of any kind. Following the release of the album, she was featured on a remix for labelmate Lil' Mo's track "Gangsta", and Nina Sky's hype single "Time to Go". Following this she announced she was retiring from the recording industry to concentrate on her other projects.
Awards/Nominations
BET Awards
2002, Best Female Hip-Hop Artist (Nominated)
Grammy Awards
1998, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group "Not Tonight" (Nominated)
Discography
Up Close and Personal
Release Date: April 17, 2001
Chart Positions: The Billboard 200: #32, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: #7
Sales: 350,000
RIAA Certification: -
Worldwide: -
Animal House
Release Date: August 20, 2002
Chart Positions: The Billboard 200: #11, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: #6
Sales: 500,000+
RIAA Certification: Gold
Worldwide: -
Modeling
As a model, Angie has worked with many "street-casual" hip hop clothing lines. She modeled for Ecko by Marc Ecko, and also became the face of his label RED, which promoted a more fashionable women's line. She has also modeled for IceBerg, Mercedes-Benz and Lucky Magazine.
On April 13 2004, Martinez teamed with rapper Missy Elliott to release their own collection of Adidas, Track Suits, sneakers, hats, etc. The label known as RESPECT ME, has been a huge hit with the company. Both women became the spokesmodels for the clothing line and appeared in promotion ads, posters and billboards. They also hosted the opening of the World's Largest Adidas store in New York City.
Amil
Amil Whitehead (born September 19, 1978(1978-09-19) in New York, New York, United States) also known as Amil or Amilion is a female rapper from New York City who is known for her unique vocals. She was prominent in the late 1990s as a Jay-Z protegé, most notably on the single "Can I Get A..." from the Rush Hour soundtrack.
She is multiracial, having an African-American father and a biracial mother of European (Swedish) and Cherokee parentage. She originally hails from New York City and has lived in all five boroughs.
Early career
In 1997, she was involved with the all-female group Major Coinz. The group met Jay-Z, who was looking for a woman to provide vocals on his third album, Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. The part for the female rapper was really for her friend, but when Jay-Z asked Amil to freestyle and liked it, he decided to put her on the song instead. Amil wanting to remain loyal to her friend did not prefer to be put on the song, but Jay-Z allowed them both to do a version of the song. Since then she appeared on his following 3 albums and in many videos by Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Beanie Sigel, Ja Rule, Tamar Braxton and Jaz-O such as, "Nigga What, Nigga Who" and "Can I Get A..." and "Get None" her vocals were also featured on many album-tracks. For example: "Hey Papi", Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up), "S. Carter" and "Playa". In 1998 Amil, Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z and Memphis Bleek, being the main Roc-A-Fella artists at the time, formed supergroup "The Dynasty". Together they released the album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. It's the only Dynasty Album they released.
All Money Is Legal
After Major Coinz broke up, Amil decided to pursue a solo career with Jay-Z's label, Roc-a-Fella and released her solo debut, A.M.I.L - All Money Is Legal in 2000. The album featured the hit single "I Got That", a duet with Beyoncé also known as the lead singer of R&B group Destiny's Child and "All-Star-Roc-A-Fella-single" "4 Da Fam". The album features Memphis Bleek, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Carl Thomas, Eve, and Beanie Sigel. Album sales were extremely disappointing and the singles didn't sell well either. After the album her last Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam single was released: Hey Papi. A song from the soundtrack to The Nutty Professor II. But due the fact that she wasn't featured in the video it's expected that she had already been dropped by that time.
After Roc-a-Fella
Amil had also gained weight, as she stated, because she wanted to have a baby. Her weight gain was much to Jay-Z's chagrin and he publicly chastised her appearance. It is rumored of these factors contributed to Amil's departure from the label and led to her hiatus from the recording industry. She went on a public relations crusade and her story was heavily circulated through rap music publications prior to her exit from the Roc-a-Fella roster. Amil is a mother and bought a home down south.
Amil re-grouped with the Major Coinz and has released songs on the mixtape circuit. She is currently signed to D.O.E. and a distribution deal with Baby Grande, who is owned by the producer of the movie Soul Plane.
She is multiracial, having an African-American father and a biracial mother of European (Swedish) and Cherokee parentage. She originally hails from New York City and has lived in all five boroughs.
Early career
In 1997, she was involved with the all-female group Major Coinz. The group met Jay-Z, who was looking for a woman to provide vocals on his third album, Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. The part for the female rapper was really for her friend, but when Jay-Z asked Amil to freestyle and liked it, he decided to put her on the song instead. Amil wanting to remain loyal to her friend did not prefer to be put on the song, but Jay-Z allowed them both to do a version of the song. Since then she appeared on his following 3 albums and in many videos by Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Beanie Sigel, Ja Rule, Tamar Braxton and Jaz-O such as, "Nigga What, Nigga Who" and "Can I Get A..." and "Get None" her vocals were also featured on many album-tracks. For example: "Hey Papi", Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up), "S. Carter" and "Playa". In 1998 Amil, Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z and Memphis Bleek, being the main Roc-A-Fella artists at the time, formed supergroup "The Dynasty". Together they released the album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. It's the only Dynasty Album they released.
All Money Is Legal
After Major Coinz broke up, Amil decided to pursue a solo career with Jay-Z's label, Roc-a-Fella and released her solo debut, A.M.I.L - All Money Is Legal in 2000. The album featured the hit single "I Got That", a duet with Beyoncé also known as the lead singer of R&B group Destiny's Child and "All-Star-Roc-A-Fella-single" "4 Da Fam". The album features Memphis Bleek, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Carl Thomas, Eve, and Beanie Sigel. Album sales were extremely disappointing and the singles didn't sell well either. After the album her last Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam single was released: Hey Papi. A song from the soundtrack to The Nutty Professor II. But due the fact that she wasn't featured in the video it's expected that she had already been dropped by that time.
After Roc-a-Fella
Amil had also gained weight, as she stated, because she wanted to have a baby. Her weight gain was much to Jay-Z's chagrin and he publicly chastised her appearance. It is rumored of these factors contributed to Amil's departure from the label and led to her hiatus from the recording industry. She went on a public relations crusade and her story was heavily circulated through rap music publications prior to her exit from the Roc-a-Fella roster. Amil is a mother and bought a home down south.
Amil re-grouped with the Major Coinz and has released songs on the mixtape circuit. She is currently signed to D.O.E. and a distribution deal with Baby Grande, who is owned by the producer of the movie Soul Plane.
Ak'Sent
Ak'Sent (born Krystle Kantrece Johnson on May 29, 1987) is an American rapper and singer from Los Angeles,California.
Background
She is of African-American and Latino heritage. Signed to a major label when she was only 16 years old, MC Ak'Sent grew up quick thanks to a rough childhood. Her father, an aspiring rapper caught up in a gang lifestyle, was killed in a shooting when she was only four. With her mother unable to support her on her own, Ak'Sent was sent to live with her grandparents in L.A.'s South Central, where her African-American/Latino background had her wondering where to fit in. Adding to her challenges, rap music wasn't allowed in her grandparent's house, but as Ak'Sent learned more about her father's hip-hop aspirations, she decided she had to carry on in his honor. She eventually spent time in several R&B-based girl groups and began dance training with Debbie Allen. One showcase at the age of 16 had the young multi-talent signed to Capitol and working with the Jugganauts production team. Ak'Sent was especially excited about the Caribbean-styled beats the Jugganauts were working on, and soon she was writing a series of dancehall numbers.
Music
One of these was the future hit Zingy, featuring guest star Beenie Man, who Ak'Sent herself had chosen because she was a huge fan. Her debut, International, landed in 2006 with a Spanish language remix of Zingy and an ode to her departed father titled My Life, these are taken from her first studio album, International. As well as various mixtapes, her first album was ready to sell. International is the first Studio album from hip-hop artist Ak'Sent. However, it was only released in Japan.It features the first single, 'Zingy'.
Background
She is of African-American and Latino heritage. Signed to a major label when she was only 16 years old, MC Ak'Sent grew up quick thanks to a rough childhood. Her father, an aspiring rapper caught up in a gang lifestyle, was killed in a shooting when she was only four. With her mother unable to support her on her own, Ak'Sent was sent to live with her grandparents in L.A.'s South Central, where her African-American/Latino background had her wondering where to fit in. Adding to her challenges, rap music wasn't allowed in her grandparent's house, but as Ak'Sent learned more about her father's hip-hop aspirations, she decided she had to carry on in his honor. She eventually spent time in several R&B-based girl groups and began dance training with Debbie Allen. One showcase at the age of 16 had the young multi-talent signed to Capitol and working with the Jugganauts production team. Ak'Sent was especially excited about the Caribbean-styled beats the Jugganauts were working on, and soon she was writing a series of dancehall numbers.
Music
One of these was the future hit Zingy, featuring guest star Beenie Man, who Ak'Sent herself had chosen because she was a huge fan. Her debut, International, landed in 2006 with a Spanish language remix of Zingy and an ode to her departed father titled My Life, these are taken from her first studio album, International. As well as various mixtapes, her first album was ready to sell. International is the first Studio album from hip-hop artist Ak'Sent. However, it was only released in Japan.It features the first single, 'Zingy'.
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