Beyonce Knowles

     Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), commonly known as Beyoncé is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools, and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of R&B girl group Destiny’s Child, the second best-selling girl group of all time.
     Houston native Beyonce Knowles first came to prominence as one-third of the Contemporary R&B trio, Destiny’s Child. Beyonce played Foxy Cleopatra in “Austin Powers: Goldmember.” Knowles was the last member of Destiny’s Child to release solo material. Beyonce and her mother Tina have started their own fashion line called House of Dereon. Beyonce has acted in other films, but her bid for lasting screen stardom began with the 2006 movie musical “Dream Girls.”
     The success of her solo albums has established her as one of the most marketable artists in the industry. However, she has also added acting and endorsement deals to her repertoire. In 2006, she starred alongside Steve Martin and Kevin Kline in the comedy The Pink Panther, and that same year, scored the main role in the film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls. Knowles launched her family’s fashion line House of Deréon in 2004, and among her many lucrative commercial deals are Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, and L’Oréal. Knowles has been with long-time boyfriend Jay-Z since 2002, though they have been discreet about their relationship. After much speculation, they married on April 4, 2008.

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Chris Brown

     Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American R&B singer-songwriter, dancer, music video director and actor.
     Chris Brown’s debut single, “Run It!,” features a verse from Juelz Santana and a beat from super-producer Scott Storch. Clearly influenced by crossover megastar Usher, Chris Brown’s musical style is glossy R&B with a touch of rap. Signed to Jive Records, Chris dropped his first single when he was just 16 years old. With “Run It!”, Brown became the youngest male solo artist to release a single that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Brown dropped out of school to begin his career in music; now he’s being tutored as a home-schooler so he can graduate.
     In late 2005, he released his first studio album, Chris Brown, which spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number-one debut single, “Run It!” which was produced by Scott Storch and featured Juelz Santana. The album also produced two other top ten singles: “Yo (Excuse Me Miss)” and “Say, Goodbye.” Brown’s second studio album, Exclusive was released worldwide in November 2007. It has spawned his second US number one hit, “Kiss Kiss” which was produced by T-Pain, who was also featured in the song . The third single, “With You”, has reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has entered into the top ten in several countries across the world, becoming one of his most successful worldwide releases to date.

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Rihanna

     Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988, is a Barbadian singer, songwriter and model. She is the second artist, and first female, from Barbados to have received a Grammy Award (the first being Jimmy Senya Haynes). Rihanna is currently signed to the Def Jam Recordings label. Since the release of her debut album Music of the Sun in 2005, Rihanna has amassed ten Top 40 hit singles on the US.
     Barbados’ Rihanna wants to bring some of that Caribbean fun to U.S. rap and R&B audiences. Rihanna was born in 1988; she signed to Def Jam Records before her 20th birthday. Rihanna’s single “Pon De Replay” started getting attention in summer 2005. Her full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty; she was born on the island of Barbados in February of 1988. Rihanna peformed at the 2007 MTV VMAs in heels with a broken toe!

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Bo Diddley

     Bo Diddley (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008) was an American rock and roll singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Often cited as a key figure in the transition from blues to rock and roll, he introduced more insistent, driving rhythms and a hard-edged guitar sound. He was also known for his characteristic rectangular guitar.
     One of the main architects of rock ‘n’ roll, Bo Diddley’s unique rhythmic guitar playing is key element in rock ‘n’ roll. Bo Diddley’s early material was influenced by Muddy Waters, Louis Jordan and John Lee Hooker. Born Elias Bates, Bo Diddley earned his new name during his short career as a boxer. British bands such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Pretty Things were all heavily influence by Bo Diddley. Nearly every British Invasion band covered at least one Diddley as part of their repertoire.

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Mariah Carey

     Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. She made her recording debut in 1990 under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, and became the first recording artist to have her first five singles top the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following her marriage to Mottola in 1993, a series of hit records established her position as Columbia’s highest-selling act. According to Billboard magazine, she was the most successful artist of the 1990s in the United States.
     With a No. 1 single each year in the decade, Mariah Carey is the biggest-selling female solo artist of the 1990s. Mariah Carey’s mother was an opera singer turned vocal coach. Now we know how Mariah got that five-octave range! In 1993, Carey wed Tommy Mottola, the head of her record label. The two divorced four years later. In 1999, Carey pushed ahead of the Beatles as the artist with the most cumulative weeks spent topping the singles chart. Mariah Carey is from Long Island, N.Y. She moved to New York City the day after graduating high school.
     Following her separation from Mottola in 1997, Carey introduced elements of hip hop into her album work, to much initial success, but her popularity was in decline when she left Columbia in 2001, and she was dropped by Virgin Records the following year after a highly publicized physical and emotional breakdown, as well as the poor reception given to Glitter, her film and soundtrack project. In 2002, Carey signed with Island Records, and after a relatively unsuccessful period, she returned to the forefront of pop music in 2005.

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