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I love SZA, she was on the Billboard Global 200 chart for 2 weeks. She is very influential and her latest album has been in many hearts.

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Solána Imani Rowe (born November 8, 1989), known professionally as SZA ( SIZ-ə), is an American singer and songwriter. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, she began making music in the early 2010s, releasing two extended plays before signing with the hip hop record label Top Dawg Entertainment, through which she released (2014), her third EP and first retail release. That same year, she co-wrote " Feeling Myself" with Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé. In 2016, she was featured on Rihanna's song " Consideration".

SZA's debut studio album, (2017), was released to universal acclaim from music critics. It became the second longest-charting R&B album by a woman in the history of the US Billboard 200, and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). At the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, the album earned her four nominations, including Best New Artist. In 2020, it was placed on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. In August 2017, she was featured on Maroon 5's top-ten hit single " What Lovers Do". The next year, she collaborated with Kendrick Lamar to create the top ten single " All the Stars" for the Black Panther soundtrack, for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award and Academy Award for Best Original Song.

In 2020, she released the single " Good Days"; the following year saw the release of the singles " I Hate U" and Doja Cat's " Kiss Me More", which she was featured on; all three singles reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2021, with the latter breaking the record for the longest-running all-female collaboration within the top ten, and earning her the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. SZA's second album, SOS (2022), reached number-one on Billboard 200 chart, breaking the record for the biggest streaming week ever for an R&B album, and remained atop the chart for seven consecutive weeks. The album's singles " Nobody Gets Me" and " Kill Bill" were both top-ten hits; the latter peaked at number one on the Billboard Global 200 charts.

Early and personal life

Solána Imani Rowe was born in 1989 on November 8 in St. Louis, Missouri, and raised in Maplewood, New Jersey. Her father was an executive producer at CNN, while her mother was an executive at AT&T. Rowe has an older half-sister, Tiffany Daniels, and an older brother, Daniel, aka Manhattan, a rapper. Her mother is Christian and her father is Muslim. She was raised as a Muslim and continues to follow Islam.

It's like the belief in one God, all the pillars of Islam et cetera, and I think those are ideas that will never leave me, those make sense in my spirit. It's the way that I connect with God; it has always made sense to me. I think I would love to wear my hijab but I feel like I don't wanna wear my hijab and talk crazy on stage and be in videos with Travis Scott. Like I don't wanna be disrespectful because I have too much love and respect for the religion, for my father, and for myself.

She attended a Muslim prep school every day after her regular schooling. However, due to the September 11 attacks, Rowe was subjected to bullying in 7th grade, leading her to stop wearing her hijab. Rowe attended Columbia High School, where she was active in sports, including gymnastics and cheerleading. After graduating from high school in 2008, Rowe later went to three separate colleges, finally settling at Delaware State University to study marine biology. She eventually dropped out in her last semester; however, she immediately started taking on random jobs in order to make money. Rowe formed her stage name from the Supreme Alphabet, taking influence from rapper RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. The last two letters in her name stand for Zig-Zag and Allah, while the first letter S can mean either savior or sovereign.

2011-2014: Career beginnings and EPs

SZA first met members of Top Dawg Entertainment during the CMJ New Music Report in 2011, when her boyfriend's clothing company sponsored a show in which Kendrick Lamar was performing. Her early music was given to TDE president Terrence "Punch" Henderson, who was surprised with the quality of the material. The two stayed in touch, and after SZA began generating buzz with the release of her two EPs, TDE stepped in to sign her in 2013, making her the label's first female artist. SZA's early music was recorded with her friends and neighbors in which they "stole a bunch of beats off the Internet". On October 29, 2012, SZA self-released her debut EP .

On April 10, 2013, SZA released her second EP, , which was met with positive reviews from music critics. SZA promoted the extended play with the release of a music video for the song "Ice Moon", directed by Lemar & Dauley. On July 14, 2013, Top Dawg signed SZA. In October 2013, SZA went on a four show tour with Swedish band Little Dragon; starting on October 17 at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles and ending on October 24 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. In December 2013, SZA released the song "Teen Spirit" which was followed by the release of a remix featuring American rapper 50 Cent, along with a music video directed by APlusFilmz. In 2014, SZA featured on a variety of songs from her label-mates albums including two songs for Isaiah Rashad's debut EP Cilvia Demo as well as featuring on Schoolboy Q's debut studio album .

On March 26, 2014, she released the single "Child's Play" featuring Chance the Rapper and produced by Dae One & XXYYXX. A studio EP, Z, was released on April 8, 2014; the lead single, "Babylon" was accompanied with a music video directed by APlusFilmz. To promote Z, SZA performed at several performance showcases at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas. SZA made her chart debut in the UK, where Z charted at number thirty-two on the R&B Charts, during the week ending April 19, 2014. Z debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number thirty nine, selling 6,980 copies in its opening week; the album also peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hip hop/R&B chart.

SZA subsequently began recording her fourth EP, A. In July 2014, SZA featured on Kitty Cash's single "Moodring". Later that month, SZA released a collaboration with Jill Scott called "Divinity". On July 11, 2014, SZA released a video for her song "Julia" from Z. In December SZA and The Internet supported Aiko's "Enter The Void" tour. On November 18, 2014, SZA released a song called "Sobriety".

2015-2018: Ctrl and breakthrough

Whilst working on A, (now repackaged as her debut studio album and later retitled Ctrl), SZA began writing songs for other female artists including Beyoncé and Rihanna. Along with Rihanna and Tyran Donaldson, SZA co-wrote " Consideration" for Rihanna's album (2016); besides writing, SZA also appeared on the track and later performed "Consideration" with Rihanna live at the 2016 Brit Awards on February 24, 2016.

In January 2017, SZA released "Drew Barrymore", the lead single from her upcoming album . On April 28, 2017, SZA signed her first major-label recording contract with RCA Records. On June 9, 2017, SZA released her debut album, Ctrl, to universal acclaim from music critics, scoring an 86 out of 100 rating on Metacritic. Ctrl debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200, with 125,000 album-equivalent units, of which 80,000 were pure album sales; the album was supported by several singles, including " Love Galore", which peaked in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was later certified platinum. Ctrl was ranked as the best album of 2017 by .

From August 20 to December 22, 2017, SZA promoted the album on a North American concert tour. SZA opened for the European portion of Bryson Tiller's "Set It Off Tour" in support of his album True to Self from October 17, 2017, to November 30, 2017, separate from SZA's tour.

In August 2017, SZA collaborated with American pop rock band Maroon 5 on their single " What Lovers Do" from their sixth studio album Red Pill Blues. The single reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. This marked SZA's first top-ten hit as a featured artist on the Hot 100. The following month SZA released "Quicksand", which appeared on the soundtrack for HBO's , and, alongside Khalid and Post Malone, was featured on the remix version of Lorde's single " Homemade Dynamite", from her second studio album . Also in 2017, SZA worked on a joint album with Mark Ronson and Tame Impala.

On November 28, 2017, SZA received five Grammy nominations including one for Best New Artist. She received the most nominations of any female artist for the 2018 Awards and was the fourth most nominated artist in total. Despite this, she did not end up winning any of the awards she was nominated for.

In January 2018, SZA featured with Kendrick Lamar on the track " All the Stars", which was released as the lead single to the soundtrack album of the film Black Panther. The single peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and this made SZA's second top-ten hit on the chart, after Maroon 5, "What Lovers Do" which peaked at number 9 on the chart. SZA collaborated with Cardi B on the track " I Do" for the album Invasion of Privacy.

2019-present: Collaborations and SOS

In May 2019, SZA featured on DJ Khaled's eleventh studio album, Father of Asahd, on the track " Just Us". A music video was later released for the song. On February 26, 2020, SZA and Justin Timberlake released " The Other Side", a song part of the Trolls World Tour soundtrack, alongside its music video. In March 2020, SZA signed with WME for representation in all areas. SZA performed, together with artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi and Halsey, a benefit concert for the state of New Jersey, in support of the state's work fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. It took place on April 22, 2020, through at-home performances and the revenue will go to the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund. On May 25, 2020, SZA showed interest on Twitter in releasing "a music dump" of previously unreleased material, potentially containing 20 songs.

In August 2020, SZA tweeted and deleted, "At this point y'all gotta ask punch," referring to Terrence "Punch" Henderson, who is president of Top Dawg Entertainment. In another tweet, SZA indicated that "all [Punch] says to her" about releasing new music is "soon." This revealed that her relationship with her label owner Punch ( Top Dawg Entertainment) has been hostile since the delays of her second album which was last announced back in an interview in 2019. SZA came back with her first release as a lead artist since 2017 on September 4, 2020, with " Hit Different", featuring Ty Dolla Sign, and production from The Neptunes. On December 25, 2020, SZA released " Good Days" on streaming platforms as a single after it originally debuted as a snippet in the outro of the "Hit Different" music video. English singer Jacob Collier provided background vocals for the single. The song hit its peak of number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it SZA's first top-ten single as a solo artist, despite SZA herself revealing that it was not initially planned to be a single. Both tracks were expected to appear on her then upcoming second studio album.

On April 9, 2021, SZA was featured on the Doja Cat single " Kiss Me More". It became a number-one hit in New Zealand and reached the Top 40 in over a dozen countries, further having earned top-ten placements in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and Lithuania. The song also has a music video which premiered the same day as the single and was directed by Warren Fu.

In late 2021, SZA's cover of " The Anonymous Ones" was released. It is a song written for the soundtrack of the 2021 film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen. Her version of the song also plays during the closing credits of the film itself.

A long-awaited collaboration from SZA with Summer Walker, " No Love" was finally released on November 5, 2021, after previously being teased back in late June via Walker's Instagram. After its success on the R&B charts, it later became an official single when the extended version was released in March the following year, along with a music video.

On December 3, 2021, SZA released the song " I Hate U", after it went viral on TikTok; it was originally released exclusively on SoundCloud in August 2021. SZA confirmed after the 64th Annual Grammy Awards that she had finished her second album and is planning on releasing it "soon".

On June 9, 2022, SZA released a deluxe version of her debut studio album Ctrl to commemorate its 5-year anniversary. It featured 7 previously unreleased songs, such as "2AM", "Jodie", "Percolator", and an alternative version of " Love Galore" without Travis Scott.

On October 28, 2022, a new single called " Shirt" has been released, alongside its music video starring actor LaKeith Stanfield. The song was originally teased by SZA in late 2020 and after it gained popularity on TikTok because of a viral challenge, a snippet appeared as an outro at the end of the official music video of "Good Days". SZA teased another snippet of a song at the end of her new song's music video which she revealed to be called "Blind".

On her 33rd birthday on November 8, 2022, SZA released a teaser titled "PSA" on her Instagram. The video ends with a morse code for "S.O.S.", sparking speculations about an upcoming project. On November 16, 2022, officially confirmed that her second studio album is titled and was set for a December release date. On November 30, 2022, SZA posted the cover of her upcoming album SOS to her Instagram account. After performing "Shirt" and "Blind" on NBC's Saturday Night Live, SZA announced that the album would be released on December 9, 2022. The album has so far spent its first five weeks atop the Billboard 200 Albums Chart in the United States, becoming the first female R&B album of the 21st Century to achieve this feat.

In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked SZA at number 180 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Influences

SZA's vocal style has been described as taking on the "lilt" of a jazz singer. SZA is known as TDE's first female signee and first singer, which also drew attention during the early stages of her career. According to Marissa G. Muller of Rolling Stone magazine, SZA's vocals alternate between a "vapory husk and a sky-high falsetto". Jordan Sargent of magazine labeled SZA's vocals as being "chillwave" and "ethereal". SZA disputes her music being labelled as hip hop, R&B and pop, stating she often listens to a variety of music including Stevie Nicks, classical jazz, folk, and rap. Further, she said: "when you try to label it [her music], you remove the option for it to be limitless. It diminishes the music." SZA began writing songs due to being "passionate" about writing, and enjoyed poetry; when writing lyrics, SZA "freestyles" them in order to express whatever comes to her "mind", noting that it does not always make sense to herself. Thematically, SZA's work contains "unravelling lyrics", that touch upon themes of sexuality, nostalgia, and abandonment.

SZA's musical style has been described as "alt R&B". SZA's songs are built over "layers of sliced, delayed, and reversed vocals" and contains "twists and mutates". Reggie Ugwu from Billboard magazine found her musical style to feature an "agnostic utopia dripping with mood", that straddles the "line between minimalist R&B, '80s synth pop and soul". SZA's music is primarily PBR&B and neo-soul, but has been noted for taking influences from a broad variety of genres including soul, hip hop, minimalist R&B, indie rock, cloud rap, ethereal R&B, witch house and chillwave elements. Michael Madden described SZA's musical style as being characterized by "genre agnosticism", noting that her work is not just one style of music and is versatile, noting the musical style is not just "R&B, pop, soul, or one thing at all".

SZA listens to Ella Fitzgerald for vocal influence, and has said that Lauryn Hill is one of her personal influences. SZA also cites a wide range of musical artists as influences, including Meelah, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, LFO, Macy Gray, Common, Björk, Jamiroquai, and "a lot of Wu, Nas, Mos Def, Hov". Speaking on her influences, SZA said: "[My] personal influences came from dancing with American Ballet Theatre and doing pieces to Björk [music]. That's the only time I had really any outside influence to music. So, the people that I fell in love with on a musical level were always much older. Jamiroquai is just, like, the shit for me." In an interview for Live Nation Entertainment, SZA described the meeting she had with Beyoncé for the writing of the song " Feeling Myself", affirming "Beyoncé might be the most perfect, beautiful being I've ever met in my whole life. She's the most inspirational woman on earth, next to my mother". SZA also spoke about Rihanna, admiring her strong and confident attitude, of someone who does only the music she wants to do, and that if there's anybody that she could imagine singing her words, it would be Rihanna. SZA has expressed admiration for singer Ashanti, citing her as a major inspiration and someone she's loved since childhood.

During an interview, SZA said she is less inspired by strictly music, and more inspired by creating art in general; she has looked up to people who were not "typical artists" including her "favorite gymnast, ice-skater, saxophonist, painter, or movie director," continuing to say she was particularly inspired by film director Spike Lee. During an interview with , SZA spoke on her style influences, saying a large amount of her style inspiration comes from movies, including Wes Anderson films, praising his use of "pantone color palette" and that she "would love to dress like a character from Moonrise Kingdom. Or perhaps Bill Murray in The Life Aquatic." Along with her music, SZA's image has been compared to neo-soul artists Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. SZA's hair became a point of interest during the early stages of her career and she discussed it in interviews with Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. During her performances, SZA tends to wear "free-flowing" clothes that are easy to move around in and wears pajamas or baggy clothing onstage.

Discography

Headlining

Co-headlining

Supporting

Awards and nominations

Throughout her career, SZA has gained one Grammy Award from fourteen nominations, a Golden Globe nomination, and an Academy Award nomination. She has earned one American Music Award, one Billboard Music Award, two MTV Video Music Awards, two BET Awards, including Best New Artist in 2018, and received the "Rulebreaker Award" at the Billboard Women in Music event in 2018. SZA also won the Soul Train Music Award for Best New Artist in 2017.

In September 2022, SZA was applauded as one of the rising stars on the TIME100 Next List. At the 2022 Grammy Awards, SZA won with Doja Cat for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their hit collaboration "Kiss Me More".

References

External links

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Solána Imani Rowe (born November 8, 1989), known professionally as SZA ( SIZ-ə ), is an American singer and songwriter. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, she began making music in the early 2010s, releasing two extended plays before signing with the hip hop record label Top Dawg Entertainment, through which she released (2014), her third EP and first retail release.

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https://www.theroot.com/list/the-root-100-2022
This link is to some more info on Lizzo, I've always loved her music and how positive it is. I recently saw in her Grammy acceptance speech that since she was little, Beyoncé was her biggest role model and that she wanted to also make positive feel-good music just like her.
I was so happy to see so many influential women leading the Grammy's this year, like Beyoncé setting the record for being the most awarded artist ever in Grammy history, Viola Davis becoming the 3rd black woman in history to achieve EGOT status, Lizzo winning record of the year, Samara Joy becoming the 10th black woman to win "Best New Artist" and Tems being the first ever Nigerian female artist to win a Grammy.

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The Root's annual list of the most influential African Americans in the fields of arts, community, business, entertainment, media, politics, science and sports.

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Kevin Hart is important to me because he brings light to problems in funny ways and I like that he does that

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Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. After winning several stand-up comedy competitions, Hart had his first breakthrough when Judd Apatow cast him in a recurring role on the TV series Undeclared (2001). He has since had roles in films such as Paper Soldiers (2002), Scary Movie 3 (2003), (2004), (2005), Little Fockers (2010), Think Like a Man (2012), Grudge Match (2013), (2014) About Last Night (2014), (2015), Central Intelligence (2016), The Secret Life of Pets film franchise (2016-2019), Ride Along 2 (2016), Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017), the Jumanji film franchise (2017-present), and Night School (2018). He also created and starred as a fictionalized version of himself in Real Husbands of Hollywood (2013-2016).

Hart's comedic reputation continued to grow with the release of his first stand-up album I'm a Grown Little Man (2009). He has since released four more comedy albums: Seriously Funny (2010), Laugh at My Pain (2011), Let Me Explain (2013), and (2016). In 2015, magazine named him on its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2017, he launched the Laugh Out Loud Network, a subscription video streaming service in partnership with Lionsgate.

Kevin Darnell Hart was born in Philadelphia on July 6, 1979, the son of Nancy Hart (died 2007) and Henry Robert Witherspoon. He has an older brother named Robert. He was raised in a single-parent household by his mother, who worked as a systems analyst for the Office of Student Registration and Financial Services at the University of Pennsylvania. His father was a cocaine addict who was in and out of jail throughout most of Hart's childhood, prompting Hart to use humor as a way to cope with his troubled family life. His relationship with his father improved after his father recovered from his addiction. He would also later talk about his mother in his stand-up routine, portraying her as a loving yet intimidating woman.

After graduating from George Washington High School, Hart briefly attended the Community College of Philadelphia before dropping out and moving to New York City. While some sources claimed that Hart spent time living in Brockton, Massachusetts, Hart later clarified that he had never lived in Massachusetts. He spent some time working as a shoe salesman.

Hart's first stand-up performance took place at The Laff House in his native Philadelphia under the name of Lil Kev, which did not go well. His career suffered a slow start and he was booed offstage several times, once even having a piece of chicken thrown at him. After those initial unsuccessful shows, he began entering comedy competitions throughout Massachusetts, with audience receptions eventually improving. It took time for Hart to develop a unique comedic style. After an early period of attempting to imitate comedians like Chris Tucker, he found his own rhythm by delving into his insecurities and life experiences. He said, "Because of what I do, it has to be an open book. But right now this is a book that is being written."

Hart's comedy tours began in 2009 with his act titled I'm a Grown Little Man, followed by Seriously Funny in 2010, Laugh at My Pain in 2011, and Let Me Explain in 2013, the last two of which were also released as features in movie theaters. Hart grossed over $15 million from "Laugh at My Pain", making it one of the year's top-selling comedy tours. Hart also has a game available through iTunes called "Little Jumpman". His Facebook page, Twitter account, and YouTube channel are all connected to and accessible through this app. Most overseas fans of Hart discovered him on YouTube, as well.

On April 9, 2015, Hart embarked on a comedy world tour titled the What Now? Tour at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, which concluded on August 7, 2016, at the Columbus Civic Center in Columbus, Georgia. On July 16, 2015, Universal Pictures announced that Kevin Hart: What Now?, a stand-up comedy film featuring a performance of Hart's What Now? Tour, would be theatrically released in the United States on October 14, 2016. The show was filmed live on August 30, 2015, in front of 53,000 people, at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.

Film and television roles

Hart and Charles M. Robinson in October 2009

Hart had a guest appearance in the 2002 sitcom, Undeclared. He made his film debut in the 2002 film Paper Soldiers. Hart then had other films roles such as the Scary Movie franchise, , The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Death at a Funeral and Little Fockers. He turned down a role in the 2008 film Tropic Thunder because the character is gay, citing his own "insecurities".

He played Doug in the film The Five-Year Engagement (2012) and appeared in Think Like a Man which was a box office success. He also appeared in the sequel. He had a cameo as himself in This Is the End. In 2013, Hart played a boxing promoter in Grudge Match and appeared in Exit Strategy as Mannequin Head Man. He also appeared in 35 and Ticking.

In 2014, Hart starred as Ben in , opposite Ice Cube. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, but was a major box office success. Hart returned in the sequel, Ride Along 2, which was released on January 15, 2016.

In 2013, Hart co-created Real Husbands of Hollywood with Chris Spencer. The show follows Hart along with other married celebrities (each playing a comical fictionalized version of themselves) within the series including: Boris Kodjoe, Nelly, Duane Martin, J.B. Smoove, Nick Cannon and Robin Thicke. Thicke did not return for the second season due to his music career, though Hart has stated that the door is open for Thicke to return. The series is intentionally filmed in a style similar to Bravo's The Real Housewives. Episodes often hinge on the "real" Hart's desperately unsuccessful attempts to climb Hollywood's celebrity social ladder (which always backfire in humiliating ways), and the character's barely-hidden jealousy of his more successful celebrity friends. A sneak peek was shown as a segment during the 2012 BET Awards and the official promo was released in October 2012.

Hart in 2014

In 2015, Hart starred in the films with Will Ferrell and The Wedding Ringer. In 2016, he starred in the movies Central Intelligence, with Dwayne Johnson and the animated The Secret Life of Pets. In 2017, he starred in the movies Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, in a voice role, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle with Jack Black, Karen Gillan, and reteaming again with Johnson. He earned an estimated $32.5 million in 2017.

In 2018, he produced his first film under his production company HartBeat Productions, Night School. In October 2018, it was announced that through his production company, he has signed a first-look deal with Nickelodeon. Under the deal, Hart and his HartBeat Productions banner will develop and produce live-action, scripted kids content for the network. Hart also has a first-look film deal with Universal Studios.

In 2019, Hart's film , his first headlining role in a drama, was theatrically released. It also starred Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman. Hart also reprised his role of Snowball in the sequel The Secret Life of Pets 2.

In 2021, Hart starred in Fatherhood, a drama about a man whose wife dies shortly after childbirth, leaving him to raise their daughter on his own. It premiered on Netflix on June 18, 2021.

In 2020, his series premiered on Quibi on July 20 and had a strong first weekend, with numerous households reportedly streaming the series. On June 9, ROKU and Hart's multi-platform comedy brand Laugh Out Loud debuted the series' second season on The Roku Channel. In addition to returning to his starring role, Hart executive produced the second season; Laugh Out Loud CEO and Hart's longtime business partner, Jeff Clanagan, serve as a producer on the project.

Hart later played Arnold Drummond in the Diff'rent Strokes portion of the third edition of Live in Front of a Studio Audience.

In 2022, Hart starred alongside Mark Wahlberg in the comedy film, . The movie shows how Sonny (Hart) experiences a wild journey with his friend after finding a much-longed free weekend.

Upcoming projects

As of October 2016, Hart was set to portray Santa Claus in Dashing Through the Snow, a planned 2017 Disney Christmas-themed film. In October 2018, it was reported that Chris Rock will direct Hart in a movie based on an original idea by the both of them. The film will be written by writer Yamara Taylor and the film will revolve around a stay at home dad who raises the kids while his star CEO wife serves as the breadwinner. The man finds himself in emotional and public turmoil when his wife kicks him to the curb, and they engage in a bitter divorce and custody battle. In 2019, Hart signed on to star in and produce Monopoly, Black Friday, an untitled international romantic comedy, Extreme Job, and Scrooged. He signed a first look deal with Netflix in January 2021. Hart stars as a master thief in the Netflix comedy heist film directed by F. Gary Gray alongside Úrsula Corberó from Money Heist and Vincent D'Onofrio. The film is scheduled to premiere in January 2024.

Laugh Out Loud Productions

In 2017, Hart founded Laugh Out Loud, a global media and production company to provide opportunities for top comedic talent of all ethnicities worldwide. Originally partnered with Lionsgate, Hart became majority owner in 2019 after buying out most of Lionsgate's stake. LOL spans the full range of media channels, including digital, audio, linear and experiential, with four divisions: LOL Network, LOL Studios, LOL Audio and LOL X!

Hart has aggressively expanded LOL's reach since its founding, securing partnership deals with PlutoTV, Roku, Snap, Facebook, Peacock, and YouTube. In 2020, he extended his company's agreement with Sirius XM. The network has launched successful programming, including Cold As Balls which has amassed over one billion YouTube views, Kevin Hart: Lyft Legend, What the Fit, and Straight From The Hart. LOL has won numerous accolades, including nominations and awards from the Producers Guild of America, Critics' Choice Movie Awards, Realscreen, Streamy, and Webby.

Known for content such as Cold As Balls, What the Fit, Die Hart, and more, the company has amassed more than 1 billion video views across its digital platforms and has worked with brand partners such as AT&T, Headspace, Lyft, Old Spice, P&G, and Viacom.

Laugh Out Loud and production company Hartbeat Productions merged in April 2022, creating Hartbeat, which includes Hartbeat Studios, Hartbeat Media and Hartbeat Pulse.

In addition to acting, Hart has also hosted various ceremonies. Hart first hosted the 2011 BET Awards. Hart then hosted the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. His longtime friend Judd Apatow, the director who gave him his first big on-screen break in the TV series Undeclared, was the one who recommended him for the gig. Hart hoped that this would project him further into a side career as an emcee, stating, "Hopefully after MTV, of course we're talking Emmys, Oscars, whatever." He has hosted three episodes of Saturday Night Live. In 2015, Hart hosted the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber. In 2016, Hart co-hosted the 2016 MTV Movie Awards with Dwayne Johnson.

Hart has also hosted on HQ Trivia and gave away $100,000 to one person with Scott Rogowsky on September 26, 2018, which had 699K players.[citation needed ]

On December 4, 2018, Hart was announced as the host of the 2019 Academy Awards. Two days later, however, he withdrew from hosting duties in the wake of backlash against him over several homophobic tweets he had posted between 2010 and 2011. He characterized the protest as unconstructive and argued, "If you don't believe people change, grow as they get older, I don't know what to tell you". On December 7, he tweeted an apology to the LGBTQ community following criticism for not issuing one the previous day. On January 3, 2019, Hart stated that he was going to reconsider stepping down as host, after openly lesbian comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who has hosted the Academy Awards multiple times, expressed support for him to do so and said she had contacted the Academy to ask if Hart would be able to reverse his decision if he wished and, according to DeGeneres, they said he would be able to do so. On January 8, following backlash for what was perceived as an insincere apology by critics, Hart confirmed that he would not be hosting the Academy Awards. That year's ceremony was ultimately held without a host.

On September 9, 2020, executives from the Muscular Dystrophy Association announced plans to relaunch their annual MDA telethon, move it to October 2020, and make Hart its new host, taking over duties that had been previously held from 1966 to 2010 by comedian and former National MDA Chairman, Jerry Lewis. Entitled The MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon, the new two-hour telethon will be seen exclusively through participating social media platforms; the event was held on October 24, 2020, at 8 p.m. EDT.

As Chocolate Droppa, his alias, he signed to Motown Records and released Kevin Hart: What Now? (The Mixtape Presents Chocolate Droppa), the soundtrack to his stand-up film of the same name. He released the singles "Push It On Me" featuring Trey Songz and "Baller Alert" with Migos & T.I.

In 2017, Hart and Tommy John appeared in an underwear commercial for Macy's.

In August 2022, Hart debuted a vegan restaurant, Hart House, intended to be the start of a restaurant chain able to compete with fast-food chains by "offering flavorful plant-based alternatives". The restaurant opened in Los Angeles, California, about a mile from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), with a simple menu of veggie burgers and Chick'n products. The restaurant's offerings are claimed to be "entirely free of cholesterol, antibiotics, hormones, artificial colors, preservatives, high-fructose corn syrup, or trans fats", and inspired by Hart's own "health nut" lifestyle.

Influences

Hart has cited George Carlin, Dave Chappelle, Bill Cosby, Eddie Murphy, Patrice O'Neal, Richard Pryor, Keith Robinson, Chris Rock, and Jerry Seinfeld as his influences.

Legal issues

On April 14, 2013, Hart was charged on suspicion of drunk driving after his black Mercedes nearly collided with a tanker truck on a Southern California freeway. He failed a field sobriety test and was booked for misdemeanor DUI. On August 5, he was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading no contest to one count of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Personal life

Hart married Torrei in 2003, and they filed for divorce in 2010 after citing irreconcilable differences. Hart requested joint custody of their two children, a daughter born in 2005 and a son born in 2007. The divorce was finalized in November 2011.

On August 18, 2014, Hart became engaged to Eniko Parrish. They were married near Santa Barbara, California, on August 13, 2016. Their first child was born on November 21, 2017. A month later, he publicly admitted to having cheated on her while she was pregnant with their son. They reconciled and had a second child together, a daughter born on September 29, 2020.

An avid poker player since around 2010, Hart has entered major tournaments such as the WSOP, cashing in one event for $4,783 in 2014. He also plays cash games, like the ones organized by PokerStars, and actually became their Brand Ambassador in 2017. As such, he was featured in PokerStars ad campaigns and promotional content, alongside Usain Bolt. As of September 2020, he has earned $47,828 in live tournament cashes.

Hart is a practicing Christian and has talked openly about his faith.

On September 1, 2019, Hart was a passenger in a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda that went off Mulholland Highway and rolled down an embankment near Calabasas, California. He and the driver reportedly suffered "major back injuries" and were taken to separate hospitals. Hart was released from the hospital ten days later, and continued recovery at a rehabilitation facility.

On August 23, 2023, Hart ran a 40-yard race with former NFL running back Stevan Ridley, and tore his lower abductors on his abdomen. He required a wheelchair as part of his recovery and said afterward he is the "dumbest man alive" and "the age 40 is real", recommending no one attempt to race like he did.

Kevin Hart at the Urban World Film Festival 2018

Specials

Television series

Discography

Bibliography

Filmography

Television

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. After winning several stand-up comedy competitions, Hart had his first breakthrough when Judd Apatow cast him in a recurring role on the TV series Undeclared (2001).

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Martin Luther King Jr. , the civil right activist is very important to our society because of his commitment and impact to lead a nonviolent campaign for racial justice and fought for people rights to Vote and labor rights.

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Martin Luther King, Jr., (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) was born Michael Luther King, Jr., but later had his name changed to Martin. His grandfather began the family's long tenure as pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, serving from 1914 to 1931; his father has served from then until the present, and from 1960 until his death Martin Luther acted as co-pastor. Martin Luther attended segregated public schools in Georgia, graduating from high school at the age of fifteen; he received the B. A. degree in 1948 from Morehouse College, a distinguished Negro institution of Atlanta from which both his father and grandfather had graduated. After three years of theological study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania where he was elected president of a predominantly white senior class, he was awarded the B.D. in 1951. With a fellowship won at Crozer, he enrolled in graduate studies at Boston University, completing his residence for the doctorate in 1953 and receiving the degree in 1955. In Boston he met and married Coretta Scott, a young woman of uncommon intellectual and artistic attainments. Two sons and two daughters were born into the family.

In 1954, Martin Luther King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Always a strong worker for civil rights for members of his race, King was, by this time, a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the leading organization of its kind in the nation. He was ready, then, early in December, 1955, to accept the leadership of the first great Negro nonviolent demonstration of contemporary times in the United States, the bus boycott described by Gunnar Jahn in his presentation speech in honor of the laureate. The boycott lasted 382 days. On December 21, 1956, after the Supreme Court of the United States had declared unconstitutional the laws requiring segregation on buses, Negroes and whites rode the buses as equals. During these days of boycott, King was arrested, his home was bombed, he was subjected to personal abuse, but at the same time he emerged as a Negro leader of the first rank.

In 1957 he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization formed to provide new leadership for the now burgeoning civil rights movement. The ideals for this organization he took from Christianity; its operational techniques from Gandhi. In the eleven-year period between 1957 and 1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action; and meanwhile he wrote five books as well as numerous articles. In these years, he led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught the attention of the entire world, providing what he called a coalition of conscience. and inspiring his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", a manifesto of the Negro revolution; he planned the drives in Alabama for the registration of Negroes as voters; he directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, "l Have a Dream", he conferred with President John F. Kennedy and campaigned for President Lyndon B. Johnson; he was arrested upwards of twenty times and assaulted at least four times; he was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure.

At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.

On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated.
Selected bibliography
Adams, Russell, Great Negroes Past and Present, pp. 106-107. Chicago, Afro-Am Publishing Co., 1963.

Bennett, Lerone, Jr., What Manner of Man: A Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Chicago, Johnson, 1964.

I Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King in Text and Pictures. New York, Time Life Books, 1968.

King, Martin Luther, Jr., The Measure of a Man. Philadelphia. The Christian Education Press, 1959. Two devotional addresses.

King, Martin Luther, Jr., Strength to Love. New York, Harper & Row, 1963. Sixteen sermons and one essay entitled "Pilgrimage to Nonviolence."

King, Martin Luther, Jr., Stride toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story. New York, Harper, 1958.

King, Martin Luther, Jr., The Trumpet of Conscience. New York, Harper & Row, 1968.

King, Martin Luther, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? New York, Harper & Row, 1967.

King, Martin Luther, Jr., Why We Can't Wait. New York, Harper & Row, 1963.

"Man of the Year", Time, 83 (January 3, 1964) 13-16; 25-27.

"Martin Luther King, Jr.", in Current Biography Yearbook 1965, ed. by Charles Moritz, pp. 220-223. New York, H.W. Wilson.

Reddick, Lawrence D., Crusader without Violence: A Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York, Harper, 1959.

This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and first published in the book series Les Prix Nobel. It was later edited and republished inNobel Lectures. To cite this document, always state the source as shown above.

* Note from Nobelprize.org: This biography uses the word "Negro". Even though this word today is considered inappropriate, the biography is published in its original version in view of keeping it as a historical document.

To cite this section
MLA style: Martin Luther King Jr. - Biography. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2023. Sun. 3 Dec 2023. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1964/king/biographical/>

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See them all presented here.

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The Nobel Peace Prize 1964 was awarded to Martin Luther King Jr. "for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population"

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Barbara Jordan’s Congressional career pushes back against the assumption that Black political action is monolithic and exists solely in resistance to white supremacy. Not all Black politicians are radical or even progressive.

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With an authoritative voice and calm demeanor, this ever popular American actor has grown into one of the most respected figures in modern US cinema. Morgan was born on June 1, 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee, to Mayme Edna (Revere), a teacher, and Morgan Porterfield Freeman, a barber. The young Freeman attended Los Angeles City College before serving several years in the US Air Force as a mechanic between 1955 and 1959. His first dramatic arts exposure was on the stage including appearing in an all-African American production of the exuberant musical Hello, Dolly!.

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Activist, Husband, founder of bus boycott, The man who gave out the "I Have a Dream"

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Eddie Murphy- Comedian, Actor, Singer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Murphy

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Beyoncé
American Singer- Songwriter, Actress, and a dancer.
Beyoncé has been noted for her boundary-pushing artistry and her vocal prowess. Her success has made her a cultural icon and earned her the nickname "Queen Bey".

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this is Maya Angelou shes a popular poet and a civil rights activists she died in the year 2004. she published seven autobiographies.

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He made the potato chips after a person complained about his fries that they where to soft and not salted enough

Nik

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Kendrick Lamar- Influential and multi-grammy winning rap artist

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Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Known for his cinematic storytelling, melodic cadences, and artistic reinventions, he is regarded as one of the most influential artists of his generation, earning him the nickname " King Kendrick". He was named the second-greatest rapper of all time by and in 2023.

Duckworth started releasing music under the stage name K.Dot while he was attending high school. He signed with Top Dawg Entertainment in 2005, where he co-founded the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy. Following the success of his alternative rap debut album (2011), Duckworth secured a joint contract with Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. He rose to prominence with his gangsta rap-influenced second album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012) and its top 40 singles " Swimming Pools (Drank)", " Poetic Justice" and " Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe". It is the longest-charting hip hop studio album on the Billboard 200, spending over ten consecutive years on the chart.

Inspired by a visit to South Africa, Duckworth embraced jazz and G-funk styles on his third album, To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). It became his first of four consecutive number-one albums in the U.S., and is one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 2010s decade. His collaboration with Taylor Swift on the remix of " Bad Blood" garnered his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. Duckworth's critical and commercial success continued with his R&B and pop-leaning fourth album (2017), yielding his second chart-topping single " Humble". He curated and executive produced the soundtrack album for the film Black Panther (2018), and departed from TDE with his double album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022); both projects broke various records.

Heralded as a generational icon by the California State Senate, Duckworth is the first non-classical or jazz artist to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music. His accolades include 17 Grammy Awards (the third-most won by a rapper), a Primetime Emmy Award, a Brit Award, four American Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, 11 MTV Video Music Awards, and 29 BET Hip Hop Awards (the most won by any artist). He was named MTV's Hottest MC in the Game in 2012 and one of the 100 most influential people in the world by in 2016. Billboard named him one of the most successful artists of the 2010s decade and one of the greatest music video artists ever. Duckworth is one of the most-streamed rappers on Spotify, with all of his albums surpassing 1 billion streams each. Two of his concert tours, the Damn Tour (2017-2018) and the Big Steppers Tour (2022-2023), are amongst the highest-grossing rap tours in history. Three of his works were included in Rolling Stone's 2020 revision of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Outside of music, Duckworth co-founded the creative company PGLang and ventured into filmmaking with his creative partner, Dave Free. He has worked with various charities and advocates for racial equality and mental health awareness.

Life and career

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born on June 17, 1987, in Compton, California. His father, Kenneth "Kenny" Duckworth, was a gang hustler who previously worked at KFC. His mother, Paula Oliver, is a hairdresser who previously worked at McDonald's. Both of his parents are African Americans from the South Side of Chicago; they relocated to Compton in 1984, when they were teenagers, due to his father's affiliation with the Gangster Disciples. Duckworth was named after singer-songwriter Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations. He was an only child until the age of seven and was described as a loner by his mother. Eventually, his parents had his two younger brothers and younger sister, businesswoman Kayla Sawyer ( née Duckworth). His cousins include basketball player Nick Young and rapper Baby Keem.

Duckworth and his family lived in Section 8 housing, was reliant on welfare and food stamps, and experienced homelessness. Although he is not a member of a particular gang, he grew up with close affiliates of the Westside Pirus. Despite suffering hardships, Duckworth remembered having "good memories" of his childhood that sparked his interest in hip hop music; such as sneaking into his parents' house parties. He was raised secular, although he seldom attended church services and was taught the Bible by his grandmother. He felt "spiritually unsatisfied" as a child due to the "empty" and "one-sided" nature of the sermons.

After hearing a recording of his voice for the first time, Duckworth became interested in rapping. He was introduced to police brutality after experiencing the first day of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. When he was five years old, he witnessed his first murder while sitting outside of his apartment unit. "It done something to me right then and there," Duckworth later admitted to NPR Music. "It let me know that this is not only something that I'm looking at, but it's something that maybe I have to get used to." His parents nicknamed him "Man-Man" due to his precocious behavior, although he confessed it "put a stigma on the idea of me reacting as a kid sometimes-I would hurt myself and they would expect me not to cry."

In school, Duckworth was a quiet and observant student who excelled academically and had a noticeable stutter. His first grade teacher at Robert E. McNair Elementary School encouraged him to become a writer after she heard him correctly use the word " audacity". As a seventh grade student at Vanguard Learning Center, Duckworth was introduced to poetry by his English teacher, Regis Inge. He integrated the literary form into the curriculum as a response to the growing racial tensions amongst his students. Through its connection to hip hop, he studied rhymes, metaphors and double entendres, which made him fall in love with songwriting: "You can put all your feelings down on a sheet of paper, and they'd make sense to you. I liked that." Instead of completing assignments for other classes, Duckworth would scribe lyrics in his notebooks. His initial writing was entirely profane, but it helped him manage his psychological trauma and depression; which he struggled with during his adolescence. Inge played a vital role in his intellectual growth, often critiquing his lexicon and suggesting prompts to strengthen his prose.

Duckworth later attended Centennial High School and failed physical education in the ninth grade. He was enrolled in summer school during the tenth grade, which he dreaded because it forced him to be embroiled in a gang war. Despite his efforts to avoid them, Duckworth soon became heavily involved with Compton's hedonistic gang culture, which led to numerous health scares and encounters with the police. He distanced himself from the lifestyle following an intervention staged by his father. When he was 16, he was baptized and converted to Christianity following the death of a friend. Duckworth entered a lasting romantic relationship with his classmate, beautician Whitney Alford. They experienced numerous difficulties within their relationship due to the former's sex addiction and repeated infidelity. Duckworth graduated from high school in 2006 as a straight-A student. He flirted with the idea of studying psychology and astronomy in college, but suspended his academic pursuits to focus on his music career.

2003-2008: Career beginnings

During high school, Duckworth adopted the stage name K.Dot and began freestyling for his classmates. His performances caught the attention of fellow student Dave Free, who traveled from Inglewood to watch him rap. They quickly formed a friendship over their love of hip hop and the television sitcom . They recorded music together at Free's makeshift garage studio and at his older brother's Hyde Park apartment. Duckworth's earliest performances were held at a "super hood" comedy club and behind of a tattoo parlor. Free was his hype man during that time, while his older brother was his manager and disc jockey. Duckworth recorded five mixtapes throughout the 2000s; his first, Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year), was released during his senior year of high school. The mixtapes primarily consisted of freestyles over the production of popular hip hop songs.

In a series of retrospective reviews for Rolling Stone, Mosi Reeves complimented Duckworth's "unerring" sense of rhythm and timing found in Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year, but criticized his "overly beholden" flow and "clumsy" lyricism. Free, who was working as a computer technician, introduced the mixtape to record producer Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith while attempting to repair his computer. Tiffith was impressed with Duckworth's burgeoning abilities and invited him to partake in an audition process for entry into his newly established independent record label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). During his audition, Duckworth freestyled for Tiffith and record executive Terrence "Punch" Henderson for two hours; a strategy that impressed Henderson but bewildered Tiffith. He was offered a recording contract from TDE in 2005, joining Jay Rock as the label's first signees. Upon signing, he purchased a minority stake in the label for an undisclosed amount.

Duckworth had a brief stint as a security guard when he started working on music with Jay Rock at TDE's in-house recording studio. The bond he formed with him, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q led to the formation of the hip hop supergroup, Black Hippy. In 2006, Duckworth signed an artist development deal with Def Jam Recordings and was featured on two singles by the Game. He also heavily contributed to Jay Rock's first two mixtapes, Watts Finest Vol. 1 and Watts Finest Vol. 2: The Nickerson Files. Duckworth was ultimately let go from Def Jam after an encounter with its president and chief executive officer, Jay-Z; he later described it as "one of those situations where I wasn't ready." He released two projects in 2007: his second mixtape, Training Day, and a collaborative mixtape with Jay Rock titled No Sleep 'til NYC. Reeves complimented Training Day's varied production and "well-executed" concept based on the 2001 film of the same name. He described No Sleep 'til NYC as a "fun cypher session, nothing more, nothing less."

2009-2011: Overly Dedicated and Section.80

Duckworth's third mixtape, (2009), is a tribute project to Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III (2008) and was supported by his co-sign. Reeves felt that the mixtape was a "wrongheaded homage to a year-old, well-worn album." From February to July, he toured with the Game on his LAX Tour as a hype man for Jay Rock. Duckworth disliked how his stage name diverted attention away from his true identity, and decided to retire it. He opted to use his first and middle names professionally and regards the name change as part of his career growth: "When people heard the name K.Dot, they were like, 'The kid is dope, he can rap; but who is he?' That went on for years-just another kid in the streets that can rap good, right? So I was like, 'Y'know what? I want people to know who I am as a person and what I represent.'" For his eponymous debut extended play (2009), Duckworth eschewed from the creative process of his mixtapes in favor of a project heavily focused on his songwriting over "lovely yet doleful" production. Reeves described the EP as the "first standout project" of his career, praising its melancholic tone. He felt that the project restored his reputation following the sting of criticism he received over C4.

Duckworth performing at Sound Academy in 2011, prior to the release of Section.80

After striking a music publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music, Duckworth released his final mixtape, Overly Dedicated (2010), to digital retailers for the first time in his career. He and Whitney Alford separated prior to its release. Reeves described Overly Dedicated as a partial "victory lap" that marked a shift in his songwriting. The mixtape peaked at number 72 on 's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Duckworth served as Jay Rock's hype man for a second time during Tech N9ne's Independent Grind Tour, where Overly Dedicated was introduced to Dr. Dre. After watching the music video for the song "Ignorance Is Bliss" on YouTube, he reached out to Duckworth with hopes of working with him and Snoop Dogg on his unfinished album, Detox. He also considered signing him to his record label, Aftermath Entertainment, and was encouraged to by artists such as J. Cole.

Duckworth entered a brief relationship with emcee Nitty Scott, and was featured on 's 2011 Freshman Class list. He released his debut studio album, , on July 2, 2011, which was supported by its lead single " HiiiPower". The album explored conscious and alternative hip hop styles and experimented with "stripped-down" jazz production. Ogden Payne of considers it to be "the genesis to [Duckworth] successfully balancing social commentary with mass appeal." Section.80 marked Duckworth's first appearance on the Billboard 200 chart, where it peaked at number 113. It sold approximately 5,000 copies in its first week of tracking, with minimal coverage from mainstream media outlets.

To promote the album, Duckworth performed at small venues and college campuses across the U.S. He was dubbed the " New King of the West Coast" by Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and the Game during a performance in West Los Angeles. At the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards, Section.80 was nominated for Best Mixtape. During the ceremony, Duckworth appeared alongside B.o.B, Tech N9ne, Machine Gun Kelly and Big K.R.I.T. in a cypher. Throughout the year, he appeared on the Game's The R.E.D. Album, Tech N9ne's All 6's and 7's, 9th Wonder's The Wonder Years, and Drake's .

2012-2013: Good Kid, M.A.A.D City and personal struggles

Duckworth began planning his second album before Section.80 was released. From February to April 2012, he opened for Drake on his Club Paradise Tour. He began working with J. Cole on a collaborative album around that time, but nothing came to fruition; Cole later admitted that the two "put it to bed years ago". On March 8, reported that Duckworth had signed a joint venture recording contract with Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records; under the deal, TDE continued to serve as his primary label. His first commercial single, " The Recipe" featuring Dr. Dre, premiered on rhythmic crossover radio on April 2.

Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, Duckworth's second album, was formally announced on June 26, 2012, with a tentative release date of October 2. Its lead single, " Swimming Pools (Drank)", peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking his first top 20 single in the U.S. From September to October, he headlined the BET Music Matters Tour with Black Hippy and Stalley. Duckworth won Lyricist of the Year at the 2012 BET Hip Hop Awards, where he performed a mashup and appeared in a cypher. He was featured on ASAP Rocky's single " Fuckin' Problems" alongside Drake and 2 Chainz, which reached the top 10 in the U.S.

Experiencing a three-week delay, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City was ultimately released on October 22, 2012. Duckworth worked with producers such as Pharrell Williams, Hit-Boy, Scoop DeVille, Jack Splash, and T-Minus to create an atmospheric West Coast hip hop album with heavy gangsta rap influences. It was met with widespread critical acclaim, who lauded Duckworth's nonlinear songwriting and thematic scope. Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune applauded him for giving gangsta tropes a "twist, or sometimes upend[ing] them completely" on a record that "brims with comedy, complexity and the many voices in [Duckworth's] head." Good Kid, M.A.A.D City debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 242,000 copies. It earned the highest first-week album sales of the year by a male rapper. Its other singles, " Backseat Freestyle", " Poetic Justice", and " Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe", enjoyed moderate commercial success. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City surpassed The Eminem Show (2002) to become the longest-charting hip hop studio album on the Billboard 200. In October 2022, the album became the first hip hop studio album to spend over ten consecutive years on the Billboard 200.

Duckworth and Whitney Alford rekindled their romantic relationship following the release of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. He promoted the album throughout 2013 by appearing on television programs and embarking on two concert tours: a national college tour with Steve Aoki and his first international headlining tour. Duckworth became deeply depressed and battled survivor's guilt during promotional events, upon learning of the deaths of three close friends. He was featured on six songs during the year: " YOLO" by the Lonely Island featuring Adam Levine that premiered during his first appearance as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, the remix of " How Many Drinks?" by Miguel, " Collard Greens" by Schoolboy Q, " Control" with Big Sean and Jay Electronica, " Give It 2 U" by Robin Thicke featuring 2 Chainz, and "Love Game" by Eminem. His performance on "Control" was described as a "wake up call" for the hip hop industry; Rolling Stone noted that his verse made the track one of the most important hip hop songs of the last decade.

From October to December 2013, Duckworth opened for Kanye West on his Yeezus Tour, despite disapproval from his label and management team. He was baptized for a second time during the beginning of the tour, and experienced a nervous breakdown near the end. Duckworth won three awards during the 2013 BET Awards, where he performed a mashup of " M.A.A.D City" and "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" with Erykah Badu. At the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards. he performed a mashup of "Collard Greens" and " Money Trees" with Schoolboy Q and Jay Rock, and was featured in a TDE cypher. Duckworth was named Rapper of the Year by during their annual Men of the Year issue. Following the issue's release, Tiffith pulled him from performing at GQ's accompanying party and accused Steve Marsh's profile on him of containing "racial overtones".

2014-2016: To Pimp a Butterfly and Untitled Unmastered

After his opening stint for the Yeezus Tour ended, Duckworth started working on his third album. He earned seven nominations at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards (January 2014), including Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, and Album of the Year for Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. He was winless at the ceremony, which several media outlets felt was a snub. Macklemore, who won Best New Artist and Best Rap Album, shared a text message that he sent Duckworth after the ceremony ended, in which he apologized for winning over him. The incident was the subject of widespread media attention, controversy and Internet memes. During the awards ceremony, Duckworth performed a mashup of "M.A.A.D City" and " Radioactive" with rock band Imagine Dragons, which was met with critical acclaim.

Duckworth opened for Eminem on the Rapture Tour from February to July 2014. On August 9, he premiered the short film M.A.A.D, which he starred in, commissioned and produced, during the Sundance Institute's Next Fest. He released " I" as the lead single to his third album, To Pimp a Butterfly, on September 23, which won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. His performance of "I" during his second appearance as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live was lauded by contemporary critics. Duckworth was featured on three songs in 2014: " It's On Again" by Alicia Keys, " Babylon" by SZA, and " Never Catch Me" by Flying Lotus. He won Lyricist of the Year for the second consecutive time at the 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards.

Duckworth at the Hollywood Palladium before the 57th Annual Grammy Awards (2015), where he won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for "I"

Originally scheduled to arrive at a later date, To Pimp a Butterfly was released on March 15, 2015. The album incorporated various genres synonymous with African American music, such as jazz, funk, and soul. To capture its essence, Duckworth recruited producers such as Sounwave, Pharrell Williams, Terrace Martin, and Thundercat. Alford contributed background vocals on select tracks. Other singles from the album were " The Blacker the Berry", " King Kunta", " Alright", and " These Walls"-all of which enjoyed moderate commercial success. Selling 324,000 copies in its first week, To Pimp a Butterfly became Duckworth's first number-one album on the Billboard 200 and set Spotify's global first-day streaming record (9.6 million). commented that "twenty years ago, a conscious rap record wouldn't have penetrated the mainstream in the way [Duckworth] did with To Pimp a Butterfly. His sense of timing is impeccable. In the midst of rampant cases of police brutality and racial tension across America, he spews raw, aggressive bard while possible cutting a rug." noted that the album "forced critics to think deeply about music."

In April 2015, Duckworth and Alford announced their engagement. He earned his first number-one single on the Hot 100 through the remix of singer-songwriter Taylor Swift's " Bad Blood". It won Video of the Year and Best Collaboration at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, while the music video for "Alright" won Best Direction. Duckworth opened the 2015 BET Awards with a controversial performance of "Alright" and won Best Male Hip Hop Artist. He also won three awards at the 2015 BET Hip Hop Awards. In support of To Pimp a Butterfly, Duckworth embarked on the Kunta's Groove Sessions Tour, which ran from October to November 2015 in select intimate venues across the U.S. For his work on the album and other collaborations throughout the year, Duckworth earned 11 nominations at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, the most by a rapper in a single night. He led the winners with five awards: To Pimp a Butterfly was named Best Rap Album, "Alright" won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song, "These Walls" won Best Rap/Sung Performance, and "Bad Blood" won Best Music Video.

During the ceremony, Duckworth performed a critically acclaimed medley of "The Blacker the Berry", "Alright", and an untitled song. He revealed that the untitled track is from a "chamber of material" taken from the recording sessions of To Pimp a Butterfly that he was "in love with" but were not included on the album due to sample clearances and deadlines. He previously performed untitled songs on The Colbert Report (December 2014) and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (January 2016). After receiving a request from basketball player LeBron James to share the untitled works, Duckworth released his first compilation album, Untitled Unmastered, on March 4, 2016. It contained eight untitled, dated, unfinished, and entirely self-written tracks that were intended to be included on To Pimp a Butterfly, and continued the album's exploration of jazz, funk, soul, and avant-garde styles. Untitled Unmastered received critical acclaim and debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 178,000 album-equivalent units, becoming Duckworth's second consecutive number-one project. Throughout the year, he was featured on four commercially successful songs: Beyoncé's " Freedom", Maroon 5's " Don't Wanna Know", the Weeknd's " Sidewalks", and Travis Scott's " Goosebumps".

2017-2018: Damn and Black Panther: The Album

On March 1, 2017, during a joint cover story with Beck and Tom Waits for T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Duckworth confirmed that he was working on his fourth album. He released the promotional single " The Heart Part 4" on March 23, before releasing the album's lead single " Humble" on March 30. The song debuted at number two on the Hot 100 and reached the top spot in its second week of charting. It is Duckworth's second single, and first as a lead artist, to top the Hot 100. His fourth album, , was made available for pre-order on April 7, and was released on April 14. Three days later, he headlined the first of two weekends of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Damn utilized a more mainstream musical palette than To Pimp a Butterfly, exploring R&B and pop elements. Production was primarily handled by Sounwave, DJ Dahi, Mike Will Made It, and Ricci Riera. Rolling Stone described its sonics as a "brilliant combination of the timeless and the modern, the old school and the next-level." Damn became Duckworth's most commercially successful album. It spent four nonconsecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200, marking his third consecutive number-one album, and debuted with 603,000 units sold. All of the album's 14 songs debuted on the Hot 100, including the top-20 singles " Loyalty" and " Love". Duckworth is the fifth act in history to chart at least 14 concurrent titles on the Hot 100. Damn was the seventh best-selling album of 2017 according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, while "Humble" was the sixth best-selling single of the year. By June 2018, it became the first album by a rapper or solo artist to have every song featured earn a gold certification or higher from the Recording Industry Association of America.

To support Damn, Duckworth embarked on his first headlining arena tour, the Damn Tour, from July 2017 to July 2018. It grossed $62.7 million revenue worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing hip hop tours in history. At the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, Duckworth opened the ceremony with a performance of "DNA" and "Humble". He later won five awards, including Best Hip Hop Video, Best Direction, and Video of the Year for "Humble". Duckworth is the first artist to win Video of the Year for a video that they co-directed. Throughout the year, he was featured on the remix to Future's " Mask Off", SZA's " Doves in the Wind", and Rich the Kid's " New Freezer". He won Best Male Hip Hop Artist at the 2017 BET Awards, while Damn won Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Album at the 2017 American Music Awards. A collector's edition of the album, which featured its tracklist in reverse order, was released in December.

On January 4, 2018, Duckworth and Tiffith announced that they would be curating and executive producing the soundtrack album for the superhero film Black Panther. It was released on February 9 and was supported with three commercially successful singles: " All the Stars", " King's Dead", and " Pray for Me". Duckworth contributed lead and background vocals to every track on the album, regardless of credit, and produced on select songs. Music critics consider Black Panther: The Album to be a milestone achievement, giving praise towards its lyrics and cultural significance. It spent two consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200. Duckworth opened the 60th Annual Grammy Awards performing a medley with rock band U2, featuring narration by Dave Chappelle. He won five awards during ceremony: Damn was named Best Rap Album, "Humble" won Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video and "Loyalty" won Best Rap/Sung Performance.

Damn won the Pulitzer Prize for Music on April 16, 2018, marking the first time a musical composition outside of the classical and jazz genres received the honor. The Pulitzer jury praised the album as "a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African American life." From May to June, Duckworth co-headlined The Championship Tour with several TDE artists. While on tour, he became embroiled in a public dispute with Tiffith and Spotify regarding the streaming service's Hate Content & Hateful Conduct policy. Duckworth was featured on five songs in 2018: " Dedication" by Nipsey Hussle, " Mona Lisa" by Lil Wayne, " Tints" by Anderson .Paak, and "Wow Freestyle" by Jay Rock; he also executive produced the latter's album Redemption. At the 2018 American Music Awards, Black Panther: The Album won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album. Duckworth made his television acting debut as a drug addict in the crime drama series (2018). His performance was acclaimed by critics, and earned him an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Performance in a Comedy or Drama Series.

2019-present: Fatherhood, TDE departure and Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers

After his two concert tours ended, Duckworth entered a four-year recording hiatus; although he contributed to Beyoncé's The Lion King: The Gift, Schoolboy Q's , and Sir's Chasing Summer (all 2019). He declined to perform at that year's Grammy and Academy Awards despite winning Best Rap Performance at the former ceremony and receiving a nomination for Best Original Song at the latter. As his publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music was beginning to expire, he signed a long-term worldwide deal with Broadcast Music, Inc. in April. Duckworth and Alford welcomed their daughter, Uzi, on July 26, 2019. He continued to tour his work until November, after headlining the inaugural Day N Vegas music festival. He had plans to tour in 2020, but they were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 5, 2020, Duckworth and Dave Free launched the creative entity PGLang, which was described at the time as a multilingual, artist-friendly service company. In October, he signed a worldwide administration agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group. Duckworth announced through an August 2021 blog post that he was in the process of producing his final album under TDE; confirming rumors that emerged last year that he would be leaving to focus on PGLang. The following week, he appeared on Baby Keem's single " Family Ties", which won Best Rap Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. He made additional contributions to his album The Melodic Blue by providing background vocals on a select track and appearing on the song " Range Brothers". In November, Duckworth held a "theatrical exhibition of his musical eras" during his second headlining performance at Day N Vegas, and featured on Terrace Martin's album Drones. He co-headlined the Super Bowl LVI halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Mary J. Blige on February 13, 2022, which won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live).

After releasing the promotional single " The Heart Part 5", Duckworth's fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, was released on May 13, 2022. He and Alford used the album's cover art to reveal the birth of their son, Enoch. The double album drew on jazz, R&B, trap, and soul influences; Alford served as its primary narrator. It was widely acclaimed by critics, who applauded Duckworth's vulnerable songwriting and scope. Every track from the album charted on the Hot 100; its three singles-" N95", " Silent Hill", and " Die Hard"-debuted in the top-10. Selling 295,000 units in its first week, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers became Duckworth's fourth consecutive number-one album on the Billboard 200. It later became the first hip hop album of 2022 to reach one billion streams on Spotify. In support of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Duckworth embarked on the Big Steppers Tour, which ran from July 2022 to December 2023. The tour grossed $110.9 million in worldwide revenue, becoming the highest-grossing rap tour ever at the time. Duckworth wrote, co-directed, and executive produced the short film adaptation of the song " We Cry Together", which was released worldwide in September 2022. An accompanying concert film for the tour, Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour, was released in November 2022.

Duckworth won Favorite Male Hip Hop Artist at the 2022 American Music Awards, and Favorite Hip Hop Album for Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. He received six awards at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards, including Hip Hop Album of the Year. At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards (February 2023), Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was named Best Rap Album, while "The Heart Part 5" won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. In May, Duckworth was featured on the standalone version of Beyoncé's single " America Has a Problem" and appeared on Baby Keem's single " The Hillbillies". He won four awards at the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards, and set four records in the process. In support of Taylor Swift's ongoing response to her masters dispute, Duckworth re-recorded his featured appearance on the " Bad Blood" remix for an extended edition of 1989 (Taylor's Version). He made an appearance in Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé and executive produced Baby Keem's short film adaptation of The Melodic Blue. Outside of music, he signed on to produce a comedy feature film with Free, Trey Parker and Matt Stone for Paramount Pictures.

Influences

"I was 8 years old when I first saw you. I couldn't describe how I felt at that moment. So many emotions. Full of excitement. Full of joy and eagerness. 20 years later, I understand exactly what that feeling was: inspired. The people that you touched on that small intersection changed lives forever. I told myself I wanted to be a voice for man one day. Whoever knew I was speaking out loud for you to listen."

-Duckworth to Tupac Shakur on the 19th anniversary of his death

Tupac Shakur is Duckworth's biggest influence, having impacted both his professional and personal lives. One of his earliest childhood memories is watching him and Dr. Dre film the second music video for their single " California Love" with his father at the Compton Swap Meet. Duckworth has described himself as an "offspring" of Shakur's artistry and sociopolitical views. Although some publications regard him as the Shakur of his generation, he strives to maintain his individuality.

Shakur's The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996), The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death (1997), and DMX's It's Dark and Hell is Hot (1998) influenced Duckworth's artistic direction: "I don't look at these albums like just music; it sounds like an actual film." He also listened and took influence from Mos Def and Snoop Dogg during his childhood, and said, "I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Eazy-E." 50 Cent's mixtape success inspired Duckworth to become an independent artist, while his view on being categorized as a conscious rapper, "Yeah, I'm a conscious artist because I have a conscience," gave him a sense of perspective.

Prodigy of Mobb Deep was a key influence on Duckworth's earlier mixtapes, while his rapping technique was stemmed from Lil Wayne and his longevity. Eminem and his album The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) introduced him to songwriting elements, such as ad-libs, and impacted his aggressive approach to records such as " Backseat Freestyle". He took inspiration from N.W.A's tenacity of representing his hometown with "courage, honesty and artistic brilliance." Various R&B and soul artists, including Marvin Gaye, the Isley Brothers, Michael Jackson, Teddy Pendergrass, Sade, and Anita Baker, have influenced Duckworth. He performed with Prince, who impacted his vocal register, at Paisley Park to celebrate the release of the latter's 2014 albums Plectrumelectrum and Art Official Age, which described as "five minutes of brilliant insanity." To Pimp a Butterfly was influenced by the works of jazz trumpeter Miles Davis and funk collective Parliament-Funkadelic.

Musical style

The nature of Duckworth's musical style has been described as "anti-flamboyant, interior and complex." He is rooted in West Coast hip hop, and has continually reinvented his sound by branching out into other genres. Due to his contributions to its audience growth, through his appeal to mainstream listeners, music critics generally categorize Duckworth as a progressive rap artist. He suggests that his music is genreless, explaining in a 2012 interview, "You really can't categorize my music, it's human music." PopDust opined that during the 2010s, a decade that was arguably defined by hip hop, Duckworth constantly pushed the boundaries of what the genre could be.

Duckworth did not care for music production during the beginning of his career. However, as he placed an emphasis on songwriting and "making material that's universal", he grew more exacting and adventurous with his compositions. He is heavily involved with every aspect of his production process, including the mixing and mastering stages, and is known for working long hours in the recording studio. "You gotta be hands on and know the different sounds and frequencies," Duckworth explained to . "What makes people move, what melodies stick with you, taking the higher octaves and the lower octaves and learning how to intertwine that in a certain frequency, how to manipulate sound to your advantage." Duckworth chooses to work with a close-knit team of musicians, rather than constantly seek high-profile talent. He has been working with his longtime producer, Sounwave, since his 2009 self-titled EP.

Kendrick Lamar marked a pivotal change in Duckworth's artistry. Unlike his earlier mixtapes, which consisted of freestyles over CHR and urban radio singles, the EP incorporated melancholic and "doleful" original production that emphasized his lyrics. Austere jazz production was blended with alternative rap styles on Section.80, with instrumentals drawing from R&B, boom bap, psychedelia, and downtempo. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City abandoned the tastes of contemporary hip hop by exploring a subtle, atmospheric side of West Coast hip hop and gangsta rap. To Pimp a Butterfly is an amalgamation of genres synonymous with African-American music, most prominently jazz, funk, and soul. It redefined jazz rap by highlighting improvisation and soloing rather than primarily using sampling. Minimalist arrangements are incorporated in Damn and Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. Damn appealed to mainstream listeners through its pop and R&B-influenced production, while the scattered and distorted instrumentals of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was designed to make listeners feel anxious and uncomfortable.

Several media outlets consider Duckworth to be the greatest and most important rapper of his generation. Billboard and named him the second-greatest rapper of all time, behind Jay-Z. Described as a "blazing" technical rapper and "relentless searcher" by The New York Times, Duckworth's "limber, dexterous" flow switches from derivative to generative metrics, while incorporating internal and multisyllabic rhyme schemes. His rhymes are typically manipulated within common time, allowing him to subtly control his metrical phonology and suggest formal ambiguities similar to pop and rock repertoires. Some of his rhyme manipulations feature "flexible" new school styles evoking the 1990s, while others use "rigid" old school elements recalling the 1980s. Duckworth frequently uses syncopation in his melodies to create contradictions between his lyrical content and rhythms. With Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, he liberally plays with pronunciation, inflections, and delivery to mirror the album's emotional range. Swing is used throughout To Pimp a Butterfly in a nod to the performance methods of jazz musicians.

Duckworth possesses a versatile tenor vocal range, and a raspy, half-shout timbre; where "his throat sounds dry and his mouth sounds wet." André 3000 was the first rapper that introduced him to singing sensibilities in hip hop, and he writes melody-driven songs as practice for his rap albums. Duckworth became comfortable with his vocals over time, to the point where he feels confident enough to create singing-based albums. Pitchfork noticed how his harmonies on To Pimp a Butterfly never made him sound alone throughout his "desolate" performance; comparing his vocal layering to "standing in the middle, unnoticed, of a large quarrelsome crowd."

Praised for his willingness to use his voice as an instrument, Duckworth adopts different cadences, tones, modulations, and timbres to suggest conflicting personalities, paint distinct emotions, and communicate stories using characters and personas. His falsetto register, which he calls the "ghetto falsetto", has been likened to Curtis Mayfield's. MTV writes that by manipulating his voice, Duckworth calls back to a lineage that runs through James Brown's foundational work in the 1960s, 1970s psychedelia, Prince's "sweaty" phantasmagoria in the 1980s, and 1990s gangsta rap. He was ranked the tenth-best solo singer of the 21st century by in 2023.

Songwriting

Branded as a "master of storytelling" by The New Yorker, Duckworth has been referred to as one of the greatest lyricists in modern hip hop by several publications and his peers. Pharrell Williams suggests that what makes his songwriting stand out is because he "knows how to be very disciplined with a subject matter, he knows that stickiness is important, and he knows that it has to be great." American Songwriter notes that for as much as Duckworth is a musician, lyricist, and emcee, he is also "a playwright, a novelist, a short story author. He's literary within the art form of music." Duckworth's reflective narrative songwriting pulls from a wide range of literary and cinematic techniques, such as hip hop skits and voice-overs, to allow his audience to follow internal and external storylines. His fusion of various film styles and his sonic influence has elevated his works to be some of the most "consistently poignant" in hip hop, and promoted the advancement of the narrative device.

Duckworth, who self-identifies as a musician and writer, begins his songwriting process with an assortment of premeditated thoughts that he jotted down over the course of one year. His personal experiences are a common source of inspiration, but he also pulls ideas from meeting new people, traveling, and experiencing different cultures. A devout Christian, he additionally shares his spiritual triumphs and struggles on his songs. He is an avid note-taker, and has developed keywords, phrases, and sounds to help him "trigger the exact emotions" he felt when writing the initial demo.

Considered to be a "radio-friendly but overtly political rapper" by Pitchfork, and a populist by The Wall Street Journal, Duckworth's songwriting regularly infuses political criticism and social commentary concerning African-American culture. Common themes explored include racial inequality, institutional discrimination, and black empowerment. Duckworth's critiques has been compared to the State of the Union Address by The Guardian, while Billboard described it as " Shakespearean". opined that his work is a "great" piece of journalism because it "speaks from the prerogative of black communities facing oppression and directly attacks the institutions responsible for their pain," an achievement most reporters cannot attain.

Duckworth tries to carry a conceptual idea inside of his music, "whether it's a big concept or it's so subtle you can't even tell until you get to 20 listens." Fans and publications have theorized that his albums are related to different forms of mass media. Section.80 is regarded as a short story collection inspired and themed around events that impacted the millennial generation, such as Ronald Reagan's presidency. The nonlinear narrative structure of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City is billed as a coming-of-age short film that chronicles Duckworth's harsh teenage experiences in his native Compton. Its cinematic scope has been compared to the screenplays written by Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. To Pimp a Butterfly unfolds as both a poem and blank letter that explores the responsibilities of being a role model and documents life as an African American during Barack Obama's presidency. Damn is labeled as an introspective satire that explores the dualities of human nature and morality. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers takes on the form of a theatrical play, with confessional lyrics based on Duckworth's experiences in therapy. Duckworth has won the BET Hip Hop Award for Lyricist of the Year nine times, the most wins by any artist. He has also published articles for Billboard, , , and .

As one of the most influential musicians of the 2010s decade, Duckworth has been deemed a paradigm shift in contemporary hip hop and popular culture. His discography became a catalyst in the upsurge of social consciousness across multiple generations; challenging the status quo by encouraging listeners to reexamine social institutions. Throughout the Black Lives Matter movement and events following the 2016 U.S. presidential election, his work has been used as protest anthems. According to American studies and media scholar William Hoynes, Duckworth's progressive elements places him amongst other African American artists and activists who "worked both inside and outside of the mainstream to advance a counterculture that opposes the racist stereotypes being propagated in white-owned media and culture." He has been credited with reviving jazz rap and the music video as a form of social commentary.

Duckworth's music has consistently garnered critical acclaim and commercial success, a rare combination in the music industry, as well as support from artists who have paved the way for his advancement. His Pulitzer Prize win was considered a sign of the American cultural elite formally recognizing hip hop as a "legitimate artistic medium". Senior artists such as Nas, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Prince, and Madonna have praised his musicianship. David Bowie's final album, (2016), was inspired by To Pimp a Butterfly, and its producer Tony Visconti praised Duckworth as a "rulebreaker" in the music industry. Pharrell Williams called him "one of the greatest writers of our times" and likened him to Bob Dylan. Duckworth has also been cited as a strong influence on the works of various modern artists, including BTS, Dua Lipa, Tyler, the Creator, Roddy Ricch, and Rosalía. Lorde regards him as "the most popular and influential artist in modern music."

Public image

Despite becoming a prominent figure in popular culture, publications have noted Duckworth's unconventional approach to celebrity culture. He is notoriously reserved; reluctant to publicly discuss his personal life and generally avoids using social media. He is also decisive when engaging with mainstream media outlets, although journalists have complimented his " Zen-like" calmness and down to earth personality. According to Duckworth, he has become "so invested in who I am outside of being famous, sometimes that's all I know. I've always been a person that really didn't dive too headfirst into wanting and needing attention. I mean, we all love attention, but for me, I don't necessarily adore it." His lyrics have been a topic of media scrutiny, leading to both praise and controversy. He has also been involved in alleged feuds with several rappers throughout his career, which have received consistent press coverage.

Following the release of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, media outlets have described Duckworth as the "modern hip hop messiah". Some critics dislike his "grating" political infusions, causing him to be viewed as having a savior complex. He uses his music to critique and deconstruct his attributed perception; on Section.80, he raps, "I'm not the next pop star, I'm not the next socially aware rapper / I am a human motherfucking being over dope-ass instrumentation." However, Duckworth has declared himself to be the "greatest rapper alive" due to his personal connection to hip hop. "I'm not doing it to have a good song, or one good rap, or a good hook, or a good bridge," he explained to Zane Lowe. "I want to keep doing it every time, period. And to do it every time, you have to challenge yourself and you have to confirm to yourself-not anybody else, confirm to yourself that you're the best, period. [...] That's my drive and that's my hunger, I will always have."

Business ventures

Duckworth has been described as an "authentic" businessman who takes "calculated steps to establish his brand from the ground-up" and leaves nothing to chance. He approaches traditional album rollouts with an unorthodox method, using creative Easter eggs and leaving cryptic messages. Before releasing a studio album, Duckworth shares a promotional single taken from "The Heart", a timestamp song series designed to "observe the beating pulse behind his music." The vulnerable themes explored on the non-album singles have strengthened his relationship with his "inquisitive" fanbase known as Kenfolk.

Duckworth has partnered with several businesses. He crafted an original song with record producer Nosaj Thing to promote Microsoft's Windows Phone in 2011. He starred alongside DJ Calvin Harris and singer Ellie Goulding in a marketing campaign for Bacardi in 2014. As a minority shareholder of TDE, Duckworth was set to serve as the executive producer for the label's film division. He partnered with American Express on advertising campaigns for Art Basel and Small Business Saturday. Duckworth designed sneakers with Reebok and Nike as a brand ambassador for both companies. He is an angel investor of the music creation platform EngineEars.

Advocacy and philanthropy

A supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, Duckworth is a vocal advocate for racial equality. He supported Frank Ocean when he came out via an open letter. After questioning the importance of voting, Duckworth endorsed Barack Obama's presidential re-election campaign. He had a "humanizing" meeting with Obama in 2015, which was documented in a public service announcement in support of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and My Brother's Keeper Challenge. Duckworth is also an advocate for mental health awareness, and has used his music to promote self-love and other mental health initiatives. He strongly dislikes Donald Trump and persistent conversations regarding him, believing it to be like " beating a dead horse". He was critical of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision to overturn .

Duckworth has headlined charity concerts benefitting local and international non-profit organizations. He donated to the American Red Cross in November 2012 to support victims of Hurricane Sandy. In December 2013, Duckworth donated $50,000 to his alma mater, Centennial High School, in support of its music department. He embarked on a small concert tour in 2014, and donated all of the revenue to Habitat for Humanity and his hometown. In July 2017, Duckworth purchased a wheelchair-accessible van for a quadriplegic fan. He has regularly performed at TDE's annual holiday toy drive at Nickerson Gardens, and organizes his own toy drive in Compton. In June 2020, he joined a peace walk to protest against the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Achievements

Duckworth (left) at the 2016 White House Independence Day celebration with President Barack Obama (center) and singer Janelle Monáe (right)

Throughout his career, Duckworth has won 17 Grammy Awards ( the third-most by a rapper in history), a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Awards, 29 BET Hip Hop Awards (the most won by any artist), 11 MTV Video Music Awards (including two Video of the Year wins), 6 Billboard Music Awards, and a Brit Award. As a songwriter, he has received nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, Duckworth received the most Grammy nominations by a rapper in one night, with 11. During the 65th ceremony, he became the first artist from any genre to be nominated for Album of the Year with four consecutive lead studio albums since Billy Joel (1979-1983).

Duckworth has appeared in various power listings. In 2015, he was featured on 's Power 100 list that honors leaders within the African American community. included him on its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016. He has appeared on ' Celebrity 100 ranking (2019), and its 30 Under 30 list twice in the music category (2014 and 2018). Duckworth was included twice in Billboard's lists of the greatest rappers of all time (2015 and 2023). Complex named him the best rapper alive twice (2013 and 2017), and included him in their list of the 20 best rappers in their 20s thrice (2013, 2015, and 2016). In May 2015, Duckworth was declared a generational icon by the California State Senate for his contributions to music and philanthropy. He later served as a grand marshal for the Compton Christmas Parade, and was presented with the key to the city of his hometown for representing its evolution.

Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, To Pimp a Butterfly, and Damn were featured in Rolling Stone's industry-voted ranking of the 500 greatest albums of all time and the 200 greatest hip hop albums of all time. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City was additionally featured in the magazine's list of the 100 best debut albums of all time, and was named the greatest concept album ever. To Pimp a Butterfly was ranked by several publications as one of the greatest albums of the 2010s decade. Damn is the recipient of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, the first time a musical work outside of the classical and jazz genres was honored. Its tour companion, along with Big Steppers Tour (2022-2023), are two of the highest-grossing hip hop tours of all-time.

Discography

Studio albums

Filmography

Headlining

Co-headlining

References

1. Jackson, Mitchell S. (December 27, 2022). "Kendrick Lamar's New Chapter: Raw, Intimate and Unconstrained". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 7, 2023.

2. Moore, Marcus J. (October 8, 2020). "Kendrick Lamar's Poetic Awakening". . ISSN 0027-8378. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020.

3. ^ Markman, Rob (January 22, 2013). "Kendrick Lamar To 'SNL': 'Put Me in One of Those Skits!'". MTV News. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013.

4. ^ Ex, Kris (August 22, 2013). "The Blast Radius Of Kendrick Lamar's 'Control' Verse". . Archived from the original on June 20, 2015.

5. ^ Wallace, Riley (February 13, 2018). "Nipsey Hussle Debuts Kendrick Lamar Collaboration on Beats 1". .

6. ^ France, Lisa Respers (July 30, 2018). "Kendrick Lamar wins raves for his 'Power' appearance". CNN. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018.

7. ^ Coleman II, C. Vernon (November 14, 2020). "Kendrick Lamar Has Six Albums of Unreleased Music, Says Engineer". XXL. Townsquare Media, Inc.

8. ^ Lazerine, Devin (October 11, 2022). "Kendrick Lamar Reveals Why He Almost Didn't Release 'Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers'". Rap-Up. Kendrick, who has two children-a son, Enoch, and a daughter, Uzi-was also influenced by his family.

9. ^ Ruggieri, Melissa (May 13, 2022). "Kendrick Lamar delivers a raw, soul-baring musical odyssey on long-awaited double album". USA Today. It's also Lamar's autobiographical catch-up for fans wondering if he and fiancée Whitney Alford had a second child based on the album cover photo; references to "playin' 'Baby Shark' with my daughter" and "I'd kill for my son Enoch" would indicate yes.

10. ^ Bryant, Ben (May 13, 2022). "Kendrick Lamar's Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers is a tender, delicate opus - review". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022.

11. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Says Eminem "Definitely" Influenced His Style, Calls Him A "Genius"". YouTube. September 28, 2012. Archived from the original on November 27, 2015.

12. ^ Amfo, Clara (February 23, 2018). "When Kendrick met Clara: The best bits from the exclusive Radio 1 interview". BBC.

13. ^ "Explore Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. on Pitchfork's "Instant Classic"". Pitchfork. October 30, 2017. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018.

14. ^ Lamar, Kendrick; Ritz, David (August 13, 2015). "Billboard Cover: Kendrick Lamar Interviews N.W.A About Coming 'Straight Outta Compton' and Changing the World". Billboard.

15. ^ Croteau, David; Hoynes, William; Childress, Clayton (2021). Media/Society: Technology, Industries, Content, and Users. SAGE Publications. p. 274. ISBN 9781071819319.

16. ^ Ovended, Olivia (March 13, 2020). "Kendrick Lamar Headlining Glastonbury 2020 Is Supremely Good". Esquire UK.

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Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Known for his cinematic storytelling, melodic cadences, and artistic reinventions, he is regarded as one of the most influential artists of his generation, earning him the nickname " King Kendrick". He was named the second-greatest rapper of all time by and in 2023.

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Harriet Tubman was known for freeing over 300 hundred African Americans slaves

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Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist and social activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and rescued approximately 70 slaves.

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Letitia Wright - Actress, she is most known for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She has been in many other movies as well.

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American Tennis Player. Althea Gibson was the first Black women to win the French, Wimbledon, U.S open, and single championships in the 1950s. Althea was also the first African American to be voted Female Athlete of The Year..

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Althea Gibson, (born August 25, 1927, Silver, South Carolina, U.S.-died September 28, 2003, East Orange, New Jersey), American tennis player who dominated women's competition in the late 1950s. She was the first Black player to win the French (1956), Wimbledon (1957-58), and U.S. Open (1957-58) singles championships.

Gibson grew up in New York City, where she began playing tennis at an early age under the auspices of the New York Police Athletic League. In 1942 she won her first tournament, which was sponsored by the American Tennis Association (ATA), an organization founded by African American players. In 1947 she captured the ATA's women's singles championship, which she would hold for 10 consecutive years. While attending Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (B.S., 1953) in Tallahassee, she continued to play in tournaments around the country and in 1950 became the first Black tennis player to enter the national grass-court championship tournament at Forest Hills in Queens, New York. The next year she entered the Wimbledon tournament, again as the first Black player ever invited. The tall and lean Gibson soon became noted for her dominating serves and powerful play.

Until 1956 Gibson had only fair success in match tennis play, but that year she won a number of tournaments in Asia and Europe, including the French and Italian singles titles and the women's doubles title at Wimbledon. In 1957-58 she won the Wimbledon women's singles and doubles titles and took the U.S. women's singles championship at Forest Hills. She also won the U.S. mixed doubles and the Australian women's doubles in 1957. That year Gibson was voted Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press, becoming the first African American to receive the honour; she also won the award the following year. Having worked her way to top rank in world amateur tennis, she turned professional following her 1958 Forest Hills win. However, there being few tournaments and prizes for women at that time, she took up professional golf in 1964 and was the first African-American member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association. From 1973 to 1992 Gibson was active in sports administration, mainly for the state of New Jersey. Her autobiography, I Always Wanted to Be Somebody, appeared in 1958. In 1971 she was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Adam Augustyn.

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Althea Gibson | Biography, Titles, & Facts

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Althea Gibson, (born August 25, 1927, Silver, South Carolina, U.S.-died September 28, 2003, East Orange, New Jersey), American tennis player who dominated women's competition in the late 1950s. She was the first Black player to win the French (1956), Wimbledon (1957-58), and U.S. Open (1957-58) singles championships.

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he was one of many who inspired many people of color to love music

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John Lewis was a American politician and a civil rights activist who was in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district from 1987. He dedicated his life to advancing the cause of freedom and equality in America and a leader that stands up for others without a voice.

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Chadwick Aaron Boseman was an amazing actor who received multiple accolades. As the Black Panther, Boseman led a predominately black cast in a major blockbuster for the first time.

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https://davidgoggins.com/
David Goggins is in my opinion one of the most important black athletes. He talks about his struggles with weight and how he hated himself because he was overweight and obese. He decided to make a change he lost all the extra weight. David Goggins is an ultra marathon runner, ultra distance cyclist, triathlete, public speaker and an Arthur. He’s an ex navy seal and a motivational speaker. He shows people that anything is possible. He has some of the most grit and discipline I’ve ever seen in a person he is really inspiring.

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PURE INSPIRATION

David brings his inspirational story to every engagement with his passionate and empowering presence. He electrifies audiences both large and small, from corporate engagements where he speaks to hundreds of executives or thousands of salespeople to intimate settings with a select group of VIP clients.

PURE INSPIRATION

David electrifies audiences both large and small with his inspirational story, from corporate engagements to private VIP events.

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Kendrick is an amazing artist not just know for his music but the way he writes his music he is a story teller with in his music he will be able to tell a full story and he has 3 Grammys and is probably one of the best artist ever. Xavier

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Robyn Rihanna Fenty NH[2] (/riˈænə/ (listen) ree-AN-ə;[3][4][n 1] born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the United States to record demo tapes. After signing with Def Jam in 2005, she soon gained recognition with the release of her first two studio albums, Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl Like Me (2006), both of which were influenced by Caribbean music and peaked within the top ten of the US Billboard 200 chart.

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Khalid Donnel Robinson- American singer and songwriter.

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Khalid makes pop and r&b music and his debut studio album "American Teen" which was certified 4x platinum

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pele

As the first black soccer star, who was also the first global soccer star ever, he inspired People of Color worldwide. Pelé also transformed the impact of soccer: with his style of play, he transformed the ball sport into an art form in its own right with a high entertainment factor

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Rihanna was the first black women to own a luxury brand.In early 2009 Rihanna was beaten by her boyfriend, fellow R&B star Chris Brown, in an incident that was widely covered by tabloid news and gossip blogs. Following their separation, he was convicted of assault. The album that followed later that year, Rated R, much of which she cowrote, was marked by icily stark production and brooding lyrics that touched on revenge. Although her sales declined somewhat, she scored another major hit with “Rude Boy.” Rihanna returned to less-portentous fare on the dance-friendly Loud (2010).  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rihanna
Faith

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Table of Contents

Rihanna, byname of Robyn Rihanna Fenty, (born February 20, 1988, St. Michael parish, Barbados), Barbadian pop and rhythm-and-blues (R&B) singer who became a worldwide star in the early 21st century, known for her distinctive and versatile voice and for her fashionable appearance. She was also known for her beauty and fashion lines.

Early life

Fenty grew up in Barbados with a Barbadian father and a Guyanese mother. As a child, she listened to Caribbean music, such as reggae, as well as American hip-hop and R&B. She especially enjoyed singing and won a high-school talent show with a rendition of a Mariah Carey song. About the same time, she started a girl group with two friends, and in 2004 she attracted the attention of Evan Rogers, an American record producer. He helped Fenty record a demo that led to an audition with the rapper Jay-Z, who at the time headed the Def Jam record label, and he soon signed the budding vocalist. For her professional career, she adopted her middle name, Rihanna.

Music career: A Girl Like Me and Good Girl Gone Bad

With the effervescent dancehall-inflected single "Pon de Replay" (2005), Rihanna immediately captured an international audience. The song's success buoyed sales for her debut full-length recording, Music of the Sun (2005), on which conventional R&B ballads shared space with Caribbean-flavoured dance-pop that showcased her melodious Barbadian lilt. Rihanna soon followed with the album A Girl Like Me (2006), featuring the up-tempo club-oriented "S.O.S." The song, which was built around a sample of Soft Cell's 1981 new-wave hit "Tainted Love," became Rihanna's first to top the Billboard singles chart.

For Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), Rihanna sought to transform her youthful image. With the assistance of such high-profile collaborators as Timbaland and Justin Timberlake, she abandoned the tropical rhythms that had adorned her first two albums and recorded a collection of sleek R&B that presented her as a fiercely independent and rebellious woman. (She also unveiled a spiky asymmetrical hairstyle.) The gambit paid off, as the album sold several million copies worldwide, and its anthemic lead single, "Umbrella," featuring an introductory rap from Jay-Z, became one of the year's biggest hits and earned Rihanna a Grammy Award.

Later works: Rated R, Talk That Talk, and Unapologetic

In early 2009 Rihanna was beaten by her boyfriend, fellow R&B star Chris Brown, in an incident that was widely covered by tabloid news and gossip blogs. Following their separation, he was convicted of assault. The album that followed later that year, Rated R, much of which she cowrote, was marked by icily stark production and brooding lyrics that touched on revenge. Although her sales declined somewhat, she scored another major hit with "Rude Boy." Rihanna returned to less-portentous fare on the dance-friendly Loud (2010). In early 2011 the album's sexually provocative single "S&M" became her 10th number one Billboard hit-which made her, at age 23, the youngest artist ever to reach that milestone. Included in the total were prominent collaborations with hip-hop artists T.I. and Eminem that appeared on albums of theirs; many felt her vocals on the latter's "Love the Way You Lie" (2010) lent resonance to the song's depiction of an abusive relationship.

Rihanna maintained a steely and seductive persona on the albums Talk That Talk (2011), which produced the infectious international hit "We Found Love," and Unapologetic (2012), which was anchored by the starry-eyed "Diamonds." The latter release also controversially featured a duet with Brown, with whom she rekindled her relationship for a brief time. Her eighth studio album, Anti, was released in 2016. Rihanna began working on a new record, but the project was delayed as she took a break from music. However, she later cowrote and performed "Lift Me Up" for the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). For her work on the single, Rihanna received her first Academy Award nomination, for best original song. In 2023 she returned to the stage for the first time in some four years, performing at the Super Bowl halftime show.

Other activities: acting and Fenty Beauty

In addition to her musical career, Rihanna acted in the movies Battleship (2012) and This Is the End (2013). She also voiced one of the main characters in the animated adventure Home (2015). Rihanna later appeared as a hacker in Ocean's 8 (2018), a female-driven reboot of the Ocean's Eleven franchise from the early 2000s. In 2019 she starred with Donald Glover in the musical Guava Island; it premiered at the Coachella Valley Festival before streaming on Amazon.

After collaborating on several cosmetics collections in the early 2010s, Rihanna launched her own line, Fenty Beauty, in 2017. The brand was enthusiastically embraced by fans and was praised for its inclusivity in offering 40 different shades of foundation. She later launched (2018) Savage X Fenty, a clothing line of lingerie and loungewear. In 2019 it was announced that Rihanna was partnering with LVMH Moët Hennessy-Louis Vuitton to create the fashion line Fenty. She thereby became the first woman of colour to head a fashion house at LVMH, which was the largest luxury-products company in the world. Fenty's first collection was released later that year. However, the line struggled, and in 2021 it was announced that Fenty was being paused "pending better conditions."

Personal life

Rihanna's personal life attracted intense media attention. Her tumultuous relationship with Brown, especially the 2009 domestic violence incident, was fodder for the tabloids. She later dated Canadian rapper Drake. In 2021 it was confirmed that Rihanna was in a relationship with rapper ASAP Rocky. The couple welcomed a baby boy the following year. In 2023 Rihanna revealed she was again pregnant by performing at the Super Bowl halftime show with a visible baby bump; her representatives subsequently confirmed that the singer was expecting her second child.

John M. Cunningham The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Rihanna | Biography, Music, Movies, & Facts

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Rihanna, Barbadian pop and R&B singer who became a worldwide star in the early 21st century, known for her distinctive and versatile voice and for her fashionable appearance. Some of her hit singles included 'S.O.S.,' 'Umbrella,' and 'We Found Love.' Rihanna was also known for her beauty and fashion lines.

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Samuel L. Jackson is an American producer and highly prolific actor, having appeared in over 100 films, including Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Unbreakable (2000), Shaft (2000), Formula 51 (2001), Black Snake Moan (2006), Snakes on a Plane (2006), and the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999-2005), as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Bass Reeves was the first U.S. Deputy Marshall in western America. He was known for making over 3,000 arrests in his career.

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Ryan Benjamin is a professional artist who started his career in comics in 1994 with Image Comics, which later branched off to become Wildstorm Comics. He continues to work in the comic book industry with companies such as Marvel, DC Comics, DarkHorse, Acclaim, and Valiant Comics.

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Aaron Donald
DT for the rams
best defensive player of all time
3x defensive player of the year

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Tyreek Hill is a NFL Wide Reciever for the Miami Dolphins. His Nickname in the NFL is "Cheetah" because he is known for his speed

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Mark Phillips he is a famous youtuber. He has won several rewards.

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Robyn Rihanna Fenty NH is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. She has sold 60 million albums and 215 digital track records.

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Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman - She’s an actress, dancer, and musician.  She helped create KC Undercover because she thought that Disney Channel needed a show with a black cast to more representation for black children.

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Duke Ellington was a famous jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous and he made very good music

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Me personally I think Kyrie Irving is the best dribbler. I also love watching his game to! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrie_Irving?scrlybrkr=12fb6bdf 

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martin Luther King, Jr., (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) was born Michael Luther King, Jr., but later had his name changed to Martin. His grandfather began the family’s long tenure as pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, serving from 1914 to 1931; his father has served from then until the present, and from 1960 until his death Martin Luther acted as co-pastor.

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Malcolm X- He sought to further educate himself throughout his life; he was a vocal advocate for black empowerment and promoted Islam within the black community.

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Uchenna Nwosu Linebacker/Edge rusher for the seahawks

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this is Kyler Murray, Hes half black and half Asian. He currently plays for the Arizona Cardinals.

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Born just a year after Edison in 1848, Latimer was an inventor known for working closely with Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone (though some claim that invention is actually Latimer’s).

According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Latimer improved upon Edison’s original design. Latimer created a light bulb with a more durable filament made of carbon. He sold the patent to the US Electric Co. in 1881, and a year later patented a process for efficiently manufacturing the carbon filament. He even wrote a book in 1890 on electric lighting, the first of its kind.

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Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), better known as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper, record producer, and music video director, also a Grammy winner.

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Wilma Rudolph was a sprinter and the first American woman to win 3 gold medals in one Olympics. She became known as the "fastest woman in the world" back in 1960 despite being told at a young age she'd never be able to walk again due to a disease she had when she was younger.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimi_Hendrix?scrlybrkr=f93f6a2b

psych rock guitarist from washington, best know for his guitar cover of the star spangled banner, his cover of "all along the watch tower" by bob dylan, and his originals; voodoo child and purple haze

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_Belly

legal name: Huddie William Ledbetter
american folk singer and musician. best known for songs like "in the pines" (which nirvana later covered) and "goodnight irene."

he also often sung about current events, prison life, cowboys, and life experiences

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Huddie William Ledbetter (; January 1888 or 1889 - December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the folk standards he introduced, including his renditions of " In the Pines", " Goodnight, Irene", " Midnight Special", " Cotton Fields", and " Boll Weevil".

Lead Belly usually played a twelve-string guitar, but he also played the piano, mandolin, harmonica, violin, and windjammer. In some of his recordings, he sang while clapping his hands or stomping his foot.

Lead Belly's songs covered a wide range of genres, including gospel music, blues, and folk music, as well as a number of topics, including women, liquor, prison life, racism, cowboys, work, sailors, cattle herding, and dancing. He also wrote songs about people in the news, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, Jean Harlow, Jack Johnson, the Scottsboro Boys and Howard Hughes. Lead Belly was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2008.

Though many releases credit him as "Leadbelly", he wrote his name as "Lead Belly". This is the spelling on his tombstone and is used by the Lead Belly Foundation.

Lead Belly's draft registration card in 1942 (SERIAL NUMBER U2214 and address listed as 604 E 9TH ST., N.Y. N. Y.)

The younger of two children, Lead Belly was born Huddie William Ledbetter to Sallie Brown and Wesley Ledbetter on a plantation near Mooringsport, Louisiana. On his World War II draft registration card in 1942, he gave his birthplace as Freeport, Louisiana ("Shreveport"). There is uncertainty over his precise date and year of birth. The Lead Belly Foundation gives his birth date as January 20, 1889, his grave marker gives the year 1889, and his 1942 draft registration card states January 23, 1889.

These records were made by census takers, and ages and dates were defined in terms of the census date. The 1900 United States Census lists "Hudy Ledbetter" as 12 years old, born January 1888, and the 1910 and 1930 censuses also give his age as corresponding to a birth in 1888. The 1940 census lists his age as 51, with information supplied by wife Martha. The books Blues: A Regional Experience by Eagle and LeBlanc and Encyclopedia of Louisiana Musicians by Tomko give January 23, 1888, while the Encyclopedia of the Blues gives January 20, 1888.

His parents had cohabited for several years. They officially married on February 26, 1888, perhaps after his birth that year. When Huddie was five years old, the family settled in Bowie County, Texas.

By the 1910 census of Harrison County, Texas, "Hudy Ledbetter" was living next door to his parents in a separate household with his first wife, Aletha "Lethe" Henderson. Aletha is recorded as age 19 and married one year. Others say she was 15 when they married in 1908. Ledbetter received his first instrument in Texas, an accordion, from his uncle Terrell. By his early twenties, having fathered at least two children, Ledbetter left home to make his living as a guitarist and occasional laborer.

By 1903, Huddie was already a "musicianer", a singer and guitarist of some note. He performed to Shreveport audiences in St. Paul's Bottoms, a notorious red-light district. He began to develop his own style of music after exposure to the various musical influences on Shreveport's Fannin Street, a row of saloons, brothels, and dance halls in the Bottoms. This area is now referred to as Ledbetter Heights.

Between 1915 and 1939, Ledbetter served several prison and jail terms in Louisiana for a variety of criminal charges. Notably, in 1918 under the name of Walter Boyd, he was convicted of murder in Texas and sentenced to 30 years in prison. After writing a song pleading for clemency Ledbetter was pardoned by Governor Pat Morris Neff in 1925. Thirty years after starting his music career, he was "discovered" in Angola Penitentiary during a 1933 visit by folklorists John Lomax and his son Alan Lomax. They were recording varieties of local music in the South as a project to preserve traditional music for the Library of Congress. This was one of numerous cultural projects during the Great Depression.

Deeply impressed by Ledbetter's vibrant tenor and extensive repertoire, the Lomaxes recorded him in 1933 on portable aluminum disc recording equipment in a project for the Library of Congress. They returned with new and better equipment in July 1934, recording hundreds of his songs. While in prison, Lead Belly may have first heard the traditional prison song " Midnight Special"; his versions became famous. On August 1, Ledbetter was released after having served nearly all of his minimum sentence. The Lomaxes had taken a record and a petition seeking his release to Louisiana Governor Oscar K. Allen at his urgent request. It included his signature song, " Goodnight Irene".[clarification needed ]

A prison official later wrote to John Lomax denying that Ledbetter's singing had anything to do with his release from prison. (State prison records confirm he was eligible for this due to good behavior.) But, both Ledbetter and the Lomaxes believed that the record they had taken to the governor had helped gain his release from prison.

Ledbetter returned to a state in the midst of the Great Depression, and jobs were scarce. In September, needing regular work to satisfy parole, he asked John Lomax to take him on as a paid driver. For three months, he assisted the 67-year-old in his folk song collecting around the South. Son Alan Lomax was ill and did not accompany his father on this trip.[page needed ]

In December 1934, Lead Belly participated in a "smoker" (group sing) at a Modern Language Association meeting at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, where the senior Lomax had a prior lecture engagement. He was written up in the press as a convict who had sung his way out of prison. On New Year's Day, 1935, the pair arrived in New York City, where Lomax was scheduled to meet with his publisher, Macmillan, about a new collection of folk songs. The newspapers were eager to write about the "singing convict". Time magazine made one of its first March of Time newsreels about him. Lead Belly attained fame - although not fortune.

On January 23-25, 1935, Lead Belly had the first of several recording sessions with American Record Corporation (ARC). These sessions, combined with two others on February 5 and March 25, yielded 53 takes. Of those recordings, only six were ever released during Lead Belly's lifetime. ARC decided to simultaneously release these songs on six different labels they owned: Banner, Melotone, Oriole, Perfect, Romeo, and Paramount.: 159-60, 292-95  These recordings achieved little commercial success. Part of the reason for the poor sales may have been that ARC released only his blues songs rather than the folk songs for which he would later become better known. Lead Belly continued to struggle financially. Like many performers, what income he made during his career came from touring, not from record sales. In February 1935, he married his girlfriend, Martha Promise, who came North from Louisiana to join him.

During February Ledbetter recorded his repertoire with Alan Lomax, who also recorded other African Americans. Lomax interviewed Ledbetter about his life for their forthcoming book, Negro Folk Songs As Sung by Lead Belly (1936). But his father, who had a management contract with Lead Belly, was not able to arrange concert dates. In March 1935, Lead Belly accompanied John Lomax on a previously scheduled two-week lecture tour of colleges and universities in the Northeast, culminating at Harvard.

At the end of the month, John Lomax decided he could no longer work with Lead Belly. He gave him and Martha enough money to return by bus to Louisiana. He also gave Martha the money her husband had earned during three months of performing, but in installments, on the pretext that Lead Belly would spend it all on drinking if he was given a lump sum. From Louisiana, Lead Belly successfully sued Lomax for both the full amount of his earnings and release from his management contract. The quarrel was bitter, with hard feelings on both sides. In the midst of the legal wrangling, Lead Belly wrote to Lomax proposing they team up again, but this did not happen. The book that the Lomaxes published about Lead Belly in the fall of 1936 proved a commercial failure.[citation needed ]

In January 1936, Lead Belly returned to New York on his own, without John Lomax, in an attempted comeback. He performed twice a day at Harlem's Apollo Theater during the Easter season. He developed a live dramatic recreation of the March of Time newsreel (itself a recreation), which was about his prison encounter with John Lomax, when he was still wearing uniform stripes. By this time he was no longer associated with Lomax.

Lead Belly at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. between 1938 and 1948

Life magazine ran a three-page article titled "Lead Belly: Bad Nigger Makes Good Minstrel" in its issue of April 19, 1937. It included a full-page, color (rare in those days) picture of him sitting on grain sacks playing his guitar and singing. Also included was a striking photograph of his wife Martha Promise (identified in the article as his manager). Other photos showed Lead Belly's hands playing the guitar (with the caption "these hands once killed a man"), Texas Governor Pat M. Neff, and the "ramshackle" Texas State Penitentiary. The article attributes both of his pardons to his singing his petitions to the governors, who were so moved that they pardoned him. The article closed by saying that Lead Belly "may well be on the brink of a new and prosperous period."

Lead Belly failed to stir the enthusiasm of Harlem audiences. Instead, he attained success playing at concerts and benefits for an audience of folk music aficionados. He developed his own style of singing and explaining his repertoire in the context of Southern black culture, having learned from his participation in Lomax's college lectures. He was especially successful with his repertoire of children's game songs (as a younger man in Louisiana he had sung regularly at children's birthday parties in the black community). Black novelist Richard Wright wrote about him as a heroic figure in the Daily Worker, of which Wright was the Harlem editor. The two men became personal friends. In contrast to Wright, who was then a communist, commentators described Lead Belly as apolitical. He was known to support Wendell Willkie, the centrist Republican candidate for president, for whom he wrote a campaign song. Lead Belly also wrote the song " The Bourgeois Blues", which has class-conscious and anti-racist lyrics.

In 1939, Lead Belly was convicted and sentenced again to prison. Alan Lomax, then 24, took him under his wing and helped raise money for his legal expenses, dropping out of graduate school to do so. After gaining release, Lead Belly appeared as a regular on Lomax and Nicholas Ray's groundbreaking CBS radio show Back Where I Come From, broadcast nationwide.

He also performed in nightclubs with Josh White, becoming a fixture in New York City's surging folk music scene and befriending the likes of Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Woody Guthrie, and Pete Seeger, all fellow performers on Back Where I Come From.

In 1940, Lead Belly recorded for RCA Victor, one of the biggest record companies at the time. These sessions in California were held on June 15 and 17, with the Golden Gate Quartet accompanying some songs. The recordings resulted in the album, The Midnight Special and Other Southern Prison Songs, being issued by Victor Records. The album included sheets with extensive notes and song texts prepared by Alan Lomax. According to Charles Wolfe and Kip Lornell, "it was one of the finest public presentations of Leadbelly's music: well recorded, well advertised, well documented. And the album justified its reputation as a landmark in African American folk music.": 220-22, 298-300  Several of the recordings from these sessions were also issued as singles by Bluebird Records.

In 1941, Lead Belly was introduced to Moses "Moe" Asch by mutual friends. Asch owned a recording studio and small record label, which mainly released folk records for the local New York City market. He later founded Folkways Records. Between 1941 and 1944, Lead Belly released three albums under the Asch Recordings label.: 225-26, 304-07  During the first half of the 1940s, Lead Belly also recorded for the Library of Congress.

In 1944 he went to California, where he recorded strong sessions for Capitol Records. He lodged with a studio guitar player on Merrywood Drive in Laurel Canyon. Later he returned to New York City. In 1949, Lead Belly had a regular radio show, Folk Songs of America, broadcast on station WNYC in New York, on Henrietta Yurchenco's show on Sunday nights. Later in the year he began his first European tour with a trip to France, but fell ill before its completion and was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease (a motor neuron disease). Lead Belly was the first American country blues musician to achieve success in Europe. His final concert was at the University of Texas at Austin in a tribute to his former mentor, John Lomax, who had died the previous year. Martha also performed at that concert, singing spirituals with Lead Belly.

Lead Belly died later that year in New York City. He was buried in the Shiloh Baptist Church cemetery, in Mooringsport, Louisiana, 8 miles (13 km) west of Blanchard, in Caddo Parish. He is honored with a statue across from the Caddo Parish Courthouse, in Shreveport. Lead Belly's niece, activist Greshun De Bouse, founded National Huddie Ledbetter Day (August 1 annually), and received proclamations from the mayors of Oil City-where Lead Belly worked, LA and Shreveport, LA in 2023. [1]

Lead Belly inside the Angola Prison, July 1934

Lead Belly was imprisoned multiple times beginning in 1915, when he was convicted of carrying a pistol, and sentenced to time on the Harrison County chain gang. He later escaped and found work in nearby Bowie County under the assumed name of Walter Boyd.

In January 1918, he was imprisoned at the Imperial Farm (now Central Unit) in Sugar Land, Texas, after being convicted of killing a relative, Will Stafford, in a fight over a woman. During his second prison term, Lead Belly was stabbed in the neck by another inmate. (The wound resulted in a fearsome scar the musician covered with a bandana). Lead Belly nearly killed his attacker at the time with his own knife.

In 1925, he was pardoned and released after writing a song to Texas Governor Pat Morris Neff seeking his freedom, having served the minimum seven years of a 7-to-35-year sentence. He was credited with good behavior, which included entertaining the guards and fellow prisoners. He also appealed for mercy to Neff's known religious beliefs. It was a testament to his persuasive powers, as Neff had run for governor on a pledge not to issue pardons (most Southern judicial systems had no provision for approving parole from prison). After meeting Lead Belly in 1924, Neff returned to the prison several times after he was incarcerated again. He brought guests to the prison on Sunday picnics to hear Ledbetter perform.

In 1930, Ledbetter was sentenced to Louisiana State Penitentiary (nicknamed "Angola") after a summary trial for attempted homicide for stabbing a man in a fight. In 1939, Lead Belly served his final jail term for assault after stabbing a man in a fight in Manhattan.

Nicknamed "Lead Belly"

Lead Belly and Martha Promise Ledbetter, Wilton, Connecticut, February 1935

There are several conflicting stories about how Ledbetter acquired the nickname "Lead Belly", it probably happened while he was in prison. Some claim his fellow inmates called him "Lead Belly" as a play on his family name and his physical toughness. Others say he earned the name after being wounded in the stomach with buckshot. Another theory is that the name refers to his ability to drink moonshine, the homemade liquor that Southern farmers, black and white, made to supplement their incomes.

Blues singer Big Bill Broonzy thought it came from a supposed tendency to lie about as if "with a stomach weighted down by lead" in the shade when the chain gang was supposed to be working.

However, his strong local accent is most likely to have led to the nickname. Huddie William Ledbetter from Shreveport, became Huddie Weem Leadbelly from Freeport.

Lead Belly styled himself "King of the Twelve-String Guitar", and despite his use of other instruments, such as the accordion, the most enduring image of Lead Belly as a performer is wielding his unusually large Stella twelve-string. This guitar had a slightly longer scale length than a standard guitar, increasing the tension on the instrument, which, given the added tension of the six extra strings, meant that a trapeze-style tailpiece was needed to help resist bridge lifting. It had slotted tuners and ladder bracing.[citation needed ]

Lead Belly played with finger picks much of the time, using a thumb pick to provide walking bass lines described as "tricky" and "inventive", and occasionally to strum.[citation needed ] This technique, combined with low tunings and heavy strings, gives many of his recordings a piano-like sound. Scholars have suggested much of his guitar playing was inspired equally by barrelhouse piano and the Mexican Bajo Sexto, a type of guitar that he encountered in Texas and Louisiana.

Lead Belly's tunings are debated by both modern and contemporary musicians and blues enthusiasts alike, but it seems to be a down-tuned variant of standard tuning. Footage of his chording is scarce, so trying to decode his chords is difficult. It is likely that he tuned his guitar strings relative to one another, so that the actual notes shifted as the strings wore. Such down-tuning was a common technique before the development of truss rods, and was intended to prevent the instrument's neck from warping. Lead Belly's playing style was popularized by Pete Seeger, who adopted the twelve-string guitar in the 1950s and released an instructional LP and book using Lead Belly as an exemplar of technique.

In some of the recordings in which Lead Belly accompanied himself, he made an unusual type of grunt between his verses, sometimes described as "haah!" Songs such as "Looky Looky Yonder", " Take This Hammer", "Linin' Track", and "Julie Ann Johnson" feature this unusual vocalization. In "Take This Hammer", Lead Belly explained: "Every time the men say, 'Haah,' the hammer falls. The hammer rings, and we swing, and we sing." The "haah" sound can also be heard in work chants sung by Southern railroad section workers, " gandy dancers", in which it was used to coordinate work crews as they laid and maintained tracks.

In 1976, a biopic titled was released, directed by Gordon Parks and featuring Roger E. Mosley as Lead Belly.

In 1951, the Weavers' recording of their arrangement of Lead Belly's "Irene", released as " Good Night, Irene", was the first folk song to reach #1 on the U.S. charts, selling some two million copies.

Kurt Cobain promoted the legacy of Lead Belly, and some modern rock audiences owe their familiarity with Lead Belly to Nirvana's performance of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" (which Lead Belly called " In the Pines") on a televised concert later released as MTV Unplugged in New York. Cobain refers to his attempt to convince David Geffen to purchase Lead Belly's guitar for him in an interval before the song is played. In his notebooks, Cobain listed Lead Belly's Last Session Vol. 1 as one of the 50 albums most influential in the formation of Nirvana's sound. It was included in "The 100 Greatest Albums You've Never Heard list".

Ram Jam, an American rock band, had a hit with the song " Black Betty" which they remade as a rock song in 1977. "Black Betty" was recorded by Lead Belly in 1939.

Bob Dylan credits Lead Belly for getting him into folk music. In his Nobel Prize Lecture, Dylan said "somebody - somebody I'd never seen before - handed me a Lead Belly record with the song ' Cotton Fields' on it. And that record changed my life right then and there. Transported me into a world I'd never known. It was like an explosion went off. Like I'd been walking in darkness and all of the sudden the darkness was illuminated. It was like somebody laid hands on me. I must have played that record a hundred times." Dylan also pays homage to him in " Song to Woody" on his self-titled debut album.

Lead Belly recordings were instrumental in starting the British skiffle revival, which in turn produced several musicians prominent during the British Invasion. Lonnie Donegan's recording of " Rock Island Line", released as a single in late 1955, signaled the start of the skiffle craze. George Harrison of The Beatles was quoted as saying, "if there was no Lead Belly, there would have been no Lonnie Donegan; no Lonnie Donegan, no Beatles. Therefore no Lead Belly, no Beatles." In a BBC tribute in 1999, which marked the 50th anniversary of Lead Belly's death, Van Morrison - while sitting alongside Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones - claimed that the British popular music scene of the 1960s wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Lead Belly's influence. "I'd put my money on that," he said. Wood concurred.

Indian singer Bhupen Hazarika-who was, in general, influenced by spirituals during his days as a student in the US-transcreated Lead Belly's singing of "We're in the Same Boat Brother" into the Assamese language as " Ami ekekhon nawore zatri" (আমি একেখন নাৱৰে যাত্ৰী). Later, he also released a Bengali language version as " Mora jatri eki toronir" (মোরা যাত্রী একই তরণীর).

In 2001 English-Canadian blues singer Long John Baldry released his final studio album, Remembering Leadbelly. It contains cover versions of Lead Belly songs, and features a six-minute Alan Lomax interview.

George Ezra developed his singing style from trying to sing like Lead Belly. "On the back of the record, it said his voice was so big, you had to turn your record player down," Ezra says. "I liked the idea of singing with a big voice, so I tried it, and I could."

In 2015, in celebration of Lead Belly's 125th birthday, several events were held. The Kennedy Center, in collaboration with the Grammy Museum held Lead Belly at 125: A Tribute to an American Songster, a musical event featuring Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, and Buddy Miller with Viktor Krauss as headliners and Dom Flemons as host, with special appearances by Lucinda Williams, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Billy Hector, Valerie June, Shannon McNally, Josh White Jr., and Dan Zanes, among others. Also in Washington, D.C., Bourgeois Town: Lead Belly in Washington DC by the Library of Congress was held where Todd Harvey interviewed Lead Belly family members about their relative, his contributions to American culture and world music and an overview of the significant Lead Belly materials in the center's archive. In London, England, the Royal Albert Hall held Lead Belly Fest, a musical event featuring Van Morrison, Eric Burdon, Jools Holland, Billy Bragg, Paul Jones, and more.

Influenced by the sinking of the in April 1912, Ledbetter wrote the song "The Titanic", his first composition on the twelve-string guitar, which later became his signature instrument. Initially played when performing with Blind Lemon Jefferson (1893-1929) in and around Dallas, Texas, the song is about champion African-American boxer Jack Johnson's being denied passage on the Titanic. Johnson had in fact been denied passage on a ship for being black, but it was not the Titanic. Still, the song includes the lyric "Jack Johnson tried to get on board. The Captain, he says, 'I ain't haulin' no coal!' Fare thee, Titanic! Fare thee well!" Ledbetter later noted he had to leave out this passage when playing in front of white audiences.

In possibly the earliest audio recording of the phrase, Lead Belly urged Black listeners to " stay woke" in the spoken afterword to a 1938 recording of his song "Scottsboro Boys", which tells the story of nine Black teenagers and young men falsely accused of raping two white women in Alabama in 1931. Lead Belly warns his listeners, "So I advise everybody, be a little careful when they go along through there-best stay woke, keep their eyes open."

The Library of Congress recordings, made by John and Alan Lomax from 1934 to 1943, were released in a six-volume series by Rounder Records:

Midnight Special (1991)

Gwine Dig a Hole to Put the Devil In (1991)

Let It Shine on Me (1991)

The Titanic (1994)

Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen (1994)

Go Down Old Hannah (1995)

The Folkways recordings, done for Moses Asch from 1941 to 1947, were released in a three-volume series by Smithsonian Folkways:

Where Did You Sleep Last Night, Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. 1 (1996)

Bourgeois Blues, Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. 2 (1997)

Shout On, Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. 3 (1998)

Smithsonian Folkways has released several other collections of his recordings:

A Leadbelly Memorial, Vol II (1963, Stinson Records, SLP 19), red vinyl pressing

Alabama Bound (1989, RCA Heritage Series), a 16 track CD manufactured for BMG Direct Marketing

Huddie Ledbetter's Best (1989, BGO Records), containing recordings made for Capitol Records in 1944 in California

King of the 12-String Guitar (1991, Sony/Legacy Records), a collection of blues songs and prison ballads recorded in 1935 in New York City for the American Record Corporation, including previously unreleased alternate takes

Lead Belly Sings and Plays (1962, Stinson Records, SLPS 91), red vinyl pressing

Private Party November 21, 1948 (2000, Document Records), containing Lead Belly's intimate performance at a private party in late 1948 in Minneapolis

Take This Hammer, When the Sun Goes Down series, vol. 5 (2003, RCA Victor/Bluebird Jazz), CD collection of all 26 songs Lead Belly recorded for Victor Records in 1940, half of which feature the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet (a 1968 LP released by RCA Victor included about half of these recordings)

The Definitive Lead Belly (2008, Not Now Music), a 50-song retrospective on two CDs

Leadbelly - American Folk & Blues Anthology (2013, Not Now Music), 75 songs on three CDs

American Epic: The Best of Lead Belly (2017, Lo-Max, Sony Legacy, Third Man)

White, Gary; Stuart, David; Aviva, Elyn (2001). Music in Our World. p. 196. ISBN 0-07-027212-3.

Wolfe, Charles; Lornell, Kip (1992). The Life and Legend of Leadbelly . New York City: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0060168625

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Huddie William Ledbetter (; January 1888 or 1889 - December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the folk standards he introduced, including his renditions of " In the Pines", " Goodnight, Irene", " Midnight Special", " Cotton Fields", and " Boll Weevil".

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MALCOM X!!!!!!
Malcolm X was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of Islam until 1964, he was a vocal advocate for Black empowerment and the promotion of Islam within the Black community. I LOVE MALCOM X RIP TO THIS KING!!

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Samuel L jackson is a great performer/actor he plays all of his characters well! my favorite movie that hes in is pulp fiction and as well as "the winter soldier" captain america. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_L._Jackson?scrlybrkr=dd484ebf

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Daniel Dumile a.k.a. MF DOOM, is a Hip-hop artist and rapper who became a huge in the 2000's, and influenced many other artists with his intricate wordplay and signature metal mask. I really enjoy his music and his rapping style, and his music is a big inspiration for me. My brother was the first one to introduce me to his music about a year ago and since then my love for him and hip-hop has grown a lot. Unfortunately, Daniel passed October 31st, 2020, but his music left a huge impact on hip-hop and continues to inspire many artists today.

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Bob Marley is a Jamaican singer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Marley?scrlybrkr=e4c2bcbc

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SZAAAAAA. I love sza so much, her album S.O.S is currently breaking the record for being the most days at #1 in the US apple music history. Her music is so inspiring, and  it helps me through a lot. She is the epitome of THAT GIRL and I love and look up to her so much. Everyday she breaks new records, and beats the odds and that's why she's such a remodel for me.
stream S.O.S!!!!!

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Fredrick Douglass was an abolitionist during the 1800s fighting for an end to slavery.

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Muhammad Ali the best boxer who had a lot of motivational speeches and was unstoppable. world champion boxer who also changed the world along side with the others

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Rihanna is a Barbadian artist known mainly for her pop and R&B music, but also for her business Fenty Beauty. She has sold over 250 million records world wide.
Rihanna is loved by millions of people and is thought to have made some of this generations' best music.

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Beyonce is a Pop and R&B singer, she is an actor and a business woman. And has had a very successful career

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Rosa parks was an activist in the civil rights movement. Parks rejected bus driver James Blake's order to vacate a row of four seats in the "colored" section in favor of a White passenger, once the "White" section was filled.

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Michael B Jordan is the most recognized actor in Hollywood today thanks to his very successful movies 

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Despite John Lewis's youth he became a recognized leader in the civil rights movement. By 1963, he was recognized as one of the big six of the civil rights movement.

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Mike Tyson is a very talented boxer and a very strong individual.

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Berlezzyyyyyy!!!!
The funniest guy I know and he is my fav youtuber.

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Duane Jones is an American actor, who is best known for playing Ben in the original 1968 Horror Film, Night of the Living Dead. He stars as the main protagonist, which during the time having a black man as the main character was a new, and somewhat prolific idea, though not intended. This was during a time after the civil rights movement.

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Kanye west i feel like he deserves credit for all the good things hes done in his career even know he gets into a lot of drama

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Kanye west i feel like he deserves credit for all the good things hes done in his career even know he gets into a lot of drama

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Evan L.

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Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is an American rapper and songwriter. he was born in June 1987. he was raised in compton, California. and is known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendrick_Lamar?scrlybrkr=8addca86

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Bobby Wardell Sandimanie III, known professionally as Destroy Lonely, is an American rapper. He is best known for his studio album No Stylist which peaked at number 91 on the Billboard 200. He is also the son of rapper I-20 who was signed to Ludacris' label Disturbing the Peace.
https://www.destroylonely.net/

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Beyonce is a Pop and R&B singer, she is an actor and a business woman. And has had a very successful career

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Robert Jebediah Freeman

civil rights activist, lived in alabama during the civil rights movement and jim crow era, is not very known and is overshadowed by others. had two grand children, huey freeman and riley freeman. huey is a whole other topic as he was labeled as a domestic terrorist by his teen years. he is currently retired

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An American actor, director, and narrator with the name of Morgan Freeman. He is well-known for both his varied appearances in many different cinema genres and his recognizable deep voice.

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Mr. Roberts (holding the hammer) is the band teacher for Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth International High School. He is the best band teacher that I have had.

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Rihanna is a singer, actress, and businesswoman. She is mostly known for her music but she also runs a successful business called Fenty Beauty, which is worth 2.8 billion dollars. Rihanna has won numerous awards including, 9 Grammys, 12 Billboard Music Awards, and 13 American Music Awards.

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Dorothy Irene Height was an African American civil rights and women's rights activist. She focused on the issues of African American women, including unemploymentt, illiteracy, and voter awareness.

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in that link there is more information about kevin heart.
kevin heart is a comedian that has great scripts and has been in many popular movies that have been hilarious and loved by watchers. I love kevin heart because he’s a good comedian and i find him funny. he also is a very friendly person and is hilarious with other celebrities.

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Jon Jones is simply the goat. A UFC god with some of the best trash talk ever recorded. He also has a record of 26-1-0

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Simone Biles is a gymnast who set the record for most Olympic gold medals at one Olympic games. But in all she has won 19 medals and she is the most decorated gymnast of all time. She is a leader and has become an advocate for things like the mental health of athletes, victims of sexual assault, and children in the foster care system.

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Jalen Green is a NBA player that I've been watching since he was in Highschool. he's always been one of my favorite players and is very inspiring to see how he grew up to become a star in the NBA.

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SZA is one of my favorite artists and I think she's a really cool singer and overall person. Her new album SOS has been number one on the billboard 200 for 8 non-consecutive weeks. It broke the record for largest streaming week for a R&B album in the US.

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Kam Chancellor is a former Seattle Seahawks player who was once apart of, and led the best defense of all time in the NFL nicknamed 'The Legion of Boom'

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NBA Young Boy is a hip hop rapper he is a big rapper in the industry. he is about to have his 10th kid and he has 28 plaques and 71 gold gold certifications

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Bandgang is a Detroit rap group that has been making music for around about 10 years. they've worked with people from seattle, LA, the whole west coast, and hella people from the D.

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This is Kevin hart who is a American comedian and actor. He was first known as a comedian and then started in Hollywood films. He has won awards like Bet Award for Best Actor, Shorty Award for best comedian, etc.

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Derwin James is the current safety for the Los Angeles Chargers. He's one of the best defenders in the league with a first team all pro and he's a 3 time pro bowler

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Belcalis Marlenis also known as Cardi B. is an American rapper who made popular songs such as bodak yellow, be careful, please me, motorsport, up, etc. Outside of her rap life Cardi B. is a proud wife/mother who is married to another rapper called offset & they have multiple children together, Cardi B. also played in a few movies such as called hustlers, fast x, fast five, & more.

Cardi B.'s award list below:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Cardi-B/awards?from=mdr

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Kevin Hart is a well known comedian who has great scripts and is beloved by many. He’s also been is popular movies that were loved by watchers. I like his humor and the way he interacts with other celebrities. I love his friendship with the rock.

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LeBron is a NBA player who been playing in the NBA for 20 years he has won 4 rings he motivated me after he won number 1 scorer in the NBA he motivated me to chase that hoop dream and become a Hooper

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I picked SZA for my black history month padlet assignment

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Sza is a female singer and artist , she was on the billboard global 200 and sings multiple styles of music . Her music was to help people with nostalgia and abandonment.

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Kyrie Irving is a famous basketball player he has one NBA championship and is a 8times NBA all star and he played for 4 teams he is currently on the mavericks.

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Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. He also had 6 kids 4 girls nd 2 boys

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Michael Jackson was the king of pop he was a great singer and was the first super bowl halftime show performer
-Daniel Martinez

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Viola Davis is an black actress staring in the movie woman king. I love that she is achieving greatness and encouraging young black woman to take risks and go for it, also she is an Oscar-winning role in Fences to her Emmy-winning portrayal of Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with a murder.

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I chose Malcom x because I feel like he had an impact on black history just as much as MLK and wasn’t taught enough in schools.

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Jordoun aka gloob glooberie crygemstones shampoo shawty is one of the most influential producers in our time, he has made record breaking hits such as "cat" "dog" hamster and many others

https://youtu.be/vf0hn0qfkf8

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I chose Julia De Burgos. Julia De Burgos is from Carolina, Puerto Rico and was born on February 17, 1914. She is a famous Afro-Latina poet. She is known for writing poems. She wrote poems in spanish and english. In 1953, on July 6th she passed away due to pneumonia.

Two of the poems that stuck out for me is:

“Don’t let the hand you hold, hold you down.” And,
“I am Life, I am Strength, I am Women.”

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Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981)[1] is an American former professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time,[a] she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 319 weeks, including a joint-record 186 consecutive weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. She won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any player in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time. She is the only player, male or female, to accomplish a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serena_Williams?scrlybrkr=345072d7

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Musical artist, lived in West Seattle, he was known to people around the world, he started a non profit called stakkkteam to help people get their money up.

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Kanye West is a musician, producer, and entrepreneur who has had a significant impact on black culture and global music. As a multi-platinum selling artist, he has consistently pushed the boundaries of hip-hop and popular music, incorporating elements of soul, rock, and electronic music into his work. He has also been known for his outspoken personality and controversial statements, which have sparked important discussions on topics ranging from race and politics to mental health and fashion. Additionally, West has been a major influence on fashion and style, particularly in the realm of streetwear, where he has made waves with his Yeezy brand. Beyond music, he has used his platform to bring attention to social and political issues affecting the black community, inspiring a new generation of artists and activists to use their influence for positive change. Overall, Kanye West has had a profound impact on black culture and has left a lasting impact on the global music and cultural landscape.

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Michael Jordan a basketball player that changed the basketball game, made history and shoes. This basketball super star impacted everyone's lives in many different positive ways. He's spread joy and inspired others to succeed no matter what you come from.

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Etta James
I grew up listening to her music and always loved her. In her lifetime, James pioneered the development of music as she bridged the gaps between genres as diverse as jazz, R&B, soul, rock ‘n roll, gospel and blues, as made clear by her more than thirty awards from organizations like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

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Tupac Shakur was a hip-hop artist but also an activist for his people. he shined his light onto the youth and allowed them to allow his music the influence the youth with his music. He also was an amazing motivational speaker https://youtube.com/shorts/4jrP4WBoZ3U?feature=share

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Aaliyah Dana Haughton, January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop".

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Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York, becoming famous for his oratory and incisive anti-slavery writings. Accordingly, he was described by abolitionists in his time as a living counterexample to slaveholders' arguments that slaves lacked the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens. Northerners-at the time found it hard to believe that such a great orator had once been a slave. It was in response to this disbelief that Douglass wrote his first autobiography.

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Rihanna, The beautiful R&B singer with the shiny and magnificent big forehead, Rihanna is important to me because for one she started my love for music and women in the beginning of my child hood, and my mom really likes her music.

I feel like Rihanna has impacted the R&B community due to her catchy songs that aren't annoying to sing time to time, to famous dances and the infamous shine bright like a diamond song.

She has also won nine Grammy Awards, 12 billboard music rewards, 12 American music rewards and 7 MTV Video Music Rewards.

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Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo is an American singer and songwriter. She is known for her ethereal vocal style and evocative lyricism. She embarked on her music career contributing vocals and appearing in music videos for R&B group B2K