Lisa Marie Presley Dead at 54 After Cardiac Arrest
Lisa was housekeeper found her unresponsive at her Calabasas home. Her ex-husband, Danny Keough, was there and performed CPR on her until paramedics arrived and took over — they administered at least one dose of epinephrine during resuscitation efforts. We’re told EMTs were able to regain a pulse before she was transported to the hospital. Where she died.
Earl Simmons (born December 18, 1970 – April 9, 2021), known professionally as DMX, is an American rapper and actor. He began rapping in the early 1990s, and released his debut album, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot in 1998 to both critical acclaim and commercial success, selling 251,000 copies within its first week of release. He released his best-selling album, … And Then There Was X, in 1999, which included the hit single “Party Up (Up in Here)”. Since his debut, DMX has released seven studio albums.
He has been featured in films such as Belly, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 the Grave and Last Hour. In 2006, he starred in the reality television series DMX: Soul of a Man, which was primarily aired on the BET cable television network. In 2003, DMX published a book of his memoirs entitled, E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX.
On April 2, 2021, at approximately 11:00 pm, Simmons was rushed to White Plains Hospital, where he was reported to be in critical condition following a heart attack at his home possibly resulting from a drug overdose. The next day, his attorney Murray Richman confirmed Simmons was on life support. That same night, Simmons suffered cerebral hypoxia (oxygen deprivation to his brain) as paramedics attempted to resuscitate him for 30 minutes. Simmons’ former manager, Nakia Walker, said he was in a “vegetative state” with “lung and brain failure and no current brain activity”. His manager, Steve Rifkind, stated Simmons was comatose and that he was set to undergo tests to determine his brain’s functionality and his family will “determine what’s best from there”.
On the morning of April 9, 2021, Simmons lost functionality in multiple essential organs, reportedly his liver, kidneys and lungs, and was pronounced dead shortly after at age 50. It was revealed on July 8 by the Westchester County Medical Examiner’s Office that Simmons’ official cause of death was a cocaine-induced heart attack.
Gerald Edward Levert (July 13, 1966 – November 10, 2006) was an American soul singer, songwriter and producer. He sang with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon of the trio LeVert. He was also a member of LSG, a supergroup comprising Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, and himself. His father, Eddie Levert, is the lead singer of the 1970s soul group The O’Jays.
Gerald Levert was born to The O’Jays frontman Eddie Levert and his wife Martha in Philadelphia, PA on July 13, 1966. Levert grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. Due to his father’s career, Levert would travel with the band regularly. While in high school, Levert’s inclination towards music became apparent when he formed the trio LeVert, with his younger brother Sean Levert (deceased, March 30, 2008) and friend Marc Gordon in 1984. Four of the group’s seven albums went platinum. These include, I Get Hot in 1985, Bloodline in 1986, The Big Throwdown in 1987, and Just Coolin in 1988. Among the group’s singles were, “(Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop) Goes My Mind”, “Casanova” and “ABC-123”.
In 1991, Levert went solo with the albums, Private Line, which went to number one on the R&B charts. The following year, Gerald and his father, Eddie Levert, hit number one on the R&B charts with the single, Baby Hold On to Me. Levert recorded a string of albums throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, that contained the hit singles, “Thinkin’ About It” (Pop #12) which was released on September 1, 1998, “Taking Everything” (Pop #11), “Funny”, “Mr. Too Damn Good to You”, “U Got That Love”, and a remake of R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly”, along with gospel singer Yolanda Adams.
Levert also sang lead vocals in two songs on the 2002 film documentary “Standing in the Shadows of Motown” – the story of The Funk Brothers. Levert performed “Shotgun” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There”.
Levert released his tenth album,Voices, in 2005.
Levert wrote and produced songs for other artists such as Barry White, Stephanie Mills, Anita Baker, Eugene Wilde, Teddy Pendergrass, James Ingram, Freddie Jackson, Chuckii Booker, The Winans, Troop and The O’Jays. In the early 1990s, he also helped launch the careers of three Cleveland-area ensembles: The Rude Boys, Men at Large and 1 of the Girls. During the release of Groove On, Levert appeared in the group Black Men United for the hit single “U Will Know” for the film Jason’s Lyric, the movie’s soundtrack. who was participated in the group and joining with Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill as well. In 1997, Levert teamed up again with fellow singers Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill, to form the supergroup, LSG. The trio released the album Levert-Sweat-Gill the same year, selling over two million copies; it was followed by LSG2 in 2003. In 1999, Levert sang the chorus on the Chris Rock spoken-word comedy piece, “No Sex (In the Champagne Room)”. Levert performed a duet with Teena Marie on the latter’s 2004 album La Doña. Levert’s last collaborations included Jim Brickman on the song “My Angel”, for Brickman’s 2006 album entitled Escape and on the song “Real S***” from rapper Styles P’s album, Time Is Money. Levert was posthumously featured again on former groupmates Keith Sweat’s “Knew It All Along” and Johnny Gill from the singer’s Til the Morning album, which was released two days after the fifth anniversary of Levert’s death.
Levert began his acting career as Charles Young, his first appearance on The Jamie Foxx Show for 2 episodes with “Just Don’t Do It”, that aired on November 5, 1998 and Jamie disapproves of his mother (Jo Marie Payton) because she decided to marry him in the episode. In January 2001, Gerald appears again in the series finale “Always and Forever” when Jamie (Jamie Foxx) and Fancy (Garcelle Beauvais) got married and sang the opening ceremony at the wedding and joined by fellow singers Gladys Knight and Marilyn McCoo (without her husband Billy Davis, Jr.). On November 10, 2003, three years prior to his death, Levert’s final acting role that aired during his lifetime was when he appeared in an episode of The Parkers, He played T’s father in the episode and comes for a visit to start a new band with T.
On November 10, 2006, Gerald Levert was found dead in his bed at his Cleveland, Ohio home when his cousin tried to wake him. Initial reports stated that Levert had died of an apparent heart attack. In February 2007, an autopsy report conducted by the Cuyahoga County coroner’s office concluded that Levert’s death was caused by a fatal combination of prescription narcotics and over-the-counter drugs. The drugs in his bloodstream included the narcotic pain relievers Vicodin, Percocet, and Darvocet, along with anxiety medication Xanax and two over-the-counter antihistamines. The autopsy also revealed that Levert had pneumonia. The official cause of death was acute intoxication, and the death was ruled accidental. Gerald Levert was only 40 years old.
Following the disclosure of Gerald Levert’s cause of death, a family spokesman stated that all the drugs found in Levert’s bloodstream were prescribed to the singer. Levert was taking the pain medication because of chronic pain from a lingering shoulder problem and surgery in 2005 to repair a severed Achilles tendon.[
Cover for Levert’s final album, In My Songs, released after his death. Shortly before his death, Levert completed work on what would be his final album, In My Songs. The album was released on February 13, 2007. In June 2007, a book Gerald was working to complete entitled, I Got Your Back: A Father and Son Keep it Real About Love, Fatherhood, Family, and Friendship, was released. The book was initially planned as a tie-in for a Levert album of the same name. I Got Your Back explores Gerald and Eddie’s father/son relationship, the necessity of male bonding, and importance of repairing fractured families. Levert was also working on a reality show in which he was losing weight along with 12 of his female fans, who were training with him at his palatial home.
Levert had three children: LeMicah, Camryn, and Carlysia. Carlysia, an aspiring singer, appeared on the MTV series My Super Sweet 16, with her father in 2005.
Written by Dianne Washington
Christopher Lee Rios (November 10, 1971 – February 7, 2000), better known by his stage name Big Pun (short for Big Punisher), was an American rapper and actor, the first Latino rapper to attain Platinum sales status as a solo act. Big Pun emerged from the underground hip hop scene in The Bronx borough of New York City, in the late 1990s. He first appeared on tracks from Fat Joe’s second album “Jealous One’s Envy” in 1995, and The Beatnuts’ second album Stone Crazy in 1997, prior to signing to Loud Records as a solo artist. Pun’s lyrics are notable for technical efficiency, having minimal pauses to take a breath, heavy use of alliteration as well as internal and multi-syllabic rhyming schemes. He is widely revered as one of the all-time rap greats.
About.com ranked him #25 on its list of the 50 Greatest MCs of All Time, while MTV2 ranked him #11 on its list of the “22 Greatest MCs.” In 2012, The Source ranked him #19 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. An article from Rolling Stone magazine states, “Pun embodied all of the traits of a master wordsmith: melody, a unique flow, an unforgettable voice, humor, and lyrics that made other MCs go back to their black and white composition notebooks.”
Rios was born on November 10, 1971 in The Bronx, New York City, United States, to parents of Puerto Rican descent. He grew up in the South Bronx neighborhood of the city. At the age of five, Rios broke his leg while playing in a park, which would later lead to a large settlement from the city. By all accounts from Pun’s family, his early years were very difficult, including witnessing his mother’s drug abuse and his father’s death.
During the mid-1980s, he began writing rap lyrics. He later formed the underground rap group called Full-A-Clips which included rappers Lyrical Assassin, Joker Jamz and Toom. Rios made a number of recordings with the group in the early 90’s, which have not been released. At this point Rios was operating under the alias Big Moon Dawg. After changing the alias to Big Punisher, Rios met fellow Puerto Rican and Bronx rapper Fat Joe in 1995 and made his commercial debut on Fat Joe’s second album, Jealous One’s Envy, in addition to appearing on the song, “Watch Out”. He also appeared on The Beatnuts’ song “Off the Books”
Later, “I’m Not a Player” (featuring an O’Jays sample) was supported by a significant advertising campaign and became an underground hit.
In 1996 Big Pun began recording songs for his debut album Capital Punishment. In 1997 producer Knobody’s production partner Sean C took advantage of his new role as A&R at Loud Records to play Knobody’s tracks to Big Pun. Suitably impressed the rapper hired Knobody to remix “I’m Not a Player”. The remixed song, featuring Joe and titled “Still Not a Player”, became Big Pun’s first major mainstream hit and major breakthrough for Knobody. The full-length debut Capital Punishment followed in 1998, and became the first album by a solo Latino rapper to go platinum, peaking at #5 on the Billboard 200. Capital Punishment was also nominated for a Grammy.
Big Pun became a member of Terror Squad, a New York-based group of rappers founded by Fat Joe, with most of the roster supplied by the now-defunct Full-A-Clips who released their debut album The Album in 1999. The album did not fare well commercially but it was well received critically and the album was meant to start the foundation for all other Terror Squad members to release their solo projects.
Pun struggled with a weight problem for all of his adult life. His weight fluctuated in the early 1990s between obese and morbidly obese. Pun later enrolled in a weight-loss program in North Carolina in which he lost 80 pounds (36 kg), but he eventually quit the program before completing it, returning to New York and gaining back the weight he had lost.
On February 7, 2000, Big Pun suffered a fatal heart attack and respiratory failure while temporarily staying with his family at a Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains, New York, during a home renovation. Pun was pronounced dead at the hospital after paramedics could not revive him. Big Pun was at his highest weight at the time of his death: 698 pounds (317 kg). He was cremated a few days later. Big Pun is survived by his wife, Liza, and their three children, Amanda (born 1991), Vanessa (born 1993), and Christopher Jr. (born 1994).
Written by Dianne Washington
Born David Adkins in Benton Harbor, MI., he is the son of Rev. Dr. Donald and Louise Adkins. In 1974 and 1978 he attended the University of Denver where he lettered in basketball. Adkins was in the US Air Force as a Boom Operator aboard the KC-135. He almost received a dishonorable discharge for various problems including going AWOL. He joined the military for a vehicle for getting the attention of his idols, the Harlem Globetrotters. His plan was to play basketball in the Air Force, get noticed by the Globetrotters or another pro team and leave; he never made the team.
In 1981, things began to change. The comedy bug hit him when he participated in an Air Force Talent Show. He won several contests while stationed in Kansas. Under the professional name Sinbad, he became popular in the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing on several television series and starring in the feature films Houseguest (1995), First Kid and Jingle All the Way (both 1996). Sinbad married Meredith Fuller in 1985. They have two children together. In 2013, Sinbad voiced Roper in the animated film Planes, and had a guest role on the adult animated series American Dad!, voicing an animated version of himself in the episode “Lost in Space”, and returning in 2014 in the episode “The Longest Distance Relationship”, and in “Holy Shit, Jeff’s Back!” in 2015.
Since 2013, Sinbad has voiced Mr. Smiley on the animated series Steven Universe, first appearing in the episode “Frybo”.
In April 2015, Sinbad appeared in a USO show at Bagram and Kandahar Air Bases in Afghanistan. His show was well received and appreciated by all. The couple divorced in 1992, then remarried in 2002.
He appeared on Star Search and The Redd Foxx Show. At one time, Sinbad hosted his own talk show, VIBE, and portrayed the goofy coach Walter Oakes on A Different World (a spinoff of The Cosby Show). He also had his own show, “The Sinbad Show”, in the early 1990s on Fox. He was also featured in a late 1990s infomercial for Tae Bo, where he claimed that he was successfully using the Tae Bo system to become an action star. He was the host of Showtime at the Apollo (formerly It’s Showtime At The Apollo). He had originally hosted from 1989 to 1991 and was the temporary host in 2005 while regular host Mo’Nique was on maternity leave. During the 1990s, Sinbad guest-starred on an episode of Nickelodeon’s All That. He also made a cameo appearance in the comedy movie Good Burger. Sinbad’s film roles consist of the comedy Houseguest, as well as the films First Kid and Jingle All the Way. In 2004 he was named the #78 greatest stand-up comic of all time on “Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time”. In 2006 Maxim Magazine ranked Sinbad as the “Worst Comic of All Time”.
Sinbad also made a cameo appearance on the television show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia as himself in a rehab center in the episode Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life, which originally aired October 23, 2008. Sinbad was the host of Thou Shalt Laugh 3. The DVD was released in 2008. In 2009, Sinbad was placed in the top 10 of the 250 worst tax debtors for the state of California. The comedian owed the State $2.5 million in personal income tax. In 2009, Sinbad filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. In 2010, it was reported that Sinbad put up his 2.5-acre (10,000 m2) hilltop home for sale in order to alleviate his tax burdens.
In 2010, he debuted on the Celebrity Apprentice and was fired on the second episode after losing in the Kodak challenge as project manager, placing 13th. In 2011, he was the celebrity speaker of MacWorld Expo 2011. He starred in a reality show on WE tv called Sinbad: It’s Just Family, however it was cancelled in 2011. Sinbad made an appearance on “The Eric Andre Show” in 2012.
In 2013, Sinbad voiced Roper in the animated film Planes, and had a guest role on the adult animated series American Dad!, voicing an animated version of himself in the episode “Lost in Space”, and returning in 2014 in the episode “The Longest Distance Relationship”, and in “Holy Shit, Jeff’s Back!” in 2015.
Since 2013, Sinbad has voiced Mr. Smiley on the animated series Steven Universe, first appearing in the episode “Frybo”.
In April 2015, Sinbad appeared in a USO show at Bagram and Kandahar Air Bases in Afghanistan. His show was well received and appreciated by all.
Sinbad married Meredith Fuller in 1985. They have two children together. The couple divorced in 1992, but remarried in 2002.
In November 2020, his family announced to the press that Sinbad was recovering from a recent stroke.
Written by Dianne Washington
According to TMZ
Migos rapper Takeoff was shot multiple times, resulting in his death … according to the report from the medical examiner’s office.
The Harris County Medical Examiner lists Takeoff’s primary cause of death as “penetrating gunshot wounds of head and torso into arm.”
As we reported, Takeoff was shot after shots rang out following an argument outside a Houston bowling alley early Tuesday morning.
Story still developing
John Weatherspoon (January 27, 1942 – October 29, 2019), better known as John Witherspoon, was an American actor and comedian who performed in various television shows and films.
Witherspoon was born on January 27, 1942 in Detroit, Michigan. He later changed his last name from Weatherspoon to Witherspoon. Witherspoon was one of 11 siblings. His older brother, William, became a songwriter for Motown, with whom he penned the lyrics of the 1966 hit single “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted”. Another sibling, Cato, was a director of the PBS-TV Network/CH56 in Detroit. His sister, the late Dr. Gertrude Stacks, was a pastor at Shalom Fellowship International, a church in Detroit.
Witherspoon had a passion for music and learned to play the trumpet and French horn.
He is best remembered for his role as Willie Jones for the Friday series; Witherspoon also starred in films such as Hollywood Shuffle (1987), Boomerang (1992), The Five Heartbeats (1991), and Vampire in Brooklyn (1995). He has also made appearances on television shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1994), The Wayans Bros. (1995–99), The Tracy Morgan Show (2003), Barnaby Jones (1973), The Boondocks (2005–2014), and Black Jesus (2014–2019). He wrote a film, From the Old School, in which he played an elderly working man who tries to prevent a neighborhood convenience store from being developed into a strip club.
Witherspoon married Angela Robinson in 1988. They have two sons, John David (“J.D.”) and Alexander. David Letterman was Witherspoon’s best friend and is the godfather to his two sons.
Witherspoon died of a heart attack at his home in Sherman Oaks, California on October 29, 2019. He was 77 years old. His funeral was held on November 5, 2019, and he was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California.
Written by Dianne Washington
Reginald Ballard (born October 13, 1965) is an American character actor and comedian from Galveston, Texas who is best known for his recurring roles as Bruh-Man in the sitcom Martin and W.B. on The Bernie Mac Show, which both aired on Fox. After graduation from Ball High School, where he was an all district linebacker, Ballard earned a full football scholarship to Southern Methodist University, where he was also a theatre major. Just before his senior year, Ballard transferred to the University of Missouri, where he continued to play football, while continuing to act, appearing in a university production of A Soldier’s Story in the role of C.J. Memphis.
Spurning overtures from pro-football, Ballard headed to Hollywood to pursue his acting career. He has appeared in many different television shows, such as Veronica Mars (the episode “Return of the Kane”), The Bernie Mac Show, The Parkers, Sister, Sister, Just Jordan, the short-lived show, Crumbs, and Raven’s Home. He co-starred in the independent film Big Ain’t Bad as Butch. Currently, Ballard is performing stand up comedy. He is also a former all-district linebacker for Ball High School. He was a speedy linebacker for the Tors, helping Ball High to a 7–3 record his senior season in 1983. He also helped lead the best defense in District 24-5A that year, a defense that allowed only 60.9 yards per game. After playing football at SMU Mustangs for his first three college years, Ballard transferred to Missouri for his senior year after the SMU football program was hit for NCAA violations. He said the acting bug bit him after taking a theater class in college, “getting lost in a scene”, and listening to the audience applaud. He was also featured in Big Sean’s music video for “Play No Games” as his own character “Bruh Man” mouthing Ty Dolla $ign’s part in the song. He will lend to voice a Security from the upcoming streaming service at Monsters at Work on Disney+.
Ballard is married with two children, and the family resides in Pasadena, California.
Written by Dianne Washington
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), professionally known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, voice actor and choreographer. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age and performed in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood. He graduated from high school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a musical career. Mars produced songs for other artists, co-founding the production team The Smeezingtons.
Mars had an unsuccessful stint with Motown Records, but then signed with Atlantic in 2009. He became recognized as a solo artist after lending his vocals to the songs “Nothin’ on You” by B.o.B, and “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy, which were worldwide successes, and for which he co-wrote the hooks. His debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010), was anchored by the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles “Just the Way You Are” and “Grenade”, as well as the number-five single “The Lazy Song”. His second album, Unorthodox Jukebox, was released in 2012, peaked at number one in the United States. The album spawned the international singles “Locked Out of Heaven”, “When I Was Your Man” and “Treasure”.
Mars has received many awards and nominations, including two Grammy Awards and was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, in 2011. In December 2013, he was named “Artist of the Year” by Billboard and ranked number one on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Throughout his singing career, he has sold over 100 million singles and albums, making him one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time. However, as a performer, writer and producer his total sales surpass 130 million singles. Five of his singles are counted among the best-selling singles of all time. Mars is now regarded as one of the most successful solo artists in the world, landing 5 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 since his career launched in 2010, faster than any male singer since Elvis Presley. In total, he has had six number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
Mars is known for his stage performances and retro showmanship. He is accompanied by his band, The Hooligans, which besides playing a variety of instruments such as electric guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, drums and horns, also serves as dancers and background singers. On stage, Mars is able to sing, dance and play a wild range of musical styles, including R&B, reggae, soul and funk music.
Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8, 1985, in Honolulu, Hawaii, and was raised in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu. He is the son of Peter Hernandez and Bernadette “Bernie” San Pedro Bayot (b. August 14, 1957, Manila, d. June 1, 2013, Honolulu). His father is of half Puerto Rican and half Ashkenazi Jewish descent, and is originally from Brooklyn, New York. Mars’ mother emigrated to Hawaii from the Philippines as a child, and was of Filipino descent. His parents met while performing in a show, where his mother was a hula dancer and his father played percussion. At the age of two, he was nicknamed “Bruno” by his father, because of his resemblance to professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino.
Mars is one of six children and came from a musical family who exposed him to a diverse mix of reggae, rock, hip hop, and R&B. In addition to being a dancer, his mother was a singer and his father used his musical ability to perform Little Richard rock and roll music. Mars’ uncle was an Elvis impersonator, and encouraged three-year-old Mars to perform on stage as well. Mars also performed songs by artists such as Michael Jackson, The Isley Brothers, and The Temptations. At age four, Mars began performing five days a week with his family’s band, The Love Notes, in which he became known on the island for his impersonation of Presley. In 1990, Mars was featured in MidWeek as “Little Elvis”, going on to have a cameo in the film Honeymoon in Vegas in 1992.
His time spent impersonating Presley had a major impact on Mars’ musical evolution and performing techniques. He later began playing guitar after drawing inspiration from Jimi Hendrix. In 2010, he also acknowledged his Hawaiian roots and musical family as an influence, explaining, “Growing up in Hawaii made me the man I am. I used to do a lot of shows in Hawaii with my father’s band. Everybody in my family sings, everyone plays instruments…I’ve just been surrounded by it.” When he attended at President Theodore Roosevelt High School he performed in a group called The School Boys. In 2003, shortly after graduating from President Theodore Roosevelt High School at the age of 17, Mars moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a musical career. He adopted his stage name from the nickname his father gave him, adding “Mars” at the end because “I felt like I didn’t have [any] pizzazz, and a lot of girls say I’m out of this world, so I was like I guess I’m from Mars.”
Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Mars signed to Motown Records in 2004, in a deal that “went nowhere” and a conversation with Will.i.am’s management which turned out fruitless. However, Mars’ experience with Motown proved to be beneficial to his career when he met songwriter and producer Philip Lawrence, who was also signed to the label. After Mars was dropped by Universal Motown, less than a year of being signed, he stayed in Los Angeles and landed a music publishing deal in 2005 with Steve Lindsey and Cameron Strang at Westside Independent.
During Mars’ career beginnings, Lindsey, who showed Jeff Bhasker and Mars the ins and outs of writing pop music, acted as a mentor to Mars and helped him to hone his craft. Bhasker, who had met Mars through Mike Lynn (the A&R at Dr Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment who first heard Mars’ demo tape through his sister and flew him to LA), explained: “He’d mentor us, and kind of give us lectures as to what a hit pop song is, because you can have talent and music ability, but understanding what makes a hit pop song is a whole other discipline.” Steve Lindsey was responsible for “[holding] Bruno Mars back for five years while they learned an extensive catalog of hit music.” Meanwhile, Mars played cover songs in a band, around Los Angeles, with Bhasker and Eric Hernandez, Mars’ brother, who is now the drummer of “The Hooligans”.
When Lawrence was first told he should meet Mars he was reluctant to do so, since he didn’t even have money for bus fare. Keith Harris, drummer for The Black Eyed Peas, told him, “Whatever it costs you to get out here, I’ll reimburse you.” Lawrence responded, “Just give me five dollars back for the bus.” The pair began collaborating, writing songs for Mars, but they received many rejections from labels. On the verge of giving up, they received a call from Brandon Creed, then seeking songs for a reunited Menudo. He liked their song “Lost”, which was written for Mars. The duo didn’t want to give the song away, but when they were offered $20,000 for the song they agreed. The sale of this song allowed them to continue working, and Mars and Lawrence decided that they would write and produce songs together for other artists.
In 2006, Lawrence introduced Mars to his future A&R manager at Atlantic Records, Aaron Bay-Schuck. After hearing him play a couple of songs on the guitar, Bay-Schuck wanted to sign him immediately, but it took about three years for Atlantic records to finally sign Mars to the label, because Atlantic felt that it was too early and that Mars still needed development as an artist.
Before becoming a successful solo artist, Mars was an acknowledged music producer, writing songs for Alexandra Burke, Travie McCoy, Adam Levine, Brandy, Sean Kingston, and Flo Rida. He also co-wrote the Sugababes’ hit song “Get Sexy” and provided backing vocals on their album Sweet 7. His first musical appearance as a singer was in Far East Movement’s second studio album Animal, featured on the track “3D”. He was also featured on pastor and hip hop artist Jaeson Ma’s debut single “Love” in August 2009. He reached prominence as a solo artist after being featured on and co-writing B.o.B’s “Nothin’ on You” and Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire”; both songs peaked within the top ten of many charts worldwide.He spoken of them, “I think those songs weren’t meant to be full-sung songs. If I’d sung all of “Nothin’ on You”, it might’ve sounded like some ’90s R&B.” Following this success, Mars released his debut extended play (EP), titled It’s Better If You Don’t Understand, on May 11, 2010. The EP peaked at the 99th position on the Billboard 200 and produced one single, “The Other Side”, featuring singers Cee Lo Green and B.o.B. Mars collaborated with Green once more in August 2010 by co-writing his single “Fuck You”.
After serving as guest vocalist on B.o.B’s and Travies McCoy’s singles, Mars released “Just the Way You Are” on July 19, 2010. The song was the lead single from his debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in September as well as several other charts worldwide. The song holds the record of the longest-reigning debut format, spending twenty weeks atop Adult Contemporary. He also released two digital singles—”Liquor Store Blues” featuring Damian Marley and “Grenade” to promote the album, before confirming “Grenade” as the album’s second single, in September 28, 2010. “Grenade” reached number one on Billboard in December and has also seen successful international chart performance.Released digitally on October 4 and physically on October 5, 2010, the album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 55,000 copies. It received generally positive reviews from music critics, and has since sold six million copies globally. In February 2012, “The Lazy Song” was released as the album’s third single. It became the album’s third consecutive top five on the Hot 100, peaking on number four on October 23, 2010.
“Marry You” followed as the fourth single from Doo-Wops & Hooligans on August 22, 2011. Although it wasn’t released as a single in the United States, it peaked at number 85 on the Hot 100 on January 15, 2011 due to strong digital sales, since then it has sold 2,2 million digital copies. In November, “Count On Me” was released as the album’s fifth single in Australia and New Zealand. Additionally, it was announced on Mars’ website, he recorded and co-wrote a new song titled “It Will Rain” for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. The song was released for purchase via iTunes on September 27, 2011. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. During this period, he appeared on a number of collaborative singles, including “Lighters”, a duet with Bad Meets Evil released on July 5, 2011. “Mirror”, released on September 13, 2011, with Lil Wayne and “Young, Wild & Free” with Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg, from the Mac & Devin Go to High School soundtrack, was available for purchase on October 11, 2011. The songs peaked at number four, sixteen and seven at the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.
On September 19, 2010, Mars was arrested in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Casino for possession of cocaine. When talking to a police officer, Mars reportedly declared that what he did was “foolish” and that “he has never used drugs before”. Mars pled guilty to felony drug possession, and in return for his plea, he was told that the charges would be erased from his criminal record as long as he stayed out of trouble for a year, paid a $2,000 fine, did 200 hours of community service and completed a drug counseling course. Nevertheless, during a cover story for GQ magazine in 2013, Mars said “I was young, man! I was in f—ing Vegas…I wasn’t thinking”, he further added “I was given a number one record and I’m out doing dumb sh–“. Mars confessed that he lied to the authorities about having done cocaine before, saying “I don’t know where that came from”, adding “I was really intoxicated. I was really drunk. So a lot of that is a big blur, and I try every day to forget and keep pushing.”
He opened for Maroon 5 on the fall leg of the Hands All Over Tour starting October 6, 2010 and co-headlined with McCoy on a European tour starting October 18, 2010. From November 16, 2010, to January 28, 2012, Mars embarked on the The Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour in support of Doo-Wops & Hooligans, after turning down multiple offers to open for famous pop artists on arena tours, since the goal was to build a fan base by performing gigs at smaller, more intimate venues.
On February 13, 2011, Mars won his first Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, having received six nominations; Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Nothin’ on You”, Record of the Year for “Nothin’ on You” and “Fuck You”, Song of the Year for “Fuck You”, and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the 53rd Grammy Awards. At the 54th Grammy Awards, Mars was nominated in six different categories; Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Grenade”, and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. However, Adele won all the categories he was nominated and ended up by losing to Paul Epworth for Producer of the Year.
On March 22, 2012, it was announced that Mars had signed a worldwide publishing deal with BMG Chrysalis US. In September 2012, when interviewed by Billboard, Mars stated that the album would be more musically varied and refused to “pick a lane”, adding “I listen to a lot of music, and I want to have the freedom and luxury to walk into a studio and say, ‘Today I want to do a hip-hop, R&B, soul or rock record.'” He announced the album title Unorthodox Jukebox along with the ten songs which would make the final cut of the album and the title of the first single, “Locked out of Heaven”, which was released on October 1, 2012. The lead single from Unorthodox Jukebox reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Canada and charted in the top ten in several countries worldwide.
Unorthodox Jukebox was released on December 11, 2012, and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with sales of 192,000. The album eventually peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, almost three months after its release. The album also charted number one in Switzerland and in United Kingdom, becoming the fastest selling album by a solo artist in 2012 in the UK. “When I Was Your Man”, was released as the second single from Unorthodox Jukebox on January 15, 2013, and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making Elvis Presley the only male who has reached five number one singles on the Hot 100 more quickly than Mars, and reached the top ten of fifteen countries. The third single “Treasure” peaked at number 5 in the United States and had less commercial success worldwide than the previous two. On May 24, 2013, Major Lazer released “Bubble Butt” as the fourth single from their album Free the Universe which featured Tyga, Mystic and Mars on the vocals, becoming Major Lazer’s most successful single to date in the US. In late 2013, “Gorilla” and “Young Girls” followed as the album’s fourth and fifth singles, and reached the top 35 on the Hot 100.
Mars began his second headlining tour, The Moonshine Jungle Tour, on June 22, 2013. It started in North America, and continued through Europe and Oceania, before concluding it in North America on October 18, 2014, as part of the eight shows at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas to perform between December 2013 and October 2014. On September 8, 2013, NFL announced that Mars would headline the performance at the Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show on February 2, 2014. During the performance he was joined by Red Hot Chili Peppers as a musical guest on the platform. It was the first Super Bowl halftime headlined by a performer under 30 and of Puerto Rican descent. The show is now the second most watched halftime show in the history of the Super Bowl, drawing a record rating of 115.3 million viewers, only surpassed by Katy Perry’s Halftime Show, who had 3.2 million more viewers.
At the 56th Grammy Awards, Mars won the award of Best Pop Vocal Album for Unorthodox Jukebox and his single “Locked out of Heaven” was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, while “When I Was Your Man” earned a nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance. Aside from his music career, Mars reprised his role as Roberto in Rio 2, which was released in theaters on March 20, 2014. Like its predecessor, Rio 2 was a financial success and panned by critics. In October 2014, Mark Ronson announced that he would release a new single on November 10, 2014, titled “Uptown Funk”, featuring Mars’ vocals. The song was a commercial success reaching number one in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and Billboard Hot 100 along with several other countries. According to Billboard Mars was the twelfth richest musician of 2013, with earnings of $18,839,681. In December 2013, he was named “Artist of the Year” by Billboard and ranked number one on the 2014 Forbes list “30 under 30”, a tally of the brightest stars in 15 different fields under the age of 30. In addition, he was thirteenth on the 2014 list for “The World’s Most Powerful Celebrities” with estimated earnings of $60 million.
After ending the Moonshine Jungle Tour, Mars began working on his third studio album. He wrote on his Facebook “Now it’s time to start writing chapter 3”. The artist hadn’t come up with a date for the release, stating “Until it’s done”, adding “It’s gotta be just as good if not better”. Previously, the singer-songwriter was interviewed by that’s Shanghai and gave some details of the new album, confirming Mark Ronson and Jeff Bhasker as producers. He further added, “I want to write better songs, I want to put on better shows, I want to make better music videos. I want my next album to be better than the first and the second”, explaining the writing process of his songs “I don’t sit down and think, ‘I’m going to write a song’, Inspiration hits me always unexpectedly: on a plane, when I’m out or just before I go to bed. An idea will suddenly come to my mind, and sometimes I manage to turn it into lyrics the next day. Sometimes it’ll take me one year to get something real out of it. You can’t force creativeness”. Ronson, in an interview granted to Digital Spy, confessed he and Mars haven’t reunited in the studio since working on “Uptown Funk”.
After ending the Moonshine Jungle Tour, Mars began working on his third studio album, 24K Magic. He wrote on his Facebook page: “Now it’s time to start writing chapter 3”. The artist had not come up with a date for the release, stating: “Until it’s done … It’s gotta be just as good if not better”. On March 25, 2015, the singer-songwriter was interviewed by that’s Shanghai magazine and provided some details of the new album, confirming Mark Ronson and Jeff Bhasker as producers. He added: “I want to write better songs, I want to put on better shows, I want to make better music videos. I want my next album to be better than the first and the second”. In the same year, Mars was involved in the composition of “All I Ask”, a track from Adele’s third studio album, 25.
On December 2, 2015, it was announced that Coldplay would be headlining the Super Bowl 50 halftime show on February 7, 2016. Mars and Beyoncé were guest acts, tying with Justin Timberlake and Nelly for appearing twice on the Super Bowl halftime. They are only surpassed by Gloria Estefan, with three appearances. Nielsen ratings confirmed the halftime show was watched by 111.9 million viewers, becoming one of the most watched in its history. At the 2016 Grammy Awards, Ronson and Mars’ single, “Uptown Funk”, won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Collaboration and Record of the Year. In the same year, the singer was in the studio with his band’s bass player Jamareo Artis, engineer Charles Moniz, singer-songwriter Andrew Wyatt and EDM DJ Skrillex. Moniz confirmed the album was close to being finished and Artis claimed it was set to be released in 2016. The album was to be issued in March, but Mars’ appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show led the release to be postponed several months. At that time seven songs were already recorded. On May, it was reported that Mars and his manager, Brendon Creed, had split after nine years working together, on the same month the singer starred in the second season of Jane the Virgin as a musical guest.
“24K Magic” was released as the lead single from 24K Magic on October 7, 2016. It was promoted with his performance on Saturday Night Live and peaked at number four in the United States. In addition, it reached the top spot in Belgium, France and New Zealand. On 17 November, CBS announced an interview segment on “60 Minutes”, presented by Lara Logan, in which Mars talked about his new album and humble roots. This was his first television appearance in four years and went for broadcast on 20 November, coinciding with the release of 24K Magic, on November 18, 2016. The album received positive reviews from critics and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. “That’s What I Like” was released as the second single on January 30, 2017 and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. However, it was less successful in international markets than the previous single. “Versace on the Floor” was chosen as the third single from 24K Magic. The album version was issued to American radios, while a remix version with David Guetta was released internationally. It reached the top 35 of the Hot 100.
Mars’ third headlining tour, the 24K Magic World Tour, began in March 2017. On September 10, 2017, Us Weekly announced plans for a TV special by Mars at the Apollo Theater in New York. Later, on September 12, Mars confirmed that he would be starring in his first primetime TV special concert titled Bruno Mars: 24K Magic Live at the Apollo, a one-hour special, to be aired by CBS on November 29 2017. The show was produced by Fulwell 73 Productions, alongside with Ben Winston and Mars as co-producers.
On February 26, 2014, it was announced that Mars had partnered with the Hawai’i Community Foundation and the GRAMMY Foundation to establish a GRAMMY Camp Scholarship Fund, in order to support the next generation of music makers with funds to provide financial assistance for qualified needs-based applicants from Hawaii. On September 27, 2017, Mars expanded his camp scholarship in order to include applicants from all over the United States. The singer established the partnership in honor of his mother.
Mars’ donated $100,000 (US) to the orphans of Bantay Bata, who were among the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, in order to raise the morale of those who lost their families and homes. Mars performed at the Make It Right gala, whose campaign goal is to “help build homes for people in need.” He also performed at the Robin Hood Foundation’s 2014 annual benefit in New York, whose goal is to “fight poverty in New York City by supporting more than 200 nonprofits with financial and technical assistance.” A day before a concert in the Philippines the singer donated $100,000 (US) to the “Typhoon Yolanda” survivors.
In 2017, Mars donated 1 million dollars from the show at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan to help the victims of the Flint water crisis. The singer participated in the “Somos Una Voz” relief initiative, created by Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, in order to help survivors of the Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and Mexico’s 7.1 earthquake.
Written by Dianne Washington
Lana Michelle Moorer (born October 11, 1970), known professionally as MC Lyte, is an American rapper who first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album with 1988’s critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock. She has long been considered one of hip-hop’s pioneer feminists.
Lana Michelle Moorer was born in 1970. Raised in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, she began rapping at the age of 12.
She regards Milk D and DJ Giz, the hip hop duo Audio Two, as “totally like [her] brothers”, because the three grew up together. Audio Two’s father Nat Robinson started a label for them called First Priority. After making the label, Robinson cut a deal with Atlantic with one condition, that Lana would get a record contract with Atlantic as well.
Originally, her stage name was Sparkle. At age 14, she began recording her first track, although it took two years before it was able to be released. In 1987, when she was 17, Lyte began publicly outshining other MCs. She was also featured in the remix and music video of “I Want Your (Hands on Me)” by Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor which debuted in May 1988 on MTV. In September 1988, she released her first album, Lyte as a Rock. Written over the course of many years, the album was noted for such hits as “Paper Thin”, its title track, and the battle rap “10% Dis”, a response from then Hurby Azor associate, Antoinette. Both rappers released battle records against each other. Lyte followed her debut with 1989’s Eyes on This, which spawned the hits “Cha Cha Cha” and “Cappucino”. Both albums were notable for Lyte’s uncensored lyrical matter. She sweetened up a little on 1991’s Act Like You Know, noted for its new jack swing sound and the hit single “Poor Georgie”. Lyte’s fourth album, 1993’s Ain’t No Other, became her first to reach gold status and was notable for her first top 40 pop hit, “Ruffneck”. “Ruffneck” was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Single, making MC Lyte the first female solo rapper ever nominated for a Grammy. She later went on to become a featured artist on hits by Janet Jackson.
Two years afterward, Lyte’s fifth album, Bad As I Wanna B, featured production from Jermaine Dupri and Sean Combs. Its hits were “Keep on, Keepin’ On” and “Cold Rock a Party”, the latter of which also featured then up-and-coming rapper, songwriter and producer Missy Elliott. This album was her first with East West Records America and became successful after the aforementioned singles became big hits with “Keep on, Keepin’ On” peaking at the top ten and “Cold Rock a Party” peaking at number eleven. It was her second gold album. Her 1998 follow-up, Seven & Seven, however, was not as successful. She left East West America by the end of the decade. Lyte released the independently produced record The Undaground Heat, featuring Jamie Foxx, in 2003, which was notable for the song “Ride Wit Me”. The single was nominated for both a Grammy and a BET Award.
MC Lyte’s song “My Main Aim” was the title song of the video game NBA Live 2005 by EA Sports. In 2005, she released two songs produced by Richard “Wolfie” Wolf called “Can I Get It Now” and “Don’t Walk Away” (with Meechie). In 2007, she released a song called “Mad at Me” and, in 2008, two songs called “Juke Joint” and “Get Lyte”. In 2009 a song titled “Brooklyn” was released, as well as “Craven”.
“Dear John” (featuring Common & 10Beats) was released on September 9, 2014 and peaked on the Billboard Twitter Trending 140 chart at number three. After twelve years without an album, MC Lyte’s eighth album, Legend, came out on April 18, 2015. “Ball” (featuring Lil Mama & AV) and “Check” are also singles from the album.
Lyte has been featured on television as herself on such shows as MTV Unplugged, In Living Color, Moesha, Cousin Skeeter, New York Undercover, My Wife and Kids, and Sisters in the Name of Rap. She also acted on TV in such shows as In the House, Get Real, Half & Half, Queen of the South, and The District.
Her first acting role was in 1991, an off-Broadway theater play titled Club Twelve, a hip-hop twist on Twelfth Night alongside Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, and Lisa Nicole Carson. After she made her film debut in the 1993 movie titled Fly by Night, starring alongside Jeffrey Sams, Ron Brice, and Steve Gomer, she also starred other films, such as A Luv Tale (1999), Train Ride (2000), Civil Brand (2002) and Playa’s Ball (2003). In 2011, she guest starred in the Regular Show episode “Rap It Up”, portraying a member of a hip-hop group also including characters voiced by Tyler, the Creator and Childish Gambino.
She met and started dating Marine Corp Veteran and entrepreneur John Wyche in early 2016, after meeting on Match.com. They announced their engagement in May 2017, and were officially wed in August, they are now divorced.
Written by Dianne Washington