Category: Music

Parts of this article (those related to Abuse allegations) need to be updated. The reason given is: New things happened in 2024 (Marilyn Manson Ordered to Pay Evan Rachel Wood’s Legal Bills). Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (February 2024)

Marilyn Manson
Manson performing in 2017
Background information
Birth name	Brian Hugh Warner
Born	(1969-01-05) January 5, 1969 (age 55) Canton, Ohio, U.S.
Genres	Industrial metal industrial rock alternative metal hard rock gothic rock shock rock
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter actor painter writer
Years active	1989–present
Member of	Marilyn Manson
Spouse(s)	Dita Von Teese ​ ​ (m. 2005; div. 2007)​ Lindsay Usich ​ (m. 2020)​
Website	marilynmanson.com
Signature

Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band that shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since its formation in 1989. Known for his controversial stage personality, his stage name (like the other founding members of the band) was formed by combining the names of two opposing American cultural icons: actress Marilyn Monroe and cult leader Charles Manson.

His music released in the 1990s, including the albums Portrait of an American Family (1994), Antichrist Superstar (1996) and Mechanical Animals (1998), earned him a reputation in mainstream media as a controversial figure and negative influence on young people.^[1][2] In the U.S. alone, three of the band's albums have been awarded platinum status and three more went gold, and the band has had eight releases debut in the top 10, including two No. 1 albums. Manson has been ranked at No. 44 on the list of the "Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists" by Hit Parader and, along with his band, has been nominated for four Grammy Awards – Manson himself earned an additional Grammy nomination for his work on Kanye West's Donda (2021). Manson made his film debut as an actor in David Lynch's Lost Highway (1997), and has since appeared in a variety of minor roles and cameos. In 2002, his first art show, The Golden Age of Grotesque, was held at the Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions center.

Manson is widely considered one of the most controversial figures in heavy metal music, and has been involved in numerous controversies throughout his career. His lyrics were criticized by American politicians and were examined in congressional hearings. Several U.S. states enacted legislation specifically banning the group from performing in state-operated venues. In 1999, news media falsely blamed Manson for influencing the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre. His work has been cited in several other violent events; his paintings and films appeared as evidence in a murder trial, and he has been accused of inspiring several other murders and school shootings. In 2021, multiple women, including his former partner Evan Rachel Wood, accused Manson of psychologically and sexually abusing them, allegations he denied.^[3]

Early life[edit]

Brian Hugh Warner was born in Canton, Ohio, on January 5, 1969,^[4] the son of Barbara J. Wyer (died 2014)^[5] and Hugh Angus Warner (died 2017).^[6][7] He is of English, German, Irish, and Polish descent,^[8][9] and has also claimed that his mother's family (who hailed from the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia) had Sioux heritage.^[10]

As a child, he attended his mother's Episcopal church, though his father was a Roman Catholic.^[11][12] He attended Heritage Christian School from first to tenth grade. In that school, his instructors tried to show children what music they were not supposed to listen to; he thus fell in love with what he "wasn't supposed to".^{[citation needed]} He later transferred to GlenOak High School and graduated in 1987.^{[citation needed]}

After relocating with his parents, he enrolled at Broward Community College in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1990. He was working toward a degree in journalism, gaining experience in the field by writing articles for the music magazine 25th Parallel.^[13] He also interviewed musicians and soon met several of the musicians to whom his own work was later compared, including Groovie Mann from My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. The latter became his mentor and produced his debut album.^[14]

Career[edit]

Music[edit]

The band was formed in 1989 by Warner and guitarist Scott Putesky,^[15][16] with Warner writing lyrics and Putesky composing the majority of music.^[17] Warner adopted the stage name Marilyn Manson and, alongside a revolving lineup of musicians, recorded the band's first demo tape as Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids in 1990.^[18][19] The group quickly developed a loyal fanbase within the South Florida punk and hardcore music scene, primarily as a result of their intentionally shocking concerts; band members often performed in women's clothing or bizarre costumes, and live shows routinely featured amateur pyrotechnics, naked women nailed to crucifixes, children locked in cages,^[20][21] as well as experiments in reverse psychology and butchered animals remains.^{[N 1]} Within six months of forming, they were playing sold-out shows in 300-capacity nightclubs throughout Florida.^[23] They signed a record deal with Sony Music in early 1991, although this deal was rescinded before any material was recorded for the label. The band instead used the proceeds of this deal to fund the recording of subsequent demo tapes, which were released independently.^[24]

The name of the group was shortened to Marilyn Manson in 1992, and they continued to perform and release cassettes until the summer of 1993,^[20] when Reznor signed the act to his vanity label Nothing Records.^[25] Their debut studio album, Portrait of an American Family, was released in July 1994.^[26] Manson later criticized Nothing Records and its parent label Interscope for a perceived lack of promotion.^{[N 2]} While recording b-sides and remixes for the album's proposed third single, "Dope Hat", the band decided to issue the resultant material as a standalone release titled Smells Like Children.^[28] The record included their cover version of the Eurythmics's "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", which established the band as a mainstream act.^[25][29] The song's music video was placed on heavy rotation on MTV,^[30] and earned the band their first nomination for Best Rock Video at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards.^[31] Their second studio album, 1996's Antichrist Superstar, sparked a fierce backlash among Christian fundamentalists.^[32] The album was an immediate commercial success, debuting at number three on the Billboard 200 and selling almost 2 million copies in the United States alone,^[33][34] and 7 million copies worldwide.^[35][36] Lead single "The Beautiful People" received three nominations at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards,^[37] where the band also performed.^[38]

For 1998's Mechanical Animals, Manson said he took inspiration from 1970s glam rock, and adopted a wardrobe and hairstyle similar to David Bowie.^[39] He said he did this to avoid being portrayed as a "bogeyman", a role which had been ascribed to him by mainstream media following the band's commercial breakthrough.^[32] Interscope's promotion of the album was massive,^[40] with the label erecting enormous billboards of Manson as an androgynous extraterrestrial in Times Square and the Sunset Strip.^[39] Lead single "The Dope Show" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards.^[41] The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200,^[42] but was the lowest-selling number-one album of 1998 in the United States,^[43] with sales of 1.4 million copies in the country as of 2017.^[44] The album was not well received by longtime fans, who complained about its radio-friendly sound and accused the vocalist of "selling out",^[45] and Interscope were reportedly disappointed with its commercial performance.^{[N 3]}

Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) was a return to the band's industrial metal roots after the glam-influenced Mechanical Animals,^[47] and was the vocalist's response to media coverage blaming him for influencing the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre. The album was a critical success, with numerous publications praising it as the band's finest work.^[48] Despite being certified gold in the United States for shipments in excess of half a million units,^[49] mainstream media openly questioned the band's commercial appeal, noting the dominance of nu metal and controversial hip hop artists such as Eminem.^[50][51] A cover of "Tainted Love" was an international hit in 2002, peaking at number one in several territories.^[52]

The Golden Age of Grotesque was released the following year, an album primarily inspired by the swing and burlesque movements of 1920s Berlin.^[53] In an extended metaphor found throughout the record, Manson compared his own often-criticized work to the Entartete Kunst banned by the Nazi regime.^[54] Like Mechanical Animals in 1998, The Golden Age of Grotesque debuted at number one on the Billboard 200,^[33] but was the lowest-selling studio album to debut at number one that year, selling 527,000 copies in the United States as of 2008.^[43] The album was more successful in Europe, where it sold over 400,000 on its first week of release to debut at number one on Billboard's European Top 100 Albums.^[55] Manson began his collaboration with French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier during this period, who designed much of the elaborate attire worn by the band on the supporting "Grotesk Burlesk Tour".^[56] The greatest hits compilation Lest We Forget: The Best Of was released in 2004.^[57]

After a three-year hiatus, in which the vocalist pursued other interests,^[59] the band returned with 2007's Eat Me, Drink Me. The album's lyrical content largely related to the dissolution of Manson's marriage to Dita Von Teese and his affair with 19-year-old actress Evan Rachel Wood.^[60] Seventh studio album The High End of Low was released in 2009, and was their final album issued by Interscope. While promoting the record, Manson made a series of disparaging comments about the label and its artistic censorship, as well as its president Jimmy Iovine.^[61] Manson signed a lucrative recording contract with British independent record label Cooking Vinyl in 2011, with the band and label sharing profits equally after the label recouped costs associated with marketing, promotion and distribution.^[62] The first album released under the deal was 2012's Born Villain.^[63] Lead single "No Reflection" earned the band their fourth Grammy nomination.^[41] Subsequent albums were released in the United States by Loma Vista Recordings, beginning with 2015's The Pale Emperor, which was widely seen as a return to form^[64][65] and was a commercial success upon release.^[66][67]

Heaven Upside Down followed in 2017,^[68] with its single "Kill4Me" becoming the band's highest-peaking single ever on Billboard's Mainstream Rock.^[69] While touring in support of the record, Manson was injured by two large falling stage props as he performed on stage at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, breaking his fibula in two places, requiring a plate and ten screws to be inserted in the bone, as well as another screw in his ankle, which he had sprained during a show in Pittsburgh.^[70][71] "God's Gonna Cut You Down" was released as a non-album single in 2019,^[72][73] and is the band's highest-peaking single on Billboard's Hot Rock Songs and Rock Digital Songs.^[74][75] Their most recent studio album, 2020's We Are Chaos, was the band's tenth top ten release on the Billboard 200.^[76]

According to Nielsen SoundScan, the band sold 8.7 million albums alone in the United States as of 2011.^[62] Three of their albums received platinum awards from the Recording Industry Association of America, and a further three received gold certifications.^[77] Ten of their releases debuted in the top ten of the Billboard 200, including two number-one albums.^[76] In the United Kingdom, the band are certified for sales of almost 1.75 million units.^[78] Marilyn Manson has sold over 50 million records worldwide.^{[79][80][81][82]}

Musical collaborations[edit]

In addition to his work with the band, Manson has collaborated extensively with other musicians.^[83] Cello rock act Rasputina opened for the band throughout the "Dead to the World Tour", the controversial tour supporting Antichrist Superstar.^[84] Lead vocalist Melora Creager performed cello and backing vocals for the band, most notably for renditions of "Apple of Sodom", a live version of which appeared as a b-side on Manson's 1998 single "The Dope Show".^[85] Manson also created three remixes of the song "Transylvanian Concubine", two of which appeared on their 1997 EP Transylvanian Regurgitations.^[86] Manson befriended The Smashing Pumpkins vocalist Billy Corgan in 1997,^[87] and performed renditions of "Eye" and "The Beautiful People" alongside that band at the 1997 edition of Bridge School Benefit concert.^[88] Manson frequently consulted Corgan during the early stages of recording Mechanical Animals. Referring to its inclusion of glam rock influences, Corgan advised Manson that "This is definitely the right direction" but to "go all the way with it. Don't just hint at it".^[89] In 2015, Marilyn Manson and the Smashing Pumpkins embarked on a co-headlining tour titled "The End Times Tour".^[90]

To promote Mechanical Animals in 1998, the band embarked on their first co-headlining concert tour: the "Beautiful Monsters Tour" with Hole.^[91] The tour was problematic,^[92] with Manson and Hole vocalist Courtney Love frequently insulting one another both on-stage and during interviews.^[93] Private disputes also arose over finances, as Hole were unwittingly financing most of Manson's production costs, which were disproportionately high relative to Hole's.^[94] The tour was to consist of thirty-seven dates,^[91] although Hole left after nine.^[93] When Hole departed from the tour, it was renamed the "Rock Is Dead Tour", with Jack Off Jill announced as one of the support acts.^[95] Manson had produced many of Jack Off Jill's demo recordings in the early 90s, and later wrote the liner notes to their 2006 compilation Humid Teenage Mediocrity 1992–1996.^[96][97]

Manson launched his own vanity label in 2000, Posthuman Records.^[98] The label released two albums – the 2000 soundtrack to Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 and Godhead's 2001 album 2000 Years of Human Error – before being dissolved in 2003.^[99] The latter album sold over 100,000 copies in the United States,^[100] and featured him performing vocals on the track "Break You Down".^[101] He performed vocals on "Redeemer", a song written by Korn vocalist Jonathan Davis that featured on the 2002 album Queen of the Damned: Music from the Motion Picture.^[102] Davis had been prevented from singing the song due to contractual issues with his record label.^[103] Manson also contributed a remix of the Linkin Park song "By Myself" to that band's remix album Reanimation,^[104] and collaborated with Marco Beltrami to create the score for the 2002 film Resident Evil.^[105]

He performed vocals on the Chew Fu GhettoHouse Fix remix of Lady Gaga's "LoveGame", which was featured as a b-side on the song's single in 2008.^[106] He was a featured vocalist on "Can't Haunt Me",^[107] a track recorded in 2011 for Skylar Grey's unreleased album Invinsible.^[108] He appeared on "Bad Girl", a song from Avril Lavigne's 2013 self-titled album,^[83] and featured on the song "Hypothetical" from Emigrate's 2014 album Silent So Long.^[109] New Orleans brass ensemble the Soul Rebels performed "The Beautiful People" alongside Manson at the 2015 edition of the Japanese Summer Sonic Festival.^[110] Manson recorded vocals on a cover of Bowie's "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" for country musician Shooter Jennings's 2016 album Countach (For Giorgio).^[111][112] The two were introduced in 2013 by Manson's then-bassist Twiggy Ramirez,^[113] and the pair first collaborated that same year on a song for the soundtrack to television series Sons of Anarchy.^[114] Their version of the song, "Join the Human Gang", remains unreleased, but the track was eventually rewritten and released by The White Buffalo as "Come Join the Murder".

A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest performing in 2009. L–R: Jarobi White, Q-Tip, and Phife Dawg.
Background information
Origin	Queens, New York City, U.S.
Genres	East Coast hip hop jazz rap alternative hip hop progressive rap[1]
Discography	A Tribe Called Quest discography
Years active	1985–1998[2] 2006–2013 2015–2017[3]
Labels	Jive Epic
Past members	Q-Tip Phife Dawg Ali Shaheed Muhammad Jarobi White
Website	atribecalledquest.com

A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,^[4][5][2] originally composed of rapper and main producer Q-Tip,^[6] rapper Phife Dawg, DJ and co-producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and rapper Jarobi White. The group is regarded as a pioneer of alternative hip hop and merging jazz with hip hop, influencing numerous hip hop and R&B musicians.^[7][8][9]

A Tribe Called Quest came to prominence as members of the Native Tongues collective, which they co-founded in 1988. The group's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990), established them as a critically acclaimed act, earning the first five 'mic' rating in The Source's history.^[10][8] In 1991, the group saw commercial success with its jazz-infused second album, The Low End Theory, which heavily shaped alternative hip hop in the 1990s.^[11] It was followed by the similarly successful and influential Midnight Marauders (1993), and Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996), which topped the Billboard 200. In 1998, the group disbanded shortly before releasing its fifth album The Love Movement, but in 2006, the original members reunited and toured sporadically for the next seven years. In 2016, the group released its sixth and final album, We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, which received critical acclaim and became its second album to top the Billboard 200; it featured posthumous contributions from Phife Dawg, who died eight months before its release.^[12]

A Tribe Called Quest was the most commercially successful act in the Native Tongues, with all six of its albums certified either gold or platinum.^[13] John Bush of AllMusic called them "the most intelligent, artistic rap group during the 1990s",^[14] and Kris Ex of Pitchfork regarded them as "one of the greatest acts that hip-hop has ever produced".^[15] In 2005, A Tribe Called Quest received the Founders Award at the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards,^[16] and two years later, the group was honored at the 4th VH1 Hip Hop Honors.^[17] In 2017, the group was awarded the Brit Award for International Group. In 2024, A Tribe Called Quest was selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[18][19]

History[edit]

1985–1990: Formation, Native Tongues, and People's Instinctive Travels[edit]

Q-Tip (Kamaal Fareed) and Phife Dawg (Malik Taylor) were childhood friends who grew up together in the St. Albans neighbourhood of Queens, New York City.^[5][20] Initially, Q-Tip performed as a battle rapper, under the name MC Love Child, occasionally teaming up with Murry Bergtraum High School classmate Ali Shaheed Muhammad as a rapper and DJ duo.^[6][21] In 1985, the duo began making demos over Q-Tip's pause tape beats.^[5] Phife Dawg later joined them, though he didn't become a full member until neighbourhood friend Jarobi White joined; the group dubbed themselves "Crush Connection" and later "Quest".^[17][22] The group's final name, A Tribe Called Quest, was coined in 1988 by Jungle Brothers, who attended the same high school as Q-Tip and Muhammad; that year, Q-Tip made his first recorded appearances on Jungle Brothers' songs "Black Is Black" and "The Promo".^[5][14] Shortly after, A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, Queen Latifah and Monie Love formed the Native Tongues collective, known for their like-minded Afrocentrism, positivity and eclectic sampling.^[23][24] In 1989, Phife Dawg made his first recorded appearance on the song "Buddy (Native Tongue Decision)", the remix of De La Soul's single "Buddy".^[25]

A Tribe Called Quest hired Kool DJ Red Alert as their first manager.^[26] In early 1989, the group signed a demo deal with Geffen Records and produced a five-song demo, which included future single "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo".^[27] Geffen decided against offering the group a recording contract, and the group was granted permission to shop for a deal elsewhere.^[27] After receiving lucrative offers for multi-album deals from a variety of labels, the group opted for a modest deal offered by Jive Records.^[27] Jive was then known as an independent rap label that partly owed its success to building the careers of artists Boogie Down Productions and Too Short. Later that year, the group released their first 12" single, "Description of a Fool".^[20]

Their debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, released on April 10, 1990,^[20] was marked by a playful lyrical approach and light-hearted content such as safe sex, vegetarianism and youthful experiences.^[28] The music was an eclectic mix of jazz, funk, soul and rock samples.^[4] The album was met with critical acclaim; The Source rated it five mics, becoming the first album to receive the magazine's highest rating.^[10] NME's review stated that "This is not rap, it's near perfection."^[29] The album only gained momentum after the release of the singles "Bonita Applebum" and "Can I Kick It?", eventually achieving gold certification in 1996.^[20][30]

1991–1993: The Low End Theory, Midnight Marauders, and commercial success[edit]

A Tribe Called Quest's second album, The Low End Theory, was released on September 24, 1991, with "Check the Rhime" as the lead single; the song largely established the lyrical interplay between Q-Tip and Phife Dawg.^[20][31] Until then, most of the group's songs had only featured vocals by Q-Tip, but Q-Tip encouraged Phife Dawg to increase his participation despite his recent diabetes diagnosis.^[17] Musically, the album fused hip hop with the laid-back atmosphere of jazz, particularly bebop and hard bop, combined with a minimalist approach to production that stripped the sound down to vocals, drums and bass.^[5][32] Mixing engineer Bob Power played a major role on the album, as he was tasked with removing surface noise and static that is typically heard on hip hop songs sampled from old vinyl records.^[33] During the recording sessions, White left the group to pursue a career in culinary arts, and they hired Chris Lighty as their new manager after signing to Rush Artist Management.^[22][34]

Lyrically, the group focused on a range of social issues, from date rape ("The Infamous Date Rape") to consumerism ("Skypager"), while also criticizing the hip hop industry on several songs.^[20] Guests on the album included Leaders of the New School, Brand Nubian, Vinia Mojica and Ron Carter, who played double bass on the song "Verses from the Abstract". Additional singles included "Jazz (We've Got)" and "Scenario"; a live performance of "Scenario" with Leaders of the New School on The Arsenio Hall Show led to greater popularity.^[35] Leaders member Busta Rhymes attracted attention with his verse in the song, which led to him launching a successful solo career.^[31]

The Low End Theory received widespread acclaim from critics.^[22] The Source gave the group its second consecutive five mic rating, praising their "progressive sound" and "streetwise edge", also noting that "Those who questioned Phife's microphone techniques on the first album will swallow those doubts as he practically steals the show on this one."^[36] The album peaked at #45 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold on February 19, 1992; it reached platinum status by 1995.^[31] In the aftermath of their success, the group contributed the song "Hot Sex" to the soundtrack for the film Boomerang in 1992.^[37]

Conrad Tillard, then known variously as the Hip Hop Minister and Conrad Muhammad, became a fixture in hip-hop in 1993 after he arranged a meeting and a truce in a feud between rising bands Wreckx-N-Effect and A Tribe Called Quest, that Tillard said threatened to turn Harlem into a "war zone".^{[38][39][40][41][42][43]}

A Tribe Called Quest released their third album, Midnight Marauders, on November 9, 1993.^[44] The lead single, "Award Tour", became the group's highest charting single and helped to land the album at #8 on the Billboard 200.^[31] The production, still rooted in jazz, was a return to the eclectic sounds found on People's Instinctive Travels, with a more prominent funk influence, including grittier drums.^[44][5] The voice of a "tour guide", on the intro and at the end of several tracks, added further cohesion to the album.^[31]

Midnight Marauders saw improved lyrical interplay between Phife Dawg and Q-Tip,^[44] as evidenced on the singles "Electric Relaxation" and "Oh My God"; the popularity of "Electric Relaxation" led to it becoming the opening theme song for the sitcom The Wayans Bros., from 1995 to 1996.^[45] Topics on the album include police harassment ("Midnight"), religious faith ("God Lives Through"), hip hop ("We Can Get Down") and use of the word nigga ("Sucka Nigga").^[44] Guests on the album include Large Professor, Busta Rhymes and Raphael Saadiq (credited as Raphael Wiggins).

The album received widespread acclaim from critics.^[22] Entertainment Weekly called the album "as fresh as their first",^[46] while Melody Maker stated "A Tribe Called Quest have expanded their vision with a lyrical gravitas and a musical lightness of touch that has hitherto eluded them across a whole album".^[46] The album was ranked #21 by The Village Voice in that year's Pazz & Jop critics' poll.^[46] Midnight Marauders became A Tribe Called Quest's fastest-selling album; it was certified platinum on January 11, 1995, only 14 months after its release.^[31]

1994–1995: Intermission and the Ummah[edit]

At the 1994 Source Awards, Tupac Shakur and his group Thug Life performed their song "Out on Bail", interrupting A Tribe Called Quest as they accepted the award for Group of the Year; it was later found that this apparent act of disrespect was accidental.^[24][47] That summer, the group performed as one of a handful of hip hop acts on the Lollapalooza tour, among acts such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Stereolab and The Verve.^[48] While on tour, keyboardist Amp Fiddler introduced Q-Tip to a young producer from Detroit named Jay Dee.^[5] At the suggestion of Q-Tip, Jay Dee later joined him and Muhammad, forming a production unit known as The Ummah (Arabic for "the [worldwide] Muslim community"), in which each member produced songs individually and received a songwriting credit for their work.^[6] The Ummah handled the production of A Tribe Called Quest's next two albums.

During this period, group members contributed to several notable outside projects with production and guest verses. Phife Dawg, who rapped on "Oh My God" that he owned "more condoms than TLC", made an appearance on the song "Intro-lude" from that group's album, CrazySexyCool, in 1994.^[49] That year, Q-Tip produced the single "One Love" from Nas' debut album Illmatic and appeared on the song "Get It Together" by Beastie Boys, from their album Ill Communication.^[5] In 1995, Muhammad co-produced the single "Brown Sugar" from D'Angelo's debut album of the same name, and Q-Tip produced three songs for Mobb Deep while serving as a mixing engineer for their album The Infamous.^[50] The group contributed "Glamour and Glitz" to The Show: The Soundtrack that year, before returning the following year with their next album.

1996–1998: Beats, Rhymes and Life, The Love Movement, and breakup[edit]

Beats, Rhymes and Life, the group's fourth album, was released on July 30, 1996, supported by the singles "1nce Again" and "Stressed Out". It was recorded during the turbulent East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry, with the tracks "Get a Hold", "Keeping It Moving" and "Baby Phife's Return" referring to it.^[51] The Ummah's production style, a minimalist R&B and jazz-infused sound, was a departure from the group's previous albums.^[52] Jay Dee, a big fan of A Tribe Called Quest, contributed five beats to the album, including both singles.^[5] Lyrically, the album featured a less playful, more philosophical approach by the group.^[24] Consequence, Q-Tip's cousin, and an aspiring rapper, was present on six songs.^[52] Phife Dawg later stated that this period was when he began to lose interest in the group:

I really felt like with Midnight Marauders I came into my own. By the time when Beats, Rhymes and Life came out I started feelin' like I didn't fit in any more. Q-Tip and Ali had converted to Islam and I didn't. Music felt like a job; like I was just doin' it to pay bills. I never want my music to feel like just a job. They would schedule studio time at the last minute. I'd catch a plane from Atlanta to be in New York and when I got to the studio, no one would be there. They would have canceled the session without telling me. Seemed like the management was concerned with other folks not me. But I never lost my confidence.^[53]

The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and went gold before the end of the year; it was certified platinum in 1998.^[54] Critical reception was divided, but mostly positive; Rolling Stone called the album "near-flawless",^[55] while The Source awarded it four mics.^[56] Melody Maker felt that it provided "both their best and worst thus far".^[55] It was nominated for Best Rap Album and "1nce Again" was nominated for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 1997 Grammy Awards.^[14]

In 1997, the group was featured on the Fugees single "Rumble in the Jungle", alongside Busta Rhymes and John Forté, from the When We Were Kings soundtrack.^[57] They also appeared on the soundtrack Men in Black: The Album, with the song "Same Ol' Thing". In Europe, they released The Jam EP, which included the aforementioned song, "Mardi Gras at Midnight" (featuring Rah Digga) and two songs from Beats, Rhymes and Life, "Get a Hold" and "Jam".^[58] That year also saw the first reunion of the three Native Tongues groups since 1989, when Jungle Brothers invited A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul to guest on "How Ya Want It We Got It", a song from their album Raw Deluxe.^[17]

A month before The Love Movement was released on September 29, 1998, the group announced that it would be their final album.^[14][22] The group cited their frustration with Jive as a significant factor in the breakup.^[17] The album, which was centered on the theme of love, was promoted by the single "Find a Way", a song that "innocently wonders about the point at which friendship spills over into sex".^[59] Musically, the album saw the return of The Ummah's stripped-down production style from Beats, Rhymes and Life.^[60] Guest appearances by Busta Rhymes, Redman and Noreaga helped to balance the subdued tone of the album.^[61]

The Love Movement was certified gold on November 1, 1998, just over a month after its release.^[30] Critical reception was mostly positive; Rolling Stone remarked that "the mature, accomplished niceness of The Love Movement proves that the Tribe still have the skills – they're just short on thrills."^[61] The album was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 1999 Grammy Awards.^[62]

1999–2005: Solo projects and brief return to recording[edit]

Under the management of Violator, Q-Tip launched a successful solo career, which saw two Billboard Hot 100 hits, "Vivrant Thing" and "Breathe and Stop", and the release of the gold-certified album Amplified in late 1999.^[17] The album featured production by Q-Tip, Jay Dee and DJ Scratch. Despite receiving mostly positive reviews, the album was criticized by the hip hop community for its mainstream sound.^[5] The most notable of Q-Tip's critics was Phife Dawg, who took his former partner to task on his solo album Ventilation: Da LP, released in 2000.^[17] The Hi-Tek-produced lead single, "Flawless", contained the lines "Go 'head, play yourself with them ho-like hooks / sing ballads if it's all about the Maxwell look".^[17] Ventilation included production by Jay Dee and Pete Rock.

Teaming up with two other artists from former groups, Raphael Saadiq of Tony! Toni! Toné! and Dawn Robinson of En Vogue, Muhammad's next project was Lucy Pearl.^[17] The group scored two hit singles with "Dance Tonight" and "Don't Mess with My Man", from their self-titled album, which was certified gold a few months after its release in 2000. Following a dispute between Saadiq and Robinson, the latter left the group and was replaced by Joi; however, this new incarnation would only last for the remainder of touring.^[17]

In 2001, Q-Tip changed directions and recorded Kamaal the Abstract, an album which saw him in the role of singer and bandleader.^[5] Unlike his work with A Tribe Called Quest, or his previous solo work, Kamaal was constructed around live music and abstract song concepts. Arista Records refused to release the album, doubting its commercial potential, resulting in Q-Tip leaving the label.^[63] The following year, he recorded the song "What Lies Beneath" for the Soundbombing III compilation, in which he responded to Phife Dawg's comments on "Flawless".

In 2003, Q-Tip and Phife Dawg put aside their differences and A Tribe Called Quest briefly returned to the studio, recording the song "I C U (Doin' It)", featuring Erykah Badu.^[17] It was intended to be the first single from the Violator compilation, V3: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, however, the album was not released.^[64] Undeterred by the shelving of Kamaal the Abstract, Q-Tip recorded Open in late 2003, planning to release it the next year.^[63][65] It featured contributions from André 3000, Common and D'Angelo.^[17] However, his label, DreamWorks Records, got bought out by Universal Music Group, which eventually led to Open also getting shelved.^[63]

On August 27, 2004, A Tribe Called Quest headlined the Street Scene music festival in San Diego.^[17] Muhammad focused on developing a stable of artists, most of whom were showcased on his debut solo album, Shaheedullah and Stereotypes, released later that year. In 2005, the group received the Founders Award at the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta.^[16]

2006–2013: Reunion and touring[

Posted on March 15, 2008

Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne theme by Joe046

Download: LilWayne.p3t

(3 backgrounds)

American rapper (born 1982)

"Dwayne Carter" redirects here. For the racecar driver, see Duane Carter.

"Weezy" redirects here. Not to be confused with Wheezy.

Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne in 2020
Born	Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (1982-09-27) September 27, 1982 (age 41) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Other names	Weezy Weezy F. Baby Tunechi President Carter Birdman Jr.
Education	University of Phoenix
Occupations	Rapper singer songwriter record executive entrepreneur
Years active	1991–present
Works	Albums singles videography
Title	Founder of Young Money Entertainment Co-founder of Trukfit Clothing
Spouse	Toya Johnson ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2006)​
Partners	Nivea (2002–2003, 2009–2010; ex-fiancée) La'Tecia Thomas (2019–2020; ex-fiancée) Denise Bidot (2020–2022)
Children	4
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Southern hip hop
Labels	Universal Young Money Republic Cash Money[1]
Member of	Hot Boys
Formerly of	Cash Money Millionaires The B.G.'z Sqad Up
Website	thacarterv.com lilwayneofficial.com
Musical artist

This article is part of a series about Lil Wayne
Albums Singles Studio albums Tha Block Is Hot (1999) Lights Out (2000) 500 Degreez (2002) Tha Carter (2004) II (2005) III (2008) Rebirth (2010) (Full List) Related Drake Nicki Minaj Young Money Entertainment Cash Money Records Birdman Tyga
v t e

Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982),^[2] known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation,^[3] and is often mentioned among the greatest rappers of all time.^[4][5] He was signed by American rapper Birdman to his record label Cash Money Records at age eleven, becoming its youngest member.^[6][7] In the following years, he emerged as the flagship artist of Cash Money Records before ending his association with the imprint in June 2018.^[8]

He was first placed in a duo with Cash Money labelmate B.G. in 1994—known as the B.G.'z—and they released an album, True Story, in July of that year, although Carter (at the time known as Baby D) only appeared on three tracks.^[9] Carter and B.G. then formed the Southern hip hop group Hot Boys with labelmates Juvenile and Turk in 1997; they released their debut album, Get It How U Live! in October of that year. The Hot Boys gained mainstream success following the release of their second album Guerrilla Warfare (1999), as well as their single "Bling Bling".^[10] The group briefly disbanded after the album due to each member (besides Carter) parting ways with the label, although one further album—Let 'Em Burn (2003)—was released.^[11]

Carter's debut studio album, Tha Block Is Hot (1999) quickly achieved commercial success and served as his breakthrough as a solo act, followed by Lights Out (2000) and 500 Degreez (2003). He reached wider popularity and critical acclaim with his fourth and fifth albums Tha Carter (2004) and Tha Carter II (2005), as well as several mixtapes and collaborations throughout 2006 and 2007. He propelled to the forefront of hip hop with his sixth album Tha Carter III (2008), with first-week sales of over one million units in the US. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was supported by his first Billboard Hot 100-number one single "Lollipop" (featuring Static Major), the top-ten singles "A Milli" and "Got Money" (featuring T-Pain), and the top-20 single "Mrs. Officer" (featuring Bobby V and Kidd Kidd).

Carter's seventh studio album, Rebirth (2010) experimented with rap rock and was released in February of that year to generally negative critical response. A month later in March, he began serving an 8-month jail sentence for criminal possession of a weapon stemming from an incident in July 2007. His eighth album, I Am Not a Human Being (2010) was released during his incarceration, while the release of his ninth album, Tha Carter IV (2011) coincided months after his release from prison. Tha Carter IV sold 964,000 units in its first-week in the United States despite mixed reviews.^[12] His twelfth studio album, Tha Carter V (2018)—preceded by I Am Not a Human Being II (2013) and Free Weezy Album (2015)—was released following long-term delays and label disputes, and was met with 480,000 in first-week sales. His thirteenth album, Funeral (2020) became his fifth non-consecutive number one album.^[13]

Carter has sold over 120 million records worldwide, including more than 25 million albums and 92 million digital tracks in the United States, making him one of the world's best-selling music artists.^[14][15][16] He has won five Grammy Awards, eleven BET Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards and eight NAACP Image Awards. On September 27, 2012, he became the first male artist to surpass Elvis Presley with the most entries on the Billboard Hot 100, with 109 songs.^[17][18] Carter founded the record label Young Money Entertainment in 2005, which has signed artists including Drake, Tyga and Nicki Minaj.

Early life[edit]

Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. was born on September 27, 1982, and spent his first few years in the impoverished Hollygrove neighborhood of Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana's 17th Ward.^[19] His mother, a cook, gave birth to him when she was 19 years old. His parents divorced when he was two and his father permanently abandoned the family. When CBS interviewer Katie Couric asked why he used the name Wayne instead of his given name, Carter explained that "I dropped the D because I'm a junior and my father is living and he's not in my life and he's never been in my life. So I don't want to be Dwayne, I'd rather be Wayne". Asked if his father knew of this, Carter replied, "He knows now".^[20] Carter has said that he considers his deceased stepfather Reginald "Rabbit" McDonald to be his real father. Carter has a tattoo dedicated to McDonald.^[21]

Carter was enrolled in the gifted program at Lafayette Elementary School. He later attended Eleanor McMain Secondary School for two years, where he was an honor student and a member of the drama club, playing the Tin Man in the school's production of The Wiz.^[22][23][24] After matriculating to Marion Abramson Senior High School, Carter dropped out at age 14 to focus on his musical career.^[25]

Carter wrote his first rap song at age eight.^[26] In the summer of 1991, he met rapper and Cash Money Records co-founder Bryan "Baby" Williams (known currently as Birdman), who mentored him and encouraged his love of hip-hop; Birdman included Carter on several Cash Money tracks, and Carter would often record freestyle raps on Williams' answering machine.^[27]

In 1994, at age 12, Carter suffered a near-fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.^[28] At the time he said the injury was accidental. Decades later Carter claimed that it was an attempted suicide after he was told by his mother that he would have to end his rap-related associations.^[29] Carter credits off-duty police officer Robert Hoobler, who he calls "Uncle Bob", with saving his life by insisting the dying child be driven immediately to hospital in a police car rather than waiting for an ambulance to become available.^[30] Other accounts indicate that several officers played a part in deciding on and implementing that course of action.^[28]

Career[edit]

1997–1999: Career beginnings and Hot Boys[edit]

In 1997, Carter joined the Hot Boys along with rappers Juvenile, B.G., and Turk. At age 14, Carter was the youngest member at the time. Hot Boys' debut album Get It How U Live! was released the same year, followed in 1999 by the group's major-label debut Guerrilla Warfare,^[19] which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 5 on the Billboard 200.^[31] During their career, the Hot Boys had two charting singles, "We on Fire" from Get It How U Live! and "I Need a Hot Girl" from Guerrilla Warfare.^[32] Carter was also featured on Juvenile's single "Back That Azz Up", which reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.^[33] Let 'Em Burn, a compilation album of unreleased tracks recorded during 1999 and 2000, came out in 2003, several years after the group disbanded.^[34] It reached No. 3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 14 on the Billboard 200.^[31]

1999–2004: Tha Block Is Hot, Lights Out, and 500 Degreez[edit]

Carter's debut solo album, Tha Block Is Hot, was released when he was 17 and featured significant contributions from the Hot Boys. It debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 and was later certified platinum by the RIAA less than two months after its release.^[35][19] The album earned Carter a 1999 Source magazine nomination for "Best New Artist",^[36] and also became a Top Ten hit.^[19] The lead single was "Tha Block Is Hot". After the release of Tha Block Is Hot, Carter was featured on the single "Bling Bling", with B.G., Juvenile, and Big Tymers. Carter's verse appeared only on the radio version of the song, while on the album version he performed on the chorus.

His second album, Lights Out, was released in 2000, and failed to attain the level of success achieved by his debut^[19] but was certified gold by RIAA.^[37] Critics noted the lack of coherent narratives in his verses as evidence that he had yet to mature to the level of his fellow Hot Boys.^[38] The lead single was "Get Off the Corner", which was noticed for an improvement in its lyrical content and style. The second single, which received less attention, was "Shine" featuring the Hot Boys. Near the release of Lights Out, Carter was featured on the single, "Number One Stunna" with Big Tymers and Juvenile, which peaked at number 24 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart.

Carter's third album, 500 Degreez, was released in 2002. It followed the format of his previous two, with significant contributions from the Hot Boys and Mannie Fresh. While being certified gold like its predecessor,^[37] it also failed to match the success of his debut.^[19] The title was a reference to the recently estranged Hot Boys member Juvenile's recording, 400 Degreez.^[39][40] Lead single was "Way of Life" reached no. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no. 23 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.^[41] However, John Bush of allmusic praised 500 Degreez, calling "Way of Life" an "infectious party hit".^[39] After the release of 500 Degreez, Carter was featured on the single "Neva Get Enuf" by 3LW.^[42]

2004–2006: Tha Carter, Tha Carter II, and Like Father, Like Son[edit]

In the summer of 2004, Carter's fourth studio album, Tha Carter, was released, marking what critics considered advancement in his rapping style and lyrical themes.^[43] In addition, the album's cover art featured the debut of Wayne's now-signature dreadlocks.^[19] Tha Carter gained Wayne significant recognition, selling 878,000 copies in the United States, while the single "Go DJ" became a Top 5 Hit on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart.^[44] After the release of Tha Carter, Lil Wayne was featured in Destiny's Child's single "Soldier" with T.I., which peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.^[45]

Tha Carter II, the follow-up to the original Tha Carter album, was released in December 2005, this time without production by longtime Cash Money Records producer Mannie Fresh, who had left the label. Tha Carter II sold more than 238,000 copies in its first week of release, debuting at number 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and went on to sell 2,000,000 copies worldwide. The lead single "Fireman" became a hit in the US, peaking at 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other singles included "Grown Man" with Currensy, "Hustler Musik", and "Shooter" with R&B singer Robin Thicke. Carter also appeared on a remix of Bobby Valentino's "Tell Me", which rose to number 13 on the U.S. R&B Charts. In 2005, Carter was named president of Cash Money, and in the same year he founded Young Money Entertainment as an imprint of Cash Money.^[46] However, as of late 2007, Carter reported having stepped down from the management of both labels and had handed management of Young Money over to Cortez Bryant.^[47]

In 2006, Carter collaborated with Birdman for the album Like Father, Like Son, whose first single "Stuntin' Like My Daddy", reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.

2006–2007: Mixtapes and collaborations[edit]

Instead of a follow-up solo album, Carter began to reach his audience through a plethora of mixtapes and guest appearances on a variety of pop and hip hop singles.^[19] Of his many mixtapes, Dedication 2 and Da Drought 3 received the most media exposure and critical review. Dedication 2, released in 2006, paired Carter with DJ Drama and contained the acclaimed socially conscious track "Georgia Bush", in which Carter critiqued former US president George W. Bush's response to the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the city of New Orleans. Da Drought 3 was released the following year and was available for free legal download. It contained Carter rapping over a variety of beats from recent hits by other musicians. A number of prominent hip hop magazines such as XXL^[48] and Vibe^[25] covered the mixtape. Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone magazine considered the mixtapes Da Drought 3 and The Drought Is Over 2 (The Carter 3 Sessions) "among the best albums of 2007".^[49]

Despite no album release for two years, Carter appeared in numerous singles as a featured performer, including "Gimme That" by Chris Brown, "Make It Rain" by Fat Joe, "You" by Lloyd, and "We Takin' Over" by DJ Khaled (also featuring Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, and Birdman), "Duffle Bag Boy" by Playaz Circle, "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" by Wyclef Jean (also featuring Akon), and the remix to "I'm So Hood" by DJ Khaled (also featuring T-Pain, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Fat Joe, Birdman, and Rick Ross). All these singles charted within the top 20 spots on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Rap Tracks, and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. On Birdman's 2007 album, 5 * Stunna, Carter appeared on the singles "100 Million" and "I Run This" among several other tracks. Carter also appeared on tracks from albums Getback by Little Brother, American Gangster by Jay-Z, and Graduation by Kanye West and Insomniac by Enrique Iglesias. "Make it Rain", a Scott Storch production that peaked at number 13 on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Rap Tracks chart,^[50] was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for 2008.^[51]

Vibe magazine ranked a list of 77 of Lil Wayne's songs from 2007 and ranked his verse in DJ Khaled's "We Takin Over" as his best of 2007, with "Dough Is What I Got" (a freestyle over the beat of Jay-Z's "Show Me What You Got") from Da Drought 3.^[25] At the end of 2007, an MTV poll selected Lil Wayne as "Hottest MC in the Game",^[52] The New Yorker magazine ranked him "Rapper of the Year",^[27] and GQ magazine named him "Workaholic of the Year".^[53] In 2008 he was named "Best MC" by Rolling Stone.^[49] Another article, built around Lil Wayne's 2007 mixtape work, cites his creative practice as an example of post-performance creative practice.^[54]

2007–2010: Tha Carter III, We Are Young Money, and Rebirth[edit]

In 2007, Carter stated that he would reunite with Hot Boy

Green Day
(L–R): Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool performing in June 2022
Background information
Also known as	Blood Rage (1987)[1] Sweet Children (1987–1989, 2015) Blair Hess (1993)[2]
Origin	Rodeo, California[3]
Genres	Punk rock pop-punk alternative rock skate punk power pop
Discography	Discography songs
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Lookout Reprise Epitaph[4] Warner
Spinoffs	Pinhead Gunpowder The Network Foxboro Hot Tubs The Coverups The Longshot
Members	Billie Joe Armstrong Mike Dirnt Tré Cool
Past members	Raj Punjabi Sean Hughes John Kiffmeyer
Website	greenday.com

Green Day is an American rock band formed in Rodeo, California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their major-label debut Dookie, released through Reprise Records, became a breakout success and eventually shipped over 10 million copies in the U.S. Alongside fellow California punk bands Bad Religion, the Offspring, Rancid, NOFX, Pennywise and Social Distortion, Green Day is credited with popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the U.S.

Before taking its current name in 1989, the band was named Blood Rage, then Sweet Children. They were part of the late 1980s/early 1990s Bay Area punk scene that emerged from the 924 Gilman Street club in Berkeley, California. The band's early releases were with the independent record label Lookout! Records including their first album, 39/Smooth (1990). For most of the band's career, they have been a power trio^[5] with Cool, who replaced John Kiffmeyer in 1990 before the recording of the band's second studio album, Kerplunk (1991). Though the albums Insomniac (1995), Nimrod (1997) and Warning (2000) did not match the success of Dookie, they were still successful, with Insomniac and Nimrod reaching double platinum status, while Warning achieved gold. Green Day's seventh album, a rock opera called American Idiot (2004), found popularity with a younger generation, selling six million copies in the U.S. Their next album, 21st Century Breakdown, was released in 2009 and achieved the band's best chart performance. It was followed by a trilogy of albums, ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré!, released in September, November, and December 2012, respectively. The trilogy did not perform as well as expected commercially, in comparison to their previous albums, largely due to a lack of promotion and Armstrong entering rehab. They were followed by Revolution Radio (2016), which became their third to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Father of All Motherfuckers (2020) and Saviors (2024).

In 2010, a stage adaptation of American Idiot debuted on Broadway. The musical was nominated for three Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design and Best Lighting Design, winning the latter two. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, their first year of eligibility. Members of the band have collaborated on the side projects Pinhead Gunpowder, The Network, Foxboro Hot Tubs, The Longshot and The Coverups. They have also worked on solo careers.

Green Day has sold roughly 75 million records worldwide as of 2024,^[6] making them one of the best-selling music artists. The group has been nominated for 20 Grammy Awards and won five of them, with Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", and Best Musical Show Album for American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording.

History[edit]

Formation and Lookout! years (1987–1993)[edit]

In 1987, friends and guitarists Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt, 15 years old at the time, along with bassist Sean Hughes and drummer Raj Punjabi, a fellow student from Pinole Valley High School, formed band "Blood Rage", the name taken from the eponymous film, and played together in Raj's father's house garage at Rodeo, California; a few months later, the band renamed to Sweet Children.^[7][8][9] One of their first songs written together was "Best Thing in Town".^[10] The group's first live performance under the name Sweet Children took place on October 17, 1987, at Rod's Hickory Pit in Vallejo, California.^[11] In 1988, Armstrong and Dirnt began working with former Isocracy drummer John Kiffmeyer, also known as "Al Sobrante", who replaced original drummer Raj Punjabi.^[12] It was around this time that bassist Sean Hughes also left the band, causing Dirnt to switch from guitar to bass. Armstrong cites the band Operation Ivy (which featured Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, who would later contact Armstrong to fill in as a possible second guitarist for their band Rancid) as a major influence and a group that inspired him to form a band.^[13][14]

In 1988, Larry Livermore, owner of Lookout! Records, saw the band play an early show and signed them to his label.^[15] In April 1989, the band released its debut extended play, 1,000 Hours.^[16] Shortly before the EP's release, the group dropped the name Sweet Children; according to Livermore, this was done to avoid confusion with another local band, Sweet Baby.^[17] Sweet Children adopted the name Green Day, instead, due to the members' fondness for cannabis.^[18][19][20] The phrase "green day" was slang in the Bay Area, where the band originated, for spending a day doing nothing but smoking marijuana.^[21] Armstrong once admitted in 2001 that he considered it to be "the worst band name in the world".^[22]

Lookout! released Green Day's debut studio album, 39/Smooth in early 1990.^[23] Green Day recorded two extended plays later that year, Slappy and Sweet Children, the latter of which included older songs the band had recorded for the Minneapolis independent record label Skene! Records.^[24] In 1991, Lookout! Records re-released 39/Smooth as 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours and added the songs from the band's first two EPs, Slappy and 1,000 Hours. In late 1990, shortly after the band's first nationwide tour, Kiffmeyer left the East Bay area to attend Humboldt State University in Arcata, California.^[11][25] The Lookouts' drummer Tré Cool began filling in temporarily and later permanently, an offer which Kiffmeyer "graciously accepted".^[26] The band went on tour for most of 1992 and 1993 and played a number of shows overseas in Europe.^[27] By then, the band's second studio album Kerplunk had sold 50,000 copies in the U.S.^[27] Green Day supported another California punk band, Bad Religion, as an opening act for their Recipe for Hate Tour for most of 1993.^[28]

Signing with Reprise Records and breakthrough success (1993–1995)[edit]

"Basket Case"

Sample of "Basket Case", the seventh track and third single from Dookie, which was about Armstrong's panic attacks.

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"Longview"

"Longview", the fourth track on Dookie, was the band's debut single, and its music video was played frequently on MTV in late 1994.

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Kerplunk's underground success led to interest from major record labels and a bidding war to sign Green Day.^[29] The band eventually left Lookout! and signed with Reprise Records after attracting the attention of producer Rob Cavallo.^[30] The group was impressed by his work with fellow Californian band The Muffs and later remarked that Cavallo "was the only person we could talk to and connect with".^[30] Reflecting on this period, Armstrong told Spin magazine in 1999, "I couldn't go back to the punk scene, whether we were the biggest success in the world or the biggest failure … The only thing I could do was get on my bike and go forward."^[31] After signing with Reprise, the band began recording its major-label debut, Dookie. On September 3, 1993, Green Day played their last show at 924 Gilman under the pseudonym Blair Hess before being banned permanently because of their major label signing.^[2]

Recorded in three weeks and released in February 1994,^[32] Dookie became a commercial success, helped by extensive MTV airplay for the videos of the songs "Longview", "Basket Case", and "When I Come Around", all of which reached the number one position on the Modern Rock Tracks charts. The album went on to sell over 10 million copies in the US.^[33] At a performance on September 9, 1994, at Hatch Memorial Shell in Boston, mayhem broke out during the band's set (cut short to seven songs), and by the end of the rampage, 100 people were injured and 45 arrested.^[34] The band also joined the lineups of both the Lollapalooza festival and Woodstock '94, where at the latter the group started an infamous mud fight. During the concert, a security guard mistook bassist Mike Dirnt for a stage-invading fan and punched out some of his teeth.^[35] Viewed by millions by pay-per-view television, the Woodstock 1994 performance further aided Green Day's growing publicity and recognition.^[30] In 1995, Dookie won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album, and the band was nominated for nine MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year.^[36][37] In the band's homestead of the East Bay following Dookie's success, the band felt a sense of hostility. Billie Joe Armstrong recalled aggressive glares and furtive whispers. The band's success would trickle onto other East Bay bands such as Jawbreaker, a local favorite of Armstrong's, which garnered accusations of selling out during a concert attended by Armstrong.^[38]

Middle years and decline in popularity (1995–2002)[edit]

In 1995, a single entitled "J.A.R." for the Angus soundtrack was released and debuted at number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.^{[39] [40]} The band's fourth studio album, Insomniac, was released in Fall 1995.^[41] Compared to the more melodic Dookie, Insomniac was a much darker and heavier response to the band's newfound popularity.^[30] The album opened to warm critical reception, earning 4 of 5 stars from Rolling Stone, which said "In punk, the good stuff unfolds and gains meaning as you listen without sacrificing any of its electric, haywire immediacy. And Green Day are as good as this stuff gets."^[42] The singles released from Insomniac were "Geek Stink Breath", "Stuck with Me", "Brain Stew/Jaded", and "Walking Contradiction".

Though the album did not approach the success of Dookie, it sold three million copies in the United States.^[43] The album earned the band award nominations for Favorite Artist, Favorite Hard Rock Artist, and Favorite Alternative Artist at the 1996 American Music Awards, and the video for "Walking Contradiction" earned the band nominations for Best Video, Short Form, at the Grammy's, in addition to Best Special Effects at the MTV Video Music Awards. After that, the band abruptly canceled a European tour, citing exhaustion.^[44]

Following a brief hiatus in 1996, Green Day began work on its next album in 1997. From the outset, Cavallo and the band agreed the album had to be different from Green Day's previous albums.^[45] The result was Nimrod, an experimental deviation from the band's standard melodic punk rock.^[46] The album was released in October 1997 and provided a variety of music, from punk, pop, hardcore, folk, surf rock, ska, to the acoustic ballad "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)".^[47][48][46] Nimrod entered the charts at Number 10. The mainstream success of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" won the band an MTV Video Award for Best Alternative Video.^[49] The song was used in the second clip show episode of Seinfeld and two episodes of ER.^[48] The other singles released from Nimrod were "Nice Guys Finish Last", "Hitchin' a Ride", and "Redundant".^[50][51] The band made a guest appearance in an episode of King of the Hill in 1997.^[52] In late 1997 and most of 1998, Green Day embarked on a tour in support of Nimrod.^[53][54] In 1999, Jason White began supporting the band during concerts as guitarist.^[55]

In 2000, Green Day released their folk-punk-inspired sixth studio album Warning and, in support, participated in that year's Warped Tour.^[56] In November 2000, in a show produced by Ian Brennan, the band performed for free on the steps on San Francisco's City Hall to protest the eviction of artists from the city.^[57] The band also launched an independent tour to support the album Warning in 2001. Critics' reviews of the album were varied.^[58] AllMusic gave it 4.5/5, saying, "Warning may not be an innovative record per se, but it's tremendously satisfying."^[59] Rolling Stone was more critical, giving it 3/5 and saying, "Warning … invites the question: Who wants to listen to songs of faith, hope and social commentary from what used to be snot core's biggest-selling band?"^[60] Though it produced the hit "Minority" and smaller hit "Warning", some observers were coming to the conclusion that the band was losing relevance,^[58] and a decline in popularity followed. While all of Green Day's previous albums had reached at least triple platinum sales, Warning was only certified gold.^[61]

At the 2001 California Music Awards, Green Day won all eight of the awards for which it was nominated.^[62] The group won awards for Outstanding Album (Warning), Outstanding Punk Rock/Ska Album (Warning), Outstanding Group, Outstanding Male Vocalist, Outstanding Bassist, Outstanding Drummer, Outstanding Songwriter, and Outstanding Artist.^[63]

The release of two compilation albums, International Superhits! and Shenanigans, followed Warning.^[64][65] International Superhits! had a companion collection of music videos entitled International Supervideos!^[66] Shenanigans contained collected B-sides including "Espionage", which was featured in the film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.^[62]

In Spring 2002, Green Day co-headlined the Pop Disaster Tour with Blink-182, documented on the DVD Riding in Vans with Boys.^[67]

American Idiot and renewed success (2003–2006)[edit]

"American Idiot"

"American Idiot" from American Idiot. The song was nominated for four Grammy awards in 2005.

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In Summer 2003, the band wrote and recorded material for an album tentatively titled Cigarettes and Valentines.^[68] After completing 20 tracks, the master recordings were stolen from the studio. Instead of re-recording the stolen tracks, the band decided to abandon the entire project and start over, considering the taken material to be unrepresentative of the band's best work.^[69] It was then revealed that a band called The Network was signed to Armstrong's record label Adeline Records with little fanfare and information.^[70][71] After the band, who concealed their identities with masks and costumes,^[72] released an album called Money Money 2020, it was rumored that The Network was a Green Day side project, due to similarities in the bands' sounds.^[73] However, these rumors were never addressed by the band or Adeline Records, except for a statement on the Adeline website discussing an ongoing dispute between the two bands.^[73] The bands "feuded" via press releases and statements from Armstrong.^[72][74] Several journalists openly referred to the group as a Green Day side project,^{[75][76][77][78]} although it was not confirmed

The Honourable Bob Marley OM
Marley in 1976
Born	Robert Nesta Marley (1945-02-06)6 February 1945 Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica
Died	11 May 1981(1981-05-11) (aged 36) Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Florida, U.S.
Other names	Skip Tuff Gong
Occupations	Singer musician songwriter
Spouse	Rita Marley ​ (m. 1966)​
Children	11, including: Sharon Cedella David "Ziggy" Stephen Rohan Julian Ky-Mani Damian
Parent(s)	Norval Sinclair Marley (father) Cedella Booker (mother)
Relatives	Skip Marley (grandson) YG Marley (grandson) Nico Marley (grandson) Jo Mersa Marley (grandson) Bambaata Marley (grandson) Selah Marley (granddaughter) Donisha Prendergast (granddaughter)
Musical career
Genres	Reggae ska rocksteady folk[1]
Instrument(s)	Vocals guitar
Years active	1962–1980
Labels	Beverley's Studio One JAD Wail'n Soul'm Upsetter Tuff Gong Island
Formerly of	The Wailers
Website	bobmarley.com
Musical artist

Robert Nesta Marley OM (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican reggae singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of the genre, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive vocal and songwriting style.^[2][3] Marley increased the visibility of Jamaican music worldwide and made him a global figure in popular culture.^[4][5] He became known as a Rastafarian icon, and he infused his music with a sense of spirituality.^[6] Marley is also considered a global symbol of Jamaican music and culture and identity and was controversial in his outspoken support for democratic social reforms.^[7][8] Marley also supported the legalisation of cannabis and advocated for Pan-Africanism.^[9] In 1976, Marley survived an assassination attempt in his home, which was believed to be politically motivated.^[10]

Born in Nine Mile, Jamaica, Marley began his career in 1963, after forming the group Teenagers with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, which became the Wailers. In 1965, they released their debut studio album, The Wailing Wailers, which included the single "One Love", a reworking of "People Get Ready". It was popular worldwide and established the group as a rising figure in reggae.^[11] The Wailers released 11 more studio albums, and after signing to Island Records, changed their name to Bob Marley and the Wailers. While initially employing louder instrumentation and singing, they began engaging in rhythmic-based song construction in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which coincided with Marley's conversion to Rastafari. Around this time, Marley relocated to London, and the group embodied their musical shift with the release of the album The Best of The Wailers (1971).^[12]

Bob Marley and the Wailers began to gain international attention after signing to Island and touring in support of the albums Catch a Fire and Burnin' (both 1973). Following their disbandment a year later, Marley carried on under the band's name.^[13] The album Natty Dread (1974) received positive reviews. In 1975, following the global popularity of Eric Clapton's version of Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff",^[14] Marley had his international breakthrough with his first hit outside Jamaica, a live version of "No Woman, No Cry", from the Live! album.^[15] This was followed by his breakthrough album in the United States, Rastaman Vibration (1976), which reached the Top 50 of the Billboard Soul Charts.^[16] A few months later, Marley survived an assassination attempt at his home in Jamaica and permanently relocated to London. There, he recorded the album Exodus, which incorporated elements of blues, soul, and British rock and had commercial and critical success. In 1977, Marley was diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma; he died in May 1981, shortly after baptism into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Fans around the world expressed their grief, and he received a state funeral in Jamaica.

The greatest hits album Legend was released in 1984 and became the best-selling reggae album of all time.^[17] Marley also ranks as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of more than 75 million records worldwide.^[18] He was posthumously honoured by Jamaica soon after his death with a designated Order of Merit by his nation. In 1994, Marley was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranked him No. 11 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.^[19] and No. 98 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.^[20] His other achievements include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and induction into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Early life[edit]

Marley was born on 6 February 1945 at the farm of his maternal grandfather in Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, to Norval Sinclair Marley and Cedella Malcolm.^[21] Norval Marley was a white Jamaican born in Clarendon Parish.^[22][23] Norval went by the moniker "Captain", despite only having been a private in the British Army.^[24] At the time of his marriage to Cedella Malcolm, an Afro-Jamaican then 18 years old, Norval was supervising a subdivision of land for war veteran housing, and he was about 64 years old at the time of Bob Marley's birth.^[22][24][25] Norval, who provided little financial support for his wife and child and rarely saw them,^[22] died when Marley was only 10 years old.^[26]

Some sources state that Marley's birth name was Nesta Robert Marley, with a story that when Marley was still a boy, a Jamaican passport official reversed his first and middle names because Nesta sounded like a girl's name.^[27][28] Marley's biographer has refuted claims by some cousins that the Marley surname had Syrian-Jewish origins.^[22][29]

Marley's maternal grandfather, Omariah, known as a Myal, was an early musical influence on Marley.^[22] Marley began to play music with Neville Livingston, later known as Bunny Wailer, while at Stepney Primary and Junior High School in Nine Mile, where they were childhood friends.^[30][31][32]

At age 12, Marley left Nine Mile with his mother and moved to the Trenchtown section of Kingston. Marley's mother and Thadeus Livingston, Bunny Wailer's father, had a daughter together named Claudette Pearl,^[33] who was a younger sister to both Bob and Bunny. With Marley and Livingston living together in the same house in Trenchtown, their musical explorations deepened to include the new ska music and the latest R&B from United States radio stations whose broadcasts reached Jamaica.^[34] Marley formed a vocal group with Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh. The line-up was known variously as the Teenagers, the Wailing Rudeboys, the Wailing Wailers, and finally just the Wailers. Joe Higgs, who was part of the successful vocal act Higgs and Wilson, lived nearby and encouraged Marley.^[35] Marley and the others did not play any instruments at this time and were more interested in being a vocal harmony group. Higgs helped them develop their vocal harmonies and began teaching Marley guitar.^[36][37]

Marley's mother later married Edward Booker, a civil servant from the United States, giving Marley two half-brothers: Richard and Anthony.^[38][39]

Career[edit]

1962–1972: Early years[edit]

In February 1962, Marley recorded four songs, "Judge Not", "One Cup of Coffee", "Do You Still Love Me?" and "Terror", at Federal Studios for local music producer Leslie Kong.^[40] Three of the songs were released on Beverley's with "One Cup of Coffee" being released under the pseudonym Bobby Martell.^[41]

In 1963, Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith were called the Teenagers. They later changed the name to the Wailing Rudeboys, then to the Wailing Wailers, at which point they were discovered by record producer Coxsone Dodd, and finally to the Wailers. Their single "Simmer Down" for the Coxsone label became a Jamaican No. 1 in February 1964 selling an estimated 70,000 copies.^[42] The Wailers, now regularly recording for Studio One, found themselves working with established Jamaican musicians such as Ernest Ranglin (arranger "It Hurts To Be Alone"),^[43] the keyboardist Jackie Mittoo and saxophonist Roland Alphonso. By 1966, Braithwaite, Kelso, and Smith had left the Wailers, leaving the core trio of Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh.^[44]

In 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson, and moved near his mother's residence in Wilmington, Delaware, in the United States for a short time, during which he worked as a DuPont lab assistant, and on the assembly line and as a fork lift operator at a Chrysler plant in nearby Newark, under the alias Donald Marley.^[45][46]

Though raised Catholic, Marley became interested in Rastafari beliefs in the 1960s, when away from his mother's influence.^[47] After returning to Jamaica, Marley formally converted to Rastafari and began to grow dreadlocks.

After a financial disagreement with Dodd, Marley and his band teamed up with Lee "Scratch" Perry and his studio band, the Upsetters. Although the alliance lasted less than a year, they recorded what many consider the Wailers' finest work. Marley and Perry split after a dispute regarding the assignment of recording rights, but they would continue to work together.^[48]

1969 brought another change to Jamaican popular music, where the beat slowed down even further. The new beat was a slow, steady, ticking rhythm that was first heard on the Maytals song "Do the Reggay". Marley approached producer Leslie Kong, who was regarded as one of the major developers of the reggae sound. For the recordings, Kong combined the Wailers with his studio musicians called Beverley's All-Stars, which consisted of bassists Lloyd Parks and Jackie Jackson, drummer Paul Douglas, keyboardists Gladstone Anderson and Winston Wright, and guitarists Rad Bryan, Lynn Taitt, and Hux Brown.^[49] As David Moskowitz writes, "The tracks recorded in this session illustrated the Wailers' earliest efforts in the new reggae style. Gone are the ska trumpets and saxophones of the earlier songs, with instrumental breaks now being played by the electric guitar." The songs recorded would be released as the album The Best of The Wailers, including tracks "Soul Shakedown Party", "Stop That Train", "Caution", "Go Tell it on the Mountain", "Soon Come", "Can't You See", "Soul Captives", "Cheer Up", "Back Out" and "Do It Twice".^[49]

Between 1968 and 1972, Bob and Rita Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer re-cut some old tracks with JAD Records in Kingston and London in an attempt to commercialise the Wailers' sound. Bunny later asserted that those songs "should never be released on an album... they were just demos for record companies to listen to". In 1968, Bob and Rita visited songwriter Jimmy Norman at his apartment in the Bronx. Norman had written the extended lyrics for "Time is on My Side" (recorded by Irma Thomas and the Rolling Stones) and had also written for Johnny Nash and Jimi Hendrix.^[50] A three-day jam session with Norman and others, including Norman's co-writer Al Pyfrom, resulted in a 24-minute tape of Marley performing several of his own and Norman-Pyfrom's compositions. According to reggae archivist Roger Steffens, this tape is rare in that it was influenced by pop rather than reggae, as part of an effort to break Marley into the US charts.^[50] According to an article in The New York Times, Marley experimented on the tape with various sounds, adopting a doo-wop style on "Stay With Me" and "the slow love song style of 1960s artists" on "Splish for My Splash".^[50] He lived in Ridgmount Gardens, Bloomsbury, during 1972.^[51]

1972–1974: Move to Island Records[edit]

In 1972, Bob Marley signed with CBS Records in London and embarked on a UK tour with soul singer Johnny Nash.^[52] While in London the Wailers asked their road manager Brent Clarke to introduce them to Chris Blackwell, who had licensed some of their Coxsone releases for his Island Records. The Wailers intended to discuss the royalties associated with these releases; instead, the meeting resulted in the offer of an advance of £4,000 to record an album.^[53] Since Jimmy Cliff, Island's top reggae star, had recently left the label, Blackwell was primed for a replacement. In Marley, Blackwell recognised the elements needed to snare the rock audience: "I was dealing with rock music, which was really rebel music. I felt that would really be the way to break Jamaican music. But you needed someone who could be that image. When Bob walked in he really was that image."^[54] The Wailers returned to Jamaica to record at Harry J's in Kingston, which resulted in the album Catch a Fire.

Primarily recorded on an eight-track, Catch a Fire marked the first time a reggae band had access to a state-of-the-art studio and were accorded the same care as their rock 'n' roll peers.^[54] Blackwell desired to create "more of a drifting, hypnotic-type feel than a reggae rhythm",^[55] and restructured Marley's mixes and arrangements. Marley travelled to London to supervise Blackwell's overdubbing of the album at Island Studios, which included tempering the mix from the bass-heavy sound of Jamaican music and omitting two tracks.^[54]

The Wailers' first album for Island, Catch a Fire, was released worldwide in April 1973, packaged like a rock record with a unique Zippo lighter lift-top. Initially selling 14,000 units, it received a positive critical reception.^[54] It was followed later that year by the album Burnin', which included the song "I Shot the Sheriff". Eric Clapton was given the album by his guitarist George Terry in the hope that he would enjoy it.^[56] Clapton was impressed and chose to record a cover version of "I Shot the Sheriff", which became his first US hit since "Layla" two years earlier and reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 14 September 1974.^[57] Many Jamaicans were not keen on the new reggae sound on Catch a Fire, but the Trenchtown style of Burnin found fans across both reggae and rock audiences.^[54]

During this period, Blackwell gifted his Kingston residence and company headquarters at 56 Hope Road (then known as Island House) to Marley. Housing Tuff Gong Studios, the property became not only Marley's office but also his home.^[54]

The Wailers were scheduled to open 17 shows in the US for Sly and the Family Stone. After four shows, the band was fired because they were more popular than the acts they were opening for.^[58] The Wailers disbanded in 1974, with each of the three main members pursuing a solo career.

1974–1976: Line-up changes and shooting[edit]

Despite the break-up, Marley continued recording as "Bob Marley & The Wailers". His new backing band included brothers Carlton and Aston "Family Man" Barrett on drums and bass respectively, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson on lead guitar, Tyrone Downie and Earl "Wya" Lindo on keyboards, and Alvin "Seeco" Patterson on percussion. The "I Threes", consisting of Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, and Marley's wife, Rita, provided backing vocals. In 1975, Marley had his international breakthrough with his first hit outside Jamaica with a live version of "No Woman, No Cry", from the Live! album.^[15] This was followed by his breakthrough album in the United States, Rastaman Vibration (1976), which reached the Top 50 of the Billboard Soul Charts.^[16]

On 3 December 1976, two days before "Smile Jamaica", a free concert organised by Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley in an attempt to ease tension between two warring political groups, Bob Marley, Rita, and manager Don Taylor were wounded in an assault by unknown gunmen inside Marley's home. Taylor and Rita sustained serious injuries but later made full recoveries. Marley sustained minor wounds in the chest and arm.^[59] The attempt on his life was believed to have been politically motivated, as many felt that Smile Jamaica was actually a support rally for Manley. Nonetheless, the concert proceeded, and an injured Marley performed as scheduled, two days after the attempt. The members of the group Zap Pow played as Bob Marley's backup band before a festival crowd of 80,000 while members of The Wailers were still missing or in hiding.^[60][61]

1976–1979: Relocation to England[edit]

Marley left Jamaica at the end of 1976, and after a month-long "recovery and writing" sojourn at the site of Chris Blackwell's Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, arrived in England, where he spent two years in self-imposed exile.

Whilst in England, he recorded the albums Exodus and Kaya. Exodus stayed on the British album charts for 56 consecutive weeks. It included four UK hit singles: "Exodus", "Waiting in Vain", "Jamming", and "One Love" (which interpolates Curtis Mayfield's hit, "People Get Ready"). During his time in London, Marley was arrested and convicted of possession of a small quantity of cannabis.^[62] In 1978, Marley returned to Jamaica and performed at another political concert, the One Love Peace Concert, again in an effort to calm warring parties. Near the end of the performance, by Marley's request, Michael Manley (leader of then-ruling People's National Party) and his political rival Edward Seaga (leader of the opposing Jamaica Labour Party) joined each other on stage and shook hands.^[63]

Under the name Bob Marley and the Wailers, 11 albums were released, four live albums and seven studio albums. The releases included Babylon by Bus, a double live album with 13 tracks, was released in 1978 and received critical acclaim. This album, and specifically the final track "Jamming", with the audience in a frenzy, captured the intensity of Marley's live performances.^[64]

1979–1980: Later years[edit]

Survival, a defiant and politically charged album, was released in 1979. Tracks such as "Zimbabwe", "Africa Unite", "Wake Up and Live" and "Survival" reflected Marley's support for the struggles of Africans. His appearance at the Amandla Festival in Boston in July 1979 showed his strong opposition to South African apartheid, which he already had shown in his song "

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American pop punk band

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Stellar Kart
Stellar Kart received a Dove Award in 2007
Background information
Origin	Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Genres	Christian punk, pop punk, power pop
Years active	2001–2014
Labels	Word, INO, Inpop
Past members	Adam Agee Nick Baumhardt Jeremi Hough Aliegh Shields Taylor Sitera Cody Pellerin Jon Howard Jordan Messer Brian Calcara

Stellar Kart was an American pop punk band from Phoenix, Arizona, signed to Inpop Records and Capitol Records. The band released their first album, All Gas. No Brake, in February 2005. Most of their singles have been accepted exclusively on Christian radio stations such as Air 1. Their song "Me and Jesus" from their 2006 album We Can't Stand Sitting Down hit No. 1 for seven weeks on the Hot Christian Songs chart and won the 2007 Dove Award for "Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song".^[1] Their song "Something Holy" from their 2010 album Everything Is Different Now, an album which adopts a more "worshipful" flavor charted at No. 23 on Billboard Magazine for eighteen weeks.^[2] Their latest full-length album, All In, was released on August 27, 2013.

The band released an EP of covers of songs from the 2013 film Frozen, on April 15, 2014.^{[3][better source needed]} They disbanded in 2013. Former lead vocalist Adam Agee became the lead vocalist of Audio Adrenaline after they broke up.^[4]

History[edit]

The Phoenix-based band started in a youth group. Adam Agee and Jordan Messer led worship, with former bass player Tay Sitera joining them on weekends. Cody Pellerin joined them prior to being signed and Brian Calcara replaced Sitera after their debut release. In 2009, Pellerin left the band to spend more time with his wife, and in 2010 joined the band Our Hearts Hero as lead guitarist. Jon Howard (formerly of Dizmas) stepped in on lead guitar for Stellar Kart. After Jon Howard left the band to become a touring guitarist for Paramore, former Thousand Foot Krutch touring guitarist Nick Baumhardt (husband of Superchick lead singer Tricia Baumhardt) has joined the band. Stellar Kart derived their band name from working with kids on youth camps.^{[citation needed]} Their name is often abbreviated SK, as seen in the band's music videos to "Activate" and "Life is Good". The band has been interviewed on various television shows, including TMW and The Zone (on the Christian IPTV service Sky Angel). Stellar Kart has also appeared on a season finale of the Logan Show.

The band's third album, Expect the Impossible, was released on February 26, 2008.^[5] Their album, titled Everything Is Different Now, was initially made available during November 2009 at concerts/online only—its official release in stores was March 9, 2010.^[6]

Stellar Kart has been an opening act for bands such as Kutless on the Strong Tower Tour and Newsboys on the Go Tour. The band's first headlining tour began on December 1, 2006, and was called the Punk The Halls Tour. Support for this Christmas tour came from Run Kid Run, Eleventyseven, and Esterlyn; it went so well that they decided to do the Punk the Halls Tour every year. Stellar Kart performed on the main stage at Onefest and the main stage of Creation 2007. Stellar Kart recently played on a Lifelight circuit concert in Sioux Falls, South Dakota with the bands The Switch and Remedy Drive. On June 9, 2007, Stellar Kart played its first international concert at the E.O. Youth Day in the Netherlands in front of an audience of 35,000. In the beginning of 2008 the band began the Expect the Impossible Tour; this was their first headlining tour that wasn't for the holidays. They performed on the Fringe Stage at Creation 2008 and 2009. In 2009 they played at Rock the light in Kansas City, Missouri.

In 2005, Stellar Kart released their debut album All Gas. No Brake. Singles include "Finish Last", "Life Is Good", "Livin' on a Prayer" (Bon Jovi cover), and "Spending Time."

In July 2006, Stellar Kart released their second studio album We Can't Stand Sitting Down. Singles include "Me and Jesus", "Activate", and "Hold On". "Me and Jesus" charted at No. 18 on US Christian charts for three weeks .^{[citation needed]}

Their album Expect the Impossible was released in February 2008. Singles include "Jesus Loves You", "Shine Like The Stars", "Innocent", and "I Give Up". "Jesus Loves You" charted at No. 24 for four weeks .^{[citation needed]} Their single "We Shine" was released in 2009, and charted at No. 46. Their first compilation album, Life Is Good: The Best of Stellar Kart was released in February 2009, which includes remixes of previous songs.

"Something Holy"

"Something Holy"
Everything Is Different Now, 2010

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On March 9, 2010, their album Everything Is Different Now was released. The single "Something Holy" was released on the same date, and charted at No. 23 for three weeks. Lead vocalist Adam Agee explained that rather than focusing on more relational matters, on "Everything is Different Now" the material has more of a worshipful flavor. “We had performed at a camp earlier in the summer before recording, and we really discovered that we loved leading worship for youth again,” he said. “So we tried to find some of the songs that were our favorites and wrote a few new songs, too, and that eventually became "Everything is Different Now".^[7]

Stellar Kart released an EP, A Whole New World, on August 16, 2011, which includes four songs from Disney films including The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin.^[8]

The studio release All In was released August 27, 2013.^[9] "Ones and Zeros", was released in the motion picture soundtrack for the film, God's Not Dead.^[10][11]

Band members[edit]

• Adam Agee — lead vocals, guitar (2001–2014) (with Audio Adrenaline from 2015–2017) (now with the Newsboys)
• Nick Baumhardt — guitar, background vocals (2010–2014) (now with Rhythm Fly Fishing)^{[citation needed]}
• Aliegh Shields — bass guitar, background vocals (2012–2014) (now with Ugly Kids Club)
• Jeremi Hough — drums (2011–2014)
• Taylor Sitera — bass (2001–2005)
• Cody Pellerin — guitar, background vocals (2001–2009)
• Jon Howard — guitar (2009–2010)
• Jordan Messer — drums (2001–2011)
• Brian Calcara — bass guitar, background vocals (2005–2011)

Timeline

Discography[edit]

Main article: Stellar Kart discography

• All Gas. No Brake. (2005)
• We Can't Stand Sitting Down (2006)
• Expect the Impossible (2008)
• Life Is Good: The Best of Stellar Kart (2009)
• Everything Is Different Now (2010)
• All In (2013)

Awards[edit]

GMA Dove Awards[edit]

Year	Award	Result
2006	New Artist of the Year	Nominated
	Rock Album of the Year (All Gas. No Brake.)	Nominated
2007	Artist of the Year	Nominated
	Song of the Year ("Me and Jesus")	Nominated
	Rock Recorded Song of the Year ("Activate")	Nominated
	Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year ("Me and Jesus")	Won
	Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year (We Can't Stand Sitting Down)	Nominated
2008	Rock Recorded Song of the Year ("Procrastinating")	Nominated
2009	Rock Recorded Song of the Year ("Shine Like the Stars")	Nominated
	Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year (Expect the Impossible)	Nominated

References[edit]

1. ^ "38th Annual Dove Award Recipients Archived March 22, 2005, at the Wayback Machine". Published by the Gospel Music Association. Retrieved April 26, 2007.
2. ^ Billboard.com (September 11, 2010). "Something Holy- Stellar Kart". Billboard.com. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
3. ^ "'Frozen EP' is Now Available Everywhere!". Stellar Kart. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
4. ^ Thomasos, Christine (May 31, 2015). "Audio Adrenaline Frontman Adam Agee Talks Why Band Won't Change Name, Stellar Kart's New Music, God Calling Him to Audio A (Interview)". Christian Post.
5. ^ "Stellar Kart, "Expect the Impossible" Review". Jesusfreakhideout.com. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
6. ^ "Stellar Kart Discography". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved November 29, 2009.
7. ^ "ShieldSquare Captcha". Validate.perfdrive.com. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
8. ^ Fryberger, Scott (August 30, 2011). "Stellar Kart, "A Whole New World EP"". JFH. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
9. ^ "All In by Stellar Kart". NRT. June 13, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
10. ^ "Various Artists - God's Not Dead: The Motion Picture Soundtrack - Reviews". Indievisionmusic.com. February 20, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
11. ^ "CMAddict Review of soundtrack for God's Not Dead film". Cmaddict.com. Retrieved September 16, 2020.

External links[edit]

• CCM's Stellar Kart Podcast
• CCM Magazine Interview with Stellar Kart