Akon

Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973) (pronounced /ˈeɪkɒn/), better known as Akon, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, businessman, record producer and actor. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first single from his debut album Trouble.

He has since founded two successful record labels, Konvict Muzik and Kon Live Distribution. His second album, Konvicted received three nominations for the Grammy Awards in two categories, Best Contemporary R&B Album for Konvicted album and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Smack That" and "I Wanna Love You".

He is the first solo artist to hold both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice. Akon has had four songs certified as 3x platinum, three songs certified as 2x platinum, more than ten songs certified as 1x platinum and more than ten songs certified as gold in digital sales. Akon has sung songs in other languages including Tamil, Hindi, and Spanish. He was listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the #1 selling artist for master ringtones in the world.

Fantasy Ride

Fantasy Ride is the third studio album by American recording artist Ciara, first released on May 3, 2009, by RCA Records and LaFace Records. The album was recorded between 2007 and 2009. Ciara was executive producer on the album along with co-executive Mark Pittsand, Ciara worked with several record producers, including Blac Elvis, Benny Blanco, Blade, Jasper Cameron, The Clutch, Darkchild, Danja, Dr. Luke, Jason Nevins, Jim Beanz, Los da Maestro, Ne-Yo, Osinachi Nwaneri, Polow da Don, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, Justin Timberlake, T-Pain. The album featured several guest vocalists, including Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, Chris Brown, Young Jeezy, The-Dream, Missy Elliott.

The album combines R&B and hip hop sounds from her previous albums along with a new pop and dance direction. Fantasy Ride received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who complimented its slow jams and the club tracks, and Ciara's vocal performances, with some critics calling it "a consistently sexy listen" with other critics calling it "Ciara's smoothest ride ever". However, some critics found the album to be a "dud" and others saying "Ciara seems to go almost unnoticed". The album debuted at number three on US Billboard 200, with sales of 81,000. Fantasy Ride became Ciara's third consecutive album to debut within the top three on that chart, making her only the fourth female artist to do so during that decade.

Down-low

Down-low (also "on the down low" or "on the DL") may refer to any activity or relationship kept discreet. Specifically, it may refer to:

In music, Down low can refer to:

In television,

Down-low (sexual slang)

Down-low is an African American slang term that typically refers to a subculture of African-American men who usually identify as heterosexual, but who have sex with men; some avoid sharing this information even if they have female sexual partner(s) married or single. The term is also used to refer to a related sexual identity. Down-low has been viewed as "a type of impression management that some of the informants use to present themselves in a manner that is consistent with perceived norms about masculine attribute, attitudes and behaviour".

Origins

The term originated in the African American community, and was originally used to describe "any kind of slick, secretive behavior, including infidelity in heterosexual relationships."

According to a study published in the Journal of Bisexuality, "[t]he Down Low is a lifestyle predominately practiced by young, urban African American men who have sex with other men and women, yet do not identify as gay or bisexual."

In this context, "being on the Down Low" is more than just men having sex with men in secret, or a variant of closeted homosexuality or bisexuality — it is a sexual identity that is, at least partly, defined by its "cult of masculinity" and its rejection of what is perceived as white culture (including white LGBT culture) and terms. A 2003 New York Times Magazine cover story on the Down Low phenomenon explains that the black community sees "homosexuality as a white man's perversion." It then goes on to describe the Down Low culture as follows:

Down Low

Down Low may refer to:

See also

Take It

Take It is an album by The Wallets. It sold 6,825 vinyl albums and 3,041 cassettes. This project makes up 10 songs of the "17 Songs" album.

Track listing

Personnel

References