Nickelback

Nickelback is a Canadian rock band formed in Hanna, Alberta by Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and then-drummer Brandon Kroeger. Nickelback is one of the most successful Canadian groups, having sold roughly 31 million records worldwide.^[11] Nickelback ranks as the 11th best selling music act of the 2000s, also placing as the 2nd best selling foreign act in the US behind The Beatles for the 2000s

The band is now based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its name originates from the nickel in change that band member Mike Kroeger gave customers at his Starbucks job, he would frequently say, "Here's your nickel back".^[13]

The band is signed to EMI in Canada and Roadrunner Records for the rest of the world. In July 2008, the band signed with Live Nation for three touring and album cycles, with an option for a fourth cycle. The contract includes recordings, touring, merchandise and other rights

"If Today Was Your Last Day" was the second major single (third overall) from Nickelback's sixth studio album Dark Horse. It was released on March 31, 2009 as the second U.S. single, and it had been released as the third single in Canada from around November 2008

Information from www.wikipedia.org

Buckcherry

Los Angeles hard rockers Buckcherry formed in mid-1995 after singer Joshua Todd and guitarist Keith Nelson were introduced through their tattoo artist; after cutting their earliest demos, the duo recruited bassist Jonathan "J.B." Brightman and drummer Devon Glenn and began performing live, quickly earning a major following on the L.A. club scene. Following the subsequent addition of second guitarist Yogi, Buckcherry signed to DreamWorks Records, issuing their self-titled debut LP in 1999. Singles such as "Check Your Head" and "For the Movies" were modern rock hits for Buckcherry, allowing them to raise their profile by summer 2000.

The following year, Buckcherry released their second album, Time Bomb. It wasn't widely noticed by critics, but dates opening for heroes AC/DC proved prominent for the band. In July 2002, founding member Joshua Todd unexpectedly left Buckcherry, which led to the band taking a hiatus. They regrouped in 2005 with original members Todd and Nelson recruiting new members Xavier Muriel (drums), bassist Jimmy Ashhurst and guitarist Stevie D. into the fold. Later that year they began recording songs that eventually would become the album 15, which was released in early 2006. The band's fourth album, Black Butterfly followed in 2008. Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

information from www.starpulse.com

Blink 182

blink-182 is a pop punk band from Poway, California formed in 1992 by Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus, and Scott Raynor. In 1998 Raynor was replaced by Travis Barker, and in early 2005 DeLonge left the group, initiating an indefinite hiatus. DeLonge went on to form Angels & Airwaves, while Hoppus and Barker formed +44. On February 8, 2009, blink-182 announced that they had reunited

In 1999, blink-182 hired Jerry Finn as its producer and recorded “Enema of the State”. This album propelled the band into the mainstream with hit singles “What’s My Age Again?”, “All the Small Things” and “Adam’s Song”. All gained a significant amount of airtime on radio and MTV. Enema of the State went on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide making it the band’s best-selling album to that point

Blink-182 officially announced their reunion while presenting at the 2009 Grammy Awards. The band’s Official Website confirmed the band’s reunion with the following statement :

“Hi. We’re blink-182. This past week there have been a lot of questions about the current status of the band, and we wanted you to hear it straight from us. To put it simply, We’re back. We mean, really back. Picking up where we left off and then some. In the studio writing and recording a new album. Preparing to tour the world yet again. Friendships reformed. 17 years deep in our legacy

Information from www.last.fm

Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne (born Da'Wayne Carter September 27, 1982 in New Orleans, Louisiana) was one of the Hot Boys, an American rap group associated with Cash Money Records. His debut solo album was, Tha Block Is Hot was released in 1999. The title track was a huge hit. His second album was 2000's Lights Out, followed by 500 Degreez in 2002. In 2004 he released his latest solo album titled " Tha Carter".

A native of New Orleans, Lil Wayne grew up in the Hollygrove section of town. As an aspiring young rapper, Wayne rapped at neighbour parties and it was at one of these parties that he was overheard by members of U.N.L.V., a group signed to Cash Money Records. Wayne was given contact information and followed up on them in a autograph signing session where he met the Cash Money CEOs Brian "Baby" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams. An impromptu freestyle session led to serious consideration on the parts of the Williams brothers. After Wayne found out the location and phone number of Cash Money Records, he visited on an almost daily basis while also leaving freestyles on their answering machine. Such dedication on the part of the 12-year-old Wayne moved the Williams brothers and they signed the young rapper; pairing him up with another newly signed young rapper named Big goochie and released their group effort "TRU Story nigga", under the name The B.G.'z.

Following acclamations for Tha Carter, newly minted Def Jam president Jay-Z entered into a bidding war with Cash Money for Wayne's services. Wayne eventually resigned with Cash Money and earned himself a new label, "Young Money," distributed through Cash Money/Universal which first featured his crew Squad Up. But the group soon broke, and now Lil Wayne has a new group named Young Money. The Group consists of Curren$y, a local rapper previously on C-Murder's TRU Records, Boo of Boo and Gotti, and a new up and coming rapper named Mack Maine also from the Hollygrove area of New Orleans.

Lil Wayne is currently studying Sports Management at the University of Houston

Information from http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/lil-wayne/

Snoop Dogg

Calvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus is a rare exception in the turbulent world of entertainment. After bursting on the scene in 1992, Snoop was crowned the king of the West Coast and single handedly put Long Beach on the map in terms of hip hop. Gritty lyrics and unmatched charisma made him a superstar but nobody could have guessed back then that his appeal would soon be widespread. From "Doggystyle" to appearances on the Martha Stewart show, Snoop will always be recognized and loved by all ages – from grandmothers to grandchildren and everyone in between.

In February, 2009, Snoop entered a first-of-its kind global deal with MTV that will bring his personality to television in a new variety talk show, "Dogg After Dark," and his music to fans with a new album release and into the best-selling music video game Rock Band®. The show will air weekly with raw interviews with A-list talent, hilarious sketch comedy segments and musical performances from the hottest artists. The show will also feature Snoop’s own in-house band, the "Snoopadelics", and premieres on Tuesday February 17th at 9pm.

Information from www.snoopdogg.com

Clifford Joseph Harris Jr.

T.I. was born on September 25, 1980 as Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also known as T.I.P. and "Rubberband Man". T.I. is from the streets of Westside Bankhead Zone 1 in Atlanta. He is of both Native American and African American descent. His original stage name, T.I.P., it stems from his childhood nickname "Tip", given by his grandfather. He later changed it to T.I. out of respect for label mate Q-Tip. He was dubbed "the Jay-Z of the South" by Pharrell Williams, T.I. gradually established himself as one of rap's greatest and most successful MCs during the early 2000s. T.I. has been active with helping the community especially with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, T.I. worked with troubled youths at Paulding Detention Center in Atlanta, provided scholarships for single parent families at Boys and Girls Clubs. He has had successful movies roles such as: ATL (2006) and most notably American Gangster(2007) along side Denzel Washington.

T.I. turned himself in Tuesday (May 26) at an Arkansas federal prison, where the rapper will begin serving a 366-day sentence stemming from his 2007 arrest for attempting to illegally attempting to purchase firearms in Atlanta.

Eminem

Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, 17 October 1973, Kansas City, Missouri, USA. This white rapper burst onto the US charts in 1999 with a controversial take on the horrorcore genre. Mathers endured an itinerant childhood, living with his mother in various states before eventually ending up in Detroit at the age of 12. He took up rapping in high school before dropping out in ninth grade, joining ad hoc groups Basement Productions, the New Jacks, and D12. The newly named Eminem released a raw debut album in 1997 through independent label FBT. Infinite was poorly received, however, with Eminem earning unfavourable comparisons to leading rappers such as Nas and AZ. His determination to succeed was given a boost by a prominent feature in Source's Unsigned Hype column, and he gained revenge on his former critics when he won the Wake Up Show's Freestyle Performer Of The Year award, and finished runner-up in Los Angeles' annual Rap Olympics. The following year's The Slim Shady EP, named after his sinister alter-ego, featured some vitriolic attacks on his detractors. The stand-out track, "Just Don't Give A fuck", became a highly popular underground hit, and led to guest appearances on MC Shabaam Sahddeq's "Five Star Generals" single and Kid Rock's Devil Without A Cause set. As a result, Eminem was signed to Aftermath Records by label boss Dr. Dre, who adopted the young rapper as his protege and acted as co-producer on Eminem's full-length debut. Dre's beats featured prominently on The Slim Shady LP, a provocative feast of violent, twisted lyrics, with a moral outlook partially redeemed by Eminem's claim to be only "voicing" the thoughts of the Slim Shady character. Parody or no parody, lyrics to tracks such as "97 Bonnie & Clyde" (which contained lines about killing the mother of his child) and frequent verbal outbursts about his mother were held by many, outside even the usual Christian moral majority, to be deeply irresponsible. The album was buoyed by the commercial success of the singles "My Name Is" and "Guilty Conscience" (the former helped by a striking, MTV-friendly video), and climbed to number 2 on the US album chart in March 1999.

Eminem's newest release Relapse, on May 15, 2009.

Information from www.sing365.com and wikipedia