Kelis

Posted on 08.24.2006

8 comment(s)

Kelis
Real name : Kelis Rogers
Birthday : August 21, 1980

Kelis Biography :
It’s been four long, chaotic years since Kelis first captivated the worldwide public’s ears, eyes and imagination when she beat up a cheating boyfriend and led an angry pack of women down the street, screaming, "I hate you so much right now ! Aaaargh !" in the video for "Caught Out There," the lead single from her debut album, 1999’s Kaleidoscope. Now, with the release of her hotly anticipated new CD, Tasty, the boldly original 24-year-old siren proves that creating a provocative modern classic not only takes time, but is also well worth the unbearable wait.

Buttressed by an indestructible foundation of superb tracks supplied by virtually all of today’s hottest hip-hop and R&B producers-including the Neptunes, Andre 3000 from OutKast and Raphael Saadiq-Tasty represents a kind of ’coming out’ for Kelis. Her first two albums were created under the tutelage of the Neptunes’ Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who she’s known since she was a teenager. And although their presence is felt in five cuts on Tasty, including the sensational ’Milkshake,’ the album is a noticeably stronger reflection of Kelis’s distinctly pro-female and sexually forthright vision. She co-wrote five of the album’s 14 songs and further stepped up her game by serving as the album’s sole Executive Producer.

Born Kelis Rogers (her name, pronounced ’kuh-LEESE,’ is a combination of her parents’ first names), the singer-songwriter was raised in a middle-class household in Harlem. Her Puerto Rican and Chinese mother, Eveliss, is a fashion designer, and her black father, Kenneth, who died two days before she inked her former deal with Virgin in 1998, was a jazz musician and a Pentecostal minister. As a child, Kelis sang in her church choir as well as the Girl’s Choir of Harlem, and played violin, piano and saxophone while attending a prestigious private school on Manhattan’s stodgy Upper East Side.

When she was 13, Kelis shaved her head and, after it grew back, dyed it a succession of colors (blue-black, blood red, green, orange, platinum blond and pink). By the time she had turned 16 and enrolled as a drama major at New York’s renowned La Guardia School for the Arts (immortalized in both the movie and television series Fame), her parents, worn out from trying to control her, kicked her out of the house.

Although Kelis remembers those tumultuous years as a miserable time during which she struggled to support herself by working odd jobs, she stuck it out in high school rather than dropping out. At La Guardia, she formed an ill-fated R&B trio called BLU (Black Ladies United) that caught the attention of key players in the music business who helped her land gigs singing backup for fledgling rap groups such as the RZA side project, Gravediggaz. After graduation, a friend introduced her to the Neptunes, with whom she formed an immediate musical bond, and with their support, she subsequently landed the record deal that yielded Kaleidoscope.

Despite the popularity of "Caught Out There", Kaleidoscope failed to win over American listeners. The disc’s vibrantly funky fusion of hip-hop, R&B, rock and soul (driven by the Neptunes’ punctuated beats) was too imaginative to get played alongside the cookie-cutter R&B coquettes of the day. On the other hand, Kelis’s innovative sound was too sophisticated and street-smart for pop radio. But while Kaleidoscope floundered stateside, it became an instant smash overseas, spawning three Top 40 hits ("Caught Out There," "Good Stuff" and "Get Along With You"), in addition to nabbing the Brit trophy for Best International Newcomer, the Q statue for Best Video ("Caught Out There") and the NME prize for Best R&B Singer. Backed by an all-girl eight-piece band, Kelis bolstered her international fame by putting together a galvanizing live show, in which she subverted expectations with her electrifying rendition of Nirvana’s "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

Two years later, Kelis made the rounds on the festival circuit for nearly all of 2000 and 2001. Aside from the delightfully brash single "Young, Fresh & New," in which she taunts those who criticize her wild style, the disc’s many highlights included "Perfect Day" a duet with Gwen Stefani co-starring the rest of No Doubt as the backing band ; "Easy Come, Easy Go," featuring Fieldy from Korn on bass ; and "Popular Thug", which was later re-recorded (with an additional verse from Nas) and included on 2003’s The Neptunes Present ... Clones compilation.

After playing gigs on both sides of the Atlantic for much of 2001-turning up stateside on Moby’s Area One Tour and then supporting U2 on the European leg of the band’s Elevation Tour-Kelis returned to the U.S., fell in love with fiancé Nas and set about squelching the American perception that she was a distant pop phenomenon who belonged to European and Asian audiences. Still, she refused to allow herself to be easily defined or pigeonholed by collaborating with artists as diverse and unexpected as Busta Rhymes ("What It Is"), Timo Maas ("Help Me"), Foxy Brown ("Candy"), Richard X ("Finest Dream"), OutKast ("Dracula’s Wedding"), Guru ("Supa Love") and, of course, Nas ("Hey, Nas").

Recorded in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, Tasty finds Kelis matured yet youthful, seductive yet opinionated, and cocky yet vulnerable. She keeps the guest appearances to a refreshing minimum, with only Nas ("In Public"), Pharrell Williams ("Protect My Heart") and Andre 3000 ("Millionaire") making cameos. Of course, longtime fans may be surprised by the Neptunes’ lack of creative input, however, their limited presence enables listeners to get to know-and hear-Kelis in a brand new and truly intimate light, thanks to an edgy assortment of flirtatious beats provided by Dame Grease, Dallas Austin and Rockwilder.

From start to finish, Tasty is a nonstop series of playfully profane gems that either match or surpass the irresistible flavor of "Milkshake", an impressive feat given that it’s already ranked among the year’s top party jams. "I’m no longer the rainbow-haired girl screaming through your boom box," Kelis proclaims. Indeed, the thoroughly unique ’round the way girl from uptown is all grown up. And Tasty is her most delicious album yet !

Kelis Discography
Kelis Albums :
Kelis was Here (2006)
Tasty (2003)
Wanderland (2001)
Kaleidoscope (1999)

Kelis Singles and videos :
"Caught Out There" (1999) "Good Stuff" (1999) "Got Your Money" (Ol’ Dirty Bastard featuring Kelis) (1999) "Get Along With You" (2000) "Honey" [remix] (Moby featuring Kelis) (2000) "Supa Love" (Guru featurig Kelis) (2000) "How Many Licks" [remix] (Lil’ Kim featuring N.E.R.D. & Kelis) (2000) "Cross The Border" (Philly’s Most Wanted featuring Kelis) (2001) "What It Is" (Busta Rhymes featuring Kelis) (2001) "Young, Fresh, ’N New" (2001) "Candy" (Foxy Brown featuring Kelis) (2001) "Popular Thug" (featuring Nas) (2002) "When The Last Time" (Clipse featuring Kelis) (2002) "Help Me" (Timo Maas featuring Kelis) (2002) "Take You Home" (Angie Martinez featuring Kelis) (2002) "Milkshake" (2003) "How You Want That" (Loon featuring Kelis) (2003) "Let’s Get Ill" (P. Diddy featuring Kelis) (2003) "Finest Dreams" (Richard X featuring Kelis) (2003) "Not In Love" (Enrique Iglesias featuring Kelis) (2004) "Trick Me" (2004) "Millionaire" (featuring Andre 3000 of OutKast) (2004) "Oceania" [remix] (Björk featurng Kelis) (2004) "In Public (featuring Nas)" (2005)
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Kelis wallpapers :

Kelis wallpaper

For Kelis news, more Kelis Pictures...
.. Kelis official site : www.kelisonline.com

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Kelis, by syrika [2008-03-05 09:44:18]

Hey girlie, U rock, ur music not only made me see that i can be me and be happy but it got me thru some rough shit, most people say that just because, but when ur homeless and ur dad dies in the mist and u and ur two brothers suffer a great deal of pain, by me being the oldest, i thought of suicide and just giving up but u and heavy metal system of a down and stevie wonde got me thru alot and i learned that this world IS bullshit, so Im UNIVERSAL, MERCURY but ur my favorite female artist of all times and even still u change ur hair but never changed you. Thank you kelis I LOVE U !!! (ps I know ur a good wife)

Kelis, by THE GAME [2007-12-05 05:15:18]

I KNO YOU IS A GOOD FUCK

Kelis, by ne-ne [2007-03-22 14:59:09]

hey kelis i love your new hairstyle gurl i’m getting my hair cut like yours for real.

Kelis, by lisa [2007-03-13 06:01:12]

Kelis do your thang.You r one of the real girls in the game.fuck all this forever clear girls.

> Kelis, by nough skrilla [2006-06-26 14:19:00]

Kelis keep it up,every female singer is going on the same way but you r on different level,keep doing you thang and Keep it real with Nas cus he is real.

> Kelis, by TDOGG [2006-06-02 05:06:36]

Kelis you need to sit down some where cause you can`t sang. Yeah and BOSSY more like SHUT THA FUCK UP. I mean I love nause music and everything but you. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha