Artist Spotlight: Birdman

Call him B-32, Baby, or just Bryan, Birdman is a mega superstar in the rap/hip-hop game no matter what name he chooses to go by. Birdman co-founded Cash Money Records in 1991 with his brother, featuring acts like Juvenile and The Hot Boys. 6 years later formed the Big Tymers with Mannie Fresh, who would go on to have hits like “Get Your Roll On”, “#1 Stunna”, and “Still Fly.” Birdman would go on to work on hits with several artists like Ginuwine, Jim Jones, Bow Wow, as well as featuring several artists on his solo albums including Jazze Pha, Lil’ Wayne, Clipse, T.I., Jermaine Dupri, Cam’ron, Yo Gotti, and R&B/pop superstar Toni Braxton. On his third solo album, 5* Stunna, featured artists were Lil Wayne, Jadakiss, Fat Joe, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, DJ Khaled, and Allstar Cashville Prince.

Flycell Announces Top 10 Ringtone Downloads for December 2008

Top Artists:

Kanye West1. Kanye West – In the span of a few years, from 2001 to 2004, Kanye West went from hip-hop beatmaker to worldwide hitmaker, as his stellar production work for Jay-Z earned him a major-label recording contract as a solo artist. Soon his beats were accompanied by his own witty raps on a number of critically and commercially.

Soulja Boy2. Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em – He is among the youngest of the new generation of rap stars, and there is still some debate as to whether he will lead a new movement in rap, or will spiral into obscurity following the wild success of his first single, ‘Crank That,’ which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Keyshia Cole3. Keyshia Cole – What makes Keyshia Cole unique among all the other Atlanta-based R&B singer-songwriters with a pretty face and a soulful voice is that BET has a reality TV show that follows her as she lives her life as an Atlanta-based R&B singer-songwriter with a pretty face and a soulful voice.

Ludacris4. Ludacris – According to Ludacris’s buddy Bill O’Reilly, the Illinois-born rap star HAS NOT sold more than 13 million records stateside, so that now he’s the rapper with the most Top 40, Top 25 and Top 10 hits of all time, according to Billboard magazine. Shows why you shouldn’t listen to Bill O’Reilly.

Lil Wayne5. Lil Wayne – Having been featured on more artists’ records in the last two years than any other artist in the game, Lil Wayne’s been a lil busy. He ain’t so “lil”, though, when you consider that an MTV poll named him Hottest MC, GQ named him one of its Men of the Year, and Blender magazine named him Best Rock Star Alive.

Akon6. Akon – Raised in Senegal, Africa, R&B sensation Akon rose to fame in 2004 following the release of “Locked Up” from his debut album Trouble. His second album, Konvicted, earned a Grammy Award nomination for the single “Smack That,” but the #1 hit “Don’t Matter”

Taylor Swift7. Taylor Swift – How does one break into the country music scene? Apparently one way is to write a song named after another country music star. That’s what Taylor Swift did with the song ‘Tim McGraw.’ Not to be a one hit wonder, though, Swift has followed up her self-titled debut album with sophomore album, Fearless, that debuted at the number one spot on the Billboard 200.

Rihanna8. Rihanna – She brought her own unique musical stylings from her home country of Barbados, and she’s made good use of them here. With a string of hits and a body that would make just about anyone envious, she’s one hot item. As a side note: some idiot called her the “next Britney Spears.” We don’t think so.

Young Jeezy9. Young Jeezy – Like many of his contemporaries, Young Jeezy started out dealing drugs, and nowadays likes to carry guns around and get into feuds with other rap artists. But Jeezy’s a philanthropist as well, opening his home to victims of Katrina as just an example.

Ne-Yo10. Ne-Yo – This half-African-American, half-Chinese-American, in addition to writing songs for Rihanna, Beyonce, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Celine Dion, has also had a string of hits himself.

Top Ringtones:

1. “Heartless [Verse]” by Kanye West

2. “Birdwalk” by Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em

3. “Playa Cardz Right (feat. Tupac)” by Keyshia Cole

4. “One More Drink (feat. T-Pain)” by Ludacris

5. “Auld Lang Syne (Live)” by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin

6. “Addicted” by Saving Abel

7. “My Life – Chorus (feat. Lil Wayne)” by The Game

8. “Im So Paid (feat. Lil Wayne)” by Akon

9. “Swagga Like Us [Jay-Z Verse]” by Jay-Z and T.I.

10. “A Milli” by Lil Wayne

Flycell Announces Top 10 Ringtone Downloads for November 2008

Top Artists:

Lil Wayne1. Lil Wayne – Having been featured on more artists’ records in the last two years than any other artist in the game, Lil Wayne’s been a lil busy. He ain’t so “lil”, though, when you consider that an MTV poll named him Hottest MC, GQ named him one of its Men of the Year, and Blender magazine named him Best Rock Star Alive.

Akon2. Akon – Raised in Senegal, Africa, R&B sensation Akon rose to fame in 2004 following the release of “Locked Up” from his debut album Trouble. His second album, Konvicted, earned a Grammy Award nomination for the single “Smack That,” but the #1 hit “Don’t Matter”

Jay-Z3. Jay-Z – Grow up with prominent rap artists like Biggie Smalls and Busta Rhymes + master the art of composing lyrics spontaneously + announce that you’re retiring, then release a new album to record-setting sales = PROFIT. And what to do with that profit? Why, buy an NBA team and marry Beyonce. He’s got 99 Problems, but a bitch ain’t one…

Rihanna4. Rihanna – She brought her own unique musical stylings from her home country of Barbados, and she’s made good use of them here. With a string of hits and a body that would make just about anyone envious, she’s one hot item. As a side note: some idiot called her the “next Britney Spears.” We don’t think so.

Ludacris5. Ludacris – According to Ludacris’s buddy Bill O’Reilly, the Illinois-born rap star HAS NOT sold more than 13 million records stateside, so that now he’s the rapper with the most Top 40, Top 25 and Top 10 hits of all time, according to Billboard magazine. Shows why you shouldn’t listen to Bill O’Reilly.

50 Cent6. 50 Cent – This guy’s life was set up to be a violent, dismal failure from the minute he popped out of his 15-year-old drug-dealing mother. But it wasn’t. Sure, he’s been in and out of jail. Sure, he got shot nine times. But despite all the controversy surrounding him, 50 Cent is one the most successful artists in Hip Hop.

Kanye West7. Kanye West – In the span of a few years, from 2001 to 2004, Kanye West went from hip-hop beatmaker to worldwide hitmaker, as his stellar production work for Jay-Z earned him a major-label recording contract as a solo artist. Soon his beats were accompanied by his own witty raps on a number of critically and commercially.

Ne-Yo8. Ne-Yo – This half-African-American, half-Chinese-American, in addition to writing songs for Rihanna, Beyonce, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Celine Dion, has also had a string of hits himself.

Kevin Rudolf & Lil Wayne9. Kevin Rudolf & Lil Wayne – At first glance, Kevin Rudolf’s enigmatic anthem “Let It Rock (featuring Lil Wayne)” seems to have air–dropped over radio out of nowhere, becoming a genre–defying game–changer that has put the alluring artist smack in the cross–hairs.

Young Jeezy10. Young Jeezy – Like many of his contemporaries, Young Jeezy started out dealing drugs, and nowadays likes to carry guns around and get into feuds with other rap artists. But Jeezy’s a philanthropist as well, opening his home to victims of Katrina as just an example.

Top Ringtones:

1. “Im So Paid (feat. Lil Wayne)” by Akon

2. “Swagga Like Us [Jay-Z Verse]” by Jay-Z AND T.I.

3. “What Them Girls Like” by Ludacris

4. “Let It Rock” by Kevin Rudolf and Lil Wayne

5. “Got Money” by Lil Wayne

6. “Love Lockdown” by Kayne West

7. “Disturbia” by Rihanna

8. “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” by Darius Rucker

9. “Closer” by Ne-Yo

10. “Krazy feat. Lil Jon” by Pitbull

Flycell Announces Top 10 Ringtone Downloads for September 2008

As you sit on the bus or stand in line at the grocery store, are you noticing an increase of Lil Wayne ringtones?  Perhaps even hearing more of “Viva la Vida” on your friends’ phones?  Well, you haven’t gone crazy and you aren’t hearing things.   According to Flycell, here are the top artists and ringtone downloads from the Flycell website for this September:

Top Artists:

David Banner10. David Banner – David Banner comes in at number ten for this September’s most popular artists on Flycell.com. His recent album, “The Greatest Story Ever Told” features collaborative songs with fellow artists Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne and Akon.

Akon9.   Akon – Most known for his collaboration with other popular artists, Akon can be found on the majority of hit songs today. This year he’s been nominated for four Grammy awards, including Best R&B Contemporary Album for “Konvicted”.

Mariah Carey8.   Mariah Carey – Talk about coming back strong.  Mariah Carey was recently named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Time Magazine’s annual list. E=MC2 is Mariah’s 11th studio album and has already made a huge splash on the U.S. charts.

Ne-Yo7.   Ne-Yo -  It’s no surprise to see Ne-Yo on this month’s top artist list.  With a Grammy nomination for producing the best album of the year, MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Dancing in a Video for his song “Closer” and winning the 2007 Soul Train Music Award’s Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist- Ne Yo is popular.

The Pussycat Dolls6.   The Pussycat Dolls – Originally starting as a burlesque group in 1995, the Pussycat Dolls have endured to become a pop sensation.  And with the release of their anticipated second album, “Doll Domination” on September 23, it’s also no surprise to see The Pussycat Dolls rise in popularity this month.

Katy Perry5.   Katy Perry – Never has proclaiming that you enjoyed kissing a girl become such a popular statement until Katy Perry did so on her official mainstream debut album “One of the Boys” in the popular single titled “I Kissed a Girl”.  Since the debut, Perry has appeared on the View, Last Call with Carson Daly, and even performed at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.

Kanye West4.   Kanye West – No top list would be complete without ten-time Grammy winner Kanye West.  His latest album “808s and Heartbreak” is set to be released in November and the popular single “Love Lockdown” is already a rising chart topper.

Rihanna3.   Rihanna – Rihanna’s latest album “Good Girl Gone Bad” has been topping the charts since its release in 2007. Rihanna, like Akon, is recognized for her collaborative works- most notable with Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z and Maroon 5. But it’s her recent single, “Take a Bow” that has helped her jet to the top of the list this month.

Young Jeezy2.   Young Jeezy – Young Jeezy rises to the top of this list thanks to his September 2 release of his latest album “The Recession” and has even risen to number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, Top Rap Albums and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

And coming in as the number one most downloaded ringtone artist is…

Lil Wayne1.   Lil Wayne – Thanks to his enormously popular latest album (it sold more than one million copies in its first week of sales) “The Carter III”, and such songs as “Lollipop” and “Got Money”, Lil Wayne claims this month’s number one spot.

Top Ringtones:

10. “Closer” by Ne-Yo
9.   “Put On [chorus]” by Young Jeezy & Kanye West
8.   “I’ll be Lovin’U Long Time” by Mariah Carey & T.I.
7.   “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay
6.   “Lollipop” by Lil Wayne
5.   “A Milli” by Lil Wayne
4.   “Take a Bow” by Rihanna
3.   “When I Grow Up” by The Pussycat Dolls
2.   “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry
1.   “Got Money” by Lil Wayne

Stay tuned next month when we announce the top 10 ringtone downloads for October.