History.

Fishermen, hunters, and gatherers, the Snohomish formerly lived near the mouth of the Snohomish River, a Puget Sound tributary north of today's Marysville, on the southern tip of Camano Island, on Whidbey Island opposite today's city of Mukilteo, and along the Snohomish River as far east as today's town of Monroe.  Among the Snohomish subdivisions in those locations, there were the Sdohobcs of the lower Snohomish River and Whidbey Island and the Sdocohobcs on the Snohomish River between Snohomish and Monroe. Other subdivisions were the N'Quentlamamishes (or Kwehtlamamishes) of the Pilchuck River. Today the river, the city, and a county all bear their name.  In 1844, the Snohomish numbered 322. A decade later, their population was 350, indicating that a smallpox plague of the time probably did not affect them as much as it did other Native Americans of the Puget Sound area. In the 1980 census, there were 700 Snohomish, but by 2008 people identifying as Snohomish had increased to 1,200.  When the Snohomish encountered the Hudson's Bay Company trader John Work in December 1824, they feared his party had come to attack them. They had long been in conflict with other tribes, such as the Klallams of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Cowichans of southeastern Vancouver Island. Once they realized the traders were friendly, a Snohomish warrior demonstrated how to kill the Cowichans, if they attacked. The Snohomish were among the tribes that traded at the Hudson's Bay Company Fort Nisqually, established in 1833 at the southern tip of Puget Sound. They also met Roman Catholic missionaries who entered their lands in the early 1840s. At the time of these contacts, the Snohomish were governed by headmen, each leader having influence over several villages.  The traditional homeland of the Snohomish now constitutes Snohomish County. It was named in their honor, since they were the first inhabitants.

Legal status.

Many Snohomish are now enrolled in the federally recognized Tulalip Tribes of Washington. The Tulalip Reservation is west of the city of Marysville. However, most live elsewhere, including in the cities.  The Tulalip Confederation of Tribes Reservation was created under the Point Elliott Treaty, and on December 23, 1873 was enlarged by an executive order from 22,489.91 acres to 24,320 acres. It was in Snohomish lands, but was also intended to be shared by the Skykomish, the Snoqualmies, and the Stillaguamish. Early in the reservation period, Indian agent Reverend Eugene Casmir Chirouse, O.M.I., used different means to help the Native Americans survive the difficult transition. Many Snohomish left the reservation because the overcrowding that reduced their ability to survive in their forced environment. In the 1870s, even more left due to oppressive government policies that destroyed their traditional culture, language, way of life, and ability to earn their livelihood as they always had on their historical ancestral grounds.  Snohomish members are seeking federal recognition as a tribe. They argue that the Treaty of Point Elliott (1855) explicitly recognized them as a tribe, since they are listed by name.

Point Elliott Treaty of 1855.

Nine Snohomish headmen signed the Point Elliott Treaty which was written by a council held for 1855 near present-day Mukilteo. About 350 Snohomish and their allies, the Snoqualmies, were represented by Chief Patkanim, who had originally been hostile to Americans, but had become impressed by their potential power. Patkanim allied himself with the Americans during the Indian War of 1855-1856, while most of the other Snohomish leaders had remained neutral. This neutrality prompted an Indian agent in February 1856 to recommend that Isaac Stevens, territorial governor and Superintendent Indian affairs, disbanded the tribe, since they were "doing nothing for us." As a result, the Snohomish and other neutral Indians were removed to other areas on the Puget Sound, including Fox and Whidbey Islands and Port Gamble in the Kitsap Peninsula.  Because of the decades of struggle for survival by the Snohomish nation, historical accounts and records do not tell if the Indigenous Peoples who signed the Point Elliott Treaty really understood the contents and consequences of the treaty.  Article 7 of the Point Elliott Treaty allows the President of the United States to subsequently act on behalf of the tribes affected by the agreement:  The President may hereafter, when in his opinion "the interests of the Territory shall require and the welfare of the said Indians be promoted", remove them from either or all of the special reservations herein before make to the said general reservation, or such other suitable place within said Territory as he may deem fit, "on remunerating them for" their improvements and the expenses of "such removal", or may consolidate them with other friendly tribes or bands; "and he may further at his discretion cause the whole or any portion of the lands hereby reserved, or of such other land as may be selected in lieu thereof, to be surveyed into lots, and assign the same to such individuals or families" as are willing to avail themselves of the privilege, and will locate on the same as a permanent home on the same terms and subject to the same regulations as are provided in the sixth article of the treaty with the Omahas, so far as the same may be applicable. Any substantial improvements heretofore made by any Indian, and which he shall be compelled to abandon in consequence of this treaty, shall be valued under the direction of the President and payment made accordingly therefor.

The Snohomish are a Lushootseed Native American tribe who reside around the Puget Sound area of Washington, north of Seattle. They speak the Lushootseed language. The tribal spelling of their name is "Sdoh-doh-hohbsh," which means "lowland people" according to the last chief of the Snohomish tribe, Chief William Shelton. Some commentators believe a more accurate spelling in the Latin alphabet would be Sdohobich, as their language has no nasal consonants.

Snohomišové je kmen indiánů, kteří mluví Lašůtšídštinou a žijí na pobřeží Pugetova zálivu, severně od města Seattle. Jejich původní jméno je Sdoh-doh-hohbsh, což znamená podle jejich posledního náčelníka, Williama Sheltona, mokrý sníh. Někteří historikové ale tvrdí, že to nemusí být pravda. Oblast, kde kmen žil, je nyní okres Snohomish. Někteří z posledních žijících členů kmenu žijí v rezervaci Tulalipů, západně od města Marysville, a snaží se získat od federální vlády oficiální status kmene.


Biography.

Born (as Georg Josephthal) in Nuremberg in Germany, Yoseftal was a member of the Yiddisher Yudenbund youth movement in his teens. After high school he studied law and economics at the University of Heidelberg, Berlin, Munich and Basel, gaining a PhD in jurisprudence at the latter.  In 1932, he joined Habonim, and the following year was appointed head of the youth department of the Bavarian Jewish community. He moved to Berlin in 1934, and two years later was elected secretary general of the German branch of HeHalutz. In 1936 he married Senetta Yoseftal, later also an Israeli politician.  Yoseftal made aliyah to Mandate Palestine in 1938, and two months after arriving, he was sent to London to try and save German Jewry. He returned to Palestine in 1939, establishing a work brigade in Ra'anana, which later founded kibbutz Gal'ed in 1945.  In 1943, he joined the British Army. After the war ended, he took over the absorption section of the Jewish Agency's aliyah department. Between 1947 and 1952 he sat on the Agency's board. In 1952 he was a member of the delegations which negotiated the Reparations Agreement between Israel and West Germany.  In 1956, he became secretary-general of Mapai, the ruling party, a role he held until 1959. In the elections that year he was voted into the Knesset on Mapai's list, and was appointed Minister of Labour. He retained his seat in the 1961 elections, and was given the roles of Minister of Housing and Minister of Development. He died in office on 23 August 1962.  In March 2018, the city of Netanya decided to change the name of a street named after Yoseftal because of his discriminatory policies towards North African immigrants in the 1950s.

Dr Giora Yoseftal (; 9 August 1912 – 23 August 1962) was an Israeli politician who held several ministerial portfolios in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Giora Joseftal (: גיורא יוספטל, rodným jménem Georg Josephthal, 9. srpna 1912 – 23. srpna 1962) byl sionistický aktivista, izraelský politik a poslanec Knesetu za stranu Mapaj.


Club career.

Early career: Reggina and Juventus.

Perrotta was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, England, in the same hospital as England's 1966 World Cup winner Geoff Hurst. He grew up in the youth system of Reggina and debuted in Serie B in 1995, becoming an important fixture in their line-up. In 1998, Juventus decided to sign him; however, due to the presence of several more experienced and world-class midfielders ahead of him on the team, such as Antonio Conte, Didier Deschamps, Edgar Davids, Alessio Tacchinardi, and Zinedine Zidane, he struggled to gain playing time, and only made five league appearances for the Turin club, and 15 in total. Despite his limited space at the club, he was able to score a goal in the Coppa Italia, make his Champions League debut, and appeared in the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup, which Juventus went on to win, before being sent out on loan to Bari.

Bari.

In 1999, Perrotta was farmed to Bari in a co-ownership deal for 3 billion Italian lire (or €1,549,371), as part of Gianluca Zambrotta's deal, where he played for two seasons, breaking into the first team. In June 2001, Bari acquired him outright for approximately €300,000, making Juventus booked a financial cost of €1.25 million for the discount.

Chievo.

At the start of 2001–02 Serie A, following Bari's relegation from the Serie A, he was shipped to Chievo, where he remained for three seasons, and made a name for himself as one of Italy's best midfielders. Alongside Eugenio Corini, he was a mainstay in the midfield of a surprising newly promoted Chievo squad that was first place at the winter break, and finished the season in fifth place under manager Luigi Delneri, qualifying for the UEFA Cup. He even provided the winning assist in their famous victory over Internazionale that season. Despite his consistent performances, his next two seasons at the club were less successful, due to the departure of several key players, as Chievo finished seventh in Serie A during the 2002–03 season, and ninth in Serie A during the 2003–04 season.

Roma.

In 2004, Roma signed him from the Veneto club for €7.2 million on a four-year instalment. The deal was later changed to three instalments, however; new Roma signing Matteo Brighi, valued at €16 million was loaned to Chievo for the season as part of the deal. and then discounted to €7.05 million, His first season at the club saw him play in a supporting role as a defensive midfielder, behind the attacking trio made up of Francesco Totti, Antonio Cassano, and Vincenzo Montella; however, the season was largely unsuccessful, as Roma underwent several managerial changes, suffered a first round elimination in the UEFA Champions League, finished eighth in Serie A, and lost out to Inter in the 2005 Coppa Italia Final.  The following season saw the arrival of Luciano Spalletti as Roma's new head coach. Under Spalletti's 4–2–3–1 formation, Perrotta played in a more advanced role, behind the first striker and in between the left and right winger as an attacking central midfielder, in which he was able to rediscover his form, becoming a key member of Roma's midfield, as Roma reached the 2006 Coppa Italia Final. In merit of his fine performances for the capital club, he earned a call-up to Marcello Lippi's Italy squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, starting all seven games for the eventual champions. In 2006, he also signed a contract extension with the capital club, keeping him in Rome until 2010.  Perrotta continued to excel in this more advanced role under Spalletti, and scored 13 goals in all competitions during the 2006–07 season, as he won the Coppa Italia title in 2007, finishing as the tournament's top scorer; the following season, he helped Roma to defend title, and also won the 2007 Supercoppa Italiana, in which he was sent off.  Perrotta signed a new one-year extension to his contract with Roma in October 2009, extending his stay at the club until 2011. In March 2011, he signed another contract, with basic salary decreased to €2.5 million per season.  For the 2011–12 season, Perrotta was usually used as a central midfielder alongside Daniele De Rossi and Miralem Pjanić. On 20 February 2012, Perrotta signed a new one-year extension to his contract with Roma that will keep him at the club until 2013. Perrotta's fixed gross fee for the current season was raised to €2.6 million plus performance bonuses. He played 20 matches in the 2011–12 season, failing to score a goal.  After almost two years without scoring, he scored against Siena on 2 December 2012, giving Roma a 1–2 lead away. Roma eventually won the game 1–3, with a brace from Mattia Destro. He scored again on 3 March 2013, also in a 3–1 win, against Genoa at the Stadio Olimpico. He was substituted on for striker Pablo Osvaldo in the 81st minute and eight minutes later, in the 89th minute, he scored a goal that sealed the match. After the appointment of Aurelio Andreazzoli as caretaking manager, he received significantly more playing time than under the Czech Zdeněk Zeman. He finished the season with 16 league appearances, only four as a starter, with two goals scored; under manager Aurelio Andreazzoli, he was left on the bench in Roma's 1–0 Coppa Italia Final defeat to cross-city rivals Lazio. On 29 June 2013, Perrotta announced his retirement from professional football.

International career.

Perrotta was eligible to play for both Italy and England – the latter due to his birth in the country (in addition to being Italian, he is automatically a British citizen as the United Kingdom granted unconditional birthright citizenship until 1983). Perrotta made his debut for the Italy under-21 team under Marco Tardelli, making 6 appearances and scoring a goal. He won the 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, appearing in Italy's 2–1 victory over the Czech Republic in the final, but was later dropped from the 2000 Summer Olympics squad due to injury. He made his senior international debut under Giovanni Trapattoni, on 20 November 2002, in a 1–1 draw against Turkey. He subsequently played for Italy at UEFA Euro 2004, scoring a goal in a 2–1 win against Bulgaria, although the Italian national side were eliminated in the first round of the tournament on direct-encounters following a three-way five point tie with Denmark and Sweden.  Perrotta also represented the Italian national team during the 2006 FIFA World Cup under coach Marcello Lippi, starting in all seven of the "Azzurri"'s games, including the final, en route to their fourth World Cup title, setting up Filippo Inzaghi's goal in a 2–0 win over the Czech Republic in Italy's final group match of the tournament on 22 June. Unlike with Roma, Perrotta was often used as a left winger with the Italian national team under Lippi, or as a "front-lying" defensive midfielder, as he was in the 2006 World Cup.  Under new manager Roberto Donadoni, Perrotta scored his second goal for Italy in a 3–1 away win over Georgia in a Euro 2008 qualifying match on 11 October 2006. He made his first appearance as Italy captain on 21 November 2007, in the second half of a 3–1 home win over the Faroe Islands, in a European qualifier. He went on to take part at UEFA Euro 2008, often appearing as an attacking midfielder, where Italy lost out to eventual champions Spain on penalties in the quarter-finals.  In 2009, after being left out from 2010 FIFA World Cup squad by Marcello Lippi, he retired from international football; he made his final appearance for Italy on 10 February 2009, in a 2–0 friendly defeat to Brazil, at the Emirates Stadium. In total he made 48 appearances for Italy, scoring 2 goals.

Style of play.

A quick, physically strong, energetic, tenacious, and hard-working two-way player, Perrotta was known for his pace, versatility, and consistency, as well as his stamina, box-to-box play, and hard running style, which allowed him to play anywhere in midfield; although he was usually used in the centre, and often in a holding role in front of the defence, where he was adept at breaking down plays and subsequently distributing the ball to team-mates after winning back possession, throughout his career, he was also deployed out wide, as a mezzala, or even in a more advanced role, behind the strikers, due to his movement off the ball and ability to make attacking runs into the penalty box, as well as his eye for goal from midfield.

Personal life.

Perrotta is of Calabrian origins and was born in England. He lived in England until the age of five, attending the former St Ann's RC Primary School on Burlington Street in Ashton-under-Lyne. His parents, Francesco and Anna Maria, ran a pub in Ashton and lived on Fitzroy Street and briefly at the Chiltern Chapel before moving back to Italy in 1982, to their hometown Cerisano, in the province of Cosenza. He is married and he has a son called Peter.  On 22 December 2010, a statue of Perrotta was unveiled in Ashton-under-Lyne, close to Curzon Ashton F.C.'s Tameside Stadium in the Roy Oldham Sports Village, Richmond Street. The triple sculpture by Andrew Edwards and Sculpture For Sport commemorates the three men from the borough of Tameside who hold World Cup winner's medals: Geoff Hurst, Jimmy Armfield, and Perrotta. He speaks English and Italian.

Honours.

Club.

Roma

International.

Italy

Simone Perrotta (; born 17 September 1977) is a retired Italian footballer who played as a midfielder. Throughout his career he stood out for his work-rate, energy, and box-to-box play as a ball-winner in midfield. After initially playing for Italian sides Reggina, Juventus, Bari, and Chievo, he went on to spend most of his career with Serie A club Roma, from 2004, until his retirement on 29 June 2013; he won consecutive Coppa Italia titles with the club in 2007 and 2008, as well as the 2007 Supercoppa Italiana.

Simone Perrotta (* 17. září 1977, Ashton, Velká Británie) je bývalý italský profesionální fotbalista narozený ve Spojeném království, který hrál na postu záložníka. Devět sezón nastupoval za italský klub AS Řím a v letech 2002 až 2009 také za italskou reprezentaci. S ní dostál velkého úspěchu na Mistrovství světa 2006 – celkového vítězství.


History.

The proposed tower was announced and submitted for county approval in October 1978 as the "Grant Land project". In April 1983, DeBartolo Company, which constructed the tower, announced plans for "Two Oxford Centre" to the immediate northeast of the main tower and across the street from Pittsburgh City Hall and the Frick Building. Two Oxford Centre was to be noticeably taller than One Oxford, however the plans and development were dependent on securing a majority tenant which never materialized.

Design.

Completed in 1983, One Oxford Centre has 46 floors in its main tower and rises 615 feet (187 m) above Downtown Pittsburgh. Although its address is simply One Oxford Centre, the building is located on the 300 block of Grant Street. The tower has nearly of office and high-end retail space. Since the towers opening it has been home to a full-service health/business club, The Rivers Club. The complex also contains a multi-level parking garage and some street level retail and office space one block west of Grant Street.  At night, forty-three 1,500-watt spotlights illuminate the Centre with a total of 54,500 watts that create a glowing effect that is said to be greater than any other highrise in the United States. One Oxford Centre was developed by Oxford Development Company and designed by architecture firm Hellmuth, Obata, & Kassabaum.

In popular culture.

A composite image of the main tower of PPG Place and Oxford Centre is used as the Fiddler's Green luxury high-rise in the movie "Land of the Dead". Another interesting fact is that a street (Cherry Way) passes through the tower on its lower levels.  The building is featured in Episode 1656 of the television program "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood" on "Up and Down." Mr. Rogers and the "Speed Delivery"-man Mr. McFeely ride the building's escalators and elevators up and down.  The tower is used for exterior shots of the Newman tower on the CBS daytime soap opera, "The Young and the Restless".

Building Ownership.

Since developing the Property in 1983, Oxford Development had been the sole owner and operator. In January 2016 San Francisco-based Shorenstein Properties acquired One Oxford Centre under its Shorenstein Realty Investors Eleven LP, a $1.2 billion fund. CBRE Group was appointed as the leasing agent to fill up the remaining vacant space in the building. Shorenstein implemented an intensive capital improvement program that included repairing deferred maintenance throughout the property as well as aesthetic upgrades to the lobby and common areas.

One Oxford Centre is one of the major distinctive and recognizable features of Downtown Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, United States. The complex is named for Oxford Development, the developer and previous owner.

One Oxford Centre je mrakodrap v Pittsburghu ve státě Pensylvánie. Má 46 pater a s výškou 187,5 m je pátou nejvyšší budovou ve městě. Byl navržen firmou HOK a dokončen v roce 1983.


Life and career.

1982–99: Early life.

Fiasco was born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco on February 16, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois. Fiasco is of West African descent, one of nine children of Shirley, a gourmet chef, and Gregory, an engineer. His father, a member of the Black Panther Party, was a prolific African drummer, karate teacher, operating plant engineer, and owner of karate schools and army surplus stores. Fiasco was raised Muslim on the West Side of Chicago on Madison Terrace housing project. At the age of three, Fiasco began taking martial arts classes. His parents divorced when he was five, and he went on to live with his mother, but his father still remained an important part of his life. He described his father's influence over the family by saying, "After school, my father would come and get us and take us out into the world—one day, we're listening to N.W.A, the next day we're listening to Ravi Shankar, the next day, he's teaching us how to shoot an AK-47, the next day, we're at karate class, the next day, we're in Chinatown...".  In sixth grade, he went to live with his father full-time in Harvey, Illinois. His father lived next door to a crack house and taught Fiasco to use guns to defend himself from drug dealers. Despite his unstable upbringing, Fiasco states that he was well-educated as a child, asserting that his parents exposed him to a diverse array of subjects and that reading was highly encouraged in his household. As a teenager, Fiasco participated in Academic Decathlon competitions. His mother described him by saying, "He was a great spirited child. Smart, a bit complex; he kind of was a loner; he didn't hang with a lot of people...He always had the glasses. Always had a book bag over his shoulder and some type of a writing tablet." Fiasco initially disliked hip hop music for its use of vulgarity, and preferred to listen to jazz; he idolized clarinet player Benny Goodman. His struggle to learn to play an instrument led him to create poetry instead, which led to his interest in the lyrical aspects of music.  He began rapping his poems in the eighth grade, and upon hearing Nas' 1996 album, "It Was Written", began to pursue hip hop. While attending Thornton Township High School, Fiasco met gang member Bishop G. The two became friends due to their shared interest in music. Fiasco's father allowed him and Bishop to make mixtapes in his basement, and the two gained notoriety at the school for their music. However, they were kicked off stage during their first performance because their eclectic musical style was not embraced by the hip hop community. Early in his career, he went by stage names Little Lu and Lu tha Underdog. Growing up, Fiasco was given the nickname "Lu", the last part of his first name, by his mother. "Lupe" is an extension of this nickname, which he borrowed from a friend from high school. "Fiasco" is a reference to The Firm song "Firm Fiasco"; the rapper "liked the way it looked on paper." He also said of his name, "You know how rappers always have names like MC Terrorist—like they're 'terrorizing' other rappers? I knew fiasco meant a great disaster or something like that, but I didn't realize that the person named Fiasco would be the disaster, and that you should be calling other MCs fiascos—not yourself...it kind of humbled me in a sense. It taught me like, 'Yo, stop rushing, or you're going to have some fiascos.'"

2000–2005: Career beginnings.

When Fiasco was 18, he began creating music as a solo artist in his father's basement, even though his parents were not keen on having their son be a rapper. He scoured flea markets and secondhand stores, where he was able to find an old mixing board and a record player, stacks of vinyl records, and mic stands. At age 19, Fiasco joined a group called Da Pak, which was influenced by other California gangsta rappers such as Spice 1 and Ice Cube. Da Pak signed to Epic Records and released one single before splitting up. Fiasco later described the experience, saying "We had a song out about cocaine, guns, and women, and I would go to a record store and look at it and think, 'What are you doing?' I felt like a hypocrite. I was acting like this rapper who would never be judged, and I had to destroy that guy. Because what Lupe Fiasco says on this microphone is going to come back to Wasalu Jaco. When the music cuts off, you have to go home and live with what you say."  After turning away from gangsta rap, he developed a greater appreciation of the lyricism of Jay Z and Nas. His mother also gave him a record of the influential group The Watts Prophets, one of the first bands to use spoken words with music. Although he was without a group for the first time, Fiasco continued to record music. One of these first self-recorded tracks was "Could Have Been", which described the career options he could have pursued had he not begun rapping. He viewed the song as a turning point in his career that marked a drastic change in the subject matter of his music. "Could Have Been" was released as a demo tape and discovered by MTV despite the fact that no video was created for the song.  Fiasco later signed a solo deal with Arista Records, but was dropped when president and CEO L.A. Reid was fired. During his short tenure at Arista, he met Jay-Z, who was the president of Def Jam Recordings at the time. Jay-Z referred to him as a "breath of fresh air", saying that he reminded him of a younger version of himself. Jay-Z later helped him get a record deal at Atlantic Records. While Fiasco was working on his debut solo album, he released his mixtape series "Fahrenheit 1/15" over the internet, which gained notoriety by word-of-mouth.  He remixed Kanye West's song, "Diamonds from Sierra Leone", renaming the new version as "Conflict Diamonds". With this remix, Fiasco wished to raise awareness of the conflict diamond business. This caught West's attention, and he asked Fiasco to perform on the song "Touch the Sky" for West's album "Late Registration". The song, which sampled Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up", became a hit in the "Billboard" Hot 100, peaking at number forty-two. After this success, Fiasco's first single "Kick, Push" was released earlier than expected. The song was a love story about two people sharing a passion for skateboarding, a topic generally not discussed in hip-hop. Fiasco explained, "[Skateboarding culture is] just as deep as hip-hop. I'm not the greatest skateboarder, but I'm a damn good rapper, so I made a damn good skateboarding song." The single, and its accompanying music video, helped Fiasco get attention in the hip-hop community, and was later nominated for two 2007 Grammy Awards. During this time, he recorded guest performances on Tha' Rayne's "Kiss Me" and "Didn't You Know" singles, and also on K Foxx's 2004 "This Life".

2006–08: "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor" and "The Cool".

Jay Z assisted him in the production of what would become his debut album "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor". The title of the album is a reference to 'Food and Liquor' stores common in Chicago. He explains, "The store is where everything is at...Food to me represents growth and progression. You eat food and you get strength. You need it to live. Liquor is not a necessity; it is a want. It destroys you. It breaks you down. I can see why it's prohibited in Islam...I've always felt like liquor represents the bad, the food represents the good, and everyone is made up of a little of both." "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor" was officially released on September 19, 2006. The album featured production from Jay-Z, Kanye West, Mike Shinoda, The Neptunes, Prolyfic, among others. The record spawned the singles "Kick, Push", "I Gotcha" and "Daydreamin'" featuring Jill Scott. The critically lauded album was later nominated for three Grammy Awards including Best Rap Album. Fiasco won "Best Urban/Alternative Performance" for "Daydreamin'". In the same year, he was voted by "GQ" magazine as the "Breakout Man of the Year." He also received four BET Hip Hop Award nominations, and it made it to number eight on "Billboard" 200 and number two on Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. That same year he participated in the first Cypher at the BET Hip-Hop Awards.  In 2007, Fiasco announced his second album, "Lupe Fiasco's The Cool", a concept album that expands on the story of the track of the same name on his first album. While recording this album, Fiasco's father died of type II diabetes and his business partner, Charles "Chilly" Patton, was convicted of attempting to supply heroin to a drug ring and was eventually sentenced to 44 years in a correctional facility. These events greatly affected Fiasco and the subsequent themes discussed on the record. The disc was released in December 2007 in United States while the first single and video from the album, "Superstar" featuring Matthew Santos was released the first week of November 2007. "Lupe Fiasco's The Cool", a concept album that expanded upon recurring themes in "Food & Liquor", is about "a hustler who dies and comes back to life, only to get robbed by two little kids with the same gun that killed him." For the record, Fiasco decided not to work with well-known producers as he considered it to be "too expensive", noting the commercial failure of his Pharrell collaboration, "I Gotcha". "Lupe Fiasco's The Cool" was very well received by critics and was referred to as "one of the year's best hip-hop albums" by "The New York Times". "Superstar", a semi-autobiographical account of his rise to fame, was released as the first single from the album, and peaked at number 10 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. Baseball's Hanley Ramírez, Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Zimmerman, Gerald Laird and Ryan Braun have used "Superstar" as their at-bat song. The album's second single (released in the UK in April 2008) was "Paris, Tokyo" – a song based around Fiasco's experiences of touring the world between his first and second albums. Moreover, in 2007 it was revealed that Fiasco, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams had formed a group called Child Rebel Soldier. CRS initially released one single, entitled "US Placers" and featuring a Thom Yorke sample. In an interview with "The Village Voice", Fiasco revealed that he was writing a novel about a window washer, aptly titled "Reflections of a Window Washer". In 2008, Fiasco and his band 1500 or Nothin joined Kanye West's Glow in the Dark Tour which also featured Rihanna and N.E.R.D. The tour stopped in several cities, including his hometown of Chicago. In 2008, MTV named Fiasco the 7th Hottest MC in the Game and announced that he was remixing "The Cool" with French electro house act Justice.

2009–11: "Lasers".

At a performance in New Zealand in February 2010, Fiasco performed new material from the then-titled "We Are Lasers" for the first time. He claimed that the album was complete and waiting for a release date from his label, Atlantic Records. However, Atlantic feared that the record lacked commercial singles, and presented Fiasco with songs the label wanted him to record. Fiasco declined, as he was told he would not have any ownership of the songs. He explained, "I don't think the label cares about an album...People just want their number-one record." For six months, the cause of the album's delay remained unclear to the public. In response, Fiasco's fans created an online petition demanding that Atlantic Records release "Lasers". The petition garnered considerable attention on hip hop blog sites as well as over 16,000 signatures. Fiasco stated that the petition "brought [him] to tears", and in response to the petition, Fiasco released a song titled "B.M.F-Building Minds Faster" to thank his fans.  While waiting for "Lasers" to be released, Fiasco completed another album, titled "". He was unsure if the "Food and Liquor II" would ever be released, though he released the song "Go To Sleep" from the record "out of desperation" to put out new music. He also pursued numerous side projects in the midst of the delay. In April 2010, Fiasco formed the hip hop collective All City Chess Club along with Pharrell, Asher Roth, B.o.B, The Cool Kids, Charles Hamilton, Blu, Diggy Simmons, Wale, J. Cole, & Dosage. The group has so far made one song, a remix of Fiasco's "I'm Beamin". Additionally, On July 16, 2010, Fiasco released his rock side-project Japanese Cartoon's debut EP "In The Jaws of the Lords of Death". Japanese Cartoon was influenced by a variety of musical genres, with Fiasco saying, "I've always been a fan of all music...Hip hop is just something I actually know how to do but I always had aspirations to participate in other forms of music. Once I got to create some hip hop, it was like, 'Okay, what am I going to do now?' So my artistic side was like, 'Yo, let's do some rock music.'"  More than two and a half years after the album's completion, "Lasers" was released on March 8, 2011. The first single from the record was "The Show Goes On", which samples "Float On" by Modest Mouse. "The Show Goes On" debuted at number 57 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The lead single peaked at number 9 since then. The producers involved on the album include Alex Da Kidd, King David "The Future" and Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis, while featured artists include Skylar Grey, Trey Songz, and John Legend. Upon the album's release, "Lasers" debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200 chart, with first-week sales of 204,000 copies. Despite the album's commercial success, "Lasers" received mixed reviews from most music critics. Writing for AllMusic, editor Andy Kellman gave the record three out of five stars and criticized its "lumbering, overwrought choruses", writing that "If there is one MC whose rhymes should not be dulled for the sake of chasing pop trends, it's Lupe Fiasco". "Lasers", however, was nominated Best Rap Album, with "The Show Goes On" nominated for Best Rap Performance, and Best Rap Song at the 2012 Grammy Awards. Lupe Fiasco later involved himself at the Occupy Wall Street movement where he donated tents and released a poem in support of the protesters. He also released his "Friend of the People: I Fight Evil" mixtape on Thanksgiving Day.

2012–13: "Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album".

Fiasco subsequently released "Food & Liquor 2", as well as put work into a joint album with fellow Child Rebel Soldier & All City Chess Club member Pharrell. Prior to the album's release, he revealed that there would be no more mixtapes after "Friend Of The People: I Fight Evil" prior to "Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album", which was planned to be a double-disc with Part I set to release in fall 2012. Its lead single, the Simonsayz and B-Side produced track Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free), was released on May 21, which stirred controversy from an infuriated Pete Rock for using a sample from They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.). Rock said that he felt "so violated" by the use of the sample, although the original track itself used samples from Tom Scott and James Brown.  In 2012, Fiasco also collaborated with Australian singer Guy Sebastian on the single "Battle Scars". The single was recorded in Sebastian's Sydney studio when Fiasco was in Australia for Supafest, and is featured on Sebastian's album "Armageddon". It debuted at number one in Australia in its first week, becoming Fiasco's first number one single. On 21 August it was announced "Battle Scars" would be included on Fiasco's fourth album, "", and was released as the fourth single in the United States on 28 August 2012. It reached number 71 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 Chart, number 23 on the "Billboard" Digital Song Chart and number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Chart.<ref name="R&B R&B/Hip-hop Digital Song Chart">R&B/Hip-hop Digital Song Chart 15 September 2012 Billboard.biz. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012.</ref> The song spent 20 nonconsecutive weeks in the "Billboard" Hot 100, and reached platinum certification. "Battle Scars" spent six weeks at number one in Australia, and has been certified 9× platinum by ARIA. It also reached number two and double platinum in New Zealand and number two in Norway.  "Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1" was released on September 25, 2012. The songs "Go to Sleep" and "Bitch Bad" were also released as singles. The album received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 70, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 18 reviews. It was also nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Grammy Awards. Originally, the album was set to be released as a double-disc album, but Atlantic Records did not allow this arrangement, so the album was divided into two. It was confirmed that a Part 2 will be released in Spring 2013. Lupe has said the album showcases more of his dexterity and lyrical substance. S1 has confirmed to be producing on the album. On January 17, 2013 he canceled the plan for the release of the second part of the original double disk. He then said that he would release another studio album in 2013.

2013–present: "Tetsuo & Youth", Drogas album series, apparent retirement and other projects.

On February 10, 2013, on the red carpet for the Grammy Awards he announced his fifth studio album would be titled "Tetsuo & Youth". Since then, he has released songs that are not slated to be on "Tetsuo & Youth". These songs are "Light Blue" and "Jonylah Forever." Upon hearing her name in Lupe's song "Form Follows Function", Imogen Heap reached out to Lupe on Twitter to give a thank you which led to Fiasco asking her to appear on his next album making her a possible guest artist on "Tetsuo and Youth". On August 4, 2013 Lupe Fiasco revealed a new song would be released on September 11, titled "Peace of Paper/Cup of Jayzus".  On August 24, 2013, Fiasco revealed the first song from "Tetsuo & Youth", "Crack", featuring Chris Brown. Then on October 3, 2013, Fiasco announced the Tetsuo & Youth Preview tour to take place between November 2 and December 15, 2013. The tour featuring label-mate Stalley as a supporting act, and The Boy Illinois as an opening act. He also revealed the album "Tetsuo & Youth" would be released in early 2014, but was later postponed to 2015. On October 14, 2013, Fiasco released the first supposed song from the album, "Old School Love", featuring singer Ed Sheeran. Then on October 21, 2013, Fiasco revealed that Big K.R.I.T. and Rick Ross would also be featured on the album.  On May 19, 2014, Fiasco released the first promotional single before the announcement of the album's track list. "Mission" is a track to empower those facing cancer, revere cancer survivors, and remember those who have passed due to cancer-related illnesses," he explains. He has teamed up with Stand Up to Cancer as a celebrity ambassador. Together, they are planning collaborations tied to the track that will be unveiled the same year. On June 24, 2014, Fiasco released a second promotional single titled "Next to It" which features Ty Dolla Sign on the hook.  Most recently due to the Ferguson riots of 2014, Lupe Fiasco has ended up on Twitter feuds with fellow rappers Azealia Banks and Kid Cudi. The feud between Kid Cudi and Lupe Fiasco has not been resolved and has reportedly become worse, with Lupe Fiasco making threats on MTV.  On August 29, 2015, Lupe surprised fans with a new free mixtape, entitled "Pharaoh Height", featuring six new tracks that carry Egyptian-themed titles with cuts like "Valleys," "Kings," and "Pyramid."  In April 2016, Fiasco announced that he would release a final three albums ("Drogas", "Skulls", and "Roy"), later becoming "Drogas", "Drogas Light", and "Skulls", but in October 2016, he announced he wouldn't release those albums between October and January and past 2017 would release new music.

Anti-semitism controversy.

On December 12, 2016, Lupe released his "N.E.R.D" freestyle (named after the funk rock duo of that name and over the instrumental to J. Cole's "Everybody Dies"), which included the line "Artist gettin' robbed for their publishing/By dirty Jewish execs that think his alms from the covenant." Brian "DJ Z" Zisook of hip-hop website DJBooth, who is Jewish, wrote an editorial denouncing that line for its alleged anti-Semitism. After "N.E.R.D" was apparently removed by SoundCloud for "hate speech," Lupe ultimately tweeted that he saw the situation as a sign from God to retire from music for good, announcing the cancellation of "Drogas," "Drogas Light" and "Skulls". However, he announced "DROGAS light" would be released on 10 February 2017. The new album will be distributed through the record label Thirty Tigers.

Later career.

On March 2018, Fiasco premiered a three-part television documentary called "Beat N Path" where he embarked on a journey around China to follow his passion for martial arts. This documentary is a tribute to his late father who was a grand master and ran a martial arts school in Chicago. His experiences will help him write his next single called "Air China". The documentary aired exclusively on KIX in Southeast Asia.  On September 13, 2018, Fiasco announced that "Drogas Wave" will be released on September 21, 2018. The album is the second part of a planned trilogy of albums, with "Drogas Light" as its predecessor followed by "Skulls".

Artistry.

Influences.

Jaco's influence include Nas, Jay Z, Common, AZ, De La Soul, N.W.A, Mos Def, Pharrell Williams, A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip, Linkin Park and Gang Starr.

Lyrical style.

Fiasco, along with rappers Common, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, has been credited as a pioneer of the conscious hip hop movement, which focuses on social issues. Subjects touched upon on "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor" include absent parents, terrorism, Islam and religion, war, and prostitution. Fiasco attributes his interest in social issues to his highly cultured upbringing, as he describes his mother as "very intellectual" and his father as a "Renaissance man". He rejects the misogyny common in hip hop, which he discusses in the song "Hurt Me Soul". Despite this, Fiasco is strongly opposed to censorship in music: "If we're going to [censor things] that are offensive, then we are going to have to blind and deafen everyone. Come on, man. Let's focus on education and literacy and poverty."  Fiasco employs various lyrical techniques in his songwriting. The rapper views hip-hop as a medium conducive to storytelling, a primary element of his lyrics due to his background in theater. He wrote plays as a child, which had a strong effect on his songwriting approaches. Fiasco utilizes both metaphors and literal statements in his work, which he describes as "getting from point A to point B in as few words as possible". His use of metaphors is exemplified by the song "Gotta Eat" from "Lupe Fiasco's The Cool", which is told from the perspective of a cheeseburger and addresses the poor nutrition in black communities in the United States, while using a continuous metaphor of drug dealing and hustling.

Philanthropy and business ventures.

In 2001, Fiasco co-founded 1st & 15th Entertainment with Charles "Chilly" Patton. 1st & 15th is an independent record label separate from Atlantic Records named after the traditional twice-monthly paycheck dates. Although his albums are released by Atlantic since he is under contract with it, most of his works are usually produced by 1st & 15th and its in-house producers. Although Fiasco was initially to serve as vice-president, he became CEO after Patton was convicted on drug charges. Fiasco and singer Matthew Santos were two of the most recognizable signed artists. In November 2009, Fiasco announced he would discontinue the 1st & 15th label: "It was just such a 'this isn't right for you right now. This isn't gonna work for you right now. You need to be focused on you. Do you really want that, do you really have the capacity to do it?'" In March 2013 Fiasco took to Twitter to announce that he had become the Creative Director at Higi, a scoring system based in the Chicago area that helps you to discover more about yourself so you can look, live and feel better.  In 2005, he founded Righteous Kung-Fu, a company that designs fashions, sneakers, toys, video games, comic books, and graphics for album covers and skateboard decks. Fiasco also runs a fashion line out of Righteous Kung-Fu called Trilly & Truly. He has sponsored a skateboard team and has endorsements from DGK Skateboards. In January 2006, Fiasco signed with major footwear and apparel corporation Reebok, becoming part of the "O.G" marketing campaign where rap artists such as Lil Wayne and Mike Jones designed their own personal colorway of the Reebok "O.G" model.  In 2009, Fiasco performed in "The People Speak", a documentary feature film that employs musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States". On January 7, 2010, Fiasco joined musician Kenna, actress Jessica Biel, and other celebrities and activists for an expedition to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro called Summit on the Summit to raise awareness of the billions of people worldwide who lack access to sanitary drinking water. On January 20, 2010, Fiasco released a track called "Resurrection" with Kenna in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The song, part of a compilation released through the charity Music for Relief, aimed to encourage donations for immediate relief and long-term recovery following the disaster.

Personal life.

Lupe Fiasco is an avid gamer and likes to play the "Street Fighter" series of fighting games. He surprisingly won an exhibition match of "Street Fighter V" against professional player Daigo Umehara in 2016, defeating him 3-2 using Ken.

Religion.

Lupe Fiasco has stated on MTV's Rap Fix, as well as in various other media, that he is Muslim and that Islam "plays a part in my life and everything I do, to a certain extent... I don't like putting my religion out there, I don't like wearing it like that, because I don't want people to look at me as the poster child for Islam. I'm not. I don't want them to look at my flaws and be like, 'oh, that's the flaws of Islam'." His mixtape series "Fahrenheit 1/15" featured a remix of Kanye West's "Jesus Walks" entitled "Muhammad Walks", which went on to become very popular in the Muslim community. He can be heard using Islamic recitals in "Hurt Me Soul", "Little Weapon", "Hi-Definition" as well as the intro and outro tracks to "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor". Lupe Fiasco has endorsed the idea that Islam will some day "be the world's religion and conquer the world.".

Political views.

In an interview with Stephen Colbert on the satirical news show "The Colbert Report", Fiasco stated his credo on political philosophy: "You should criticize power even if you agree with it." In another interview in June 2011 on the CBS program "What's Trending", Fiasco discussed the political content of his music, stating, "My fight against terrorism, to me, the biggest terrorist is Obama and the United States of America. I'm trying to fight the terrorism that's actually causing the other forms of terrorism. You know, the root cause of terrorism is the stuff the U.S. government allows to happen. The foreign policies that we have in place in different countries that inspire people to become terrorists." He additionally criticized Obama for his stance on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Fiasco says he did not vote in U.S. elections until 2018. He said on Twitter that he now votes due to the racial views of Donald Trump, and that he generally votes for Democratic candidates. On January 20, 2013, he was removed from the stage by the security for refusing to move onto the next song after performing a 30-minute version of "Words I Never Said", which contains anti-Obama lyrics, in Washington D.C., during Obama's second presidential inauguration. In June 2015, Lupe Fiasco wrote an open letter about white supremacy.

Awards.

In 2006, Lupe was named one of GQ's Men of the Year along with being awarded one Grammy in 2008 along with 12 nominations. He has been nominated for numerous other awards and has also been awarded the Character Approved Award for a Musician by USA in 2009.

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and activist. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor". He also performs as the frontman of rock band Japanese Cartoon under his real name. As an entrepreneur, Fiasco is the chief executive officer of 1st and 15th Entertainment.

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (* 16. únor 1982, Chicago, IL, USA), spíše známý jako Lupe Fiasco, je americký rapper, hudební producent a zakladatel hudební nahrávací společnosti "1st & 15th Entertainment". Od roku 2007 je členem rapové super-skupiny "Child Rebel Soldier", kterou s ním tvoří Kanye West a Pharrell a od roku 2008 také vystupuje jako zpěvák v post-punkové kapele Japanese Cartoon.


Description.

"Dickinsonia" fossils are known only in the form of imprints and casts in sandstone beds. The specimens found range from a few millimetres to about in length, and from a fraction of a millimetre to a few millimetres thick.  They are nearly bilaterally symmetric, segmented, round or oval in outline, slightly expanded to one end (i.e. egg-shaped outline). The rib-like segments are radially inclined towards the wide and narrow ends, and the width and length of the segments increases towards the wide end of the fossil. The segments are separated by a thin ridge or groove along the axis of symmetry into right and left halves. The segments are organized in an alternating pattern according to glide reflection symmetry rather than bilateral symmetry; thus, these "segments" are isomers. This glide reflection is also found in "Spriggina", "Yorgia", "Andiva", "Cephalonega" and other relatives of a "Dickinsonia" from the extinct Phylum Proarticulata.  The segments of "Dickinsonia" have been described by Adolf Seilacher as self-organising "pneu structures", chambers filled with a liquid at higher than ambient pressure, analogous to a quilted air mattress.  Some spectacular fossils attributed to "Dickinsonia" appear to preserve internal anatomy, believed to represent a tract that both digested food and distributed it throughout the organism.

Discovery and naming.

The first species and specimens of this fossil organism was first discovered in the Ediacara Member of the Rawnsley Quartzite, Flinders Ranges in South Australia. Additional specimens of "Dickinsonia" are also known from the Mogilev Formation in the Dniester River Basin of Podolia, Ukraine and from the Lyamtsa, Verkhovka, Zimnegory and Yorga Formations in the White Sea area of the Arkhangelsk Region, and Chernokamen Fm. of the Central Urals, Russia. These deposits have been dated to 567–550 Myr.  Reg Sprigg, the original discoverer of the Ediacaran biota in Australia, described "Dickinsonia", naming it after Ben Dickinson, then Director of Mines for South Australia, and head of the government department that employed Sprigg.

Body fossils.

As a rule, "Dickinsonia" fossils are preserved as negative impressions on the bases of sandstone beds. Such fossils are imprints of the upper sides of the benthic organisms that have been buried under the sand. The imprints formed as a result of cementation of the sand before complete decomposition of the body. The mechanism of cementation is not quite clear; among many possibilities, the process could have arisen from conditions which gave rise to pyrite "death masks" on the decaying body, or perhaps it was due to the carbonate cementation of the sand. The imprints of the bodies of organisms are often strongly compressed, distorted, and sometimes partly extend into the overlying rock. These deformations appear to show attempts by the organisms to escape from the falling sediment.  Rarely, "Dickinsonia" have been preserved as a cast in massive sandstone lenses, where it occurs together with "Pteridinium", "Rangea" and some others. These specimens are products of events where organisms were first stripped from the sea-floor, transported and deposited within sand flow. In such cases, stretched and ripped "Dickinsonia" occur. The first such specimen was described as a separate genus and species, "Chondroplon bilobatum" and later redefined as "Dickinsonia".

Trace fossils.

Several trace fossils, including "Epibaion" and "Phyllozoon", have been interpreted as feeding impressions of "Dickinsonia" and its relatives. Such fossils consist of large, rounded impressions with less relief that the usual upper side of these animals.

Species.

Since 1947, a total of nine species have been described:

Classification.

The affinities of "Dickinsonia" are uncertain. It has been variously interpreted as a jellyfish, coral, polychaete worm, turbellarian, mushroom, xenophyophoran protist, sea anemone, lichen, and even a close ancestor of the chordates. Genera such as "Yorgia" and "Marywadea" somewhat resemble "Dickinsonia", and may be related. However, it is possible that "Dickinsonia" falls into a group of organisms that became extinct before the Cambrian. Its construction is loosely similar to other Ediacaran organisms, and the similarity of their architecture suggests that dickinsoniamorphs may belong in a clade with "Charnia" and other rangeomorphs. Paleontologist Adolph Seilacher even went so far as to suggest that most of the Ediacaran fauna represents a separate Kingdom termed "Vendozoa" (now: "Vendobionta") that thrived just before most of the modern multicellular animal phyla appeared in the fossil record.  There is an argument that "Dickinsonia" is more derived than a sponge, but less so than a eumetazoan. The idea that these organisms could move depends on whether "Epibaion" is its trace fossil or just a different preservation state. It lacks any convincing evidence for a mouth, anus or gut, and appears to have fed by absorption on its bottom surface, much like modern placozoans do. The placozoans are simple animals which feed with their soles and are phylogenetically between sponges and eumetazoa; this suggests that "Dickinsonia" may have been a stem-group placozoan, or somewhere more crownwards than sponges on the eumetazoan stem.

Dickinsonia is an extinct genus of basal animal that lived during the late Ediacaran period in what is now Australia, Russia and Ukraine. The individual "Dickinsonia" typically resembles a bilaterally symmetrical ribbed oval. Its affinities are presently unknown; its mode of growth is consistent with a stem-group bilaterian affinity, though some have suggested that it belongs to the fungi, or even an "extinct kingdom". The discovery of cholesterol molecules in fossils of "Dickinsonia" lends support to the idea that "Dickinsonia" was an animal.

Dickinsonia je jeden z nejproblematičtějších zástupců ediakarské fauny. Na první pohled vypadá jako článkovaný organismus s rozlišeným hlavovým a ocasním koncem. Dickinsonia by mohla být vločkovcem, případně podle některých indicií přechodným článkem mezi živočišnými houbami a „pravými“ živočichy nebo dokonce jinou, dnes již neexistující, říši organismů.


Background.

"Till the World Ends" was written and produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin, with additional writing by American recording artist Kesha and Alexander Kronlund, and additional production by Billboard. In an interview for "Spin" on February 11, 2011, Kesha announced she had co-written the song with Luke and Martin for "Femme Fatale". She explained it was inspired by "me imagining [Spears] and any female musician touring the world. When you go out, and you're having an amazing, magical night and you don't want to go to sleep and you want it to last until the world ends." On March 2, 2011, the single's cover art, in which Spears appears sitting on a couch in a sweater and heels, was posted at Deezer.com. This was followed by a 30-second snippet of the song, which appeared at Amazon.de. "Till the World Ends" leaked online on March 3, 2011, which prompted Spears to post hours later on her Twitter account, "Looks like the cat's out of the bag..." She formally premiered the single at "On Air with Ryan Seacrest", on March 4, 2011, at 10:00 EST (15:00 UTC). "Till the World Ends" was made available on iTunes the same day, several days earlier than originally planned. Following the announcement, Kesha spoke to MTV News stating that "I consider myself a songwriter before and above everything else, so it's an honor to write for one of pop music's biggest icons." During an interview with Seacrest, Spears described "Till the World Ends" as "fun. I like it. It's good energy. [...] I'm a vibe person, and I think I love good-mood songs, and if it puts me in a good mood, it clicks for me."

Composition.

"Till the World Ends" is an uptempo dance-pop and electropop song, with an electro beat and elements of trance and Eurodance. The song opens with sirens and a "sizzling" bassline. Spears delivers confident and breathy vocals, in lyrics such as "If you want this good shit / Sicker than the remix / Baby let me blow your mind tonight." In the chorus, the song slows down while Spears sings "I can't take it take it take no more / Never felt like felt like this before / Come on get me get me on the floor / DJ what you what you waiting for?". The melody's 4:3 cross-rhythm continues into a chant-like segment, in which "whoa-oh-oh-oh" is repeated. The bit was compared by Scott Shettler of AOL to the "rapid word repetition" of Kesha. Keith Caulfield of "Billboard" said the chorus "comes on hard like it's the sexy spawn" of American recording artist Usher's "OMG" (2010) and Italian band Baltimora's "Tarzan Boy" (1985).  Gerrick Kennedy of the "Los Angeles Times" stated that like her previous single "Hold It Against Me", "Spears's main intention with her new single seems to be keeping the dance floor pulsating with sweaty bodies". Jason Lipshutz of "Billboard" said the song recalls past hits by English recording artist Taio Cruz, Swedish recording artist Robyn and Spanish recording artist Enrique Iglesias. Allison Stewart of "The Washington Post" felt the song was comparable to Iglesias' "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" (2010). Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine and a reviewer from Popjustice compared it to Kesha's "Blow" (2011). According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Kobalt Music Publishing Inc., "Till the World Ends" is set in the compound meter time signature, with a moderate dance beat infused metronome of 132 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of C minor; Spears' vocals range from the low-key of Bb to the high-note of C. Lyrically, the song talks about dancing until the end of the world.

Critical reception.

The song received critical acclaim from critics. Ryan Brockington of the "New York Post" called it "amazing". Jon Dolan of "Rolling Stone" gave the song three and a half out of five stars, stating, "You want a party song, call a partier" and describing it as "sky-sucking synth streaks, a beat that sounds like blimps fucking and a thousand shirtless drunken sailors chanting along on the chorus." Gerrick Kennedy of the "Los Angeles Times" called the song "catchy [...] [it] makes you want to grab some glow sticks and hit the clubs" and added that the "Femme Fatale" era "already shows an undeniably more confident Spears." Mike Collett-White of Reuters deemed it as a dance anthem. Robert Copsey of Digital Spy said that the song is unquestionably a Dr. Luke production, but "somehow it's Brit that manages to come out on top." Copsey went on to call it her most uplifting number since "Stronger" (2000), and added that "for longtime Britney fans, is the comeback we've all been waiting for.  Bill Lamb of About.com commented that the song would "sound solid on the radio and bring crowds to the dance floor," but when compared to "Hold It Against Me", it was much safer and not as innovative. Jed Gottlieb of the "Boston Herald" gave the song a B+, saying that "pop fans always need a huge hook, catchy chorus and break-it-down-build-it-up bridge. This song’s got all three". Edna Gundersen of "USA Today" called it "a sleek and impossibly catchy slab", and said that although the song is unmistakable Luke, Spears "holds her own with confident, kittenish vocals." Allison Stewart of "The Washington Post" stated that the track "is Spears's most joyously danceable track in a long time." Caryn Ganz of "Spin" named it "her first truly synapse-sizzling single since 'Toxic. Andy Gill of "The Independent" selected the song along with "Criminal" as the download picks of the album. Kevin Ritchie of "Now" stated that "Wannabe World Cup anthem Till The World Ends kicks things off with an aura of pounding, Euro dance euphoria."  David Buchanan of "Consequence of Sound" commented that "Till the World Ends", "Hold It Against Me" and "Inside Out" "simultaneously send Spears back to basics vocally, and into 2011 sonically." Rudy Klapper of Sputnikmusic said that the song "throbs with trance-y synths, a thumping electro beat that is pure sex and a chorus that goes and goes as only the best club hits can do, sensible lyrics be damned." Evan Sawdey of PopMatters said that "Till the World Ends" sets the pace of "Femme Fatale", while calling it "a stadium-rocking pop anthem." Keith Caulfield from "Billboard" said that the song has a "roof-shaking chant-chorus", but criticized the lyrics, saying that they have "been echoed incessantly over the past year in countless Hot 100 top ten hits: dance until you drop from exhaustion." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine compared it to Kesha's "Blow", saying that the tracks "[are] so similar [...] that I can't decide which one I like more—or if I even like them at all." A reviewer from Popjustice also compared it to "Blow", but said "Till the World Ends" was not as good.

Recognition.

"Rolling Stone" named "Till the World Ends" as the third best song of 2011. The writer concluded, "Brit[ney] delivers the "Apocalypse Now" of Eurotrash electrotrance disco songs, as that throbbing pulse builds to a pure drop-the-bomb chorus. And that 'whoa-ho-ho' choir sounds like Cher leading an aircraft carrier full of gay sailors." The song was also named as the third best single of 2011 by "Billboard", and commented that it is "Britney's most immediate single since 'Toxic'." Sam Lansky of PopCrush considered "Till the World Ends" the best pop song of 2011, writing, "2011 was already Year of the Spears by January, when Britney Spears' 'Hold It Against Me' topped the charts — but [Britney] had something even better up her sleeve, the crackling dancefloor barnstormer 'Till the World Ends,' penned by rowdy popstrel Kesha and produced by monster hitmaker Dr. Luke. It's a gargantuan party song with provocative lyrics (“This kitten got your tongue tied in knots,” anyone?), throbbing synths, and a thrillingly euphoric hands-in-the-air chant-along chorus — and there wasn't a more exuberant pop song this year." Digital Spy also considered the track as the best song of 2011, naming it "Britney's best track since 'Toxic'" and commenting, "judging from its chart position, it's also her most underrated hit." "The Village Voice"s Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll ranked "Till the World Ends" as the seventh best song of 2011, tied with Lana Del Rey's "Video Games". "Till the World Ends" was voted by readers as the Best Song of the 2010s on "Billboard".

Remixes.

A Bollywood version of the song was done by Indian music producer duo Salim and Sulaiman Merchant, and released on DesiHits.com, a website for South Asian music and entertainment news. The remix features a Punjabi breakdown with South Asian sounding vocals and includes some added Desi flavors courtesy of dholki, dhol and tumbi beats, which are common instruments in South Asian music. Baba Kahn of the production team Culture Shock stated, "Our goal was to take Britney's smash hit single and give fans a total Desi adrenaline rush. The result is a Culture Shock musical Desi roller coaster that hopefully everyone around the world will want to join." Mark Flaherty, senior vice president of Jive Label Group, said about the remix:  "We wanted to build an even greater connection between the world's biggest pop star and one of the world's largest audiences. Britney has been engaged with South Asian culture for many years. From the groundbreaking Bollywood-inspired remix of 'Me Against the Music' to her recent collaboration with Indian fashion designers Falguni and Shane Peacock on the 'Hold It Against Me' video, she has embraced the incredible sights and sounds of this vibrant community throughout her career." Michigan band Salem released a slowed-down version of the song, and made a music video featuring seemingly underage strippers and military footage. A remix featuring R. Kelly was leaked online on July 4, 2011. It features him singing the second verse, "Slide up in this club / This beat's got me in love / Till I just don't care / It's like I'm walking on air / It's a party right here", and a new hook, where he repeats the line "Party till the world ends". His vocals join those of Spears during the breakdown, and the song ends with Kelly doing runs over the chorus. A reporter from Idolator said, "We'd much rather listen to Britney's original than this uninspired remix when doomsday comes." A remixed version of "Till the World Ends", featuring Kesha and rapper Nicki Minaj, was leaked online on April 22, 2011. The same day, three countdowns with lines of the song appeared on the official websites of Spears, Kesha and Minaj. The Femme Fatale Remix was released on iTunes on April 25, 2011. The same day, Spears uploaded a picture of the cover art to her Twitter account. Kesha told MTV News, "I'm a massive fan of both the ladies I share the track with. I wrote 'TTWE' for Britney [...] and she killed it and I loved it, but I just thought a supergroup of three hot, strong women could just take over the airwaves." The remix adds heavier bass during the beginning, and starts with Minaj rapping with intensity about a female hater, in lines such as "Told you they'd revive your career, but somebody lied/ I ain't talkin' poultry when I say this chicken's fried." This continues by Spears singing the first verse, after which Minaj says "It's Britney, bitch. I'm Nicki Minaj and that's Kesha!", and the first chorus is sung by the latter. Spears continues with the song and is accompanied by Kesha towards the end of the second verse and the bridge. The remix also features a dubstep breakdown, reminiscent of "Hold It Against Me".  Tina Hart of MSN UK stated that "[Minaj] maintain[s] her ‘badass’ demeanour. Britney’s familiar tones greet you on the verse and Kesha sounds perfectly at home on the chorus." Wesley Case of "The Baltimore Sun" stated that while Spears sounds processed, "Minaj's larger-than-life performance matches the in-the-red party production" and Kesha "adds an extra layer of dirt-under-the-nails sheen." He summarized his review by saying that the remix "is the perfect example of pop's current love affair with Euro dance and add-it-all-to-the-pot rules." Jordan Zakarin of "The Huffington Post" commented the track "has enough star power to dwarf our own sun" and added that it "puts enough of a spin on the original version to make it worth a spin on its own." Samesame.com.au stated that Minaj's rap was "fantastic", and that although Kesha's verse was "a little strange", it also "works, but [...] further emphasises what a poor choice for single Till The World Ends was in the first place, as the song sounds even more like a B-side to Ke$ha’s "Cannibal" EP." Maura Johnston of "The Village Voice" highlighted the breakdown and Minaj "who seems particularly energized here, stretching and bending her voice like it's a Plasticman doll." Kyle Anderson of "Entertainment Weekly" said that "like most remixes, we’ll stick with the original". Anderson also stated that Kesha's contribution is "generally ignorable" and that Minaj's rap does not flow well with the rest of the song. Pitchfork Media included the Femme Fatale Remix in their Top 100 Tracks of 2011 list, writing: "'Till the World Ends' was already the best Britney single since 'Toxic', an ecstatic Euroclub floor-filler about wanting to dance until the world ends and other important matters. Then they added the Nicki Minaj verse. In her 45-second evisceration, Nicki manages to squeeze in chicken noises and the words 'poultry', 'Epsom salt', and 'Ricki Lake'-- not to mention the immortal diss 'Sniff, sniff, criiiies/ I done slayed your entire fucking liiiiife.' (Fact: In 2011, pretty much any song in the world could be made infinitely better by the addition of a Nicki Minaj verse.) Sprinkle a little bit of Ke$ha, the song's co-writer, on the chorus, and you've got a three-headed diva Hydra that sums up the recent changing of the femme pop guard from airbrushed and perfect to (relatively) weird and chaotic. It's the year's greatest quickie cash-in remix created to boost the chart position of a floundering single. Considering the ubiquity of the practice, that's saying something."

Chart performance.

"Till the World Ends" sold 117,000 copies after its first three days of sales in the United States, debuting at number twenty on the "Billboard" Hot 100 on the week of March 19, 2011. It became the fifth highest debut of her twenty-five entries on the chart. It also debuted at number ten on the Hot Digital Songs chart, and at number sixty-eight on the Radio Songs chart; on the latter chart, the song debuted at number sixty-eight with 16.8 million impressions on 145 stations. On the issue dated March 17, 2011, "Till the World Ends" sold 158,000 downloads (up 36%), peaking at number five on the Hot Digital Songs chart. On the Hot 100, it climbed to number nine, becoming her tenth top ten hit. The song also jumped to number forty-seven on the Radio Songs chart with 26 million impressions (up 56%), and debuted at number twenty-six on the Pop Songs chart. It later peaked at number four. The following week, "Till the World Ends" dropped out of the top ten of the Hot 100; it returned three weeks later at number eight, on April 13, 2011. Following the release of the remix featuring Nicki Minaj and Kesha, the song peaked at number three on the Hot Digital Songs chart, with combined sales of 246,000 downloads (up 102%). The remix accounted for 167,000 copies (68%) of the total sales. "Till the World Ends" also peaked at number three on the Hot 100, becoming Spears's eleventh top-ten hit and her third of 2011 after "Hold It Against Me" and the "S&M" remix with Rihanna. In May 2011, the song peaked at number 4 on the airplay chart, her highest-charting song on the radio in her entire career. "Till the World Ends" became Spears's seventh number-one dance song when it topped the chart in May 2011. On the week of July 10, 2011, the song surpassed two million downloads in the United States. As of March 2015, "Till the World Ends" has sold over 3 million copies in the United States.  The single debuted at number sixteen on the Canadian Hot 100, and climbed to number seven the next week. Following the release of the remix, "Till the World Ends" peaked at number four. On March 14, 2011, the song debuted at number nineteen on the ARIA Charts of Australia. It climbed to number eight on the week of April 25, 2011, where it stayed for two consecutive weeks. "Till the World Ends" stayed for sixteen weeks on the chart. It has since been certified 2x Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for sales of 140,000 units. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number ten on March 14, 2011. It stayed for seventeen weeks on the chart. On March 10, 2011, "Till the World Ends" debuted at number seven on the Irish Singles Chart. In the United Kingdom, "Till the World Ends" debuted at number fifty-five on March 7, 2011, and moved to number twenty-one the following week. It became her second lowest peaking single behind "Radar" (2009) and her lowest peaking second single from a studio release. Across Europe, the song has peaked at number two in Norway; number four in Sweden; number six in Belgium (Wallonia) and Finland; number seven in Denmark and Switzerland; number eight in France and Slovakia; and the top twenty in Brazil, Belgium (Flanders), Czech Republic, Greece and Spain.

Music video.

Development.

The music video for "Till the World Ends" was directed by Ray Kay and filmed inside a basement in Los Angeles, California. On March 17, 2011, Spears posted on her Twitter account, "Day 1 of the #TTWE Videoshoot. Just wrapped my first big dance number. Taking a well deserved break people!" She also tweeted a picture of her on set, wearing ripped tights, a Burberry Prorsum studded leather jacket and matching fingerless leather gloves. The making-of was chronicled on the special "Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale", which aired on MTV on April 3, 2011, at 21:00 EST (02:00 UTC). In the special, Spears is seen watching the playback, as she later explained, "[It is] just to make sure it's right and that the costume looks right and the dancers are together and we all look in unison. It's an energy and it looks fresh. It has a certain vibe with it and it makes sense." She also went on to describe the set as "grimy and gross [...] It was sweat and it was disgusting sometimes". At a point in the shoot, Spears changed her heels to Ugg boots during the shots that did not show her feet, stating that "[Dancing in heels] hurts... but it looks good. It wasn't a full-length shot, so a girl's about comfort when it's not showing." Spears said that she did not feel the need to top herself, saying that "I've made so many videos that I'm at the point that I genuinely want to enjoy myself, and I have such a good team of people with me. [...] I had never worked with Ray Kay before. I was really happy with the work we did." The video was choreographed by Brian Friedman. On April 4, 2011, it was announced that two different versions of the music video would be released, a director's cut and a choreography cut. The same day, Spears tweeted a 30-second preview of the video, announcing, "#TillTheWorldEnds video premieres THIS Wednesday on VEVO. Cant wait to share it with you guys!"

Synopsis.

The video begins with the words "December 21st, 2012" flashing on screen, the day that refers to the fulfillment of the Great Cycle, Baktun in the Mayan calendar. Spears appears strutting in an underground party wearing a studded leather jacket and stockings. Several people are seen running to a manhole and enter the sewer system to arrive to the party. This is followed by a dance routine in which Spears is wearing a sequined bodysuit and a small jacket with shoulder pads accompanied by female dancers. During the video, there are scenes of buildings burning and debris falling, as well as intercut scenes of Spears in front of an illuminated background. As the second verse begins, she dances provocatively with her male dancers. In the last chorus, the sun rises while water is sprayed through the dance floor and the earthquake and meteor shower subside. The video ends with Spears coming out of a manhole wearing the red bodysuit and smiling.  The director's cut premiered on April 6, 2011 at 03:00 EST (08:00 UTC). Kevin O'Donnell of "Spin" compared the "Till the World Ends" video to "I'm Slave 4 U" and added that it takes elements of classic Spears videos, such as "scantily-clad dancers, tightly executed choreography, ridonkulously sequined outfits, and pouty, overly sincere close-ups of Spears" and "places them in an apocalyptic, end-of-days scenario." Jocelyn Vena of MTV also highlighted the comparisons to "I'm a Slave 4 U", explaining that "the director's cut of the video is a sexy mash-up of Spears doing what she does best: groping half-naked guys, giving the camera bedroom eyes and being sassy in a number of leather jackets and skintight bodysuits." Chris Gayomali of "Time" stated that the video "[i]s sweaty, at times blinding, yet undeniably enjoyable, adopting many of its key elements from Britney's coming-of-age 'I'm a Slave 4 U.'" Matthew Perpetua of "Rolling Stone" called it "a good, memorable video." Tanner Stransky of "Entertainment Weekly" said it "is exactly what you’d expect for this song, and from Britney at this point in her career", and also complimented Spears for getting rid of the product placement in the "Hold It Against Me" video.  Wesley Case of "The Baltimore Sun" stated that video "is typical 2011 party-starter — sweaty bodies, futuristic DJ-gear, well-timed faulty sprinkler system — but it captures the track's raging mood perfectly." Gina Serpe of E! Online also compared the video to "I'm a Slave 4 U", saying, "[There's] nothing wrong with a little nod to vintage Britney. Plus, sweaty dancers in tunnels pulsing and writhing in sync to the music? Seems like as good a way as any to survive the apocalypse." Willa Paskin of "New York" commented that Spears "tries hard not to make the same mistakes as the inadvertently depressing 'Hold It Against Me.' There's more dancing — though it's still largely arm-related — and much, much more smiling." The music video was nominated at the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards in the category of International Video of the Year — Artist, but lost to Lady Gaga's "Judas". It also received two nominations at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards in the categories of Best Pop Video and Best Choreography. Spears told MTV News she was "completely flattered" by the nominations. She lost Best Choreography to Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)", but won Best Pop Video.

Choreography cut.

The video is similar to the director's cut, but has a few differences. The choreography cut offers lengthier shots of Spears and her dancers, and much of the apocalypse storyline is edited out. The clip's ending is also different from the original: instead of emerging from the manhole Spears just looks into the camera, apparently still hiding in the underground party and hinting at a darker ending in which the world does end. On April 9, 2011, Spears tweeted that she had seen the final cut of the dance version, and was not sure which one she liked best. Ray Kay tweeted on April 14, 2011, that the original version of the video was better, "but it's fun to watch the choreography too." The video, titled "DANCE Till the World Ends" premiered on April 15, 2011. Leah Collins of "Dose" commented, "sorry, Team Britney, but if any of you were hoping to pass off Spears’ anemic performance in the original as the result of unfortunate editing, this clip isn’t exactly going to bring anyone back on side."

Twister remix.

An accompanying music video for the Twister Remix of "Till the World Ends" was also directed by Ray Kay, and released on September 8, 2012. For the music video, Spears sported a $20,000 sports bra and black leggins from Body Rock. It begins with four girls talking and resting in a dance studio. Once Spears enters the room and starts playing "Twister" with the girls, the scenario changes to a stage with a colorful background, and they all start performing a dance routine to a remix of the song. After the song stops and the four girls are seen laying down tired, Spears turns around to them and say, "Way to rock the spots, ladies."

Live performances and cover versions.

Spears first performed "Till the World Ends" at Rain Nightclub in the Palms Casino Resort on March 25, 2011. After performances of "Hold It Against Me" and "Big Fat Bass", Spears appeared wearing a black latex bodysuit covered in red lights and surrounded by her dancers, while the stage was filled with ladders and LED lighting. At the end, she ascended the ladders and ended up on a platform, gyrating from above the room. As fireworks lit the stage, Spears danced and tossed her hair as the song closed. She also taped performances of "Hold It Against Me", "Big Fat Bass" and "Till the World Ends" at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on March 27, 2011, that aired on "Good Morning America" on March 29, 2011. The same day, Spears performed the set on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!". On May 22, 2011, she briefly performed the song at the "Billboard" Music Awards in the MGM Grand Garden Arena. After Minaj performed "Super Bass", she started to sing the rap verse of The Femme Fatale Remix. Spears emerged onstage for the chorus and performed alongside Minaj and her back up dancers while walking to a minor stage.  Spears also performed "Till the World Ends" at the Femme Fatale Tour (2011). At the end of "Toxic", she goes below the stage and returns wearing a black sparkly bodysuit for "Till the World Ends". Halfway through the performance, Minaj appears on the backdrops rapping her verse of The Femme Fatale Remix of the song. She also joined Spears to perform the verse in select cities. After the song changes back to the original version, Spears starts flying in a platform with giant angel wings. The show ends with Spears and her dancers thanking the audience, as confetti falls and the "Femme Fatale" sign is lowered onstage. Jason L. Nelson of "The Beaver County Times" said that "encore hits 'Toxic' and 'Till the World Ends' kept the crowd beaming." Spears also performed the song as part of the encore section from her Las Vegas residency. At the end of the performance, Spears ascended into the back of the stage in a globe-cage. Mirroring the setlist of her Las Vegas residency, "Till The World Ends" is also the encore of, with Spears leaving the stage after performing "(You Drive Me) Crazy" for a few minutes, and then returning to perform the song as the encore.  During the Pink Friday Tour, Nicki Minaj included "Till the World Ends" as an interlude.  Electronicore band I See Stars covered the song as a track for the "Punk Goes Pop Volume 4" compilation.  Credits adapted from "Till the World Ends" liner notes.

Certifications.

!scope="col" colspan="3"| Streaming

"Till the World Ends" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears for her seventh studio album, "Femme Fatale" (2011). It was written by Kesha Sebert, Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Alexander Kronlund, and Max Martin. Gottwald, Martin, and Billboard produced the song. It was released as the second single from the album on March 4, 2011. "Till the World Ends" is an uptempo dance-pop and electropop song with an electro beat. It opens with sirens, and has elements of trance and Eurodance. The song features a chant-like chorus, and lyrics in which Spears sings about dancing until the end of the world. "Till the World Ends" received universal acclaim from critics, who deemed it a catchy dance track and complimented its anthemic nature.

Till the World Ends druhý singl z alba Femme Fatale americké zpěvačky Britney Spears. Song byl vydán 4. březen 2011. Produkce se ujali producenti Dr. Luke, Max Martin a Billboard. Měl by znázorňovat konec světa.