A+ (rapper)
| A+ | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Andre Levins |
| Also known as | A+, Young Plus |
| Born | August 29, 1981 |
| Origin | Hempstead, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels |
Kedar Entertainment Universal Records, Motown Records |
| Website | myspace.com/youngplus |
Andre Levins, also known as A+ (born August 29, 1981,[1] Hempstead, New York) is an American rapper. As a teenager he released albums in 1996 and in 1999.
Career
A+ began his music career in 1995, after winning a national talent competition sponsored by Def Jam Records.[2] He was the first act signed to Kedar Massenburg's record label, Kedar Entertainment.[2] According to Massenburg, the A+ moniker "means that he's striving for perfection, and he's not really talking about the same things as other young rappers."[2] In 1996, at the age of 14, A+ released his first album, The Latch-Key Child, which featured contributions from AZ, Mobb Deep and Q-Tip.[3] "All I See" was chosen as the lead single,[2] and it peaked at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,[4] staying for 14 weeks.[5]
His second and final album, Hempstead High, was released on March 23, 1999.[6] Guest appearances on the album included DeBarge, the Lost Boyz and Canibus.[6][7] The single "Enjoy Yourself", which sampled the 1976 Walter Murphy song "A Fifth of Beethoven,"[8] reached the top five of the UK Singles Chart,[9] number 63 of the U.S. Hot 100[4] for three weeks,[5] and was also commercially successful in Germany and Japan.[7]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions[10] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hip-Hop | Heatseekers | ||||||||
| 1996 | The Latch-Key Child | 36 | 17 | ||||||
| 1999 | Hempstead High | 60 | 19 | ||||||
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | AUT | BEL | FRA | GER | NLD | NOR | NZ | SWE | SWI | UK[9] | US[4] | US R&B[4] | ||
| 1996 | "All I See" | |||||||||||||
| 1999 | "Enjoy Yourself" | |||||||||||||
| 1999 | "It's On You" | |||||||||||||
| 1999 | "Bet She Don't Love You (feat. Joe)" | |||||||||||||
| 2009 | "Who Stole Hip-Hop" | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | "I'm Right Here" | |||||||||||||
References
- ↑ Mills, Brad. "A+ - Biography". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- 1 2 3 4 Hopkins, Tracy (1996-06-08). "A+ is a Perfect Score for Kedar". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 108 (23): 19. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- ↑ Mills, Brad. "Latch-Key Child - Review". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- 1 2 3 4 "A+ - Charts & Awards - Billboard Singles". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- 1 2 Top Pop Singles 1955-1999. Joel Whitburn. 2000. Record Research Inc. p. 3. ISBN 0-89820-139-X
- 1 2 Conaway, Matt. "Hempstead High - Review". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- 1 2 Nathan, David (1998-12-19). "A+ Makes Grade at Hempstead". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 110 (51): 23. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- ↑ Kim, Hyun (February 1999). "Revolutions". Vibe. Time Inc. 7 (1): 139. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- 1 2 "'Enjoy Yourself' - Chart history". Chart Stats. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- ↑ "A+ - Charts & Awards - Billboard Albums". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 2010-01-20.