Intro
Thesis : Charlie Wilson is the pioneer for modern day Hip Hop and R&B.
1. Background Information and influences
a). Charles Kent “Charlie” Wilson (born January 29, 1953), also known as Uncle Charlie, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, producer and the former lead vocalist for The Gap Band. As a solo artist he has been nominated for eleven Grammy awards and six NAACP Image Awards (including one win), received a 2009 Soul Train Icon Award, and was a recipient of a BMI Icon Award in 2005. In 2009, he was named Billboard magazine’s No. 1 Adult R&B Artist, and his song “There Goes My Baby” was named the No. 1 Urban Adult Song for 2009 in Billboard Magazine.
b). From the start of his career, Charlie and his brothers, Robert and Ronnie, helped define and popularize an upbeat form of funk music that was infectious and lasting with their group The Gap Band. The group’s songs such as “Outstanding”, “Party Train”, “Yearning for Your Love”, “Burn Rubber on Me”, “You Dropped a Bomb on Me”, and “Oops Upside Your Head” are among their immense catalog and some of the most sampled songs in music history. After 15 albums The Gap Band announced their retirement in 2010.
2. Career and Fame
a). Wilson has consistently topped the Billboard Urban Adult Contemporary chart with singles from his follow up albums through P Music/Jive Records. His 2009 CD, Uncle Charlie, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 200 and No. 1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and received two 2010 Grammy nominations: Best R&B Album and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male for “There Goes My Baby
b). In 2010, chart-topping producer/artist, Kanye West included Wilson on his CD, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Wilson recorded over a dozen songs with Kanye and appeared on the following songs: “See Me Now”, with Kanye West featuring Beyoncé; “All of the Lights”, with Kanye West featuring Rihanna; “Lost in the World”, “Runaway”, and “Monster”, with Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, and Rick Ross. In addition to these songs, Wilson appeared on five of the G.O.O.D. Friday Releases to promote the new CD including, “Lord, Lord, Lord” with Kanye West, featuring Mos Def, Swizz Beatz, Raekwon; and “Good Friday” with Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, and Big Sean. He also appears on “Bound 2”, the closer of Yeezus, West’s 2013 album. Altogether Charlie Wilson’s albums have sold over one million copies.
c). Wilson has been nominated for eleven Grammy Awards.

3. Influence on Others and Music in Modern Day
a). Charlie Wilson’s vocal style and performance continue to influence some of today’s most popular artists, including Snoop Dogg, R. Kelly, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars and Kanye West
b). Since the 1990s, many of The Gap Band’s hits have been sampled and covered by R&B and hip hop artists such as II D Extreme, Brand Nubian, 69 Boyz, Ashanti, Big Mello, Blackstreet, Mary J. Blige, Da Brat, Ice Cube, Jermaine Dupri, Mia X, Nas, Rob Base Shaquille O’Neal, Snoop Dogg, Soul For Real, and Vesta. Other musicians inspired by The Gap Band include Guy, Aaron Hall, Jagged Edge, Bill Heausler, Mint Condition, R. Kelly, Ruff Endz, Keith Sweat, Joe Miller, GRiTT, The Delta Troubadours, and D’Extra Wiley.

c).