Monica Denise Arnold is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, she began performing as a child and joined a traveling gospel choir by the age of ten. Monica signed with record producer Dallas Austin through his label Rowdy Records in 1993, and gained prominence following the release of her debut studio album, Miss Thang (1995). Her follow-up albums were met with continued success; her second, The Boy Is Mine (1998) remains her best-selling album and spawned three Billboard Hot 100-number one singles: "The Boy Is Mine", "The First Night" and "Angel of Mine".
"P.Y.T. " is a song by American singer, songwriter and dancer Michael Jackson, released as the sixth single from his sixth album, Thriller (1982). The song was written by James Ingram and Quincy Jones.
"The Boy Is Mine" is a duet by American singers Brandy and Monica. It was written by LaShawn Daniels, Japhe Tejeda, Fred Jerkins III, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and Brandy, while production was helmed by Jerkins and Dallas Austin. It was released as the lead single from both singers' second albums from 1998, Never Say Never by Brandy and the album of the same name by Monica. Inspired by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney's 1982 duet "The Girl Is Mine", the lyrics of the mid-tempo R&B track revolve around two women fighting over a man.
"Angel of Mine" is a song by British R&B girl group Eternal from their first compilation album, Greatest Hits (1997). It was written by Rhett Lawrence and Travon Potts, produced by Lawrence, and released on 29 September 1997. The song became Eternal's 12th and final top-10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number four. "Angel of Mine" was the ensemble's final single as a three-piece, as after its release, Kéllé Bryan left the group. In June 2019, "Angel of Mine" was ranked at number 91 on the Official Charts Company's "Top 100 Girl Band Singles of the Last 25 Years".
After the Storm is the fourth studio album by American singer Monica. It was first released on June 17, 2003 through J Records. Created over a period of three years, in which Monica experienced personal struggles and its original version, All Eyez on Me, was delayed numerous times following the moderate success of single "All Eyez on Me" as well as the leak to Internet file-sharing services and heavy bootlegging after its Japan-wide release, Monica decided to scrap most of the album in favor of new material for which she consulted new collaborators such as Missy Elliott, who would receive executive producer credit due to her predominant share of contributions on the album.
All Eyez on Me is the third studio album by American recording artist Monica. Named after its same-titled lead single, it marked the singer's first record under Clive Davis' J Records roster and was first released on September 11, 2002, in Japan. The tracks on the album are a mixture of uptempo songs and ballads, and it was crafted by producers such as Dallas Austin, Bryan Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and Soulshock & Karlin.
"So Gone" is a song by American R&B recording artist Monica. It was one out of several tracks rapper-producer Missy Elliott wrote and produced along with Kenneth Cunningham and Jamahl Rye from production duo Spike & Jamahl for Monica's fourth studio album, After the Storm (2003), following the delay and subsequent reconstruction of her 2002 album, All Eyez on Me. Incorporating elements of hip hop and 1970s-style smooth jazz as well as soul music, it features a sample from the 1976 song "You Are Number One", penned by Zyah Ahmonuel and performed by The Whispers.
"What About Us?" is a song by American singer Brandy from her third studio album, Full Moon (2002). It was written by LaShawn Daniels, Rodney Jerkins, Kenisha Pratt, Nora Payne and Norwood, featuring main production by Jerkins. An offbeat, aggressive high-tech track, the song's development was motivated by the fact that the singer wanted something different–an aggressive, sexier and edgier sound with a message which would empower women while also reflecting her own growth and maturity.
"Angel in Disguise" is a song recorded by American singer Brandy for her second studio album Never Say Never (1998). It was written by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, Traci Hale, and Tye-V Turman, and was produced by Jerkins along with Brandy. The song was recorded and mixed by audio engineer Dave Way at the Pacifique Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California and features prominent backing vocals by singer Joe.
"U Should've Known Better" is a song by American recording artist Monica. It was written in collaboration with Harold Lilly and Jermaine Dupri, and produced by the latter along with frequent co-producer Bryan Michael Cox for her original third studio album, All Eyez on Me (2002). When the album was shelved for release outside Japan, the song was one out of five original records that were transferred into its new version, After the Storm (2003). A contemporary R&B slow jam, "U Should've Known Better" contains elements of soul music and rock music. Built on an pulsating backbeat, the song's instrumentation consists of screeching guitars and an understated harp pattern. Lyrically, Monica, as the protagonist, delivers a message of loyalty to her imprisoned love interest and sings about staying down for him despite his doubts.
"It's Not Right but It's Okay" is the third single from American singer Whitney Houston's fourth studio album, My Love Is Your Love. It was written by LaShawn Daniels, Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, Isaac Phillips, Toni Estes and produced by Rodney Jerkins, who went by the nickname Darkchild. The song examines a woman confronting her lover about his infidelity. Houston won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for this song. In 2003, Q Magazine ranked "It's Not Right but It's Okay" at number 638 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever". In 2019, Billboard listed it as one of the Greatest Songs of 1999. In 2022, the Thunderpuss club mix was listed in the list of the 200 greatest dance songs of all time on Rolling Stone. The single reached number one in Spain and the top five in Canada, Iceland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
American singer Usher has released nine studio albums, ten compilation albums, eight extended plays, and 81 singles. His music has been released on the LaFace, Arista, Jive, RCA, and gamma record labels. Usher has sold more than 33 million albums in the United States alone and over 65 million albums worldwide. With over 150 million total records sold worldwide, he is one of the best selling music artists of all time. He has nine number-one singles and 18 Hot 100 top-ten singles on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1994, Usher released his self-titled debut album in North America, which went onto sell 500,000 copies, and produced the singles "Can U Get wit It", "Think of You", and "The Many Ways". The former two peaked in the lower half of the UK and US charts. His follow-up 1997 album My Way sold over 8 million copies worldwide, becoming his breakthrough album. It is certified seven-times platinum in the US, and spawned three successful singles, including his first UK number-one song, "You Make Me Wanna...", and first US Hot 100 number-one song, "Nice & Slow". Usher's success continued in 2001, with his third studio album, 8701. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. The album produced two number-one singles, such as "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". In 2002, the album was certified five-times platinum in the US for sales of 5 million copies. As of 2010, its worldwide sales stand at over 8 million.
"Everytime tha Beat Drop" is a song by American recording artist Monica from her fifth studio album The Makings of Me (2006). It was written by Johnta Austin, Jermaine Dupri, Robert Hill, Charles Hammond, Deangelo Hunt, James Phillips, and rap group Dem Franchize Boyz, while production was hemled by Dupri, with additional credits by LRoc. Musically, the downbeat uptempo track was greatly influenced by crunk and snap music, incorporating beats of rapper Nelly's 2005 song "Grillz" and containing a vocal sample of Dem Franchize Boyz' "Lean wit It, Rock wit It" (2006).
The Makings of Me is the fifth studio album by American singer Monica. It was released by J Records on October 3, 2006, in the United States. Built upon the hip hop, gospel and modern quiet storm styles of its predecessor, After the Storm (2003), Monica envisioned her follow-up project to sound as close knit and intimate as her previous project. Consequently, she enlisted frequent collaborators Missy Elliott, Bryan Michael Cox, and Jermaine Dupri to work with her on the album, with the latter serving as its executive producer, as well as new partners such as The Underdogs, Tank, The Runners, LRoc, Swizz Beatz, and Sean Garrett.
American R&B singer Monica has released 8 studio albums, one extended play, and 48 singles. Since the beginning of her career in 1995, she has sold 5.3 million albums in the United States, In 1999, Billboard included her among the top twenty of the Top Pop Artists of the 1990s, and in 2010, the magazine ranked her 24th on its list of the Top 50 R&B and Hip Hop Artists of the past 25 years. With a career lasting over 20 years, Monica became the first artist to top the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.
"I Can Love You" is a song by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige along with her sister LaTonya Blige-DaCosta, Rodney Jerkins, and Lil' Kim for her third album, Share My World (1997), with Jerkins producing the song and Lil Kim having featured vocals. The contains elements of the song "Queen Bitch," a track from Kim's debut album Hard Core (1996), co-written by Carlos Broady and Nashiem Myrick. Due to the inclusion of the sample, they are also credited as songwriters.
"I'm Good" is a song by American R&B/pop vocal trio Blaque. It was written by Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Fred Jerkins III, and group member Natina Reed, and produced by Rodney Jerkins for Blaque's third studio album Torch. The song was also included on the soundtrack for the film Honey (2003) and released as a single in September 2, 2003. "I'm Good" peaked at number 28 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, number 47 on the Swiss Singles Chart, and number 57 on the Austrian Singles Chart. It peaked at number 95 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in November 2003.
Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj has released five studio albums, one compilation album, three mixtapes, 136 singles, and 20 promotional singles. After becoming involved with dancing, music and acting in high school in New York City, she eventually pursued her passion for rapping. Minaj was discovered by American rapper Lil Wayne and signed to Young Money Entertainment—a subdivision of Cash Money Records with distribution through Republic Records—in 2009. Her first solo single, "Your Love", peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart, an achievement that made Minaj the first female artist to top the chart as a solo artist since 2002. Minaj's next three singles, "Check It Out", "Right Thru Me" and "Moment 4 Life", all peaked within the top 40 on the Hot 100. Her debut studio album, Pink Friday, was released in November 2010, topping the US Billboard 200 and has since been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album's fifth single, "Super Bass", reached the top ten in multiple countries, including the US where it peaked at number three and has since been certified Diamond by the RIAA for selling over 10 million units in the country.
"Don't Wanna Be a Player" is a song by the American R&B singer Joe. It was written by Joe, Japhe Tejeda, Jolyon Skinner, Michele Williams and Rodney Jerkins, and produced by the latter for Joe's second studio album All That I Am (1997). Released as a single from the Booty Call (1997) soundtrack as well as All That I Am's second single, it reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Joe's second top ten hit on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, reaching number five. In the United Kingdom, "Don't Wanna Be a Player" peaked at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart, ranking among his highest-charting singles there.
"Deja Vu" is a song by American rapper J. Cole, released on December 9, 2016 from his fourth studio album, 4 Your Eyez Only. It was released on January 10, 2017, as the first single off the album.
