Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Awards, twelve NAACP Image Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards, including the Billboard Icon Award. She has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its original song "Mighty River", becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
Shawntae Harris-Dupart, better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, she began her career in 1992 and signed with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings two years later to release her debut studio album, Funkdafied (1994). Receiving platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), it became the first album by a female hip hop solo act to do so.
Eve Jihan Cooper is an American rapper, singer, and actress from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her debut studio album, Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady (1999) peaked atop the Billboard 200, received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spawned the hit singles "What Ya Want", "Love Is Blind", and "Gotta Man". That same year, she guest featured on the Roots' Grammy Award-winning single "You Got Me", as well as Missy Elliott's single "Hot Boyz", both of which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Angela Martinez is an American-Puerto Rican radio personality, podcaster, former rapper, and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice of New York", she was prominently known for her 28-year run at New York City station Hot 97 (WQHT). She left the station in 2014 to join crosstown competitor Power 105.1 (WWPR).
Katrina Laverne Taylor, known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in the late 1990s for her collaborations with Trick Daddy on the singles "Nann Nigga", "Shut Up", and "Take It to da House". In 2000, she released her debut album Da Baddest Bitch. Afterwards, she made an appearance on the remix of "One Minute Man" by Missy Elliott and Ludacris. In 2002, she released the Kanye West-produced single "B R Right" featuring Ludacris, from her sophomore album Diamond Princess (2002).
Angela Laverne Brown known professionally as Angie Stone, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as member of the hip hop trio The Sequence. In the early 1990s, she became a member of the R&B trio Vertical Hold. Stone would later release her solo debut Black Diamond (1999) on Arista Records, which was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and spawned the single "No More Rain ".
Ashanti is the debut studio album by American singer Ashanti, released on April 2, 2002, by Murder Inc. and Def Jam Recordings. It was recorded in New York City and Los Angeles between 2001 and 2002, during the period of time where Ashanti was writing for other artists. The album features guest vocals from Gotti, Ja Rule, and the late the Notorious B.I.G. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers, including Irv Gotti, 7 Aurelius, Chink Santana, Jared Thomas and Reggie Wright.
Straight Outta Cashville is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Young Buck. It was released on August 24, 2004 via G-Unit/Interscope Records. The album's title alludes to the N.W.A's 1988 album Straight Outta Compton and is a neologism for the artist's hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.
A Gangster and a Gentleman is the debut studio album by American rapper Styles P. The album was released on July 9, 2002, through Ruff Ryders Entertainment and Interscope Records. Styles P was the second member of the Lox to record a solo album, after Kiss Tha Game Goodbye by Jadakiss was released in August 2001.
Thug Misses is the debut studio album by American rapper Khia. It was originally released on April 23, 2002, by Divine Records, followed by a wider release on April 23, 2002, by Dirty Down Records and Artemis Records. The album spawned the singles "My Neck, My Back " and "The K-Wang". Thug Misses was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 20, 2002, and as of June 2007, it had sold 611,000 copies in the United States.
Sharissa Dawes is an American singer. Born in New York City's borough of Brooklyn, Bronx raised, she began her musical career in the R&B group 4KaST. 4KaST released their 1998 debut album, Any Weather, on RCA Records, which was promoted with the singles "Miss My Lovin'" and "I Tried". After her time in the groups, Sharissa worked as a backing vocalist before she signed to Henchman/Motown Records.
"Not Tonight" is a song performed by the American rapper Lil' Kim featuring Jermaine Dupri for her debut studio album Hard Core (1996). A remix was released the following year featuring female rappers Da Brat, Missy "Misdeameanor" Elliott, Angie Martinez, and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes for the Nothing to Lose soundtrack. It was released on June 24, 1997, by Atlantic Records.
"If I Could Go!" is the first single released from American rapper Angie Martinez's second studio album, Animal House (2002). The track features rapper Sacario and singer Lil Mo and was produced by Rick Rock. Rick Rock co-wrote the song with the three performers. It is Martinez's highest-charting song to date on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 15. The song won two Certified BDS Spin Awards for 50,000 radio spins and 100,000 radio spins.
Meet the Girl Next Door is the second studio album by American singer Lil' Mo. It was released on April 29, 2003 by Elektra Records. Written and recorded during her eighth-month pregnancy break in which she became a part-time anchor for Baltimore urban radio station WXYV-FM's The Lil' Mo Show, Lil' Mo worked with a variety of producers on the album, including Missy Elliott, Walter "Lil' Walt" Millsap III, Chucky Thompson, Bryan-Michael Cox, Craig Love, Warryn Campbell, Dwayne Bastiany, and Precision. Guest vocalists on Meet the Girl Next Door include rappers Fabolous, Free, and Lil' Kim.
Jamar Austin, also known as Sacario is an American rapper and songwriter best known for writing the song "If I Could Go" for Angie Martinez. Billboard named the song among the biggest songs of the year in 2002. It was featured on Totally Hits 2002: More Platinum Hits, which is Certified Platinum by the RIAA with sales of over 1,000,000 copies.
"The One" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige featuring Canadian rapper Drake. Written alongside Ester Dean and producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, it was released on July 21, 2009 as the lead single from her ninth studio album Stronger with Each Tear. The song marked Blige's 5th entry on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, on which it reached number 32. Blige's sum extended her lead for most charted titles among women in the 1990s and 2000s.
The State vs. Radric Davis is the sixth studio album by American rapper Gucci Mane. It was released on December 8, 2009. The State vs. Radric Davis came after a slew of independent releases, mixtapes, and features over the prior few years. Productions from Polow da Don, Drumma Boy, Fatboi, Mannie Fresh, among others. Featured artists include Usher, Plies, Lil Wayne, Cam'ron, Soulja Boy, Rick Ross, Bun B, OJ da Juiceman, Wooh da Kid, Waka Flocka Flame, and Nicki Minaj. The iTunes deluxe version contains the EP, Wasted: The Prequel.
Unexpected is the fifth studio album by American singer Angie Stone. It was released by Stax Records on November 23, 2009 in the United States. Conceived following the death of her father, Stone's spiritual anchor and creative mentor, the album marked a breakaway from the neo soul elements on Stone's first four studio efforts, taking her work further into the dance pop, funk, and contemporary R&B genres. As a result, Unexpected incorporates more upbeat material, produced by Jazze Pha, among others.
American singer and songwriter Angie Stone has released ten studio albums, one compilation album, and more than two dozen singles. She has sold near five million records as a solo artist, including over 1.4 million albums in the United States. Stone's career began as a member of the hip hop trio The Sequence in the late 1970s. In 1999, she released her first solo album, Black Diamond on Arista Records. It debuted at number 46 on the US Billboard 200 and peaked at number nine on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, eventually selling more than 750,000 copies. Black Diamond was awarded gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), and produced the singles "No More Rain ", "Life Story" and "Everyday", the former of which became a number-one hit on the Adult R&B Songs chart.
Crystal Johnson is an American singer and songwriter from Brooklyn, New York. She has performed in a variety of stage productions and has collaborated with a wide array of well-known artists including Anthony Hamilton, Dr. Dre, Heavy D, Mobb Deep, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Angie Stone, Usher and many others.
