| Back to the Real | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | April 13, 1999 |
| Genre | R&B |
| Label | G-Funk / Restless |
| Producer | Warren G, Larry Dunn |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Vibe | (favourable) [2] |
Back to the Real is the debut studio album by Reel Tight, released in April 1999 on G-Funk Records. [3]
The lead single "(Do You) Wanna Ride" peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. A cover of Earth, Wind & Fire's Reasons also reached No. 22 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart. [4] [5] [6]
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard 200 | 197 |
| Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 32 |
| Billboard Top Heatseekers | 13 |
G-funk, short for gangsta funk, is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the early 1990s. The genre was heavily influenced by the synthesizer-heavy 1970s funk sound of Parliament-Funkadelic, often incorporated through samples or re-recordings. It was represented by commercially successful albums such as Dr. Dre's The Chronic (1992) and Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle (1993).
The Chronic is the debut studio album by the American hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15, 1992, by his record label Death Row Records and distributed by Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place in Death Row Studios in Los Angeles and at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood.
New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, new jack swing was most popular from the late 1980s to early 1990s.
Joseph Lewis Thomas, known mononymously as Joe, is an American R&B singer. He signed to Polygram Records in 1992, and rose to prominence after releasing his debut album Everything the following year. He followed it with a series of successful albums under Jive Records, including All That I Am (1997), the international bestseller My Name Is Joe (2000) as well as the multi-certified albums Better Days (2001) and And Then... (2003). Several songs from these albums became hit singles on the pop and R&B record charts, including the number-one hit "Stutter", the top ten entries "All the Things ", "Don't Wanna Be a Player", and "I Wanna Know" as well as his collaborations "Faded Pictures", "Thank God I Found You" and "Still Not a Player".
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.
Maurice White was an American musician, best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter and chief producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, also serving as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.
Donell Jones is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer from Chicago, Illinois. He met record producer Eddie F in the mid-1990s and signed with his record label Untouchables Entertainment, beginning his career as a songwriter for its parent label, LaFace Records. Through the labels, he released his debut studio album, My Heart (1996) to poor commercial reception, although it spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 entries with the singles "In the Hood" and his cover of Stevie Wonder's "Knocks Me Off My Feet."
"You Make Me Wanna..." is a song by American recording artist Usher. It was released on August 5, 1997, by LaFace Records and Arista Records as the lead single from Usher's second studio album, My Way (1997). "You Make Me Wanna..." was written by Usher along with Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, who both produced the tune. An R&B, soul and pop song in C minor, it makes use of acoustic guitar, hi-hat and bell instrumentation. The song focuses on a love triangle relationship, with the protagonist wishing to leave his girlfriend for his erstwhile best friend, with a hook in which Usher states, "You make me wanna leave the one I'm with and start a new relationship with you". The record won a Billboard Music Award, a Soul Train Music Award, and a WQHT Hip Hop Award, and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is a song by American rapper Dr. Dre, featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Dogg, on Dre's debut solo album, The Chronic (1992). As the album's first single it reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 20, 1993, behind "Informer" by Snow, outperformed The Chronic's other singles, "Fuck wit Dre Day ", which peaked at number 8, and "Let Me Ride", which peaked at number 34. The single also reached number 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and was a number 31 hit in the UK. Its music video was directed by Dr. Dre himself.
"Freak Like Me" is a song by American R&B singer Adina Howard, released on January 25, 1995 by East West and Lola Waxx, as the debut single from her first album, Do You Wanna Ride? (1995). The song reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, as well as number two on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart for four weeks, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of one million copies. Its music video was directed by Hype Williams. In 2023, Billboard ranked "Freak Like Me" among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time". The song has been covered by several artists, including British girl group Sugababes, who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart with their version in 2002.
"4, 3, 2, 1" is a song by Queens rapper LL Cool J featuring Method Man & Redman, Canibus and DMX from LL Cool J's seventh album Phenomenon as the second single. It was released on December 9, 1997, for Def Jam Recordings and was produced by Erick Sermon. The single featured an extended version not featured on the album featuring an additional verse from Southern hip hop rapper Master P. Both the original song and the extended cut had accompanying music videos. The song peaked at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 10 on the Hot Rap Singles and number 24 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 & 2 is the debut studio album by American singer and rapper Nate Dogg. Vol. 1 of the album was originally released through Death Row Records in January 1997, but was taken off the market a week after its release due to legal problems at Death Row Records. It was then rereleased as a two volume set by Breakaway Entertainment in the summer of 1998. The first volume was recorded during his tenure at Death Row Records, while the second volume was recorded after. By that time, the popularity of West Coast hip hop had greatly diminished and the album only managed to make it to number 58 on the Billboard 200 and number 20 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album did produce four singles with two top 40 singles, however, "Never Leave Me Alone", which was released on October 22, 1996, through Death Row Records and peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"I Don't Wanna" is a song recorded by American singer Aaliyah. Written and composed by Johntá Austin, Jazze Pha, Donnie Scantz, and Kevin Hicks, it appears on both the Next Friday (1999) and Romeo Must Die (2000) soundtracks.
"Never Ever" is a song performed by R&B singer Ciara. It is the first single released from her third studio album, Fantasy Ride. The song features rapper Young Jeezy, was produced by Polow da Don, and was co-written by Ciara and Elvis "BlacElvis" Williams, who both produced and co-wrote Ciara's single, "Promise", from her second album, Ciara: The Evolution.
The discography of K-Ci & JoJo, an American R&B duo made up of Cedric and Joel Hailey, consists of five studio albums, five compilation albums, fifteen singles, and fifteen music videos. K-Ci & JoJo were originally the lead singers of the R&B group Jodeci before signing a record deal with MCA Records. In 1997, they released their debut album, Love Always. In the United States, Love Always peaked at number five on the Billboard 200, and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Internationally, the album reached the top 50 on the Swiss, Canadian, and Australian Charts, and appeared on the UK and Swedish Albums Chart. The album produced four singles, including the multi-national number-one song, "All My Life".
"Reasons" is a love ballad by Earth, Wind & Fire from their sixth studio album, That's the Way of the World. The song features the falsetto singing on lead vocals of Philip Bailey.
Prince released several hundred songs both under his own name and under pseudonyms and/or pen names, as well as writing songs which have been recorded by other artists. Estimates of the actual number of songs written by Prince range anywhere from 500 to well over 1,000. He has released 117 singles, 41 promotional singles, 24 internet singles, and eight internet downloads.
The discography of American R&B and jazz singer Chanté Moore consists of six studio albums, two collaborative albums, twenty-three singles, twenty collaborations and eleven music videos. Moore has had four record deals with MCA Records, Arista Records/LaFace Records, Peak Records and Shanachie Records, before founding CM7 Records.
"Don't Wanna Lose You" is a song by American singer and songwriter Lionel Richie. It was written by Richie along with James Harris III and Terry Lewis for his fourth studio album, Louder Than Words (1996), while production was helmed by Harris and Lewis under their production moniker Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The song reached number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Richie's final top 40 hit.
"I Don't Wanna Be in Love" is a song by American singer Keyshia Cole. It was written by Cole and Brian Bates, with production being handled by the former alongside Anthony Bell, Greg Edwards, and Ron Fair. The song was released on February 5, 2021, through Hearts and Stars and BMG, following its preview during her and Ashanti's joint appearance on the Verzuz webcast battle series in January 2021.