Blacks' Magic

Last updated
Blacks' Magic
Blacks' Magic.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 19, 1990 (1990-03-19)
Recorded1989–1990
Studio
  • Bayside Sound (New York City)
  • Soundtrack (New York City)
Genre Hip hop
Length52:48
Label
Producer
Salt-N-Pepa chronology
A Salt with a Deadly Pepa
(1988)
Blacks' Magic
(1990)
A Blitz of Salt-n-Pepa Hits
(1990)
Singles from Blacks' Magic
  1. "Expression"
    Released: November 13, 1989
  2. "Independent"
    Released: May 5, 1990
  3. "Do You Want Me"
    Released: May 25, 1991
  4. "Let's Talk About Sex"
    Released: August 31, 1991
  5. "You Showed Me"
    Released: November 30, 1991
  6. "Expression '92"
    Released: March 12, 1992
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Christgau's Consumer Guide A− [2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [4]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Melody Maker (favorable) [6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Spin (favorable) [8]

Blacks' Magic is the third studio album by American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa, released on March 19, 1990, by Next Plateau Records and London Records. A critical and commercial success, the album peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard 200 and number 15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments in excess of one million copies in the United States. The album spawned four commercially successful singles, three of which reached the top 10 of the Hot Rap Singles chart; "Let's Talk About Sex" (number 13 in the US, number two in the UK), "Expression" (number 26 in the US, number 23 in the UK), "Do You Want Me" (number 21 in the US, number five in the UK), and "You Showed Me" (number 47 in the US, number 15 in the UK).

Contents

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Expression" Cheryl James
  • Cheryl James
  • Producer, Dana 'Dum' Mozie
  • Asst. Producer
4:04
2."Doper Than Dope" Fingerprints
  • Steevee-O, The Boy Wonder
  • The Invincibles
4:21
3."Negro wit' an Ego"Fingerprints
3:40
4."You Showed Me"
  • Excalibur
  • The Invincibles
4:01
5."Do You Want Me"Fingerprints
  • Hurby Luv Bug
  • The Invincibles
4:52
6."Swift"Fingerprints
  • Steevee-O, The Boy Wonder
  • The Invincibles
4:04
7."I Like to Party"Fingerprints
  • Salt
  • Hurby Luv Bug
  • The Invincibles
3:51
8."Blacks' Magic"Fingerprints
4:16
9."Start the Party"JamesSalt3:51
10."Let's Talk About Sex"Fingerprints
  • Hurby Luv Bug
  • The Invincibles
3:33
11."I Don't Know"
3:11
12."Live and Let Die"Fingerprints
  • Quicksilver
  • The Invincibles
3:07
13."Independent"JamesSalt4:46

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Blacks' Magic. [9]

Salt-N-Pepa

Additional musicians

  • Dante Basco - Rapping
  • Jacci McGhee – special guest appearance (track 1)
  • Joyce Martin – background vocals (track 4)
  • Alpha – background vocals (tracks 5, 10)
  • Omega – background vocals (tracks 5, 10)
  • Hurby Luv Bug – background vocals (tracks 5, 10)
  • Kid 'n Play – special guest appearance (track 11)
  • Sybil – special guest appearance (track 13)
  • Stanley Brown – all keyboards

Technical

  • Salt – production (tracks 1, 7, 9, 13)
  • Steevee-O, The Boy Wonder – production (tracks 2, 6)
  • The Invincibles – production (tracks 2–8, 10–12)
  • Hurby Luv Bug – production (tracks 3, 5, 7, 10, 11); album concept
  • Excalibur – production (track 4)
  • Spinderella – production (track 8)
  • Quicksilver – production (track 12)
  • Play – album concept
  • Andre DeBourg – engineering
  • Dana 'Dum' Mozie – engineering
  • Herb "Pump" Powers – mastering

Artwork

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Blacks' Magic
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [16] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

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  2. Christgau, Robert (2000). "CG Book '90s: S". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s . Macmillan. ISBN   0312245602 . Retrieved March 30, 2019 via robertchristgau.com.
  3. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music . Omnibus Press.
  4. Sandow, Greg (April 6, 1990). "Blacks' Magic". Entertainment Weekly .
  5. Johnson, Connie (April 29, 1990). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 21, 2023.
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  7. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 617.
  8. France, Kim (May 1990). "Spins". Spin . p. 78. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  9. Blacks' Magic (liner notes). Salt-N-Pepa. Next Plateau Records. 1990. PLCD1019.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  14. "Salt-N-Pepa Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
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