Blackstreet

Last updated

Blackstreet
Origin New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres
Years active1991–2003; [1] 2014–present
Labels Interscope, DreamWorks
MembersChauncey "Black" Hannibal
Levi Little
Mark Middleton
Eric Williams
Past members Teddy Riley
Joseph "Street" Stonestreet (Deceased)
Dave Hollister
Terrell Phillips
Website therealblackstreet.com

Blackstreet (often stylized as BLACKstreet) is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by record producers Chauncey "Black" Hannibal, and Teddy Riley. The group has released four albums with Interscope Records until 2003. They achieved relative commercial success leading up to their 1996 single "No Diggity" (featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen), which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.

Contents

Formation

After the breakup of Guy, Riley (while working on Bobby Brown's third album, Bobby ) came up with the idea to start a new group featuring himself, Hannibal, a singer named Joseph "Street" Stonestreet and Levi Little. Originally, the group was to be named Stonestreet, but it was later decided to combine Stonestreet with Chauncey's nickname "Black". The group became Blackstreet Featuring Teddy Riley, with an original lineup of Riley, Hannibal, Little, and Stonestreet. However, Stonestreet left after the release of the single "Baby Be Mine", and was replaced with Dave Hollister before the first self-titled album was released.

Career

In 1993, their first single "Baby Be Mine" was released on the soundtrack to the Universal Pictures comedy CB4 (starring Chris Rock). The song was written by Riley and Stonestreet and produced by Riley. [2]

Their debut album, Blackstreet, featured the singles "Booti Call", "Before I Let You Go" and "Joy". [2] "Booti Call" and "Before I Let You Go" were both Top 40 hits, with "Before I Let You Go" hitting the Top 10. In 1996, they released their second album Another Level. It was a breakthrough success due to the top single "No Diggity" (with Dr. Dre), which was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1996. In 1998, Blackstreet won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. [2]

Another Level eventually went four times platinum in the United States and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard chart. "No Diggity" was later ranked at No. 91 on Rolling Stone and MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs. [3] Another Level featured Mark Middleton and Eric Williams in place of Dave Hollister and Levi Little. [2] Both Middleton and Williams were in groups prior to joining Blackstreet. Middleton was part of the short-lived Motown Records group Brik Citi. [4] [5] [6] Williams was part of the trio The Flex, a group that sang on songs produced by their mentor Marley Marl. [7] The success of Another Level landed them a guest appearance on Jay-Z's "The City Is Mine" and they teamed with Mýa and Mase for the hit "Take Me There" from the Rugrats soundtrack. The success of Another Level would also land them a spot on New Edition's 1997 Home Again reunion tour.

Blackstreet had a top ten album with Finally. The first single from the album, "Girlfriend/Boyfriend", was a collaboration with Janet Jackson featuring Ja Rule and Eve. Riley recorded a reunion album with Guy in 2000 and subsequently began working on material for his first solo record. Riley had second thoughts about disbanding Blackstreet and patched things up with Hannibal. Middleton and Williams returned to restore the Another Level lineup, and Riley's solo project became a Blackstreet reunion. After rumors of legal action and a preemptive countersuit, the group re-banded and released Level II.

After several failed attempts to keep Blackstreet together, all members eventually continued with solo careers for a time. However, in 2014 it was announced that past members Black, Little, Middleton, and Williams were back together under the Blackstreet moniker. They continued to perform with this lineup currently, and embarked on their second Australian tour in April 2015. [8]

In 2015, three ex-members, Mark Middleton, Eric Williams and Jeremy Hanna were backing vocals for Eurovision Song Contest 2015 North Macedonia entry "Autumn Leaves" performed by Daniel Kajmakoski. [9]

Members

Current

Blackstreet featuring Teddy Riley

Past members

Discography

Related Research Articles

Lynise Walters, known professionally as Queen Pen, is an American rapper, record producer, and novelist. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she was discovered by record producer Teddy Riley at an IHOP restaurant in Virginia Beach. Riley later invited her to "spit lyrics" for Blackstreet's 1996 single "No Diggity", which became her and Riley's most successful recording. Waters signed with Riley's Lil Man Records, an imprint of Interscope Records to release her debut album: My Melody (1997), which spawned the single, "All My Love" peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album contained production largely handled by Riley and writing contributions from fellow Brooklyn native Jay-Z.

Guy is an American hip hop, R&B and soul group founded in 1987 by Teddy Riley, Aaron Hall, and Timmy Gatling. Hall's younger brother Damion Hall replaced Gatling after the recording of the group's self-titled debut album. The group released their debut album, which went on to sell over a million copies and was certified double platinum. In following their success, the group released their second album The Future in 1990, which also charted with successful singles and received platinum as well. Following their nearly decade long split, the group returned with their third album before the 2000s millennium, which charted with their hit single "Dancin'".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teddy Riley</span> American record producer and songwriter

Edward Theodore Riley is an American record producer and songwriter credited with the creation of the R&B-hip hop fusion genre new jack swing. He is the creator and lead singer of the musical group Blackstreet, as well as its precedessor, Guy. The genre also gained popularity from artists who heavily utilized Riley's production and songwriting distinction, namely Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown, Heavy D & the Boyz, Keith Sweat, Hi-Five, and the Jackson 5, among others.

<i>Faith</i> (Faith Evans album) 1995 studio album by Faith Evans

Faith is the debut studio album by American singer Faith Evans. It was released by Bad Boy Records on August 29, 1995, in the United States. A collaboration with the label's main producers The Hitmen, including members Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs and Chucky Thompson, as well as Mark Ledford, Herb Middleton, and Jean-Claude Olivier, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Diggity</span> 1996 single by Blackstreet

"No Diggity" is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet as the first single for their second studio album, Another Level (1996), featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen. Released on July 29, 1996 by Interscope, the song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and in Iceland and New Zealand. It ended "Macarena"'s 14-week reign atop the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number nine. "No Diggity" was the final number-one single of Cash Box magazine. The track sold 1.6 million copies in 1996 and won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. It uses samples from Bill Withers's "Grandma's Hands". The music video for the song was directed by Hype Williams.

The New Jack Reunion Tour, sometimes referred to as the New Jack Swing Reunion Tour, was a 2006 concert tour package that featured members of the 1990s music genre "new jack swing", the architect of which was Teddy Riley.

<i>Another Level</i> (Blackstreet album) 1996 studio album by Blackstreet

Another Level is the second studio album by American R&B group Blackstreet. Released in September 10, 1996, it was the first album with new members Eric Williams and Mark Middleton. They joined the group after replacing departed members Dave Hollister and Levi Little. Another Level was also the first Blackstreet album released under Interscope Records' new distribution deal with MCA Music Entertainment, Inc. after the company was dropped by Time Warner several months before the release of the album.

<i>Blackstreet</i> (album) 1994 studio album by Blackstreet

Blackstreet is the debut studio album from American R&B group Blackstreet, released in 1994 on Interscope Records. The group was formed by Riley with Chauncey Hannibal after the dissolution of Teddy Riley's former group Guy. The other members of Blackstreet - Joseph Stonestreet and Levi Little - were session singers alongside Hannibal on Bobby Brown's third album Bobby, an album that was mostly produced by Riley. They recorded one song for the soundtrack of the Chris Rock film CB4 called "Baby Be Mine". Before they could record an album, Stonestreet left the group and was replaced by former Force One Network singer Dave Hollister. When they re-recorded "Baby Be Mine" for their self-titled debut, Hollister's vocals were added on the album version of the song.

<i>Finally</i> (Blackstreet album) 1999 studio album by Blackstreet

Finally is the third album from R&B group Blackstreet. It was released on Interscope Records on March 23, 1999. Finally was the only album to feature Terrell Phillips, after the departure of Mark Middleton. After the success of their multi-platinum last album Another Level, their label allowed them a bigger budget for the next album. Finally was recorded at Teddy Riley's studio Future Recording Studios based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Originally given the working title Get Higher, the album was scheduled for a November 1998 release until it was pushed back to March 1999.

<i>Level II</i> (Blackstreet album) 2003 studio album by Blackstreet

Level II is the fourth album by R&B group, Blackstreet, released on March 11, 2003. It was their first and only album released on record label DreamWorks Records. The album's title was a reference to its members' best known line-up during their most successful album, 1996's Another Level. Two of the members returned for the recording of Level II. Mark Middleton returned to the fold after he was replaced by Terrell Phillips on 1999's Finally to launch a gospel music career. Dave Hollister returned on the song "Bygones", as he also left the group to start his solo career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby Be Mine (Blackstreet song)</span> 1993 single by Blackstreet

"Baby Be Mine" is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet. The song, which was recorded for the group's self-titled debut album (1994), was released as the debut single for the album and in promotion for the soundtrack to the 1993 film CB4 in February 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The City Is Mine</span> 1998 single by Jay-Z featuring Blackstreet

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Leave Me (Blackstreet song)</span> 1997 single by Blackstreet

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Booti Call</span> 1994 single by Blackstreet

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Before I Let You Go</span> 1994 single by Blackstreet

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References

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  6. "Levaba Mallison - Director of Music Production". biography. backbone pictures.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  7. "Eight inducted into EHS 'Wall of Fame'". hamptoncountyguardian.com. Hampton County Guardian. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
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  9. "Daniel Kajmakoski will be joined by Grammy winners MERJ". EuroVisionary. May 6, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2021.