| Cheers 2 U | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | March 24, 1998 |
| Recorded | July 1997 – February 1998 |
| Studio | Master Sound Studios (Virginia Beach, Virginia) Soundtrack Studios Axis Studios Manhattan Center Studios (New York City, New York) |
| Length | 65:42 |
| Label | Def Soul |
| Producer | |
| Singles from Cheers 2 U | |
| |
Cheers 2 U is the only studio album by American R&B group Playa, released March 24, 1998, on Def Jam Recordings subsidiary Def Soul.
The album was originally going to be named eponymously, and release was planned for October 1997. Later, Static named the album Cheers 2 U after one of their songs. It was primarily produced by Smokey and Timbaland. All three members share lead vocals on most songs, with Static dueting with Aaliyah on "One Man Woman", Black leading "Everybody Wanna Luv Somebody", and Black and Smokey handling leads on the title track.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
The album peaked at number 86 on the US Billboard 200 and reached 19 on the R&B Albums chart. [2]
Leo Stanley of AllMusic called the album "a promising debut" and also referred to it as a work of "enormous potential". [1]
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro (Interlude)" (featuring Magoo) | Barcliff, Bush, Carlos, Garrett, Vinicius, Norman, Peacock | 1:39 |
| 2. | "Don't Stop the Music" | Bush, Garrett, Peacock, Yarbrough, Peoples | 4:45 |
| 3. | "All the Way" | Bush, Garrett, Mosley | 4:56 |
| 4. | "Everybody Wanna Luv Somebody" | Bush, Garrett, Mosley, Peacock | 5:18 |
| 5. | "Together" | Peacock, Bush, Garrett | 3:55 |
| 6. | "Derby City (Interlude)" (featuring Magoo) | Barcliff, Bush, Garrett, Peacock | 2:24 |
| 7. | "I-65" | Bush, Garrett, Peacock | 4:36 |
| 8. | "Cheers 2 U" | Garrett, Mosley | 5:11 |
| 9. | "Ms. Parker" (featuring Missy Elliott) | Elliott, Mosley | 5:02 |
| 10. | "Top of the World" | Garrett, Mosley, Peacock | 4:58 |
| 11. | "One Man Woman" (featuring Aaliyah) | Garrett, Peacock | 4:30 |
| 12. | "I'll B 2 C U" | Bush, Crouch, Garrett, Jones, Mosley, Patterson, Peacock | 4:25 |
| 13. | "Push" | Bush, Garrett, Peacock | 4:01 |
| 14. | "Buggin' Over You" | Bush, Garrett, Peacock | 3:51 |
| 15. | "Gospel Interlude" | Bush, Garrett, Peacock | 2:12 |
| 16. | "I Gotta Know" (featuring Foxy Brown) | Bush, Jones, Marchand, McElveen, Patterson, Young | 3:59 |
Information taken from AllMusic. [3]
| Chart (1998) [2] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 86 |
| US R&B Albums | 19 |
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions [4] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | ||||
| 1997 | "Don't Stop the Music" | 73 | 26 | ||
| 1998 | "Cheers 2 U" | 38 | 10 | ||
Aaliyah Dana Haughton, known as Aaliyah, was an American singer and actress. She has been credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop, and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop".
Timothy Zachery Mosley, known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, and singer. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinctive "stuttering" rhythmic style. In 2007, Entertainment Weekly stated that "just about every current pop trend can be traced back to him—from sultry, urban-edged R&B songstresses [...] to the art of incorporating avant-garde sounds into No. 1 hits."
One in a Million is the second studio album by American singer Aaliyah. It was released on August 13, 1996, by Blackground Records and Atlantic Records. After facing allegations of an illegal marriage with her mentor R. Kelly following the success of her debut studio album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number (1994), Aaliyah severed all ties with him as Blackground ended its partnership with Jive Records and signed a new distribution deal with Atlantic. Throughout that period of turmoil, Aaliyah began recording her second studio album with Sean Combs, who soon abandoned the project, prompting Aaliyah and her management to seek new collaborators. She subsequently began recording with producers such as Jermaine Dupri, Vincent Herbert, and Craig King, before meeting the previously unknown Timbaland and Missy Elliott, who quickly became the album's primary contributors.
Aaliyah is the third and final studio album by American R&B singer Aaliyah. It was released on July 7, 2001, by Blackground Records and Virgin Records. Because of its packaging design, it is also known as "The Red Album". Aaliyah started to work on the album in 1998, but rescheduled its recording around her developing film career. She resumed recording in 2000 at Sing Sing Studios in Australia, where she shot her role for the 2002 film Queen of the Damned during the day and recorded songs at night. Additional recording took place at Manhattan Center and Sony Music Studios in New York and Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, among other locations. Through her recording contract with Blackground, the singer worked primarily with the record label's in-house crew of writers and producers, including Bud'da, J. Dub, Rapture, and Eric Seats, as well as longtime collaborator Timbaland.
Timbaland & Magoo were an American hip hop duo composed of producer/rapper Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and rapper Melvin "Magoo" Barcliff, formed in 1989 . The duo signed with Blackground Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records to release three studio albums: Welcome to Our World (1997), Indecent Proposal (2001), and Under Construction, Part II (2003). Following the latter's moderate reception, Timbaland then focused on his solo career and production work, while Magoo failed to release any solo material. Magoo died of a heart attack in 2023.
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Blackground Records 2.0 is an American record label founded and owned by Jomo and Barry Hankerson. Initially named Blackground Enterprises, the label switched its name to Blackground Entertainment then later Blackground Records in 2000. In 2021, the label rebranded as Blackground Records 2.0, reviving its company and catalogue onto streaming services, with a partnership with Empire Distribution. It co-operated with a publishing company founded by Hankerson, named Black Fountain Music.
Playa was an American R&B/hip hop group, formed in 1990. The original lineup consisted of Jawaan "Smoke E. Digglera" Peacock, Benjamin "Digital Black" Bush and Stephen "Static Major" Garrett. Playa is best known for their 1998 hit song, "Cheers 2 U", produced by longtime collaborator Timbaland. Static was notable for being a successful songwriter of hit singles and album tracks for artists such as Ginuwine, Aaliyah, Truth Hurts, Lil Wayne and Brandy.
Stephen Ellis Garrett Jr., known professionally as Static Major, was an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer from Louisville, Kentucky. He is best known for his posthumous guest appearance on Lil Wayne's 2008 single "Lollipop", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song and its music video were both released in memory of his death in February of that year.
Ultimate Aaliyah is a posthumous box set and second posthumous album overall by American singer Aaliyah. It was released in selected countries on April 4, 2005, by Blackground Records. The box set consists of three discs–the first disc is a greatest hits collection, the second, entitled Are You Feelin' Me?, contains material from soundtracks and Timbaland's studio albums, while the third is a DVD with the documentary The Aaliyah Story.
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American singer Aaliyah has released three studio albums, two compilation albums, and 31 singles. Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn, New York City and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At age 10, she appeared on Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At age 12, Aaliyah signed a deal with Jive Records and Blackground Records. During that time, she met R. Kelly through her uncle Barry Hankerson; eventually, he became her mentor, sole lead songwriter, and producer for her debut album. Released in 1994, Aaliyah's debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold three million copies in the United States. Months after the release of her album, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed with Atlantic Records due to allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly.
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Welcome to Our World is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Timbaland & Magoo. It was released on November 11, 1997, through Blackground Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The production was handled by Timbaland, except for the song "Joy", which was produced with Smoke E. Digglera. It features guest appearances from Playa, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Shaunta Montgomery, & Mad Skillz.
"I Care 4 U" is a song recorded by American singer Aaliyah. Written by Missy Elliott and Timbaland, the song was originally recorded for Aaliyah's second studio album One in a Million (1996), but the recording was shelved. It was re-recorded in 2000 for Aaliyah (2001). A neo soul ballad, "I Care 4 U" features beatboxing, an electric piano and multi-tracked vocals.
"We Need a Resolution" is a song recorded by American singer Aaliyah, featuring a guest appearance by American producer–rapper Timbaland for her eponymous third and final studio album (2001). Written by Static Major and Timbaland, with the latter producing it, it was released as the album's lead single by Blackground Records and Virgin Records on May 15, 2001. Musically, it is a "bouncing" alternative R&B, hip hop, and electro-funk song with Middle Eastern influences. Lyrically, "We Need a Resolution" speaks about a passive-aggressive relationship that has hit a rough patch in which the narrator (Aaliyah) asks for solutions while her partner dismisses her feelings.
"Cheers 2 U" is a song by the American R&B group Playa, that was recorded for their debut studio album of the same name (1998). The song was released as the album's second single in March 1998.
"Cabaret" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Justin Timberlake for his fourth studio album, The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 (2013). Featuring a rap verse by Canadian rapper Drake, the song was written and produced by Timberlake, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon and Daniel Jones, with additional writing from James Fauntleroy and Drake. "Cabaret" is a pop and soul song which features beatboxing, handclapping, guitars and keyboards in its composition. Music critics noted its similarity to Timbaland's earlier works with singer Aaliyah and Timberlake's 2006 single "My Love". Lyrically, it finds the singer comparing his love to a burlesque and features sexually oriented lyrics.
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