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 and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was most popular from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip hop, seeped into pop culture.
Amerie Mi Marie Nicholson, is an American singer-songwriter, author and actress. Born and raised in Washington metropolitan area, Amerie gained an appreciation of the classical arts from her mother Mi Suk Rogers and of music from her father Charles Rogers, and she also studied dance from an early age and performed in talent contests. After her High School graduation, her family settled down in Virginia while she began to attend Georgetown University, from which she later graduated with a degree in English and Fine Arts. While living in Washington, D.C., she met producer Rich Harrison, who worked with such performers as Mary J. Blige, and began developing demos with her. This led to a deal with Rise Entertainment and, in turn, major-label Columbia Records.
Joseph Lewis Thomas, known mononymously as Joe, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Raised in Columbus, Georgia, he later relocated to New Jersey and he signed a record deal with Polygram Records in 1992. He 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".
Suit is the fourth studio album by American rapper Nelly. It was intended to be released on August 17, 2004, before being delayed and released on September 13, 2004, by Universal Records. Production for the album was handled by several producers, including The Neptunes, Jazze Pha, Doe, AHM, Jayson "Koko" Bridges, Kuya Productions, Soulshock and Karlin, Ryan Bowser, Big Boi and Beat Bullies. Released in conjunction with Sweat, Nelly intended to release a single album before conceptualizing and releasing two albums simultaneously, both of which would contrast each other's themes. Nelly characterized Sweat as "more up-tempo" and "energetic" while describing Suit as more of "a grown-up and sexy vibe [...] it's more melodic".
Don't Sweat the Technique is the fourth and final studio album by American hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released on June 23, 1992, by MCA Records. It was recorded and produced by Eric B. & Rakim at The Hit Factory in New York City. The album builds on the sounds of 1990's Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em, with Rakim sounding more aggressive on Eric B.'s jazzy, soulful production.
Miss Thang is the debut studio album by American R&B recording artist Monica. It was released by Rowdy Records and distributed through the Arista label on July 18, 1995 in the United States. Recorded throughout her early teenage years, the album was conceived under the guidance of Rowdy head Dallas Austin who would emerge as a tutor and father figure to Monica and serve as Miss Thang's sole executive producer. Incorporating a wide range of contemporary genres such as soft hip hop soul, contemporary mid-1990s R&B, pop and adult contemporary sounds, Austin recruited protégés from his DARP production camp such as Tim & Bob, Arnold Hennings, and Colin Wolfe as well as Daryl Simmons, and Soulshock & Karlin to work with her on the album.
Snap music is a subgenre of hip hop music derived from crunk that originated in the South in the 2000s, in Bankhead, West Atlanta, United States. It achieved mainstream popularity throughout the mid-late 2000s, but declined shortly thereafter. Popular snap artists include D4L, Dem Franchize Boys and K-Rab.
"Get Low" is a song by American rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz, featuring American hip hop duo Ying Yang Twins, released as a single in 2003. It first appeared on the 2002 album Kings of Crunk. "Get Low" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 20 on the Hot Digital Songs chart. It was number five on the top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs of 2003. Outside of the United States, "Get Low" peaked within the top ten of the charts in the United Kingdom, the top twenty of the charts in Germany and the top forty of the charts in Australia, Austria, and New Zealand. It is also known as a breakthrough song for the crunk genre, as the song's success helped it become mainstream. It is listed number 99 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip-Hop.
Nature of a Sista' is the second studio album by American rapper Queen Latifah. Released on September 3, 1991, it served as a follow-up to her 1989 debut album All Hail the Queen and was her final album with Tommy Boy Records. Latifah was an executive producer for Nature of a Sista' alongside American producer Shakim Compere. Although predominantly a hip hop album, it includes elements of reggae, jazz, R&B, new jack swing, and house music. The lyrics of the album's songs revolve around gender politics and romance. While discussing the album's overall style, Latifah said she moved away from hardcore hip hop to experiment with other music genres and have more creative control over her work.
Jason Lee Epperson, known professionally as Jay E, is an American record producer, entrepreneur and DJ. He is a co-founder of the production team Basement Beats. Jay E rose to fame as the producer of rapper Nelly's multi-platinum 2000 album Country Grammar which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. He has produced songs for Murphy Lee, St. Lunatics, Justin Timberlake, E-40, Cedric the Entertainer, Lil Wayne, Ron Isley, Three Six Mafia, and Hilary Duff. He is credited as one of the producers of St. Louis hip hop, a style characterized by hip hop mixed with soul, rhythm and blues and pop music. Billboard magazine, in the December 2000 issue, listed Jay E at No. 16 of the Top 100 Producers and No. 19 of the Top 100 R&B/Hip Hop Producers of 2000.
Call Me D-Nice is the debut studio album by American rapper D-Nice. It was released in 1990 via Jive Records and produced entirely by D-Nice. The album peaked at number 75 on the Billboard 200 and number 12 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Its self-titled lead single peaked at number 1 on the Hot Rap Songs and number 19 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and the second single "Crumbs on the Table" also peaked at number 17 on the Hot Rap Songs.
Still Standing is the sixth studio album by American R&B singer Monica. It was released on March 19, 2010 by J Records. Recording for the album began in 2007, in which the singer intended to take a more traditional approach to the genre and take away any "gimmicks". As executive producer of the album Monica enlisted a variety of producers including involvement by Missy Elliott, Bryan-Michael Cox, Stargate, and Jermaine Dupri. Production on Still Standing was chronicled by Monica's BET reality series of the same name which was aired between October 2009 and January 2010.
American rapper Big Sean has released five studio albums, four mixtapes, thirty-one singles, eight promotional singles, and thirty-nine music videos. In 2008, Big Sean was discovered by American rapper and record producer Kanye West, who signed Sean to his record label GOOD Music—distributed through Def Jam Recordings. Since 2008, after signing a record deal to West's label G.O.O.D. Music, Sean's breakthrough career continued through his mixtapes such as Finally Famous Vol. 2: UKnowBigSean (2009) and Finally Famous Vol. 3: BIG (2010). While he was releasing these mixtapes, he collaborated on various tracks and/or singles from West, Royce da 5'9" and Chris Brown.
Word to the Jaz is the debut studio album by American rapper and producer The Jaz from New York City. It was released in 1989 via EMI USA, and produced by Bryan "Chuck" New, Pete Q. Harris and The Jaz. The album peaked at number 87 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It featured guest appearance from Jay-Z on the song "Hawaiian Sophie", which peaked at number 18 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. The single "Let's Play House"/"Buss the Speaker" peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
Dijon Isaiah McFarlane, known professionally as Mustard, is an American record producer, DJ, record executive, beatmaker, and songwriter. He is a frequent collaborator of fellow California-bred artists YG and Ty Dolla Sign; among various other records for the hip hop and R&B genres since his entrance into mainstream music with Tyga's 2011 single, "Rack City".
XXXTentacion was an American rapper and singer who released four studio albums, two mixtapes, four collaborative mixtapes, seven extended plays and 26 singles. As of June 2018, he sold more than 25 million album-equivalent units in the United States. XXXTentacion was awarded for sales of over 20 million records by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). As of October 2020, he has sold more than 60 million records in the United States.
Peter Jones, professionally known by his stage name MC Shy D, is an American rapper and producer from the Bronx, New York. He was signed with Luke Skyywalker Records and released two albums, Got to Be Tough and Comin' Correct in 88, through the label from 1987 to 1988. He released his third album, Don't Sweat Me, in 1990 via On Top Records and Benz Records, and his fourth album, The Comeback, in 1993 via Wrap Records. In 1996, Jones released his fifth studio album, Recordnize, featuring DJ Smurf under Benz Records. His sixth and recent album, Against The Odds, was released in 1999 with Charlotte 'Tha Rhythum' Crooms also via Benz Records.
Got to Be Tough is the debut studio album by American rapper and producer MC Shy-D. It was released on August 12, 1987, via Luke Skyywalker Records. The album peaked at number 197 on the Billboard 200 and number 41 on the Top R&B Albums chart.
Comin' Correct in 88 is the second studio album by American rapper and producer MC Shy D. It was released on July 13, 1988 via Luke Skyywalker Records, his final effort on the label. The album peaked at number 35 on the Top R&B Albums chart in the US.
Love Me Now? is the third studio album by Canadian rapper Tory Lanez. It was released on October 26, 2018 through Mad Love Records and Interscope Records. This is the follow-up release to his second album Memories Don't Die which was released seven months prior. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Foreign Teck, OZ, Smash David, Cassius Jay, CashMoneyAP and NES among others. The album also features guest appearances by Chris Brown, 2 Chainz, Meek Mill, Rich the Kid, Lil Baby, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Trippie Redd, Nav, Gunna and Bryson Tiller among others.
