The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the debut solo album by American singer and rapper Lauryn Hill. It was released on August 25, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a neo soul and R&B album with some songs based in hip hop soul and reggae. Its lyrics touch upon Hill's pregnancy and the turmoil within her former group the Fugees, along with themes of love and God. The album's title was inspired by the film and autobiographical novel The Education of Sonny Carson, and Carter G. Woodson's The Mis-Education of the Negro.
Mary J. Blige is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Awards, twelve NAACP Image Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards, including the Billboard Icon Award. She has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its original song "Mighty River", becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
Joseph Lewis Thomas, known mononymously as Joe, is an American R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Ashburn, Georgia, he later relocated to Atlanta and 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".
Shanice Lorraine Wilson-Knox is an American singer-songwriter, actress and dancer. Shanice had the Billboard hit singles "I Love Your Smile" and "Silent Prayer" in 1991 and "Saving Forever for You" in 1993. In 1999, Shanice scored another hit song, "When I Close My Eyes", which peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Shanice is recognized for her coloratura soprano voice and her ability to sing in the whistle register.
Floetry were an English R&B duo comprising Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart. The group recorded two studio albums, one live album, and sold over 1,500,000 records worldwide. Formed in 1997, Floetry started on the performance poetry stage. They have worked with many US musicians and artists including: Jill Scott, Queen Latifah, Michael Jackson, Common, The Roots, Bilal, and more founders of Neo-Soul.
Keyshia Myeshia Cole is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Cole began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer. After signing with A&M Records, she released her debut studio album, The Way It Is in 2005. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and garnered two nominations at the 2006 Soul Train Music Awards. Cole starred in the BET reality television series Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is (2006–2008), which became one of the most-watched programs in the network's history.
"I'm Every Woman" is a song by American singer Chaka Khan, released as her debut solo single from her first album, Chaka (1978). It was Khan's first hit outside her recordings with the funk band Rufus. "I'm Every Woman" was produced by Arif Mardin and written by the successful songwriting team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. The single established Chaka's career outside the group Rufus, whom she would leave after their eighth studio album Masterjam was released in late 1979.
Inner Child is the second studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Shanice, released November 19, 1991, on Motown Records. The album peaked at number 13 on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart.
21... Ways to Grow is the third studio album by American R&B singer Shanice. It was released by Motown Records on June 21, 1994 in the United States. Less successful than her 1991 album Inner Child, it peaked at number 46 on the US Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and at number 184 on the US Billboard 200. It includes the minor hit singles "Somewhere" and "Turn Down the Lights."
Shanice is the fourth studio album by American R&B singer Shanice. It was released on March 9, 1999 on LaFace Records. Produced by Dallas Austin, Babyface, Warryn Campbell, Laney Stewart, and others, the album peaked at number 56 on the US Billboard 200 and number 15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The lead single, "When I Close My Eyes", held the record for the biggest leap in one week on the Billboard Hot 100 until 2006 and peaked at number 12 on the US Hot 100. Other singles released from the album were "Yesterday" and "You Need a Man".
"Lovin' You" is a song recorded by American singer Minnie Riperton from her second studio album, Perfect Angel (1974). It was written by Riperton and Richard Rudolph, produced by Rudolph and Stevie Wonder, and released as the album's fourth single on January 18, 1975. The song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on April 5, 1975. Additionally, it reached number two on the UK Singles chart, and number three on the Billboard R&B chart. In the US, it ranked number 13 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1975.
Chrisette Michele Payne is an American R&B and soul singer. She won a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in 2009 for her song "Be OK".
"Missing You" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written and produced by Babyface for her third studio album, Share My World (1997). In the United Kingdom, the song was released as the album's third single where it reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart. "Missing You" features background vocals from singer Shanice and talks about a woman in a dilemma over a relationship with a man that she at first claimed she "wasn't in love" with but then finds herself "thinking about him all the time" and her missing him.
Real Love is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter and actress Lisa Stansfield, released on 11 November 1991, by Arista Records. Stansfield co-wrote all songs with Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, whom also produced the album.
Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams is the second studio album by American R&B singer and songwriter Solange. It was released on August 26, 2008, by Geffen Records. Solange was heavily influenced by the "Motown Sound" of the 1960s and 1970s prior to the album's recording, prompting her to work with several like-minded producers and songwriters such as Jack Splash, CeeLo Green, Mark Ronson, and Lamont Dozier, formerly of Motown's Holland–Dozier–Holland. The production also incorporated elements of downbeat and electronic music that Solange had familiarized herself with on previous trips to Europe, while the songwriting explored themes of independence.
American singer and songwriter Angie Stone has released eight studio albums, one compilation album, and more than two dozen singles. She has sold near five million records as a solo artist, including over 1.4 million albums in the United States. Stone's career began as a member of the hip hop trio The Sequence in the late 1970s. In 1999, she released her first solo album, Black Diamond (2003) on Arista Records. It debuted at number 46 on the US Billboard 200 and peaked at number nine on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, eventually selling more than 750,000 copies. Black Diamond was awarded gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), and produced the singles "No More Rain ", "Life Story" and "Everyday", the former of which became a number-one hit on the Adult R&B Songs chart.
"Every Woman Dreams" is a song by American R&B singer Shanice, released in early–2006 as the lead single from her fifth album, Every Woman Dreams. The song was co-written by her, along with husband Flex Alexander, Cynthia Wilson and her first single in six years. The song failed to chart on Billboard Hot 100; however, it peaked to no. 62 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Courtney Shanade Salter, known professionally as Ari Lennox, is an American R&B singer from Washington, D.C. She is the first female artist to be signed to J. Cole's record label, Dreamville Records. She began gaining recognition after the release of her first EP Pho (2016) on the label. That same year, she made an uncredited guest appearance on Cole's song "Change". Lennox's debut studio album Shea Butter Baby followed in 2019.
American singer Kelly Price started her singing career in 1992. She worked as a backing vocalist for singer Mariah Carey, before rising to greater prominence after making uncredited guest appearances on singles by rappers The Notorious B.I.G., and Mase. In 1998, Price released her debut album Soul of a Woman. It debuted and peaked at number 15 on the US Billboard 200 and spawned the R&B number-one hit single "Friend of Mine." In 1999, Soul of a Woman was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and by 2003, it had sold 1.13 million copies in the United States.
Shea Butter Baby is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Ari Lennox. It was released on May 7, 2019, by Dreamville and Interscope Records. The album was executive produced by Dreamville producer Elite. In addition, the majority of the album was produced by Dreamville's in-house producers: J. Cole, Elite, Omen, Ron Gilmore, and Christo, among others.
