Lynise Walters, known professionally as Queen Pen, is an American rapper. Born in Brooklyn, New York City, she was discovered by producer Teddy Riley at an IHOP restaurant in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Riley later invited her to "spit lyrics" for Blackstreet's 1996 single "No Diggity", which became her and Riley's most successful recording. Walters 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.
Blackstreet is an American R&B group founded in 1992 by record producers Chauncey "Black" Hannibal, and Teddy Riley. The group released four albums with Interscope Records between 1994 and 2003. They achieved relative commercial success leading up to their 1996 single "No Diggity", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.
Edward Theodore Riley is an American record producer, singer, and songwriter credited with the creation of the R&B and hip hop fusion genre new jack swing. He is the founder and lead singer of the musical group Blackstreet, as well as its predecessor, Guy. The genre also gained popularity from artists who heavily utilized Riley's production and songwriting, namely Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown, Heavy D & the Boyz, Keith Sweat, Hi-Five, and the Jackson 5, among others.
Sarah Connor is a German pop singer. She rose to prominence after she signed with X-Cell Records in 2000 and released her debut album Green Eyed Soul (2001) the following year. She followed it with a series of successful albums, including Unbelievable (2002), Key to My Soul (2003), Naughty but Nice (2005), Christmas in My Heart (2005), Soulicious (2007), Sexy as Hell (2008) and Real Love (2010). Several songs from these albums became hit singles on the pop record charts, including the number-one hits "From Sarah with Love", "Music is the Key", "Just One Last Dance", "Living to Love You" and "From Zero to Hero". In 2015, Connor's first German language project Muttersprache became her second chart-topper after a decade.
"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.
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.
Naughty but Nice is the fourth studio album by German singer Sarah Connor. It was released by X-Cell and Epic Records on 21 March 2005 in German-speaking Europe. As with her previous projects, Connor consulted production and songwriting duo Rob Tyger and Kay Denar to work with her on the album, with frequent collaborator Bülent Aris also returning following his absence on Key to My Soul (2003). In addition, Johnny Douglas, Terri Bjerre, Emily Friendship, and Ivo Moring scored songwriting credits.
Sarah Connor is a studio album by German recording artist Sarah Connor. It was released by Epic Records and Sony Music on 9 March 2004 in the United States, marking her North American debut. It compiles selected songs from her first three studio albums Green Eyed Soul (2001), Unbelievable (2002) and Key to My Soul (2003). Comprising nearly all of her singles released up to then, Sarah Connor includes the number-one hits "From Sarah with Love" and "Music Is the Key", both produced by frequent collaborators Rob Tyger and Kay Denar, as well as production by Bülent Aris, Mekong Age, and American musicians Jerry Duplessis, and Wyclef Jean.
Unbelievable is the second studio album by German recording artist Sarah Connor, released by X-Cell Records on September 30, 2002 in German-speaking Europe. Connor re-teamed with Rob Tyger and Kay Denar to work on the majority of the production of the album, consulting additional help from Wyclef Jean, Jerry Duplessis, Bülent Aris, Sugar P, and Triage.
Green Eyed Soul is the debut album by German recording artist Sarah Connor. It was released by X-Cell Records on November 26, 2001, in German-speaking Europe. Connor worked on the majority of the album with Bülent Aris and duo Rob Tyger and Kay Denar, all of who would become frequent collaborators on subsequent projects. She also collaborated with American rapper TQ as well as producers Adam Charon, Mekong Age, and Rufi-Oh. Green Eyed Soul is predominantly a pop album with major influences of contemporary R&B, hip hop and soul music. The album's lyrics explore the complexities of romantic relationships and stages of love.
"Let's Get Back to Bed – Boy!" is a song by German recording artist Sarah Connor. Written and produced by frequent collaborative duo Rob Tyger and Kay Denar, the song features American R&B singer TQ. Conceived for Connor's debut album, Green Eyed Soul (2001), the track is built around a mandolin sample and scratching hip hop beats, over which Connor, as the female protagonist, adopts sensual vocals and expresses her desire to have intercourse with her partner, inviting him to her bed.
"From Sarah with Love" is a song by German recording artist Sarah Connor. It was co-written and produced by Rob Tyger and Kay Denar and Connor for her debut studio album, Green Eyed Soul (2001). The title of the song is inspired by the James Bond movie From Russia with Love. Released as the album's third single on 5 November 2001, it peaked at number one in the Czech Republic, Germany, Portugal and Switzerland and reached the top three in Austria and Finland. "From Sarah with Love" was nominated for Best National Single – Rock/Pop at the 2002 ECHO Awards and received a triple gold certification from the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI).
"Skin on Skin" is a song by German singer Sarah Connor from her second studio album, Unbelievable (2002). Written and produced by Rob Tyger and Kay Denar, it was released by X-Cell Records as the album's second single on 4 November 2002 and reached the top 10 in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Portugal.
"He's Unbelievable" is a song by German singer-songwriter Sarah Connor from her second studio album, Unbelievable (2002). Written and produced by Rob Tyger and Kay Denar, it was released as the album's third single on 24 March 2003. The track contains elements of 2Pac's 1996 hit "California Love" featuring Dr. Dre.
"Music Is the Key" is a song by German recording artist Sarah Connor and all-male American a cappella group Naturally 7. The song was written and produced by longtime collaborators Rob Tyger and Kay Denar and recorded for Connor's third studio album, Key to My Soul (2003). The track talks about the power of music, and eventually finding your own melody through listening.
"Just One Last Dance" is a song by German recording artist Sarah Connor. It was written and produced by Kay Denar and Rob Tyger for her third studio album, Key to My Soul (2003). X-Cell Records released a duet vesion of the song, featuring guest vocals by Connor's then-husband Marc Terenzi's former band, Natural, on 1 March 2004 as the second and final single from the album. Lyrically, "Just One Last Dance" alludes to couple's final dance in a Spanish cafe before they are forced to part ways.
"From Zero to Hero" is a song by German recording artist Sarah Connor, written and produced by Rob Tyger and Kay Denar for Connor's fourth studio album, Naughty but Nice (2005). The song was released on 7 March 2005 as the album's second and final single and moreover served as the European theme song for the 2005 20th Century Fox animated film Robots, in which Connor voiced the character of Cappy. It became Connor's fifth number-one hit in Germany, staying atop the German Singles Chart for three nonconsecutive weeks.
"The Best Side of Life" is a song by German recording artist Sarah Connor. It was released by X-Cell Records as the lead single from the 2006 reissue of her first Christmas album, Christmas in My Heart (2005), accompanying the release of Connor's DVD of the same name. Written by Marc Lennard and Achim Heider under his pseudonym JoHo HF, the Christmas song was produced by frequent collaborators, duo Kay D. and Rob Tyger. A midtempo love song, the instrumentation includes bell chimes and harp sounds. The song's lyrics declare that the protagonist wants for Christmas to be united with her lover and family for the holidays.
"Don't Leave Me" is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet, produced by Teddy Riley and released in February 1997 as the third single from their second album, Another Level (1996). It contains a sample of the DeBarge song "A Dream", also used in "I Ain't Mad at Cha" by Tupac Shakur. "Don't Leave Me" features Eric Williams, Mark Middleton, and Chauncey Hannibal on lead vocals. It topped the New Zealand Singles Chart for two weeks in May 1997 and reached No. 6 in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the song peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart.
"I'll Kiss It Away" is a song by German recording artist Sarah Connor. It was written by Connor along with frequent collaborators, Rob Tyger and Kay Denar, for her sixth studio album, Sexy as Hell (2008), while production was helmed by Tyger and Denar. A mid-tempo pop ballad with contemporary R&B influences that deals with Connor's feelings during the hospitalization of her second child Summer, "I'll Kiss It Away" was released by X-Cell Records as the album's second and final single on 7 November 2008.
