Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and philanthropist. Her career began in 1991 when she was signed to Uptown Records. She went on to release 13 studio albums, eight of which have achieved multi-platinum worldwide sales. Blige has sold 50 million albums in the United States and 80 million records worldwide. Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards and has also received three Golden Globe Award nominations, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its original song "Mighty River". Furthermore, she also received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Song, becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
Jodeci is an American R&B quartet with members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their musical careers as two duos of brothers and, after years of limited success, joined forces. After signing with Uptown Records in 1991, the group began to work on their debut album, Forever My Lady, which brought them mainstream success with the Billboard Hot 100 single "Come and Talk to Me" and the album's titular track.
Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Throughout his career, Vandross was an in-demand background vocalist for several different artists including Todd Rundgren, Judy Collins, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Ben E. King, and Donna Summer. He later became a lead singer of the group Change, which released its gold-certified debut album, The Glow of Love, in 1980 on Warner/RFC Records. After Vandross left the group, he was signed to Epic Records as a solo artist and released his debut solo album, Never Too Much, in 1981.
"Love Hangover" is a song by Motown singer Diana Ross, recorded in 1975 and released as a single in March 1976. It rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Soul Singles and Hot Dance Club Play charts simultaneously.
Full Force is an American music group of hip hop and R&B singers and producers from Brooklyn, New York.
"No Diggity" is a 1996 song released by American R&B group Blackstreet as the first single for their second studio album Another Level featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and in New Zealand, and number nine in the United Kingdom. "No Diggity" ended "Macarena"'s 14-week reign atop the Billboard Hot 100. It ranked at number 91 on Rolling Stone and MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs. It 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 and was nominated for Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. It ranked at #32 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s, #407 on Q Magazine's 1001 Best Songs Ever, #33 on Blender's Greatest Songs Since You Were Born in 2005 and #43 on NME's 100 Best Songs Of The 1990s. In the United Kingdom, the song climbed back into the top forty of the UK Singles Chart in March 2013, peaking at number thirty-eight 16 years after its original release there. It was the final Cash Box #1 hit.
"(Not Just) Knee Deep" is a funk song, with a running time of 15 minutes, 21 seconds, on Side 1 of Funkadelic's 1979 album Uncle Jam Wants You.
"You Are Everything" is a soul song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed that was originally recorded by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics.
My Life is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige, released on November 29, 1994, by Uptown Records. Many of the topics on My Life deal with clinical depression, Blige's battling with both drugs and alcohol, as well as being in an abusive relationship. Unlike her debut, What's the 411? (1992), Blige co-wrote fourteen of the album's tracks, making it her most introspective and personal album at the time. Similar to her debut album, My Life features vast production from Sean "Puffy" Combs for his newly founded label, Bad Boy Entertainment, which was at the time backed by Arista Records.
"I Wanna Be Where You Are" is a song written by Arthur "T-Boy" Ross and Leon Ware for Michael Jackson, who took the song to number 7 in Cash Box and number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. It also reached number 2 on the Billboard R&B singles chart in 1972.
"I'll Be Around" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners. The song was co-written by Thom Bell and Phil Hurtt and produced by Bell.
"Nasty Girl" is a song written and composed by American musician Prince. The song was first recorded by his protégé girl group Vanity 6 in 1982, who charted at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart with their version. Prince gave the songwriting credit to lead singer Vanity, although he was the writer and composer. Inaya Day recorded a hit cover version of the song in 2004 that reached number 9 in the UK Singles Chart. There have also been several other versions of this song.
"Neither One of Us " is a song recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips. Released on December 26, 1972 on Motown's Soul Records imprint as S 35098, it became one of their biggest hit singles to date, and was also the last single the group released prior to them leaving Motown for Buddah Records in February 1973.
Ill Al Skratch is a hip hop duo consisting of two rappers, Big Ill from Brooklyn and Al Skratch from Harlem (Uptown). They are best known for their 1994 single, "I'll Take Her".
Creep Wit' Me is the debut album by East Coast hip hop duo Ill Al Skratch. It was released on August 2, 1994 by Mercury Records. It features slow and smooth production from The LG Experience and LoRider, as well as light party rhymes. It was Ill Al Skratch's most commercially successful album peaking at #137 on the Billboard 200. Nonetheless, Al Skratch blames its lack of more success on poor distribution by Mercury Records. It contains three singles: "Where My Homiez? ," "I'll Take Her" and "Chill with That." The first of the three was an underground hit that managed to reach #34 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. It was followed by "I'll Take Her," a single that featured R&B singer Brian McKnight and reached the Billboard Hot 100. It was followed by the last and least commercially successful of the three singles, "Chill with That."
"Loungin" is the third and final single by American rapper LL Cool J from his sixth studio album Mr. Smith. It was released as a single by Def Jam Recordings on June 25, 1996. The LP version was produced by Rashad "Ringo" Smith and featured backing vocals by R&B duo Terri & Monica. The Radio Remix Edit, titled "Loungin ", was remixed by Trackmasters and featured backing vocals by R&B group Total.
"I'll Try Something New" is a song written by Smokey Robinson and originally released in 1962 by The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label. Their version was a Billboard Top 40 hit, peaking at #39, and just missed the Top 10 of its R&B chart, peaking at #11. The song was released later as a joint single by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations, also becoming a charting version on the Billboard 100 pop singles chart, peaking for two weeks in April 1969 at number 25.
Cha Cha Cha is a single from MC Lyte's album Eyes on This. It was released on July 3, 1989
"Something's Got a Hold on Me" is a song by American singer Etta James. The song was written by James, Leroy Kirkland and Pearl Woods, while production was handled by Leonard and Phil Chess. It was released in 1962 as the third single from her 1962 self-titled album as a 7" vinyl disc. Musically, "Something's Got a Hold on Me" is an R&B track with elements of soul, blues and gospel. Upon its release, the single was an R&B hit, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot R&B Sides chart.
James Nelson Williams, known by the stage name D Train, is an American singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, producer and actor. He rose to fame in the early 1980s with the release of his first album “You're the One for Me”, which spawned his first US Billboard Dance chart number-one hit, "You're the One for Me". His debut album would also chart with the hits "Keep On" and the much covered Burt Bacharach hit "Walk on By". He would go on to work with Eaves producing hits on the follow-up albums Music and Something's On Your Mind before being signed to Columbia Records, producing the albums Miracles of the Heart and In Your Eyes. The two parted ways in 1988 and D Train went on to perform on his own label, releasing the album 701 Franklin Ave..
