Country Grammar is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Nelly. It was released on June 27, 2000, by Universal Records. The production on the album was handled by Jason "Jay E" Epperson, with additional production by C-Love, Kevin Law, City Spud, Steve "Blast" Wills and Basement Beats. Nelly contributed to all lyrics on the album, with Epperson and City Spud also contributing. The album introduced a unique St. Louis sound, and introduces Nelly's vocal style of pop-rap singalongs and Midwestern, Missouri twang. It was supported by four successful singles: "Country Grammar ", "E.I.", "Ride wit Me" and "Batter Up". Its lead single, "Country Grammar ", peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. Its second single "E.I." peaked at number 16 on the Hot 100, number 12 on the UK Singles Chart and number 11 on the ARIA Singles Chart. "Ride wit Me" peaked within the top five on the Hot 100, ARIA Singles Chart, Irish Singles Chart and UK Singles Chart. The album's fourth and final single, "Batter Up" featuring St. Lunatics members Murphy Lee and Ali, achieved moderate chart success.
Hard Core is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil' Kim, released on November 12, 1996, by Undeas Recordings, Big Beat Records, and Atlantic Records. After achieving success with the hip hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A. and their album Conspiracy (1995), Kim began working on her solo album with the Notorious B.I.G. serving as the executive producer. She collaborated with a number of producers, such as Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, Stevie J., David "Ski" Willis and Jermaine Dupri, among others. Other rappers, including Jay-Z, Lil' Cease and Puff Daddy were featured on the album.
"Doesn't Really Matter" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from the soundtrack to the 2000 film Nutty Professor II: The Klumps and her seventh studio album, All for You (2001). It was written and produced by Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The track was sent to contemporary hit radio in the US on May 23, 2000, after an unmastered version was leaked to several radio stations. It is an upbeat electropop, R&B and dance song with a syncopated drum loop and bassline. Based on a previously discarded poem Jackson wrote, the lyrics are about her film character's love for The Nutty Professor.
"South Side" is a song written and recorded by American electronica musician Moby. It was released to radio on October 10, 2000, as the seventh single from his fifth studio album, Play. Initially recorded with No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani, production problems forced Moby to leave Stefani's vocals off the mix of the song included on Play; Stefani's vocals were then restored for the song's single release. The drums are sampled from "What's Up Front That Counts" by the Counts.
"Only Time" is a song by Irish musician Enya. It was released in November 2000 as the lead single from her fifth studio album, A Day Without Rain (2000). The song reached number one in Canada, Germany, Poland and Switzerland, number two in Austria, and became Enya's only top-10 single as a solo artist in the United States, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Rainbow is the seventh studio album by American R&B singer Mariah Carey, released on November 2, 1999, by Columbia Records. The album followed the same pattern as Carey's previous two albums, Daydream (1995) and Butterfly (1997), in which she began her transition into the urban adult contemporary market. Rainbow contains a mix of hip hop-influenced R&B tracks, as well as a variety of ballads. Carey produced the album with David Foster and Diane Warren, who, as well as Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, replaced Walter Afanasieff, the main balladeer Carey worked with throughout the 1990s. As a result of her separation from her husband, Tommy Mottola, Carey had more control over the musical style of this album, so she collaborated with several Hip-Hop artists and rappers such as Jay-Z, Usher and Snoop Dogg, as well as Missy Elliott, Joe, Da Brat, Master P, 98 Degrees and Mystikal.
"In Your Eyes" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, taken from her eighth studio album, Fever (2001). It was written by Minogue, Richard Stannard, Julian Gallagher, and Ash Howes and produced by Stannard and Gallagher. It is a dance-pop song and talks about sexual temptation. The song was released in Australia on 21 January 2002 as the second single from the album. In Europe, it was delayed from a January release due to the success of "Can't Get You Out of My Head", and it was eventually issued on 18 February 2002 by Parlophone.
"Especially for You" is a song performed by Australian recording artists Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan from Donovan's debut album, Ten Good Reasons (1989). The song was released as his album's second single on 28 November 1988 and was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW).
Ghetto Fabolous is the debut studio album by American rapper Fabolous. The album was released on September 11, 2001 through Desert Storm Records and Elektra Records. The production on the album was handled by DJ Clue, The Neptunes, Rockwilder, Timbaland, Rick Rock and Just Blaze, among others.
The Notorious K.I.M. is the second studio album by American rapper Lil' Kim. It was released on June 27, 2000, by Atlantic Records and was her first album on her new label Queen Bee Entertainment. It debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 229,000 copies in its first week, achieving Lil' Kim's highest peak and biggest first-week sales, and reached the top of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A commercial success, The Notorious K.I.M. was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on August 2, 2000. It was the best-selling female rap album in 2000 with sales of over 1.5 million copies in the United States. To date, The Notorious K.I.M. has sold 3 million copies worldwide.
"Dissident" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam, appearing as the fifth track on their second studio album, Vs. (1993). It was written by band members Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Dave Abbruzzese. According to Vedder, "Dissident" is about a woman who secretly shelters a refugee but eventually turns him in to the authorities because she cannot support him any longer, leading her to feel guilty about her decision.
"Breathless" is a song by Irish pop rock group the Corrs. It was released in June 2000 as the first single from their third studio album, In Blue (2000). "Breathless" was co-written and produced by famed music producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who produced for Shania Twain, Bryan Adams and Def Leppard, among others. "Breathless" is a pop song with lyrics about seduction.
"Take Me Home" is a song recorded by American singer and actress Cher for her fifteenth studio album. The album, released in 1979, bore the same name as the single. "Take Me Home" is a disco song conceived after Cher was recommended to venture into said genre after the commercial failure of her previous albums. The lyrics center around the request of a woman to be taken home by her lover. It was released as the lead single from the Take Me Home album in January 1979 through Casablanca Records, pressed as a 12-inch single.
"Can't Fight the Moonlight" is a song written by Diane Warren and performed by American singer LeAnn Rimes. It is the theme song of the film Coyote Ugly. Released as a single on August 22, 2000, the song reached the top 10 in 19 European countries, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, topping the charts in 12 of these territories; it became Australia's best-selling single of 2001. In the United States, a different mix of the song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2002.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the English synth-pop band The Human League, released on 31 October 1988 by Virgin Records. It contains 13 singles released by the band, spanning from their debut single to their most recent album at the time, as well as lead singer Philip Oakey's collaboration with Giorgio Moroder, "Together in Electric Dreams". The album reached No. 3 in the UK.
"There Will Never Be Another Tonight" is a song written by Bryan Adams, Robert Lange, and Jim Vallance for Adams sixth studio album Waking Up the Neighbours (1991). It was the third single released from the album, in November 1991. The song peaked at number two on Canada's RPM Top Singles chart, number six on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, and number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has only appeared on one compilation album released by Adams: Anthology (2005). Starting in 2009, the song is used as the opening theme song for the CBC reality competition, Battle of the Blades.
"Standing Still" is a song by American singer-songwriter Jewel. Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, the song was included on her fourth studio album, This Way (2001). Jewel wrote the song sometime after the release of her previous album, Spirit, while she was taking a break from her music career. According to Jewel, the song is about stepping back to avoid stagnation from a busy career and wanting a change of scenery from fame.
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 6 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.
Delicious Way is the debut album by Japanese recording artist Mai Kuraki. It was released by Giza Studio and Giza Inc. in Japan on June 28, 2000. The album was entirely co-written by Kuraki herself, with the help of Michael Africk and Yoko Blaqstone in some tracks, while production was handled by Kanonji. The album's background and development started in mid-to-late 1999 after her American debut single "Baby I Like", where East West Records and Giza Studio sent her back to Japan. To promote the album, four singles were released; "Love, Day After Tomorrow", "Stay by My Side", "Secret of My Heart", and "Never Gonna Give You Up".
R.I.O. is a German DJ-duo. The members are DJ Manian and Yann Peifer, who originally founded the band in 2007. Until 2012, Tony T. was part of the group. Their biggest hit was the song "Turn This Club Around", which charted in the top 5 in Germany and Austria and at number one in Switzerland.
24 July 2001
20 November 2000