Raising Hell is the third studio album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released on May 15, 1986, by Profile Records. The album was produced by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin. Raising Hell is notable for being the first Platinum and multi-Platinum hip hop record. The album was first certified Platinum on July 15, 1986, before it was certified as 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 24, 1987. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most important albums in the history of hip hop music and culture.
Bigger and Deffer is the second studio album by American rapper LL Cool J, released on May 29, 1987, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. With over two million copies sold in the United States, it remains one of LL Cool J's best-selling releases. Bigger and Deffer dominated the summer of 1987, spending 11 weeks atop the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and peaking at number three on the Billboard 200. It became the fourth hip hop album to receive platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
How Ya Like Me Now is the second solo studio album by American rapper Kool Moe Dee from the Treacherous Three. It was recorded at Battery Studios in London, England and released on November 3, 1987, via Jive Records.
Tougher Than Leather is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released on May 17, 1988, by Profile Records. The album was produced by the group members themselves, Davy D. and Rick Rubin.
Yo! Bum Rush the Show is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released on February 10, 1987. It was recorded at Spectrum City Studios in Hempstead, New York, and became one of the fastest-selling hip hop records, but was controversial among radio stations and critics, in part due to lead rapper Chuck D's black nationalist politics. Despite this, the album has since been regarded as one of hip hop's greatest and most influential records.
Prince is the second studio album by the American musician Prince. It was released on October 19, 1979, by Warner Bros. Records. The album was written, arranged, composed, produced and performed entirely by Prince. Overall, Prince was regarded as more diverse than For You (1978), and performed better critically and commercially. Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote: "This boy is going to be a big star, and he deserves it".
Contemporary R&B is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music.
Exposé is the third album by American vocal group Exposé, released in 1992. The album's music style is less Latin influenced than their previous albums, with more adult contemporary material. The album features more of Ann Curless on lead vocals; she sings lead on "I Think I'm in Trouble," "As Long as I Can Dream," "In Walked Love," and "Angel." This album marks the debut of Kelly Moneymaker as a member of the group.
It's About Time is the debut studio album by American female R&B trio SWV. It was released by RCA Records on October 27, 1992, in the United States. It earned 11 Billboard Music Award nominations and became the 16th best-selling album of 1993 in the United States, with 2,100,000 copies sold according to Nielsen SoundScan. It also earned SWV a nomination for Best New Artist at the 36th Grammy Awards. In 1996, It's About Time was certified 3× platinum, for shipping over 3,000,000 albums in the US alone.
Funkdafied is the debut album by American rapper Da Brat. It was released on June 28, 1994, and sold over one million copies, making her the first solo female rapper to go Platinum. Funkdafied debuted and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200, and topped the Rap Charts and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album was preceded by the first single, "Funkdafied", released on May 13, 1994. The single went Platinum in August and then the album went Platinum in January 1995.
I Got the Hook-Up is the soundtrack to Michael Martin's 1998 crime comedy film I Got the Hook-Up. It was released on April 7, 1998, through No Limit/Priority Records.
A Rose Is Still a Rose is the thirty-fourth studio album by American recording artist Aretha Franklin. It was released on March 24, 1998, by Arista Records. Conceived after a longer hiatus and a complete departure from her previous studio album What You See Is What You Sweat (1991), the album includes influences of 1990s hip hop as well as modern-day contemporary R&B and soul music. Throughout the project, Franklin worked with many famed hip hop producers and rappers, such as Lauryn Hill, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Jermaine Dupri, and Daryl Simmons. With the latter acts producing most of the album, A Rose Is Still a Rose deviated from the adult contemporary sound of Franklin's older work.
Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr is a compilation album, featuring 35 songs released by hip hop duo Gang Starr between 1989 and 1999, plus a brief 'intro' track. It was released by Virgin Records. The album includes 21 tracks taken from the five albums it had released up to that point, eight of which were previously available only on soundtracks or vinyl singles, and three newly recorded tracks. The compilation was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 19, 1999 and Silver by the BPI on February 12, 2016.
Bulworth: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Warren Beatty's 1998 film Bulworth. It was released on April 21, 1998 via Interscope Records and consists of hip hop music. The album is composed of fourteen songs and features performances by the likes of B-Real, Canibus, Dr. Dre, Eve, Ice Cube, Kam, KRS-One, LL Cool J, Mack 10, Mýa, Pras, Prodigy, Public Enemy, The Black Eyed Peas, Witchdoctor, Youssou N'Dour, and Wu-Tang Clan's Cappadonna, Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard and RZA, among others.
Diana Ross' Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American singer Diana Ross. It was released by Motown Records on July 12, 1976 in the United States. In the United Kingdom and certain other territories the album was released under the title Greatest Hits 2 since a similar compilation, Greatest Hits, had already been released in 1972. It comprises songs from her studio albums Diana Ross (1970), Everything Is Everything (1970), Surrender (1971), Touch Me in the Morning (1973), Last Time I Saw Him (1973) and Diana Ross (1976) as well as soundtrack recordings.
Rated Next is the debut studio album by American musical group Next. After forming, the trio recorded several songs with record producers Prof. T. and Lance Alexander before catching recording artist and producer Keir "KayGee" Gist of American hip hop trio Naughty by Nature's attention. He signed Next to his record label Divine Mill, with most of Next's debut album being recorded in Gee's in-home recording studio and the remaining was recorded at Ken Johnston's Perfect Pair studio located in East Orange, New Jersey. Rated Next was eventually released on September 30, 1997 in the United States, under Divine Mill and Arista Records.
Funhouse is the second and penultimate album by American hip hop duo Kid 'n Play. It was released on March 13, 1990, through Select Records. Recording sessions took place at Bayside Sound Recording Studio and at Soundcheck Studio in New York. Production was handled by Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor and the Invincibles. It features the lone guest appearance from Salt-N-Pepa.
Breezin' is the fifteenth studio album by jazz/soul guitarist and vocalist George Benson. It is his debut on Warner Bros. Records. It not only was a chart-topper in the Jazz category but also went to #1 on the pop and R&B charts. It was certified triple platinum, making it one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time.
CB4 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the official soundtrack to the 1993 comedy film of the same name. It was released on March 2, 1993, through MCA Records. The album has peaked at #41 on the Billboard 200 and #13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album is composed of twelve R&B and hip hop tracks from various artists and producers. It spawned a Blackstreet-performed single "Baby Be Mine", which peaked at #17 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Three songs on the album were credited to the fictional CB4 group from the movie, the trio consisted of Chris Rock and rappers Daddy-O & Hi-C.
Juice (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to Ernest Dickerson's 1992 crime film Juice. It was released on December 31, 1991, through SOUL/MCA Records and consists mainly of hip-hop and R&B music.
