What's the 411? is the debut album by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige. It was released on July 28, 1992, by Uptown Records and MCA Records. After signing a record contract with Uptown, Blige began working on the album with producer Sean "Puffy" Combs. Other producers and songwriters included DeVante Swing, Tony Dofat, Dave Hall, Mark Morales and Mark "Cory" Rooney. The resulting music covered hip hop soul, contemporary R&B, and new jack swing styles.
Reasonable Doubt is the debut studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on June 25, 1996, by his own record label Roc-A-Fella Records and distributed by Priority Records. The album features production provided by DJ Premier, Ski, Knobody and Clark Kent, and also includes guest appearances from Memphis Bleek, Mary J. Blige, Jaz-O, and the Notorious B.I.G., among others. The album features mafioso rap themes and gritty lyrics about the "hustler" lifestyle and material obsessions.
New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, new jack swing was most popular from the late 1980s to early 1990s.
Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy are an American R&B record production and songwriting duo, releasing recordings under the names Foster & McElroy and Fmob. They have written and produced songs for musicians such as Club Nouveau, Tony! Toni! Toné!, Alexander O'Neal, Regina Belle, and Swing Out Sister. Their music has been sampled in hit songs by the Luniz, Puff Daddy, Ashanti, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, LL Cool J, Jessica Simpson, and others. Foster & McElroy are best known as the founders of the group En Vogue, listed by Billboard as one of the Top 10 Girl Groups of All Time. In addition to producing music for various television shows, they are also credited for songs in numerous movie soundtracks including The Great White Hype, Lean on Me, and Who's That Girl.
Antonio Hardy, better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper, producer and actor who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in hip hop. Rolling Stone ranked his song "Ain't No Half-Steppin'" number 25 on its list of The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time, calling him "a master wordsmith of rap's late-golden age and a huge influence on a generation of MCs".
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.
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 is the second studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 4, 1997, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart and was certified Platinum by the RIAA, selling over 138,000 copies in its first week of release. In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 also served as Jay-Z's first album release following the sudden death of fellow Brooklyn rapper and collaborator The Notorious B.I.G. in March 1997.
Long Live the Kane is the debut album by American rapper Big Daddy Kane, released by Cold Chillin' Records on June 21, 1988. It was produced by Marley Marl and established both as premier artists during hip hop's golden age. Kane displayed his unique rapping technique while covering topics including love, Afrocentricity and his rapping prowess. Marley Marl and Big Daddy Kane display a sparse production style - creating beats with fast-paced drums and lightly utilized James Brown samples.
It's a Big Daddy Thing is the second full-length album by American rapper Big Daddy Kane. It was released on September 19, 1989, by Cold Chillin' Records and Warner Bros. Records.
19 Naughty III is the third album from Naughty by Nature, released on February 23, 1993, through Tommy Boy Records. Recording sessions took place at Unique Recording Studios, Soundtrack Studios and Electric Lady Studios in New York City from February 1992 to January 1993. Three singles were released from the album, the group's second top 10 hit, "Hip Hop Hooray," as well as the minor hits "It's On" and "Written on Ya Kitten." Production was handled entirely by group member Kay Gee himself, with additional production from S.I.D. Reynolds. It includes guest appearances from Heavy D, Queen Latifah, Freddie Foxxx and Rottin Razkals.
The World Is Yours is the second studio album by American rapper Scarface. It was released on August 17, 1993, by Rap-A-Lot Records and Priority Records. The album was not as acclaimed as his debut, Mr. Scarface Is Back, but sold strongly, breaking into the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, and peaking at number 1 on the R&B/hip hop album chart. "Let Me Roll" became a Billboard Hot 100 hit in 1993. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on October 20, 1993.
Prince of Darkness is the fourth album by rapper Big Daddy Kane, released in 1991 on Cold Chillin' Records. The album features guest appearances from Q-Tip and Busta Rhymes, and features the singles "Groove with It", "Raw ’91" and "The Lover in You".
Daddy's Home is the sixth album by emcee, Big Daddy Kane. It is Big Daddy Kane's only album on MCA Records, released in September 13, 1994. Like his previous album Looks Like a Job For…, Daddy's Home was generally well-received, but lacked in sales. Despite the positive reviews, the album saw a large drop in Kane's commercial popularity, and produced no crossover hit singles, like 1993's "Very Special".
Veteranz Day is the seventh and most-recent studio album by emcee Big Daddy Kane, released on April 28, 1998. The album came four years after his previous effort, 1994's Daddy's Home. Veteranz Day received little attention, commercially and critically, and was met with mixed reviews and few sales. It was his first and only album not to chart on the Billboard 200. Veteranz' Day was the first and only album release for the small New York-based record label called the Label Records, which was founded by Frank Yandolino. Although it managed to earn a distribution deal with Mercury Records by way of Joan Jett's and Kenny Laguna's Blackheart Records, which was acting as a boutique distribution outlet for independent labels from 1998 to 2000, The Label folded almost shortly after the release of Veteranz Day. The album features the single "Uncut, Pure," which reached the top 10 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. There are two versions of "Uncut, Pure"—the original version produced by Easy Mo Bee, and a sequel version produced by Big Daddy Kane himself, the latter of which was released on the independently released 12-inch single and also featured as a bonus track on the CD and cassette versions of the album.
Goin' Off is the debut studio album by American hip hop musician Biz Markie. The album was released by Cold Chillin' Records, and produced by Marley Marl. Big Daddy Kane wrote the lyrics of the album's first five songs. The album also showcased Biz's talent as a human beatbox on the song "Make the Music with Your Mouth, Biz", and his skill in the game of dozens on the track "Nobody Beats the Biz". One of his most widely known songs, "Vapors", was on the album.
The discography of American rapper Sean Combs consists of five studio albums, two collaborative albums, one remix album and seventy-two singles – including thirty-three as a lead artist and thirty-nine as a featured artist.
Big Money Heavyweight is the fifth and final studio album by hip hop duo Big Tymers. It was released on December 9, 2003, through Cash Money Records and was mainly produced by Mannie Fresh, with other production handled by R. Kelly, Jazze Pha and Leslie Brathwaite. The album debuted at number 21 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 116,000 copies in the US and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
"Turn It Up (Remix) / Fire It Up" is a song by American rapper Busta Rhymes. It was released as the fourth and last single from his second studio album, When Disaster Strikes... (1997), and as the second single from the Can't Hardly Wait soundtrack on May 15, 1998, by Flipmode Entertainment and Elektra Records. The song was written and produced by Busta Rhymes, and contains co-production by Flipmode Squad member and Busta's hype man Spliff Star.
The discography of Big Daddy Kane, an American rapper, consists of seven studio albums and fourteen singles.
"Mo Money Mo Problems" is a song by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released as the second single from his second and final studio album, Life After Death (1997) on July 15, 1997 by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. It features guest performances from labelmate Mase and label boss Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs; all three performers co-wrote the song with Stevie J, who also co-produced it with Combs. "Mo Money Mo Problems" contains a sample and an interpolation of "I'm Coming Out" by Diana Ross, for which Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers are also credited as songwriters; the sampled portions are heard in the production, while the hook is interpolative and performed by Kelly Price in an uncredited appearance.
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