Monica Denise Arnold is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, she began performing as a child and joined a traveling gospel choir by the age of ten. Monica signed with record producer Dallas Austin through his label Rowdy Records in 1993, and gained prominence following the release of her debut studio album, Miss Thang (1995). Her follow-up albums were met with continued success; her second, The Boy Is Mine (1998) remains her best-selling album and spawned three Billboard Hot 100-number one singles: "The Boy Is Mine", "The First Night" and "Angel of Mine".
Moment of Truth is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo Gang Starr, released on March 31, 1998, by Noo Trybe Records and Virgin Records. Gang Starr recorded Moment of Truth in sessions at D&D Studios. It is widely regarded as Gang Starr's magnum opus, and one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.
Erick Sermon is an American rapper and producer. He is best known as one-third—alongside PMD & DJ Scratch—of 1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for his production work.
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is a song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla label, a division of Motown. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and became a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes frontwoman Diana Ross. The song became Ross's first solo number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
"Your Precious Love" is a popular song that was a 1967 hit for Motown singers Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. The song was written by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, and produced by Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol. The doo-wop styled recording features background vocals by Fuqua, Gaye, Terrell and Bristol, and instrumentals by The Funk Brothers with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The song peaked at #5 on Billboard Pop Singles chart, #2 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart, and the top 40 on Billboard's Easy Listening survey. The song was later sampled by Gerald Levert on the song, "Your Smile", on his 2002 album, The G Spot.
"You're All I Need to Get By" is a song recorded by the American R&B/soul duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell and released on Motown Records' Tamla label in 1968. It was the basis for the 1995 single "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" from Method Man and Mary J. Blige.
"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" is a 1968 single released by American R&B/soul duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, on the Tamla label in 1968. The B-side of the single is "Little Ole Boy, Little Ole Girl" from the duo's United LP. The first release off the duo's second album: You're All I Need, the song—written and produced by regular Gaye/Terrell collaborators Ashford & Simpson—became a hit within weeks of release eventually peaking at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart, the first of the duo's two number-one R&B hits. In the UK "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" reached number 34.
Contemporary R&B is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music.
American music artist Marvin Gaye released 25 studio albums, four live albums, one soundtrack album, 24 compilation albums, and 83 singles. In 1961 Gaye signed a recording contract with Tamla Records, owned by Motown. The first release under the label was The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye. Gaye's first album to chart was a duet album with Mary Wells titled Together, peaking at number forty-two on the Billboard pop album chart. His 1965 album, Moods of Marvin Gaye, became his first album to reach the top ten of the R&B album charts and spawned four hit singles. Gaye recorded more than thirty hit singles for Motown throughout the 1960s, becoming established as "the Prince of Motown". Gaye topped the charts in 1968 with his rendition of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", while his 1969 album, M.P.G., became his first number one R&B album. Gaye's landmark album, 1971's What's Going On became the first album by a solo artist to launch three top ten singles, including the title track. His 1973 single, "Let's Get It On", topped the charts while its subsequent album reached number two on the charts becoming his most successful Motown album to date. In 1982, after 21 years with Motown, Gaye signed with Columbia Records and issued Midnight Love, which included his most successful single to date, "Sexual Healing". Since his death in 1984, four albums have been released posthumously, along with re-issues of some of Gaye's landmark works.
Don't Sweat the Technique is the fourth and final studio album by American hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released on June 23, 1992, by MCA Records. It was recorded and produced by Eric B. & Rakim at The Hit Factory in New York City. The album builds on the sounds of 1990's Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em, with Rakim sounding more aggressive on Eric B.'s jazzy, soulful production.
Muddy Waters is the third studio album by American rapper Redman. It was released on December 10, 1996, through Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place at Mirror Image and Rockin' Reel Recording Studios in New York City. Production was handled by Erick Sermon, who also served as executive producer, Rockwilder, Jerry Duplessis, Pras, Ty Fyffe, and Redman himself. It features guest appearances from Erick Sermon, Jamal, Keith Murray, K-Solo, Method Man, Napalm and Rockwilder. The album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the United States. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on February 12, 1997 for exceeding shipments of 500,000 copies. The album spawned three charted singles: "It's Like That", "Whateva Man" and "Pick It Up" and a promotional single "Smoke Buddah".
"Unforgettable" is a popular song written by Irving Gordon. The song's original working title was "Uncomparable,” however, the music publishing company asked Gordon to change it to "Unforgettable.” The song was published in 1951.
Music is the fourth solo studio album by American rapper Erick Sermon. It was released on October 30, 2001 via J Records, making it his debut album on the label. Production was handled entirely by Sermon, except for the song "It's Nuttin'", which was produced by Rockwilder. The album features guest appearances from Keith Murray, Redman, Cadillac Tah, Daytona, Khari, LL Cool J, Marvin Gaye, Olivia, Scarface and Sy Scott.
"Can't Wait" is the second single released from Redman's second album, Dare Iz a Darkside. It is produced by Erick Sermon and Redman, and contains samples from "All Night Long" by Mary Jane Girls, "Caribbean Nights" by Bob James and "Just Rhymin' With Biz" by Big Daddy Kane and Biz Markie.
"How High" is a song by American hip hop duo Method Man & Redman, released on August 15, 1995, as the duo's first single. It was originally featured on the soundtrack to the 1995 hip hop documentary film, The Show, and has since appeared on several compilation albums such as The Hip Hop Box and Def Jam's Greatest Hits, among several others. The song, produced by Erick Sermon, is the first official collaboration from longtime friends and East Coast rappers Method Man of Wu-Tang Clan and Redman of Def Squad, marking their debut as a duo. The song performed exceptionally well commercially, reaching number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single has since been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps - Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to Peter Segal's 2000 comedy film Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. It was released on July 11, 2000, through Def Jam Recordings, as a sequel to 1996 The Nutty Professor Soundtrack, and mainly composed of R&B and hip hop music.
"All This Love" is a single by DeBarge, released on October 17, 1982. The song was released as the third and final single from their second studio album of the same title on the Gordy label. The single would help DeBarge rise to R&B stardom. A cover version of the song was recorded by Patti LaBelle on her 1994 gold album Gems. A video for her version was also filmed.
"The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World" is a song by American rapper Keith Murray. It was released on October 10, 1994 through Jive Records as the lead single from Murray's debut studio album The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World. Written by Murray and Erick Sermon, it was produced by the latter, who also provided background vocals. The song utilizes samples of the 1983 hit record "Between the Sheets" originally performed by The Isley Brothers, "Bootsy Gets Live" by Bootsy Collins and "Slow Down" by Brand Nubian.
"Marvin & Chardonnay" is a song by American rapper Big Sean featuring fellow American rappers Kanye West and Roscoe Dash, released as the second single from the former's debut studio album, Finally Famous. The song was written by the artists alongside producer Andrew "Pop" Wansel with additional production from Mike Dean. It was sent to urban contemporary radio stations on July 12, 2011, and to Rhythmic radio on July 26, 2011. In the chorus of the song, Roscoe Dash references late American R&B/soul music singer Marvin Gaye and white wine chardonnay. The song was originally called "Marvin Gaye & Chardonnay".
"Ain't No Future in Yo' Frontin'" is a song performed by American hip hop group MC Breed and DFC from Flint, Michigan. It was released in 1991 through S.D.E.G. Records with distribution via Ichiban Records, as a lead single from the trio's debut studio album MC Breed & DFC. It was written, arranged and produced by MC Breed, Herman Lang and S. Harris.
