Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She started her career as a backing singer on Uptown Records in 1989. She has released 13 studio albums, eight of which have achieved multi-platinum worldwide sales. Blige has sold over 80 million records, 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 second original song "Mighty River" for Mudbound; she also received a nomination for the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Song, becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
Joseph Lewis Thomas is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Raised in Opelika, Alabama, Joe later relocated to New Jersey. In 1992 he signed a record deal with Polygram Records. He rose to prominence after releasing his debut album Everything the following year. He followed it with a series of successful albums under Jive Records, including All That I Am (1997), the international bestseller My Name Is Joe (2000) as well as the multi-certified albums Better Days (2001) and And Then... (2003). Several songs from these albums became hit singles on the pop and R&B record charts, including the number-one hit "Stutter", the top ten entries "All the Things ", "Don't Wanna Be a Player", and "I Wanna Know" as well as his collaborations "Faded Pictures", "Thank God I Found You" and "Still Not a Player".
Free Yourself is the debut album by American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, which was released on November 23, 2004. The album was sold 240,000 units in its first week, and reached number eight on the United States Billboard 200 chart. The album is certified platinum in the United States and had been nominated for ten awards, three of which were Grammy Awards.
My Way is the second studio album by American singer Usher. It was released on September 16, 1997 by LaFace Records, in North America. The album features guest appearances from Monica, Jermaine Dupri, and Lil' Kim. The album was supported by three singles; including these platinum-selling singles with "Nice & Slow", "My Way", and "You Make Me Wanna...".
Man vs. Machine is the fourth studio album by American rapper Xzibit. It was released on October 1, 2002. Special guests include Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, M.O.P, and Nate Dogg. Producers on the album include Rick Rock, Bink, Rockwilder, Erick Sermon, DJ Premier, and Dr. Dre. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 with over 156,000 copies sold in its first week. Since then album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Keep It Comin' is the third studio album by the American R&B recording artist Keith Sweat. It was released on November 26, 1991, and topped the R&B Albums chart upon its debut, while entering the top 20 of the Billboard 200. It spent three weeks on the former, temporarily knocking Michael Jackson's Dangerous from the top position.
Diamond Princess is the second studio album by American rapper Trina. It was released on August 27, 2002 through the label Atlantic/Slip-N-Slide.The album debuted at number fourteen on the US Billboard 200 and number five on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Now That's What I Call Music! 19 was released on July 19, 2005. The album is the 19th edition of the Now! series in the United States. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the seventh volume of the series to reach the top of the pop album chart. It is also the only Now compilation to crossover and reach number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Now That's What I Call Music! 16 was released on July 27, 2004. The album is the 16th edition of the (U.S.) Now! series. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 to become the fifth number-one album in the series and the first since Now! 9. It became the fourth album in the series to crossover to the R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, peaking at number two.
Urban Legend is the third studio album by American rapper T.I., released on November 30, 2004, through Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records. The album debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200, selling 195,000 copies in its first week of release. It charted at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and the Top Rap Albums charts.
Winner in You is the eighth studio album by American R&B singer Patti LaBelle, released April 28, 1986, on MCA Records. Recording sessions took place during 1985–1986. Production was handled by several record producers, including Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Nickolas Ashford, among others.
Guerrilla Warfare is the second studio album by the New Orleans hip-hop group Hot Boys, released July 27, 1999 on Cash Money Records. It was an instant hit, debuting at #5 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums selling 142,000 copies in its first week, and remains their most successful album as a group and with Cash Money Records.
Now That's What I Call Music! 7 was released on July 31, 2001. The album is the seventh edition of the (U.S.) Now! series. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart, selling 621,000 copies in its first week, the highest opening week of sales for any U.S. Now! album to date. It is the third number-one album in the series and has been certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA. Now! 7 is the first in the series to also crossover onto the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, peaking at number three.
Now That's What I Call Music! 14 was released on November 4, 2003. The album is the 14th edition of the (US) Now! series. It peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and number eleven on the R&B/Hip-Hop albums charts. It has been certified 3× Platinum. The album spent a record 13 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, the most for any multi-artist compilation album since 1963.
The discography of American R&B and gospel singer Fantasia Barrino, who performs under the mononym Fantasia, consists of five studio albums, fourteen singles, two of which she performs as the featured artist, and eight music videos. At the age of nineteen, she won the third season of American Idol, earning a record deal with 19 Entertainment and J Records. The season's coronation song, "I Believe", debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It also peaked at number one in Canada, in addition to reaching numbers four and twenty in Australia and New Zealand, respectively.
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 Six 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.
Passion, Pain & Pleasure is the fourth studio album by American R&B recording artist Trey Songz; it was released on September 14, 2010. The album serves as a follow-up to his commercial breakthrough Ready (2009). Production for the album took place from March 2010 to July 2010 and was handled by several record producers, including his mentor Troy Taylor, Bryan-Michael Cox, Stargate and Mario Winans, among others.
The discography of Eric B. & Rakim, an American hip hop duo, consists of four studio albums, five compilation albums, 15 singles, and nine music videos. Eric B. & Rakim formed and signed a record deal with Zakia Records in 1985. The following year, the duo signed a deal with 4th & B'way Records. Their debut album Paid in Full was released in 1987. In the United States, it peaked at number 58 on the Billboard 200, number 8 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It appeared on the Dutch, New Zealand, and UK Albums Chart. Paid in Full produced five singles, four of which appeared on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The fifth single "Paid in Full" (1988) peaked in the top five of the Dutch and New Zealand Singles Chart.
Robert "Shea" Taylor is a songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist based in New York City. He established an early successful songwriting partnership with Def Jam's R&B singer-songwriter phenom Ne-Yo, and has also worked with Rihanna, Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Chris Brown, and Wyclef Jean.
There's Really a Wolf is the major-label debut studio album by American rapper Russ, who composed and produced all of the songs. It was released on May 5, 2017, by Russ My Way Inc. and Columbia Records and peaked at number seven on the US Billboard 200 and number four on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums On April 18, 2018, it was certified platinum.
