Deborah Cox is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Toronto, she began performing on television commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows in her teenage years before becoming a professional backing vocalist for Celine Dion. In 1994, Cox relocated to the United States and was signed to Arista Records by Clive Davis, releasing her self-titled debut album the following year. Her second studio album, One Wish (1998), was certified platinum in the United States. It was marked by the commercial success of the pop crossover single "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", which would become her most successful entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number two and remaining there for eight consecutive weeks. Cox signed with J Records for her third studio album The Morning After (2002), which saw moderate commercial success.
"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.
Miss Thang is the debut studio album by American R&B recording artist Monica. It was released by Rowdy Records and distributed through the Arista label on July 18, 1995, in the United States. Recorded throughout her early teenage years, the album was conceived under the guidance of Rowdy head Dallas Austin who would emerge as a tutor and father figure to Monica and serve as Miss Thang's sole executive producer. Austin recruited protégés from his DARP production camp such as Tim & Bob, Arnold Hennings, and Colin Wolfe as well as Daryl Simmons, and Soulshock & Karlin to work on the album. It incorporates a wide range of contemporary genres such as soul, pop, hip hop and blues.
"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" is a song by Canadian recording artist Deborah Cox, released as the lead single from her second studio album, One Wish (1998). Written by Montell Jordan and its producer, Anthony "Shep" Crawford, the song was released on the same day as the album, on September 15, 1998, by Arista Records. It is Cox's most successful song, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and spending a then-record 14 weeks at number one on the Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart. In 2017, Billboard ranked the song at number five on its "Greatest of All Time Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs" chart.
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.
"Ain't Nobody" is a song by American funk band Rufus and American singer Chaka Khan. It was released on November 4, 1983 by Warner Bros., as one of four studio tracks included on their live album, Stompin' at the Savoy (1983). "Ain't Nobody" quickly gathered popularity, and reached number one on the US Billboard R&B chart and number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1984 at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards, "Ain't Nobody" won for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. It has become one of Khan's signature songs.
"Sittin' Up in My Room" is a song by American recording artist Brandy Norwood. It was written and produced by Babyface and recorded by Norwood for the soundtrack of the 1995 film Waiting to Exhale, starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett. The track was one out of five singles the album spawned and reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Norwood's most successful single on that particular chart up to that point. It is of note that the characteristic bass intro is a replica of the famous riff performed by bassist Larry Graham, of Sly and the Family Stone, on their hit "Thank You ", and its remix featuring LL Cool J contains a sample of "Haven't You Heard" by Patrice Rushen.
"We Can't Be Friends" is a song by Canadian singer Deborah Cox, featuring American singer R.L. of R&B group Next. It was written by Shep Crawford and Jimmy Russell for her second studio album One Wish (1998), while production was overseen by Crawford. Selected as the album's third single, the duet was airplayed on December 21, 1998 but released on September 14, 1999, and became her second single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.
Deborah Cox is the self-titled debut album by Canadian singer Deborah Cox. It was released by Arista Records on September 12, 1995, in the United States by Arista Records and was executive produced by Clive Davis. Musically, Deborah Cox is a blend of dance-pop, hip hop soul and R&B and features productions from producers such as Tim & Bob, Babyface, Daryl Simmons and Dallas Austin. A commercial and critical success, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for sales of over 500,000 units, and earned Cox a Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording at the 1996 Juno Awards.
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.
"Nobody Knows" is a song by R&B singer Tony Rich from his 1996 debut album, Words. Released as his debut single on November 7, 1995, the song peaked at number two on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts. It also became a hit in several other countries, topping the Irish Singles Chart and reaching number two in Australia and Canada, number four in the United Kingdom, and the top 20 in the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden. Rich received a nomination for the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
Canadian singer and songwriter Deborah Cox has released ten albums, and more than three dozen singles. She began her career in 1994 as a protégé of music executive Clive Davis, who signed her with Arista Records. Her self-titled debut album, a blend of R&B, soul and hip hop soul, was released in September 1995 and peaked at number 25 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. A steady seller, it was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 units, and earned Cox a Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording at the 1996 Juno Awards. Lead single "Sentimental" became a top thirty success on the US Billboard Hot 100, while second single "Who Do U Love" fared even better on the charts, peaking at number 17 on the Hot 100, while becoming her first number-one hit on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs.
A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group, formed in 1985. They released six studio albums, five compilations, sixteen singles and two extended plays. The group was made up of rapper/main producer Q-Tip, the late rapper Phife Dawg and DJ/co-producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Phife Dawg was only persuaded to join when a fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, joined the group. In 1989 they signed a demo deal with Geffen Records, but not given a full-fledged recording contract. After receiving many offers, they opted for the Jive Records label, an independent rap label. In under a year, they managed to produce People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm to a lukewarm reception, reaching #91 on the Billboard 200, though it did achieve gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"Sentimental" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Deborah Cox. It was written by Cox, Colin Wolfe, and Dallas Austin for her self-titled debut studio album (1995), while production was helmed by Austin. Released as the album's lead single by Arista Records, it became a top-40 success in Canada and the United Kingdom while peaking at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.
The Promise is the fifth studio album by Canadian R&B singer Deborah Cox. It was released on November 11, 2008, worldwide and marked her debut with Image Entertainment and Deco Recording Group. While her 2007 album Destination Moon was a jazz tribute, this one marks her return to R&B music six years after The Morning After (2002). The album received a generally good critical reception.
American singer and songwriter Angie Stone has released ten studio albums, one compilation album, and more than two dozen singles. She has sold near five million records as a solo artist, including over 1.4 million albums in the United States. Stone's career began as a member of the hip hop trio The Sequence in the late 1970s. In 1999, she released her first solo album, Black Diamond on Arista Records. It debuted at number 46 on the US Billboard 200 and peaked at number nine on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, eventually selling more than 750,000 copies. Black Diamond was awarded gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), and produced the singles "No More Rain ", "Life Story" and "Everyday", the former of which became a number-one hit on the Adult R&B Songs chart.
"Who Do U Love" is a song performed by Canadian singer Deborah Cox. It was written and produced by Larry "Rock" Campbell and Vassal Benford for her self-titled debut studio album (1995). Arista Records issued the song as the second album's single in January 1996. "Who Do U Love" peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was Cox's first number-one hit on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart. Internationally, the single reached number two in New Zealand, number 11 in Australia, number 15 in Canada, and number 31 in the United Kingdom. The song is certified platinum in New Zealand and gold in Australia.
Shep Crawford is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and gospel musician, songwriter, and record producer best known for Whitney Houston's "Same Script, Different Cast", Deborah Cox's "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", Tamia's "Stranger in My House", Sisqó's "Incomplete", and Kelly Price's "As We Lay". He is the founder and pastor of The Experience Christian Ministries in Los Angeles, California.
"Things Just Ain't the Same" is a song by Canadian singer Deborah Cox. It was written by Nicole Renée, Alfred "Bob" Antoine, and Andre Evans and recorded by Cox for the soundtrack to the comedy film Money Talks (1997), with production helmed by Antoine and Evans. The song is built around a sample of "You Are Everything" (1971) by American soul group The Stylistics. Due to the inclusion of the sample, Thom Bell and Linda Creed are also credited as songwriters. The song was later included as a Dance mix on her second studio album One Wish (1998).
"It's Over Now" is a song by Canadian singer Deborah Cox. It was written by Keir "KayGee" Gist, Taura Stinson, Alonzo Jackson, and DeMone Griffin for her second studio album One Wish (1998), while production was overseen by KayGee and Jackson. Released as the album's second following the major success of "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", it became a moderate commercial success on the charts, peaking at number 20 on Billboard's US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while becoming her third consecutive and fourth overall number one hit on the Dance Club Songs.
