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 "Puff Daddy" 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.
Cameron Ezike Giles, better known by his stage name Cam'ron, is an American rapper, record executive, and actor from Harlem, New York City. Beginning his career in the mid-1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed to Lance "Un" Rivera's Untertainment under the aegis of Epic and released his first two studio albums Confessions of Fire and S.D.E. in 1998 and 2000 respectively; the former achieved gold status by the RIAA. After leaving Epic, Giles signed to Roc-A-Fella Records in 2001 and released his third studio album Come Home with Me the following year; it achieved platinum status by the RIAA, and also contained Cam'ron's highest-charting singles to date; "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma", which peaked at No. 4 and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively. His fourth studio album and final release on Roc-A-Fella, Purple Haze was released in 2004 to critical acclaim and commercial success, being certified gold by the RIAA.
The Blueprint is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2001 at Manhattan Center Studios and Baseline Studios in New York City. Contrasting the radio-friendly sound of Jay-Z's previous work, The Blueprint features soul-based sampling and production handled primarily by Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Bink, as well as Timbaland, Trackmasters, and Eminem, who also contributes the album's sole guest feature.
Purple Haze is the fourth studio album by Harlem rapper Cam'ron. The album was released on December 7, 2004, by Diplomat Records, Roc-A-Fella Records and The Island Def Jam Music Group. The release of this album was delayed several times from November 2003, the first single "Get Em Girls" was released a year prior to the actual album release. The album debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200 with 123,000 copies sold in its first week. The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Sweet Kisses is the debut studio album by American singer Jessica Simpson, released in the United States on November 23, 1999, by Columbia Records. Its lyrical and visual representations carry the common theme of virginal innocence, a continuation of the late-1990s teen-pop revival. It was produced to capitalize on the success of teen artists Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, who both debuted earlier that year. Sweet Kisses was a hit in the US, peaking at number 25 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and was certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over two million copies. As of 2009 February 2009 it has sold 1.9 million copies in the US.
Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em is the third studio album by MC Hammer, released on February 12, 1990 by Capitol Records and EMI Records. The album was produced, recorded and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley.
"Boy " is a song by American singer Mariah Carey, taken from her ninth studio album, Charmbracelet (2002). It was written by Carey, Justin Smith, Norman Whitfield and Cameron Giles, and produced by the former and Just Blaze. The song was released as the album's second single on November 26, 2002, by Island Def Jam and Carey's own label, MonarC Entertainment. Initially, "The One" had been chosen as the second single from the album, however, halfway through the filming of a music video for it, the singer decided to release "Boy " instead. Considered by Carey as one of her favorites, the track is a reworked version of rapper Cam'ron's song "Oh Boy" released earlier that year.
Come Home with Me is the third studio album by Harlem rapper Cam'ron and it is also his debut under Roc-A-Fella Records. The album was released on May 14, 2002, by Roc-A-Fella Records, Diplomat Records and Def Jam Recordings. It served as an introduction of the Cam'ron-fronted rap collective, the Diplomats, to the general public. There are featured guest appearances from the Diplomats, DJ Kay Slay, Daz Dillinger, Tiffany, Jay-Z, McGruff, Memphis Bleek, and Beanie Sigel. To date, it is his most commercially successful album, it peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 226,000 copies and eventually sold One million copies in the United States, being certified Platinum by the RIAA.
Confessions of Fire is the debut studio album by the Harlem rapper Cam'ron, released in 1998. Its singles were "Horse & Carriage," featuring Mase, "357" and "Feels Good" featuring Usher. The album was certified gold by the RIAA with over 500,000 copies sold. The album debuted and peaked at no. 6 on The Billboard 200, selling over 107,000 copies in its first week of release.
Grand Champ is the fifth studio album by American rapper DMX. It was released on September 16, 2003 by Ruff Ryders Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings.The album was produced by multiple producers, including Swizz Beatz, Dame Grease, Kanye West, and No I.D. It features guest appearances from 50 Cent, Cam'ron, Eve, Styles P, Monica, and Jadakiss, among others.
It's Dark and Hell Is Hot is the debut album by American rapper DMX. It was released on May 19, 1998, by Def Jam Recordings and Ruff Ryders. It was supported by four singles—"Get at Me Dog", "Stop Being Greedy", "Ruff Ryders Anthem" and "How's It Goin' Down", in order of release—and their accompanying music videos.
No Way Out is the debut studio album by American rapper Puff Daddy. It was released on July 22, 1997 by Arista Records and Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records. The album's crediting of "The Family" references the guest appearances from his label-mates and other artists, where Puff Daddy initially gained recognition through his public image and work as the founder of Bad Boy.
Killa Season is the fifth studio album by Harlem rapper Cam'ron. The album was released on May 16, 2006, by Diplomat Records, Asylum Records and Atlantic Records. Cam'ron was also the executive producer of the album. The album received positive reviews but critics found the production and content lesser compared to Purple Haze. Killa Season sold 114,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200.
A Public Affair is the fifth studio album by American pop singer Jessica Simpson. The album was released on August 26, 2006 in the United States by Epic Records. The album is Simpson's first effort following her divorce from Nick Lachey.
My Life is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige, released on November 29, 1994, by Uptown Records and MCA Records. Many of the topics on My Life deal with clinical depression, Blige's battling with both drugs and alcohol, as well as being in an abusive relationship. Unlike her debut, What's the 411? (1992), Blige contributed lyrics to fourteen of the album's tracks, making it her most introspective and personal album at the time. Similar to her debut album, My Life features vast production from Sean "Puffy" Combs for his newly founded label, Bad Boy Entertainment, which was at the time backed by Arista Records.
"Oh Boy" is a 2002 Grammy-nominated hip hop single by Cam'ron from his album Come Home with Me, and features Juelz Santana. "Boy" is an obscure slang term for heroin.
From Me to U is the debut studio album by American rapper Juelz Santana. The album was released on August 19, 2003 as planned, under Diplomat, Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam. The album was seen as the introspective introduction of the rapper to mainstream entertainment. Following appearances on various street mixtapes and the success of The Diplomats, Santana was the second member of the group to release a solo album, after de facto leader Cam'ron.
Crime Pays is the sixth studio album by Harlem rapper Cam'ron. The album was released on May 12, 2009, by Diplomat Records, Asylum Records, and Warner Bros. Records.
"Hey Ma" is the second single released from American rapper Cam'ron's third album Come Home with Me. The song featured Juelz Santana, Freekey Zekey and Toya, and was produced by DR Period and Mafia Boy, who used a sample of The Commodores' 1977 hit, "Easy."
"Gone" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his second studio album, Late Registration (2005). The song features guest appearances from fellow rappers Cam'ron and Consequence. It was solely produced by West, who served as a songwriter alongside the rappers and Chuck Willis, the latter of which received credit due to having wrote the sampled work. A hip hop track, it contains samples of Otis Redding's version of "It's Too Late". The song's production is largely orchestral, featuring string arrangements set in two chords. Lyrically, it sees West speaking of potentially abandoning fame and moving elsewhere for seeking a simpler life.
