Mariah Carey is an American singer,songwriter,record producer,and actress. Referred to as the "Songbird Supreme" by Guinness World Records,she is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of music and is noted for her songwriting,five-octave vocal range,melismatic singing style and signature use of the whistle register. An influential figure in popular music,Carey is credited with influencing vocal styles,merging hip-hop with pop through her collaborations and popularizing remixes. She has also been dubbed the "Queen of Christmas" for the enduring popularity of her holiday music,particularly the 1994 song "All I Want for Christmas Is You",which is the best-selling holiday song by a female artist.
Shawntae Harris-Dupart,better known by her stage name Da Brat,is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago,she began her career in 1992 prior to signing with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings that same year. Her debut studio album,Funkdafied (1994) sold one million units,making her the first female hip hop solo act to receive platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),and the second female hip hop act to do so after Salt-N-Pepa.
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin is an American rapper,singer,songwriter,record producer,record executive,entrepreneur,and DJ. Raised in Atlanta,he began his musical career at the age of nine,as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin. In 1991,he discovered the teen hip hop duo Kris Kross. Dupri wrote and produced their breakout 1992 single "Jump," which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was named the 23rd most successful song of that decade. He established his own record label,So So Def Recordings in a joint venture with Columbia the following year.
"It's Like That" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey from her 10th studio album,The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). Written by Carey,Jermaine Dupri,Manuel Seal,and JohntáAustin,and produced by Carey,Dupri,and Seal,the song borrows the hook "It's Like That Y'all" from the Run–D.M.C. tracks "Hollis Crew" and "Here We Go (Live)". Several other tracks were contenders for the album's lead single. However,plans were changed when Island Def Jam Music head L.A. Reid suggested to Carey she record a few more strong songs to ensure the album's success,thus "It's Like That" was written and chosen as the album's lead single,being released on January 25,2005.
"We Belong Together" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her tenth studio album,The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). The song was released on March 15,2005,through Island Records,as the second single from the album. "We Belong Together" was written by Carey,Jermaine Dupri,Manuel Seal,and JohntáAustin and produced by the former three. Since the song interpolates lyrics from Bobby Womack's "If You Think You're Lonely Now" (1981) and the Deele's "Two Occasions" (1987),the songwriters of those respective songs are credited. "We Belong Together" is built on a simple piano arrangement with an understated backbeat. The lyrics chronicle a woman's desperation for her former lover to return.
Daydream is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey,released on September 26,1995,by Columbia Records. The follow-up to her internationally successful studio album Music Box (1993),and the holiday album Merry Christmas (1994),Daydream differed from her previous releases by leaning increasingly toward hip hop and urban music. Throughout the project,Carey collaborated with Walter Afanasieff,with whom she wrote and produced most of her previous albums. With Daydream,Carey took more control over the musical direction as well as the album's composition. Carey considered the album to be the beginning of her musical and vocal transition,a change that would become more evident in her sixth studio album Butterfly (1997). During the album's production,Carey endured many creative differences with her label and then-husband Tommy Mottola. On Daydream,Carey collaborated with Jermaine Dupri,Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds,and R&B group Boyz II Men. With Afanasieff's assistance and the addition of a few contemporary producers,she was able to make a subtle transition into the contemporary R&B market,after previously only pursuing pop,adult contemporary and traditional R&B music.
"Sweetheart" is a song originally recorded by American singer Rainy Davis. It was written by Davis and Pete Warner,and produced with Dorothy Kessler. The track was released in 1986 by independent record label SuperTronics as a single from Davis's 1987 studio album Sweetheart. A freestyle,hip hop pop,and synth-funk song,"Sweetheart" appeared on R&B and dance music-based record charts in the United States.
"Always Be My Baby" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter,and record producer Mariah Carey for her fifth studio album,Daydream (1995). It was released by Columbia Records on February 20,1996,as the third single in the United States and fourth worldwide. Written and produced by Carey,Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal,"Always Be My Baby" is a midtempo song,with lyrics describing the feeling of attachment and unity the singer feels towards her estranged lover,even though they are no longer together,she says he will always be a part of her and will "always be her baby" even after they move on.
"Shake It Off" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her tenth studio album,The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). It was written and produced by Carey along with Jermaine Dupri,Bryan-Michael Cox,and JohntáAustin. The song was serviced to radio on July 11,2005,by Island and Mercury Records as the album's third single in the United States,while "Get Your Number" served as the album's third single elsewhere. Described by Dupri as "ghetto," the track is a R&B song that makes use of pop and hip hop influences and a simple,sparse production. Lyrically,the song follows Carey as she moves on from her relationship with an unfaithful lover,packing her things and breaking up with him over an answering machine.
"Get Your Number" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey,Jermaine Dupri,JohntáAustin and Bryan-Michael Cox,and produced by the former two and LRoc. It was released on October 3,2005 by Island Records,as the third international and fourth overall single from Carey's tenth studio album,The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). The song is built around a sample of "Just an Illusion" (1982) by British band Imagination. Due to the inclusion of the sample,several other writers are credited as songwriters. Lyrically,the song features the protagonist persistently asking for the phone number of an individual at a club.
"Don't Forget About Us" is a song by American R&B singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey,Jermaine Dupri,Bryan-Michael Cox and JohntáAustin,and produced by Carey,Dupri and Cox. On October 10,2005,it was released as the lead single from the reissue of her tenth studio album,The Emancipation of Mimi:Ultra Platinum Edition (2005). The song is influenced by R&B and hip hop soul music genres,and lyrically chronicles the emotions felt by the protagonist after the loss of their relationship. Carey explained that the true meaning of the song is to be interpreted by the listener,therefore not disclosing its entire meaning publicly.
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.
"Lil L.O.V.E." is a song by hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony for their studio album Strength &Loyalty (2007). It features American singer Mariah Carey and rapper Bow Wow and was released as the second single from the album in 2007. The artists co-wrote the song with Shante Harris,James Phillips,and Jermaine Dupri;the latter is also the producer. In the chorus,Carey expresses her need for a 'Lil L.O.V.E' and 'T.I.M.E' from her suspected lover. In the United States,"Lil’L.O.V.E." was released as a digital download on May 8,2007. The song was officially released as a single in the U.S. on June 5,2007.
"100%" is a song by American singer Mariah Carey originally recorded as a soundtrack promotional single from the motion picture Precious but then reassigned to the AT&T Team USA Soundtrack for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The song was also due to feature on Carey's now cancelled thirteenth studio/second remix album,Angels Advocate though it was never tipped as a single from the latter.
"Oh Santa!" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey from her second Christmas album and thirteenth studio album,Merry Christmas II You (2010). Carey wrote and produced the song in collaboration with Jermaine Dupri,Bryan-Michael Cox and Rapper Anduers It was released as the lead single from the album on October 1,2010 by Island Def Jam Records. It is an up-tempo R&B song about Carey making a plea for Santa Claus to bring back her partner in time for the Christmas holidays. It received a positive response from music critics,with many praising its composition and style.
"Triumphant (Get 'Em)" is a song by American singer Mariah Carey,featuring rappers Rick Ross and Meek Mill. It was written by Carey,Jermaine Dupri,Bryan-Michael Cox,Ross,and Mill. The song was released on August 3,2012,and Carey stated the song was written when her then-husband,actor Nick Cannon,was hospitalized with acute kidney failure in 2012,and was also inspired by the death of singer,and her friend,Whitney Houston.
"The Art of Letting Go" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey for her fourteenth studio album,Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse (2014). It was written and produced by Carey and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins,and premiered via Facebook on November 11,2013,as the first promotional single from the album,following a digital release the same day worldwide. Jermaine Dupri,Carey's longtime collaborator and her then-manager,had the idea to premiere the song via Facebook to attract her die hard fans,however,Carey faced problems when an unmastered version of the song was uploaded in place of its final mix,leading the singer to premiere the intended version hours later with an apology and explanation.
"A No No" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey from her fifteenth studio album,Caution (2018). The song was written by Carey,Robert "Shea" Taylor,Priscilla Hamilton,Mason Betha and Camron Giles. Since the track samples Lil' Kim's "Crush on You" (1997),songwriting credits were added for a total of nine. Digitally released as a promotional single in November 2018,Epic Records serviced it to rhythmic contemporary and urban contemporary radio as the second single from the album on March 4,2019. "A No No" is a hip hop and R&B song with a blithely dismissive chorus and frisky beat.
The Rarities is the eighth compilation album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey,released on October 2,2020,by Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings. It is a part of "#MC30",a promotional campaign marking the 30th anniversary of Carey's self-titled debut studio album,Mariah Carey (1990),and coincides with her memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey (2020). Featuring a mix of b-sides and previously unreleased material "with personal relevance and meaning" to Carey—some of which are discussed in her memoir—the album also includes a second disc consisting of audio from her March 7,1996,live performance at the Tokyo Dome during her Daydream World Tour. A Blu-ray disc featuring enhanced video footage from the concert was released exclusively in Japan.
"Here We Go Around Again" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released in Japan on December 11,2020,as the third single from her eighth compilation album,The Rarities (2020) by Columbia and Legacy Records as a cassette single with "Loverboy ". The song was written and produced by Carey and Ben Margulies. According to Carey,the song was the first track on her demo tape.
