The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 14, 2003, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. It was advertised as his final album before retiring, which is also a recurring theme throughout the songs, although Jay-Z resumed his recording career in 2005. For the album, Jay-Z wanted to enlist a different producer for each song, working with Just Blaze, Kanye West, The Neptunes, Eminem, DJ Quik, Timbaland, 9th Wonder and Rick Rubin, among others. The album also features a guest appearance by Pharrell Williams.
Usher is the debut studio album by American singer Usher, released on August 30, 1994, by LaFace Records and Arista Records. As executive producer, Sean "Puffy" Combs mostly handled production work on the album, as additional production was provided by Chucky Thompson, DeVante Swing and Al B. Sure!, among others. Despite underperforming on the charts, debuting at number 167 on the US Billboard 200, the album reached number 4 on the US Heatseekers Albums Chart. The songs "Can U Get wit It", "Think of You" and "The Many Ways" were released as singles to support the album.
The Score is the second and final studio album by the hip hop trio Fugees, released worldwide on February 13, 1996, on Columbia Records. The album features a wide range of samples and instrumentation, with many aspects of alternative hip hop that would come to dominate the hip-hop music scene in the mid- to late-1990s. Primarily, The Score's production was handled by the Fugees themselves, Jerry Duplessis and Warren Riker, with additional production from Salaam Remi, John Forté, Diamond D, and Shawn King. The album's guest verses are from Outsidaz members Rah Digga, Young Zee, and Pacewon, as well as John Forté, and Diamond D. Most versions of the album feature four bonus tracks, including three remixes of "Fu-Gee-La", and a short acoustic Wyclef Jean solo track entitled "Mista Mista".
R&G : The Masterpiece is the seventh studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on November 16, 2004, by Doggystyle Records, making its first on Star Trak Entertainment and Geffen Records. Recording sessions took place from November 2003 to September 2004 in each of several recording studios. The album's production was handled from The Neptunes, The Alchemist, Lil Jon, Hi-Tek, Warryn Campbell, and L.T. Hutton, among others.
The Documentary is the commercial debut studio album by American rapper the Game. It was released on January 18, 2005, by Aftermath Entertainment, G-Unit Records, and Interscope Records. The record serves as his major-label debut, preceded by his independently released debut Untold Story in 2004. In 2001, while the Game was in hospital recovering from a shooting, he decided to pursue a career in music. He released the mixtape, "Q.B. 2 Compton" under his then record label "Get Low Recordz" in 2002, which was later discovered by Dr. Dre and led to him signing the Game to his label, Aftermath Entertainment. The album includes production from high-profile producers such as Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Scott Storch and Timbaland, among others, and guest appearances from 50 Cent, Eminem, Nate Dogg and Faith Evans, among others. This would be the Game's only album on Aftermath and G-Unit Records, as he left the label later in 2006 after a feud began between him and fellow G-Unit label-mate 50 Cent.
The Dynasty: Roc-La-Familia is the fifth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, featuring prominent appearances from signees of Roc-A-Fella Records. It was released on October 31, 2000, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its lead single, "I Just Wanna Love U ", produced by the Neptunes, was one of Jay-Z's most successful singles peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 with 557,789 copies sold in its first week. The album is certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA. The album received positive reviews from music critics, and ended up becoming the 20th highest-selling R&B/hip-hop album of the 2000–2010 decade according to Billboard.
II is the second studio album - hence the title - by American R&B quartet Boyz II Men, released on August 30, 1994, on Motown Records. It contained the No. 1 singles "I'll Make Love to You" and "On Bended Knee", the latter of which replaced the former at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, making the group the third artist to replace themselves at No. 1 in the United States after Elvis Presley and The Beatles and the first to achieve the feat in 30 years.
D Train was an American duo that had hits on the Billboard magazine Dance and R&B charts during the first half of the 1980s. Three of their singles also reached the top 30 in the UK Singles Chart.
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.
No Way Out is the debut studio album by American rapper Puff Daddy & The Family. It was released on July 22, 1997 by Arista Records and Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Entertainment. The album's crediting of the Family references the guest appearances from his label-mates at Bad Boy Records.
Pain Is Love is the third studio album by American rapper Ja Rule, released on October 2, 2001 via The Island Def Jam Music Group, Def Jam Recordings, and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records. Although, the album received a mixed reception from critics, Pain Is Love debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was supported by four singles: "Livin' It Up", "I'm Real ", "Always on Time" and "Down Ass Bitch". It was certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over 3,000,000 copies. Pain is Love received numerous awards and nominations including a nomination for Best Rap Album at the 44th Grammy Awards. The album's first two singles "Livin' It Up" featuring Case and "Always on Time" featuring Ashanti collected nominations for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2002 and 2003.
The Notorious K.I.M. is the second studio album by American rapper Lil' Kim. It was released on June 27, 2000, by Atlantic Records and was her first album on her new label Queen Bee Entertainment. It debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 229,000 copies in its first week, achieving Lil' Kim's highest peak and biggest first-week sales, and reached the top of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A commercial success, The Notorious K.I.M. was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on August 2, 2000. It was the best-selling female rap album in 2000 with sales of over 1.5 million copies in the United States. To date, The Notorious K.I.M. has sold 3 million copies worldwide.
Love & Life is the sixth studio album by American R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was released by Geffen Records on August 26, 2003. The album marked Blige's debut on the Geffen label, following the absorption of her former record company MCA Records. In addition, it saw her reuniting with Sean "Diddy" Combs, executive producer of her first two studio albums What's the 411? (1992) and My Life (1994), who wrote and executive produced most of Love & Life with his Bad Boy in-house production team The Hitmen, including Mario Winans, D-Dot, and Stevie J.
Pleasure & Pain is the fifth studio album BY American R&B group 112. It was released by Def Soul on March 29, 2005 in the United States. Named after the song "Pleasure & Pain" on 112's 1996 eponymous debut album, 112, the album did not fare as well as their first three albums, but the album did manage to spawn one hit single in 2005; the single "U Already Know" peaked at #32 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the second single "What If" reached #74. It was the first 112 album to get a Parental Advisory sticker. The single, "U Already Know", has two official remixes, the official Murder Remix featuring Ja Rule & Harry O and the official Roc-A-Fella Remix featuring Foxy Brown.
From the Bottom Up is the debut studio album by American girl group Brownstone. It was released by Epic Records and Michael Jackson's MJJ Music on January 10, 1995, in the United States. Brownstone worked with a wide range of producers and songwriters on the album, including Jorge Corante, Dave "Jam" Hall, Soulshock & Karlin, and Gordon Chambers. From the Bottom Up spawned four singles, including the top 10 R&B hits "If You Love Me" and "Grapevyne," and a cover of The Eagles' "I Can't Tell You Why". In addition, "Sometimes Dancin'" was featured in the Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home soundtrack.
Diplomatic Immunity is the debut studio album by American hip hop group The Diplomats, released via The Island Def Jam Music Group, Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records, and Cam'ron's Diplomats Records. Originally scheduled for a March 4, 2003 release, the album's release date was delayed to March 11, 2003. After the release date was again delayed, the album was ultimately released March 25, 2003. Recording sessions took place at Baseline Studios, Quad Recording Studios, Sony Music Studios and The Hit Factory in New York City, and at Galaxy Studios in Newark, New Jersey. Production was handled by The Heatmakerz, DR Period, Just Blaze, Brian "All Day" Miller, Charlemagne, Hiroshima, Jamahl, Kanye West, KLC, Mafia Boy, Paperchase Inc, Ralph Random, Spike and E-Bass, with Cam'ron and Jim Jones serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from DMX, Freeway, Master P, Monique Chandler, Shaniqua Williams, Toya and Un Kasa. The album spawned three singles: "Bout It Bout It... Part III", "Built This City" and "Dipset Anthem".
"If You Love Me" is a song by American R&B group Brownstone, released on October 24, 1994, by MJJ Music and Epic Records. It is the second single from their debut album, From the Bottom Up (1995). The song was written by Gordon Chambers, Nichole Gilbert, and Dave Hall, and features a sample from "Spellbound" (1990) by American rapper K-Solo. "If You Love Me" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1996 but lost to "Creep" by TLC.
Face Off is a collaborative album by American rapper Bow Wow and American singer Omarion. The album was released on December 11, 2007 through Columbia Records. The production on the album was handled by Jermaine Dupri, Jim Jonsin, Stereotypes, T-Pain, No I.D. and Lil Ronnie among others.
Charmayne Maxena Maxwell, professionally known as Maxee, was a Guyana-born American singer–songwriter. In the mid 1990s, Maxwell came to prominence as a member of the female R&B trio Brownstone.
Trapsoul is the debut studio album by American singer Bryson Tiller. It was released on September 25, 2015 on Apple Music with a general release date of October 2, 2015 by RCA Records. Recording sessions took place from 2014 to 2015, with the contributions from a variety of the record producers such as J-Louis, Epikh Pro, Ayo, Bill C Da Don, Foreign Teck, Rob Holladay, Syk Sense, alongside other high-profile record producers from Sango and Timbaland, among others. The album was supported by three singles: "Don't", "Exchange" and "Sorry Not Sorry". The album garnered Tiller his breakthrough into mainstream R&B.
