Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. Often referred to as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Awards, twelve NAACP Image Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards, including the Billboard Icon Award. She has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its original song "Mighty River", becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
Jodeci is an American R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their musical careers as two duos of brothers and, after years of limited success, joined forces. After signing with Uptown Records in 1991, the group began to work on their debut album, Forever My Lady, which brought them mainstream success with the Billboard Hot 100 single "Come and Talk to Me" and the album's titular track.
Forever My Lady is the debut studio album by American R&B quartet Jodeci, released May 28, 1991, by Uptown Records and MCA Records.
Bell Biv DeVoe, also known as BBD, is an American music group from Boston, Massachusetts, formed from members of New Edition, consisting of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe.
Immature is an American R&B boy band, managed by record producer Chris Stokes. Its members include Marques "Batman" Houston, Jerome "Romeo" Jones, and Kelton "LDB" Kessee, all natives of Los Angeles, where the group was formed. The group released four albums under the Immature moniker: On Our Worst Behavior, Playtyme Is Over (1994), We Got It (1995) and The Journey (1997).
Lloyd Polite Jr., is an American R&B singer. Born in New Orleans and raised in Decatur, he initially began his musical career as a member of the preteen-boy band N-Toon. The band disbanded in 2001 and Polite embarked on a solo career in 2003. He subsequently signed a record deal with American music executive Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records, under the aegis of Def Jam Recordings. In 2004, Polite released his solo debut single "Southside", the title-track from his debut album, Southside (2004). The single quickly charted on the US Billboard Hot 100, and became a top 40 hit. His second album Street Love, was released in 2007 and featured the top 20 hits "You" and "Get It Shawty".
Contemporary R&B is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music.
Allure is an American New York-based R&B girl group that formed in the 1990s as a quartet. Now a trio, they are best known for their hit single "All Cried Out" with 112, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The group's original line-up comprised Alia Davis, Lalisha Sanders, Akissa Mendez and Linnie Blecher, Belcher left the group in 2001.
Today is an American R&B vocal group formed in 1988. The group comprised Frederick Lee "Bubba" Drakeford, Larry "Chief" Singletary, Wesley "Wes" Adams, and Larry "Love" McCain, childhood friends from Englewood, New Jersey.
My Life is the second 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 extensive production from Sean "Puffy" Combs for his newly founded label, Bad Boy Entertainment, which was at the time backed by Arista Records.
My Thoughts is the debut studio album by American singer Avant. It was released on May 9, 2000 by MCA Records and Magic Johnson's Magic Johnson Music. Avant worked with Steve "Stone" Huff on the majority of the album. It debuted at number 45 on the US Billboard 200 and number 8 on the Top R&B Albums, selling 41,675 copies in the opening week. Certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), My Thoughts sold more than one million copies in the United States and received generally mixed to positive reviews by critics. The album spawned three singles that became top ten hits; including "Separated", "My First Love" featuring Keke Wyatt, a cover to its classic René & Angela hit, and "This Time". Both songs, "My First Love" and "This Time", were certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Ecstasy is the second studio album by American singer Avant. It was released by MCA Records and Magic Johnson Music on March 26, 2002 in the United States. The singer reteamed with Steve "Stone" Huff to produce the majority of the album. It debuted and peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200 and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling more than 713,000 copies. Ecstasy produced three singles, including "Makin' Good Love", "Don't Say No, Just Say Yes" and "You Ain't Right".
Exposed is the fourth studio album by American singer Chanté Moore. It was released by Silas Records and MCA Records on November 14, 2000, in the United States. Recorded between January and August 2000, the album saw Moore working with a range of new collaborators, including duo Tim & Bob, Bryan Michael Cox, and executive producer Jermaine Dupri whose sound took her work further into the contemporary R&B genre and introduced a more "edgy and street-oriented" emphasis to her music.
One Love is the seventh studio album by American R&B group New Edition, released on November 9, 2004 by Bad Boy and Universal Records. The album achieved certified gold status.
"Girlfriend" is a song by American singer Pebbles from her 1987 self-titled debut studio album. Written and produced by L.A. Reid and Babyface, "Girlfriend" was released as the album's lead single on October 26, 1987, by record label MCA. The song charted in several countries, peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reaching the top 10 in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
What's the 411? Remix is a remix album by R&B singer Mary J. Blige, released on December 7, 1993, by Uptown Records and MCA Records. It is composed of remixed tracks from Blige's critically acclaimed debut album, and involved record producers and recording artists including Sean "Puffy" Combs, Teddy Riley, Eddie "F" Ferrell, Craig Mack, Heavy D, the Notorious B.I.G., and K-Ci Hailey. The album received favorable reviews, and debuted at number 118 on the Billboard 200, and number 22 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
"Love No Limit" is a song by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was co-written by Kenny Greene and Dave "Jam" Hall for her debut album, What's the 411? (1992), while production was overseen by Hall. Released as the album's fourth and final single, the song became a top five hit, reaching number-five on the US R&B singles chart, and peaked at number forty-four on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Hall has stated in interviews, that he wanted to give the song an urban, hip-hop feel to a much more jazzy sound, when it was created.
"All Cried Out" is a song recorded by American band Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam from their 1985 album Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force. The song became a major hit, reaching number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in October 1986. It was also a major hit on the US R&B singles chart, peaking at number three.
"Head over Heels" is the debut single by American girl group Allure, released in February 1997. It is from their 1997 eponymous debut album. The song features a rap by American rapper Nas, and also contains a sample of "The Bridge" by MC Shan. It peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"She's Trouble", also known as "Trouble", is a song by Michael Jackson, recorded in 1981 and originally written for his Thriller LP. However, Jackson's original version was an outtake and therefore never released, either as a single or an album cut. Two versions of Jackson’s demo leaked online, a rough vocal version and a final version in low quality. On November 18, 2022, Jackson's version was released on Thriller 40.
