Monica Denise Arnold is an American singer, rapper and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, she began performing as a child and joined a traveling gospel choir by the age of ten. Monica signed with record producer Dallas Austin through his label Rowdy Records in 1993, and gained prominence following the release of her debut studio album, Miss Thang (1995). Her follow up releases were met with further commercial success; her second, The Boy Is Mine (1998) remains her best-selling album and spawned three singles that peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100: "The Boy Is Mine", "The First Night" and "Angel of Mine".
Keith Douglas Sweat is an American singer and songwriter. An early figure in the new jack swing musical movement, he is known for his collection of hits including "I Want Her", "Make It Last Forever", "I'll Give All My Love to You", "Make You Sweat", "Get Up on It", "Twisted" and "Nobody". He has released 13 solo albums and discovered the groups Silk and Kut Klose.
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Raised in Atlanta as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music production at the age of nine. 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.
Ciara Princess Wilson is an American singer, songwriter, businesswoman, dancer, model, and actress. She rose to prominence with her debut studio album, Goodies (2004) and its lead single of the same name, which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. Follow-up singles from the album included "1, 2 Step" and "Oh", both of which peaked at number two on the former chart. The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and received two nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards. Ciara also guest featured on the 2005 singles "Lose Control" by Missy Elliott and "Like You" by Bow Wow, both of which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is a song by American rapper Dr. Dre, featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Dogg, on Dre's debut solo album, The Chronic (1992). As the album's first single it reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 20, 1993, behind "Informer" by Snow, outperformed The Chronic's other singles, "Fuck wit Dre Day ", which peaked at number 8, and "Let Me Ride", which peaked at number 34. The single also reached number 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and was a number 31 hit in the UK. Its music video was directed by Dr. Dre himself.
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.
Kut Klose is an American R&B trio that formed in Atlanta, Georgia. The three female singers that made up the group were Athena Cage, Lavonn Battle and Tabitha Duncan. They were originally discovered by singer Keith Sweat, who also served as one of the producers on their debut album Surrender (1995). The trio is best known for their hit single "I Like" and feature on "Get Up on It" by Keith Sweat.
"Where Do You Go" is a song written by Peter Bischof and Frank Farian. It was first recorded in 1995 by German Eurodance band La Bouche as an album-only track from their debut album, Sweet Dreams (1995). A cover version of the song was then recorded by American-German Europop trio No Mercy, taken from their debut album, My Promise (1996). On 13 May 1996, it was released as their first single and became a worldwide hit entering the top five in Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
"Why I Love You So Much" is a song by American R&B singer Monica. It was written and produced by Daryl Simmons and recorded for her debut studio album, Miss Thang (1995). A downtempo love song about a partner hitting all the right notes, the tender R&B ballad has Moncia singing over a warm bass and soaring keyboard chords. "Why I Love You So Much" was released as the album's fourth and final single on a double A-side with "Ain't Nobody" during the second quarter of 1996.
"Before You Walk Out of My Life" is a song by American R&B singer Monica. It was written by Andrea Martin, Carsten Schack, and Kenneth Karlin, with production helmed by Schack and Karlin under their production moniker Soulshock & Karlin. Initially helmed for fellow R&B singer Toni Braxton's Secrets (1996) album, it was left unused and later re-recorded by Monica for her debut album Miss Thang (1995). Built around drum machine-backed rhythms and a saxophone-laced beat, the mid-tempo R&B ballad was released as the album's second single on August 3, 1995, with "Like This and Like That" serving as its other half on a double A-side stateside. It is considered to be one of her signature songs.
American singer Ciara has released seven studio albums, one extended play, one DVD, one promotional single, 54 singles and 28 music videos, including seven as a featured artist. She made her debut in 2004 with her debut album Goodies which debuted at three in the US and charted within the top 40 in several international markets. The album's title track peaked at number-one in the United States for seven weeks and gave the singer the title of "The First Lady of Crunk&B", while singles "1, 2 Step" and "Oh" reached the top three in the US. All three singles reached the top 10 in many international markets, with "Goodies" topping charts in the UK. Goodies was certified triple-Platinum in the United States, Platinum in Canada, and sold over five million copies worldwide. Ciara also participated in a number of successful collaborations, including US top five hits "Lose Control" with Missy Elliott, and "Like You" with rapper Bow Wow, as well as the US top 10 "So What" with group Field Mob.
"Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)" is a song by American singer Monica. It was written by Dallas Austin, Derrick Simmons, and Recall Management for her debut album, Miss Thang (1995), while production was helmed by the former. The song contains a sample from "Back Seat (Of My Jeep)" (1993) by American rapper LL Cool J, which itself samples elements from the song "You're Gettin' a Little Too Smart" (1973), written by Abrim Tilmon and recorded by R&B vocal group The Detroit Emeralds. Due to the inclusion of the samples, several other writers are credited as songwriters.
"Like This and Like That" is a song by American singer Monica. It was written by Dallas Austin, Colin Wolfe, and Malik Edwards, and produced by the former two. It was released as the second single along with "Before You Walk Out of My Life" from Monica's debut studio album, Miss Thang (1995). The song is built around a sample of "Spoonin' Rap" (1979) by Spoonie G, written by Gabriel Jackson. Mr. Malik from former rap duo Illegal performs several ad-libs and sings part of the bridge, earning him a place as a featured artist on the track.
The Singles Collection is the second greatest hits album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on November 10, 2009, through Jive Records to commemorate her ten-year anniversary since entering the music industry. The compilation was released in many different formats, including a one-disc edition, a CD+DVD edition and a box set, which contained twenty-nine singles, each packaged in its own slip case with original cover art. The CD+DVD edition, as well as the box set, contains a DVD with Spears's music videos. The album includes a new song, "3", produced by Max Martin and Shellback.
"Groove Thang" is a song by American R&B group Zhané from their debut album, Pronounced Jah-Nay (1994). Released in January 1994, it was produced by and features a rap verse from Naughty by Nature. The song is based on a sample of "Haven't You Heard" as performed by Patrice Rushen. It peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100. A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Markus Blunder.
American recording artist CeCe Peniston entered the music industry as a backup vocalist on the Overweight Pooch's album Female Preacher, released in July 1991 on A&M Records. Shortly before that, she was featured on the B-side to 12-inch single "I Can't Take the Power" by male rapper Marvelous JC. Besides her vocal performance on the Pooch's only charting track, "I Like It", she was given a credit for co-writing two compositions; "Kickin' Da Blues" and the titular "Female Preacher". Soon after, the singer pursued a solo career. By now, Peniston has released four studio albums including one as a member of The Sisters of Glory, two remix collections, one live album, four compilations and one live extended play (EP). Her singles discography features twenty-nine physical releases, twenty-one digital-only, seven promotional recordings and twenty-six other appearances; regardless of their format. She has also been included on one video album and has made fourteen music videos.
"(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" is a song by British synth-pop band Heaven 17. It was their debut single, released on 6 March 1981, and the lead single from their debut studio album, Penthouse and Pavement (1981). It was a minor hit in the UK in 1981, despite being banned by the BBC. It was also a minor dance hit in the US. It developed from an instrumental, "Groove Thang", that Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh created earlier that year for Music for Stowaways, an album they released as British Electric Foundation.
"I Like" is a song performed by American R&B group Kut Klose, issued as the first single from their debut studio album Surrender. Co-written by group member Tabitha Duncan, the song was their only hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 34 in 1995.
"Lovely" is a song by American singers Billie Eilish and Khalid. Darkroom and Interscope Records released it as the lead single from the Netflix drama series 13 Reasons Why's second season soundtrack. The artists wrote the song with Eilish's brother and producer Finneas O'Connell. The song has been described as a chamber pop ballad whose lyrics recount Eilish and Khalid trying to overcome serious depression together. The song also appears on the deluxe version of Eilish's EP don't smile at me.
American singer and songwriter Billie Eilish has released 2 studio albums, 1 live album, 1 video album, 2 extended plays (EPs), 33 singles, and 25 music videos. According to RIAA, she has sold 45.5 million digital singles and 5 million albums. IFPI crowned "Bad Guy" as 2019's biggest selling single globally, selling 19.5 million units in a year span. Eilish is regarded by various media outlets as the "Queen of Gen-Z Pop". At age 17, she became the youngest female artist in UK chart history to score a number-one album. As of October 2021, Eilish has accumulated 76.7 billion career streams worldwide. According to IFPI, Eilish was the 4th best-selling artist of 2019 and 5th best-selling artist of 2020.
