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.
Mario Mendell Winans is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from South Carolina, and an extended member of the musical family The Winans. He is best known for his 2004 song "I Don't Wanna Know", which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the charts in Germany and the United Kingdom. Winans also co-wrote CeCe Winans's song "Pray" in 2005, which won a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance.
"Back in the Day" is a 1994 single by Ahmad. Released when Ahmad was only 18, the song is a nostalgic remembrance of childhood and young teenage years, from a somewhat jaded adult perspective. "Back in the Day" was Ahmad's only major hit single, making it to number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 19 on the US R&B chart. The song contains a sample of the Teddy Pendergrass song "Love TKO"; and it was the first single of his 1994 self-titled album and was RIAA-certified gold.
"I Don't Wanna Cry" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey for her first album Mariah Carey (1990). Written by Carey and producer Narada Michael Walden, Columbia Records released it as the album's fourth single in March 1991. A Latin soul–influenced pop and R&B ballad, the torch song describes the end of romance. It features drums, guitars, digital synthesizers, and a classic song structure with highly delineated section roles. Modulations occur between these segments that emphasize the singer's emotions. Varying from whispering to belting, Carey's vocal range spans more than two octaves.
"Fantasy" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on August 23, 1995, by Columbia Records as the lead single from her fifth album, Daydream (1995). The track was written and produced by Carey and Dave Hall. It samples Tom Tom Club's 1981 song "Genius of Love". The lyrics describe a woman who is in love with a man, and how every time she sees him she starts fantasizing about an impossible relationship with him. The remix for the song features rap verses from Ol' Dirty Bastard, something Carey arranged to assist in her crossover into the hip-hop market and credited for introducing R&B and hip hop collaboration into mainstream pop culture, and for popularizing rap as a featuring act.
Donell Jones is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer from Chicago, Illinois. He met record producer Eddie F in the mid-1990s and signed with his record label Untouchables Entertainment, beginning his career as a songwriter for its parent label, LaFace Records. Through the labels, he released his debut studio album, My Heart (1996) to poor commercial reception, although it spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 entries with the singles "In the Hood" and his cover of Stevie Wonder's "Knocks Me Off My Feet."
"Think of You" is a song by American musician Usher. It was co-written by Usher alongside LaFace Records labelmate Donell Jones and Bad Boy singer Faith Evans for his self-titled debut album (1994). The song samples a groove from the instrumental track "Tidal Wave" (1975) by American jazz musician Ronnie Laws, also featuring vocals from rapper Biz Markie's "Just Rhymin' With Biz" (1987). Lyrically, "Think of You" finds the protagonist going through a breakup and dealing with conflicting feelings about his ex.
"I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto" is a song by American rapper 2Pac. It was released as the first single from the posthumous album R U Still Down? . The original version, titled "I Wonda if Heaven's Got a Ghetto", was released as a B-side on the 1993 single, "Keep Ya Head Up".
"Why You Wanna" is a song by American rapper T.I., released as the second official single from his fourth album King (2006). It samples a slowed down keyboard chord from Crystal Waters' "Gypsy Woman ". The chorus also interpolates rapper Q-Tip's vocals from "Got 'Til It's Gone" with Janet Jackson and "Find a Way" with his group A Tribe Called Quest.
"I Just Wanna Love U " is a song by American rapper Jay-Z, released as the first single from his 2000 album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. It was produced by the Neptunes and features a chorus performed by Neptunes member Pharrell and Pennsylvania rapper Omillio Sparks, both of whom remain uncredited. The video for the song, directed by David Meyers, features cameos from rappers Lil' Kim, Lil' Cease, Damon Dash, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Jermaine Dupri and actor John Witherspoon.
"4, 3, 2, 1" is a song by Queens rapper LL Cool J featuring Method Man, Redman, Canibus and DMX from LL Cool J's seventh album Phenomenon as the second single. It was released on December 9, 1997, for Def Jam Recordings and was produced by Erick Sermon. The single featured an extended version not featured on the album featuring an additional verse from Southern hip hop rapper Master P. Both the original song and the extended cut had accompanying music videos. The song peaked at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 10 on the Hot Rap Singles and number 24 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
"I Don't Wanna" is a song recorded by American singer Aaliyah. Written and composed by Johntá Austin, Jazze Pha, Donnie Scantz, and Kevin Hicks, it appears on both the Next Friday (1999) and Romeo Must Die (2000) soundtracks.
"Bye Bye" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her eleventh studio album, E=MC² (2008). She co-wrote the song with its producers Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen and Johntá Austin. It was released as the album's second single on April 15, 2008 by Island Records. The song is influenced by pop and R&B music genres, and features a piano and keyboard-driven melody. Lyrically, the song is a dialogue in between Carey and her deceased father throughout the verses, and a universal salute to departed loved ones on the chorus.
"U Make Me Wanna" is a hip hop and R&B-flavored song by New York rapper Jadakiss, released as the third and final single from his second studio album, Kiss of Death. The song features vocals by fellow New York singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, and was produced by Scott Storch. The song features an interesting Middle Eastern/Indian-inspired beat, with synthesized flutes, strings and percussion. The lyrics detail Jadakiss' daily work of selling substances, and how he perseveres each day through knowing that he has a beautiful, loving woman waiting on him at home each night. Carey's vocal range in the song reaches up to her sixth octave.
Keenon Dequan Ray Jackson, known professionally as YG, is an American rapper from Compton, California. He began his recording career in 2008, and released his debut mixtape, 4Fingaz and its follow up, The Real 4Fingaz both in the following year. The latter gained recognition for its local hit song "Toot It and Boot It", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 67 and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He signed with Def Jam Recordings in October 2009, who re-released the song commercially as his debut single the following year. He then signed a joint-venture recording contract with Jeezy's label, CTE World in 2013.
"Knocks Me Off My Feet" is a song written and performed by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. It was not released as a single, though it was released as a B-side to "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" four years later, in 1980. The song has also been covered by numerous artists, including R&B singer Donell Jones, who released his version as a single in 1996. Other notable recordings include those by Tevin Campbell and Luther Vandross, both also released in 1996.
"Don't Tell 'Em" is a song by American singer Jeremih from his third studio album, Late Nights. It features American rapper YG, and was released as the first single from the album. The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Don't Tell 'Em" peaked within the top ten of the charts in the United Kingdom, as well as the top twenty of the charts in Australia and Belgium.
"I Don't" is a song by American singer Mariah Carey featuring American rapper YG. The song was written by Carey, YG, Johntá Austin, Crystal Nicole Pompey, Donell Jones, and Kyle West and produced by Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox. Carey previewed the track during the final episode of her E! docuseries, Mariah's World, on January 29, 2017. Epic Records released it as a single five days later on February 3. The song samples Jones's song "Where I Wanna Be".
"Ex" is a song by American singer Ty Dolla Sign, released on October 6, 2017. It is the third single from his second studio album Beach House 3 (2017) and features American rapper YG. Produced by BongoByTheWay, Hitmaka and Ty Dolla Sign, the song samples the remix of "Only You" by 112.
"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.
