Monica Denise Arnold is an American singer, rapper and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, she began performing as a child and became part of a traveling gospel choir at 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", "Angel of Mine".
After the Storm is the fourth studio album by American singer Monica. It was first released on June 17, 2003 through J Records. Created over a period of three years, in which Monica experienced personal struggles and its original version, All Eyez on Me, was delayed numerous times following the moderate success of single "All Eyez on Me" as well as the leak to Internet file-sharing services and heavy bootlegging after its Japan-wide release, Monica decided to scrap most of the album in favor of new material for which she consulted new collaborators such as Missy Elliott, who would receive executive producer credit due to her predominant share of contributions on the album.
"So Gone" is a song by American R&B recording artist Monica. It was one out of several tracks rapper-producer Missy Elliott wrote and produced along with Kenneth Cunningham and Jamahl Rye from production duo Spike & Jamahl for Monica's fourth studio album, After the Storm (2003), following the delay and subsequent reconstruction of her 2002 album, All Eyez on Me. Incorporating elements of hip hop and 1970s-style smooth jazz as well as soul music, it features a sample from the 1976 song "You Are Number One", penned by Zyah Ahmonuel and performed by The Whispers.
"Knock Knock" is a song by American R&B recording artist Monica. It was written and produced by rappers Missy Elliott and Kanye West for her fourth studio album After the Storm (2003). Commissioned following the delay and subsequent reconstruction of Monica's third album All Eyez on Me (2002), the song is built around excerpts of the composition "It's a Terrible Thing to Waste Your Love" (1976) by American vocal group The Masqueraders. Due to the sample, Lee Hatim is also credited as a songwriter. On breezy, summer-tinged "Knock Knock," a blending of 1970s-style soul and hip hop set against steely keyboards and a stony bass, the protagonist warns a cheating boyfriend not to come calling.
The discography of American rapper, singer, and record producer Missy Elliott consists of six studio albums, three compilation albums, one extended play, seventy-four singles and twenty solo music videos.
"Everytime tha Beat Drop" is a song by American recording artist Monica from her fifth studio album The Makings of Me (2006). It was written by Johnta Austin, Jermaine Dupri, Robert Hill, Charles Hammond, Deangelo Hunt, James Phillips, and rap group Dem Franchize Boyz, while production was hemled by Dupri, with additional credits by LRoc. Musically, the downbeat uptempo track was greatly influenced by crunk and snap music, incorporating beats of rapper Nelly's 2005 song "Grillz" and containing a vocal sample of Dem Franchize Boyz' "Lean wit It, Rock wit It" (2006).
The Makings of Me is the fifth studio album by American singer Monica. It was released by J Records on October 3, 2006, in the United States. Built upon the hip hop, gospel and modern quiet storm styles of its predecessor, After the Storm (2003), Monica envisioned her follow-up project to sound as close knit and intimate as her previous project. Consequently, she enlisted frequent collaborators Missy Elliott, Bryan Michael Cox, and Jermaine Dupri to work with her on the album, with the latter serving as its executive producer, as well as new partners such as The Underdogs, Tank, The Runners, LRoc, Swizz Beatz, and Sean Garrett.
American R&B singer Monica has released 8 studio albums, one extended play, and 48 singles. Since the beginning of her career in 1995, she has sold 5.3 million albums in the United States, In 1999, Billboard included her among the top twenty of the Top Pop Artists of the 1990s, and in 2010, the magazine ranked her 24th on its list of the Top 50 R&B and Hip Hop Artists of the past 25 years. With a career lasting over 20 years, Monica became the first artist to top the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.
"Sideline Ho" is a song by American singer Monica. It was written by Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas, Antonio Dixon, Eric Dawkins, Steve Russell, and Durrell "Tank" Babbs for her fourth studio album, The Makings of Me (2006). Production was helmed by Mason and Thomas under their production moniker The Underdogs, with Tank credited as co-producer of the song. "Sideline Ho" was released as the album's third single in the third quarter of 2006. It opened at number 77 on US Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart on early airplay alone, and achieved a peak of number 45 on that chart.
Alter Ego is the fourth studio album by American singer Tyrese. It was released on December 12, 2006 through J Records. The album was formatted as a double album. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Mannie Fresh, Lil Jon, Scott Storch, R. Kelly, Tricky Stewart and Bryan-Michael Cox among others. The album also features guest appearances by The Game, Method Man, Snoop Dogg, Too Short, Kurupt, Lil Scrappy, David Banner, R. Kelly, Lil Jon, and Mannie Fresh.
"All Eyez on Me" is a song by American singer Monica. It was written in collaboration with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and LaShawn Daniels for her original third studio album of the same name, while production was helmed by the former. The song incorporates excerpts of "P.Y.T. " (1983) by American singer Michael Jackson. Due to the inclusion of the sample, Quincy Jones and James Ingram are also credited as songwriters. A lighthearted party jam that is built on a danceable groove, "All Eyez on Me" talks about self-confidence.
"Hell No (Leave Home)" is a song by American singer Monica featuring guest vocals by rapper Twista. It was written by Bryan Michael Cox, Sean Garrett, and Carl Mitchell and produced by former for her fourth studio album, The Makings of Me (2006), with additional production from Garrett. The song was released as the album's fourth and final single on May 14, 2007 in the United States, where it peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
American singer and songwriter Tweet has released three studio albums, one live album, one extended play, 13 singles, two promotional singles, and 13 music videos.
"Let It Go" is a song by American R&B singer Keyshia Cole featuring American rappers Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim. It was written by Cole, Jack Knight, Cainon Lamb, Lil' Kim, and Missy Elliott for her second album Just Like You (2007) and samples "Juicy Fruit" by Mtume, and "Don't Stop the Music" by Yarbrough and Peoples, while also interpolating "Juicy" by The Notorious B.I.G., who also sampled "Juicy Fruit." An uptempo song written by all three artists with Jack Knight, Cainon Lamb and James Mtume and produced by Lamb and Elliott, it marked the first collaboration between any of the three artists with one another.
Still Standing is the sixth studio album by American R&B singer Monica. It was released on March 19, 2010, by J Records. Recording for the album began in 2007, in which the singer intended to take a more traditional approach to the genre and take away any "gimmicks". As executive producer of the album, Monica enlisted a variety of producers including involvement by Missy Elliott, Bryan-Michael Cox, Stargate, The Runners and Jermaine Dupri. Production on Still Standing was chronicled by Monica's BET reality series of the same name which aired between October 2009 and January 2010.
"Everything to Me" is a song by American recording artist Monica. It was written by fellow singer Jazmine Sullivan and co-produced by Missy Elliott and Cainon Lamb for her sixth studio album Still Standing (2010), incorporating a sample of the 1981 recording "Silly" as penned by Fritz Baskett, Clarence McDonald, and June Deniece Williams and performed by Deniece Williams.
"Anything (To Find You)" is a song by American recording artist Monica taken from her seventh studio album, New Life (2012). It features additional vocals from American rapper Rick Ross, and was written and produced by longtime contributors Missy Elliott and Cainon Lamb with additional penning from fellow R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan, Henry Fuse, Miguel "Pro" Castro, and William Roberts. The song samples 1995's "Who Shot Ya?" performed by The Notorious B.I.G. and Diddy, and uses an interpolation of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's 1968 hit, "You're All I Need to Get By".
New Life is the seventh studio album by American singer Monica, released by RCA Records on April 6, 2012. It marked the singer's debut release with the label following the dissolution of her former label, J Records in October 2011. A musical continuation of her commercially successful previous album Still Standing (2010), Monica began working on the album only weeks after the release of the former. She returned to work with frequent collaborators; writers and producers including Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Missy Elliott, and Cainon Lamb, as well as such as singer and songwriter Rico Love, whose songs replaced much of her cousin, producer Polow da Don's original material.
Cainon Renard Lamb, professionally known as Lamb or Lamb Litty, is an American record producer and songwriter from Miami, Florida. He has worked with the likes of Beyoncé, SWV, Missy Elliott, Monica, Keyshia Cole and Jazmine Sullivan. In 2017, Lamb made his rapping debut on colleague Missy Elliott's single "I'm Better".
Bluebird of Happiness is the fifth studio album by the American R&B singer Tamar Braxton, released on September 29, 2017, by LoganLand Records and Entertainment One. The album was preceded by the release of two singles: "My Man" followed by "Blind".
