What's the 411? is the debut album by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige. It was released on July 28, 1992, by Uptown Records and MCA Records. After signing a record contract with Uptown, Blige began working on the album with producer Sean "Puffy" Combs. Other producers and songwriters included DeVante Swing, Tony Dofat, Dave Hall, Mark Morales and Mark "Cory" Rooney. The resulting music covered hip hop soul, contemporary R&B, and new jack swing styles.
Harlem World is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist Mase. It was released on October 28, 1997, by Bad Boy and Arista Records. The album was nominated at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album. It went on to sell 4.9 million copies in the United States, going quadruple Platinum in the United States.
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.
Joseph Lewis Thomas, known mononymously as Joe, is an American R&B singer. He signed to Polygram Records in 1992, and rose to prominence after releasing his debut album Everything the following year. He followed it with a series of successful albums under Jive Records, including All That I Am (1997), the international bestseller My Name Is Joe (2000) as well as the multi-certified albums Better Days (2001) and And Then... (2003). Several songs from these albums became hit singles on the pop and R&B record charts, including the number-one hit "Stutter", the top ten entries "All the Things ", "Don't Wanna Be a Player", and "I Wanna Know" as well as his collaborations "Faded Pictures", "Thank God I Found You" and "Still Not a Player".
Adina Marie Howard is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to fame during the mid-1990s with her debut album, Do You Wanna Ride? and her debut single, "Freak like Me". Some of her other minor hits include "What's Love Got to Do with It?", "(Freak) And U Know It", "Nasty Grind", "Freaks" and "T-Shirt & Panties".
My Way is the second studio album by American singer Usher. It was released on September 16, 1997, by LaFace Records in North America. The album features guest appearances from Monica, Jermaine Dupri, and Lil' Kim. The album was supported by three singles, all multi platinum-selling: "Nice & Slow", "My Way", and "You Make Me Wanna...".
No Limit Top Dogg is the fourth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released May 11, 1999, by No Limit and Priority Records. Following the mixed reception of his previous album, Snoop began to work again with Dr. Dre and returned to the west coast sound of his earlier career while on Death Row Records. The album was generally met with positive reception with many critics citing it as a return to form and his best album since Doggystyle (1993). Many praised the production work for the album with the tracks made by Dr. Dre being highlighted as well as Snoop's delivery while criticism was mainly aimed at the length of the album, the No Limit features, and the lack of new lyrical content. The Source placed the album on their list of the "Top 10 Best Albums of the Year" for 1999.
Trap Muzik is the second studio album by the American rapper T.I., released on August 19, 2003, by Atlantic and his newly founded record label Grand Hustle. Due to the poor sales on T.I.'s first album, I'm Serious (2001), T.I. asked for a joint venture deal with Arista Records or to be released from his contract; he was subsequently dropped from the label. In 2002, T.I. launched Grand Hustle with his longtime business partner Jason Geter and signed a new deal with Atlantic Records.
Todd Smith is the eleventh studio album by American rapper LL Cool J. It was released on April 11, 2006 by Def Jam Recordings. It includes collaborations with Jennifer Lopez, Pharrell, Juelz Santana, Teairra Mari, Jamie Foxx, Ginuwine, Mary J. Blige, 112, Mary Mary, Ryan Toby and Freeway. Producers on the project include Pharrell, Scott Storch, Bink!, Shea Taylor, Keezo Kane and Trackmasters.
"Freak Like Me" is a song by American R&B singer Adina Howard, released on January 25, 1995 by East West and Lola Waxx, as the debut single from her first album, Do You Wanna Ride? (1995). The song reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, as well as number two on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart for four weeks, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of one million copies. Its music video was directed by Hype Williams. In 2023, Billboard ranked "Freak Like Me" among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time". The song has been covered by several artists, including British girl group Sugababes, who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart with their version in 2002.
King, is the fourth studio album by American rapper T.I., released on March 28, 2006, through Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took one and a half years to complete in late 2005 according to T.I. in an interview with MTV News. Production was handled by several high-profile record producers, including DJ Toomp, Just Blaze, Mannie Fresh, Swizz Beatz, Keith Mack, Travis Barker, The Neptunes, Kevin "Khao" Cates, Nick "Fury" Loftin, and Tony Galvin, among others. The album also serves as the soundtrack to T.I.’s feature film debut, ATL.
I Wanna Go There is the third studio album by American singer Tyrese. It was released on December 17, 2002 through J Records. This became his first album to be released on J Records after recording two albums for his previous label RCA Records. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including The Underdogs, Bryan-Michael Cox, Johnny "J", Poke & Tone and Jermaine Dupri. The album also features a guest appearance by Dupri and Mos Def.
Bobby is the third studio album by American singer Bobby Brown, released in 1992 by MCA Records. The album continued the R&B/new jack swing sound of its predecessor, Don't Be Cruel. Babyface, L.A. Reid, and Daryl Simmons returned as producers and songwriters, however, Brown also worked with other producers, most notably Teddy Riley, who was considered a pioneer of the new jack swing genre. Riley also co-wrote and produced the majority of the album. Brown had more creative input and control of the album, becoming an executive producer and co-writing seven of the album's thirteen songs. The album received mixed reviews from music critics.
In and Out of Love is the debut album of American R&B singer Cheri Dennis, issued by Bad Boy/Atlantic Records. It was exclusively released digitally through the iTunes Store on November 13, 2007 with physical CDs and LPs made available on February 26, 2008. In and Out of Love debuted at #74 on the Billboard 200, Dennis' debut album was critically acclaimed despite questions being raised concerning the album's sudden halt possibly due to the record label and the music industry's infamous promotional discrepancies, corruption, quid pro quo, fraudulent fine print being added onto contracts, breach of contract, and federal embezzlement.
Conversations with Queen is the second and most recent album by rapper, Queen Pen. The album was released on May 22, 2001, on Motown Records and was executive produced by Kedar Massenburg and Queen Pen. Conversations with Queen was less successful than her previous album My Melody, only making it to number 134 on the Billboard 200 and number 31 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. One single was released, "Ghetto Divorce", but it did not make it to the charts.
Hempin' Aint Easy is the third solo studio album by American rapper B-Legit. It was released on July 25, 2000 via Koch Records. Production was handled by Studio Ton, Keith Clizark, Meech Wells, Clint "Payback" Sands, Sam Bostic, Ant Banks, Big Time Swisher Productions, Bosko, Daz Dillinger, Sin and Tone Capone. It features guest appearances from E-40, Archie Lee, Big Remy, D-Shot, Harm, Kurupt, Levitti, Lil' Keke, Little Bruce, Mac Shawn, Mack 10, Mr. Clean, Otis & Shug, Richie Rich, Ronnie Spencer, Shortyega, Snoop Dogg and The Mossie.
Asleep in the Bread Aisle is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist Asher Roth. It was released on April 20, 2009, by School Boy, SRC and Universal Motown Records. The production on the album was largely contributed by Oren Yoel, while the album features guest appearances from CeeLo Green, Busta Rhymes, Keri Hilson, Jazze Pha, pop duo Chester French, and the hip hop group New Kingdom.
Moods...Moments is the debut studio album by American singer Monifah. It was released by Uptown Records on March 26, 1996 in the United States. The album was mostly produced by Heavy D, with additional production by Poke & Tone, Kip Collins, Vincent Herbert, Rheji Burrell, and Spaceman Patterson. Upon release, the album earned positive reviews and reached number 42 on the US Billboard 200 and number 6 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
"Humpin'" is a 1980 song by The Gap Band, from their fifth album The Gap Band III released as a single in 1981. The original B-side, "No Hiding Place", was originally released on The Gap Band II. The song had mixed chart success, only peaking at #60 R&B, but busting into the top-20 on the dance charts. "Humpin'" is a fan-favorite, featured on almost all of the band's compilation albums Like their previous release, "Burn Rubber on Me", "Humpin'" was later packaged and placed as part of a single with "Yearning for Your Love" as the A-side.
Neva Left is the fifteenth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on May 19, 2017, for digital download and July 7, 2017, for purchase on CD, by Doggystyle Records and Empire Distribution. Snoop Dogg also enlisted a variety of guest vocalists including Redman, Method Man, B-Real, KRS-One, and frequent collaborators Charlie Wilson and Wiz Khalifa, among others. Meanwhile, production was handled by Dr. Evo, DJ Battlecat, Musik MajorX, League Of Starz, and Rick Rock, among others.
