Michael Eugene Archer, better known by his stage name D'Angelo, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He first garnered attention after co-producing the single "U Will Know" for R&B supergroup Black Men United. His debut studio album, Brown Sugar (1995), was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and received widespread acclaim from music critics, who have credited the album for ushering in the neo soul movement. His third single, "Lady", reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100.
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".
Tony! Toni! Toné! is an American soul/R&B band from Oakland, California, popular during the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s. During the band's heyday, it was composed of D'Wayne Wiggins on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Raphael Saadiq on lead vocals and bass, and their cousin Timothy Christian Riley on drums, keyboards, and background vocals. Originally, the band went by "Tony, Toni, Toné" as a joke, until they realized it "had a nice ring to it".
Aaron Robin Hall III is an American singer and songwriter. Hall joined the R&B and new jack swing group Guy in 1988, which was formed by Teddy Riley and Timmy Gatling, who was later replaced by Hall's brother, Damion Hall. The group's self-titled debut album (1988) was met with commercial success; Hall provided lead vocals on songs like "Groove Me," "I Like," and "Piece of My Love."
Brown Sugar is the debut studio album by American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist D'Angelo, released on July 3, 1995, through EMI. The album was recorded during 1994 and 1995 in sessions at Battery Studios and RPM Studios in New York City and at the Pookie Lab in Sacramento. Its production, instrumentation, arrangements, and songwriting were primarily handled by D'Angelo, who employed both vintage recording equipment and modern electronic devices. The songs feature earnest lyrics about love and romance, set against a fusion of contemporary R&B and traditional soul music with elements of funk, quiet storm, and hip hop music.
Tevin Jermod Campbell is an American singer and songwriter. He performed gospel in his local church from an early age. Following an audition for jazz musician Bobbi Humphrey in 1988, Campbell was signed to Warner Bros. Records. In 1989, Campbell collaborated with Quincy Jones performing lead vocals for "Tomorrow" on Jones' album Back on the Block and released his Platinum-selling debut album, T.E.V.I.N. The album included his highest-charting single to date, "Tell Me What You Want Me to Do", peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The debut album also included the singles "Alone With You", and "Goodbye".
Suit is the fourth studio album by American rapper Nelly. It was intended to be released on August 17, 2004, before being delayed and released on September 13, 2004, by Universal Records. Production for the album was handled by several producers, including the Neptunes, Jazze Pha, Doe, AHM, Jayson "Koko" Bridges, Kuya Productions, Soulshock and Karlin, Ryan Bowser, Big Boi and Beat Bullies. Released in conjunction with Sweat, Nelly intended to release a single album before conceptualizing and releasing two albums simultaneously, both of which would contrast each other's themes. Nelly characterized Sweat as "more up-tempo" and "energetic" while describing Suit as more of "a grown-up and sexy vibe [...] it's more melodic".
Contemporary R&B is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music.
Mr. Smith is the sixth studio album by American hip hop recording artist LL Cool J, released on November 21, 1995, by Def Jam. The album has been certified Double Platinum in the US by the RIAA.
My Heart is the debut album by American R&B singer Donell Jones. It was released by LaFace Records on June 4, 1996, in the United States. After the dissolution of his group Porché, Jones turned to songwriting and production, writing songs for R&B group Jade from their 1994 second album Mind, Body & Song as well as co-writing for Usher's self-titled debut album in that same year. He signed a recording contract as a solo performer with LaFace under Untouchables Entertainment, a production company and record label founded by Heavy D. & The Boyz member Edward "Eddie F." Ferrell. Most of the album was produced by Jones himself with additional help from Ferrell's Untouchables Entertainment production team. The album featured three singles, including "In the Hood", "Knocks Me Off My Feet" and "You Should Know".
"Just Ask Me To" is a song by American R&B Singer Tevin Campbell. It was released in June 1991 as the second single from his debut album T.E.V.I.N. It did well on the R&B chart, reaching number nine, but not as much success on the pop chart, where it peaked at number 88. The song featured rapper Chubb Rock and was also featured on the Boyz n the Hood soundtrack.
Black Men United (B.M.U.) was a collaboration of many African-American male R&B, neo soul and soul music artists. Their only song "U Will Know", written by a young D'Angelo, was released in 1994. It was featured in the film Jason's Lyric, and on the film's soundtrack.
"All This Love" is a single by DeBarge, released on October 17, 1982. The song was released as the third and final single from their second studio album of the same title on the Gordy label. The single would help DeBarge rise to R&B stardom. A cover version of the song was recorded by Patti LaBelle on her 1994 gold album Gems. A video for her version was also filmed.
Boyz N the Hood (Music From the Columbia Motion Picture) is the soundtrack to John Singleton's 1991 film Boyz n the Hood. It was released on July 9, 1991 through Qwest Records with distribution via Warner Bros. Records, and contains mostly hip hop music. The album consists of fourteen songs performed by the likes of 2 Live Crew, Compton's Most Wanted, Hi-Five, Ice Cube, Kam, Main Source, Monie Love, Too $hort, Yo-Yo and more. Audio production was handled by several record producers, including DJ Pooh, Al B. Sure!, DJ Jazzy Jeff, 2323 Productions, Raphael Saadiq, Sir Jinx and The Unknown DJ. The soundtrack made it to number 12 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States.
Biker Boyz: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack album to Reggie Rock Bythewood's 2003 film Biker Boyz. It was released on January 28, 2003 through DreamWorks Records and is composed of a blend of hip hop and rock music.
Soul Food is the soundtrack to the 1997 film of the same name. It was released on September 16, 1997, through LaFace Records and mainly consisted of R&B music with some hip hop music. The soundtrack was a success, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was certified double Multi-Platinum on February 17, 1998. Four singles charted on the Billboard Hot 100: "I Care 'Bout You", "What About Us?" by Total, "We're Not Making Love No More" by Dru Hill, and "A Song for Mama" by Boyz II Men, the latter of which was a number 1 R&B single. The soundtrack was also noted for the fictional quintet group Milestone, consisting of K-Ci & JoJo, Babyface and his brothers, Kevon and Melvin Edmonds, who all came together once for their single and cameo appearance in the film.
Joseph Johnson, known by his stage name N.O. Joe, is an American musician, hip hop record producer and songwriter. N.O. Joe was a pioneer of the Southern Hip Hop sound during the 1990s. He operates a production company named Gumbo Funk, which is also a name given to his melange of musical styles
A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield is a compilation album of various artists, celebrating the music of Curtis Mayfield. While many tribute albums are recorded after an artist has passed, this album was completed five years before Mayfield's death.
"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.
Joe N Little III is an American singer, songwriter and producer who is best known as the lead singer of the 90s R&B group, Rude Boys, who had two No. 1 R&B singles, "Written All Over Your Face" and "Are You Lonely For Me", on Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Chart. They received a Billboard Award for "Written All Over Your Face", as the No. 1 R&B song of 1991.
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