No Diggity: The Very Best of Blackstreet
Blackstreet
Ja Rule, Eve, Janet Jackson, Foxy Brown, Queen Pen, Dr. Dre, Ol' Dirty Bastard
Interscope Records (USA), 2003
1 CD
Catalogue #: 4933842
EAN: 0606949338428
UPC: 606949338428
You save: 25%
Blackstreet: Teddy Riley, Chauncey Hannibal, Levi Little, Joseph Stonestreet,
Dave Hollister, Eric Williams, Mark Middleton.
Additional personnel: Janet Jackson (vocals); Eve, Queen Pen, Ja Rule, Dr. Dre, Ol' Dirty Bastard (rap vocals).
Producers include: Teddy Riley, Markell Riley, Erick Sermon, William Stewart, Blackstreet.
Compilation producer: Mike Ragogna.
Includes liner notes by A. Scott Galloway.
Tracklist
Blackstreet
Teddy Riley invented New Jack Swing in the late 1980s as a producer and with his group, Guy. Blending the silky smooth vocal harmonies of contemporary R&B with the beats and musical edge of hip-hop, Riley created a whole new genre in black music. He continued his hot streak with his next group, Blackstreet. Founded in the early 1990s, the group scored several R&B hits before hitting number one across the board with the 1997 smash "No Diggity." The group's blunt loverman lyrics, slick beats, and undeniable grooves provided a template for subsequent R&B ensembles such as Pretty Ricky and Jagged Edge.
Ja Rule
Emerging in the wake of hip-hop's greatest loss--the deaths of Notorious B.I.G. and 2pac--Ja Rule traded narrative skill for photogenic presence, party-minded rhymes, and a DMX-influenced mode of volatile masculinity. Reflecting the political title of his 1999 debut VENNI VETTI VECCI, Ja Rule is affiliated with both Jay Z's Roc-A-Fella camp and DMX's Ruff Ryders clique. Having guested on both groups' singles, Ja Rule's was well set for solo success. His debut single "Holla Holla" became a national hip-hop anthem.
Eve
A Philadelphia native, Eve met Ruff Ryders camp head DMX while in Los Angeles. Impressed with her ability to rhyme, DMX invited Eve to join the Ruff Ryders crew for guest appearances on their debut album. Her photogenic looks and sassy rhyme style earned her instant popularity, which was parlayed into Eve's 1999 debut album. Maturing into a media icon, the stylish, platinum-tressed Eve has since signed a modeling deal, appeared in several fashion shoots, appeared in numerous films, and gone on to be a reigning queen of hip-hop.
Janet Jackson
In the wake of Michael Jackson's monster success with THRILLER, most of his brothers and sisters tried their hands at launching similarly styled solo careers, with varying degrees of success. But the only one to become a major recording figure on her own (and achieve staying power) was Michael's youngest sister, Janet Jackson, who became one of the biggest and most successful recording artists of the 1980s/'90s thanks to such albums as CONTROL and THE VELVET ROPE. Following the somewhat lackluster sales of 2004's DAMITA JO album and her now-infamous "wardrobe malfunction" at that year's Super Bowl halftime show, Jackson kept a relatively low profile for a few years, but returned strong in 2006 with 20 Y.O.
Foxy Brown
Foxy Brown, the alter ego of Inga Marchand, emerged in the mid-'90s on Brooklyn's rap scene. Already popular at talent shows and local hip-hop concerts, the attractive Foxy soon became a hot commodity as female rappers (Lil' Kim, Missy Elliott) became the music industry's "it" product. Brown developed into a street-smart, party-hopping, Cristal-sipping icon of R&B-based hip-hop, and her 1996 debut ILL NA NA only strengthened the reputation she'd already established with guest appearances, including a memorable one on LL Cool J's "I Shot Ya."
Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre has dictated the pace of change in West Coast rap more than any other single figure. As DJ/producer for N.W.A., he ushered in a whole new era in rap by adapting the raw sonics of Public Enemy & Boogie Down Productions to the ethos of L.A.'s youth gangs. After the group's split, he expanded his style to include eerie P-Funk synths on his solo releases and those of protégé Snoop Dogg. The resulting "G-Funk" sound influenced many other West Coast rap artists. In the late 1990s, Dre found another notable protégé, a promising young lyricist from Detroit named Eminem.
