Blackstreet (album)

Blackstreet is the self-titled debut studio album from American R&B group Blackstreet, released in 1994 on Interscope Records. The group was formed by Riley with Chauncey Hannibal after the dissolution of Teddy Riley's former group Guy.[3] The other members of Blackstreet - Joseph Stonestreet and Levi Little - were session singers alongside Hannibal on Bobby Brown's third album Bobby, an album that was mostly produced by Riley.[4] They recorded one song for the soundtrack of the Chris Rock film CB4 called "Baby Be Mine".[5] Before they could record an album, Stonestreet left the group[3] and was replaced by former Force One Network singer Dave Hollister.[6] When they re-recorded "Baby Be Mine" for their self-titled debut, Hollister's vocals were added on the album version of the song.

Blackstreet
Studio album by
Blackstreet
ReleasedJune 21, 1994
Recorded1993–94
StudioFuture Recording Studios
(Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.)
Genre
Length73:06
LabelInterscope
Producer
Blackstreet chronology
Blackstreet
(1994)		 Another Level
(1996)
Singles from Blackstreet
  1. "Baby Be Mine"
    Released: February 23, 1993
  2. "Booti Call"
    Released: July 28, 1994
  3. "Before I Let You Go"
    Released: November 22, 1994
  4. "U Blow My Mind"
    Released: December 28, 1994
  5. "Joy"
    Released: March 21, 1995
  6. "Tonight's the Night"
    Released: August 1, 1995

Hip hop producer Erick Sermon co-produced the first single "Booti Call",[3] which was a response to the rape trial and conviction of professional boxer Mike Tyson at the time of the album's release.[7] Riley, who was a close friend of Tyson,[7] referenced his incarceration in the album's liner notes: and to our main man Mike Tyson "we can't wait".[8] The song's opening was done by stand up comedian Bill Bellamy, who popularized his infamous saying on an episode of Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam.[9] The second single "Before I Let You Go" was released with a music video that featured appearances by actors Omar Epps[10][11] and Shari Headley.[12]

Also on the album is former member of The Sylvers songwriter and producer Leon Sylvers III, who collaborated with Riley on the writing and production of several songs on the album. Riley's proteges The Neptunes make one of their earliest appearances on Blackstreet as well- with Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo receiving a co-writing and assistant producer credit on the song "Tonight's the Night",[3][13] while Hugo plays the saxophone on the ballad "Happy Home".[14] Singer Michael Jackson helped with the composition of "Joy"- a song that was originally intended for Jackson's 1991 album Dangerous.[3][15] Blackstreet would be the first and last album with members Hollister and Little, who left the group at the end of 1995.[16][17]

The album peaked at number fifty-two on the Billboard 200 chart. By April 1995, it was certified platinum in sales by the RIAA, after sales exceeding 1,000,000 copies in the United States. The remake of the Stevie Wonder song "Love's in Need of Love Today" was featured in the 1995 Harrison Ford film Sabrina, but it does not appear on the film's soundtrack.[18]

Release and reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Q[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[19]
The Source(favorable)[1]

The album peaked at fifty-two on the U.S. Billboard 200 and reached the seventh spot on the R&B Albums chart.[20] The album was certified platinum by April 1995.[21]

While Stanton Swihart of Allmusic commented that some of the songs weren't fully formed and others sounded like new jack retreads, he did remark that the work included "some brilliantly catchy R&B tracks, songs that easily stood out in the mid-'90s urban soul crowd."[2]

Track listing
  • Songwriting and production credits adapted from liner notes.[8]
No.TitleMusicProducer(s)Length
1."Intro (Blackstreet Philosophy) [Interlude]"Riley, "Lil" Chris SmithTeddy Riley, "Lil" Chris Smith0:56
2."Baby Be Mine"Iverson, Riley, Stonestreet, Williams, "Lil" Chris SmithTeddy Riley3:02
3."U Blow My Mind"Hannibal, Hollister, Riley, SmithTeddy Riley, "Lil" Chris Smith3:49
4."Hey Love (Keep It Real) [Interlude]"Dickey, Riley, SylversTeddy Riley, Leon Sylvers III1:11
5."I Like the Way You Work"Graham, Hannibal, Little, Riley, Riley, SmithTeddy Riley, Markell Riley4:44
6."Good Life"Brown, Callis, Linzer, Riley, Wynn 4:04
7."Physical Thing"Drakeford, Hannibal, Little, Riley, Riley, Tex, Williams, SmithTeddy Riley, Markell Riley4:38
8."Make U Wet"Barber, Davidson, Hannibal, Riley, SylversTeddy Riley, Michael "Flip" Barber4:59
9."Booti Call"Clinton, Dickey, Riley, Riley, Sermon, Shider, Spradley, Sylvers, TroutmanTeddy Riley, Markell Riley, Erick Sermon4:26
10."Love's in Need"WonderTeddy Riley4:41
11."Joy"Riley, Lucas, JacksonTeddy Riley4:55
12."Before I Let You Go"Hannibal, Hollister, Riley, Riley, SylversTeddy Riley4:59
13."Confession [Interlude]"Hollister, Riley, Riley, WilliamsTeddy Riley, Markell Riley0:54
14."Falling in Love Again"Hannibal, Hollister, Little, Riley, RileyTeddy Riley, Markell Riley4:34
15."Candlelight Night [Interlude]"Taliaferro, RileyTeddy Riley0:54
16."Tonight's the Night"Hugo, Lucas, Riley, Riley, WilliamsTeddy Riley, Markell Riley4:18
17."Happy Home"Davis, Hannibal, Riley, RileyTeddy Riley, Markell Riley5:38
18."Wanna Make Love"Riley, Stonestreet, WatkinsTeddy Riley5:00
19."Once in a Lifetime [Interlude]"Taliaferro, RileyTeddy Riley, Markell Riley1:02
20."Givin' You All My Lovin'"Riley, Riley, Smith, SylversTeddy Riley, Leon Sylvers III4:12

Chart history

Album
Chart (1994)[20] Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 52
U.S. R&B Albums 7

Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions[22]
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 U.S. Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks U.S. Rhythmic Top 40
1993 "Baby Be Mine" — 22 — —
1994 "Booti Call" 34 3 14 19
"Before I Let You Go" 7 7 2 2
1995 "Joy" 43 13 12 23
""Tonight's the Night" (Blackstreet song)" 80 12 27 —

"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Personnel

Information taken from AllMusic.[23]

  • assistant engineering – Serban Ghenea, George Mayers, Kimberly Smith, Sprague Williams
  • assistant executive production – Mike Concepcion, John McClain
  • associate production – Chad Hugo, "Lil" Chris Smith, Markell Riley, Leon F. Sylvers III, Thomas Taliaferro, Sprague Williams
  • design – Eric Altenburger
  • engineering – Serban Ghenea, John Hanes, George Mayers, Herb Powers, Kimberly Smith
  • guitar – Serban Ghenea, Thomas Taliaferro
  • mastering – Herb Powers
  • mixing – John Hanes, George Mayers, Teddy Riley
  • performing – Tammy Lucas
  • photography – Gerhard Yurkovic
  • production – Michael Barber, Markell Riley, Teddy Riley, Erick Sermon, "Lil" Chris Smith, Leon F. Sylvers III
  • project coordination – Dan O'Leary
  • rapping – Idris Davidson, Antwone Dickey, Markell Riley, Menton Smith, David Roland Williams
  • saxophone – Chad Hugo
  • stylist – Kareen Linton
  • vocal coach – Kenny Hicks
  • vocals – Chauncey Hannibal, Dave Hollister, Levi Little, Teddy Riley

References
  1. "Blackstreet CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
  2. Swihart, Stanton. "Blackstreet - Blackstreet". AllMusic. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  3. Ivory. "SoulBounce's Class Of 1994: Blackstreet 'Blackstreet'". soulbounce.com. Soul Bounce. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
  4. Brown, Bobby. "Bobby". studio album credits. discogs. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  5. "CB4". soundtrack. amazon.com. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  6. Huey, Steve. "Blackstreet". biography. allmusic.com. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  7. "Radio Scope". Newspaper (Page B4). Hoosier State Chronicles. The Indianapolis Recorder. August 27, 1994. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
  8. Blackstreet - Blackstreet (CD liner notes). Interscope Records. 92351-2
  9. Williams, Stereo. "Drake wants money for 'YOLO;' should other celebs be paid for slang?". rollingout.com. Rolling Out. Retrieved 2015-01-31.
  10. "Hollywood Leading Men In Music Videos". bet.com. BET Interactive LLC. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  11. "Omar Epps - biography". tv.com. TV Guide Digital Network. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  12. Shari Headley [@shariheadley] (16 June 2011). "@PimpDaddii : Blackstreet/"Before I Let You Go"-It's on You Tube!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. Bassil, Ryan. "THE EVOLUTION OF THE NEPTUNES". noisey.vice.com. Vice Media, LLC. Retrieved 2015-07-17.
  14. Wiliams, Chris. "Interview: Teddy Riley on His Virginia Years". redbullmusicacademy.com. Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved 2015-07-17.
  15. Allah, Dasun. "When Heaven Can Wait: Teddy Riley Remembers Michael Jackson". hiphopwired.com. Retrieved 9/12/2012. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  16. "Blackstreet". biography. answers.com. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  17. Neal, Mark Anthony. "Blackstreet Level II (review)". popmatters.com. PopMatters Media, Inc. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  18. "Sabrina (1995)- Soundtracks". imdb.com. Retrieved 5/12/2012. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  19. Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 80. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone blackstreet album guide.
  20. "Blackstreet". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  21. "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - August 11, 2010 : Search Results - Blackstreet". RIAA. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  22. "allmusic (((Blackstreet > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles)))". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  23. "allmusic (((Blackstreet > Credits)))". AllMusic. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
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