Smooth (singer)

Juanita Stokes, currently known as Needa S. (formerly Smooth), (born 1972) is an American singer, rapper[1] and actress. She is the daughter of actress Irene Stokes and younger sister of music executive Chris Stokes.

Smooth
Birth name	Juanita Stokes
Also known as	MC Smooth, Needa S. (sometimes stylized as "Needa-S")
Born	1972
Origin	Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	Hip hop, R&B
Occupation(s)	Musician
Years active	1984–Present
Labels	Jive, Perspective
Associated acts	Chris Stokes, Immature, Shanice, Tupac Shakur, Arabian Prince, B2K

Music career

Stokes began her career as MC Smooth, signing a record deal with the independent label Crush Music in 1990. She released her debut single "Smooth & Legit" that year, which peaked at #11 on the U.S. Rap chart. Her debut album Smooth & Legit followed on April 27, 1990 (peaking at #72 on the R&B/Hip Hop chart) and was produced by her brother Chris Stokes and Arabian Prince. Two singles "You Gotta Be Real" and "Where is the Money?" followed but did not garner much airplay. Three years later, she signed a major label deal with Jive Records and began work on her sophomore album, dropping the MC from her moniker. Her first single under the new deal, "Female Mac" garnered some airplay, and it was soon followed by the release of her second album You Been Played on August 24, 1993 which peaked at #77 on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. The title track was released as the set's follow-up single. Soon after, she began work on her third studio album, releasing the first single "Mind Blowin'" in 1995. The single began her breakthrough hit, hitting #7 on the Rap chart, #31 on R&B, and #75 on the Billboard Hot 100 (her first entry on that chart). Her self-titled third album was released on August 1, 1995, peaking at #35 on the R&B/Hip Hop albums chart and #17 on the Heatseekers chart. Four more singles would be released from the project: "Blowin' Up My Pager" "It's Summertime" "Love Groove" and "Undercover Lover" of which the latter three garnered her success in the UK.

Later that year, she collaborated with the R&B group Immature on their single "We Got It" which was released as a single in 1996 and became a hit, peaking at #37 on the Hot 100 and #11 on the R&B chart. She released a stand-alone single, "Love & Happiness" which had some airplay on the R&B stations.

In 1997, Smooth moved to Perspective Records, a joint venture with A&M Records and reintroduced herself as a R&B singer with alternative influences. She released her first single under the label, "Strawberries" that year, which became her biggest hit to date, peaking at #17 on R&B and #49 on the Hot 100. Her fourth album, Reality was released on March 10, 1998. It would peak at #48 on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart and #32 on the Heatseekers. One more single, "He Thinks She Don't Know" was released.

In 2003, she rebranded herself once again, under the Needa S moniker. Two singles "Sensitive" and "Baby's Mama" were released, but her fifth studio album What? was eventually shelved.

In 2013, it was announced she has joined the upcoming BET reality series Hip Hop Sisters which will focus on six female rappers' lives and their attempts to relaunch their careers. Other rappers confirmed to appear are MC Lyte, Lady of Rage, Monie Love, Lil Mama, and Yo-Yo.[2]

Personal life

She has a daughter named Earanequa Carter, born in 1990. She has a daughter Jaysa Charles born 2001 [3][4]

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US R&B /HH[5]
Smooth & Legit	Released: April 27, 1990 Label: Crush Music	72
You Been Played	Released: August 24, 1993 Label: Jive	77
Smooth	Released: August 1, 1995 Label: Jive	35
Reality	Released: March 10, 1998 Label: Perspective	48

Unreleased albums

• What? (2003)

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions

Title	Year	Peak chart positions				Album
		US Hot 100 [6]	US R&B [7]	US Rap [8]	UK [9]
"Smooth & Legit"	1990	—	—	11	—	Smooth & Legit
"You Gotta Be Real"		—	—	—	—
"Where Is The Money"		—	—	—	—
"Female Mac"	1993	—	—	47	—	You Been Played
"You Been Played"		—[lower-alpha 1]	54	—	—	Menace II Society OST and You Been Played
"Mind Blowin'"	1995	75	31	7	36	Smooth
"Blowin' Up My Pager"		—	—	—	—
"It's Summertime (Let It Get Into You)"		—	—	—	46
"Love Groove (Groove With You)"	1996	—	—	—	46
"Undercover Lover"		—	—	—	41
"Love & Happiness"		–[lower-alpha 2]	66	—	—	Non-album single
"Strawberries"	1998	49	17	—	82	Reality
"He Thinks She Don't Know"		—	—	—	—
"Sensitive" (featuring Da Brat & Jhené Aiko)	2003	—	—	—	—	Non-album single
"Baby's Mama (Carrying Your Baby)" (featuring Marques Houston)		—	—	—	—	Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

References

Notes

1. "You Been Played" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 15 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.[10]
2. "Love & Happiness" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 20 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.[10]

Citations

1. "A&M reinforces R&B efforts in deal with Shaquille O'Neal Label". Billboard. February 14, 1998. p. 104. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
2. "@VIBEVixen» BET Announces 'Hip Hop Sisters' and Jeanette Jenkins Reality Series » Madison Lafayette". Vibevixen.com. Archived from the original on 2014-08-12. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
4. "Earanequa Carter - About - Google". 2013-01-07. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
5. "Smooth Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
6. "Smooth- US Hot 100". billboard.com. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
7. "Smooth - US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". billboard.com. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
8. "Smooth - US Hot Rap Songs". billboard.com. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
9. "Smooth - UK Chart". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
10. "Bubbling Under Hot 100". Retrieved 29 May 2020.

External links

• Needa S. MySpace page