Blackstreet is the debut studio album from American R&B group Blackstreet, released in 1994 on Interscope Records. In 1991 the group was formed by Riley with Chauncey Hannibal in Virginia Beach Virginia after the dissolution of Teddy Riley's former group Guy. The other members of Blackstreet Joseph Stonestreet and Levi Little were session singers alongside Hannibal who sung background Bobby Brown's third album Bobby, an album that was mostly produced by Riley who recruited them all to be singer.
They released song for the soundtrack of the Chris Rock film CB4 called "Baby Be Mine". After they finish recording the first half of the album, Joseph "Street" Stonestreet left the group due to creative differences and business disputes with Teddy Riley and was replaced by former Force One Network singer Dave Hollister in 1994. Then they re-recorded "Baby Be Mine" for their self-titled debut, Hollister's vocals were added on the album version of the song. Hip hop producer Erick Sermon co-produced the first single "Booti Call", which was a response to the rape trial and conviction of professional boxer Mike Tyson at the time of the album's release. Riley, who was a close friend of Tyson, referenced his incarceration in the album's liner notes: and to our main man Mike Tyson "we can't till get back home.
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.[3]
| No. | Title | Music | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro (Blackstreet Philosophy) [Interlude]" | Riley, "Lil" Chris Smith | Teddy Riley, "Lil" Chris Smith | 0:56 |
| 2. | "Baby Be Mine" | Iverson, Riley, Stonestreet, Williams, "Lil" Chris Smith | Teddy Riley | 3:02 |
| 3. | "U Blow My Mind" | Hannibal, Hollister, Riley, Smith | Teddy Riley, "Lil" Chris Smith | 3:49 |
| 4. | "Hey Love (Keep It Real) [Interlude]" | Dickey, Riley, Sylvers | Teddy Riley, Leon Sylvers III | 1:11 |
| 5. | "I Like the Way You Work" | Graham, Hannibal, Little, Riley, Riley, Smith | Teddy Riley, Markell Riley | 4:44 |
| 6. | "Good Life" | Brown, Callis, Linzer, Riley, Wynn | Teddy Riley, David Wynn | 4:04 |
| 7. | "Physical Thing" | Drakeford, Hannibal, Little, Riley, Riley, Tex, Williams, Smith | Teddy Riley, Markell Riley | 4:38 |
| 8. | "Make U Wet" | Barber, Davidson, Hannibal, Riley, Sylvers | Teddy Riley, Michael "Flip" Barber | 4:59 |
| 9. | "Booti Call" | Clinton, Dickey, Riley, Riley, Sermon, Shider, Spradley, Sylvers, Troutman | Teddy Riley, Markell Riley, Erick Sermon | 4:26 |
| 10. | "Love's in Need" | Wonder | Teddy Riley | 4:41 |
| 11. | "Joy" | Michael Jackson | Teddy Riley | 4:55 |
| 12. | "Before I Let You Go" | Hannibal, Hollister, Riley, Riley, Sylvers | Teddy Riley | 4:59 |
| 13. | "Confession [Interlude]" | Hollister, Riley, Riley, Williams | Teddy Riley, Markell Riley | 0:54 |
| 14. | "Falling in Love Again" | Hannibal, Hollister, Little, Riley, Riley | Teddy Riley, Markell Riley | 4:34 |
| 15. | "Candlelight Night [Interlude]" | Taliaferro, Riley | Teddy Riley | 0:54 |
| 16. | "Tonight's the Night" | Hugo, Lucas, Riley, Riley, Williams | Teddy Riley, Markell Riley | 4:18 |
| 17. | "Happy Home" | Davis, Hannibal, Riley, Riley | Teddy Riley, Markell Riley | 5:38 |
| 18. | "Wanna Make Love" | Riley, Stonestreet, Watkins | Teddy Riley | 5:00 |
| 19. | "Once in a Lifetime [Interlude]" | Taliaferro, Riley | Teddy Riley, Markell Riley | 1:02 |
| 20. | "Givin' You All My Lovin'" | Riley, Riley, Smith, Sylvers | Teddy Riley, Leon Sylvers III | 4:12 |
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions[9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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" | — | 20 | — | — |
| 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.
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[10] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[11] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Personnel
- Composers - M.J. Teddy Riley, Chauncey Hannibal,Dave Hollister, Levi Little, Joe Stonestreet, Aqil Davidson,Leon Sylvers,The Neptunes & Tammy Lucas,
- Production – Teddy Riley, Michael Barber, Markell Riley, Erick Sermon, "Lil" Chris Smith, Leon F. Sylvers III,
- Assistant engineering – Serban Ghenea, George Mayers, Kimberly Smith, Sprague Williams
- Associate production – "Lil" Chris Smith, Markell Riley, Leon F. Sylvers III, Thomas Taliaferro, Walter Mucho Scott, Sprague Williams,The Neptunes & Tammy Lucas
- 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
- Photography – Gerhard Yurkovic
- Project coordination – Dan O'Leary
- Rapping – MC Chance, Twan, Markell Riley, Nutta Butta, Knowledge The Pirate, & Pharell Williams
- Saxophone – Chad Hugo
- Stylist – Kareen Linton
- Vocal coach – Kenny Hicks
- Vocals – Chauncey Hannibal, Dave Hollister, Levi Little, Teddy Riley, Joseph Stonestreet
References
- ^ "Blackstreet CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
- ^ a b Swihart, Stanton. "Blackstreet - Blackstreet". AllMusic. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
- ^ Blackstreet - Blackstreet (CD liner notes). Interscope Records. 92351-2
- ^ "Blackstreet Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ "Blackstreet Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ "allmusic (((Blackstreet > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles)))". Allmusic. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
- ^ "British album certifications – Blackstreet – Blackstreet". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ "American album certifications – Blackstreet – Blackstreet". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
