What's the 411? - The debut studio album of American singer Mary Jane Blige , released on July 28, 1992 via Uptown labels and MCA Records . By signing with Uptown Records, Blige began working with producer Puffy Daddy . Six songs from the album, including “You Remind Me” and “Real Love,” were released by singles.
| What's the 411? | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||
| Mary Jane Blige Studio Album | |||||||
| Date of issue | July 28, 1992 | ||||||
| Genres | R&B , hip hop soul, new jack swing | ||||||
| Duration | 51:59 | ||||||
| Producers | Puffy Daddy (Spanish), Mark Morales, Dave Hall , Devante Swing , Tony Dufat | ||||||
| A country |  USA | ||||||
| Language of songs | English | ||||||
| Labels | Uptown , MCA Records | ||||||
| Timeline of Mary Jane Blige | |||||||
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The album reached number six on the Billboard 200 and reached the top of the Top R & B / Hip-Hop Albums chart . In the US , the album sold 3.4 million copies and was certified three-platinum by the American Recording Association (RIAA) [1] . He received mostly positive reviews from critics who noted Blige's “strong, soulful vocals”. They also praised her for “the perfect combination of hip-hop and soul ”, for which she later received the nickname “Queen of hip-hop soul”.
Content
Release History and Record
At the age of 17, Mary Jane Blige recorded a cover version of Anita Baker 's song “Caught Up in the Rapture”. The track was recorded in one of the local shopping centers. Later, her mother’s friend showed the song cassette to Jeff Redd’s performer and manager of Uptown Records label [2] , which he, in turn, showed her label head Andre Harrell . In 1990, Blige met Harrell and sang the same song for him live [3] [4] . She then signed with Uptown and became one of the youngest performers on the label. She also became the third female label performer after Finesse N 'Synquis. [5]
By signing with Uptown Records, Blige began working with producer Puff Daddy. [6] He was the executive producer of the album and produced most of the songs. The song of the same name is named after the phone number 4-1-1 , serving as a directory of assistance, where Blige once worked as a mobile operator [7] . The name also means that soon Blige agreed to a “better deal.” The music of the album was described as “very frank for that time” [8] . Blige was seen for her “tough character and“ sweet-sounding “songs” [9] .
The album begins with the track “Leave a Message”, which is a voice message from Mary Jane. The song uses percussion instruments . The next two compositions, “Reminisce” and “Real Love”, are melancholy songs in which hip-hop sounding prevails [10] . The album also included a cover version of Chucky Khan 's song “Sweet Thing” [11] .
Criticism
| Reviews | |
|---|---|
| Critics' ratings | |
| A source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [eight] |
| Chiche tribune | [12] |
| Robert Cristgau | [13] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [14] |
| Entertainment weekly | A [15] |
| Los angeles times | [sixteen] |
| MusicHound R&B | 3/5 [17] |
| The rolling stone album guide | [9] |
Album Commercial Success
The album reached number six on the Billboard 200 and reached the top of the Top R & B / Hip-Hop Albums chart [18] . He also reached position 53 on the UK Albums Chart [19] . In the US , the album sold 3.4 million copies and was certified three-platinum by the American Recording Association (RIAA) [20] . As of August 2010, album sales in the US were 3 318 000 copies [21] .
List of Songs
| No. | Title | Author | Producer (s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| one. | "Leave a Message" | Sean Puffy Combs, Tony Dufat | Combs, Dufat | 3:38 |
| 2. | "Reminisce" | Keny Green , Dave Hall | Hall, Combs | 5:24 |
| 3. | "Real Love" | Marc Morales, Corey Rooney | Morales, Rooney | 4:32 |
| four. | "You Remind Me" | Hall, Eric Miltir | Hall | 4:19 |
| five. | Intro Talk (with Basta Rimes ) | Dufat, Basta Rimes | Dufat, Combs | 2:17 |
| 6. | Sweet Thing | Chaka Khan , Tony Maiden | Morales, Rooney | 3:46 |
| 7. | Love No Limit | Green Hall | Hall | 5:01 a.m. |
| eight. | “I Don't Want to Do Anything” (shared with K-Ci Hailey and Jodeci ) | Devante Swing | Devante swing | 5:52 |
| 9. | "Slow Down" | Rooney, Morales, Joseph E. Kelly | Morales, Rooney | 4:33 |
| ten. | "My love" | Green Hall | Hall | 4:14 |
| eleven. | "Changes I've Been Going Through" | Combs, Morales, Rooney | Combs, Morales, Rooney | 5:15 |
| 12. | “What's the 411?” (Shared with Grand Puba ) | Dufat, Maxwell Dixon | Dufat, Combs | 4:13 |
Charts and Certifications
Weekly Charts
| Country / Chart (1992) | Higher position | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| Great Britain [22] | 53 | Silver ( 60 000 copies) [23] |
| USA [18] | 6 | 3 × Platinum ( 3,000,000 copies) [1] |
| USA (Top R & B / Hip-Hop Albums) [24] | one |
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Ramirez, Erika. Mary J. Blige, 'What's The 411?' at 20: Classic Track-By-Track Review . Billboard (July 28, 2012). Date of treatment July 31, 2013. Archived September 26, 2013.
- ↑ Whetstone, Muriel L. Goin 'Down and Up with Mary J. Blige . CBS Corporation (October 1995). Date of treatment July 24, 2009.
- ↑ Watrous, Peter. The Pop Life . The New York Times (August 26, 1992). Date of treatment July 24, 2009.
- ↑ Stardom Shaped By the Street and the Makers of Image . The New York Times (August 5, 1995). Date of treatment July 24, 2009.
- ↑ Mary J. Blige: Biography . Rolling stone . Date of treatment July 24, 2009. Archived February 17, 2010.
- ↑ Reid, Shaheem, Oh, Minya. Mary J. Blige Teams Up with 50 Cent, P. Diddy to Discuss Love and Life . MTV News (March 14, 2003). Date of treatment July 24, 2009. Archived May 1, 2005.
- ↑ Yeransian, Leslie. Mary J. Blige: From the Projects to Hip-Hop Soul Queen . ABC News (June 22, 2006). Date of treatment July 24, 2009.
- ↑ 1 2 Swihart, Stanton. Whats the 411? - Review . AllMusic . Date of treatment July 24, 2009.
- ↑ 1 2 Moon, Tom; Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David. Mary J. Blige. - The Rolling Stone Album Guide . - 2004 .-- S. 83-84.
- ↑ Mary J Blige, Rose Hall, New York October 16 . The Observeraccessdate = 2009-07-24 (November 20, 2005). Archived on September 26, 2012.
- ↑ Blige's Biggest . The News & Observer (December 16, 2007). Date of appeal July 24, 2009. (unavailable link)
- ↑ May, Mitchell. Mary J. Blige What's the 411? (MCA) Chicago Tribune (November 12, 1992). Date of treatment November 5, 2016.
- ↑ Kristgau, Robert. Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. - Macmillan . - 2000. - S. 31. - ISBN 0312245602 .
- ↑ Larkin, Colin. Mary J. Blige // The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. - Omnibus Press . - 2011. - V. 5. - ISBN 0857125958 .
- ↑ Nelson, Havelock. What's the 411? - Music Review . Entertainment Weekly (August 7, 1992). Date of treatment July 24, 2009. Archived on October 5, 2012.
- ↑ Johnson, Connie. Holiday Gift-Giving - The Hints of '92 . Los Angeles Times (December 6, 1992). Date of treatment November 5, 2016.
- ↑ Gary Graff; Josh Freedom du Lac; Jim McFarlin Mary J. Blige // MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. - Visible Ink Press . - 1998. - ISBN 1578590264 .
- ↑ 1 2 Mary J. Blige Chart History . Billboard 200 . Date of treatment October 8, 2016.
- ↑ Chart Stats: Mary J. Blige - What's the 411? (eng.) . Chart Stats. Date of treatment July 24, 2009. Archived October 12, 2012.
- ↑ RIAA - Gold & Platinum . RIAA . Date of appeal July 24, 2009. (unavailable link)
- ↑ Grein, Paul. Chart Watch Extra: 40 who died before 40 . Yahoo! (August 29, 2009). Date of treatment August 29, 2009. Archived September 4, 2010.
- ↑ Mary J. Blige Artist Official Charts . UK Albums Chart . Date of treatment October 8, 2016.
- ↑ "British album certifications - Mary J Blige - What's the 411?" (eng.) . British Association of Phonogram Manufacturers . - Enter album title What's the 411? and click on the “Search” button. Date of treatment November 3, 2016.
- ↑ Mary J. Blige Chart History . Top R & B / Hip-Hop Albums . Date of treatment October 8, 2016.
Literature
- Moon, Tom; Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David. Mary J. Blige. - The Rolling Stone Album Guide . - 2004 .-- S. 83-84.
- Kristgau, Robert. Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. - Macmillan . - 2000. - S. 31. - ISBN 0312245602 .
- Larkin, Colin. Mary J. Blige // The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. - Omnibus Press . - 2011. - V. 5. - ISBN 0857125958 .
- Gary Graff; Josh Freedom du Lac; Jim McFarlin Mary J. Blige // MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. - Visible Ink Press . - 1998. - ISBN 1578590264 .
Links
- What's the 411? on the Discogs website