Mary J. Blige - What’s The 411? (1992)

What’s The 411? is, arguably, one of the most important albums of the nineties.

Not only did it signal the arrival of the Queen of Hip-Hop  Soul, but it also broke every rule in the book, fusing hip hop beats with R&B melodies. 

The album created a recipe that would lead to the contemporary R&B sound of today.

Mary’s sweet, soulful vocals sung over Puff Daddy’s rough, jagged, hip-hop beats made for a winning combination that remains one of Blige’s finest albums and stands up to scrutiny, 34 years on from its original 1992 release.

With this cutting-edge debut, Mary J. Blige became the reigning queen of her own hybrid category: hip-hop  soul. 

The eloquence and evocativeness that comes through in her voice, could be neither borrowed nor fabricated, making What’s the 411? one of the decade’s most explosive, coming-out displays of pure singing prowess. “Real Love” and the gospel-thrusted “Sweet Thing” (the primary reason for all her Chaka Kahn comparisons) are and will remain timeless slices of soul even after their trendiness has worn off, and “You Remind Me” and the duet with Jodeci‘s K-Ci (“I Don’t Want to Do Anything“) are nearly as affecting in their own right. 

It’s nevertheless unclear how much of the hip-hop swagger in her soul was a genuine expression of Blige’s own vision or that of her admittedly fine collaborators (Svengali Sean “Puffy” Combs, R&B producers Dave Hall and DeVante Swing, rap beatsmith Tony Dofat, rapper Grand Puba). Certainly the singer comes across as street-savvy and tough -“real,” in the lingo of the day – and even tries her hand at rhyming on the title track, but never again would her records lean this heavily on the sonic tricks of the rap trade.In retrospect, it is easier to place the album into the context of her career and, as such, to pinpoint the occasions when it runs wide of the rails. 

For instance, the synthesizer-heavy backdrops (“Reminisce“, “Love No Limit“) are sometimes flatter or more plastic than either the songs or Blige’s passionate performances deserve, while the answering-machine skits, much-copied in the wake of What’s the 411?, haven’t worn well as either stand-alone tracks or conceptual segues. In fact, those who prefer their soul more stirring, heart-on-sleeve, or close to the bone would likely find her fluid, powerfully vulnerable next recording (My Life) or one of the consistently strong subsequent efforts that followed it more to their liking. 

For broad appeal and historical importance, though, What’s the 411? is an inarguably paramount and trailblazing achievement.

Tracklist

1. Leave A Message - 3:38

2. Reminisce - 5:24

3. Real Love - 4:32

4. You Remind Me - 4:19

5. Intro Talk  (performed by Busta Rhymes) - 2:17

6. Sweet Thing - 3:46

7. Love No Limit - 5:01

8. I Don’t Want To Do Anything  (featuring K-Ci Hailey of Jodeci) - 5:52

9. Slow Down - 4:33

10. My Love - 4:14

11. Changes I’ve Been Going Through - 5:15

12. What’s The 11?  (featuring Grand Puba) - 4:13

Sample credits

• "Leave a Message (Intro)" contains a sample of "P.S.K. – What Does It Mean?" as performed by Schoolly D.
• "Reminisce" contains a sample of "Stop, Look, Listen" as performed by MC Lyte.
• "Real Love" contains a sample of "Top Billin'" as performed by Audio Two.
• "You Remind Me" contains a sample of "Remind Me" as performed by Patrice Rushen.
• "Intro Talk (Interlude)" contains a sample of "Hydra" as performed by Grover Washington, Jr.
• "Sweet Thing" is a cover of "Sweet Thing" as performed by Rufus and Chaka Khan.
• "Changes I've Been Going Through" contains a sample of "Make the Music With Your Mouth, Biz" as performed by Biz Markie.
• "What's the 411?" contains a sample of "Pride and Vanity" as performed by the Ohio Players; "Very Special" as performed by Debra Laws.

Personnel

• Mary J. Blige – vocals, background vocals
• Tabitha Brace – background vocals
• Jamie Brown – engineer
• Puff Daddy – producer
• Tony Dofat – producer, performer
• Steven Ett – engineer
• Mike Fonda – engineer
• Grand Puba – background vocals, vocal harmony, performer
• Andy Grassi – engineer
• Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey – vocal harmony, performer
• Dave Hall – drums, keyboards, producer
• Andre Harrell – engineer
• Kurt Juice – drums
• David Kennedy – engineer
• Clark Kent – engineer
• Billy Lawrence – background vocals
• Little Shawn – background vocals
• Tony Maserati – engineer
• Mark Morales A.K.A Prince Markie Dee – producer, drum machine
• Darryl Pearson – multi-instruments
• Gordon Picket – programming
• Mark C. Rooney – keyboards, background vocals, producer
• Terri Robinson – background vocals
• Busta Rhymes
• CL Smooth – background vocals
• DeVante Swing – keyboards, multi-instruments, producer
• Christopher Williams – background vocals

Companies, etc.

• Record Company – Bertelsmann Music Group
• Copyright © – MCA Records, Inc.
• Phonographic Copyright ℗ – MCA Records, Inc.
• Distributed By – Uni Distribution Corp.
• Distributed By – BMG
• Recorded At – The Hit Factory
• Recorded At – Soul Convention Studios
• Recorded At – Chung King House Of Metal
• Recorded At – Marathon Studios
• Mixed At – The Hit Factory
• Mixed At – Greene St. Recording
• Mixed At – Chung King House Of Metal
• Mixed At – Marathon Studios
• Mastered At – Sterling Sound
• Produced For – Untouchables Entertainment, Inc.
• Produced For – The Swing Mob Productions
• Published By – Bridgeport Music, Inc.
• Published By – Fifth Floor Music
• Published By – Jeffix Music
• Published By – Walrus Ltd.
• Glass Mastered At – Sonopress – G-2999

Credits

• Art Direction, Design – The Drawing Board
• Coordinator [Production Coordinator] – Crystal M. Johnson
• Executive-Producer – Andre Harrell, Charlie Davis, Kurt Woodley, Sean "Puffy" Combs
• Make-Up [Makeup] – Alicia Ho
• Management – JDW Management Co.
• Mastered By – Jose Rodriguez
• Photography By – Timothy Carter
• Stylist – Sean "Puffy" Combs

Notes

Released:  July 28, 1992

Recorded:  1991–1992 Studios:

- Chung King Studios (New York City)

- The Hit Factory (New York City)

- Marathon Studios (New York City)

- Soul Convention Studios (Queens, New York City)

Genres:  R&B, hip-hop, soul, new jack swing

Length:  51:59

Producers:  Sean "Puffy" Combs (exec.)DeVante Swing, Tony Dofat, Dave "Jam" Hall, Mark Morales, Cory Rooney

Labels:  Uptown / MCA

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