BLACKstreet
Encyclopedia
Blackstreet is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by Thomas Taliaferro and Teddy Riley, the inventor of New Jack Swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...

 known for his work as a member of Guy
Guy (band)
Guy are a hip hop, R&B and soul band most closely associated with the new jack swing style of the 1980s and 1990s.-Origins :Guy was formed in Harlem, New York in 1987 by R&B singer-songwriters Aaron Hall, young musician/record producer Teddy Riley and Timmy Gatling...

. Chauncey Hannibal and Levi Little were signed under production and management contracts with Thomas Taliaferro and were merged into what became Blackstreet featuring Teddy Riley. The current members are Teddy Riley, Dave Hollister
Dave Hollister
Dave Hollister is an American R&B vocalist who found fame during the 1990s as one quarter of the Platinum-selling R&B quartet Blackstreet before going on to a solo career.-Biography:...

, Mark Middleton
Mark Middleton
Mark Middleton is a member of the R&B group Blackstreet, born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in South Carolina. Middleton grew up in the church and began singing at an early age. His musical influences included Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway. He left Blackstreet in 1998 after a dispute with the...

, & Eric Williams . The original members of Blackstreet were Teddy Riley, Chauncey Black , Levi Little, and Joseph Stonestreet. Stonestreet was replaced however, by Dave Hollister
Dave Hollister
Dave Hollister is an American R&B vocalist who found fame during the 1990s as one quarter of the Platinum-selling R&B quartet Blackstreet before going on to a solo career.-Biography:...

 before they began work on their self-tiled debut album. The name Blackstreet is a portmanteau of the nicknames of Hannibal (Chauncey Black) and Joseph Stonestreet (Street). The group is notorious for doing the dance move "The Lean" at concerts.

Career

The original lineup released their first single in 1993, on the soundtrack to the Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...

 comedy CB4
CB4
CB4 is a 1993 comedy film directed by Tamra Davis, and starring Chris Rock. The film follows a fictional rap group named 'CB4', named after the prison block in which the group was allegedly formed...

 (starring Chris Rock
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...

) titled "Baby Be Mine", featuring Joseph Stonestreet on lead, produced by Teddy Riley, and written by Teddy Riley and Joseph Stonestreet. However Stonestreet left the group shortly after the single was released (due to personal differences with Riley) and was replaced by Dave Hollister.

Their debut album, Blackstreet, was a platinum-selling success, featuring the singles "Booti Call", "Before I Let You Go", and "Joy", two of which were Top 40 hits ("Before I Let You Go" hit the Top 10). The follow-up, 1996's Another Level (see 1996 in music
1996 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...

) was a breakthrough success due to the top single "No Diggity
No Diggity
"No Diggity" is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen in her first recorded appearance. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 in the UK. It ranked at #91 on . It sold 1.6 million copies in 1996, and won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a...

" (with Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...

), which was a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 in November 1996, and won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances...

, along with the Top 40 hit "Don't Leave Me" which was a big hit in 1996. Another Level eventually went four times platinum in the United States and peaked at #3 on the Billboard chart. "No Diggity
No Diggity
"No Diggity" is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen in her first recorded appearance. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 in the UK. It ranked at #91 on . It sold 1.6 million copies in 1996, and won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a...

" is ranked at #91 on Rolling Stone and MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs, while Blackstreet comes in at #214 of the Top 500 Pop Artists of the Past 25 Years.

Another Level featured Mark Middleton
Mark Middleton
Mark Middleton is a member of the R&B group Blackstreet, born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in South Carolina. Middleton grew up in the church and began singing at an early age. His musical influences included Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway. He left Blackstreet in 1998 after a dispute with the...

 & Eric Williams in place of Dave Hollister
Dave Hollister
Dave Hollister is an American R&B vocalist who found fame during the 1990s as one quarter of the Platinum-selling R&B quartet Blackstreet before going on to a solo career.-Biography:...

 & Levi Little. The success of the album "Another Level" landed them a guest appearance on Jay-Z's "The City Is Mine" and they teamed with Mya and Mase for the hit "Take Me There" from the Rugrats
Rugrats
Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series premiered on August 11, 1991, and aired its last episode on June 8, 2004....

 soundtrack. The success of "Another Level" would also land them a spot on New Edition
New Edition
New Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync...

's 1997 Home Again
Home Again (New Edition album)
Home Again is the sixth studio album by American R&B group New Edition. Released on September 15, 1996, it is the group's only album as a sextet, and was their final recording for MCA Records...

 reunion tour.

The first single from their third album, "Girlfriend/Boyfriend
Girlfriend/Boyfriend
"Girlfriend/Boyfriend" is the second and final single by R&B group Blackstreet from their third album Finally. Janet Jackson is also featured in the song as well as a rappers Ja Rule and Eve...

", a collaboration with Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...

 featuring Ja Rule
Ja Rule
Jeffrey Atkins , better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor.Born in Hollis, Queens, he began his career in the group Cash Money Click and debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its single "Holla Holla"...

 and Eve
Eve (rapper)
Eve Jihan Jeffers , is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actress. Her first three albums have reached a total of over 8 million albums sold worldwide. She has also achieved success in fashion as she started a clothing line titled "Fetish." She won a Grammy Award in 2002 for the...

 – Blackstreet finally had a top ten album with Finally. But personnel shifts wrecked the group and contributed to the relative failure of Finally (1999 in music) and Blackstreet soon broke up. After rumors of legal action and a preemptive countersuit, the group re-banded and released Level II in 2003 (see 2003 in music
2003 in music
-January:* January – following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during the Let It Be sessions. Five people are arrested...

). Blackstreet now consists of original members Teddy Riley, Chauncey Hannibal, Dave Hollister
Dave Hollister
Dave Hollister is an American R&B vocalist who found fame during the 1990s as one quarter of the Platinum-selling R&B quartet Blackstreet before going on to a solo career.-Biography:...

 and new member Sherman "J-Stylz" Tinsdale. Also Kermit Quinn formerly of the R&B group Intro
Intro (band)
Intro is an American R&B trio from Brooklyn, New York. Intro released two albums and had a string of US hits in the 1990s. Their biggest, "Come Inside", featured Sabrina Morrison on vocals. Intro's, Kenny Greene, died from complications of AIDS in 2001...

 performs with Blackstreet. Mark Middleton
Mark Middleton
Mark Middleton is a member of the R&B group Blackstreet, born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in South Carolina. Middleton grew up in the church and began singing at an early age. His musical influences included Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway. He left Blackstreet in 1998 after a dispute with the...

 & Eric Williams left due to differences with Teddy Riley & Chauncey Hannibal over money distribution. They started going oversees singing Blackstreet's music with another guy Jeremy "Remy" Hanna. They eventually came up with the group name M.E.R. to avoid being sued by Teddy & Chauncey

Riley recorded a reunion album with Guy
Guy (band)
Guy are a hip hop, R&B and soul band most closely associated with the new jack swing style of the 1980s and 1990s.-Origins :Guy was formed in Harlem, New York in 1987 by R&B singer-songwriters Aaron Hall, young musician/record producer Teddy Riley and Timmy Gatling...

 in 2000, and subsequently began working on material for his first solo record. However, he had second thoughts about disbanding Blackstreet, and patched things up with Hannibal; Middleton and Williams, returned to restore the Another Level lineup, and Riley's solo project became a Blackstreet reunion. The resulting album, Level II, was released in early 2003. Teddy Riley
Teddy Riley
Teddy Riley is the name of:* Teddy Riley , jazz trumpeter* Teddy Riley , singer-songwriter, musician, record producer...

, Dave Hollister
Dave Hollister
Dave Hollister is an American R&B vocalist who found fame during the 1990s as one quarter of the Platinum-selling R&B quartet Blackstreet before going on to a solo career.-Biography:...

, Mark Middleton
Mark Middleton
Mark Middleton is a member of the R&B group Blackstreet, born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in South Carolina. Middleton grew up in the church and began singing at an early age. His musical influences included Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway. He left Blackstreet in 1998 after a dispute with the...

, & Eric Williams is the lineup for Blackstreet from now on they call themselves the final 4. Chauncey Black is no longer in the group as he is pursuing a solo career.It is confirmed now that Chauncey Black has returned to the lineup & the group now consist of Teddy, Chauncey, Dave, Mark, & Eric as they are a 5 man group now. Mark & Eric are no longer with the group any longer & Teddy Riley announced he, Chauncey, & Dave will be searching for a new 4th member.

Discography

  • Blackstreet
    Blackstreet (album)
    Blackstreet is the self-titled debut studio album from American R&B group Blackstreet, released in 1994 on Interscope Records.The album peaked at number fifty-two on the Billboard 200 chart. By April of 1995, it was certified platinum in sales by the RIAA, after sales exceeding 1,000,000 copies in...

     (1994)
  • Another Level (1996)
  • Finally
    Finally (BLACKstreet album)
    -Charts:...

     (1999)
  • Level II (2003)
  • No Diggity: The Very Best of Blackstreet
    No Diggity: The Very Best of Blackstreet
    - References :...

    (2003)
  • 5th studio album (2011)
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