Zhane
Encyclopedia
Zhané was an American
R&B/hip hop soul
duo, best known for their 1994 hit "Hey Mr. D.J.
", which reached #6 in the U.S. Other popular hits include "Groove Thang
" (U.S. #17) and minor hit "Sending My Love," both released in 1994. The group was part of Queen Latifah
's Flavor Unit
collective.
(Norris is originally from Rhode Island
, Neufville from Jamaica
). After meeting Naughty by Nature
member Kay Gee
, Zhane impressed the producer enough to go right into the studio to record for Roll Wit tha Flava. When "Hey, Mr. D.J." was released as a separate single as well, it hit number six on the pop charts and earned the group a contract with Motown
in 1994. Their debut album, Pronounced Jah-Nay, produced two further Top 40 hits ("Groove Thang," "Sending My Love") and went gold by the end of the year; it achieved Platinum status 2 years later. Zhane kept busy during 1995-1996 with spots on tracks by Busta Rhymes
and De La Soul
as well as new songs of their own on the NFL Jams and NBA 50th Anniversary compilations and the soundtracks to Higher Learning
and A Low Down Dirty Shame -- the latter, "Shame," became their fourth Top 40 hit.
Norris and Neufville released the follow-up album Saturday Night in 1997, co-produced by Kay Gee, Eddie F., and themselves. The release featured the hit single "Request Line." A remix with different lyrics and raps by Queen Latifah
followed. It peaked just outside the Top 40.
Since the group's dissolution, Jean Baylor released the independent solo album Testimony: My Life. Renee Neufville became involved in Roy Hargrove
's RH Factor project.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B/hip hop soul
Hip hop soul
Hip hop soul is sub-genre of contemporary R&B which fuses R&B, neo soul and dance elements with hip hop. The term did not originate until the promotion for Mary J. Blige's debut album What's the 411? in 1992 when Uptown Records proclaimed her to be the "Queen of Hip Hop Soul" and generally...
duo, best known for their 1994 hit "Hey Mr. D.J.
Hey Mr. D.J.
"Hey Mr. D.J." is a song by American R&B group Zhané recorded for their debut album Pronounced Jah-Nay . The song was released as the group's debut single in August of 1993 and featured a rap from Rottin Razkals member Fam....
", which reached #6 in the U.S. Other popular hits include "Groove Thang
Groove Thang
"Groove Thang" is a song by American R&B group Zhané recorded for their debut album Pronounced Jah-Nay . The song was released as the album's second single in February of 1994.-Release and reception:...
" (U.S. #17) and minor hit "Sending My Love," both released in 1994. The group was part of Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
's Flavor Unit
Flavor Unit
The Flavor Unit is a crew of emcees and DJs from New York City and Northern New Jersey. It is now known as the Unit. The original version of the crew centered around producer DJ Mark the 45 King. It was Mark's connections to Radio personalities DJ Red Alert and DJ Chuck Chillout, who gave the crew...
collective.
Biography
Given a high-profile spot on the all-star compilation Roll Wit tha Flava as their first recording opportunity, Zhane lived up to the pressure and came away with one of the hip-hop party anthems of all time, "Hey, Mr. D.J." Jean Norris and Renee Neufville initially met while both were studying music at Philadelphia's Temple UniversityTemple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
(Norris is originally from Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, Neufville from Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
). After meeting Naughty by Nature
Naughty by Nature
Naughty by Nature are a Grammy Award-winning American hip hop trio from East Orange, New Jersey that at the time of its formation in 1989 consisted of Treach, Vin Rock, and the DJ Kay Gee...
member Kay Gee
Kay Gee
Kay Gee may refer to:* Kay Gee , Indian cinematograper, see Silsila, Deewar* Kier Gist, or Kay Gee, member of Naughty by Nature-See also:*K-Gee, British music producer and songwriter*Kay Gees, funk and disco band...
, Zhane impressed the producer enough to go right into the studio to record for Roll Wit tha Flava. When "Hey, Mr. D.J." was released as a separate single as well, it hit number six on the pop charts and earned the group a contract with Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
in 1994. Their debut album, Pronounced Jah-Nay, produced two further Top 40 hits ("Groove Thang," "Sending My Love") and went gold by the end of the year; it achieved Platinum status 2 years later. Zhane kept busy during 1995-1996 with spots on tracks by Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
and De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
as well as new songs of their own on the NFL Jams and NBA 50th Anniversary compilations and the soundtracks to Higher Learning
Higher Learning
Higher Learning is a 1995 American drama film, starring an ensemble cast. It also featured Tyra Banks' first performance in a theatrical film...
and A Low Down Dirty Shame -- the latter, "Shame," became their fourth Top 40 hit.
Norris and Neufville released the follow-up album Saturday Night in 1997, co-produced by Kay Gee, Eddie F., and themselves. The release featured the hit single "Request Line." A remix with different lyrics and raps by Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
followed. It peaked just outside the Top 40.
Since the group's dissolution, Jean Baylor released the independent solo album Testimony: My Life. Renee Neufville became involved in Roy Hargrove
Roy Hargrove
Roy Anthony Hargrove is an American jazz trumpeter. He won worldwide notice after winning two Grammy Awards for differing types of music, in 1997, and in 2002...
's RH Factor project.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | US certifications |
Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
||||
| 1994 | Pronounced Jah-Nay Pronounced Jah-Nay -Album:-Singles:"—" denotes releases that did not chart.-Personnel:Information taken from Allmusic.*art direction – Jonathan Clark*assistant engineering – Scott Blockland, John Buttigieg, Scott Canto, Fred Kelly, Ed Miller, Mufi, Rob Polhemus... |
37 | 8 | — | Platinum | Motown |
| 1997 | Saturday Night Saturday Night (Zhané album) -Album:-Singles:"—" denotes releases that did not chart.-Personnel:Information taken from Allmusic.*art direction – Carol Friedman*bass – Kirk Lyons*composing – Naheem "Pop Holiday" Bowens, Michael Harrison, Jean Norris, Gus Redman, Jeffrey Simon... |
41 | 8 | 52 | — | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 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... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Dance |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
||||
| 1993 | "Hey Mr. D.J. Hey Mr. D.J. "Hey Mr. D.J." is a song by American R&B group Zhané recorded for their debut album Pronounced Jah-Nay . The song was released as the group's debut single in August of 1993 and featured a rap from Rottin Razkals member Fam.... " |
6 | 3 | 2 | 26 | Pronounced Jah-Nay | |
| 1994 | "Groove Thang Groove Thang "Groove Thang" is a song by American R&B group Zhané recorded for their debut album Pronounced Jah-Nay . The song was released as the album's second single in February of 1994.-Release and reception:... " |
17 | 2 | 13 | 34 | ||
| "Sending My Love Sending My Love "Sending My Love" is a song by American R&B group Zhané recorded for their debut album Pronounced Jah-Nay . The song was released as the album's third single in May of 1994.-Release and reception:Jose F... " |
40 | 5 | — | — | |||
| "Vibe Vibe (Zhané song) "Vibe" is a song by American R&B group Zhané recorded for their debut album Pronounced Jah-Nay . The song was released as the album's fourth single in August of 1994... " |
119 | 33 | — | 67 | |||
| "Shame Shame (Evelyn King song) "Shame" is a 1978 hit single recorded by American singer Evelyn "Champagne" King. It reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, number eight on the U.S. Disco Chart, and number seven on the U.S. R&B Chart, earning a Gold certification by the RIAA that same year... " |
28 | 12 | 46 | 66 | A Low Down Dirty Shame A Low Down Dirty Shame (soundtrack) -Album:-Singles:"—" denotes releases that did not chart.-Personnel:Information taken from Allmusic.*arranging – Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis*assistant – Chris Agamanolis, Martin Czembor, Brandon Harris, Steve Hodge, Joshua Shapera, Steve Souder, Jeff Taylor*assistant engineering – Chris... soundtrack |
||
| 1995 | "You're Sorry Now" | — | 38 | — | — | Pronounced Jah-Nay | |
| 1997 | "Request Line" | 39 | 9 | — | 22 | Saturday Night | |
| "Crush" | 106 | 24 | — | 44 | |||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart | |||||||
Promo, radio-only singles and other charted songs
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 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... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
||||||
| 1997 | "Saturday Night" | — | 69 | Saturday Night | |||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart | |||||||
Featured singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 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... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||||
| 1995 | "Freedom (Theme from Panther)" | Various Artists | 45 | 18 | — | Panther Panther (soundtrack) Panther is the soundtrack to the 1995 film, Panther. It was released on May 2, 1995 through Mercury Records and consisted of a blend of hip hop and R&B music, with production done by some of the genre's biggest names, including Dallas Austin and Teddy Riley... soundtrack |
|
| 1996 | "It's a Party It's a Party "It's a Party" is a song by Busta Rhymes, released as the second single from his debut album The Coming. The song featured Zhané and was produced by Easy Mo Bee. This song charted at #52 on the Billboard Hot 100. "It's a Party" also has a music video directed by Marcus Raboy. The b-side for this... " |
Busta Rhymes Busta Rhymes Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes... |
52 | 27 | 23 | The Coming The Coming The Coming is the debut album by former Leaders of the New School member, Busta Rhymes, released in 1996 by Elektra Records. The Coming features rapping from Def Squad members Redman and Keith Murray as well as a guest appearance from Q-Tip and singing from Zhané and different future Flipmode Squad... |
|
| 1997 | "4 More 4 More "4 More" is the third and final single to be released by De La Soul from their fourth album, Stakes Is High. The song deals with relationships, and features R&B duo, Zhane.-Track listing:#"4 More " - 4:19#*Guest Appearances: Zhane... " |
De La Soul De La Soul De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres... |
— | — | 52 | Stakes Is High Stakes Is High Stakes Is High is De La Soul's fourth full-length album, released during the summer of 1996. The album marked a change in the groups sound and direction as it was their first release not to be produced by Prince Paul. Stakes Is High was mainly produced by the group themeselves with additional... |
|
| 1999 | "Jamboree Jamboree (song) "Jamboree" is a 1999 song by hip-hop group Naughty by Nature from the album Nineteen Naughty Nine: Nature's Fury, featuring a chorus with R&B group Zhané. The song was a huge success, peaking at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Rap Singles, becoming their first song since O.P.P. to... " |
Naughty by Nature Naughty by Nature Naughty by Nature are a Grammy Award-winning American hip hop trio from East Orange, New Jersey that at the time of its formation in 1989 consisted of Treach, Vin Rock, and the DJ Kay Gee... |
10 | 4 | 51 | Nineteen Naughty Nine: Nature's Fury | |
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart | |||||||
External links
- Renee Neufville's MySpace page
- Jean Baylor's MySpace page (formerly Jean Norris)
- Jean Baylor Official Site
- T-Mad's Music Interviews Jean Baylor Link 1 Link 2