''Back in Black'' is the third album by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

hip hop group

Whodini Whodini is an American hip hop group that was formed in 1982. The Brooklyn, New York-based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, a.k.a. Ecstasy (who wore a Zorro-style hat as his trademark; Ju ...

. It was recorded in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and released via

Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...

in 1986. Like on the group's previous work, audio production was handled by Larry Smith. The album peaked at #35 on the ''Billboard'' 200, #4 on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

, and was certified gold by

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

on June 23, 1986. The record spawned three singles: "Funky Beat" (peaked at #19 on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and #30 on the

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

), "One Love" (peaked at #10 on the

and #34 on the

), and "Growing Up" (peaked at #58 on the

). The music video for "Funky Beat" featured appearances by

Malcolm-Jamal Warner Malcolm-Jamal Warner (born August 18, 1970) is an American actor. He rose to prominence for his role as Theodore Huxtable on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show'', which earned him a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series a ...

, who was a cast member of ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class African- ...

'' at the time, as well as

Floyd Vivino Floyd Vivino (born October 19, 1951), also known as Uncle Floyd, is an American television, film, and stage performer primarily known for his comedy/variety TV show ''The Uncle Floyd Show'' (1974–1998). Early life Vivino was born in Paterson ...

with his puppet Oogie from ''The Uncle Floyd Show''. The music video for the third single "Growing Up" was notable by the appearances of actors

Giancarlo Esposito Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (; born April 26, 1958) is an American actor and director. He is best known for portraying Gus Fring in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'', from 2009 to 2011, and in its prequel series ''Better Ca ...

Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. He is a three time Emmy Award and Tony Award winning actor known for his roles on stage and screen. He has been hailed for his forceful, militant, and authoritative charact ...

and

Carl Anthony Payne II Carl Anthony Payne II (born May 24, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Cole Brown on the FOX sitcom ''Martin'' and Walter "Cockroach" Bradley on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show'', Carl on '' Rock Me Baby'' (TV series), Curti ...

Track listing

Note *Track 5 contains samples from "Piano Sonata, Op. 35, No. 2 in B-flat Minor" by

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

(1839)

Personnel

*Jalil Hutchins - performer *John "Ecstacy" Fletcher - performer * Lawrence Smith - backing vocals, producer, bass, keyboard programming *Ron Gray - backing vocals (track 2) *Bryan Chuck New - mixing, engineer *Peter Brian Harris - fairlight programming *Jerry Peal - engineer *Peter Woolliscroft - engineer *George Young - solo guitar (track 6) *Paul Kodish - drums *Barry Eastmond - keyboards (track 9) *Doug Rowell - photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

1986 albums Whodini albums Jive Records albums Albums produced by Larry Smith (producer) {{1980s-hiphop-album-stub