''Case'' is the debut album by American singer Case. It was released by

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

on August 13, 1996. The album peaked at number seven on the US

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 ...

chart and reached number 42 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. ''Case'' was supported by four singles, including "More to Love" and "

Touch Me, Tease Me "Touch Me, Tease Me" is a 1996 song by American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and songwriter Case (singer) , Case. It serves as the second single from his Case (album), self-titled debut album (1996). It features vocals from R&B singer Mary J. Blige ...

" featuring Foxy Brown and

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

which became the album's most successful single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 14. In a 2020 interview with

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

, Case remarked that he disliked recording the album and admitted he did not have a lot of creative freedom within the album.

Critical reception

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

editor Leo Stanley found that "on his eponymous debut, Case manages to be tough without sacrificing his soul. ''Case'' keeps his hard edge by telling things straight, refusing to embellish his tales with meaningless boasts. twould have a stronger punch if the music was a little more forceful and varied, but even so, the record is a refreshing debut — it proves that the genre hasn't exhausted its potential quite yet."

Commercial performance

The album reached number forty-second on the US US ''Billboard'' 200 album chart, also reaching the seventh position on the US

R&B 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 ...

Track listing

Sample credits *"More to Love" contains a sample of "

The Payback ''The Payback'' is the 37th studio album by American musician James Brown. The album was released in December 1973, by Polydor Records. It was originally scheduled to become the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film '' Hell Up in Harlem'', but ...

" as performed by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

and "Somethin' Funky" by

Big Daddy Kane Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in hi ...

. *"Don't Be Afraid" contains a sample of "6 Minutes of Pleasure" as performed by

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

. *"Call a Cab" contains a sample of "

Bring the Pain "Bring the Pain" is a song recorded by the rap artist Method Man. It is the first Single (music), single released from his debut album ''Tical (album), Tical''. Comedian Chris Rock named his 1996 tour and television special "Chris Rock: Bring t ...

" as performed by

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of t ...

. *"I Gotcha" contains a sample of "Guillotine (Swordz)" as performed by

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success ...

featuring

Inspectah Deck Jason Richard Hunter (born July 6, 1970), better known by his stage name Inspectah Deck, is an American rapper, producer, and actor. He is a member of the groups Wu-Tang Clan and Czarface. He has acquired critical praise for his intricate lyri ...

, Ghostface and

GZA ''Gary Eldridge Grice'' (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage names GZA ( ) and The Genius, is an American rapper and songwriter. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both ...

; contains an interpolation of "

Mary Jane (All Night Long) "Mary Jane (All Night Long)" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Chucky Thompson and Sean "Puffy" Combs for her second studio album, ''My Life'' (1994), while production was helmed by Combs and Thompson. ...

" as performed by

; and a vocal interpolation of " As" as performed by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

. *"Touch Me, Tease Me" contains a sample of "P.S.K. (What Does It Mean?)" as performed by

Schoolly D Jesse Bonds Weaver Jr. (born June 22, 1962), better known by the stage name Schoolly D (sometimes spelled Schooly D), is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Career Schoolly D teamed up with DJ Code Money in the mid-1980s. His ...

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1996 albums Case (singer) albums Def Jam Recordings albums