Blackstreet (often stylized as BLACKstreet) is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by

record producers A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

Chauncey "Black" Hannibal, and Teddy "Street" Riley. The group has released four albums with

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...

until 2003. They achieved relative success leading up to the single "

No Diggity "No Diggity" is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet as the first single for their second studio album, '' Another Level'' (1996), featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen. Released on July 29, 1996, the song reached number one on the US ''Billboard' ...

" (featuring

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and w ...

and

Queen Pen Lynise Walters (born 1972), known professionally as Queen Pen, is an African American rapper, record producer, and novelist. Born in Brooklyn New York, she was discovered by record producer Teddy Riley at a local iHop restaurant in Virginia B ...

), which peaked at number 1 for four weeks in November 1996.

Formation

After the breakup of Guy, Riley (while working on

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...

's 3rd album, '' Bobby'') came up with the idea to start a new group featuring himself. Originally, the group was to be named Stonestreet, but it was later decided to combine Stonestreet with Chauncey's nickname "Black". The group became Blackstreet Featuring Teddy Riley, with an original lineup of Riley, Chauncey Hannibal, Levi Little, and Joseph Stonestreet. However, Stonestreet was replaced with

Dave Hollister David Le Chaine Hollister (born August 17, 1968) is an American R&B singer who found fame during the 1990s as one quarter of the R&B quartet Blackstreet, before going on to have a solo career. Hollister is best known for his 2000 gold-certifie ...

before the first self-titled album was released.

Career

In 1993, their first single "Baby Be Mine" was released on the soundtrack to the

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

comedy ''

CB4 ''CB4'' is a 1993 American satirical 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 (Cell Block 4). The movie ...

'' (starring

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best comedy ...

). The song was written by Riley and Stonestreet and produced by Riley. Their debut album, ''

Blackstreet Blackstreet (often stylized as BLACKstreet) is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by record producers Chauncey "Black" Hannibal, and Teddy "Street" Riley. The group has released four albums with Interscope Records until 2003. They achieved ...

,'' featured the singles "Booti Call", "

Before I Let You Go "Before I Let You Go" is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet, recorded for the group's self-titled debut album (1994). The song was released as the third single for the album in November 1994. The song was notable for featuring lead vocal ...

" and "Joy". "Booti Call" and "Before I Let You Go" were both Top 40 hits, with "Before I Let You Go" hitting the Top 10. In 1996, they released their second album '' Another Level.'' It was a breakthrough success due to the top single "

" (with

), which was a No. 1 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in November 1996. In 1998, Blackstreet won the

Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by ma ...

. ''Another Level'' eventually went four times platinum in the United States and peaked at No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' chart. "No Diggity" was later ranked at No. 91 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cov ...

'' and

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

: 100 Greatest Pop Songs. ''Another Level'' featured Mark Middleton and Eric Williams in place of Dave Hollister and Levi Little. Both Middleton and Williams were in groups prior to joining Blackstreet. Middleton was part of the short-lived

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...

group Brik Citi. Williams was part of the trio The Flex, a group that sang on songs produced by their mentor

Marley Marl Marlon Williams (born September 30, 1962), better known by his stage name Marley Marl, is an American DJ, record producer, rapper and record label founder, primarily operating in hip hop music. Marlon grew up in Queensbridge housing projects ...

. The success of ''Another Level'' landed them a guest appearance on

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

's "

The City Is Mine "The City Is Mine" is the second single from rapper Jay-Z's second album '' In My Lifetime, Vol. 1''. It was released on February 3, 1998. It features vocals from Blackstreet and production from Blackstreet member Teddy Riley. Riley samples "You ...

" and they teamed with Mýa and Mase for the hit " Take Me There" from the ''

Rugrats ''Rugrats'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The show focuses on a group of toddlers; most prominently—Tommy Pickles, Tommy, List of Rugrats characters#Chuck ...

'' soundtrack. The success of ''Another Level'' would also land them a spot on

New Edition New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 19 ...

's 1997 Home Again reunion tour. Blackstreet had a top ten album with '' Finally.'' The first single from the album, " Girlfriend/Boyfriend", was a collaboration with

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

featuring

Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in New York City, he debuted in 1999 with ''Venni Vetti Vecci'' and its lead single "Holla Holla". Durin ...

and

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

. Riley recorded a reunion album with Guy in 2000 and subsequently began working on material for his first solo record. Riley 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. After rumors of legal action and a preemptive countersuit, the group re-banded and released '' Level II.'' After several failed attempts to keep Blackstreet together, all members eventually continued with solo careers for a time. However, in 2014 it was announced that past members Black, Little, Middleton, and Williams were back together under the Blackstreet moniker. They continued to perform with this lineup currently, and embarked on their second Australian tour in April 2015. In 2015, three ex-members, Mark Middleton, Eric Williams and Jeremy Hanna were backing vocals for

Eurovision Song Contest 2015 The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 was the 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Vienna, Austria, following the country's victory at the with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix" by Conchita Wurst. Organised by the European Broa ...

North Macedonia entry " Autumn Leaves" performed by Daniel Kajmakoski.

Members

Current *Chauncey "Black" Hannibal *Levi Little *Mark Middleton *Eric Williams Blackstreet featuring Teddy Riley *Teddy Riley *Dave Hollister *Sherman Tisdale "J-Stylz" *Rodney Poe Past members *Joseph Stonestreet (Original member only appeared on single "Baby Be Mine") *Terrell Phillips (Appeared on the album ''Finally'') * Kermit Quinn (performed during live shows, does not appear on album) *Lenny Harold *Sherman Tisdale *Tony Tyler

Discography

*''

'' (1994) *'' Another Level'' (1996) *'' Finally'' (1999) *'' Level II'' (2003)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackstreet Grammy Award winners Interscope Records artists American soul musical groups African-American musical groups New jack swing music groups Musical groups established in 1991 1991 establishments in New York City American contemporary R&B musical groups MTV Europe Music Award winners