''CrazySexyCool'' is the second studio album by American girl group TLC, released on November 15, 1994, by LaFace and

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainment ...

. Following the group's record deal, they released their debut album '' Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip'' in 1992 to positive reviews and commercial success. The following year the group began working on a follow-up with an unproductive recording process due to personal struggles, notably those of member

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes Lisa Nicole Lopes (May 27, 1971 – April 25, 2002), better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper and singer. She was a member of the R&B girl group TLC, alongside Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. Besid ...

who was involved in a volatile romantic relationship and struggling with alcoholism. The album's recording lasted until September 1994, with Lopes' role diminished because she was in rehab. The album saw the group reunite with producers

Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events inv ...

Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds Kenneth Brian Edmonds (born April 10, 1959), better known by his stage name Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has written and produced over 26 number-one R&B hits throughout his career and has won 12 Grammy A ...

and

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Early life Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...

as well as new collaborators

Organized Noize Organized Noize is an American production team from Atlanta, Georgia composed of Rico Wade, Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown. History Among the hit records they have worked on include TLC's "Waterfalls", En Vogue's "Don't Let Go (Love)", and Lud ...

and Chucky Thompson, and also featured contributions from

Sean "Puffy" Combs Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent direct ...

who helped with the notable

hip hop soul Hip hop soul is a subgenre of contemporary R&B music, most popular during the early and mid 1990s, which fuses R&B or soul singing with hip hop musical production. The subgenre had evolved from a previous R&B subgenre, new jack swing, which ha ...

sound. ''CrazySexyCool'' featured hip hop beats, funk, deep grooves, propulsive rhythms and smooth production. The album's lyrical content was seen as a departure from the group's debut and was seen as a coming-of-age project which explored themes such as sexuality, romanticism, inexperience, and youthful optimism. ''CrazySexyCool'' was met with critical acclaim and commercial success, peaking at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200, where it spent over two years. It has been certified 12-times platinum by the

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 ...

(RIAA), making TLC the first girl group in history to be awarded diamond status. ''CrazySexyCool'' has since sold over 15 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by an American girl group. The album has since been featured 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 ...

'' magazine's list of

The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indust ...

, included in the book ''

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics ...

'' and was listed as a "New Classic" by ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cult ...

'' in 2008. The album was also ranked as the seventh best diamond-certified album of all time by ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''.

Background

Debut album

On February 28, 1991,

Tionne Watkins Tionne Tenese Watkins (born April 26, 1970), better known by her stage name T-Boz, is an American singer and actress. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Watkins rose to fame in the early 1990s as a member of the girl-group TLC. She has won four Grammy A ...

and

Lisa Lopes Lisa Nicole Lopes (May 27, 1971 – April 25, 2002), better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper and singer. She was a member of the R&B girl group TLC, alongside Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. Besid ...

signed production, management, and publishing deals with Pebbitone,Tionne WATKINS (T'Boz), Lisa Lopes (Left Eye), Rozonda Thomas (Chilli), Debtors. v. LaFace Records, Pebbitone, Inc., Peri Reid d/b/a Pebbitone Music, Movants (In re Watkins)
, 390 210 BR 394 (Bankr. Court, ND Georgia, 1997) (Cotten, S.). Retrieved February 11, 2013. with Perri Reid becoming their general manager. The two-member TLC-Skee made its first recorded appearance on a track for LaFace act Damian Dame's self-titled 1991 LP. Pebbles found the third member in Rozonda Thomas, one of Damian Dame's part-time backup dancers. Thomas was signed to the act in April 1991, at about which time the group's name was shortened to TLC. To maintain TLC's name as an acronym for the girls' names, Watkins became "T-Boz", Lopes became "Left-Eye", and Thomas became "Chilli." The girls were then signed to LaFace in May through the production deal with Pebbitone; their records would be distributed by Arista Records/BMG. TLC was immediately set up to go into the studio with Reid and Edmonds,

, Jermaine Dupri, and

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 ...

producing their first album, '' Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip''. The new trio debuted as backing vocalists on "Rebel (With a Cause)", a track on

Jermaine Jackson Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist. He is best known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of The Jackso ...

's sole album for LaFace, ''You Said'' (1991).

Production on '' Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip'' wrapped up in December 1991. The album reached number 14 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and number three 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 Ja ...

chart. According to

Nielsen SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...

, it has sold 2.5 million copies in the US. It was eventually certified four-times platinum by the

(RIAA) for shipping four million copies in the US.

Personal struggles

Lopes was often vocal about her personal life and difficult past. She readily admitted that she had come from an abusive, alcoholic background and struggled with alcohol problems herself. These problems became headline news in 1994, when she set fire to

Andre Rison Andre Previn Rison (born March 18, 1967) is a former American football wide receiver who played professionally for the National Football League's Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers, Ka ...

's tennis shoes in a bathtub, which ultimately spread to the mansion they shared, destroying it. Lopes claimed that Rison had beaten her after a night out, and she set fire to his shoes to get back at him. However, she said burning down the house was an accident. Lopes later revealed that she did not have a lot of freedom within the relationship and was abused mentally and physically, having released all her frustrations on the night of the fire. Lopes, who was sentenced to five years probation and therapy at a halfway house, was never able to shake the incident from her reputation. Her relationship with Rison continued to make headlines, with rumors of an imminent wedding, later debunked by ''

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of propert ...

'' magazine.

Recording

The album's recording began in late 1993 and continued through till September 1994. The album was recorded at numerous studios, including Doppler Studios, Bosstown Recording Studios, KrossWire Studio and GADaddy's; D.A.R.P. Studios in Atlanta, Georgia; the Music Grinder Studios in Los Angeles, California; and

The Hit Factory The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano. History On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, a singer, record producer, and one of the principal owners of the Record Plant Studios New York, purchased the ...

in New York City. During the album's recording, Lopes was forced to have less of an input; during the recording sessions, she had pled guilty to her arson charge and was sent to a rehab facility as punishment. The rehab facility only released her for a couple of recording sessions, during which time she cut just a handful of album-worthy rap verses. For the album's production and writing, the group worked with producers including Babyface, Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri and more. Thomas stated that they had used these producers because they always worked with them stating that they worked with Dallas, Babyface, and Dupri on the first album "the only thing we had new was Organized Noize."

Phife Dawg Malik Izaak Taylor (November 20, 1970March 22, 2016), known professionally as Phife Dawg (or simply Phife), was an American rapper and a member of the group A Tribe Called Quest with Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (and for a short time Jarobi ...

from

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

did the interludes. However, during the album's recording, the band members were not always in the studio together; sometimes they went in one by one due to scheduling conflicts. "Waterfalls" was written by Lopes with Marqueze Etheridge and

, who also produced the song. Watkins and Thomas perform the song with Lopes, who also provides a rap. The background vocals are performed by the members of TLC, as well as Debra Killings and Cee-Lo Green. Speaking of Green's involvement, Watkins said, "He was in

Goodie Mob Goodie Mob is an American hip hop group based in Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of CeeLo Green, Khujo, T-Mo, and Big Gipp. History The group was formed in 1991 by Cameron "Big Gipp" Gipp, Willie " Khujo" Knighton Jr., CeeLo Green (born Thom ...

, we grew up together, we go way back. He did and it was amazing! I love his voice." The lyrics of the song reference 1990s issues such as violence associated with

illegal drug trade The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through ...

and the

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

epidemic. At the end of the second verse, Watkins sings, "His health is fading and he doesn't know why / Three letters took him to his final resting place." She said that it was important for the group to "get the message across without seeming like preaching."

Music and lyrics

''CrazySexyCool'' was noted as a departure from the group's debut, and was seen as move away from the group's predominantly rap connections. The songs on the album contained sensual R&B sounds built over edgy hip-hop beats; containing propulsive rhythms along with clap-commanding high production, bouncy funk elements and smooth rhythms. The album's lyrical content was also seen as a departure from '' Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip''. A reviewer from ''

'' stated that compared to the lyrical content of their debut, which was seen as "kiddie-cute hip-hop", ''CrazySexyCool'' is filled with adult-female sexuality, and "hide- and-seek coyness." It was seen as a coming-of-age sophomore album, according to Sheldon Pearce from Consequence of Sound, who stated the album had themes of "guileless and horny twenty something" lyrics that harmlessly explored sexuality and romanticism with the "naïveté that comes from inexperience and youthful optimism." The album lyrics also touch upon themes of relationships from both the impassioned and erotic sides.

Release and promotion

To promote ''CrazySexyCool'', TLC—along with

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan ...

Montell Jordan Montell Du'Sean Barnett Jordan (born December 3, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Best known for his 1995 single " This Is How We Do It", Jordan was the primary male solo artist on Def Jam's Def Soul imprint until l ...

, 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 Awar ...

—performed in the annual Budweiser Superfest Tour in early 1995, consisting of 23 dates in North America. The Atlanta, Chicago and Indianapolis shows featured an expanded roster of performers, including

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 ...

and

Monica Monica may refer to: People *Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress * Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...

. All four singles from the album reached the top five of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, two of them reaching number one. Lead single, " Creep", topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for four weeks, and was one of the biggest singles of 1995, coming in at number three in ''Billboard'' Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 1995. It also reached number one 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 ...

chart. The second single, " Red Light Special", peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The third single, "

Waterfalls A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several w ...

", became TLC's most successful song, spending seven weeks at number one. It was also the second-biggest single of 1995 according to ''Billboard'', earning TLC two songs in the top three of the 1995 ''Billboard'' year-end chart. Internationally, the song reached the top five in several countries. " Diggin' on You" was released as the album's fourth and final single, and reached number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also reached number seven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Critical reception

''CrazySexyCool'' was met with critical acclaim. In his review for

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 databa ...

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...

described the album as a "smooth, seductive collection of contemporary soul reminiscent of both Philly soul and Prince", adding that the material was "consistently strong". Erlewine continued to write that the album is "powered" by

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was m ...

and hip-hop beats with influences of mid-tempo funk, deep grooves, horns and guitar lines. He also referred to "Waterfalls" as "one of the classic R&B songs of the '90s". In ''

''s review for "

", the article stated that TLC "emerged with the most effervescent and soulful girl-group R&B anyone had seen since the Supremes." In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' listed the album at number 43 on their "100 Greatest Albums of the 90s". They stated: "Left Eye, Chilli and T-Boz looked like a one-shot when they first emerged from the nascent Atlanta with 1992's ''Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg''. But ''CrazySexyCool'' was a real shocker, packed bumper to bumper with great songs, sassy vocals and voluptuous beats for burning down the house. 'Creep' celebrates the kicks of illicit lust on the down low, 'Waterfalls' digs deep into

Memphis soul Memphis soul, also known as the Memphis sound, is the most prominent strain of Southern soul. It is a shimmering, sultry style produced in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records and Hi Records in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring melodic unison horn li ...

and 'If I Was Your Girlfriend' does Prince better than The Artist has all decade. The showstopper: 'Red Light Special', an impossibly steamy make-out ballad that undresses and caresses everyone with ears to hear it. ''CrazySexyCool'' established TLC as pop pros who could do it all, combining the body slam of hip-hop and the giddy uplift of a jump-rope rhyme without breaking a nail." In a 2015 article for ''

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

'', music critics Michael Madden and Sheldon Pearce write about how the album has impacted artists well into today's era whose R&B sound has been heavily influenced by strong hip-hop elements. "There should probably be more talk of TLC's role in forging the current R&B landscape, which is heavily, if not entirely, influenced by hip-hop culture now. The two genres have seemingly been grafted onto one another, and there's something of a codependent relationship between the two. To that effect, there's something to be said for that dynamic existing here, too, how the album's sequencing contributes to the music's effectiveness and how it still translates to the modern day."

Commercial performance

''CrazySexyCool'' debuted at number 15 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 77,500 copies in its first week. On the issue dated July 29, 1995, the album peaked at number three with 117,000 units sold. The album was certified 12-times platinum by the

(RIAA) on October 11, 2019, and as of July 2017, it had sold 7.7 million copies in the United States, becoming the best-selling album by a female group in the country; it had sold an additional 1.27 million copies through the BMG Music Club as of February 2003. Internationally, it reached number one in New Zealand, as well as the top five in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. As of July 2006, ''CrazySexyCool'' had sold over 15 million copies worldwide.

Accolades

''CrazySexyCool'' was nominated for six

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 many as the most pr ...

s at the 1996 Grammy Awards. "

" was nominated for the

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

. Two of the album's nominations were for its songwriters:

for " Creep", and Babyface for " Red Light Special". TLC ended up winning two awards,

Best R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre. Honors ...

and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "Creep". TLC also received multiple wins and nominations at the

Billboard Music Awards The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by ''Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of t ...

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produc ...

and

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of ''Soul Train'', the pro ...

, including Artist of the Year at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards. At the

1995 MTV Video Music Awards The 1995 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 7, 1995, honoring the best music videos from June 16, 1994, to June 15, 1995. The show was hosted by Dennis Miller at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. David Sandlin was commissioned to ...

, TLC won four awards for the video to "Waterfalls", including Video of the Year and the Viewer's Choice Award.

Celebration of CrazySexyCool

Celebration of CrazySexyCool (stylized as CeleBraTion of CrazySexyCool) is a concert tour of American group TLC. This tour, serving as a celebration of the first album by a girl group to reach Diamond status, comes 27 years after the album release. Consisting of 18 dates across the United States, this tour celebrates what Chilli describes as "the album that really put LCon the map", as the group perform selected songs from the 1994 album, as well as other hits.

Setlist

This set list is from the September 14, 2021 concert in Sterling Heights. It is not intended to represent all concerts for the tour. # Creep # Hat 2 Da Back # Kick Your Game # Girl Talk # Case of the Fake People # Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg # What About Your Friends # Silly Ho # FanMail # Way Back # American Gold # Sumthin' Wicked This Way Comes #

Unpretty "Unpretty" is a song by American group TLC, released on May 17, 1999, through LaFace and Arista Records as the second single from the band's third studio album, ''FanMail''. It was written by Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and the producer Dallas Au ...

# Take Our Time # Red Light Special # Diggin' On You # Baby-Baby-Baby #

No Scrubs "No Scrubs" is a song recorded by American girl group TLC as the lead single from their third studio album, '' FanMail'', on February 2, 1999, by LaFace Records and Arista Records. The song was written by producer Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, fo ...

Tour dates

Track listing

Notes

* signifies a co-producer * The single vinyl LP edition omits "Case of the Fake People" and "Intermission-lude".

Sample credits

* "Creep" contains a sample of " Hey Young World" by

Slick Rick Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known as Slick Rick, is an English-American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence with Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. Their songs " The Show" and " ...

. * "Switch" contains a sample of " Mr. Big Stuff" by Jean Knight.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''CrazySexyCool''.

Musicians

* Phife – guest appearance *

– instruments ; keyboards, drums ; additional keyboards * Sol Messiah – scratching * Rick Sheppard –

MIDI MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and r ...

, sound design * Debra Killings – background vocals *

– additional vocals * LaMarquis "Marq" Jefferson – bass * Babyface – synthesizers, drum programming * T-Boz – background vocals * Chilli – background vocals * Bebé – background vocals * Chucky Thompson – all instruments ; keyboards, bass, drums *

– ad-libs * Dwight Sills – guitar *

– drum programming ; keyboards ; keyboard programming * Kenneth Wright – Wurlitzer keyboards * Jerry Lloyd – horns * Ronnie Fitch – horns * Charles Nix – horns * Shock – horn arrangements * Edward Stroud – guitar * TLC – background vocals * Thomas "Cee-Lo" Burton – background vocals * Jon-John – synthesizers, drum programming * Colin Wolfe – additional bass * Arnold Hennings – keyboards, drums * Tim Kelley – keyboards * Shorty B – guitar * Mike Patterson – MIDI, sound design *

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

– guest appearance *

– ad-libs * Trey Lorenz – background vocals * Dre of Outkast – guest appearance * Sir Dean Gant – keyboards * Craig Love – guitar * Martin Terry – guitar * Carlos Glover – bass

Technical

* Jermaine Dupri – recording ; mixing ; production ; remix * John Frye – recording assistance ; mixing assistance * Phil Tan – mixing ; recording * Dallas Austin – production ; co-production ; executive production * Alvin Speights – recording ; mixing * Leslie Brathwaite – recording ; mixing * Carl Glover – recording assistance * Brian Smith – recording assistance *

Manuel Seal Manuel L. Seal, Jr. (born September 26, 1960) is an American multi-instrumentalist, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, vocal coach, and arranger. His credits include artists as Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Usher, TLC, Aretha Frankl ...

– co-production * Brian Frye – recording assistance * Babyface – production ; executive production * Brad Gilderman – recording * Eric Fischer – recording assistance * Lamont Hyde – recording assistance *

Dave Way Dave Way is an American producer, mixer and audio engineer based in Los Angeles, California, United States. He has worked with Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow, Kesha, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Macy Gray, Ringo Starr, Shakira, Phoebe Bridgers, John Doe, S ...

– mixing * Chucky Thompson – production * Sean "Puffy" Combs – production * Rich Travali – recording, mixing * Organized Noize – production * Nealhpogue – recording ; mixing * Bernasky – recording assistance ; mixing assistance * Rico Lumpkins – recording assistance, mixing assistance * Mike Wilson – recording assistance * Jon-John – production * Nash – recording * Arnold Hennings – production * Mike Patterson – recording * Scott Little – recording assistance * Ron Gresham – mixing * NHP Sound, Inc. – recording * Carlos Glover – recording * Blake Eiseman – recording * Alex Lowe – recording assistance * Herb Powers Jr. – mastering * Antonio M. Reid – executive production * Sharliss Asbury – project coordination * Ivy Skoff – project coordination

Artwork

* Davett Singletary – creative direction * Christopher Stern – art direction * Dah Len – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications and sales

Notes

References

External links

''CrazySexyCool'' accolades
at AcclaimedMusic.net {{Authority control 1994 albums Albums produced by Babyface (musician) Albums produced by Dallas Austin Albums produced by Jermaine Dupri Albums produced by Organized Noize Albums produced by Sean Combs Albums produced by Tim & Bob Arista Records albums Grammy Award for Best R&B Album LaFace Records albums TLC (group) albums

Background

Debut album

Personal struggles

Recording

Music and lyrics

Release and promotion

Critical reception

Commercial performance

Accolades

Celebration of CrazySexyCool

Setlist

Tour dates

Track listing

Notes

Sample credits

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Artwork

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications and sales

See also

Notes

References

External links