''Very Necessary'' is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group

Salt-N-Pepa Salt-N-Pepa (also stylized as Salt 'N' Pepa or Salt 'N Pepa) is an American hip-hop group formed in New York City in 1985, that comprised Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper). Their debut album, ''Hot, C ...

, released on October 12, 1993, by

Next Plateau Records Next Plateau Entertainment (formerly Next Plateau Records) is an American record label that currently operates in association with Republic Records. Background 1980s New York City-based independent label Next Plateau Records began in the early 1 ...

and

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

. The album spawned four singles, including " Shoop" (their first top-five single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number four), "

Whatta Man "What a Man" is a song written by Dave Crawford, and originally recorded for Stax Records' Volt imprint by Linda Lyndell, whose recording reached number 50 on the '' Billboard'' R&B chart in 1968. The song was sampled and reinterpreted as "Wha ...

" (featuring

En Vogue En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single "Hol ...

, their second-highest-peaking single at number three), and "

None of Your Business "None of Your Business" is the third single released from Salt-n-Pepa's fourth studio album, ''Very Necessary''. It was written and produced by Hurby Azor and earned the group its first Grammy Award. The song is included on the 1996 '' Barb Wi ...

", which would earn the group their first

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 pres ...

, in the category

Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group was awarded between 1991 and 2011, alongside the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance. The award was discontinue ...

. ''Very Necessary'' peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200, and has been certified five-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/o ...

(RIAA), denoting sales in excess of five million copies in the United States.

Track listing

Notes

* signifies a co-producer * signifies a remixer * signifies an additional producer * On international editions of the album, "I've Got AIDS (PSA)" is retitled "PSA We Talk".

Samples

* "Whatta Man" contains a sample of " What a Man" by

Linda Lyndell Linda Lyndell (born as Linda Rowland, November 22, 1946) is an American soul singer from Gainesville, Florida. Lyndell sang in gospel churches as a child; though she was white, she sang in both white and black churches, and eventually began singi ...

. * "Shoop" contains samples from "I'm Blue" by

the Sweet Inspirations The Sweet Inspirations were an American R&B girl group mostly known for their work as backup singers on studio recordings for other R&B and rock artists. A founding member of the group was Dionne Warwick, who was later replaced by her aunt, Cis ...

and "Super Sporm" by

Captain Sky Daryl L. Cameron (born July 10, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois), better known as Captain Sky, is an American musician and singer. Captain Sky’s funk-based musical style, futuristic costumes, and psychedelic imagery are similar to those of Geor ...

. * "Heaven or Hell" contains portions of "Heaven and Hell Is on Earth" by 20th Century Steel Band and "Think About It" by

Odell Brown Odell Elliott Brown Jr. (February 2, 1940 – May 3, 2011) was an American jazz organist. He was active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, playing soul jazz and jazz funk with his backing band as Odell Brown & the Organ-Izers. Biography Brown was ...

& the Organ-izers.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Notes

References

1993 albums Albums produced by Hurby Azor London Records albums Next Plateau Entertainment albums Pop-rap albums Salt-N-Pepa albums {{1990s-hiphop-album-stub