Nature Of A Sista'
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Nature of a Sista'' is the second studio album by American rapper
Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, singer, and actress. She has received various accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe ...
. Released on September 3, 1991, it served as a follow-up to her 1989 debut album '' All Hail the Queen'' and was her final album with
Tommy Boy Records Tommy Boy Records is an American independent record label and multimedia brand founded in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers of Queen Latifah, Amber, Afrika Bambaataa, Stetsasonic, Digita ...
. Latifah was an
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
for ''Nature of a Sista'' alongside American producer Shakim Compere. Although predominantly a
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
album, it includes elements of
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
, R&B,
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, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Te ...
, and
house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...
. The lyrics of the album's songs revolve around gender politics and romance. While discussing the album's overall style, Latifah said she moved away from
hardcore hip hop Hardcore hip-hop (also known as hardcore rap) is a subgenre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Run-DMC, Schoolly D, Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy, it is gen ...
to experiment with other music genres and have more creative control over her work. Reviews of the album were mixed; some music critics praised Latifah's verses and the album's variety of musical styles, while others felt it was a poor follow-up to ''All Hail the Queen''. It peaked at number 117 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and sold over 500,000 copies worldwide. Three singles"Fly Girl", "How Do I Love Thee", and "Latifah's Had It Up 2 Here"were released and promoted through accompanying music videos; all of the songs made appearances on ''Billboard'' charts. Following the release of the album, Latifah was dropped from Tommy Boy Records due to low sales.


Background and recording

Due to the success of
Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, singer, and actress. She has received various accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe ...
's debut studio album '' All Hail the Queen'' (1989), which sold approximately 450,000 copies, Peter Watrous of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' said he believed Latifah had become a representative for young black woman and a media "hungry for someone articulate, political and savvy about feminism but not confrontational". Marisa Fox of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' said Latifah was becoming an established figure in rap and
club music Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. It is generally produced for playback by DJs who create s ...
from the commercial performance of ''All Hail the Queen''. Because of Latifah's heightened profile, ''Nature of a Sista'' was considered among the most anticipated hip hop releases of the year. ''Nature of a Sista'' was completed between 1990 and 1991; it was recorded in various studios in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
—D&D Studios, Hit Factory, Power Play Studios, , Quadraphonic Studios, and Unique Recording. The album was also recorded at Soundcastle Studios in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, Calliope Productions in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, and Teentwon Studios in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
. Latifah and American producer Shakim Compere served as the
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
s. The album's liner notes include the text: "The kingdom is possible because of the queen ... the king is the sign. While the queen is the symbol."


Composition and sound

''Nature of a Sista is a
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
album that consists of twelve tracks; the instrumentals, provided by live musicians, combine elements of
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
and
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
along with "a raucous African beat" and "melodic choruses". A writer from '' The Boombox'' described the album as incorporating R&B and
house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...
, and ''Spin'''s Dimitri Ehrlich said it features a
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, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Te ...
sound through its sharper focus on
vocal harmonies Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical chor ...
and electronic drums. A writer from ''People'' magazine noted that ''Nature of a Sista'' focuses on issues relating to "self-assurance, humor and intelligence"; Latifah encourages women to respect themselves rather than place value in sex or money. Some songs, such as "That's the Way We Flow" focus on gender politics, while others detail issues relating to love, such as "Give Me Your Love" and "How Do I Love Thee". The former is an R&B track that revolves around the effects of racism on a romantic relationship. Latifah does not use obscene language on the album. She chose to sing more on this album as a way of pursuing her personal interests, and that it was not because of potential financial gains. She said: "It was about making a record I like. I have to make what feels right to me." Comparing ''Nature of a Sista with Latifah's previous studio albums, Marisa Fox wrote: "She’s toned down the sass and become more sensual and sophisticated. Here’s one woman who rejects sexism, but not sex."


Songs

Fox described the opening track, ”Latifah’s Had It Up to Here”, as Latifah's way of "still keep ngthe brothers in check"; lyrics include: "But I'm wise, civilized / Growing higher / Judgment's from the queen / Punish is the fire / I’m here to make these fools out of liars / You must learn, step and respect the sire / Face the fire”. On the second song "Nuff of the Ruff Stuff", Latifah raps about gender politics using the lines: "As a black woman me want equality / Equality and the freedom to be me". "Fly Girl" focuses on men's attempts to court her; Latifah answers their
pick-up line A pick-up line or chat-up line is a conversation opener with the intent of engaging a person for romance or dating. As overt and sometimes humorous displays of romantic interest, pick-up lines advertise the wit of their speakers to their target ...
: “You must be mad! / Easy lover, something that I ain’t / Besides, I don’t know you from a can of paint”. The
downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...
song includes male vocal harmonies as part of the chorus and elements of new jack swing. The album's title track revolves around Latifah bragging about her skills as a rapper, while "Sexy Fancy" contains influences from
dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...
music and
ragga Raggamuffin music (or simply ragga) is a subgenre of dancehall and reggae music. The instrumentals primarily consist of electronic music with heavy use of sampling. Wayne Smith's " Under Mi Sleng Teng", produced by King Jammy in 1985 on a ...
. The song "If You Don't Know" contains a sample of
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
's 1974 single " The Payback". In the album's closing track "How Do I Love Thee", Latifah instructs her lover how to sexually pleasure her; lyrics include: “It pleases me to have you touch me there / I think you know it gets to me / Stop! Don’t stop! Ecstasy!”; a writer for ''
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. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' said the song is reminiscent of
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
's 1990 single "
Justify My Love "Justify My Love" is a song released as a single by American singer Madonna. It does not appear on any of her studio albums, but is included on her first greatest hits album, ''The Immaculate Collection'' (1990). The song was written by Lenny ...
". Latifah wrote "How Do I Love Thee" during the filming of the 1990 movie ''
House Party 2 ''House Party 2'' is a 1991 American comedy film and the second installment of the House_Party_(franchise)#Films, ''House Party'' film series. Kid 'n Play, Full Force, Tisha Campbell, and Martin Lawrence reprise their roles from the first film ...
'', and said: "I was away from home and I was . . . you know, kind of horny".


Release and promotion

"Fly Girl" was released as the album's lead single; it was promoted through a music video, in which Latifah wears an African headdress while accompanied by a group of back-up dancers. The song and its instrumental were released on a vinyl record along with the album's title track and its instrumental. "Fly Girl" peaked at number 16 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 ...
''Billboard'' chart on November 9, 1991, and remained on the chart for 14 weeks. It also reached number 19 on the
Hot Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...
''Billboard'' chart on October 26, 1991, and stayed on the chart for nine weeks. ''Nature of a Sista'' was first released on September 3, 1991, on cassette, CD, and
LP record The LP (from long playing or long play) is an Analog recording, analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of  revolutions per minute, rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use ...
formats through
Tommy Boy Records Tommy Boy Records is an American independent record label and multimedia brand founded in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers of Queen Latifah, Amber, Afrika Bambaataa, Stetsasonic, Digita ...
; it was re-released in 2004 through
Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company (formerly Rhino Records Inc.) is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded ...
as a digital download. Latifah held an album release party at an Indian restaurant in New York City. When discussing her vision for the album, Latifah said: "I really want ''Nature of a Sista'' to go platinum, I want to sell a million records. A lot more doors open up if I get that status. Not to mention the money." As of April 11, 2017, the album sold over 273,000 copies in the United States and over 500,000 copies worldwide. It peaked at number 117 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart on October 5, 1991, and remained on the chart for 23 weeks. The album also reached number 32 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 Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
''Billboard'' chart on February 22, 1992, and remained on the chart for 32 weeks. "How Do I Love Thee" and "Latifah's Had It Up 2 Here" were released as the second and third singles, respectively. They were promoted through accompanying music videos. "How Do I Love Thee" peaked at number 13 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ''Billboard'' chart on February 22, 1992, and remained on the chart for 16 weeks. "Latifah's Had It Up 2 Here" also reached number eight on the Hot Rap Songs ''Billboard'' chart on February 8, 1992, and stayed on the chart for 11 weeks. Latifah performed the album track "If You Don't Know" on the American
sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
television series ''
In Living Color ''In Living Color'' is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990, to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions ...
''.


Critical reception

Upon its release, the album was generally well received. Marisa Fox praised Latifah's verses and described its songs as "show ngher softer, more feminine side". A writer for ''Vibe'' positively responded to the album for pushing the boundaries of musical genres, singling out "Latifah's Had It Up 2 Here" and "How Do I Love Thee" as examples. Alex Henderson of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
described the album as "a decent sophomore effort that has more strengths than weaknesses", and commended Latifah for projecting a positive image. ''Nature of a Sista'' was also the subject of praise in several retrospective reviews. In a 2005 article, a reviewer from ''Rolling Stone'' also praised Latifah's experimentation with different types of music, saying that it "sampl sa wider range of the Queen's prodigious talents and musical styles than did her first album". In 2018, ''
The Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...
''s Ime Ekpo wrote that ''Nature of a Sista was a sign of how Latifah had "evolved into a more sensual artist", and ''The Boombox''s Jacinta Howard felt that it showcased her versatility. Howard cited "Latifah's Had It Up 2 Here" as "one of the most hard-hitting entries in atifah'scatalog". Some critics had a more negative response for the album. While Henderson praised Latifah's technique as a rapper, he wrote that too much of the album was devoted to her "boasting about her microphone skills", and said it did not reflect her full capability as an artist. A writer from ''Rolling Stone'' said ''Nature of a Sista'' was a disappointing follow-up to ''All Hail the Queen'', primarily citing the lack of growth in Latifah's rapping style and the album's lack of focus. Despite identifying "If You Don't Know" as a highlight, Ms. Krista panned ''Nature of a Sista'' as forgettable; she criticized "Fly Girl" and "Sexy Fancy" as unsuccessful attempts to incorporate influences from other genres, and described the album's title track as too focused on Latifah gloating about her rapping abilities.


Aftermath

Latifah was removed from Tommy Boy Records due to the album's low sales. Ms. Krista of SoulBounce.com attributed the poor commercial performance to the absence of American producer DJ Mark the 45 King, who had previously worked with Latifah on ''All Hail the Queen''. A writer for ''Vibe'' believed ''Nature of a Sista'' would have sold better if it had been promoted as an R&B release. According to Latifah, the album's commercial performance was representative of how female rappers get fewer resources than men; she said: "People wonder why girls don't go platinum, but a lot of the time we don't get the same money or marketing and promotion and that's just a straight-up fact". According to a writer from ''The Boombox'', music critics had started to ask whether Latifah was more focused on developing crossover appeal rather than creating rap music, partially because of the release of ''Nature of a Sista. Music critics interpreted her 1993 follow-up album '' Black Reign'' as a way "to deliver something that cemented her credibility as an artist".


Track listing

Notes * * "If You Don't Know" samples the
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
riff from
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
's 1974 " The Payback".


Credits and personnel

The following credits were adapted from the booklet of ''Nature Of A Sista and AllMusic: *The 45 King – concept *David Bellochio – keyboards *Tom Coyne – mastering *Cutfather – mixing, producer *DJ Kay Gee – mixing *Doctor Illington – keyboards *Dr. Shane Faber – engineer, keyboards, mixing *Bob Fisher – mastering *Nevelle Hodge – mixing, producer *K-Cut – producer *Pascal Lewis – hair stylist, make-up *Naughty by Nature – mixing, producer *Robin Newland – clothing/wardrobe *Frank Ockenfels – photography *Anton Pukshansky – engineer *Queen Latifah – executive producer, mixing, primary artist, producer, vocals *Scringer Ranks – guest artist *Safari Sister Swatch – featured artist, primary artist, vocals (background) *Scringer Ranks – vocals *Shakim Compere – executive producer *Paul Shapiro – saxophone *Simple Pleasure – vocals (background) *Soulshock – mixing, producer *"Little" Louie Vega – mixing, producer


Charts


Release history


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1991 albums Albums produced by K-Cut (producer) Queen Latifah albums Tommy Boy Records albums