What's the 411?

What's the 411? is Mary J. Blige's debut album.

It was released on July 28, 1992 on Uptown Records.

Upon being signed to Uptown Records, Mary began working with record producer Puff Daddy.

The album peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and topped Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

It eventually sold 3.4 million copies and was certified three times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

It received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who noted Mary's strong, soulful voice.

She was also praised for combining hip hop and soul music, subsequently earning her the title "Queen of Hip Hop Soul."

Album Background
When Mary was seventeen years old, she recorded a cover version of Anita Baker's song "Caught Up in the Rapture" in a recording booth at a local mall.

Her mother's boyfriend at the time played the cassette to recording artist (and A&R Records runner) Jeff Redd.

Jeff sent it to the president & chief executive officer of the label Andre Harrell.

In 1990, Mary met Andre and performed the song for him. She was signed to Uptown Records, becoming the label's youngest & third female recording artist (after Finesse N' Synquis).

Album Production
After being signed to Uptown Records, Mary began working with record producer Puff Daddy.

He became the executive producer and produced a majority of the album.

The album title derived from Mary's past occupation as a 4-1-1 operator. It was also an indication by her of being the "real deal."

The album contains elements of hip hop soul and new jack swing.

The music was described as "revelatory on a frequent basis."

She was noted for having a "tough girl persona and streetwise lyrics" which gave the album "a gritty undertone and a realism missing from much of the devotional love songs ruling the charts at that time."

Havelock Nelson of Entertainment Weekly expressed that Mary "bends her gospel-bred pipes around streetwise collages consisting of hard drumbeats, rugged rap samples, and hazy synthesizer lines" describing déjà vu of "the most accomplished fusions of soul values and hip-hop to date."

Tracklisting
Sample Credits
 * 1) Leave a Message (3:38) (written & produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs & Tony Dofat)
 * 2) Reminisce (5:24) (written by Kenny Greene & Dave Hall; produced by Dave Hall & Sean "Puffy" Combs)
 * 3) Real Love (4:32) (written & produced by Mark Morales & Mark C. Rooney)
 * 4) You Remind Me (4:19) (written by Dave Hall & Eric Milteer; produced by Dave Hall)
 * 5) Intro Talk (feat. Busta Rhymes) (2:17) (written by Tony Dofat & Busta Rhymes; produced by Tony Dofat & Sean "Puffy" Combs)
 * 6) Sweet Thing (3:46) (written by Chaka Khan & Tony Maiden; produced by Mark Morales & Mark C. Rooney)
 * 7) Love No Limit (5:01) (written by Kenny Greene & Dave Hall; produced by Dave Hall)
 * 8) I Don't Want to Do Anything (feat. Jodeci's K-Ci Hailey) (5:52) (written & produced by DeVante Swing)
 * 9) Slow Down (4:33) (written by Mark C. Rooney, Mark Morales & Joseph E. Keeley; produced by Mark Morales & Mark C. Rooney)
 * 10) My Love (4:14) (written by Kenny Greene & Dave Hall; produced by Dave Hall)
 * 11) Changes I've Been Going Through (5:15) (written by Sean "Puffy" Combs & Mark Morales; produced by Mark C. Rooney, Mark Rooney & Sean "Puffy" Combs)
 * 12) What's the 411? (feat. Grand Puba) (4:13) (written by Tony Dofat & M. Nixon; produced by Tony Dofat & Sean "Puffy" Combs)
 * "Leave a Message (Intro)" contains a sample of "P.S.K. - What Does It Mean?" as performed by Schoolly D
 * "Reminisce" contains a sample of "Stop, Look, Listen" as performed by MC Lyte
 * "Real Love" contains a sample of "Top Billin'" as performed by Audio Two
 * "You Remind Me" contains a sample of "Remind Me" as performed by Patrice Rushen
 * "Intro Talk (Interlude)" contains a sample of "Hydra" as performed by Grover Washington, Jr.
 * "Sweet Thing" contains a sample of "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" as performed by Barry White
 * "Changes I've Been Going Through" contains a sample of "Make the Music With Your Mouth, Biz" as performed by Biz Markie
 * "What's the 411?" contains a sample of "Pride and Vanity" as performed by the Ohio Players; "Very Special" as performed by Debra Laws

Commercial Performance
"What's the 411?" peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

It also peaked at number fifty-three on the UK Albums Chart.

It was certified three times Platinum by the RIAA. Mary became the best new female R&B artist of 1993 in the United States.

As of August of 2010, the album has sold 3,318,000 copies in the United States.

Critical Reception
"What's the 411?" received generally favorable reviews from music critics.

Mary received comparisons to recording artists Chaka Khan, Caron Wheeler and Anita Baker.

Her voice was described as "powerful" and "soulful."

David O'Donnell of BBC Music complimented Mary's "sweet, soulful vocals" in line with Puff Daddy's "rough, jagged, hip-hop beats made for a winning combination that remains."

The album led to Mary being dubbed as the reigning "Queen of Hip Hop Soul.''"

Stanton Swihart of Allmusic called the album "the decade's most explosive, coming-out displays of pure singing prowess."

O'Donnell argued that the album is "one of the most important albums of the nineties."

Accolades
The album earned Mary two Soul Train Music Awards in 1993: "Best New R&B Artist" and "Best R&B Album, Female."

Legacy
Mary's combination of vocals over a hip hop beat became influential in R&B music.

She has been credited for creating the hybrid genre hip hop soul as well as pioneering what became neo soul.

Along with Puff Daddy, she attributed to the "sample-heavy sound that reinvigorated urban radio" which became "a blueprint for nineties hip-hop and R&B."

Personnel

 * Mary J. Blige – vocals, background vocals
 * Tabitha Brace – background vocals
 * Jamie Brown – engineer
 * Puff Daddy – producer
 * Tony Dofat – producer, performer
 * Steven Ett – engineer
 * Mike Fonda – engineer
 * Grand Puba – background vocals, vocal harmony, performer
 * Andy Grassi – engineer
 * Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey – vocal harmony, performer
 * Dave Hall – drums, keyboards, producer
 * Andre Harrell – engineer
 * Kurt Juice – drums
 * David Kennedy – engineer
 * Clark Kent – engineer
 * Billy Lawrence – background vocals
 * Little Shawn – background vocals
 * Tony Maserati – engineer
 * Mark Morales – producer, drum machine
 * Darryl Pearson – multi-instruments
 * Gordon Picket – programming
 * Mark C. Rooney – keyboards, background vocals, producer
 * Terri Robinson – background vocals
 * Trevor "Busta Rhymes" Tahiem Smith, Jr.
 * CL Smooth – background vocals
 * DeVante Swing – keyboards, multi-instruments, producer
 * Christopher Williams – background vocals