Blacks' Magic
Blacks' Magic is the third studio album by American hip hop girl group Salt-N-Pepa. It was released on March 19, 1990, by Next Plateau Records and London Records. A critical and commercial success, the album peaked at number 38 on the Billboard 200 and number 15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album spawned four commercially successful singles, three of which reached the top 10 of the Hot Rap Singles chart; "Let's Talk About Sex" (number 13 in the US, number two in the UK), "Expression" (number 26 in the US, number 23 in the UK), "Do You Want Me" (number 21 in the US, number five in the UK), and "You Showed Me" (number 47 in the US, number 15 in the UK).
Blacks' Magic | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 19, 1990 | |||
Recorded | 1989–1990 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 52:48 | |||
Label |
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Producer |
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Salt-N-Pepa chronology | ||||
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Singles from Blacks' Magic | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | A–[2] |
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Expression" | Cheryl James | Salt | 4:04 |
2. | "Doper Than Dope" | Fingerprints |
| 4:21 |
3. | "Negro wit' an Ego" | Fingerprints |
| 3:40 |
4. | "You Showed Me" |
|
| 4:01 |
5. | "Do You Want Me" | Fingerprints |
| 4:52 |
6. | "Swift" | Fingerprints |
| 4:04 |
7. | "I Like to Party" | Fingerprints |
| 3:51 |
8. | "Blacks' Magic" | Fingerprints |
| 4:16 |
9. | "Start the Party" | James | Salt | 3:51 |
10. | "Let's Talk About Sex" | Fingerprints |
| 3:33 |
11. | "I Don't Know" |
| 3:11 | |
12. | "Live and Die" | Fingerprints |
| 3:07 |
13. | "Independent" | James | Salt | 4:46 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Blacks' Magic.[3]
Salt-N-Pepa
Additional musicians
- Jacci McGhee – special guest appearance (track 1)
- Joyce Martin – background vocals (track 4)
- Alpha – background vocals (tracks 5, 10)
- Omega – background vocals (tracks 5, 10)
- Hurby Luv Bug – background vocals (tracks 5, 10)
- Kid 'n Play – special guest appearance (track 11)
- Sybil – special guest appearance (track 13)
- Stanley Brown – all keyboards
Technical
- Salt – production (tracks 1, 7, 9, 13)
- Steevee-O, The Boy Wonder – production (tracks 2, 6)
- The Invincibles – production (tracks 2–8, 10–12)
- Hurby Luv Bug – production (tracks 3, 5, 7, 10, 11); album concept
- Excalibur – production (track 4)
- Spinderella – production (track 8)
- Quicksilver – production (track 12)
- Play – album concept
- Andre DeBourg – engineering
- Dana Dum – engineering
- Herb "Pump" Powers – mastering
Artwork
- Charles Lilly – illustration
- Faville Graphics – design
Charts
Chart (1990) | Peak position |
---|---|
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[4] | 65 |
UK Albums (OCC)[5] | 70 |
US Billboard 200[6] | 38 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[7] | 15 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[8] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
References
- Huey, Steve. "Blacks' Magic – Salt-N-Pepa". AllMusic. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- Christgau, Robert (2000). "CG Book '90s: S". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan. ISBN 0312245602. Retrieved March 30, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- Blacks' Magic (liner notes). Salt-N-Pepa. Next Plateau Records. 1990. PLCD1019.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Salt 'N' Pepa – Blacks' Magic" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- "Salt-N-Pepa Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- "Salt-N-Pepa Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- "American album certifications – Salt 'N Pepa – Black's Magic". Recording Industry Association of America. April 14, 1992. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.