What 's the 411 ? - Wikipedia What 's the 411 ? What 's the 411 ? Studio album by Mary J. Blige Released July 28, 1992 ( 1992 - 07 - 28 ) Recorded 1991 -- 1992 Studio Various Chung King Studios ( New York, NY ) The Hit Factory ( New York, NY ) Marathon Studios ( New York, NY ) Soul Convention Studios ( Queens, NY ) Genre Hip hop soul new jack swing R&B Length 51 : 59 Label Uptown MCA Producer Sean Combs ( exec. ) DeVante Swing Tony Dofat Dave Hall Mark Morales Mark C. Rooney Mary J. Blige chronology What 's the 411 ? ( 1992 ) What 's the 411 ? Remix ( 1993 ) What 's the 411 ? Remix 1993 Singles from What 's the 411 ? `` You Remind Me '' Released : June 23, 1992 `` Real Love '' Released : August 25, 1992 `` Reminisce '' Released : October 13, 1992 `` Sweet Thing '' Released : April 2, 1993 `` Love No Limit '' Released : May 10, 1993 What 's the 411 ? is the debut album by American recording artist Mary J. Blige, released on July 28, 1992 by Uptown Records and MCA Records. Upon being signed to the Uptown label, she began working with record producer Sean `` Puff Daddy '' Combs who took over executive producer duties on the project and consulted additional musicians such as DeVante Swing, Tony Dofat, Dave Hall, Mark Morales and Mark `` Cory '' Rooney to record with Blige. What 's the 411 ? contains a range of contemporary genres, and the songs are a mix of hip hop soul, contemporary early - 1990s R&B and new jack swing. The album peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B / Hip - Hop Albums chart. The album eventually sold 3.4 million copies and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ). It received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who noted Blige '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 ''. What 's the 411 ? spawned six singles, including `` You Remind Me '' and `` Real Love ''. Contents 1 Background 2 Critical reception 3 Performance and impact 4 Track listing 5 Personnel 6 Charts 6.1 Weekly charts 6.2 Year - end charts 7 Certifications 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 External links Background At the age of 17, Blige recorded a cover version of Anita Baker 's `` Caught Up in the Rapture '' in a recording booth at a local mall. Her mother 's boyfriend at the time later played the cassette to recording artist and A&R runner for Uptown Records, Jeff Redd. Redd then sent it to the president and chief executive officer of the label, Andre Harrell. Blige met with Harrell in 1990 and performed the song for him. She was signed to Uptown and became the label 's youngest and third female recording artist ( after Finesse N ' Synquis ). After being signed to Uptown Records, Blige began working with record producer Puff Daddy. He became the executive producer and produced a majority of the album. The title, What 's the 411 ?, derived from Blige 's past occupation as a 4 - 1 - 1 operator ; it was also an indication by Blige of being the `` real deal ''. The music was described as `` revelatory on a frequent basis ''. Blige was noted for having a `` tough girl persona and streetwise lyrics ''. The album begins with `` Leave a Message '', a collection of Blige 's answering machine messages over a drum beat. The following two tracks, `` Reminisce '' and `` You Remind Me '', are melancholy songs that are overlaid with hip hop beats. A cover of Chaka Khan 's `` Sweet Thing '' followed. Critical reception Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating AllMusic Chicago Tribune Christgau 's Consumer Guide Encyclopedia of Popular Music Entertainment Weekly Los Angeles Times MusicHound R&B 3 / 5 The Rolling Stone Album Guide What 's the 411 ? was released on July 28, 1992, to positive reviews from critics. In Entertainment Weekly, Havelock Nelson hailed it as `` one of the most accomplished fusions of soul values and hip - hop to date '' while comparing Blige 's `` powerful voice '' to Khan, Anita Baker, and Caron Wheeler. Connie Johnson from the Los Angeles Times was particularly impressed by her rendition of `` Sweet Thing '' and `` You Remind Me '', calling the latter track `` one of those perfect singer - to - song matches ''. People magazine said the album succeeded because of Blige 's `` fly - girl attitude '' and singing ability, even though `` she may not be Chaka Khan or Gladys Knight ''. Mitchell May was more critical in the Chicago Tribune, writing that aside from the title track and `` Sweet Thing '', What 's the 411 ? was marred by dull production and `` silly lyrics '' depriving the singer of self - esteem. Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was largely unimpressed, grading the album a `` dud '' in his consumer guide. He later upgraded his score to a one - star honorable mention -- indicating `` a worthy effort that consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well like '' ; he named `` Sweet Thing '' and `` Real Love '' as highlights while writing that `` real is not enough, but attached to the right voice it 's something to build on ''. Performance and impact 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 53 on the UK Albums Chart. It was certified three times Platinum by the RIAA. According to Entertainment Weekly 's Dave DiMartino, with the record 's commercial success and Blige 's `` powerful, soulful voice and hip - hop attitude '', she `` solidly connected with an audience that has never seen a woman do new jack swing but loves it just the same ''. According to Dave McAleer, Blige became the most successful new female R&B artist of 1992 in the United States. What 's the 411 ? earned her two Soul Train Music Awards in 1993 : Best New R&B Artist and Best R&B Album, Female. It was also voted the year 's 30th best album in the Pazz & Jop -- an annual poll of American critics nationwide, published by The Village Voice. By August 2010, the album had sold 3,318,000 copies in the US. What 's the 411 ? has since been viewed by critics as one of the 1990s ' most important records. Blige 's combination of vocals over a hip hop beat proved influential in contemporary R&B. With the album, she was dubbed the reigning `` Queen of Hip Hop Soul '', Stanton Swihart wrote in a retrospective review for AllMusic. He called it `` the decade 's most explosive, coming - out displays of pure singing prowess ''. According to David O'Donnell from BBC Music, What 's the 411 ? was groundbreaking in its fusion of R&B hooks and hip hop beats, creating the formula for the contemporary R&B of the following decade. He complimented Blige 's `` sweet, soulful vocals '', in line with Puff Daddy 's `` rough, jagged, hip - hop beats made for a winning combination that remains one of Blige 's finest albums ''. In The Rolling Stone Album Guide ( 2004 ), Tom Moon wrote that with the album, Blige offered `` a gritty undertone and a realism missing from much of the devotional love songs ruling the charts at that time. '' Track listing No. Title Writer ( s ) Producer ( s ) Length 1. `` Leave a Message '' Sean `` Puffy '' Combs Tony Dofat Dofat Combs 3 : 38 2. `` Reminisce '' Kenny Greene Dave Hall Hall Combs 5 : 24 3. `` Real Love '' Mark Morales Mark C. Rooney Morales Rooney 4 : 32 4. `` You Remind Me '' Hall Eric Milteer Hall 4 : 19 5. `` Intro Talk '' ( featuring Busta Rhymes ) Dofat Busta Rhymes Dofat Combs 2 : 17 6. `` Sweet Thing '' Chaka Khan Tony Maiden Morales Rooney 3 : 46 7. `` Love No Limit '' Greene Hall Hall 5 : 01 8. `` I Do n't Want to Do Anything '' ( featuring K - Ci Hailey of Jodeci ) Devante Swing DeVante Swing 5 : 52 9. `` Slow Down '' Rooney Morales Joseph E. Keeley Morales Rooney 4 : 33 10. `` My Love '' Greene Hall Hall 4 : 14 11. `` Changes I 've Been Going Through '' Combs Morales Rooney Combs Morales Rooney 5 : 15 12. `` What 's the 411 ? '' ( featuring Grand Puba ) Dofat Maxwell Dixon Dofat Combs 4 : 13 Sample credits `` 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 '' is a cover of `` Sweet Thing '' as performed by Rufus and Chaka Khan. `` 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. 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 Kenny Greene - writer Billy Lawrence -- background vocals Little Shawn -- background vocals Tony Maserati -- engineer Mark Morales A.K.A Prince Markie Dee -- Writer, producer, drum machine Darryl Pearson -- multi-instruments Gordon Picket -- programming Mark C. Rooney -- Writer, keyboards, background vocals, producer Terri Robinson -- background vocals Busta Rhymes CL Smooth -- background vocals DeVante Swing -- keyboards, multi-instruments, producer Christopher Williams -- background vocals Charts Weekly charts Chart ( 1992 ) Peak position UK Albums ( OCC ) 53 US Billboard 200 6 US Top R&B / Hip - Hop Albums ( Billboard ) Year - end charts Chart ( 1992 ) Position US Billboard 200 72 US Top R&B / Hip - Hop Albums ( Billboard ) 26 Chart ( 1993 ) Position US Billboard 200 36 US Top R&B / Hip - Hop Albums ( Billboard ) 9 Certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales United Kingdom ( BPI ) Silver 60,000 United States ( RIAA ) 3 × Platinum 3,000,000 sales figures based on certification alone shipments figures based on certification alone See also List of number - one R&B albums of 1992 ( U.S. ) What 's the 411 ? Remix Notes Jump up ^ `` Amazon.com : Mary J. Blige : Real Love : Music ''. Amazon.com. Retrieved November 13, 2014. Jump up ^ Ramirez, Erika ( 28 July 2012 ). `` Mary J. Blige, ' What 's The 411 ? ' at 20 : Classic Track - By - Track Review ''. Billboard. Billboard. Archived from the original on 26 September 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013. Jump up ^ Whetstone, Muriel L. ( October 1995 ). `` Goin ' Down and Up with Mary J. Blige ''. FindArticles. CBS Corporation. pp. 1 -- 3. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ Watrous, Peter ( 1992 - 08 - 26 ). `` The Pop Life ''. The New York Times. The New York Times Company. p. 2. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. ^ Jump up to : `` Stardom Shaped By the Street and the Makers of Image ''. The New York Times. The New York Times Company. 1995 - 08 - 05. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ `` Mary J. Blige : Biography ''. Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on 2010 - 02 - 17. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ Reid, Shaheem ; Oh, Minya ( 2003 - 03 - 14 ). `` Mary J. Blige Teams Up with 50 Cent, P. Diddy to Discuss Love and Life ''. MTV News. Archived from the original on 2005 - 05 - 01. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ Yeransian, Leslie ( 2006 - 06 - 22 ). `` Mary J. Blige : From the Projects to Hip - Hop Soul Queen ''. ABC News. p. 1. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ Bailey 2009, p. 15 ^ Jump up to : Swihart, Stanton. `` Whats the 411 ? - Review ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. ^ Jump up to : Moon, Tom ( 2004 ). `` Mary J. Blige ''. In Brackett, Nathan ; Hoard, Christian. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. pp. 83 -- 4. ISBN 0743201698. Jump up ^ `` Mary J Blige, Rose Hall, New York 16 October ''. The Observer. Guardian News & Media. 2005 - 11 - 20. Archived from the original on 2012 - 09 - 26. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ `` Blige 's Biggest ''. The News & Observer. The McClatchy Company. 2007 - 12 - 16. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. ^ Jump up to : May, Mitchell ( November 12, 1992 ). `` Mary J. Blige What 's the 411 ? ( MCA ) ''. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 17, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Christgau, Robert ( 2000 ). Christgau 's Consumer Guide : Albums of the ' 90s. Macmillan. pp. xvi, 31. ISBN 0312245602. Jump up ^ Larkin, Colin ( 2011 ). `` Mary J. Blige ''. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music ( 5th ed. ). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0857125958. ^ Jump up to : Nelson, Havelock ( 1992 - 08 - 07 ). `` What 's the 411 ? - Music Review ''. Entertainment Weekly. Time. Archived from the original on 2012 - 10 - 05. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. ^ Jump up to : Johnson, Connie ( December 6, 1992 ). `` Holiday Gift - Giving -- The Hints of ' 92 ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 17, 2016. Jump up ^ Graff, Gary ; du Lac, Josh Freedom ; McFarlin, Jim, eds. ( 1998 ). `` Mary J. Blige ''. MusicHound R&B : The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 1578590264. ^ Jump up to : Dawes, Laina ( December 1, 2014 ). `` Mary J Blige 's `` My Life '' Turns 20 ``. Cuepoint. Retrieved September 17, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Picks and Pans Review : Mary J. Blige ''. People. Vol. 38 no. 26. December 28, 1992. Retrieved September 17, 2016. Jump up ^ Christgau, Robert ( January 26, 1993 ). `` Consumer Guide ''. The Village Voice. Retrieved September 17, 2016. Jump up ^ `` What 's the 411 ? ( 1992 ) ''. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ `` Chart Stats : Mary J. Blige - What 's the 411 ? ''. Chart Stats. Archived from the original on 2012 - 10 - 12. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ `` RIAA - Gold & Platinum ''. RIAA. Archived from the original on 2015 - 10 - 17. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ DiMartino, Dave ( 1992 - 11 - 20 ). `` Close - up : Mary J. Blige ''. Entertainment Weekly. Time. Archived from the original on 2012 - 10 - 12. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ McAleer 1995, p. 307 Jump up ^ Warner & 2008, p. 325 Jump up ^ `` Pazz & Jop ''. The Village Voice. March 2, 1993. p. 5. Jump up ^ Grein, Paul ( 2010 - 08 - 29 ). `` Chart Watch Extra : 40 who died before 40 ''. Yahoo !. Archived from the original on 2010 - 09 - 04. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 29. Jump up ^ Horan, Tom ( 2002 - 04 - 23 ). `` Blige blows Brum 's socks off ''. The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Archived from the original on 2014 - 03 - 06. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ O'Donnell, David ( 2008 - 12 - 12 ). `` Mary J. Blige What 's The 411 ? Review ''. BBC Music. Archived from the original on 2013 - 09 - 04. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ `` Mary J. Blige Artist Official Charts ''. UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Mary J. Blige Chart History ( Billboard 200 ) ''. Billboard. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Mary J. Blige Chart History ( Top R&B / Hip - Hop Albums ) ''. Billboard. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Billboard 200 : Year End 1992 ''. Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2018. Jump up ^ `` R&B / Hip - Hop Albums : Year End 1992 ''. Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Billboard 200 : Year End 1992 ''. Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2018. Jump up ^ `` R&B / Hip - Hop Albums : Year End 1993 ''. Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2018. Jump up ^ `` British album certifications -- Mary J Blige -- What 's the 411 ? ''. British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Enter What 's the 411 ? in the search field and then press Enter. Jump up ^ `` American album certifications -- Mary J Blige -- What 's the 411 ? ''. Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH References Bailey, Diane ( 2009 ). Mary J. Blige. The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4358 - 5055 - 2. Brackett, Nathan ; Hoard, Christian David ( 2004 ). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide : Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7432 - 0169 - 8. McAleer, Dave ( 1995 ). All Music Book of Hit Albums : The Top 10 U.S. and U.K. Album Charts from 1960 to the Present Day. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978 - 0 - 87930 - 393 - 8. Warner, Jay ( 2008 ). Notable Moments of Women in Music. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4234 - 2951 - 7. External links What 's the 411 ? at Discogs What 's the 411 ? Accolades at acclaimedmusic.net Mary J. Blige Awards and nominations Discography Videography Studio albums What 's the 411 ? My Life Share My World Mary No More Drama Love & Life The Breakthrough Growing Pains Stronger with Each Tear My Life II... The Journey Continues ( Act 1 ) A Mary Christmas The London Sessions Strength of a Woman Soundtrack albums Think Like a Man Too Live albums The Tour My Collection of Love Songs ( Live ) Remix albums What 's the 411 ? Remix Dance for Me Compilation albums Ballads Mary J. Blige & Friends Reflections ( A Retrospective ) Concert tours Share My World Tour The Mary Show Tour No More Drama Tour Love & Life Tour The Breakthrough Experience Tour Heart of the City Tour Growing Pains European Tour Love Soul Tour Music Saved My Life Tour The Liberation Tour The London Sessions Tour King and Queen of Hearts World Tour Strength of a Woman Tour Book Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=What%27s_the_411%3F&oldid=854143568 '' Categories : 1992 debut albums Uptown Records albums Albums produced by Sean Combs Mary J. Blige albums Albums produced by Cory Rooney New jack swing albums Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from September 2010 Articles with hAudio microformats Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom Certification Table Entry usages for United States Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Français Italiano Polski Português Русский Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 9 August 2018, at 07 : 41 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when did what's the 411 come out
Answer: July 28, 1992