''Smooth'' is the third studio album by American singer and rapper

Smooth Smooth may refer to: Mathematics * Smooth function, a function that is infinitely differentiable; used in calculus and topology * Smooth manifold, a differentiable manifold for which all the transition maps are smooth functions * Smooth algebrai ...

. It was released on August 1, 1995, via TNT Recordings and

Jive Records Jive Records (later stylized as JIVE Records) was a British-American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary of the Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chic ...

. The album was produced by Chris Stokes, Larry "Rock" Campbell, K. Fingers, D-Flow Production Squad, and James Strong, with Atron Gregory serving as executive producer. It features a

guest appearance The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...

from

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

. The album reached number 35 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, ...

chart and number 17 on the

Top Heatseekers The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...

charts in the US, and number 18 on the Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart in the UK. It was supported with four charted singles: "

Mind Blowin' ''Mind Blowin is the second studio album by American rapper Vanilla Ice. Released on March 22, 1994, it is the rapper's final release on SBK Records. The album did not chart and received unfavorable reviews. Songs from the album made up one ...

", "It's Summertime (Let It Get into U)", "Love Groove (Groove with You)" and "Undercover Lover". Its

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

, "Mind Blowin'", peaked at 75 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 36 on the UK singles chart. The song "Good Stuff" was included in 1996 '' Original Gangstas: The Soundtrack''.

Track listing

;Sample credits *Tracks 1 and 13 contain a portion of the composition "Brazilian Rhyme" written by

Maurice White Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American musician, best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter and chief producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, also serving as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey. ...

, and a sample of "

For the Love of You "For the Love of You" (sometimes titled "For the Love of You (Part 1 & 2)") is a song recorded by the Isley Brothers, who released the song as the second single off their 1975 album, '' The Heat Is On''. The record showcased the two sides of th ...

" written by

Ernie Isley Ernest Isley (born March 7, 1952) is an American musician best known as a member of the musical ensemble The Isley Brothers, and also the splinter group Isley-Jasper-Isley. Biography Ernie was born in Cincinnati, where his older brothers formed ...

Marvin Isley Marvin Isley (August 18, 1953 – June 6, 2010)
– accessed June 2010 was an American musician best known as the young ...

, O'Kelly Isley Jr.,

Ronald Isley Ronald Isley ( ; born May 21, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers. Early life Born in 1941 to Sallye Bernice (née Bell) and O ...

Rudolph Isley Rudolph "Rudy" Bernard Isley (April 1, 1939 – October 11, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter and Christian minister and one of the founding members of The Isley Brothers. Life and career Rudolph "Rudy" Bernard Isley was born on April 1, ...

and

Chris Jasper Christopher Howard Jasper (December 30, 1951 – February 23, 2025) was an American singer, composer and producer. Jasper was a member of the Isley Brothers from 1973 to 1983, and Isley-Jasper-Isley from 1984 to 1987. He was also a successful s ...

and performed by

the Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American soul group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

. *Track 2 contains a portion of the composition "

Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.) "Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" is a song by jazz trumpeter Tom Browne (trumpeter), Tom Browne. The single—a memoir of the Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens where Browne was born and raised—is from his s ...

" written by Thomas Fredrick Browne and Thomassina Carrollyne "Toni" Smith. *Track 3 contains a portion of the composition "Help Is on the Way" written by James S. Carter. *Track 8 contains a sample of "Places & Spaces" written by Larry Mizell and Alphonso Mizell and performed by

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter, composer and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few h ...

. *Track 9 contains samples of " Summertime" written by

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

, Craig Simpkins, Lamar Hula Mahone, Alton Taylor, Robert Mickens, Robert Bell, George Brown, Richard Westfield,

Dennis Thomas Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is sometime ...

Claydes Charles Smith Claydes "Charles" Smith (born Claydes Eugene Smith; September 6, 1948 – June 20, 2006) was an American musician best known as co-founder and lead guitarist of the group Kool & the Gang. Biography Early life Born in Jersey City, New Je ...

and Ronald Bell and performed by

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince were an American hip hop duo from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of the rapper and actor Will Smith (the Fresh Prince) and the turntablist Jeff Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff). Active from 1986 to 1994 an ...

, and "My Melody" written and performed by Eric B. & Rakim. *Track 10 contains a sample of "Warm Summer Night" written by

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. The co-founder of Chic, he has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 750 million albums and 1 ...

and

Bernard Edwards Bernard Edwards (October 31, 1952 – April 18, 1996) was an American bassist and record producer, known primarily for his work in disco with musician Nile Rodgers, with whom he co-founded Chic. In 2017, Edwards was selected as the 53rd greates ...

and performed by

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English dictionaries classified ...

. *Track 12 contains a portion of the composition " Love T.K.O." written by

Cecil Womack Cecil Dale Womack (September 25, 1947 – February 1, 2013) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He was one of the musical Womack brothers, and had success both as a songwriter and recording artist, notably with his second wif ...

Linda Womack Linda Womack (née Cooke; born April 25, 1953), now known as Zeriiya Zekkariyas, is an American singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of soul singer Sam Cooke. She later had a successful career as half of the duo Womack & Womack with her h ...

and Gip Noble.

Charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1995 albums Jive Records albums Smooth (singer) albums T.N.T. Recording albums Albums produced by Chris Stokes (director)