''Very Necessary'' is the fourth studio album by American

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- ...

group

Salt-N-Pepa Salt-N-Pepa (sometimes stylized as Salt 'N' Pepa) is an American hip-hop, hip hop group formed in New York City in 1985, that comprised Salt (rapper), Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (rapper), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper). ...

, released on October 12, 1993, by Next Plateau Records and

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

. As the group's last album to feature writing and production from their manager and primary producer

Hurby Azor Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor (born 1965), also known as Fingerprints, is a Haitian musician and Hip hop music, hip-hop music producer. He is best known for discovering and producing the hip-hop trio Salt-N-Pepa and the rap duo Kid 'n Play. Early life ...

, it spawned four singles, including " Shoop" (their first top-five single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number four), " Whatta Man" (featuring

En Vogue En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the singl ...

, their second-highest-peaking single at number three), and "

None of Your Business "None of Your Business" is the third single from American hip hop group Salt-n-Pepa's fourth studio album, '' Very Necessary'' (1994), released in August 1994 by Next Plateau. Written and produced by Hurby Azor, the song earned the group its fi ...

", which would earn the group their first

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

, in the category Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. ''Very Necessary'' peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200, and has been certified five-times platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), denoting sales of over five million copies in the United States. It is the highest selling album from the group.

Track listing

Notes

* signifies a co-producer * signifies a remixer * signifies an additional producer * On international editions of the album, "I've Got AIDS (PSA)" is retitled "PSA We Talk".

Samples

* "Whatta Man" contains a sample of " What a Man" by Linda Lyndell. * "Shoop" contains samples from " I'm Blue" by

The Sweet Inspirations The Sweet Inspirations are an American R&B girl group from Newark, New Jersey, founded by Cissy Houston who are mostly known for their work as backup singers on studio recordings for other R&B and rock artists but who are also a Grammy-nominat ...

and "Super Sporm" by Captain Sky. * "Heaven or Hell" contains portions of "Heaven and Hell Is on Earth" by 20th Century Steel Band and "Think About It" by

Odell Brown Odell Elliott Brown Jr. (February 2, 1940 – May 3, 2011) was an American jazz organist. He was active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, playing soul jazz and jazz funk with his backing band as Odell Brown & the Organ-Izers. Biography Brown was ...

& the Organ-izers.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Notes

References

1993 albums Albums produced by Hurby Azor London Records albums Next Plateau Entertainment albums Pop-rap albums Salt-N-Pepa albums Long stubs with short prose {{1990s-hiphop-album-stub