Blacks' Magic

Blacks' Magic
Studio album by
Salt-N-Pepa
ReleasedMarch 19, 1990 (1990-03-19)
Recorded1989–1990
Studios
  • Bayside Sound (New York City)
  • Soundtrack (New York City)
GenreHip-hop
Length52:48
Labels
Producers
Salt-N-Pepa chronology
A Salt with a Deadly Pepa
(1988)		 Blacks' Magic
(1990)		 A Blitz of Salt-n-Pepa Hits
(1990)
Singles from Blacks' Magic
  1. "Expression"
    Released: November 13, 1989
  2. "Independent"
    Released: May 5, 1990
  3. "Do You Want Me"
    Released: February 1991
  4. "Let's Talk About Sex"
    Released: August 31, 1991
  5. "You Showed Me"
    Released: November 30, 1991
  6. "Expression '92"
    Released: March 12, 1992
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[1]
Christgau's Consumer GuideA−[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStar[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
Los Angeles TimesStarStarStar[5]
Melody Maker(favorable)[6]
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarStar[7]
Spin(favorable)[8]

Blacks' Magic is the third studio album by American hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa. It was released through Next Plateau and London Records on March 19, 1990. For a critical and commercial success, the album peaked at number 38 on the US 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), denoting shipments in excess of one million copies in the United States. The album saw the release of six singles: "Expression" (#26 US, #23 UK), "I Don't Know (featuring Kid N' Play), "Independent", "Do You Want Me" (#31 US, #23 UK), "Let's Talk About Sex (#13 US, #2 UK and Top 5 in several other countries), and "You Showed Me" (#47 US, #15 UK).

Track listing

All tracks are written by Fingerprints, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Expression"Salt
  • Salt
  • Producer, Dana 'Dum' Mozie
  • Asst. Producer
4:04
2."Doper Than Dope" 
  • Steevee-O, The Boy Wonder
  • The Invincibles
4:21
3."Negro wit' an Ego" 
3:40
4."You Showed Me"
  • Excalibur
  • The Invincibles
4:01
5."Do You Want Me" 
  • Hurby Luv Bug
  • The Invincibles
4:52
6."Swift" 
  • Steevee-O, The Boy Wonder
  • The Invincibles
4:04
7."I Like to Party" 
  • Salt
  • Hurby Luv Bug
  • The Invincibles
3:51
8."Blacks' Magic" 
4:16
9."Start the Party"JamesSalt3:51
10."Let's Talk About Sex" 
  • Hurby Luv Bug
  • The Invincibles
3:33
11."I Don't Know"
3:11
12."Live and Let Die" 
  • Quicksilver
  • The Invincibles
3:07
13."Independent"JamesSalt4:46

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Blacks' Magic.[9]

Salt-N-Pepa

Additional musicians

  • Dante Basco - Rapping
  • 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' Mozie – engineering
  • Herb "Pump" Powers – mastering

Artwork

  • Charles Lilly – illustration
  • Faville Graphics – design

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Blacks' Magic
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[16] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Huey, Steve. "Blacks' Magic – Salt-N-Pepa". AllMusic. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press.
  4. ↑ Sandow, Greg (April 6, 1990). "Blacks' Magic". Entertainment Weekly.
  5. ↑ Johnson, Connie (April 29, 1990). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  6. ↑ Push (April 21, 1990). "Albums". Melody Maker. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  7. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 617.
  8. ↑ France, Kim (May 1990). "Spins". Spin. p. 78. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  9. ↑ Blacks' Magic (liner notes). Salt-N-Pepa. Next Plateau Records. 1990. PLCD1019.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ↑ "Week commencing 18 June 1990". Bubbling Down Under. June 18, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Salt 'N' Pepa – Blacks' Magic" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 6/5/1990 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Salt-N-Pepa Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Salt-N-Pepa Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  16. ↑ "American album certifications – Salt 'N Pepa – Black's Magic". Recording Industry Association of America. April 14, 1992.
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