Blue Funk is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Heavy D & the Boyz. It was released on December 22, 1992 via Uptown Records. Recording sessions took place at The Hit Factory, Soundtrack Studios, Axis Studios, Greene St. Recording and D&D Studios in New York. Production was handled by Jesse West, Pete Rock, Tony Dofat, DJ Premier, Skeff Anselm, Steely & Clevie, with DJ Eddie F, Heavy D and Puff Daddy serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from 3rd Eye, Busta Rhymes, Gang Starr, Notorious B.I.G., Phat Doug and Rob-O. The album peaked at number 40 on the Billboard 200 and number 7 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on March 17, 1993 for selling 500,000 units in the US alone.

Blue Funk
Studio album by
Heavy D & The Boyz
ReleasedDecember 22, 1992 (1992-12-22)
Recorded1992
Studio
GenreHip hop
Length58:04
Label
Producer
Heavy D & The Boyz chronology
Peaceful Journey
(1991)
Blue Funk
(1992)
Nuttin' but Love
(1994)
Singles from Blue Funk
  1. "Who's the Man"
    Released: December 29, 1992
  2. "Truthful"
    Released: April 20, 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Calgary HeraldC[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
NME7/10[6]
RapReviews8/10[7]
The Source[8]

The album was supported with two singles: "Who's the Man" and "Truthful".

Track listing

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No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Truthful"Tony Dofat4:42
2."Who's the Man?"
4:06
3."Talk Is Cheap"Skeff Anselm4:04
4."Girl"Steely & Clevie4:58
5."It's a New Day"Pete Rock5:22
6."Who's in the House" (featuring Phat Doug)Tony Dofat4:09
7."Love Sexy"Pete Rock4:28
8."Slow Down"Jesse West4:14
9."Silky"
  • Jesse West
  • Heavy D (co.)
3:40
10."Here Comes the Heavster"DJ Premier4:53
11."Blue Funk"
  • Pete Rock
  • Heavy D (co.)
4:35
12."Yes Y'All"DJ Premier4:01
13."A Buncha Niggas" (featuring Busta Rhymes, 3rd Eye, Rob-O, Gang Starr and Biggie Smalls)
  • Jesse West
  • Heavy D (co.)
5:06
Total length:58:04

Personnel

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  • Dwight "Heavy D." Myers — lyrics, vocals, co-producer (tracks: 2, 9, 11, 13), executive producer
  • Terri Robinson — backing vocals (tracks: 1, 8, 11)
  • Douglas "Fat Doug" Harriet — rap vocals (track 6)
  • Tabitha Brace — backing vocals (tracks: 7, 8)
  • Monica Payne — backing vocals (track 11)
  • Trevor "Busta Rhymes" Smith — lyrics & rap vocals (track 13)
  • Jesse "3rd Eye/Jesse West" Williams III — lyrics & rap vocals (track 13), keyboards (track 8), drums & producer (tracks: 8, 9, 13)
  • Keith "GuRu" Elam — lyrics & rap vocals (track 13)
  • Robert "Rob-O" Odindo — lyrics & rap vocals (track 13)
  • Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace — lyrics & rap vocals (track 13)
  • Tony Dofat — keyboards & drums (tracks: 1, 6), producer (tracks: 1, 2, 6), mixing (track 2)
  • Skeff Anselm — producer (track 3)
  • Wycliffe "Steely" Johnson — producer (track 4)
  • Cleveland "Clevie" Browne — producer (track 4)
  • Peter "Pete Rock" Phillips — producer (tracks: 5, 7, 11)
  • Christopher "DJ Premier" Martin — producer & mixing (tracks: 10, 12)
  • Tony Maserati — recording & mixing (tracks: 1, 6), engineering (track 2)
  • Tom Frites — recording assistant (track 1)
  • Rich Travali — recording (track 2)
  • Michael Thompson — recording assistant (track 2), mixing assistant (tracks: 3, 7)
  • Jack Hersca — mixing assistant (track 2)
  • David Kennedy — recording (track 3), mixing (tracks: 4, 8, 9)
  • "Commissioner" Gordon Williams — recording assistant & mixing (track 3)
  • Kevin Reynolds — recording (track 4)
  • Doug Wilson — engineering (track 4), mixing assistant (track 7), recording assistant (tracks: 8, 9, 13)
  • Lane Craven — recording & mixing (track 5)
  • Jimmie Lee — engineering (track 5)
  • Hiro Ishihara — recording assistant (track 6)
  • Louis Alfred III — mixing assistant (track 6)
  • Jamie Staub — recording (track 7)
  • Lee Anthony — mixing (track 7), recording (tracks: 8, 9, 13)
  • Emerson Mykoo — recording assistant (track 7)
  • Francis Fletcher — mixing assistant (tracks: 8, 9, 13)
  • Eddie Sancho — recording (track 10), mixing assistant (tracks: 10, 12)
  • Luc Allen — recording and mixing assistant (tracks: 10, 12)
  • Charles Dos Santos — recording (tracks: 11, 12), mixing (track 11)
  • Scott Hollingsworth — recording and mixing assistant (track 11)
  • Prince Charles Alexander — mixing (track 13)
  • José L. Rodriguez — mastering (track 13)
  • Sean Combs — executive producer, A&R, creative director
  • Edward "DJ Eddie F" Ferrell — executive producer
  • Brett Wright — creative director
  • Crystal M. Johnson — production coordinator
  • Danny Clinch — photography
  • The Drawing Board — art direction, design

Charts

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Chart (1993) Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] 90
US Billboard 200[10] 40
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[11] 7

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[12] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Swihart, Stanton. "Heavy D & the Boyz - Blue Funk Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  2. ^ Muretich, James (January 31, 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press.
  4. ^ Linden, Amy (January 29, 1993). "Blue Funk". Entertainment Weekly.
  5. ^ Hunt, Dennis (January 24, 1993). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  6. ^ Joseph, Colin (January 30, 1993). "Long Play". NME. p. 32. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  7. ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (December 6, 2011). "Heavy D & the Boyz :: Blue Funk :: MCA/Uptown Records". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  8. ^ Dennis, Reginald C. (February 1993). "Heavy D & The Boyz – Blue Funk – Uptown/MCA". The Source. No. 41. pp. 55–56.
  9. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Heavy D & The Boyz – Blue Funk" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  10. ^ "The Billboard 200". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 6. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. February 6, 1993. p. 78. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  11. ^ "Top R&B Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. January 30, 1993. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  12. ^ "American album certifications – Heavy D & The Boyz – Blue Funk". Recording Industry Association of America.
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