Blackstreet (often stylized as BLACKstreet) is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by Thomas Taliaferro and Teddy Riley, the inventor of New Jack Swing known for his work as a member of Guy. Chauncey Hannibal and Levi Little were signed under production and management contracts with Thomas Taliaferro and were merged into what became Blackstreet featuring Teddy Riley. The current members are Teddy Riley, Chauncey Black, Dave Hollister, & new member Glenn Adams aka Lenny Harold. Mark Middleton & Eric Williams are no longer in the group. The original members of Blackstreet were Teddy Riley, Chauncey Black, Levi Little, and Joseph Stonestreet. Stonestreet was replaced, however, by Dave Hollister before they began work on their self-titled debut album. The name Blackstreet is a portmanteau of the nicknames of Hannibal (Chauncey Black) and Joseph Stonestreet (Street). The group is notorious for doing the dance move "The Lean" at concerts.

The original group released their first single in 1993, on the soundtrack to the Universal Pictures comedy CB4 (starring Chris Rock) titled "Baby Be Mine", featuring Joseph Stonestreet on lead, produced by Teddy Riley, and written by Teddy Riley and Joseph Stonestreet. However, Stonestreet left the group shortly after the single was released (due to personal issues) and was replaced by Dave Hollister.

Lynise Walters, better known by the stage name Queen Pen, (born 1972) is a Grammy nominated African-American female rapper.

Her music career started as a protégé of Teddy Riley, a record producer and member of the R&B group BLACKstreet in the mid-1990s. She was a featured rapper, along with Dr. Dre, on BLACKstreet's 1996 hit, "No Diggity". She signed to Riley's Lil' Man label, and released My Melody (1997), her solo debut album, produced by Riley.

Her first album produced the charting singles "All My Love", "Man Behind the Music", and "Party Ain't a Party". Queen Pen earned a 1998 Soul Train nomination for Best New Artist. She also gained notice from her song "Girlfriend" (featuring Me'Shell NdegeOcello), where she explored same-sex affairs.

She took a three year hiatus from rapping, and returned with Conversations With Queen (2001), her second album. She is now a novelist. Her son is also a rapper, who uses the stage name Nefu Da Don.

Craig Mack (born May 10, 1971) is an American Grammy nominated rapper, who gained fame on Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Entertainment record label in the 1990s. Although his first single was released under the name MC EZ in 1988, he is best known for his 1994 hit single "Flava In Ya Ear", which was released under his real name. The remix of the single was the breakout appearance of The Notorious B.I.G., as well as one of the first solo appearances by Busta Rhymes. The success of The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album Ready To Die overshadowed Mack's early success on the Bad Boy label.

Although Puff Daddy mentioned in a 1994 interview on MTV's Yo! MTV Raps that he was working with Mack on his second album, which was to be released sometime in January the following year, this proved to not be the case. Present at that interview (which also included The Notorious B.I.G.), Mack himself appeared puzzled by the statement. As of September 1, 2008, he was no longer on Stereo Nasty Records.

Dave Hollister (born August 17, 1971) is an American R&B vocalist who found fame during the 1990s as one quarter of the Platinum-selling R&B quartet Blackstreet before going on to a solo career.

Hollister is cousin of musical artists act K-Ci & JoJo. He started developing fame as a musician in the early 1990s. Some of his biggest early appearances were with 2Pac on tracks like "Brenda's Got a Baby" and "Keep Ya Head Up" where he was credited on both as "The Black Angel" as well as the original version of "Don't You Trust Me." The remake of which was released on Loyal to the Game.

His next big move was when he was signed to Teddy Riley's R&B group Blackstreet in 1994. He worked with the group on their first album and then left the group to pursue his own solo career. He was signed to DreamWorks Records and began working on an album.

In 1999, Hollister released his first album, Ghetto Hymns. The album was successful, going gold, and creating one hit single, "My Favorite Girl". "My Favorite Girl" reached #10 on the R&B charts.

Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years. The youngest child of the Jackson family, she began her career with the variety television series The Jacksons in 1976 and went on to appear in other television shows throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, including Good Times and Fame.

After signing a recording contract with A&M in 1982, she came to prominence following the release of her third studio album Control (1986). Her collaborations with record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis incorporated elements of rhythm and blues, funk, disco, rap, and industrial beats, which led to crossover appeal in popular music. In addition to receiving recognition for the innovation in her records, choreography, music videos, and prominence on radio airplay and MTV, she was acknowledged as a role model for her socially conscious lyrics.