Very Necessary

Very Necessary
Studio album by
Salt-N-Pepa
ReleasedOctober 12, 1993 (1993-10-12)
Recorded1992–1993
Studios
Genres
Length58:44
Labels
Producers
Salt-N-Pepa chronology
Rapped in Remixes: The Greatest Hits Remixed
(1992)		 Very Necessary
(1993)		 Brand New
(1997)
Singles from Very Necessary
  1. "Shoop"
    Released: September 21, 1993
  2. "Whatta Man"
    Released: December 2, 1993
  3. "None of Your Business"
    Released: August 30, 1994
  4. "Heaven 'n Hell"
    Released: 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar
Christgau's Consumer Guide(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)
Los Angeles TimesStarStarHalf star
Pitchfork8.5/10

Very Necessary is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa, released on October 12, 1993, by Next Plateau Records and London Records. As the group's last album to feature writing and production from their manager and primary producer Hurby Azor, 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, their second-highest-peaking single at number three), and "None of Your Business", which earned the group their first Grammy Award, 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 (RIAA), denoting sales of over five million copies in the United States. It is the highest-selling album from the group.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Groove Me" (featuring Styowlz)
Herby "Luvbug" Azor4:21
2."No One Does It Better"
  • H. Azor
  • Williams
H. Azor3:53
3."Somebody's Gettin' on My Nerves"
  • H. Azor
  • Steve Azor
  • Williams
  • H. Azor
  • S. Azor[a]
3:57
4."Whatta Man" (with En Vogue)
Azor5:07
5."None of Your Business"AzorAzor3:32
6."Step"
3:10
7."Shoop"
  • Sparks
  • Cheryl "Salt" James
  • Sandra "Pepa" Denton[a]
4:07
8."Heaven or Hell" (featuring Styowlz (Wink & D'dae))
  • H. Azor
  • S. Azor
  • Michael Oliver
S. Azor4:43
9."Big Shot"
  • H. Azor
  • S. Azor
  • Williams
  • Dana Jr. Mozie
H. Azor3:47
10."Sexy Noises Turn Me On"
  • H. Azor
  • James
3:54
11."Somma Time Man"
  • James
  • Dave Wynn
  • Darren Callis
DJ Wynn3:25
12."Break of Dawn"
  • H. Azor
  • Michael Love
  • Anthony Martin
3:45
13."I've Got AIDS (PSA)"
  • James
  • WEATOC, Inc.
WEATOC, Inc.3:18
International edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Shoop" (Danny D's radio mix)
  • Sparks
  • James
  • Denton
  • Roberts
  • Sparks
  • James
  • Denton[a]
  • Danny D[b]
3:51
15."Start Me Up"
  • H. Azor
  • S. Azor
  • Miguel Guerrero
3:36
Australian edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."Let's Talk About AIDS"
  • H. Azor
  • James
3:30
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."Let's Talk About AIDS"
  • H. Azor
  • James
  • H. Azor
  • The Invincibles
  • Liebrand[b][c]
3:30
17."Emphatically No"
  • M. Sparks
  • W.A. Robinson
  • M. Whittle
  • H. Boswell
  • T. Colbert
3:25

Notes

Samples

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Very Necessary
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada) 4× Platinum 400,000^
United States (RIAA) 5× Platinum 3,200,000

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ↑ Tracks 1–10 and 13
  2. ↑ Tracks 1–3, 5, 6 and 8–10
  3. ↑ Track 5
  4. ↑ Tracks 6, 8 and 9
  5. ↑ Track 11

References

  1. ↑ Considine, J. D. (November 19, 1993). "Salt-N-Pepa shows there's more to rap than violence and sexism @". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  2. ↑ Birchmeier, Jason. "Very Necessary – Salt-N-Pepa". AllMusic. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Hunt, Dennis (October 24, 1994). "Record Rack". Los Angeles Times.
  5. ↑ Lobenfeld, Claire (June 11, 2017). "Salt-N-Pepa: Very Necessary". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  6. ↑ https://bestsellingalbums.org/artist/11420
  7. ↑ Very Necessary (liner notes). Salt-N-Pepa. United Kingdom: FFRR Records. 1993. 828 454-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ↑ Very Necessary (liner notes). Salt-N-Pepa. Australia: FFRR Records. 1993. 828543-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ↑ Very Necessary (liner notes). Salt-N-Pepa. Japan: FFRR Records. 1993. POCD-1121.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ↑ Whatta Man (US CD maxi single). Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue. Next Plateau Records. 1993. 857 391-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ↑ Shoop (US CD maxi single). Salt-N-Pepa. Next Plateau Records. 1993. 857 315-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ↑ Heaven 'n Hell (Australian CD single). Salt-N-Pepa. London Records. 1993. 857 391-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Salt 'N' Pepa – Very Necessary". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Top Albums/CDs. Volume 59, Issue 6 (1994-02-28)". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Salt 'N' Pepa – Very Necessary" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  16. ↑ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 19. May 7, 1994. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  17. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Salt 'N' Pepa – Very Necessary" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Charts.nz – Salt 'N' Pepa – Very Necessary". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Salt 'N' Pepa – Very Necessary". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 17/4/1994 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Salt-N-Pepa Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Salt-N-Pepa Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  23. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Albums for 1994". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  24. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1994". RPM. Vol. 60, no. 21. December 12, 1994. p. 19. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  25. ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 12, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  28. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1994 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Salt 'N Pepa – Very Necessary". Music Canada. September 30, 1997. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  30. ↑ "American album certifications – Salt 'N Pepa – Very Necessary". Recording Industry Association of America. September 11, 1995.
  31. ↑ Crosley, Hillary (January 22, 2008). "Lil' Kim Parts Ways With Atlantic". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2014.