Wikipedia

Bad Sister (album)

Bad Sister is the debut album by Roxanne Shanté, released in 1989 on Cold Chillin' Records.[8][9] The album peaked at No. 52 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[10]

Bad Sister
Studio album by
Roxanne Shanté
ReleasedOctober 20, 1989
GenreHip hop
Length58:52
LabelCold Chillin'/Reprise/Warner Bros.
25809
Cold Chillin'/Breakout/A&M/Polygram
399 013 (U.K., Ireland)
ProducerMarley Marl
Roxanne Shanté chronology
Bad Sister
(1989)		 The Bitch Is Back
(1992)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarHalf star[1]
Chicago TribuneStarStar[2]
Robert ChristgauA−[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStar[4]
Rolling StoneStarStarStarStar[5]
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarStarStar[6]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[7]

Production

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Bad Sister was produced by Marley Marl.[11] Big Daddy Kane contributed lyrics to a couple of the album's songs.[4] In Rolling Stone, Chuck Eddy said the album's "homemade double-entendre slang gets as nasty as its beat. That beat – which Marley Marl's mix thickens house style with up-to-the-minute boogie piano, Shaft-derived wah-wah, dub echo, frat-party noise and horny horns – just couldn't be nastier."[5]

Critical reception

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The New York Times wrote that the songs "combine humor and raw rhythmic power with Ms. Shante's sturdy sense of identity ... [they] proves she's tougher and wittier than the competition."[12] Trouser Press thought that "Shanté has a cute, coy voice that takes on an authoritative edge when she kicks into high gear."[8] The Spin Alternative Record Guide called Bad Sister "a true hip-hop masterpiece" and a "definitive Cold Chillin' album."[7] USA Today praised the "hilarious, sometimes risque stories."[13]

In 2022, Rolling Stone placed Bad Sister at number 175 on their list of the 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time. The magazine's writer Charles Aaron said, "Her old-school playground sass, pitiless flow, and casually eviscerating wit turned songs like "Bad Sister," "Live on Stage," "Have a Nice Day," and "Go on Girl" into giddy celebrations."[14]

Track listing

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  1. "Bad Sister" (D. Clear, M. Williams)—5:00
  2. "Live on Stage" (N. Wilson, M. Williams)—6:57
  3. "Independent Woman" (D. Clear, M. Williams)—4:35
  4. "Knockin' Hiney" (L. Gooden, C. Curry, K. Coaxum, M. Williams)—3:36
  5. "My Groove Gets Better" (K. Coaxum, M. Williams)—3:30
  6. "Feelin' Kinda Horny" (J. Loving, P. Bourke)—4:10
  7. "Have a Nice Day" (remix) (A. Hardy, M. Williams)—3:21
  8. "Let's Rock, Y'all" (L. Gooden, M. Williams)—4:17
  9. "Fatal Attraction" (D. Clear, M. Williams)—4:28
  10. "Wack Itt (Remix)" (L. Gooden, M. Williams, A. Booth)—6:00
  11. "Skeezer" (A. Hardy, M. Williams)—2:45
  12. "What's on Your Mind" (R. Diggs Hamlian, M. Williams)—3:20
  13. "Go On, Girl (Remix)" (A. Hardy, M. Williams)—5:01
  14. "Gotta Get Paid" (featuring Craig G) (L. Gooden, M. Williams)—1:52

Personnel

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  • Producer: Marley Marl except "Feelin' Kinda Horny" produced by Jae Supreme & Q. Neighbor
  • Mixing: Marley Marl except "Feelin' Kinda Horny" mixed by Jae Supreme & Q. Neighbor
  • Assistant engineers: Leon Lee, Thomas on Time, and Clash
  • Engineer: Jae Supreme and Richard Joseph on "Feelin' Kinda Horny"
  • Remixing: C.J. Mackintosh and David Dorrell on "Live on Stage"
  • Art Direction and Design: JoDee Stringham
  • Photography: George DuBose
  • Album Coordinator: Kelly Haley

Charts

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Chart (1989) Peak
position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] 52

References

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  1. ↑ "Bad Sister Roxanne Shanté". AllMusic.
  2. ↑ May, Mitchell (March 15, 1990). "Roxanne Shante Bad Sister (Cold Chillin')". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  3. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Roxanne Shante". Robert Christgau. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  4. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 165.
  5. 1 2 Eddy, Chuck (February 8, 1990). "Roxanne Shanté: Bad Sister ****". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  6. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 630.
  7. 1 2 Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 348–349.
  8. 1 2 "UTFO". Trouser Press. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  9. ↑ Hope, Clover (2021). The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop. Abrams Image. p. 44.
  10. ↑ "Roxanne Shanté Bad Sister Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Feminist Hip-Hop Rappin' Back". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  12. ↑ Schoemer, Karen (December 10, 1989). "Home Entertainment/Recordings: Recent Releases". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Top female entries in the rap race". USA Today. February 5, 1990. p. 4D.
  14. ↑ Aaron, Charles; et al. (June 7, 2022). "The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  15. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Joel Whitburn's Rhythm and Blues Top R&B Albums 1965-1998. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 182. ISBN 0898201349. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
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