Mo'hogany is the second album by American R&B singer Monifah. It was released on August 25, 1998 through Uptown Records and featured production from Heavy D, Mario Winans and N.O. Joe. Chart-wise, Mo'hogany was more successful than her previous album, making it to 16 on the US Billboard 200 and 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album sales increased as its lead single "Touch It" became a top 10 hit, peaking at 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the biggest hit of Monifah's career."Monifah's Anthem"/"Bad Girl" (featuring Queen Pen) was a major hit that played on many urban contemporary stations across the US such as WAMO in Pittsburgh, WHUR in Washington D.C, & WDAS in Philadelphia with heavy repeat play during the fall of 1998. Mo'hogany was later certified gold by the RIAA.[2]

Mo'hogany
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 25, 1998
Recorded1997–1998
GenreR&B[1]
Length52:27
Label
Producer
Monifah chronology
Moods...Moments
(1996)
Mo'hogany
(1998)
Home
(2000)
Singles from Mo'hogany
  1. "Touch It"
    Released: July 21, 1998

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Robert Christgau [3]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[4]
Philadelphia Daily NewsC[5]
Rolling Stone     [6]
The Sun-Herald5/10[7]
USA Today    [8]
The Windsor Star     [9]

AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis wrote that Mo'hogany "does incorporate a wide spectrum of sounds and styles, including rock & roll on the awkwardly titled "Monifah's Anthem/Bad Girl" and "Why," plenty of R&B ballads (of which most are lumped together in the middle of the album, weighing it down considerably) [...] Despite some dull moments and less-than-inspired lyrics, Mo'hogany winds up being a decent and relatively enjoyable album."[1]

Track listing edit

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Monifah's Anthem"/"Bad Girl" (featuring Queen Pen)Fusari3:45
2."Suga Suga"
  • Herbert
  • Fusari
  • Brown
  • Carter
  • Herbert
  • Fusari
4:38
3."Touch It"
  • Knight
  • ScrewFace[a]
4:45
4."Would You"
  • Heavy D
  • Dofat
4:02
5."Have You Ever Been Loved"
Winans3:33
6."Fallin' in Love"
4:44
7."Better Half of Me"
  • Carter
  • Winans
Winans5:25
8."What's the Deal"
  • Knight
  • ScrewFace
  • Carter
  • Knight
  • ScrewFace[a]
5:19
9."Why"Winans3:41
10."What'cha Gonna Do?"
  • Elliott
  • West
3:55
11."Monifah's Anthem"/"Bad Girl II" (featuring Queen Pen)
  • Herbert
  • Fusari
  • Brown
  • Carter
  • Queen Pen
2:57
12."I'm Loving You"
  • Heavy D
  • Dofat
  • Heavy D
  • Dofat
5:41
Japan bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."No One"3:46

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies additional producer

Sample credits

Charts edit

Chart (1998) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[10] 16
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[11] 2

Certifications edit

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

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Promis, Jose F. "Monifah - Mo'hogany". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  2. ^ "Monifah's 'Home'". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 28. 8 July 2000. p. 72.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Monifah". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  4. ^ Diehl, Matt (1998-09-11). "Mo'Hogany". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  5. ^ Hunter, Al Jr. (1998-10-16). "CHAKA CAN: KEEP CURRENT, THAT IS, WITH THE ARTIST'S HELP". Philadelphia Daily News.
  6. ^ Decurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; Miller, Jim; George-Warren, Holly (1992). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll: The Definitive History of the Most Important Artists and Their Music. ISBN 9780679737285.
  7. ^ Holmes, Peter (1999-06-06). "Spins; Sounds". The Sun-Herald.
  8. ^ Jones, Steve; Stearns, David Patrick (1998-08-25). "Hill aces test in 'Miseducation' Alabama's record of records; Jessye Norman's dramatic 'Bluebeard'". USA Today.
  9. ^ "CD Reviews". The Windsor Star. 1998-10-01.
  10. ^ "Monifah Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  11. ^ "Monifah Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  12. ^ "American album certifications – Monifah – Mo'hogany". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 24, 2020.