Bad Sister (album)

Bad Sister
Bad Sister
Studio album by Roxanne Shanté
Released	October 20, 1989
Genre	Hip hop
Length	58:52
Label	Cold Chillin'/Reprise/Warner Bros.; 25809; Cold Chillin'/Breakout/A&M/Polygram; 399 013 (U.K., Ireland)
Producer	Marley Marl
Roxanne Shanté chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Chicago Tribune	^[2]
Robert Christgau	A−^[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[4]
Rolling Stone	^[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[6]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	9/10^[7]

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]

Production

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

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]

Track listing

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

Personnel

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

Chart (1989)	Peak position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[14]	52

References

^ "Bad Sister Roxanne Shanté". AllMusic.
^ May, Mitchell (1990-03-15). "Roxanne Shante Bad Sister (Cold Chillin')". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
^ Christgau, Robert. "Roxanne Shante". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
^ ^a ^b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 165.
^ ^a ^b Eddy, Chuck (February 8, 1990). "Roxanne Shanté: Bad Sister ****". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 630.
^ ^a ^b Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 348–349.
^ ^a ^b "UTFO". Trouser Press. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
^ Hope, Clover (2021). The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop. Abrams Image. p. 44.
^ "Roxanne Shanté Bad Sister Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
^ "Feminist Hip-Hop Rappin' Back". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
^ Schoemer, Karen (1989-12-10). "Home Entertainment/Recordings: Recent Releases". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
^ "Top female entries in the rap race". USA Today. 5 Feb 1990. p. 4D.
^ 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.