| Smooth | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Juanita Stokes |
| Also known as | MC Smooth, Needa S. (sometimes stylized as "Needa-S") |
| Born | 1971 |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop, R&B |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Labels | Jive, Perspective |
| Associated acts | Chris Stokes, Immature, Shanice, Tupac Shakur, Arabian Prince |
Juanita Stokes, currently known as Needa S. (formerly Smooth), (born 1971) is an American singer, rapper[1] and actress. She is the daughter of actress Irene Stokes and younger sister of music executive Chris Stokes.
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She was first known as MC Smooth, releasing an album produced by Chris Stokes called, Smooth & Legit in 1990. This album released two singles which did not do well on the charts. After having established the then pre-teen R&B trio Immature in the early 1990s — Stokes, now a fledgling music executive, focused his attention on producing Stokes' second album. Using the moniker Smooth, her first single, 1993s "You Been Played," was featured on the soundtrack to Menace II Society. Her album of the same title was released the same year on TNT/Jive Records.
Smooth's eponymous third album was released in 1995. The album featured a cameo appearance by 2Pac. Its lead-off single, "Mind Blowin'", was well received by radio, while the video garnered spins on MTV and BET. The song peaked at #7 on US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart. The album fared slightly better than its predecessor. The same year, however, she performed a rap cameo in Immature's single, "We Got It." Shortly thereafter she left TNT and Jive Records, signing a new recording contract with Perspective/A&M Records.
Smooth's final album, Reality, was released in March 1998. It was fashioned with a wide array of record producers including Stokes, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Lance "L.A." Alexander, and Brion James.
Although the first single, "Strawberries" (which featured a sample loop of Patrice Rushen's "Where There Is Love"), charted in the upper half of the Billboard Hot 100, album sales were not as high as with her previous album. The second single "He Thinks She Don't Know" went virtually unnoticed. When Perspective Records was folded into its A&M parent, they did not opt to keep Smooth on the roster.
In 2002, Smooth signed to her brother's label, TUG Records, accumulated a new style by adopting a new stage name, "Needa S.", and had begun work on an LP tentatively titled, What?
The project was to feature production by Platinum Status, Chris Stokes, Jermaine Dupri, Troy Taylor and Marques Houston, alongside guest appearances by Da Brat, Jhené, Marques Houston, B2K and Mila J. Two singles ("Sensitive" & "Baby's Mama") were put out in early 2003 in promotional advance to attract buzz, but when the singles failed to make an entry on the Billboard charts, the album was shelved.
By late 2003 and early 2004, Smooth provided background vocals for TG4 and Jhené's unreleased debut albums.
In 2006, Smooth launched an official MySpace profile page, revealing a cancelled EP that was set to be released in order to generate further buzz for What?; the same year, she was featured alongside former Immature member, Young Rome on the track, "Silly of Me", which has been speculated to be her last known musical effort.
| Year | Title | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. R&B |
U.S. Heatseekers |
||
| 1990 | Smooth & Legit
|
72 | – |
| 1993 | You Been Played
|
77 | – |
| 1995 | Smooth
|
35 | 17 |
| 1998 | Reality
|
48 | 32 |
| 2003 | What?
|
– | – |
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | UK Singles Chart[2] | |||
| 1995 | "Mind Blowin'" | 75 | 31 | 7 | 36 | Smooth |
| 1995 | "It's Summertime (Let It Get Into You)" | – | – | – | 46 | Smooth |
| 1996 | "Love Groove (Groove With You)" | – | – | – | 46 | Smooth |
| 1995 | "Undercover Lover" | – | – | – | 41 | Smooth |
| 1998 | "Strawberries" | 49 | 17 | – | – | Reality |
| 2003 | "Sensitive" (featuring Da Brat & Jhené) | – | – | – | – | What? |
| "Baby's Mama (Carrying Your Baby)" (featuring Marques Houston) | – | – | – | – | ||