Very Necessary

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 would earn the group their first Grammy Award, in the category Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

Very Necessary
Studio album by Salt-N-Pepa
Released	October 12, 1993 (1993-10-12)
Recorded	1992–1993
Studio	Sound Trek (New York City)[a] Power Play (Queens, New York)[b] Royal[c] Bayside (Queens, New York)[d] Hillside Sound (Englewood, New Jersey)[e]
Genre	Hip hop pop rap[1]
Length	58:44
Label	Next Plateau London
Producer	Herby "Luvbug" Azor Steve Azor Sandra "Pepa" Denton DJ Wynn Cheryl "Salt" James De De "Spinderella" Roper Tommy "D.J. Grand" Shannon WEATOC, Inc.
Salt-N-Pepa chronology
Rapped in Remixes: The Greatest Hits Remixed (1992) Very Necessary (1993) Brand New (1997)
Singles from Very Necessary
"Shoop" Released: September 21, 1993 "Whatta Man" Released: December 2, 1993 "None of Your Business" Released: August 30, 1994 "Heaven 'n Hell" Released: 1994

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	[3]
Los Angeles Times	[4]
Pitchfork	8.5/10[5]

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.^[6]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Groove Me" (featuring Styowlz)	Hurby Azor Dave Kelly Anthony Williams	Herby "Luvbug" Azor	4:21
2.	"No One Does It Better"	H. Azor Williams	H. Azor	3:53
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)	H. Azor Dave Crawford	Azor	5:07
5.	"None of Your Business"	Azor	Azor	3:32
6.	"Step"	H. Azor Deidra Roper Alfred Ellis	De De "Spinderella" Roper Tommy "D.J. Grand" Shannon[a]	3:10
7.	"Shoop"	Mark Sparks Cheryl James Sandra Denton Otwane Roberts	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. Azor	4:43
9.	"Big Shot"	H. Azor S. Azor Williams Dana Jr. Mozie	H. Azor	3:47
10.	"Sexy Noises Turn Me On"	H. Azor James	James Denton[a]	3:54
11.	"Somma Time Man"	James Dave Wynn Darren Callis	DJ Wynn	3:25
12.	"Break of Dawn"	H. Azor Michael Love Anthony Martin	Sparks James[a]	3:45
13.	"I've Got AIDS (PSA)"	James WEATOC, Inc.	WEATOC, Inc.	3:18

International edition bonus tracks^[7]

No.	Title	Writer(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	Hurby Luv Bug Kimiko Whittaker[a] Miguel "Excalibur" Guerrero[a]	3:36

Australian edition bonus track^[8]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Let's Talk About Aids"	H. Azor James	H. Azor The Invincibles Ben Liebrand[b][c]	3:30

Japanese edition bonus tracks^[9]

No.	Title	Writer(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	Sparks James[a]	3:25

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies a remixer
• ^{^[c]} signifies an additional producer
• On international editions of the album, "I've Got AIDS (PSA)" is retitled "PSA We Talk".

Samples

• "Whatta Man" contains a sample of "What a Man" by Linda Lyndell.^[10]
• "Shoop" contains samples from "I'm Blue" by The Sweet Inspirations and "Super Sporm" by Captain Sky.^[11]
• "Heaven or Hell" contains portions of "Heaven and Hell Is on Earth" by 20th Century Steel Band and "Think About It" by Odell Brown & the Organ-izers.^[12]

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Very Necessary Chart (1994) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] 5 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[14] 13 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] 66 European Albums (Music & Media)[16] 73 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 51 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[18] 27 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[19] 19 UK Albums (OCC)[20] 36 US Billboard 200[21] 4 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[22] 6

Year-end charts 1994 year-end chart performance for Very Necessary Chart (1994) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[23] 45 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[24] 74 US Billboard 200[25] 18 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[26] 13 1995 year-end chart performance for Very Necessary Chart (1995) Position US Billboard 200[27] 132

Certifications

Certifications for Very Necessary

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[28]	Platinum	70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[29]	4× Platinum	400,000^
United States (RIAA)[30]	5× Platinum	3,200,000[31]
^ 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 RPM Albums: Issue 2400". 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 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.