Artist Detailed Info: Mercedes

R&B/hip-hop singer Mercedes, born Raequel Miller in Louisiana in 1978, was one of the few female artists in Master P's No Limit stable and grew up in Detroit. She attended the city's High School for the Fine and Performing Arts and participated in the spiritually oriented Brazeal Dennard Youth Chorale. While studying music at Xavier University in New Orleans, she caught the attention of Master P at a talent show, was signed immediately, and was christened Mercedes. After debuting on the I'm 'Bout It soundtrack, Mercedes released her debut album, Rear End, in 1999. She retired from the music business shortly thereafter to attend law school and become an attorney.



The album, like most of No Limit's releases, featured other No Limit artists such as Mystikal, Mac, Mia X, Silkk the Shocker, and Master P. The album cover for Rear End shows Mercedes bent over the hood of a Mercedes-Benz, wearing revealing shorts and high heels.

In a promotional interview for her debut album, Rear End, Mercedes claimed that it took just two weeks to record the album. This is interesting because the album was advertised on No Limit discs well over a year before its release. This confirms the suspicion that No Limit prepares its artwork before the artist even enters the studio, giving the impression that Rear End is another No Limit product, as faceless and interchangeable as the last. However, although there are sections as plodding as the average Beats By The Pound production and familiar catchphrases scattered throughout the record, Rear End offers more sonic variety than most No Limit albums. Beats By the Pound occasionally smooths things out, borrows slightly from Timbaland's skittering productions, or adds a soulful groove. There is even an urban ballad called "Pony Ride" and a new jack slow jam called "Candlelight Champagne."



Change-ups like this are welcome, as are productions by Dez Charles. The album becomes tedious when it trots out typical No Limit clichés—namely, guest rappers, recycled hooks, skits, and endless profanity. Since Rear End clocks in at 70 minutes (apparently, any hip-hop record less than an hour long isn't perceived as a bargain), it could have used a little trimming, and these would have been prime candidates. That is, with the notable exception of "Do You Want to Ride." It lifts the chorus from Pebbles' "Mercedes Boy" and the verse from Vanity's "Nasty Girl," and the end result is the best shameless recycling No Limit has produced in quite some time. When a label produces a product at such a rapid rate, it is a welcome surprise when a record is slightly different and better than its predecessors.

2. The English rock band Mercedes began as 'Paintbox,' a three-piece group featuring Keith Wilford (guitar, vocals), Dave Hacker (drums, vocals), and Dave Heap (bass guitar, vocals). Their self-penned songs were so strong that the band decided to rebrand and relaunch under the name 'Mercedes.' This time, their music consisted entirely of original material. Mercedes became a formidable musical force throughout the 1980s, gaining a loyal following.

Sir Cliff Richard recorded a version of The Band's "Back In Vaudeville" at Abbey Road Studios. Into the 2010s, the two original frontmen remained, joined by Weve Stillman on drums.

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