Keith Douglas Sweat was born on 22 July 1961 in Harlem, New York City, and as a youth he performed at the famous Apollo Theater, which was near his home. He started his musical career as a member of a Harlem band called Jamilah in 1975, and he honed his craft as a lead singer by performing regionally throughout the Tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. After leaving the group in 1984 to begin a solo career, Sweat sang at nightclubs throughout New York City and landed a chance to record for the independent label, Stadium Records. Sweat recorded only two records for Stadium, 'Lucky Seven' in 1984 and 'My Mind Is Made Up' in 1985, but in 1987 he was discovered by Vincent Davis and offered a recording contract with his label, Vintertainment Records, which was distributed by Elektra Records. While crafting his debut album, Sweat pursued fellow Harlem resident Teddy Riley, who was known for writing for and producing hip-hop artists. They collaborated on a number of tracks for the album, and in November 1987, Sweat released 'Make It Last Forever', which sold three million copies. He and Riley co-wrote six songs, and the biggest hit inaugurated the new jack swing era, with 'I Want Her' being nominated for the 1989 Soul Train Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Song of the Year award.
Sweat reached the charts again with his second album 'I'll Give All My Love To You' in 1990, which hit No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart, and he followed that with his third album, 'Keep It Comin'' in 1991, which debuted in the Top 20 of the album chart. The album's single 'Freak Me' hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 1, 1993, and the following year he released his fourth album 'Get Up On It', with his self-titled fifth album appearing in 1996. Both albums reached the top ten on the Billboard 200, and the singles 'Twisted', featuring R&B group Kut Klose, hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and 'Nobody' hit No. 3, which made them Sweat's biggest hits to date. Sweat's sixth album, 'Still In The Game' was released in 1998, hitting No. 6 on the Billboard 200, but his success on the charts started to diminish in 2000, when he released the album 'Didn't See Me Coming', and none of the singles from it reached the top forty. In August 2002, he released his eighth album, 'Rebirth', and this time the single 'One On One fared slightly better, reaching No. 44 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. In 2003 the started recording a new record, with help from The Neptunes on one track, 'It's On', which featured Dru Hill. The proposed release date was August 2003, but a lead single was never chosen to promote it, and it's thought that because of this delaying the album meeting its deadline, it was cancelled by the label, and the live album 'Live' was released in its stead. Two songs from the unreleased effort would go on to be re-recorded for Sweat's tenth album 'Just Me' in 2008, but the rest of them remain consigned to the vaults.
Track listing
01 Kiss Me Girl
02 It's On (feat. Dru Hill)
03 Think
04 Lay Your Body Down (feat. Athena Cage)
05 Ready To Love
06 Abracadabra
07 Hey Girl
08 The Sexiest Girl
09 With That Somebody
10 Daydreaming
11 Something Is Everything
