Legacy of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes

Wake Up! is the first collaborative album and fourth studio album by American R&B recording artist John Legend and hip-hop band the Roots, released September 21, 2010, by GOOD Music and Columbia Records. The album was produced by Legend with band members Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and James Poyser, and features guest appearances by CL Smooth, Malik Yusef, Common, and Melanie Fiona, among others. Inspired by the 2008 United States presidential election, Legend and the Roots primarily covered 1960s and 1970s soul music songs for the album with social themes of awareness, engagement, and consciousness.

The Three Degrees is an American female vocal group formed circa 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although several women have been members over the years, the group has always been a trio. The group were particularly successful in the UK, achieving 13 Top 50 hit singles between 1974 and 1985.

Shawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, businessman, and record executive. In 2023, Billboard and Vibe ranked him as the greatest rapper of all time. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, Jay-Z is known for his complex lyricism that often uses double entendres, wordplay, and braggadocio. His music is built on a rags to riches narrative. According to Forbes, he is the wealthiest music artist in history, worth an estimated US$2.8 billion as of 2026.

Marcus Ramone Cooper Sr, better known by his stage name Pleasure P, is an American R&B singer who experienced success as a member of the group Pretty Ricky before embarking on a solo career in 2007. His 2008 debut solo single "Did You Wrong" peaked at number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 while follow-up singles—"Boyfriend #2" and "Under" peaked at numbers 42 and 78 respectively—the former of which remains his highest charting song on the Hot 100. All three preceded the release of his debut studio album The Introduction of Marcus Cooper (2009), which peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200 and earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.