Step II is the fourth studio album by Sylvester (and his second as a solo artist), released in 1978 on Fantasy Records it catapulted Sylvester, a counterculture hero, into national superstardom. Hailed as “as good as disco gets” by Rolling Stone, Step II was certified Gold by the RIAA, broke the Billboard R&B Top 10, and peaked at No.28 on the Billboard 200.

The album’s first single “Dance (Disco Heat)” was Sylvester’s first Top 40 hit, peaking at No.19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No.29 on the UK Pop chart. “Dance (Disco Heat)” and “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” also both hit No.1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart, while the latter song broke the Top 40 in the US and became his first Top 10 hit in the UK.

“You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real),” however, would go on to become Sylvester’s most successful single ever. The explosion of the song’s popularity led to sold-out shows, TV appearances, international tours, and highly prestigious opening slots for artists like Chaka Khan. As the decades went on, the single solidified its status as one of the greatest Dance songs of all time, as the Library of Congress inducted the song into their National Recording Registry in 2019, recognizing it for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”