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Nostalgia-age: The 1990s was the peak of contemporary R&B

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X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
BishopLamont said:
Tere's alot of songs in OP llist that isn't even R&B, but yeah rappers use to complement r&b singers, nowadays its the other way around.
Click to expand...
The hip-hop tracks were in the playlist, so I included links to them just for completionist sake.

666 said:
R&B died in the late 60s
Became a joke in the 90s
Got interesting and experimental in the early 00s
Is now a car wreck
Click to expand...
There's a reason songs back in the 60s and earlier are referred to as R&B and the current stuff from the 80s on is referred to as contemporary R&B.

But a joke?

2m29lzd.gif
 
P

Peru

Member
This decade gave us Aaliyah's best album
Electrik Red
Voodoo
The-Dream
Smaller, experimental 'mainstream' releases from Amerie, Ciara (including one of the best songs of the decade, 'Promise')
Crossover madness from the likes of Rihanna's lates (rock, dubstep, everything in the mix)



so I think this decade has been one big peak for contemporary rnb
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Peru said:
This decade gave us Aaliyah's best album
Electrik Red
Voodoo
The-Dream
Smaller, experimental 'mainstream' releases from Amerie, Ciara (including one of the best songs of the decade, 'Promise')
Crossover madness from the likes of Rihanna's lates (rock, dubstep, everything in the mix)



so I think this decade has been one big peak for contemporary rnb
Click to expand...
I'd argue the few high points for the current decade aren't enough to make up for the overall dreary state of the rest of the genre.
 
D

DMeisterJ

Banned
90s R&B <3

I feel sooo old. :/

And I know about 75% of the songs in the OP and posts. I'm about to fill my iPod up with a bunch of these songs. <3 Nostalgia
 
C

Chairhome

Member
Great OP.

I think its funny that the songs I was listening to in elementary and middle school were pretty much completely inappropriate (Looking back at singing "You remind me of my jeep" in 7th grade).

And I think K-Ci and Jojo fell off HARD when they split off from Jodeci. Their best work was with Jodeci.
 
G

GDGF

Soothsayer
The entirety of Boys II Men's second album was fucking fantastic.

(as an aside they were the reason why pretty much every piece of clothing I bought in the 11th grade was white)
 
V

ViperVisor

Member
Chairhome said:
And I think K-Ci and Jojo fell off HARD when they split off from Jodeci. Their best work was with Jodeci.
Click to expand...

They still put out better stuff than anything I hear today.

I caught them on a episode of Jamie Foxx doing a song that never hit in the 90s "Never Say Never". It is nice cause there is music that could stand on it's own. On the show you could see that there was a guy on bass, a drummer, 2 keyboards. And you hear those and done well in the song. It's is not just popping bullshit or YEAH repeated in the background.

And R&B would also use the power of Rock which as a genre has also gone to shit and can't even do what it is named for. Too much pussy emo or is just sucks.

A couple good jamming parts in songs.
GUY - Teddy´s Jam II
Jodeci - I'm Still Waiting
Keith Sweat - Something Just Ain't Right

And ,Holy Christ crackers, Kanye's effort look like SHIT compared to what Teddy Riley did with a 808. Him not to mention Roger Troutman also did more in any talkbox track than has been done with all the autotune of the past few years.

http://www.njs4ever.com/
There are some interviews there and they echo the thoughts here on how things took a turn for the worse. Will here them state straight up they don't listen to today's music.

Keith Sweat sure did some of the corniest videos, wish I was watching them when they came out so the cheese smell wouldn't be there.
Keith Sweat - Merry Go Round

AtlanticVideos channel is new and makes some of these available for the 1st time.
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Here's some interesting data, the number of songs that hit #1 on the R&B charts from the 80s to now:

1980 - 14
1981 - 17
1982 - 14
1983 - 15
1984 - 19
1985 - 21
1986 - 26
1987 - 33
1988 - 35
1989 - 38

1990 - 37
1991 - 38
1992 - 32
1993 - 14
1994 - 10
1995 - 13
1996 - 20
1997 - 13
1998 - 13
1999 - 12

2000 - 21
2001 - 18
2002 - 10
2003 - 13
2004 - 11
2005 - 12
2006 - 12
2007 - 9
2008 - 12
2009 - 7
Click to expand...
So we see a spike from 87 - 92, then it goes back down with blips at 96 and 00/01. Thoughts, or meaningless data out of context?

ViperVisor said:
And ,Holy Christ crackers, Kanye's effort look like SHIT compared to what Teddy Riley did with a 808. Him not to mention Roger Troutman also did more in any talkbox track than has been done with all the autotune of the past few years.

http://www.njs4ever.com/
There are some interviews there and they echo the thoughts here on how things took a turn for the worse. Will here them state straight up they don't listen to today's music.

Keith Sweat sure did some of the corniest videos, wish I was watching them when they came out so the cheese smell wouldn't be there.
Keith Sweat - Merry Go Round

AtlanticVideos channel is new and makes some of these available for the 1st time.
Click to expand...
Riley, Babyface, LA Reid, Dallas Austin, and Keith Sweat were tops in terms of producers that decade. Dupri as well before he started to change his style.
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Some live performance links to add to the pool:

Boyz II Men - End of the Road (Live)
Boyz II Men - Down On Bended Knee (Live)
Keith Sweat - I'll Give All My Love To You (Live)
Keith Sweat feat Jackie McGhee - Make It Last Forever (Live)
En Vogue - My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It) (Live)
TLC - Baby Baby Baby (Live)
New Edition's first reunion performance (1990) - BBD - Poison, Bobby Brown - Tap Into My Heart, Johnny Gill - Rub You The Right Way, Ralph Tresvant - Sensitivity, New Edition - If It Isn't Love, Mr.Telephone Man, Can You Stand The Rain
 
V

ViperVisor

Member
Zapp & Roger - Slow And Easy

(R&B #18)
1993: Zapp & Roger: All The Greatest Hits
One of the greatest songs added to a collection. September by EWF is another I can think of.

Would of been nice to see it get higher buy 93 was a good year. All more or less contemporary in presentation but still such a great ebb and flow in the feel. I Will Always Love You, sweet. Freak Me, silky. That's the Way Love Goes. Knockin' Da Boots. Weak. Right Here/Human Nature. Just Kickin' It.

And sprinkled in you have some curveballs. Hip Hop Hooray, Nuthin' But a "G" Thang, Whoomp! (There It Is).

I hadn't even heard of this...
D.R.S. - Gangsta Lean
Nice song.

Did we get that kind of variety in all of the last decade combined?
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
ViperVisor said:
Zapp & Roger - Slow And Easy

(R&B #18)
1993: Zapp & Roger: All The Greatest Hits
One of the greatest songs added to a collection. September by EWF is another I can think of.

Would of been nice to see it get higher buy 93 was a good year. All more or less contemporary in presentation but still such a great ebb and flow in the feel. I Will Always Love You, sweet. Freak Me, silky. That's the Way Love Goes. Knockin' Da Boots. Weak. Right Here/Human Nature. Just Kickin' It.

And sprinkled in you have some curveballs. Hip Hop Hooray, Nuthin' But a "G" Thang, Whoomp! (There It Is).

I hadn't even heard of this...
D.R.S. - Gangsta Lean
Nice song.

Did we get that kind of variety in all of the last decade combined?
Click to expand...
Zapp & Roger were definitely awesome. Talk box > Auto-tune
 
fatty

fatty

Member
Wow, I used to listen to almost all of the songs listed in the OP growing up. I'll highlight my favorite of the list:

XiaNaphryz said:
Shai - If I Ever Fall In Love
Mint Condition - U Send Me Swingin'
After 7 - Ready or Not
SWV - I'm So Into You
P.M. Dawn - Set Adrift On Memory Bliss
P.M. Dawn - Die Without You
Tevin Campbell - Can We Talk?
Hi-Five - I Like The Way (Kissing Game)
Keith Sweat - I'll Give All My Love To You Man I used to love this song
The Deele - Two Occasions (Yeah, this is late 80s and not 90s, but it's still awesome)
Toni Braxton - You're Making Me High
Jon B. featuring Babyface - Someone To Love
Tupac feat. Jon B - R U Still Down?
Ice Cube - Today Was A Good Day
Whitney Houston - I'm Your Baby Tonight
Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You
Mariah Carey featuring ODB - Fantasy (remix)
Click to expand...

Favorites are Prince (so much great stuff), PM Dawn and Keith Sweat. Babyface was great as well.

I'll add some others that I don't remember seeing mentioned:


R.Kelly - You remind me
Ol Skool featuring Keith Sweat and Xscape - Am I Dreaming
Aaron Hall - I miss you
Freddy Jackson - You are my lady
Freddy Jackson - Me and Mrs. Jones
Johny Gill - Fairweather Friend
Alexander O Neal - All True Man
El Debarge - Where is my love (featuring Babyface)
Keith Washington - Kissing You
Anita Baker - Sweet Love
112 - Only You
Kevon Edmonds - Love Will Be Waiting
Kevon Edmonds - How Often
Charles & Eddie - Would I lie to you
Isley Brothers - Tears
Divine - Lately
Jon B - Don't Say
The System - Don't disturb this groove
Mario - Just a Friend
Monica - The Boy is Mine
Maxwell - Fortunate
Az Yet - Last Night
Jesse Powell - You
Ralph Tresvant - Sensitivity
The Familay - Screams of Passion Cheesiest video ever but I love the song
 
P

pjberri

Crotchety Old Man
XiaNaphryz said:
I'd argue the few high points for the current decade aren't enough to make up for the overall dreary state of the rest of the genre.
Click to expand...
Well, you're talking up John Legend and Ne-Yo, for fuckssake. There's still a lot of good stuff around—Ne-Yo and his "pimp ship" have nothing to do with any of it, though.
 
X

xs_mini_neo

Banned
90's R&B was funny shit. I miss it. lol "Let me lick you up and doooown, til you say stop." That shit wasn't censored even though it sounded so nasty. I guess there was an innocent interpretation out there somewhere. Would like to hear it.

God, Puff Daddy sucks. He ruined so much.

They never caught the killer of Tupac and Biggie, did they?

Makes ya think.
 
turnbuckle

turnbuckle

Member
I vehemently support this thread.
90s music in general actually wasn't as bad as some people make it out to be IMO. Great decade for R&B, and at least in the early half of the decade you could listen to top 40 radio stations and find a lot of good stuff. Hearing Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, Radiohead, Metallica, Boyz II Men, Blackstreet, and (gulp) even Spice Girls on the same station over the course of a day seems like the glory days compared to what I'm bombarded with now.
 
fatty

fatty

Member
xs_mini_neo said:
90's R&B was funny shit. I miss it. lol "Let me lick you up and doooown, til you say stop." That shit wasn't censored even though it sounded so nasty. I guess there was an innocent interpretation out there somewhere. Would like to hear it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm in my early 30's now and can't believe how cheesy some of the lyrics are. "Poke coming through...on you" Yet, I loved that certain rhythm and beat. I thought I 'grew out' of this type of music, but after listening to the songs from the OP and the songs I listed from my collection in my previous post, I still really like them, just haven't listened to them in a while. It's just that there aren't many good R&B songs anymore.

Because of that, I've actually learned about other music genres that I was previously uninterested in...all because of Guitar Hero and Rock Band lol. Steely Dan, Rush, Fleetwood Mac, I've stumbled upon lots of classics and now I have more of an appreciation for other types of music, even more "harder" Rock. Songs that I couldn't see myself liking not long ago, like Welcome Home by Coheed and Cambria, I absolutely love.

But anyways, reading this thread made me realize I still want some good R&B...minus the cheesy lyrics.

I also decided to add some more lesser known/one hit type wonders to the thread:

Men at Large - So alone
Milestone - I care about you
Intro - Come Inside (Couldn't find a better version)
Eric Benet - Spend My Life With You I really like this song
Stevie B - Because I love you
Guess - Shu-B (I searched everywhere but couldn't find it)
 
S

soundahfekz

Member
No links, I don't have time at the moment but

Aaliyah - One in a million
Aaliyah - four page letter
Genuwine - ain't none of your friend's business / so anxious
Avant - separated (i know technically 2000 but still, shit was dope)
Missy Elliot - friendly skies
Jon b - They don't know
Playa - cheers to you
Next - butta love
Silk - meeting in my bedroom
 
T

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
Mariah will always be one of my favorite singers, even if she did fall into some bad times.

"Honey" will always be a good fun-time song for me. :D

Pop R&B was so good.
 
N

NaviLink

Member
This thread is full of win, I'm in. Everything seems to be covered links wise, but it was definitely a great era for that kind of music.
 
C

CurlySaysX

Banned
ViperVisor said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ju_-42B1C4

Listen to the Blue*uk group* cover. It shows how you need that something to keep it legit. Feeling and Depth to performance. Those twats singing about what the song actually says is ridiculous. " I try but I can't fight it!" They fucked that part up bad.
Click to expand...

Ohh man!! what the hell is this crap!!! :lol :lol
I hope those dudes die in an aeroplane crash... not really but still.
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
xs_mini_neo said:
90's R&B was funny shit. I miss it. lol "Let me lick you up and doooown, til you say stop." That shit wasn't censored even though it sounded so nasty. I guess there was an innocent interpretation out there somewhere. Would like to hear it.
Click to expand...
Music videos from the early 90s in particular are also pretty amusing to watch these days. Look at the early Troop stuff, or any of the New Edition early 90s stuff.

And speaking of the lyric you quoted, the Silk - Freak Me video is funny to watch as well. That striped turtle neck thing is hilarious and always makes me laugh.

lilg.png
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Update time! Here's stuff that I don't think have been linked to yet:

Aaliyah - One In A Million
Aaliyah - 4 Page Letter
Aaron Hall - Don't be Afraid
After 7 - Can't Stop
Al B. Sure! - missunderstanding
Al B. Sure! - Right Now
Allure featuring 112 - All Cried Out
Another Bad Creation - Iesha
Another Bad Creation - Playground
Arrested Development - Tennessee
BeBe & CeCe Winans - Addictive Love
Babyface - Tender Lover
Babyface - For The Cool In You
Blackstreet - Don`t Leave Me
Bobby Brown - Humpin' Around (Dance Mix)
Bobby Brown - Good Enough
The Boys - Crazy
Boyz II Men - It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday
Boyz II Men - Uhh Ahh
Brandy - Baby
The Brand New Heavies - Never Stop
Brownstone - If You Love Me
Brownstone - Grapevyne
Brownstone - 5 Miles To Empty
Brian McKnight - One Last Cry
Brian McKnight - Crazy Love
Case featuring Foxy Brown & Mary J. Blige - Touch Me Tease Me
Changing Faces featuring R. Kelly - Stroke You Up
Changing Faces - G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T.
Changing Faces - Foolin' Around
Christopher Williams - I'm Dreamin'
Chuckii Booker - Games
Damian Dame - Exclusivity
De La Soul - Buddy
Donell Jones featuring Left Eye - U Know What's Up
En Vogue - Hold On
En Vogue - Lies
En Vogue - Don't Let Go
En Vogue - Free Your Mind
Freddie Jackson - Love Me Down
Freddie Jackson - Do Me Again
Gerald Levert & Eddie Levert - Baby Hold On To Me
Gerald Levert - Private Line
Glenn Jones - Here I Go Again
Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation
Janet Jackson - Escapade
Janet Jackson - Anytime, Anyplace
Jodeci - Stay
Jodeci - Lately
Jodeci - Cry For You
Jodeci - Get On Up
Johnny Gill - Rub You the Right Way
Johnny Gill - My, My, My
Johnny Gill - Wrap My Body Tight
Karyn White - Romantic
Keith Washington - Kissing You
Levert - Baby I'm Ready
Lisa Fischer - How Can I Ease The Pain
Lo-Key? - I Got A Thang 4 Ya
Luther Vandross - Power of Love
Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson with BBD and Ralph Tresvant - The Best Things In Life Are Free
Mariah Carey - Vision Of Love
Mariah Carey - Can't Let Go
Mary J. Blige - You Remind Me
Mary J. Blige - Real Love
Mary J. Blige - Not Gon' Cry
Monica - Before You Walk Out Of My Life
New Edition - Hit me off
Peabo Bryson - Can You Stop the Rain
Pebbles - Giving You The Benefit (Extended Version)
Pebbles ft. Babyface - Love Makes Things Happen
Phil Perry - Call Me
Quincy Jones featuring Ray Charles and Chaka Khan - I'll Be Good To You
Quincy Jones featuring Tevin Campbell - Tomorrow
Quincy Jones featuring Al B. Sure!, James Ingram, El DeBarge, and Barry White - The Secret Garden
R. Kelly - I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)
R. Kelly featuring Ronald Isley and Ernie Isley - Down Low (Nobody Has To Know)
Regina Belle - Make It Like It Was
Rude Boys featuring Gerald Levert - Written All Over Your Face
Samuelle - So You Like What You See
Shabba Ranks - Mr. Loverman
Skyy - Real Love
Stacy Lattisaw & Johnny Gill - Where Do We Go From Here
Surface - The First Time
SWV featuring the Wu-Tang Clan - Anything (remix)
Tevin Campbell - Round and Round
Tevin Campbell - Tell Me What You Want Me To Do
Tevin Campbell - Alone With You
TLC - Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg
TLC - Hat 2 Da Back
TLC - Diggin' On You
TLC - No Scrubs
TLC - Unpretty
Tony! Toni! Toné! - The Blues
Tony! Toni! Toné! - Feels Good
Tony! Toni! Tone! - It Never Rains (In Southern California)
Tony! Toni! Tone! - Whatever You Want
Tony! Toni! Tone! featuring DJ Quik - Let's Get Down
The Tony Rich Project - Nobody Knows
Tracie Spencer - Tender Kisses
Vanessa Williams & Brian McKnight - Love Is (really really sappy/cheesy homemade video set to the audio on this)
Whitney Houston - All The Man That I Need
Xscape - Understanding
 
T

truly101

I got grudge sucked!
Are we talking popularity or quality? In popularity, I suppose the 90's may have been the peak, though this decade has seen a bunch of crossover hits in the R&B charts. In terms of quality, the 70's blows every decade out of the water in terms of R&B, no contest.
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
truly101 said:
Are we talking popularity or quality? In popularity, I suppose the 90's may have been the peak, though this decade has seen a bunch of crossover hits in the R&B charts. In terms of quality, the 70's blows every decade out of the water in terms of R&B, no contest.
Click to expand...
R&B of the 70s is a different genre really, and I'm talking about contemporary R&B specifically which started in the early 80s.
 
T

truly101

I got grudge sucked!
XiaNaphryz said:
R&B of the 70s is a different genre really, and I'm talking about contemporary R&B specifically which started in the early 80s.
Click to expand...


I'm not really sure what the difference is, R&B to me is R&B, what the radio biz likes to call "urban contemporary" But if you match up what's played on an R&B station in the 70's versus whats played on an R&B format in the 90's, the 70's wins easily. Heck, the 90's R&B stars would agree with me because that stuff influenced them. In terms of songcraft, musicianship, singing its bar none the best. What came out in the 90's thats better than "What's Goin' On", or "Songs in the Key of Life" or "Off the Wall?" Nothing, absolutely nothing.

Edit: I'll definitely agree that 90's R&B is 1,000,0000 better than whats popular now, from the whole nubian african awareness of the early 90's to the early hip hop and dance crossovers, much more variety. Now everything I hear seems to be "sung" in autotune or some bizarre military cadence.
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
truly101 said:
I'm not really sure what the difference is, R&B to me is R&B
Click to expand...
Well there's a distinction in this thread, and I'm using the commonly used definitions for it here. :p
 
V

ViperVisor

Member
Of course the 70s and 80s influenced the 90s.

But comparing the products of a industry that had changed and fractured a lot is hard to do.
Just look at what albums charted 1 next to "Songs in the Key of Life"
Preceded by
Frampton Comes Alive!
Succeeded by
Hotel California

The CD era increased the format length 50%.

Dangerous, Blackstreet and Another Level are all 70+ min with 10 good songs each. Respectable next to "Songs in the Key of Life".

Billboard year-end summary over the years
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Billboard_Year-End&oldid=331107596

Not being around then I can only guess but I see more disco influence in the 70s. In the 80s funk was blended in. The edge was then formed and some will argue honed to perfection with Make It Last Forever and Guy. That blade was used to chop through the 90s.
 
Battersea Power Station

Battersea Power Station

Member
You know, if Mariah Carey and Derek Jeter had stayed together and had a baby girl, she would probably have looked really hot 6 years from now. So much potential...
DMczaf said:
Random DM Fact: My sister is in the Blackstreet 'No Diggity' video
Click to expand...
How is that random when Blackstreet was discussed in this thread? That's like as far from random as you can get.
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Battersea Power Station said:
How is that random when Blackstreet was discussed in this thread? That's like as far from random as you can get.
Click to expand...
You say that after posting your own random tidbit...

Battersea Power Station said:
You know, if Mariah Carey and Derek Jeter had stayed together and had a baby girl, she would probably have looked really hot 6 years from now.
Click to expand...
It can still be random yet relevant. ;P
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Old news, but the Boyz II Men 20th anniversary album will not have all 4 members back. :(

As many of you know and have known for many years, the bass singer of the group (Mike Mc Cary) left due to a nagging back ailment (as well as many other reasons). Over the last 6 months we've been in more recent contact with him checking to see how he was doing health-wise, as well as trying to feel out where he was in his life mentally, as it pertained to his career.

Well, on the eve of the 20th anniversary year of Boyz II Men, our negotiations to make Mike a part of this celebration are at a stalemate. What we were willing to offer him (which was more then fair for being gone for 7 years) verses what he wanted was so far a part that we've decided to carry on without him........................again.
Click to expand...
 
S

Scribble

Member
Tell me what is up
You see I need to know
Tell if I'm far, or if I'm getting close
I have but one concern, and that one concern is you
Till I'm with you, here's what I'm gonna do
 
LQX

LQX

Member
The problem with R&B these days is that its to infused with rap music. Most R&B songs these days is just singing over a beat more appropriate for a rap song. Moreover you cant even tell if they can really sing with all that's going on in the songs. The worse part of all this though is the male singers or I should say "singer-rappers" as if there is a stigma with being just a straight singer.
 
C

CB3

intangibles, motherfucker
You should try to throw all the songs that have been linked to, in the OP. That combined collection of songs is epic. So many memories from all these songs.
 
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