Riding high on Naughty by Nature’s second top 10 pop single, “Hip-Hop Hooray,” the group’s DJ and producer, Kay Gee, was looking to spread his wings. Producer: Naughty by Nature, 118th Street Productions This was R&B made for a generation who had lost its innocence, where polite sincerity seemed too corny to take seriously, and keeping it real was the only option. Kelly basically made an entire career out of the formula. This juxtaposition of horny bravado and smooth sensitivity became the blueprint for some of the greatest moments in ’90s R&B, from Silk’s “Freak Me” to H-Town’s “Knockin’ Da Boots.” Hell, R. Things start out innocently enough: “ Come inside, take off your coat / I'll make you feel at home / Now let's pour a glass of wine / 'Cause now we're all alone.” And just when you thought Bryan was trying to chill and get to know you, BAM, the fellas come in with the hook and let you know what he’s really trying to do. How could you not pay attention to that hook?įirst heard during a pivotal scene in New Jack City-when Gee-Money’s girlfriend seduces kingpin Nino Brown-”I Wanna Sex You Up” sounded like romantic R&B on crack. But really, it was the lyrics that crossed all boundaries. Freeze's hip-hop lite track had just enough swing for black radio, while the group's handsome white lead singer Bryan Abrams made sure it didn't stay there. Enter interracial boy band Color Me Badd, who finally cut the bullshit with “I Wanna Sex You Up,” a smash on R&B and top 40 radio that became the second biggest pop song of 1991. In 1990, R&B started to move with a decidedly sexual thrust-Tony! Toni! Toné’s orgasmic “Feels Good,” Bel Biv Devoe’s silly “Do Me”-but everything was still covered in a thin veil of slang, innuendo, and euphemism. We do have a list with The 50 Best R&B Albums of the ‘90s, but these are the best ‘90s R&B songs. The era deserves its accolades it is some of the best American music ever. Blige, Lauryn Hill, Boyz II Men, and Chucky Thompson.
It’s an enshrining of an insanely fertile and formative chapter of black music, one that yielded classic albums and singles, and expanded the framework of pop songwriting and production (and thus, the entries on the Billboard Hot 100), thanks to the next-level genius of artists like Missy Elliott, Mary J. Still, it’s always important to pay homage to those who came before.įor the fans who can recall Changing Faces album cuts and name each member of Subway, this is a vindication. It’s still there in form of nostalgia-tapping playlists, and in the music being made today. Even as we creep further from the golden era, acts like Brent Faiyaz, Snoh Aalegra, Givēon, and more have set the stage for a new, burgeoning fan base of the still-bustling genre. The R&B of the ’90s has never left our hearts. This feature was originally published in 2012.
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