The '90s may be the last decade when R&B, not hip-hop, was the dominant force in black music. Innovation abounded, with New Jack Swing giving way to neo-soul as well as further experiments with studio technology's fast-moving innovations. R&B crossover was a matter of course on the pop charts; there, ballads like Whitney Houston's blockbuster "I Will Always Love You" and the stirring Boyz II Men-Mariah Carey team-up "One Sweet Day" had months-long reigns at No. 1, while upbeat tracks like Blackstreet's swaggering "No Diggity" and Janet Jackson's peppy "Together Again" also reached the summit.
Artists from every echelon and subgenre seemed to be laser-focused on honing and upping their game: '80s titans like Jackson and her brother Michael incorporated of-the-moment ideas into their platinum-plated '90s work; early-decade upstarts like Mariah Carey and TLC blossomed into megastars, forcing pop listeners to keep up their ever-evolving visions for the genre; and new acts like Maxwell and Lauryn Hill emerged in constant states of evolution, redrawing R&B's boundaries so that the genre encompassed ever-greater territory. These 30 highlights from the decade collect some of R&B's highest points.
13. Mariah Carey, "Fantasy" (1995)
Mariah Carey's foray into hip-hop on her 1995 album Daydream peaked with this giddy track. "Fantasy" amps up the romantic bliss of Tom Tom Club's 1981 hybridized underground hit "Genius of Love", flipping that track's squiggle-synths into a bubblegum pop track that could double as a launching pad for Carey's skyscraping voice - and a verse by the Wu-Tang Clan firebrand Ol' Dirty Bastard, who popped up on the song's remix and in the amusement-park-themed video. Carey would return to the "surprising old-school sample + Mariah = pop gold" formula a few times in the ensuing years, but "Fantasy" set the standard.
Here is the complete list:
30. Prince and the New Power Generation, "Diamonds & Pearls" (1991)
29. Babyface, "When Can I See You" (1994)
28. Toni Braxton, "You're Makin' Me High" (1996)
27. Maxwell, "Luxury:Cococure" (1998)
26. Whitney Houston, "Heartbreak Hotel" (1998)
25. Mark Morrison, "Return of the Mack" (1996)
24. Mint Condition, "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)" (1991)
23. Groove Theory, "Tell Me" (1995)
22. Michael Jackson, "Remember the Time" (1992)
21. Xscape, "Just Kickin' It" (1993)
20. SWV, "Right Here (Human Nature)" (1992)
19. Brandy, "I Wanna Be Down" (1994)
18. Ghost Town DJ's, "My Boo" (1996)
17. Boyz II Men, "End of the Road" (1992)
16. R. Kelly, "Bump ‘N Grind" (1994)
15. Sade, "No Ordinary Love" (1992)
14. Brandy & Monica, "The Boy is Mine" (1998)
13. Mariah Carey, "Fantasy" (1995)
12. Blackstreet, "No Diggity" (1996)
11. Ginuwine, "Pony" (1996)
10. Jodeci, "Forever My Lady" (1991)
9. Erykah Badu, "On & On" (1996)
8. Bell Biv DeVoe, "Poison" (1990)
7. Lauryn Hill, "Ex-Factor" (1998)
6. Janet Jackson, "That's the Way Love Goes" (1993)
5. TLC, "No Scrubs" (1999)
4. En Vogue, "Hold On" (1990)
3. D'Angelo, "Brown Sugar" (1995)
2. Mary J. Blige, "Be Happy" (1994)
1. Aaliyah, "Are You That Somebody?" (1998)
(Spin)
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