Brian McKnight "Anytime"

Album: Anytime (Mercury)
Songwriters: Brandon Barnes and Brian McKnight
Hit #1: February 14th, 1998 (4 Weeks-Airplay)

With his trained musical background and charming gentleman demeanor, Brian McKnight offered a sophisticated, piano-based pop-soul alternative to the more randy R&B men of the decade. Unfortunately, this also meant that, save for the occasional winning ballad (like the weepy "One Last Cry", poignant Vanessa Williams duet "Love Is" or his pleasant remake of Van Morrison's "Crazy Love"), a lot of his output fell on the blander end of the spectrum. McKnight is a talented musician but his affinity for the safe could make him a bore to listen to.

For 1998's Anytime, he took a step in an interesting direction, fielding the talents of Bad Boy for the Puff-produced/ Mase-featured lead single "You Should Be Mine". Audiences took an immediate liking to this sudden stylistic detour, making the trendy, James Brown-sampling number the biggest R&B hit of his career up to that point; but, it would be a song a bit closer to his signature sound that would truly make Anytime the bonafide smash it became.

The title track captures McKnight roaming back and forth down his lonely hallways in a post-break-up haze. A lightly, skittering drum track and somber piano riff (more on that later) aiding in the illustration of his self-imposed gloom, Brian struggles to move on, unable to completely erase his former lover from his heart. The relationship's dissolution causes his so much grief that he fears he might be losing it ("Hear your footsteps down the hall. I swear I hear your voice/ Driving me insane/ How I wish that you would call..."). Hoping for her to have change of heart, he wonders to himself, "Do I ever cross your mind, anytime?", praying that she's experiencing the same turmoil and yearning for a reconciliation as badly as he is.

Elevated by his tortured tenor, the wintry ballad's striking exploration of human darkness led to it becoming a sleeper hit, topping the R&B airplay charts for the first time on Valentine's Day (the loneliest day of the year for many). But the song wasn't as greatly embraced by some; Brian was accused of lifting heavy portions of "Anytime" from Me'Shell Nedegeocello's 1993 languid groover "Outside Your Door"
. Though Me'Shell, herself, was somewhat bitter over the two songs' similarities (at one point singing lines from the McKnight number when she performed "Outside Your Door"), the mini-controversy was never played out in court.

Best Moment: Of course, the source of all the commotion: those beautifully lingering piano notes.

Brian McKnight - Anytime
Uploaded by Brian-McKnight

DL: "Anytime" (YFH)

Usher "Nice & Slow"

Album: My Way (Laface)
Songwriters: Bryan Casey, Jermaine Dupri, Usher Raymond and Manuel Seal
Hit #1: January 24th, 1998 (8 Weeks)

Usher was definitely on fire following the break-out success of "You Make Me Wanna" but after the release of the Quiet Storm slow jam "Nice & Slow" (co-penned by future balladeer Bryan Casey, of Jagged Edge), he emerged as the R&B version of the Human Torch.

Backed by a tongue-flickering guitar and swoony synth line, Ush prepares himself for the first sex session with a babe across town. "I got plans to put my hands in places/ I've never seen/ Girl you know what I mean," he sings, overwhelmed with excitement by the all-night events he's got all dreamed up. When he finally gets the lady in his car, he can barely keep himself contained, so overwrought with horniness that he threatens to pull over right that instant and give her the lovin' they've desperately been anticipating on the side of the road.

It was a huge jump from the comparably innocent girlfriend-switching scenario of "You Make Me Wanna", redefining the performer as a sex-craved panther ready to strike. When he growls "I wanna do something freaky to you", then repeats the same phrase just in case the folks in the back of the room didn't quite understand ("I don't think they heard me..."), it's to clarify to the masses that he is not a young tyke any longer.

A steamy soul concoction that perfectly toed the line between chivalrous romancing and porn-tastic raunch (and helped My Way sell over millions copies around the world), "Nice & Slow" announced to the world that it had found it's "next Bobby Brown", and he had no qualms about spelling his name out to you just so you wouldn't forget him.

Best Moment: When Usher re-launches an old New Jack crooner trick and decides to spit a couple bars on the bridge ("They call me U-S, H-E-R...")

Usher - Nice And Slow
Uploaded by sixsteve

DL: "Nice & Slow" (YFH)

Boyz II Men "A Song For Mama"

Album: Evolution (Motown)/ Music From The "Soul Food" Motion Picture (Laface)
Songwriters: Babyface
Hit #1: December 27th, 1997 (2 Weeks)

By 1997, the common consensus was that the public had had about enough of Boyz II Men as they could take. Thanks to a handful of big ballads that had taken the airwaves hostage over the past few years, the group suffered from extreme overexposure and had begun to appear stale in comparison to the neo-soul and hip hop-oriented R&B acts bubbling within the urban music scene at the time.

A change was hinted at by the group titling their third release, Evolution, but very little "evolving" was actually heard, as the album remained mostly stuck in drippy love song formulas the group predictably pushed down our throats as singles. Even after the forgettable lead single "4 Seasons of Loneliness" failed to bring in the sustained big sales they had become accustomed to, BIIM refused to budge from their earnest output, dropping the syrupy maternal ode "A Song For Mama" next. Thanks to an extra boost by it being used as the theme song for the hit film "Soul Food", though, "Mama" helped nab the group their fifth, and final, R&B #1.

Written and produced by Babyface (another artist who felt stuck in place creatively by 1997), "Mama" is harmless AC-soul that's chock full of cheesy lines ("Mama you're the queen of my heart/ Your love is like tears from the stars/...Lovin' you is like food to my soul") straight off a Hallmark card. Despite it's overt corniness, the tune does accomplish it's heartwarming aim. Like previous tear-inducers "End of The Road", "One Sweet Day" and "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye", "A Song For Mama" held a certain spark that could open you up to all kinds of tender emotions. For anyone who had, at any time, shared a close relationship with their mother, the song's touching tribute to that special bond was far too powerful to deny. Even if you had swore you wouldn't fall for their mushy sentiments anymore, you had to give the Boyz credit for pulling you in once more.

After "Mama" came "Can't Let Her Go", a funky Puffy-produced uptempo that finally delivered that "Motownphilly" successor we had long given up at ever receiving. The single pumped some much needed youthful energy into their act, but it perhaps arrived a bit too late. BIIM fatigue seemed to had set in indefinitely and the single barely registered on the charts. From there, the group took a more active role in their career, writing and producing their own material and enduring a revolving door of record labels, both major and independent but they would never quite reclaim their '90's multi-platinum glory.

Boyz II Men - A Song For Mama
Uploaded by banatchec

DL: "A Song For Mama" (YFH)

Erykah Badu "Tyrone"

Album: Live (Kedar/ Motown)
Songwriters: Erykah Badu and Norman Hurt
Hit #1: November 29th, 1997 (6 Weeks)

Recorded in front of a very responsive audience for her Live release (dropped less than a year after her critically heralded debut, Baduizm), Erykah loosened her headwrap up a bit and delivered one of the greatest kiss-offs ever with the saucy "Tyrone".

"Keep in mind that I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my shit," Badu playfully opens before introducing the energetic crowd to her new loser of a boyfriend. In love with a thoughtless user who never has any cash of his own and would rather spend time kicking it with the homies than sharing some alone time with her ("See everytime we go somewhere/ You got to bring Jim, James, Paul and Tyrone," she huffs, sending the all-too-understanding female portion of her crowd into a whoop-filled ruckus), Erykah finds her patience increasingly wearing thin. The boiling frustration leads to a classic chorus in which she memorably urges: "I think you better call Tyrone/ And tell him come on/ Help you get yo shit".

Her music already marked by an honest poignancy within it's sublime soul frame, "Tyrone" found Badu at both her most common-sounding (no spacey, spiritual puzzles to try to decipher) and diva delicious ("Well hold up listen partna/ I ain't no cheap thrill/ Cause Miss Badu's always comin' for real/ You know the deal"). The grand choice to relay this experience in the live format made for an entertaining, premiere performance that almost felt as if she was freestyling her woes on the spot. The audience's contribution furthermore adds to the track's appeal, their infectious cheers after every classic line mimicking the same reaction of the at-home listener, cementing her stage show as a must-see event.

"Tyrone" helped Live reach Double Platinum and nab Grammy attention (nominations for both Best R&B Album and Best Female R&B Vocal). It's success both commercially and critically would signify a rare double achievement for R&B at the time, since the mid-90's held few engaging performers whose artistic output translated so organically to the stage.

Best Moment: It's killer conclusion: "You need to call Ty-ro-o-ne!!/...(Hold on) But you can't use my pho-one"

Tyrone
Uploaded by esoterian

DL: "Tyrone" (YFH)

LSG "My Body"

Album: Levert.Sweat.Gill (East West)
Songwriters: Darrell Allamby, Lincoln Browder and Antoinette Roberson
Hit #1: November 22nd, 1997 (7 Weeks)

With three of the top R&B seducers of the '90's teaming up to form a supergroup, the topic at hand surely wouldn't be about world poverty or Black-on-Black crime, now would it? As the first single from Gerald Levert, Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill's succinctly-titled side project, LSG, "My Body" exercised subject matter the group were no stranger to: Tryin' to get in them drawls.

The trio of dynamos fight over the title of Most Pimp-alicious over a seducing bed of croaking vocoders, teasing whispers of "my body/ your body" and a sexy soundtrack that smells of penetration and soggy sheets. "Never had a lover that could do the things that Johnny can do," Gill moans, reminding those that had begun to waver away from his solo output that he was the true successor of Teddy Pendergrass' gruff romanticism style. Keith Sweat, meanwhile, enjoying a recent career resurgence with the dual impact of "Nobody" and "Twisted" a year earlier, handles the best lines: "Wanna fill you up 'til your river flows all over me/ Wanna feel your precious treasure wrapped around me oh-so-tightly".

Spending seven weeks at #1 and helping the group's debut sell over two million copies, "My Body" saw three mature men showing young soul wannabe's how it's really supposed to be done. Gerald Levert scored the biggest boost from the set, attaching the stutter-step production style of Levert.Sweat.Gill to his following solo albums, which found him holding his own amidst hip hop's stranglehold in the late '90's with favorable Top 5 hits "Taking Everything" and "Thinkin' Bout It".

Best Moment: Missy Elliott challenging the boys on a typically randy verse from the remix ("Tie a leash around your neck/ I'll be your favorite pet/ See I don't know if you wit all dat/ But I'm sick and tired of the chitter chat").

Keith Sweat - My Body Feat LsG
Uploaded by SPARTAKUS57

DL: "My Body" (YFH)



DL: "My Body (Remix)" (YFH)

Usher "You Make Me Wanna"

Album: My Way (Laface)
Songwriters: Jermaine Dupri, Usher Raymond and Manuel Seal
Hit #1: September 6th, 1997 (9 Weeks)

Not everyone associated with Puffy are able to make the transition into Billboard heavyweights; Craig Mack, G. Dep, Da Band, Loon and Dream (not to mention shrugged off current day acts B5 and Gorilla Zoe) are just a few of the Bad Boy names whose careers fell by the way side or never truly managed to jump off at all. Though Usher was never officially signed to the label, Puffy did executive-produce the then-fifteen-year-old's self-titled debut, constructing an ill-fitting teenaged R&B mack persona that few bought into. Trading in Puff for JD (who had had a successful history with young performers) on the follow-up, and a superstar was quickly born.

"You Make Me Wanna" led off Usher's solid second album, My Way, and launched a musical chemistry with Jermaine Dupri that would make him the R&B giant he is today. Far more age-appropriate than his prior material, the silvery midtempo effectively planted the singer amidst high school romance drama.

Turning to a female pal for advice every time he and his girlfriend hit a bump, Usher soon realizes that his counsel is a far more ideal mate ("You make me wanna leave the one I'm with/ Start a new relationship with you/ This is what you do"). Expressing conflicted teen emotions ("Should I/ Tell my baby bye-bye?/ Should I/ Do exactly what I feel inside?") with an increasingly muscular tenor, Usher combated his inner torture with flirtatious clothes-shedding dance moves that had ladies, both young and old, soaking their undergarments.

Over the next decade, Usher would host plenty major dance-stompers and heart-wrenching ballad confessionals, but the polished innocence of "You Make Me Wanna" stands as one of his greatest achievements, helping make his unusual moniker a household name and his rock-hard abs the stuff female (and some male) fantasies were made of.

Best Moment: The boxer-revealing, shoe-shedding choreography in the video.

Usher - You Make Me Wanna
Uploaded by sweetgapeach

DL: "You Make Me Wanna" (YFH)

Dru Hill "Never Make A Promise"

Album: Dru Hill (Island)
Songwriters: Darryl Simmons
Hit #1: August 9th, 1997 (4 Weeks)

Sisqo may have been the Dru Hill member that eyes gravitated to the most, what with his ever-changing 'do, neck-tightening cries and one-handed cartwheels, but the quartet carried another fine vocalist in the husky Jazz (still not sure what requisite pretty-boy Nokio really did), who took lead duties for the group's second #1, "Never Make A Promise".

Contemporary R&B at it's most slickest, "Never Make A Promise" registered as a wide-eyed love ballad in which Jazz discovers true love for the first time. Light on musical flashiness, the track was ideal talent show fodder, stating it's purpose and little else. Jazz' performance can be considered a bit colorless and predictable, but had Sisqo (over-)performed it, it would've morphed into this needlessly gritty testimonial that would have completely ignored the song's tender sincerity.

The track might not have been that heavy, but Dru Hill made up for it with a father/ daughter sexual abuse-focused music video.

DRU HILL - Never Make A Promise
Uploaded by hakim93200

DL: "Never Make A Promise" (YFH)

God's Property featuring Kirk Franklin and Salt "Stomp"

Album: God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation (B-Rite/ Interscope)
Hit #1: July 19th, 1997 (2 Weeks-Airplay)

Months after Parliament scored it's first #1 with 1978's irresistible "Flash Light", their less commercial-minded alter-ego Funkadelic followed suit with the equally fetching "One Nation Under A Groove", an all-consuming dance-funk staple that taught the world how to "dance our way out of our constrictions". You couldn't help but follow their suggestion, not with that sick descending bass-line guiding it's endless, effervescent party groove and overwhelming layers of various voices encouraging you off the wall and onto the middle of the floor where you could freely "get down on the one".



DL: "One Nation Under A Groove" (YFH)

A couple decades later, '90's gospel sensation Kirk Franklin was doing his best to get the masses on "the good foot", though the Higher Power he was directing people to was not the Gods of Funk. More than any other artist of his genre, Franklin forged an exciting rebirth of gospel that got an entire younger generation "raising the roof" for Jesus.

Though not much of a vocalist himself (he favored more of a spoken word "rap" style), Franklin carried an entertainer's presence that far outweighed his small frame. He smartly utilized urban contemporary productions with grand melodies, rich hooks and hip hop-informed spirit, and surrounded himself with commanding choirs that conveyed the Word with an undeniable aplomb. In 1997, he achieved success in a way that inspirational music had never seen, employing God's Property (a choir that represented the Young and Hip) and getting an assist of 'Salt' (of Salt N Pepa fame) for the "One Nation"-sampling, crossover smash "Stomp".

Opening with a rebellious cautionary that sternly dismisses the head-shaking criticism of purists ("For those of you that think that gospel music has gone too far/ You think we got too radical with our message/ Well I got news for you/ You ain't seen nothin' yet!!!"), "Stomp" then bursts alive in an explosion of feel-good energy and gold-plated hookiness. Embedded with Franklin's energetic interjections ("I feel like havin' some church up in here!!", "You can't take my joy, devil!!"), God's Property flip downtrodden woe into an uncontrollable out-break of adoration for Him, announcing that their love is so overwhelming that they must dance to allow their emotions some release. Salt joins in the festivities in a rare solo appearance, bringing some rap credibility to the proceedings with her own claims of appreciation: "I'm grateful the Lord brought me through this far/ Trying to be cute when I praise Him/ Raise 'em high!!!".

Shattering the usual restrictions that kept gospel music from getting airplay through the major outlets, "Stomp" proved too good to be held back (even people who considered themselves atheists or hadn't attended Sunday church in years couldn't deny it's flavor), emerging as one of the biggest overall radio hits of the year and making the album it came from the biggest selling gospel album ever. Unfortunately, GP and Franklin would part ways soon after, but neither that nor a shocking admission to porn addiction has stopped Kirk from continuing to get the youth in tune with the Good Book.

Best Moment: Kirk's infectious exclamations throughout.

Kirk Franklin - Stomp
Uploaded by klmbaby

DL: "Stomp" (YFH)

Puff Daddy featuring Faith Evans and 112 "I'll Be Missing You"

Album: Tribute to Notorious BIG (Bad Boy/ Atlantic)
Songwriters: Faith Evans, T. Gaither and Sting
Hit #1: June 14th, 1997 (8 Weeks)

Inspired by The LOX's tribute to the late, great Notorious BIG, "We'll Always Love Big Poppa", Puffy holed himself in the studio to record his own eulogy for the heavily-missed rap icon. No one could question the validity of his pain since the two were so close, and with BIG's passing affecting so many, "I'll Be Missing You" fittingly voiced the mourns of family, friends and fans worldwide, leading to a sort of at-peace resolution to all the shock and disbelief surrounding his death.

Years away from our instantaneous embrace, though, and "I'll Be Missing You" doesn't hold up to the same strengths it once did. Yes, it's still one of the most touching hip-pop records ever produced and the sorrowful gospel-soul emotes of Faith Evans and 112 make this an uplifting song that will always draw choked back memories of gone loved ones, but the song's overabundance of cringe-inducing elements (not to mention the badgering amount of airplay it received) have knocked it down a peg or two as time has passed.

The most obvious complaint is the wholesale use of The Police's "Every Breath You Take" backing instrumental. Hip hop had always used older records for inspiration, but this was a bit much. Further supporting the argument that Puff wasn't much of a producer, the over-the-top "sampling" disgusted many music fans (especially those of the non-rap-liking ilk), somewhat tainting The Police classic from that point on.

You also have the fact that Combs didn't write the lyrics himself (those honors fall on rap never-was Sauce Money). This wasn't all that surprising since the CEO held dear the art of ghostwriting (a major no-no in the hip hop credibility department), but the song's sentimental aspect seems a little hard to swallow knowing lines like "Give anything to hear half your breath/ I know you're still living your life after death" didn't come from the man's own pen. Throw in Puff's style-deficient monotone delivery (there's sad, and then there's just robotic), and the song falls in this awkward space based more on astute pop songcraft than raw emotion.

Nevertheless, "I'll Be Missing You" was inescapable for much of 1997, spending weeks atop singles chart all over the globe and scoring a Grammy win for Best Rap Performance By A Duo or Group. Hearing it today can still result in eyes getting a little teary, but people are also just as likely to quickly switch the dial to another station.

Best Moment: Faith's powerful re-working of the American spiritual "I'll Fly Away" on the bridge (2:37)

Puff Daddy feat. Faith Evans & 112 - I'll Be Missing You
Uploaded by Mustafu

DL: "I'll Be Missing You" (YFH)

Erykah Badu "Next Lifetime"

Album: Baduizm (Kedar/ Motown)
Songwriters: Erykah Badu and A. Scott
Hit #1: May 24th, 1997 (2 Weeks-Airplay)

Unappreciative of "On & On"'s opaque religious babble? Miss Badu feels your frustrations, so she drops you a bone on it's follow-up, "Next Lifetime", a far more accessible love song sprinkled with just a bit of her mystical eccentricities (you didn't expect her to completely give in and make it that easy, now did you?).

Reduced to an "lil' bitty girl" everytime she's around one particular fine specimen of man, Badu can't praise his parents enough for bringing him into his world. Geeky grin plastered on her face, she's completely caught in the web of his charms, but wait..."it ain't that type of party." What!?!? Turns out she's already committed to someone else. Unwilling to go down the cheating route, she comes up with a very Badu-like solution: "I guess I'll see you next lifetime".

Bubbling with lazy, jazz-ified sonics that envelop her sultry vocal in a gently swaying earthy warmth, "Next Lifetime" planted a clever spin on the typical crush ditty. It's acknowledgment of reincarnation and her stranglehold support of fidelity in the face of wayward emotions ("I know I'm a lot of woman/ But not enough to divide the pie") expressed a refreshing maturity that few artists would A: ever think of touching on, and B: deliver in such a cool way.

With the music video, a rapper-laden clip following Erykah subduing her feelings through three different lifetimes, vividly bringing the song to life and earning kudos as another fan favorite, "Next Lifetime" continued the one-of-kind neo-soul sensation's surprising success at urban radio, marking a second #1 that made everything else getting airplay at the time feel so uninspired and un-worthy of our time.

Erykah Badu - Next Lifetime
Uploaded by LilQ

DL: "Next Lifetime" (YFH)

Changing Faces "G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T."

Album: All Day, All Night (Big Beat/ Atlantic)
Songwriters: R. Kelly
Hit #1: May 17th, 1997 (4 Weeks)

R. Kelly took an interest in NY duo Cassandra Lucas and Charisse Rose (aka Changing Faces) early, employing them as one of his many '90's muses to deliver soap opera-styled R&B goodies from the female perspective. Two of his contributions from their debut, "Foolin' Around" and "Stroke You Up", would make them a success, especially with the ladies. For their second release, 1997's All Day, All Night, Kells' Midas touch continued to bless them, resulting in the biggest hit of their career.

The cleverly-titled "G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T." thrived as an anthem for wives and girlfriends everywhere, tired of their significant others' adulterous ways. As a midtempo tick-tock groove illustrates the time they spend at home alone awaiting their beau who's off on another mysterious late-night excursion, the ladies grow increasingly insecure about their place in their men's life ("Something's tellin' me some bullshit is goin' down"). Finally fed up, the girls decide it's time they kick dude to the curb, Kelly's blunt penmanship embedding the lyrics' with a neck-snapping attitude straight off the "Ricki Lake" soundstage ("Just give me half of the rent and get outta here").

Changing Faces - G H E T T O U T
Uploaded by classics007

DL: "G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T." (YFH)

The remix finds their anger softened a bit, but their hearts throbbing with just as much pain. "See I'm fed up with ya lies/ And all the things you've done to me," Charisse sings over a mournful soul soundbed, "All the phony alibis/ Is why your ass is history." In between the ladies' to-the-point dismissal ("Get O.U.T..../ Farewell..."), Kelly plays the male, pleading for a second chance: "See I got myself together babe/ And I'll never love another babe". He's now realizing that he just messed up a good thing, but it's far too late for sappy apologies; they've finally gathered the strength to move on, and with a sea of women cheering them on, have no need to ever look back.

It wouldn't be the last time they would end up caught in another love triangle, though. 2000's "That Other Woman" mirrored their frustrations, but now they were positioned as the woman he was cheating with ("Finally I woke up and smelled the coffee/ I understand why two women can't share one man"), while 2001's "Ladies Man" had them driven to kill yet another man who couldn't keep it in his pants. Sometimes, people never learn.

Best Moment: The cutting hook: "No more sittin' at home alone/ While you're out with somebody else/...I can do bad all by myself"



DL: "G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T. (Remix)" (YFH)

The Notorious BIG "Hypnotize"

Album: Life After Death (Bad Boy)
Songwriters: Randy Alpert, Deric Angelettie, Andy Armer, Sean Combs, Ron Lawrence and Christopher Wallace
Hit #1: April 26th, 1997 (3 Weeks)

When "Hypnotize" dropped, it brought with it an undeniable wave of excitement. Part of it was that the oversized man behind one of rap's greatest debuts (Ready To Die) was finally returning with a new album (a double disc, no less); some was from that classic "La-Di-Da-Di" swiping hook celebrating the man's genius ("Sometimes your words just hypnotize me"), which we could all get behind; but most of it's appeal came out of how on top of the world Biggie sounded. A heartbreaking thing really, knowing what was to come.

The man who had made the transition from ashy to classy was lovin' his newfound lavish existence and his revered status as the best rhymer in the land, even with so much emphasis on "blunts and broads" and "sex in expensive cars". With no time for faux gangsta rivals aiming to put a crimp in his style ("Never choose to bruise crews who/ Do somethin' to us/ Talk goes through us"), BIG would rather spend his hours hitting the freeway in the latest whips and bedding his masses of women on Persian rugs, introducing them to a "dick black like Toby". Elsewhere, he mocks haters tired of his "name brand nigga wit", cleverly noting how much he's elevated the style of hood girls across the country ("I put hoes in NY onto DKNY/ Miami, DC prefer Versace/ All Philly hoes, dough and Moschino/ Every cutie with a booty bought a Coogi").

Complimenting Biggie's festive demeanor was the larger-than-life production work. Yeah, it lazily samples a huge chunk of Herb Alpert's 1979 disco-instrumental treasure "Rise", but once again, Puffy's blatant musical thievery was spot-on, as it's driving bass thump perfectly straddled a line between hip hop and pop to make Biggie a world-wide Top 40 dynamo on his own terms.

Unfortunately he wouldn't see the huge success to come. By the time "Hypnotize" had hit stores, the man was no longer of this world, gunned down in a tragic murder that to this day remains unsolved, leaving a gaping hole in music that will never be filled. When "Hypnotize" was played while his casket rode through the streets of his old Brooklyn neighborhood, a crowd of grieving fans erupted in a fit of celebration for their local hero. Brooklyn had indeed made it, and the man who made that possible would never be forgotten.



DL: "Hypnotize" (YFH)

Blackstreet "Don't Leave Me"

Album: Another Level (Interscope)
Songwriters: Karen Anderson, Chauncey Hannibal, Roosevelt Harrell and Teddy Riley
Hit #1: April 19th, 1997 (3 Weeks-Airplay)

The lone female member of DeBarge, Bunny DeBarge, closed out her group's 1983 album, In A Special Way, with the self-penned "A Dream", a weepy ballad memorable for it's striking piano melody and Bunny's wistful solo performance

The gorgeously-produced number found Bunny hanging on to her sanity by imagining a slow dance reunion with a beau that had suddenly left her all alone. She replays the crushing last memory of him, walking out the door claiming to need "time alone". "You said you would return/ Just when you wouldn't promise," Bunny recalls, completely missing the obvious sign that he ain't ever coming back. Idly awaiting his re-entrance in the now-empty home they once shared, Bunny teases herself with daydreams of being in his arms again, only to snap out of the fantasy "when the music stops" and feel her heart shatter into a million pieces all over again.

A DeBarge favorite despite not being released as a single, "A Dream" would prove quite popular in 1996 when it's sampled melody was utilized on two different hit singles that year: 2Pac's "I Ain't Mad At Cha" and "Don't Leave Me", a Blackstreet midtempo that extended the lonesome heartache of Bunny's original to a male perspective.

The quartet lay it all out on the line: "If you take your love away from me/ I'll go crazy/ I'll go insane". It's a bit Keith Sweat-overdramatic ("Tears of frustration I hold inside/ But if you walk away/ You'll make this grown man cry"), but the group expertly nail the sentiment with strong, pleading vocals that really do make them sound on the verge of a mental breakdown. Props to Riley for the vocoder accents and what seems to be a keytar solo on the bridge, and member Mark Middleton, whose wondrous high tenor was truly the group's prized possession.

Blackstreet Don't Leave Me
Uploaded by carmlo01

DL: "Don't Leave Me" (YFH)



DL: "A Dream" (YFH)

Puff Daddy featuring Mase "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down"

Album: No Way Out (Bad Boy)
Songwriters: Mason Betha, Carlos Broady, Clifton Chase, Sean Combs, Edward Fletcher, Melvin Glover, Steve Jordan, Nashiem Myrick, Greg Prestopino, Sylvia Robinson and Matthew Wilder
Hit #1: March 8th, 1997 (6 Weeks)

In and out of the industry for years as a member of a folk act, back-up singer and TV ad performer, Matthew Wilder really hit his stride when he found a solo smash via 1983's "Break My Stride".

Laced with a playfully loping reggae waltz, the whimsical "Break My Stride" found Wilder searching to the ends of Earth to find his great love only to be stopped in his tracks when he finally caught up to her. He reminds her too much of her "rocky" past, she informs him, and with a future wide open with new adventures, feels no need for him to be a part of her life. Buoyed by it's sunshiny hook ("Ain't nobody gonna break-mah-stride/ Ain't nobody gonna hold me down/ Oh no!/ I got to keep on moving"), the record became an unmistakable '80's favorite, and, sadly, all the public seemed to desire from Matthew Wilder who never found major chart success again as a solo artist (though his career amassed greater fortune in the '90's as a producer for No Doubt's commercial breakthrough Tragic Kingdom and an Oscar-nominated composer for Disney's "Mulan").

Break My Stryde - MATTHEW WILDER
Uploaded by sammydj80

DL: "Break My Stride" (YFH)

Fast forward to 1997: Sean "Puffy" Combs had became a fixture in urban music with his blossoming Bad Boy imprint (home of Notorious BIG), production work for numerous hit singles and smash remixes, and constant mugging in music videos. But the ambitious business exec yearned for more of the spotlight, and took it upon himself to become an artist as well. With his amateur flow and ghostwritten rhymes, few paid him much respect as a rapper, but Puffy wasn't concerned with street cred, his eye was on the bigger prize: becoming a world-dominating, hip-pop superstar.

Those dreams reached near-instant fruition with the release of his (or rather, the less self-focused Puff Daddy & The Bad Boy Family's) debut single, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", which not only adopted the perseverance of Matthew Wilder's one hit, but blatantly stole the song's hook as well (alongside a reheating of the classic beat behind Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five's "The Message", itself already re-popularized by Ice Cube).

The thin premise: Don't hate Puffy and Mase because they're flyer than you'll ever be (or in their words: "Young, Black and famous/ With money hanging out the anus"). Dodging death threats while they live the good life ("Everything that's big dreams/ I did that"), the duo mock their haters' minimal supply of hot chicks and flashy whips with yawning deliveries that make them sound as bored with their materialistic subject matter as everyone else will soon be.

Surprisingly, Mase, prepped to be Bad Boy's next great hope, gives this slick number it's street edge. Though Puffy had motioned to smooth him over into this cuddly, Cheshire-cat-grinning pop-rapper, the formerly named "Murda Mase" hadn't completely let loose of his hardcore roots, initiating an interesting struggle between his past persona and his new mentor's less aggressive, crossover-focused vision. In a memorable moment, Puffy pleads: "Mase can you please stop smokin' la la?". The future pastor's golden reply: "Puff, why try?/ I'm a thug/ I'm-a die high".

Best Moment: A funny cameo from Eddie Griffin and Notorious BIG in the accompanying clip, the first of many ultra-expensive music videos to come from Combs.

Puff Daddy ft Ma$e - Can't Nobody...
Uploaded by ineptique

DL: "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" (YFH)

Dru Hill "In My Bed"

Album: Dru Hill (Island)
Songwriters: Raphael Brown, Darryl Simmons and Ralph B. Stacey
Hit #1: February 22nd, 1997 (3 Weeks)

With Boyz II Men growing ever-so-maudlin and Jodeci "taking a break", R&B was in need of some new blood in the male vocal group department. The answer arrived in Puff Daddy's 112 and Dru Hill, a Baltimore quartet with sturdy, gospel-trained harmonies and a blonde-coiffed superstar frontman named Sisqo who had obviously spent much time studying every disrobing move and ferociously over-the-top singing tic from Jodeci's lanky K Ci Hailey. The group had already toe-hopped their way into the Top Ten with "Tell Me", but it was the soulful infidelity ode "In My Bed" that became their signature number.

"I got this feeling and I just can't turn it loose/ That somebody's been gettin' next to you" Sisqo opens, his muscular tenor wringing as much soul as possible out of every word. Tipped off by concerned friends and his woman's erratic behavior, he's already aware that everything isn't on the up-and-up in his relationship. Though he refuses to let unproven suspicions get to him initially ("I just can't lose my cool", he explains), when homegirl starts yelling out another man's name during sex, it's all over. From there, a tempestuous mix of pain and anger boils to the surface in a throat-soring vocal performance, while his groupmates glumly echo the aching reality stirring in his brain ("Somebody's sleepin' in my bed/ Somebody's takin' my place..."). "Now if you truly loved me/ Then this would not be happening," he screams out at his despicable mate, hoping that she could feel a fraction of the embarrassment he's mired in.

As if he knew that Sisqo needed some aural cheering up, Jermaine Dupri whipped up a fierce club concoction on the So So Def Remix, taking the melodrama of the original and gluing it to a funked out bass bump, while he and Da Brat trade off irrelevant blingy rhymes about the lifestyle of the rich and famous ("All I'm about is that dolla dolla bill").

Best Moment: In the video for the original when Sisqo discovers that his girl's other lover (gasp) is another woman!!

In My Bed
Uploaded by ice1906

DL: "In My Bed" (YFH)

Dru Hill feat J. Dupri & Da Brat In My Bed So So Def Rmx
Uploaded by fejay9one

DL: "In My Bed (Remix)" (YFH)

En Vogue "Don't Let Go (Love)"

Album: Set It Off: Music From The New Line Cinema Motion Picture (EastWest)
Songwriters: Marqueze Etheridge, Andrea Martin, Ivan Matias and Organized Noise
Hit #1: January 25th, 1997 (1 Week)

En Vogue achieved something two times in the 90's that only a handful of R&B artists had convincingly accomplished before: blend the worlds of rock and soul in a way that didn't feel tongue-in-cheek campy or "this is our rock song" hokey.

Aware that there was nothing more stimulating than the marriage of squealing electric guitars and supple, Black church-y vocals, producers/ En Vogue creators Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster first pulled off this risky feat on the storming "Free Your Mind". It's intense musical makeup (thunderous fretwork, steely harmonies, COWBELLL!!) and frustrated spit in the face of racial stereotypes ("I can't look without being watched/ You rang my buy before I made up my mind") stretched a classic George Clinton hook into an impressive genre-meld that to this day remains a relevant, dazzling masterwork in sound.

En vogue - Free Your Mind
Uploaded by Dante35

DL: "Free Your Mind" (YFH)

The 1996-97 Winter found Atlanta hitmaking team Organized Noise (Outkast, Goodie Mob, TLC) honing in on this style yet again, but instead of using the raging rawk furor as support for conscious musings, they attached it to a woman's vehement plea to take a casual fling to the next level. "Don't Let Go (Love)" (featured in the female bank robber flick "Set It Off" with Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox and Jada Pinkett) was the perfect vehicle for group rebel Dawn Robinson's starring turn, who delves deep into the ultimatum-dishing role, pulling off the performance's required hair-pulling angst ("I live in misery when you're not around/ And I won't be satisfied 'til we're taking those vows") and making lyrics about dressing up in dude's clothes and stewing in his essence sound as deranged as they should.

The final third gives each member a chance to pull out their inner Tina Turner with killer vocal runs that pit them in competition with eachother. Sadly, it would be the last major release to feature all four original vocalists. Robinson left the group soon after "Don't Let Go" had become a radio mainstay to pursue what would become a flaccid solo career. Reduced to a trio, Cindy, Maxine and Terry strengthened their now-three-part harmonic attack and dropped EV3, but without Dawn (and fewer collaborations with McElroy/ Foster), the group just didn't have that same magic and album sales suffered because of it.

Though not the trend-setting commercial dynamos they once were, En Vogue continued to drop material through indie labels with members coming and going ("New Mickey Mouse Club" alum Rhona Bennett eventually joined the group for an off-and-on run). The original four came back together for a couple of shows here and there, but an oft-promised reunion album has yet to emerge.

Best Moment: The "Fatal Attraction" line: "If I could wear your clothes/ I'd pretend I was you/ And lose control" (2:06)

En Vogue - Don'T Let Go
Uploaded by hakim93200

DL: "Don't Let Go (Love)" (YFH)

Aaliyah "One In A Million"

Album: One In A Million (Blackground)
Songwriters: Missy Elliott and Tim Mosley
Hit #1: January 4th, 1997 (6 Weeks-Airplay)

A murky, upside-down-feeling ballad, "One In A Million" sounds like it's playing in some Y3K-era, post-apocalyptic nightmare world. It's the only way to try to explain the track's stunning, goth-surreal atmosphere. Drums pound in offbeat rhythmic patterns, malfunctioning guitars zing out random riffs and somewhere skulking in the darkness is Aaliyah, drowsily echoing romancing sentiment to a man she feels destined to spend the rest of her life with, at any cost.

In accordance with the shadowy sonics encircling her, Aaliyah takes a crush to dark, obsessive levels. "Baby you don't know/ What you do to me/ Between me and you/ I feel a chemistry," she emotes, with the droning flatness of a soulless zombie, "Wanna please you anyway I can/ Wanna share my world/ Don't you understand?". Note the desperation in that last line. She may feel like he's 'one in a million' and love the dirty drawls he wears, but the notion soon forms that the feelings might not be reciprocated. Sensing this, she breaks away from her hypnotizing stoned vocal, releasing a pinching cry where she's teetering on the edge of insanity by the thought of him not remaining by her side. "I'll give you anything you want from me," she sings, as the knocking, cavernous beat shrouds her in sun-deprived loneliness.

The inverted, skeletal remix drowns Aaliyah further in the mix; she's now reduced to a faint apparition trapped amidst Hellish growls and moans. But her new crew (Tim, Missy and Ginuwine) are to the rescue, bringing her back to life with coaxing rap ad-libs and the soulful male response she was begging for before.

Like "If Your Girl Only Knew", "One In A Million" captured R&B venturing in new and exciting places. Exquisite layers of suffocating gloom housing human vulnerability offered a challenging, mind-bending listen that quickly made moot the idea that the state of Black music was in peril. Within years, the track's otherworldly elements would become a commonplace sound in all forms of music.

Best Moment: That skittering drum track.

Aaliyah - One In A Million
Uploaded by LuisB

DL: "One In A Million" (YFH)

Aaliyah ft Ginuwine-One in a million mix
Uploaded by hakim93200

DL: "One In A Million (Remix)" (YFH)

R. Kelly "I Believe I Can Fly"

Album: Space Jam-Music From & Inspired By The Motion Picture (Atlantic)
Songwriters: R. Kelly
Hit #1: December 21st, 1996 (6 Weeks)

It may have been a bit weird when grandmothers began name-dropping the man who sang songs titled "Bump & Grind", "I Like The Crotch On You" and "Sex Me" as a favorite, but that was the result when R. Kelly contributed the inspirational "I Believe I Can Fly" for the Michael Jordan/ Bugs Bunny flick, "Space Jam", in 1996. Proving that there was more to the man than sexually explicit bedroom banter, the song elevated the already multi-platinum R&B phenom into a mega pop superstar, becoming a fixture at churches, graduations, Bible camps and funerals everywhere.

As a full-bodied orchestra swells beneath his gospel-inflected croon, Kelly emerges from a self-defeatist attitude ("I used to think that I could not go on/ And life was nothing but an awful song") to embrace the idea that he is the controller of his destiny ("If I can see it/ Then I can do it/ If I just believe it/ There's nothing to it"). Yeah, the lyrics and arrangement were gaggingly cheesy, but it's straight-faced earnestness was incredibly rousing, especially with the mid-way addition of a forceful gospel choir to help back his message, leading everyone into believing that, they too, could sprout wings and take to the skies.

Whether you chose to buy into it or not, the song was a cross-genre smash that widened Kelly's audience greatly and awarded him a newfound respect within the industry (the song won him three Grammy's-the only ones he's ever received). "I Believe I Can Fly" also exposed a new sect of Robert's sound that, for better ("The World's Greatest") or worse (the Celine duet "I Am Your Angel"), we would hear more of in the coming years (including an entire inspirational-themed album in 2004, U Saved Me), and, perhaps best of all, served as the perfect go-to defense everytime his personal behavior came into question ('But he wrote "I Believe I Can Fly"...').

Best Moment: It's trilly grand finale and that great ending (HUUUUUUUUMMM!!)

R.Kelly - I Believe i can fly
Uploaded by hakim93200

DL: "I Believe I Can Fly" (YFH)

Keith Sweat featuring Athena Cage "Nobody"

Album: Keith Sweat (Elektra)
Songwriters: Fitzgerald Scott and Keith Sweat
Hit #1: November 30th, 1996 (3 Weeks)

On the heels of the career re-igniting "Twisted", Keith Sweat dropped the mesmerizing "Nobody", a collaboration with Kut Klose member Athena Cage that felt carved out of the great male/ female R&B duets of the Quiet Storm 80's.

As a gently throbbing drum beat and whiny synth blankets set a candlelit mood, Sweat and Cage engage in the most mind-blowing lovemaking ride. "Come here baby and let me do it to you," she seductively chirps; "I want to show you baby that I need you," he woos. Though you get the feeling that there's some "let me lick you up and down"-type freakiness about to go down, "Nobody" never really succumbs to sleazy lyricism to hint at this being some one-time fling. This is the sound of a married couple celebrating their anniversary, newlyweds in the passionate throes of their honeymoon, parents getting it on while the kids spend the night elsewhere. This is the sound of two people rekindling that old flame.

It would also mark Sweat's last trip to the top as a solo artist. After finding major success with the all-star side project LSG (in which he teamed with fellow R&B lovermen Gerald Levert and Johnny Gill) the following year, Keith spent follow-up recordings running in place creatively, offering new material that felt dated on impact while the ones he influenced (Tank, Tyrese, Avant) garnered a new generation of female attention.

Best Moment: The brilliant WTF! breakdown: "ON WON WON WON and ON WO-ON" (2:19)



DL: "Nobody" (YFH)

Ginuwine "Pony"

Album: Ginuwine...The Bachelor (550 Music/ Epic)
Songwriters: Elgin Lumpkin, Timothy Mosley and Sean Garrett
Hit #1: November 16th, 1996 (2 Weeks)

Only a couple weeks after resuscitating Aaliyah's career with her sinewy #1 "If Your Girl Only Knew", Timbaland was back on top of the charts, this time thanks to an insane, syncopated belch bounce and a singer who slid and gyrated across the stage like an exotic dancer who had studied performance tapes of Michael Jackson and Bobby Brown ad nauseum.

The 1990's had birthed it's share of naughty R&B male crooners but few could touch the libidinous Ginuwine (government name: the very un-sexy Elgin Lumpkin), who had girls perfecting their bull-riding skills with his first single, "Pony", featuring the metaphorically thin chorus: "If you're horny/ Do it/ Ride it/ My pony".

With Timbaland waving his maestro wand over a futuristic beat-box orchestra embedded with cartoon-ish sound effects, Gin somehow manages to not acknowledge the track's alien-like outrageousness, too busy with his randy requests. "I'm just a bachelor/ Looking for a partner," he notes in this steamy want ad, "Someone who knows how to ride/ Without even falling off". Cue millions of freaky gals answering back in hopes of being the target of his sexual promises, mouths left dry with talk of tingling spines and juice-stained thighs.

Though his light tenor isn't all that distinguishing, Gin strains his plain croon with a growling sense of desperation, like he'll spontaneously combust if he doesn't find a girl right now that's fitting enough to join his "jockey team".

Beyond reigning supreme as one of Timbaland's best productions ever, "Pony"'s raunchy lyric and oft-kilter beat helped make Ginuwine an instant star as well as heavily-desired bachelor. Later releases would flesh out his sex-addict persona in a more ballad-y direction (a smart move that helped transition him into his less Timbaland-reliant years), but he would never again bring the thrills the way he did with this XXX-rated, club-friendly monster.

Best Moment: The keyboard tones that pop up near the end, closing things out with a tender edge (3:50).

Ginuwine - Pony
Uploaded by sweetguy93

DL: "Pony" (YFH)

Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen "No Diggity"

Album: Another Level (Interscope)
Songwriters: Dr. Dre, Chauncey Hannibal, Teddy Riley, William Stewart, Lynise Walters and Bill Withers
Hit #1: October 19th, 1996 (4 Weeks)

Found on Bill Withers' 1971 debut Just As I Am, "Grandma's Hands" detailed a soothing culmination of the West Virginia musician's earthy soul-blues sound and introspective, folk-styled songwriting. Over a layman's groove that sounds like the product of a sweaty-hot Sunday afternoon backporch jam, Withers' weary tenor recalls childhood memories of his late grandmother, a beloved community rock who faithfully attended church, offered words of comfort to the "local unwed mother" and occasionally got her grandson out of trouble ("She'd say, 'Maddie don't you whip that boy/ What you want to spank him for?").

Anchored with the haunting strums from his trusty guitar and a raw honesty that drips from his lyrical pen, the tribute wholly conveyed how much of a cherished figure the woman was to Bill's life. Try to not be moved by it's downbeat hymnal air or it's lingering final line: "If I get to Heaven I'll look for Grandma's hands".

Infusing the gospel and blues tinge of "Grandma's Hands" with the new-school spirit of hip hop and contemporary R&B, producer Teddy Riley inadvertently sculpted a five-minute crash-course lesson in the previous fifty-year evolution of Black music on his group Blackstreet's 1996 smash, "No Diggity". With the Bill Withers classic positioned as the track's bedrock musical element, the quartet (alongside a couple guests) offered an addictive, slang-heavy ode to the town playette.

"Strictly biz she don't play around/ Cover much ground/ Got game by the pound," Riley preaches, "I think about the girl all the time". The ultimate vixen, the much-sought after mystery woman leaves a trail of men salivating behind her ("She's got class and style/ True knowledge by the pound/ Baby never act wild/ Very low-key on the profile") in her search for the highest bidder. Since most knowingly can't afford her, they opt on ogling her on the sidelines instead. "I like the way you work it/ (No diggity)/ I got to bag it up," they chant in their minds, pondering if their bank accounts are indeed worthy of her time.

Bookended by rap verses from Dr. Dre (in a rare appearance on something he had no hand in producing) and female rhyme slinger Queen Pen (happy to take on the persona of the hard-to-please diva) for an even more bulging track recipe, "No Diggity" provided the perfect lead-off for Blackstreet's sophomore disc (Another Level), a spectacular contemporary soul collection that pushed them to the forefront of '90's R&B greats.

Blackstreet- No Diggity
Uploaded by ineptique

DL: "No Diggity" (YFH)



DL: "Grandma's Hands" (YFH)

Az Yet "Last Night"

Album: Az Yet (Laface)
Songwriters: Keith Andes and Babyface
Hit #1: October 12th, 1996 (1 Week)

Laface thought they had found their next great blockbuster act after five-piece vocal group Az Yet were wholeheartedly embraced by ladies everywhere due to the chivalrous sensitivity of their breakout single, "Last Night".

Originally found on the soundtrack to "The Nutty Professor", "Last Night" was destined to be a girl favorite. With songwriting and production co-credited to the fearlessly schmaltzy Babyface, the song personifies the kind of white (or in this case, Black) knight fantasy man usually found in romance novels. You know the type; all-around perfect hunks with bulging biceps and a sensitive heart that women pray will one day sweep them off their feet. The kind that understand what 'making love' means and admit things like "I saw the sun/ The moon/ The mountains and the rivers/ I saw Heaven when I made sweet love to you".

Few, if any, probably truly exist and as sensual as the idea might be, in real life, it would seem to be a little creepy if some man broke down in post-orgasm tears because the sex was so damn beautiful. If anything, the sappy number's main attraction emerges from the strong, distinctive pipes of the lead vocalists. They could've offered some worthy competition to the similarly-tailored Boyz II Men in time, but their peak was short-lived. After achieving a second hit, and a Grammy nomination, with a soulful re-working of Chicago's "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", internal strife and revolving line-up changes led to a quick fade-out.

Az Yet - Last Night
Uploaded by Misstafkap

Best Moment: The delicate flutters of the second lead performance (0:45)

DL: "Last Night" (YFH)