Ray J "Let It Go"

Album: Music From The New Line Cinema Motion Picture - "Set It Off" (Elektra/ Asylum; 1996)
Songwriters: Keith Crouch, Glenn McKinney and Roy Dog Pennon
R&B Peak Position: #17

"Can't do nothin' betta--then let it go..."

Long before that infamous sex tape, Whitney Houston dating rumors and the forgettable gigs on UPN/ CW sitcoms, Ray J was another child actor trying to follow in his hugely successful big sister Brandy's footsteps in the music arena. While he's never been known to be a great singer (and we won't even comment on the "rapping"), his debut single "Let It Go", featured on the "Set It Off" soundtrack, initially positioned him as a surprisingly solid C-rate Tevin Campbell.

Playing with the same type of retro-funk/ soul workouts Brandy used to fancy in her early recordings, "Let It Go" could best be summed up as a squelchy tribute to Stevie Wonder's inspiring, '70's-era anthems.

Has life, or that depressing 9-to-5 you spend your days in got you in all in a funk? Well, Ray J has the remedy. "I insist that you be down and ready to party/ I insist that you relax and let it go," the young crooner urges, leading listeners into a "TGIF" celebration that comes to life via the track's relentless, bass-anchored groove and mix-hidden party chatter.

While Ray J plays a fair host, he's much aware of his vocal limitations (and the fact that the old-school leaning production deserves most of the spotlight), so he smartly keeps the singing acrobatics to a minimum, lining the tune with short, understated ad-libs bursts. The all-important chorus stands strong, though, beefed up with layers of vocals that dare you to sing-along to it's carefree stance ("Set your troubles free/ Dance with me/ Lose control").

"Let It Go" managed a Top 20 R&B chart placement, a fine accomplishment for the music newcomer, but the album that followed, 1997's Everything You Want, was mainly overlooked by the buying public. Following years spent thickening up his film and television credits, Ray J returned to the music scene in the '00's brandishing a more macho, shirt-averse persona. Lumped in with "106th & Park" teen R&B favorites B2K and Mario and given support from A-list talents The Neptunes, R. Kelly and Rodney Jerkins, the actor/ singer fared much better commercially, cracking the Top 10 with the very Pharrell-ish "Wait A Minute" and the whiny, choked-voiced ballad "One Wish", while "Another Day In Paradise", a Phil Collins cover performed alongside Brandy found international success.

His biggest hit, though, would be due to a "performance" of a different kind: A leaked sex tape featuring him with then-girlfriend, socialite/ reality TV star Kim Kardashian that made Ray J a...um, "bigger" celebrity than any of his "official" entertainment endeavors had ever achieved.



DL: "Let It Go" (YFH)

De La Soul featuring A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah and Monie Love "Buddy (Native Tongue Decision Version)"

Album: 3 Feet High & Rising (Tommy Boy; 1989)
Songwriters: Nathanial Hall, Paul Huston, Simone Johnson, David Jolicoeur, Vincent Mason, Kelvin Mercer, Michael Smith and Malik Taylor
R&B Peak Position: #18

"Snap my fingers, make you mine/ If not, I'll snap a second time..."

Whenever you have the luxury to come by the classic Larry Levan mix of Taana Gardner's "Heartbeat", expect to get lost within it's slow crawl of a disco groove and Gardner's growling ode to the ecstasy of love. Expect to get that serious mug all over your face and get ready to touch yourself inappropriately to the grinding pulse of it's hypnotic, provocative rhythm.

Written by Kenton Nix, "Heartbeat" emerged as the biggest release from the NYC-based, disco-associated label West End Records as well as Jersey-born Gardner's crowning achievement. From it's opening recreation of one of life's most familiar sounds (the boom-boom heart throb), to it's eventual immersion into gritty funk basslines and soul-numbing disco freakiness, the track is a musical playground, every few bars introducing some hot new ingredient to make you fall deeper in love with it.

Don't bypass Taana's performance, though; this isn't some club floor staple in which the beat overpowers the vocalist. Her chops have as many layers as the arrangement, transforming from a girlish squeal to low, rumbling tones to epiphanic outbursts concerning how "sweet enough to eat" her boo is. Simplistic rhyming notwithstanding ("Moving all around/ From my head to the ground.../ Cause everything you said/ Went right straight to my head"), the killer moment arrives three quarters into the record, when Gardner starts speak-singing while the backing beat goes through it's umpteenth extreme metamorphosis, glittery synth stabs and an electric guitar solo moving to the forefront of it's ever-evolving frame.



DL: "Heartbeat" (YFH)

For beat-fiends in search of that magic loop, "Heartbeat" was the gift that kept on giving. Probably the most oft-sampled cut not associated with James Brown or George Clinton (Roxanne, Treacherous Three, KRS One, SWV, DMX, Heavy D, Ini Kamoze and Musiq, are just a few names to re-imagine it's greatness), it's irresistible groove has recurred on so many records over the years, it wouldn't be surprising if the younger kids were unaware of it's original birthplace.

Of all of them, one of the more memorable "Heartbeat" adoptions would have to be the all-star posse remix of De La Soul's "Buddy". In it's original, more demure, incarnation on the hip hop classic 3 Feet High & Rising, "Buddy" bundled De La, Q Tip and The Jungle Brothers for what could easily be considered the most adorable take on the sex rap form. Utilizing child-safe metaphors to express their horny frat-boy musings and STD fears ("For the lap/ Jimbrowski must wear a cap/ Just in case the girl likes to clap"), the conversational mic-passing engages in plenty of geeky code-talk, but rather than come across annoyingly elitist, the goofy rhymes and languid, sample-based beat portrayed a refreshingly fun alternative to a genre that had seemingly forgotten how to smile.

"Heartbeat" came into play on the superior Native Tongue Decision Version, a scratch-heavy, dance-friendly revision that incorporated the female voice (Queen Latifah and Monie Love were added in) and gave off a vibe that these cats were truly having a party when in the studio together. Maxing out at over seven minutes with what feels like a hundred different miniature verses plus a random interjection of "Ooh Child" and an odd French-accented skit at the end, the track is so hot, it could easily go on for a hundred more without complaint from anyone.

Recent years have seen the enlarged posse record become popular again (what with folks like DJ Khaled and DJ Felli Fel rounding up the entire rap industry on singular cuts), but none have managed to come close to the good-time heights of the "Buddy (Remix)". It's quite sad, cause with hip hop in quite a creative lull these days, some of that old Native Tongue spirit could really stage a comeback right about now.

Best Moment: Monie Love holding it down for the ladies with an energetic, uzi-fire contribution. (3:30)

De La Soul - Buddy (w/Jungle Brothers)
Uploaded by hushhush112

DL: "Buddy (Native Tongue Decision Version)" (YFH)

Ghost Town DJ's "My Boo"

Album: So So Def Bass All Stars (So So Def; 1996)
Songwriters: Carlton Mahone and Rodney Terry
R&B Peak Position: #18

"If your game is on, give me a call boo..."

Booty bass might not have birthed too many long-term stars, but it did serve as the launching pad for some classic '90's singles. In the late nineties', Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Bass All Stars series was the spot for the hottest Southern dance bangers. None of the artists featured managed to become household names (except maybe the sweetly-voiced, two-hit wonder INOJ), but a few of the songs definitely lived on to become classics, the most noteworthy being an undeniable summertime confection entitled "My Boo" by the Ghost Town DJ's.

A midtempo soul devotion ballad set to a brisk dance beat and handled by a faceless ensemble of musicians (DJ/ songwriter duo Carlton Mahone and Rodney Terry with vocalist Rayona B Graham), "My Boo" felt like a mash-up, but a really good one, blending the pillowy-soft with the street-tough the way freestyle used to do to great effect in the '80's.

While many may look back at the song as a harmless dose of puppy love fluff, "My Boo" actually carried a much darker undertone, with Graham nearing obsessed stalker levels as she details her every weekend adventure preying out the object of her affection while spending her weekday nights imagining them together. The production just as well flirts with the song's line teetering of the innocent and the insane, it's percolating bass rhythm bouncing atop ominous keyboard waves that seethe with devilish intent.

Despite releasing the ignored full-length Frantic that same year, Ghost Town DJ's, like most of these type acts, faded from the scene as "My Boo"'s initial massive airplay began to drizzle away; still, the song remains a favorite to this day (especially during the warmer season), representing a time when booty bass was experiencing it's peak mainstream breakthrough. In 2004, the song would be remade by the Diplomats and Nicole Wray as "I Wanna Be Your Lady" for their Diplomatic Immunity Volume 2 album, while in late 2007, rapper Pitbull nodded to the '96 hit by interpolating it in his Lloyd-featured single, "Secret Admirer".

Best Moment: The feel-good giddiness of the hook.

Ghost Town DJ's - My Boo
Uploaded by lincal77

DL: "My Boo" (YFH)

Tevin Campbell "Round and Round"

Album: Graffiti Bridge (Paisley Park; 1990)
Songwriters: Prince
R&B Peak Position: #3

"One day I'll make it in the big city/ And I'll be lookin' for a girl who's pretty..."

Months after his #1 breakout performance on Quincy Jones' "Tomorrow", R&B tyke Tevin Campbell found himself lodged back into the R&B Top 5 aided by yet another member of musical royalty. One of the lone bright spots of the ill-constructed Purple Rain sequel Graffiti Bridge, "Round and Round" found Prince expressing an awareness in the day's urban music trends, making a slight attempt at the new jack swing style dominating R&B playlists, while further announcing Campbell as the rising superstar the then-thirteen-year-old felt destined to be.

Campbell's pre-pubescent tenor might have felt a little too young to be preaching mature concerns about others' lack of drive ("Nothin' comes from dreamers but dreams/ Sittin' idle in our boat/ While everyone else is down the stream/ Nothin' comes from talkers but sound..."), but Tevin had the skills to pull a charismatic performance from any topic, his bubbly, diva-like wails adding a likable dynamic to an otherwise ho-hum display of mild, street-wise funk. Even his embarrassingly awkward stab at loverman rap ("One day I'll make a play/ And she will say 'OK'") carries a certain level of charm.

A foreshadowing of the mega-success awaiting him, "Round and Round" earned Tevin his first Gold plaque as well as a Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Campbell had wished for Prince to write and produce his debut album, but execs opted on veering the young singer in a different direction. The two wouldn't reunite in the studio again until Tevin's 1993 sophomore release, I'm Ready, to which Prince contributed a handful of tracks, including the provocative radio hit, "Shhh".

Best Moment: That intro vocal run!! (0:00)



DL: "Round and Round" (YFH)

Dionne Farris "Hopeless"

Album: Love Jones - The Music (Sony; 1997)
Songwriters: Dionne Farris and Van Hunt
R&B Peak Position: #23 (Airplay Only)

"They say I'm hopeless...as a penny with a hole in it"

After walking away from her profile-raising role as an extended member of Arrested Development, New Jersey-born Dionne Farris made a splash as a solo act, demolishing the boundaries of what a Black female could successfully record with her 1995 debut, Wild Seed - Wild Flower. The album's well-executed exercise in soul, rock, pop and funk proved to be a winning combination with critics and listeners craving a more eclectic, artistic slant in their R&B; it also produced a monster single in the form of "I Know", a catchy nugget built on repetitive dialogue, soaring supple vocals and a twangy, Southern rock edge. While "I Know"'s mainstream radio domination made her a brief pop sensation, contrary to popular belief, it wasn't her sole hit. A couple years later Farris would score some major love within more urban-oriented circles when she contributed a fine ballad entitled "Hopeless" to, arguably, one of the best R&B soundtracks of the decade.

Catching your ear with caressing, bronze-hued instrumentation reminiscent of classic Minnie Ripperton balladry or subdued Sly Stone, "Hopeless" landed as a fine achievement in classy, '70's-informed throwback soul. A beautiful study in conflicted emotions while recalling an old love, Farris poetically juxtaposes the sorrow and joy that arises with her memories ("Hello yesterday, I sure need you know/ Goodbye yesterday/ I just can't stay around"). There's a striking bareness in the way her gentle voice rides the waves of the moody arrangement, as if portraying a woman alone in her thoughts. Then the chorus arrives, and it's multi-tracked vocals motion to the collected voices of friends ribbing her situation ("They say I'm hopeless...as a penny with a hole in it/ They say I'm no less...than up to my head in it"). Her response: a shoulder-shrugging string of "bah-bahs". She knows she's a lost cause, but is comfortable in the thought that she has yet to reach a simplified conclusion with her feelings.

Released as a single from the accompanying soundtrack to the African-American cinema cult fave, "Love Jones", "Hopeless" found worthy company in similarly cherished offerings from Maxwell, Lauryn Hill and Groove Theory amongst others. Unfortunately, it's success would also lead to Farris' decision to quit the industry, as the suffocating pressure from her label execs to replicate the song on her next album stole away much of her interest in singing. After spending a decade away from the biz to focus on raising her daughter, Dionne has recently began making noise as a musician again, with plans to release her long-anticipated second album, Signs of Life, within the year.

Interesting Tidbits: The song was co-written by future neo-soul sensation, Van Hunt, while a pre-"Idol" Randy Jackson can be seen in the video.

Dionne farris - hopeless
Uploaded by boobsbaby

DL: "Hopeless" (YFH)

Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott featuring Da Brat "Sock It 2 Me"

Album: Supa Dupa Fly (EastWest/ Elektra; 1997)
Songwriters: TD Bell, Melissa Elliott, Shawntae Harris, W. Hart and Tim Mosley
R&B Peak Position: #4

"I be poppin' fish like some Crisco..."

Wacking out the minds of everyone with the avant-garde sounds and druggy visuals from her defining debut solo single/ video "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)", Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott flipped it for something a lil' more accessible (who doesn't get horny?) on it's R&B-tinged follow-up, "Sock It 2 Me".

In a rare instance of overt sampling, Timbaland loops the elephant trunk horn blasts and tip-toe string intro from The Delfonics' 1968 classic "Ready Or Not Here I Come", attaching a commanding militaristic strut to Elliott's cry for coochie love. Starving for the kind of sex that'll leave her walkin' funny for days, "Misdemeanor" initiates her own late-night booty call, demanding he "jump in this B-E-D" and "bring bring bring/ the nasty out of me".

Which such overt carnality wasn't all that strange coming from a female rapper (remember this dropped during what Da Brat calls the "bitch era", when unapologetically nasty femcees Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown ruled the roost), the always unique Elliott took it down a different lane, using her buttery R&B pipes to communicate her desires like some soul diva in heat. But where the verses are sultry and smooth, the "tell-it-like-it-is" chorus lands with the hard-hitting impact of the illest B-girl, spewing out wink-wink braggadoccio ("I can take it like a pro you know") and metaphor-enhanced wit ("My hormones jumpin' like a disco").

The accompanying Hype Williams-directed video, meanwhile, continued her innovative grasping of kooky visuals, suiting her up in a Mega-Man outfit while she and Lil' Kim evade killer robots on a CGI version of Mars.

Best Moment: Da Brat's nyah-nyah-inflected verse closer: "I be the B-R-A-T/ Her be Missy/ And we some bad bitches who be fuckin it up" (3:24)

MIssy Elliott "Sock It 2 Me" produced by Timboooo!
Uploaded by ThomasCrownChronicles

DL: "Sock It 2 Me" (YFH)

Paperboy "Ditty"

Album: The Nine Yards (Next Plateau; 1993)
Songwriters: Mitchell Johnson, Larry Troutman, Roger Troutman and D. Weldon
R&B Peak Position: #17

"Let's do the ditty-ditty if you--want to/ Because then I could see if I--want you..."

Long before T-Pain rose to fame with his can't-miss brand of vocal-enhanced cyborg R&B, Roger Troutman and his band of brothers, Zapp, were delivering the sounds of the future with their talk box-accompanied dance/ soul oeuvre. An off-shoot of the Parliament/ Funkadelic clan, Zapp's alien-sheened funk jams stretched the glories of disco long after the genre was claimed dead, and would emerge as one of the major influences in hip hop (especially West Coast rap) around a decade later.

One of their greatest creations was "Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing)", a Top 5 R&B hit from 1982's Zapp II. All playful bounce, the polyrhythmic track rocked you to your core within it's seemingly never-ending grasp of feel-good energy. Itchy guitar plucks, whipcrack handclaps, Latin percussion breaks, beat-box basslines and the funkiest harmonica-playing ever all share space, surrounding a pleasureful hook that matter-of-factly yearns to get down ("Said I wanna blow/ Just let me flow/ Blow my thang-yang baby/ Blow my tha-ang").



DL: "Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing)" (YFH)

Already chopped up on cuts from Compton's Most Wanted and Kid Sensation, "Doo Wa Ditty" was reincarnated most famously on a breakout crossover hit from a Los Angeleno rapper named Paperboy.

Screwing the Zapp joint to a near-slow motion crawl (with a prominent bass drone added to make it a car stereo favorite), "Ditty" catches the nimble-tongued rapper enjoying the newfound benefits of having major dough. "Gold D's on my fours and gold Lex/ Cause I got it made," he brags, happily embracing the flurry of opportunistic women now battling for his attention while jealous dudes fume on the sidelines. Though he eagerly dips into his ever-expanding list of groupies, Paperboy still manages to think with his real head, responsibly unfurling a safe sex cautionary throughout because "to me, my life is more than my erection".

Surprisingly, even with it's sexual theme and slew of "ho" drops, "Ditty" emerged as a pop radio heavyweight, this most likely attributed to it's catchy, semi-sung hook establishing an undeniable summertime magnetism. But instant crossover success turned out to be a double-edged sword. Yeah, he scored a Best Rap Solo Performance Grammy nomination, but for the times, being a rapper who exploded out of the gate with a Platinum Top 40 smash did little for his street cred. Passed over as a joke by most rap purists, Paperboy's career would sadly end as quickly as it began (though props should be given for the overlooked, "Love Hangover"-sampling "P's Cure" from his follow-up LP, City To City).

Best Moment: "Leave your man startled like the funk off of Fritos/ Make your man jealous while hoes cheese like Doritos" (2:53)



DL: "Ditty" (YFH)

Crucial Conflict "Hay"

Album: The Final Tic (Pallas/ Universal; 1996)
Songwriters: Corey Johnson, Marrico King, Ralph Leverston and Wondosas Martin
R&B Peak Position: #10

"Smokin on hay-ey/ HAAAAAAAAY in the middle of the barn..."

Cross Bone: Thugs N Harmony with TV's "Rawhide" and you had Crucial Conflict, a Chicago rap quartet (Coldhard, Kilo, Never and producer Wildstyle) who married speedy rap deliveries with Wild West themes. The concept might have seemed awfully gimmicky, but it helped establish a distinctive sound that resulted in at least one memorable hit from the group via the soul-baked weed anthem, "Hay".

Eagerly jumping into the roles of fun-loving country hillbillies with nothing else to do but get blazed down on the farm, Conflict trade off hyperactive, accent-heavy rhymes, over a scorching slab of guitar-fueled '70's funk. "Ain't nobody too rich, we poor," they proudly state, their herbal hobby not only functioning as just a way to pass the time, but just as well utilized to lessen the depression of their poverty-stricken reality ("Make a cloud/ I'm gonna take my mind away from all the bullcrap"). The little focus they do have left is spent trying to keep the contact smoke from escaping the barn doors or roping whatever fine lassie happens to cross their path.

A cross-genre success, "Hay" sparked a renewed momentum amongst the Chicago hip hop scene (which had previously birthed Twista, Common, Da Brat and it's own rap/ dance sub-genre, the oft-slammed hip-house). Within months, another Chi-Town rap group Do or Die had scored nationwide airplay with their own smash single, "Po Pimp" (featuring Twista). Unfortunately, "Hay" proved to be something that Crucial couldn't top, or even come close to matching. Their second album, 1998's Good Side Bad Side, featured notable cameos from R. Kelly and Three Six Mafia, but had a short chart life; Independently released compilations and mixtape collections would drop in the following years, attracting regional support. In 2008, the group would release their first album in nine years, Planet Crucon. It's teaser single: "Barn Fire".

Best Moment: That rowdy, celebratory hook!!



DL: "Hay" (YFH)

Groove Theory "Tell Me"

Album: Groove Theory (Epic; 1995)
Songwriters: Darryl Brown, Amel Larrieux and Bryce Wilson
R&B Peak Position: #3

"I've been doing my own thing/ Love has always had a way of having bad timing..."

Combining the studio masterwork of musician/ producer Bryce Wilson (a member of the innovative hip hop/ funk/ dance hybrid Mantronix during the era that produced worldwide club smashes "Got To Have Your Love" and "Take Your Time") and the alluring voice of Amel Larrieux, New York R&B duo Groove Theory nurtured a seducing sound that almost single-handedly alleviated murmurs that the R&B genre was dead during their brief reign in the mid-90's. Their rewarding introductory single "Tell Me" perfectly demonstrated a bridging of earthy neo-soul and contemporary R&B that, at the time, signaled a promising new direction that urban music was heading into.

The song is all innocent come-on, with Larrieux using her caressing, subdued phrasings to confess her heart's desire to the "perfect find" in hopes that he nurses similar romantic feelings. Her sincere disclosure backed by a desperate yearn to finally achieve the true love she's so longed for, it's almost painful to listen to her putting everything on the line. "Boy I can love you/ Can you help me grow?/ Give me a new beginning," she pleads, the seemingly eternal wait for his response leaving her in a nail-biting mass of nerves.

Wilson compliments her vocal with a comforting soundbed dripping with old-school class. The mix of soulful piano, tambourine jingle and that steady four-square drum beat form a laidback groove so solid, you never want to be distanced from it's exquisite hold. By song's end, Wilson has joined Amel on mic duties, promising to give her that happy ending she's idealized. The final act delivers on the plot's heartwarming, happily ever after conclusion, with the duo's intertwining ad-libs preciously illustrating the euphoria of their newfound union.

Sadly, after the Gold sales of both "Tell Me" and the group's self-titled debut, internal strife led to Amel leaving to pursue a solo career. She would continue to amass cult fame with a string of albums in the '00's, to which her and her husband Laru handled all the writing and production. Plans for a new Groove Theory album (with Makeda Davis as the new singer) were in the making when the group were dropped from their label (that project, The Answer, eventually did see the light of day), but Bryce Wilson pressed on to even more success, contributing to multi-platinum albums from Toni Braxton, Mary J Blige, Amerie and Beyonce, before transitioning into the acting world and launching his own management company Czar Entertainment.

Best Moment: That jazzy way she coos "I want you to/ I want you to-o-o..." towards the end (2:30)

Groove Theory-Tell me
Uploaded by SirDroopy

DL: "Tell Me" (YFH)

Is That The End...?

And so we've reached the end of the road!!! Over the past year I've done as I originally claimed and reminisced on every single R&B #1 of the Nineties. It's been a fun ride chronicling the decade from Babyface to Donell Jones and everything in between, recalling cherished favorites (and becoming acquainted with new ones) while also taking a glimpse at the tunes that inspired them.

But what does that mean? Is '90's R&B Junkie over!?! While I had initially intended on ending this blog here, the overwhelming amount of love from you readers and the sheer joy that this project brought to me has got me thinking that I don't want to bring the celebration to a close. Plus, there were so many great tunes that didn't make it to the #1 spot that I've been itching to revisit. So I'll continue this journey, delving deeper into the catalogues of the era's finest and reminiscing on the "one-hit-wonders" whose singular smashes remain imprinted in our soul. I'll also touch more on hip hop, neo-soul, reggae, and house, plus the atypical crossover sounds from the non-urban world.

So stay tuned (and don't shy away from hitting me up with some requests of your own), 'cause this throwback trip is far from over.

Love Peace & Soul!!

Mixtape Maestro, 90's R&B Junkie 4 Life

Donell Jones featuring Left Eye "U Know What's Up"

Album: Where I Wanna Be (Laface/ Arista)
Songwriters: Delvis Damon, Eddie Ferell, Anthony Hamilton, Cliff Lighty, Darren Lighty, Lisa Lopes and Balewa Muhammad
Hit #1: November 13th, 1999 (8 Weeks)

While he never quite reached A-list status, Chicago-born singer/ songwriter/ producer/ arranger Donell Jones certainly came close at the tail-end of the decade, busting through with a Platinum set that brought back the oh-so-smoove, "grown 'n sexy"-brand of R&B that dominated the genre in the early-to-mid-'80's.

Already making a name for himself behind-the-scenes (his studio expertise garnered credits on projects from Usher, Brownstone and Madonna(!!)), Donell crossed over into the performer side with an appreciable 1996 cover of the Stevie Wonder classic "Knocks Me Off My Feet". But it wouldn't be until 1999's sophomore release, Where I Wanna Be, that the man started flirting with becoming a household name, mostly thanks to a lead single that teamed him with one-third of the biggest girl group of the time.

Feelgood champagne-soul with a hood twist, "U Know What's Up" shimmered with a glossy organ shuffle and Jones' honey-soaked tenor, recalling summer days spent chilling with the homies while trying to put the mack down on every dimepiece that passed their way. "Think I feel a bone comin' on," Donell blushes while peeping the fox "looking fly with a sundress on". He entices his target with a ride in his Hummer and a toke off of the finest sticky-icky, playing the perfect gentleman role while the nastiest intentions swirl around in his brain ("Back seat jeep/ U know what I want").

Bet he probably wasn't anticipating that the cherub he was chasing could be so wordy. Guest star Left Eye spews a lyrical mouthful with an earthy Valentine rap ("You and I don't need permission to be unified") that acknowledges her decision to walk a straighter path with wink-wink nods to her past indiscretions ("My love is furious/ Cause I believe in blowin' up spots").

Best Moment: It's chilled out retro groove.

Donell Jones - U Know What's Up (rmx)
Uploaded by ineptique

DL: "U Know What's Up" (YFH)

Puff Daddy featuring R. Kelly "Satisfy You"

Album: Forever (Bad Boy)
Songwriters: Sean Combs, Denzil Foster, R. Kelly, Jay King, Thomas McElroy, Kelly Price and J. Walker
Hit #1: October 30th, 1999 (2 Weeks)

Comprised of future R&B hitmakers Denzil Foster & Thomas McElroy (the creative force behind En Vogue) and Samuelle (who scored a #1 R&B hit in 1990 with "So You Like What You See"), Sacramento band Club Nouveau came out swinging with their 1986 debut, Life, Love & Pain, spawning four Top Ten R&B singles over the next year. Of that four was the their classic reggae/rap-tinged remake of Bill Withers' "Lean On Me", and "Why You Treat Me So Bad", a #2 charter that would live on as a popular sample source for a handful of successful singles in the '90's and '00's.

Laughably bad when you hear it today (especially considering how "futuristic" it might have sounded back then), "Why You Treat Me So Bad" took overly dramatized male/ female relationship complaints and slapped it over this discordant art-funk template that for the first minute feels like a few different songs all happening at once. It's incontestable gift to future generations is unearthed when an eerie series of keyboard notes come into play, sounding like some tense background lick lifted from an old radio soap opera.



DL: "Why You Treat Me So Bad" (YFH)

In 1995, Oakland rap duo Luniz offered the most famous use of the Club Nouveau sample, employing it as the major musical hook (alongside swiped horns from Kool & The Gang's "Jungle Boogie") for their Platinum-selling weed anthem, "I Got 5 On It".

It's title slang for a $5 contribution to a dime bag, "I Got 5 On It" laced humorous commentary around their blunts and beer diet, with 40-ounce-supporting members Yukmouth and Krumskull quick to dismiss anyone trying to get a puff without payment ("Cause fools be havin' them vacuum lungs/ And if you let 'em hit it for free/ You hella 'dum-dum-dum-dum'"). Even if you weren't a marijuana fan, you could appreciate the Luniz track's lightheartedness. The rappers' laidback delivery and sharp ghetto wit ("I got more growing pains than Maggie") coupled with a memorable R&B hook cast the song as nothing more than a fun tribute to a cherished vice; the song was so likable that it's appeal spread worldwide (no minor feat for a West Coast regional rap act not closely associated with the Death Row empire) and led to several popular remixes down the line.

Luniz - I Got 5 On It
Uploaded by biggboy619

DL: "I Got 5 On It" (YFH)

Four years later, Puff Daddy embedded the now even-more-familiar bassline in the second single to his official solo project, Forever (his previous release, No Way Out, was billed as a joint effort with the Bad Boy Family). Noticeably struggling on the charts after it's atrocious Public Enemy re-working lead single "PE 2000" failed to match his previous mainstream success, Forever enjoyed a tardy sales bump with the release of "Satisfy You", which stuck close to the businessman/ entertainer's proven formula of re-heated tracks with A-list guests.

Attaching a lame Southern accent to his stiff flow, Puffy tries his best to woo some woman into his arms. Bypassing the easy bone of material things ("Cause any woman with will and drive can get it herself"), he instead aims to get inside her mind and break her down with psycho-intellectual mack game. "I can straight lace you, not just appearance/ Stimulate your mind/ Strengthen your spirits/ Be the voice of reason when you ain't tryna hear it/ You want it but you fear it, but you love it when you near it", he raps with an unshakable blankness.

Aware of his musical handicaps, Combs smartly protects himself by getting R. Kelly in a great co-starring role, while his reliable production team, the Hitmen, crispily recreate the Luniz version of the old Nouveau beat.

Puff Daddy & R Kelly - Satisfy You
Uploaded by hakim93200

DL: "Satisfy You" (YFH)

Surprisingly, this wouldn't be the last time "WYTMSB" was referenced on a big single. Jennifer Lopez and Ashanti would both score Top 10 hits based on the '80's record with their respective releases "I'm Gonna Be Alright (Remix)" and "Only U" (though Ashanti deserves some kudos for only biting off of the original's intro instrumental), while Jermaine Dupri would give virginal pop tart Jessica Simpson some urban flavor when he remixed her "Irresistible" with the sample.

Mariah Carey featuring Jay Z "Heartbreaker"

Album: Rainbow (Columbia)
Songwriters: Mariah Carey, Jeff Cohen, Lincoln Chase, Shirley Elliston, Jay Z and Narada Michael Walden
Hit #1: October 9th, 1999 (2 Weeks)

Back in 1982, a then-fifteen-years-old Stacy Lattisaw climbed to #14 on the R&B charts with a cute little novelty tune entitled "Attack Of The Name Game". Evoking images of giddy young girls playing double dutch, this catchy, bubble-gum R&B joint (think early New Edition with a female slant) found the singer getting her Roxanne Shante on, innocently rhyming about a meeting with a triple-eyed rapping alien named Clyde.

Clyde explains that he's flew his "electric lime" spaceship to Earth to spread some love by engaging in challenges to place names in silly little "Anna-Banna-Fo-Fanna"-styled raps. Kids, as they do, willingly play along and before long, a small crowd has gathered to join in on the fun. The entire thing is blatantly silly, but still hard to resist thanks to it's candy electro-disco groove and old school emcee display. Listening to it now, Clyde might seem a little creepy with his kid-reining charms and questionable taunts ("You better lock up your daughters/ I'll make her do what she hadn't oughta") and Lattisaw was probably a little too mature for Sesame Street fluff of this nature, but it's child-like appeal remains strong. Seventeen years later, a R&B/ pop diva curiously stuck in her own pre-teen guise (Mariah Carey wasn't above naming albums Rainbow, Glitter or Music Box), used "Attack" as the musical basis for her final R&B #1 of the '90's.



DL: "Attack of the Name Game" (YFH)

With the public now familiar to Mariah's lead single event formula ("Daydreamer", "Honey" and "Fantasy" were almost identical to one another), "Heartbreaker" wasn't necessarily the most instantly likable. As a whole, it was overwhelmingly tooth-decaying with the Lattisaw sample and the singer's reliance on merry melodies and window-shattering squeals. Despite all it's colorful ornamentation, the song's lyrical theme thankfully deviated slightly from the "boys are yummy" premise of those aforementioned chart-toppers and it did show signs that MC was changing with the times, allowing a rapper to appear on the original mix (instead of being held for the urban radio-leaning remix) to coincide with hip hop's now-dominant presence on Top 40.

Beneath the pre-pubescent gloss, Carey runs herself ragged with swaying emotions towards her man. She's fully aware that he's a player and bears no qualms about shattering her fragile heart once more, but then again, the idea of leaving him for good doesn't settle as well. "It's a shame to be so euphoric and weak/ When you smile at me," she self-pities, her internal "love him/ hate him" tussle explored with roller-coaster runs that showcase her entire vocal range.

Co-star Jay Z is amused at the power he holds over her, mocking her topsy-turvy angle with a cocky, grin-engraved flow. He gets a kick out of her drop-of-a-dime flip-flopping from misty-eyed lover ("She wanna shop with Jay/ Play box with Jay/ She wanna pillow fight in the middle of the night") to tantrum-throwing paranoid ("She wanna...kick me to the curb/ If she find one strand of hair longer than hers"), proud of the fact that even when they're on one of their many outs, one call from him will have her back at his doorstep with no hesitation ("She know she love Jay because/ She love everything Jay say, Jay does").

Mariah Carey & Jay-z - Heartbreaker
Uploaded by sayit

DL: "Heartbreaker" (YFH)

Having Jigga on the official single didn't stray Carey from committing to a hip hop remix, DJ Clue hooking up arguably her best retool yet when he took the instrumental from Snoop's gangbang party jam "Ain't No Fun" and invited femcees Missy Elliott and Da Brat to make "Heartbreaker"'s sequel an undeniably hot 'ladies night' banger.

Brilliantly referencing bits and pieces from the XXX-rated Doggystyle favorite, the remix offered so many goodies, it easily left your head spinning when it was all over. There was Mariah mimicking Nate Dogg's memorable verse ("When I met you last night ba-bay...") and Da Brat's similarly 213-aping, rapid-fire male-bashing discharge; then you had Missy, unleashing another record-stealing performance with a singing/ rapping combo infused with her lovable naughty banter ("I like the way he used to spank me/ He used to have me in the back (TAKE THAT!!)/ He used to have me in the sack legs back/ But now he be buggin' lately"). With too many highlights to name, this version quickly emerged as the "Heartbreaker" of choice.

Mariah carey heartbreaker remix
Uploaded by hasche

DL: "Heartbreaker (Remix)" (YFH)

Best Moment: The Mariah as "Mariah"/ Mariah as "Mariah's evil twin Bianca" catfights from the videos.

Deborah Cox featuring RL "We Can't Be Friends"

Album: One Wish (Arista)
Songwriters: Shep Crawford and J. Russell
Hit #1: October 2nd, 1999 (2 Weeks)

Deborah Cox scored her second #1 off the One Wish album with "We Can't Be Friends", a duet with Next singer RL that continued the classic, melodramatic soul sound she had championed on the record-breaking smash "Nobody's Supposed To Be Here".

Co-penned by "Nobody" songwriter Shep Crawford, this affectively-constructed story song pitted the two R&B vocalists as former lovers trying to go the platonic route. But as anyone who has been through a similar situation knows, aiming to remain friends after being bed partners isn't the easiest thing to pull off, especially when strong romantic feelings towards one another haven't completely subsided.

Without a rulebook to guide them, the duo awkwardly try to build a sex-less relationship, but quickly realize they hadn't thought this plan out very well. RL finds it weird that they now greet eachother by shaking hands when "months ago I was your man", while Deborah is annoyed that he still spends time at her mother's house ("To her you're still family/ And it don't seem fair"). Continually being around eachother proves to be even more of a struggle: "Don't get to close to me and expect me to behave/ I might just steal a kiss/ If you come near my face".

Realizing that this idea works better on paper moreso than reality, the singers quickly decide to back away from the initial post-breakup agreement. "We can't be friends," they wail on the emotion-heavy chorus, "Cause I'm still in love with you", their harmonizing voices edged with teary-eyed exhaustion.

Sigh, they don't make throat-knotting jams like these anymore.

Best Moment: "I'll NEVER-EVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE YOU..." (3:38)

Deborah Cox with RL -We Can-
Uploaded by banatchec

DL: "We Can't Be Friends" (YFH)

Eric Benet featuring Tamia "Spend My Life With You"

Album: A Day In The Life (Warner Bros.)
Songwriters: Eric Benet, George Nash Jr, and Demonte Posey
Hit #1: September 18th, 1999 (2 Weeks)

Before he was known as the Fool Who Lost Halle Berry Because He Couldn't Keep It In His Pants, Eric Benet was a respectable adult-soul loverman. He had spent most of the '90's under-the-R&B-radar (attracting a small cult following if only because of his efforts to preserve the soul sounds of the 1970's), but his 1999 release, A Day In The Life, brought a huge increase in his commercial stock via a couple star collaborations.

The album's first substantial hit found Benet teaming up with Faith Evans for the milky-smoove "Georgy Porgy". A satisfactory marriage of two great voices over a subdued funk groove, it wouldn't come as a surprise that this was an old-school remake, but many would surely be shocked as to whom it was originally created by. None other than the slick LA pop/ rock outfit Toto (that's right, the folks behind "Rosanna" and "Africa"). While Eric's version masters a sophistication in urban contemporary sounds, he really only faithfully studied the slick expertise of Toto's under-acknowledged "Porgy".

Released prior to the still-head-scratching 6X Grammy-lauded success of their 1982 album Toto IV (it won ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!!), the band's 1978 original is quite a stunner. The musicianship of it alone is sheer magnificence. Crispy produced, the record's breezy combination of disco, jazz and studio rock elements with vocal assistance from the one and only Cheryl Lynn will truly blow your mind, leaving you with hopes their their modern day equivalent Maroon 5 will one day conjure up something just as aurally arresting.

Eric Benet & Faith Evans-Georgy peorgy
Uploaded by lachula

DL: Eric's "Georgy Porgy" (YFH)



DL: Toto's "Georgy Porgy" (YFH)

Following the Top 20 R&B positioning of "Georgy Porgy", Benet scored an even bigger smash with the enchanting "Spend My Life With You", a duet with celebrated R&B songstress Tamia.

Just as equally polished in the production department, this unisex number mirrored the idealistic romance scripts and eased mid-tempo pulse of Luther Vandross' best work. With dewy-eyed lyrics prettily conveying one's first introduction to the glories of true love ("Can I just see you every morning when I open my eyes?/ Can I just feel your heart beating beside me/ Every night?"), Eric and Tamia play convincing eternal lovers, their perfectly intertwined vocal display delivered with such heavenward passion that the clouds seem to part when the record plays.

"My Life" nabbed a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance By A Duo or Group and alongside two weeks as a #1 single, also garnered Gold certification. Unfortunately, all this success would never be matched again, possibly due to the tabloid-fixated problems that would arise in his personal life soon after.

Despite being married to one of the hottest celebrities on the globe, Benet's attention couldn't be swayed from the other ladies that continually swooned after him. After too many instances of cheating (to which he attributed to a sex addiction), Berry gave him the boot. Eric's next full-length, Hurricane, conceptually centered on the somber fall-out to divorce, but it's attempts at getting him some sort of pity failed miserably. The ballad-heavy album was torn apart by critics for it's boring material; add to that the public's newfound distate for him, and Eric's career seemed to be over before it had really started to begin.

Eric Benet feat. Tamia - Spend My
Uploaded by Dante35

DL: "Spend My Life With You" (YFH)