Black History Month: The Rebirth and Golden Age of R&B in the late 80s – 2003

One truly American musical genre is R&B, but it’s a difficult genre to define. In the 60s R&B was a mix of blues and gospel as Motown defined the sound for America. As the 70s rolled on R&B took more of a funk edge, while the early 80s saw R&B lean more towards pop. With hip hop really taking off in the late 80s and 90s, all the musical influences were in the air to bring R&B into a golden age not seen since Motown.

R&B continued to evolve from decade to decade until we hit the mid 80s-late 90s where R&B artists and bands were drawing from pop, Motown, funk, gospel and hip hop. This mix of musical touchtones gave R&B one of its greatest crossover periods and bands were dominating both the R&B charts as well as the pop charts. Moreover, R&B was not happy sleeping on success, but continued to evolve and push the genre. Also, the late 80s-2003 is my favourite era of R&B and I can’t wait to talk about it.

It is difficult to keep this to like 5 songs…but I can’t cover all of R&B either. So, I will focus on some major bands/artists of that time, as well as some personal favourites and bands that deserve more shine.

Usher: My Boo

Usher was at the forefront of the R&B renaissance in 1994 with his mix of sexy smooth vocals and 4/4 beats. He has played with everyone from Luda, to Alicia Keys, to Monica, to countless others. Still being sexy and putting out music today, don’t sleep on Usher…or he’ll steal your girl…

Brandy ft. Monica: The Boy is Mine

As the 90s progressed, R&B became synonymous with pop and the crossover was complete. Brandy exemplifies the full lean into pop…or in other words…how pop became more R&B. She still had the bass, the 4/4 beats and soulful vocals…but everything had a pop glimmer to it. Brandy herself would dominate culture with TV and movies…but never forget the music…Brandy could bring it.

Boyz II Men: Water Runs Dry

Kings of the love song…and of snapping in songs…Boyz II Men crushed the pop charts as soon as they came on the scene in 1994. Other worldly harmonies, emotional vocals and songs that could make you weep Boyz II Men really helped push the R&B boyband into the spotlight. There will be other boybands that will have hits, but nothing coming close to the longevity of Boyz II Men.

Bel Biv Devoe: Poison

This track had to be in this entry. You could argue that without Bel Biv Devoe, there wouldn’t be the popularity of Boyz II Men. In 1990 the popularity of Poison proved that R&B groups could top pop charts with success not seen since the peak days of Motown. This track, along with hip hop at the time, not only broke new pop ground, but also kicked the door open of this golden age of R&B.

Salt-N-Pepa: Shoop

Ok. Technically, this is hip hop, but hear me out. Way back in ’93, you could argue that the pop success of Salt-N-Pepa laid the groundwork for most of the girl bands we are going to talk about later in this post. They proved that an African-American all woman band could not only succeed, but have top 40 hits. Similarly to how Whitney Houston proved that an African-American woman artist could have success as a pop artist, Salt-N-Pepa proved that all woman African-American bands could crossover. Plus the DJ’s name is Spinderella….which is the best DJ name ever.

TLC: Creep

Forging new ground with Salt-N-Pepa in the early 90s was R&B powerhouse TLC. They dominated the 90s with a string of hits and blockbuster records. With both critical and chart success, TLC showed how straight up R&B could crossover and be successful to a wider audience. TLC is my favourite band from this era, but tragically Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes died in 2002, which left the band without a core member and TLC would never be the same. TLC was an incredibly talented band that paved the way for the R&B success of the 90s.

Mary J Blige: Family Affair

Ok Mary J army…calm down…of course she was going to make this list. Along with bands, there are a number of solo artists who defined the R&B 90s and early 2000s. Mary J Blige with her gospel vocals, catchy beats and undeniable power and charisma just took the world by storm. Mary J is still performing and putting out great music, so her legacy continues.

D’Angelo: Brown Sugar

As R&B artists and bands were going bigger and poppier, D’Angelo jumped out in 1995 with neo soul, which harkened back to classic Motown, 70s funk, blues and jazz. He was a far distance from the Bel Biv Devoe sound, but his tracks became mega hits and his experimental neo soul caught on with artists like Maxwell and Erykah Badu. D’Angelo would shun the spotlight and tragically died as he was starting to come back into music. Even though he has left us, his legacy with neo soul will live on.

Destiny’s Child: Survivor

Similarly to the Supremes and Diana Ross before them, Destiny’s Child was mainly a vehicle for Beyoncé. Having said that, you can’t underestimate their influence in the rise of R&B in the 2000s. They were a huge band and were the crowning achievement of R&B making a full crossover into pop. They are the personification of the golden age of R&B, which Beyoncé and Rihanna will crank to 11 in the 2020s.

Cody Chesnutt: The Seed

The end of the R&B renaissance, which was roughly 2000-2003, we saw artists looking back on soul from the 50s and 60s. Much like D’Angelo looking back to the 70s in his neo soul movement, Cody Chesnutt had some early 60s Motown soul mixed with classic R&B bass. This formula proved to be a success with Cody getting some big hits and wide critical acclaim. This looking back to the 60s soul will continue with some aspects of John Legend and Raphael Saadiq, but it really started in a big way with Cody Chesnutt.

702: Where my Girls At

I love 702. They may not have as lasting a legacy as other bands on this list, but 702 showed how popular and talented all woman R&B bands were in the 90s. Usually with women, and especially African-American women, the music industry tends to focus on one band at a time and no one else can break through. This was a huge problem for women in hip hop at this time. However, in the 90s there was a bounty of R&B talent…Destiny’s Child, TLC, 702, En Vogue, SWV….the list goes on. Plus, this track is fire.