In celebration of summer, the staff at THE 97 has compiled a playlist containing some of our favorite summer songs, from then and now. Each day we will reveal one song, rotating daily between past and present with pairings from 1998 and 2023, for a total of 97 days/songs. Since we love nostalgia, we’re celebrating summer songs from 1998 as they turn 25, alongside new songs that we feel deserve some shine. Pairings could be thematic, sonic, or based connections between the artists.

We’ve provided our summer songs playlist on Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal for your listening pleasure, and will be updating this main post daily as we add songs to the list. Songs are not ranked in any particular order; we love them all!

THE SUMMER 97 (1998 x 2023)

1. “My All/Stay Awhile” by Mariah Carey (1998)
2. “CUFF IT (WETTER REMIX)” by Beyoncé (2023)

Summertime is for sun, sand, and a So So Def remix. In the 90s, Mariah Carey and Jermaine Dupri never failed to deliver on the latter, and the “My All/Stay Awhile” remix, is no exception. A sexy summery mash-up of Mariah’s 13th #1 and the R&B classic “Stay a Little While, Child,” the track features Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz, a then up-and-coming rap duo from the Bronx, as Carey effortlessly glides between verses from both songs atop the Loose Ends sampled beat. While Carey’s now-classic Latin-inspired ballad was already steamy, this club-ready mix really made it swelter. —Vincent Anthony

Watch the “My All/Stay Awhile” video, stream it, or buy Mariah’s “Butterfly” or “The Remixes” album.

When the heat becomes too hot to handle, the only way to cool off is to get wet. Beyoncé understood the assignment on the “CUFF IT (WETTER REMIX),” taking a page out of Mariah Carey’s 90s remix handbook to craft a mash-up of her 2022 hit and a two-decade-old hip-hop classic, Twista’s “Wetter.” This quiet-storm-ready version will make things drip where the once-funky original made ’em drop. Sliding atop the throbbing beat, Yoncé serves #BigVersEnergy by delivering both soulful vocal runs and slick-mouthed rap bars that masterfully bring this intercourse between R&B and Hip-Hop to an intense climax. —V.A.

Stream the “CUFF IT (WETTER REMIX)” here, order Beyoncé’s “RENAISSANCE” vinyl, or get those RENAISSANCE World Tour tickets.

3. “The Boy is Mine” by Brandy & Monica (1998)
4. “Cheat” by Mahalia feat. JoJo (2023)

It’s hard to imagine a classic like “The Boy Is Mine” turning 25 because when you listen to it today, it’s still just as fresh. When it was released, Brandy and Monica were both teen idols on the rise and Rodney Jerkins crafted this song in hopes of putting the rumors about their alleged rivalry to rest. The song was a huge, undeniable hit and remains a staple in R&B and Pop playlists. Brandy and Monica convincingly played dueling divas for this song, serving amazing vocals, plenty of attitude… and igniting a fictional feud that made Summer 1998 sizzle. —Mario M.

Watch the video, stream “The Boy is Mine,” or order Brandy’s “Never Say Never” on vinyl.

Taking sonic inspiration from late 90s and early 00s R&B musically and visually (its music video features a bedazzled RAZR flip phone and MySpace), “Cheat” by Mahalia feat. JoJo I’d essentially “The Boy Is Mine” (Female Empowerment Version). JoJo’s signature sass and seasoned soulfulness add weight to this vibey anthem, but never attempts to overshadow Mahalia’s shine. Effortless in their harmony of voice and message, the pairing is perfectly complementary. Just as the Brandy & Monica classic was an anthem in summer 1998, if the people of today have any sense, it’ll prove true for “Cheat” in 2023 as well.—V.A.

Watch the video or stream “Cheat” by Mahalia feat. JoJo

5. “You’re Still the One” by Shania Twain (1998)
6. “Giddy Up!” by Shania Twain (2023)

Is there anything better than a summertime romance? In 1998, country legend Shania Twain gave us the perfect theme song for such, with her pop-crossover hit “You’re Still The One.” A sultry spoken word intro sets the mood so right that it almost seems rude to have the lights on when you’re listening to it. But the song’s warm transition and tenderhearted lyrics about never falling out of love, despite the naysayers, sound so cool you can practically taste the summer air in between each line. After all this time, this song still gives us all the feels. —John Antonucci

Watch the music video, stream “You’re Still the One” or order Shania Twain’s “Come On Over” CD!

Thirty years into her career, Shania Twain is still looking for a good time. In fact, she’s looking to get “litty in the cup” on her song, “Giddy Up!” Taken from her latest LP “Queen of Me,” this song will have you packing up your bags for a weekend getaway with your friends before even booking it. Everyone knows that summertime is the best time for getting in the car, cranking up the volume, and taking in a new view. So this summer, do as Shania says – “giddy up” and hit the road! You won’t regret it. —J.A.

Watch the music video, stream “Giddy Up!” or order Shania Twain’s “Queen of Me” on vinyl!

7. “Fly Away” by Lenny Kravitz (1998)
8. “Sure Thing” by Miguel (2023)

Few things evoke freedom better than flight; whether literal or metaphorical, to fly is to be free. Lenny Kravitz ascended to #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1998 with his hit single, “Fly Away,” but really should’ve been a summer single. This funky rock-n-roll ode to escapism is the perfect anthem for flying out of the country, or even just flying down the highway. Kravitz’s unmistakable voice soars atop electric guitar riffs and a groovy bassline, all combining to exude the essence of freedom. Spin “Fly Away,” and you’ll end up booking that summer trip you’ve been debating. —V.A.

Watch the music video, stream “Fly Away” or grab Lenny Kravitz’s “Greatest Hits” on vinyl

Sometimes a song is so good it has to hit twice. Entering summer 2023 as the #1 song on pop radio, Miguel’s 2010 hit “Sure Thing” has outperformed its original chart run thanks to becoming a viral sensation on TikTok. The metaphor-laden, guitar-driven R&B track sounds as fresh today as it did in 2010 with its chopped and screwed hook, guitar riffs, and the endearingly sweet melody sung by a passionate, then-25-year-old Miguel. “Sure Thing” created the formula for later, bigger hits like “Adorn,” and “#Beautiful” with Mariah Carey. This summer, one thing is sure: Miguel’s career is hotter than ever.—V.A.

Watch the music video, stream “Sure Thing” or grab some Miguel vinyl

9. “Inevitable” by Shakira (1998)
10. “chemistry” by Kelly Clarkson (2023)

Certain songs are just perfect for a summer bonfire. Shakira’s fiery 1998 classic “Inevitable” is just that. This quintessential Latin rock ballad was the perfect bridge between Shakira’s acoustic beginnings and her more impassioned pivot to moody rock chick. The track starts off acoustic, but quickly builds in intensity as the guitar and drums layer up, and Shakira’s signature voice amplifies it from a ballad to an anthem. While her first foray into English-language music was never officially released (and is way better in Spanish), like the love she sings about, Shakira becoming a global superstar was inevitable. —V.A. 

Leer en español.

Watch the music video, stream “Inevitable” or grab some Shakira vinyl

The beauty and warmth a summertime magic hour sunset is hard to put into words; even harder to put into sound. Kelly Clarkson’s “chemistry,” the title track off her 10th studio album that dropped on June 23rd, is a successful feat of sonic imagery that conjures the magic of that moment, and of falling in love. The acoustic guitar, lush production, and romantic lyrics alongside Clarkson’s soulful, sensual vocal are the formula for pop perfection. Clocking in at just two-and-a-half minutes, “chemistry” will have you begging for more, and longing for whatever love potion she’s brewed up.—V.A. 

Listen to “chemistry,” stream the full album or grab the vinyl.

11. “So Into You” by Tamia (1998)
12. “missin u” by Tori Kelly (2023)

Before we had social media and apps like TikTok to make old songs go viral years after their release… all we had were samples. Tamia’s 1998 R&B classic “So Into You” was a modest hit upon its original release, peaking at #30 on the Hot 100 and #7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Five years later, Fabolous sampled it for his smash hit “Into You,” with Ashanti Tamia, who rerecorded her vocals for what would become the biggest hit of both their careers. This literally timeless classic was a smash in not one, but two summers and it’s still fire.—V.A. 

Watch the “So Into You” (or “Into You”) video, stream it or buy Tamia’s debut album.

Something about the summertime and nostalgia goes hand-in-hand. On Tori Kelly’s aptly titled “missin u,” she throws us back in time to that irresistible late 90s/early 00s R&B sound. There are notes of influence from turn-of-the-century R&B by acts like Aaliyah, JoJo, Usher, and Mariah Carey. Your nostalgia radar will go off non-stop, but you’ll never quite place it. Kelly makes the sound her own by showcasing her ability to switch seamlessly from quick-tongued verses to a sing-along-ready hook and soaring bridge. Unfortunately, the track failed to make an impact on the charts; perhaps it’s too nostalgic.—V.A. 

Watch the “missin u” video, stream it or get some Tori Kelly vinyl.

13. “Go Deep (Missy/Timbaland Remix)” by Janet Jackson (1998)
14. “Float” by Janelle Monáe feat. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (2023)

If there was ever a golden age of the remix, it was the 1990s. There were house, hip-hop, and R&B mixes galore — and they were all on point! When Janet Jackson enlisted Timbaland and Missy Elliott to remix the fourth single from “The Velvet Rope,” she flipped it from funky bop to hip-hop groove. While Missy’s take on the hook lacks the catchiness of the poppier original, it definitely makes the song slap with a sly, sexy edge atop the Timbaland beat. Whichever variation you choose, Janet’s “Go Deep” will have you partying late into the night.—V.A. 

Watch the “Go Deep” video, stream the remix, or get “The Velvet Rope” on vinyl.

When you’re a free-ass-muthafucker, you don’t walk… you float. That’s the essence of “Float,” the lead single from Janelle Monáe’s latest album, “The Age of Pleasure.” Featuring music by Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Monáe glides through self-realization, announcing that she’s changed and doesn’t care what the haters have to say about it. In light of recent criticisms for her showing off her nipples at the Essence Music Festival (and the video for second single “Lipstick Lover”), the message of “Float” is all the more relevant. However, in her age of pleasure, Janelle Monáe will continue to float — unbothered.—V.A. 

Watch the “Float” visualizer, stream the song, or order “The Age of Pleasure” on vinyl.

15. “Ghetto Supastar” by Pras, Mya & Ol’ Dirty Bastard (1998)
16. “AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM” by Beyoncé & Kendrick Lamar (2023)

Twenty years before Lil Nas X trotted his horse down “Old Town Road” and gagged the Nashville girlies by fusing Hip-Hop and Country, a trio of Hip-Hop and R&B stars collaborated to sample two Country legends, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. In 1998, Fugees member Pras, R&B newcomer Mya, and Wu-Tang Clan’s Ol’ Dirty Bastard joined forces to release the now-classic “Ghetto Supastar (That is What You Are).” The track flips the Rogers/Parton sample into a chaotically charismatic anthem that perfectly encapsulates the inescapable collision of R&B and Hip-Hop throughout the late 90s. Shout out to Mariah Carey.—V.A. 

Watch the video, or stream “Ghetto Supastar”

Beyoncé reunites with her #2 musical husband Kendrick Lamar for another surprise remix. For the pair’s third collaboration and third “RENAISSANCE” remix, Beyoncé takes another page from the 90s playbook by tacking a rap verse on the infectious “AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM.” Lamar rides the beat immaculately, bringing us back to 2023 to dish out some strong words for A.I. and embrace his second-place ranking behind Beyoncé’s actual husband on Billboard’s Best Rappers list (“rightfully so,” he says). Though he knows his place in that relationship, he should reconsider crowning himself “an honorary Beyhive” given the Hive’s polarized reaction.—V.A. 

Stream “AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM” here, order Beyoncé’s “RENAISSANCE” vinyl, or get those RENAISSANCE World Tour tickets.

17. “Nice & Slow” by Usher (1998)
18. “GLU” by Usher (2023)

Ever-enduring R&B legend, Usher, has undergone a retrospective renaissance thanks to his massively successful Las Vegas residency and the re-release of his iconic breakthrough album, “My Way.” On its second single, “Nice & Slow,” released in 1998, Usher vividly depicts teenage lust and desire, memorably summed up with the line, “I got plans to put my hands in places you’ve never seen, girl you know what I mean.” It’s a song that is truly of its time, yet still sounds current within today’s R&B landscape — a testament to the strength of his catalog, and the impact of his legacy.—Jordan Listenbee

Watch the “Nice & Slow” video, stream it here, or order “My Way” on CD.

In his latest single, “GLU,” the growth of Usher’s vocal delivery and overall lyrical content when compared to his 90s discography is apparent. With Lil Jon serving as producer, this Prince-inspired slow jam puts Usher’s signature falsetto on full display. While the song may not have the same hit potential as his more commercial classics, it is a welcome addition to Usher’s expansive catalog. If 1998’s “Nice & Slow” was the amuse-bouche, “GLU” is its NSFW entrée. Preference aside, both show that the man’s words ring true: “You either evolve or dissolve.” Legendary behavior, if you ask me.—J.L.

Watch the “GLU” live video, stream it here, or grab some Usher vinyl.

19. “Too Close” by Next (1998)
20. “Fly Girl” by FLO feat. Missy Elliott (2023)

In the 90s, R&B was filled with thinly-veiled double entendre. “Too Close” by R&B trio Next is a prime example, with the not-so-subtly suggestive lyrics that made it the year’s hottest song. Opening with lead singer R.L. posing the question, “I wonder if she could tell that I’m hard right now?” it’s amazing that the rest of the song’s lyrics seemingly managed to go over most people’s, and radio programmer’s, heads. What did they really think they meant by “a poke comin’ through,” and “You’re making it hard for me?” Ultimately, it’s… hard to stop a hit.—V.A.

Watch the “Too Close” video, stream it, or buy Next’s debut album

Once songs from your adolescence become the go-to source of samples, you’re officially grown. And, if you’re Missy Elliott, well… that’s just another reminder that you’re that bitch. Up-and-coming British girl group FLO sampled Elliott’s 2001 classic “Work It” on their single “Fly Girl,” and even managed to snag a co-sign from the legendary Misdemeanor. The track leans heavily on nostalgia in sound and lyrics, referencing another 2001 classic by Jagged Edge as they confidently sing, “I don’t need a man to tell me where the party is.” Like the hits they’ve sampled, expect these fly girls to stick.—V.A.

Watch the “Fly Girl” video, stream it here, or check out their latest EP.

21. “Spice Up Your Life” by The Spice Girls (1998)
22. “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa (2023)

While the ’90s saw the emergence of popular boy bands, like the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, it was the decade’s girl groups who came to heat – or spice, rather – things up. The Spice Girls were not just the biggest British singing group to conquer the world since The Beatles, they soon ranked among the best-selling girl groups of all time. With their salsa-inspired hit, “Spice Up Your Life,” these five ladies gave us the absolute perfect anthem for a summertime fiesta. Feeling “sad and low” these days? Well, the Spice Girls have just the cure for that.—J.A.

Watch the “Spice Up Your Life” video, stream it here, or buy the “Spiceworld 25” deluxe edition.

We Enter Disco Barbie. After ushering in a disco revival for the pop girlies and “Levitating” the soundtrack to everyone’s pandemic parties in 2020, Lipa has returned to bring some disco to the Barbie film soundtrack. “Dance the Night” sounds like it would’ve been right at home on “Future Nostalgia,” but as the inaugural release off the “Barbie: The Album,” it’s a welcomed kickoff to what’s become the summer’s hottest ticket in film and music. While the song didn’t blaze its way to the top of the charts, it’s certain to heat up any club it encounters this summer.—V.A.

Watch the “Dance the Night” video, stream it, or buy “Barbie: The Album.”

23. “Outside” by George Michael (1998)
24. “Rush” by Troye Sivan (2023)

Masterful songwriters turn their experiences into relatable songs, and true superstars know how to turn scandal into success. When George Michael’s career was marred in controversy following his arrest for allegedly soliciting public sex, forcing him to publicly come out, he spat in the face of entrapment by relishing in sexual liberation. Released months after the 1998 incident, “Outside” celebrates public sex, calling it human nature; a return to form. This sexy disco number and its accompanying video made good trouble out of the bad. George Michael is a gay icon, and “Outside” was his first true anthem.—V.A.

Watch the “Outside” video, stream it, or buy some George Michael vinyl.

Sometimes, an artist is able to epitomize the concept of “understanding the assignment.” On “Rush,” Troye Sivan earns an undeniable A+ in the category of thot boy summer. Atop a thumping House/Pop amalgamation, Sivan glides effortlessly, evoking the sounds and sensations of a very hot, very sweaty, and very gay night at the club. Ever fearless and never desperate, Sivan’s music has always embraced and celebrated his sexuality, and “Rush” is the sonic embodiment of Pride. With the lead single from his first album in 5 years, the 28-year-old singer is making it clear he’s all grown up.—V.A.

Watch the “Rush” video, stream it, or preorder the album, “Something To Give Each Other.”

25. “Crush (Dance Mix)” by Jennifer Paige (1998)
26. “I Can See You” by Taylor Swift (2023)

They don’t call ’em one-hit wonders for nothing. “Crush,” one such wonder from 1998, was the first and only pop hit by Jennifer Paige. Her debut single managed to become a runaway success thanks to its irresistibly infectious chorus that became an anthem for anyone with a crush, innocent or otherwise. The perfect sonic snapshot of nondescript 90s pop, “Crush” is perfectly unforgettable yet unremarkable. It’ll transport you back to a simpler time: of cassette mixtapes, CD Walkmans, and secret crushes. If you’re too young to remember it firsthand, you’ll just have to take my word for it.—V.A.

Watch the video, stream the dance mix, or purchase a piece of 90s history.

Many words describe pop music’s reigning “Mastermind,” and “calculating” is certainly one of them. On the latest (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault), Taylor Swift reminds her prospective beau: “I Can See You.” Endearingly creepy, it evokes 90s pop in its questionably yet catchy, almost-too-honest expressions of love lust. In a rare show of seduction, Swift strings us along on a guitar-driven journey through her secret, 20-year-old desires, that, like this song (until now) were locked away in a vault. Its Taylor-studded music video only adds to the mystery, making for a surprisingly sexy summer single from Swift.—V.A.

Watch the video, stream it, or order Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) on vinyl.

27. “Kiss the Rain” by Billie Myers (1998)
28. “River” by Miley Cyrus (2023)

If you’re trying to fight the summer heatwave, this is the blast from the past you’ll need. British singer Billie Myers’ “Kiss the Rain” is the perfect song to play after the arrival of a summer thunderstorm — to cool off the air, and the mind. The song became popular after being used in an episode of the popular teen drama “Dawson’s Creek,” and began ascending the charts. Written as a reflection on the ups and downs of relationships, the Alt/Pop sound of “Kiss the Rain” fit right in amidst the eclectic music scene of the late 90s.—M.M.

Watch the “Kiss the Rain” video, stream it, or buy Billie Myers’ debut album.

If sexual energy were a river, Miley Cyrus is here to ensure it never runs dry. On the energetic dance-pop track “River,” she recalls the ‘80s sound and melody of Flo Rida and Kesha’s 2009 hit single “Right Round,” and emulates its not-so-subtle double entendre. Though Cyrus’ is not so blatant, like the assumed metaphor of Mariah Carey’s “Honey,” it’s there if you look for it. It’s not a cover of the Joni Mitchell sometimes-Christmas standard, that’s for sure, but it seems to take inspiration from the Queen of Christmas. Is she sure she’s never been a fan?—V.A.

Watch the “River” video, stream it, or grab “Endless Summer Vacation” on vinyl.

29. “Nothing Really Matters” by Madonna (1998)
30. “I’m Not Here to Make Friends” by Sam Smith (2023)

Momentous life events often yield creative breakthroughs for an artist. On her 1998 opus “Ray of Light,” Madonna combined her newfound appreciation for mystics and electronica to revitalize her sound and image with the most effective and profound reinvention of her chameleonic career. “Nothing Really Matters,” the album’s final single, is a reflective, zen anthem that grapples with karma and maturation. Atop the bouncy, House-inspired EDM track, Madonna muses meditative mantras of motivation with a vocal delivery that is at times om-like. As the track progresses, its tempo and layers build with one goal: liberation via levitation.—V.A.

Watch the “Nothing Really Matters” video, stream it, or purchase “Ray of Light” on vinyl.

Honesty is a key element on any journey to personal liberation. For Sam Smith, their newfound unrestricted persona has an anthem in the disco-inspired single “I’m Not Here to Make Friends.” While its very queer, very sexualized music video received plenty of flack, some for reasons warranted (hideous fashions) and unwarranted (body and slut shaming), the song itself is an undeniable good time. Honest in the celebration of their queer identity, and honest in the song’s straightforward message (the title pretty much sums that up), on Smith’s most fun track to date, the truth sets them free.—V.A.

Watch the “I’m Not Here to Make Friends” video, stream it, or order the “Gloria” album on vinyl.

31. “The First Night” by Monica (1998)
32. “Talk to Me Nice” by Tinashe (2023)

One hallmark of the marriage between R&B and Hip-Hop in the mid ’90s was when R&B women started flipping samples of classics on top of hard, Hip-Hop beats, lacing them with unmatched vocals and unforgettable melodies. Case in point, Monica’s “The First Night,” the second single from her sophomore album. Built on a sample of “Love Hangover” by Diana Ross, “The First Night” is the antithesis to The Boss’ submissive classic. Monica, instead, dominates in a man’s world — she’s found the cure. The remedy is her ability to set boundaries and own her sexuality. Monica doesn’t run.—V.A.

Watch “The First Night” video, stream it, or purchase the single.

In a musical landscape littered with relentless singles that are barely two minutes long, it’s the artists who take their time that serve up the best time. On her new single “Talk to Me Nice,” the ever-versatile Tinashe continues to impress by keeping things fresh. The fact that the song clocks in at nearly 4 minutes sets it apart, but also the sensual, slickly produced mid-tempo love song is not just a mood, it’s many. Bouncin’ from chorus to verse to bridge like movements of a symphony, Tinashe reminds us she can ride any vibe. She’s always nice.—V.A.

Watch the “Talk to Me Nice” video, stream it, or get something from Tinashe’s discography.

33. “Hit Em Wit da Hee” by Missy Elliott, Lil’ Kim & Mocha (1998)
34. “Seven” by Jung Kook & Latto (2023)

In Hip-Hop, the come-up is cyclical; good karma yields great success. In the case of Missy Elliott, she’s essentially Hip-Hop’s Buddha with all the good karma she’s put into the genre… but even she started somewhere. The reputation she cultivated as a songwriter, producer, and force of female empowerment manifested via several high-profile features on her debut. On its final single “Hit Em Wit da Hee,” she managed to secure features from not one but two fellow female rap stars: Lil’ Kim and Mocha. The result is a fierce, hard-hitting romp that’s all bite, yet no fight.—V.A.

Watch the “Hit Em Wit da Hee” music video, stream it, or buy “Supa Dupa Fly.”

Ambitious rising stars in pop often collide to combine their star power, yielding #BigEnergy. Newly solo seventh of K-pop’s biggest band BTS, Jung Kook, and one of the hottest new women in Hip-Hop, Latto, join forces on “Seven,” a sizzling, summer sex romp that is anything but subtle. In true boy-bander-gone-solo fashion, BTS’ youngest proves he’s all grown-up, putting all interested parties on notice: “Night after night, I’ll be fucking you right.” Latto, understanding the assignment, matches his vibe: “Come here baby, let me swallow your pride.” As addictive as, apparently, you-know-what… “Seven” is tailor-made to repeat.—V.A.

Watch the “Seven” music video, stream it, or grab some Jung Kook merch!

35. “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” by Backstreet Boys (1998)
36. “on the street” by j-hope & J. Cole (2023)

For some acts, it’s a slow burn to superstardom; for others, it’s overnight. By the time the Backstreet Boys released their fourth single stateside, they were huge — and it was clear that they weren’t going anywhere. Just in case, they served up a reminder with “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” an infectious party anthem with a “Thriller”-inspired music video. The quintet who prided themselves on their vocals managed to keep the harmonies tight, while still letting loose. With built-in instrumental dance breaks and chanting crowds, “Everybody” succeeds in its main mission, you’re bound to “rock your body right.” Alright?!—V.A.

Watch the “Everybody” video, stream it, or order the single on vinyl.

Once upon a time, Hip-Hop went Pop. When its biggest stars began to collaborate with pop stars, the genre transitioned, for better or worse, to the mainstream. Now, the same is happening with K-Pop, emblematic by its most successful group BTS aligning with artists across genres. For his latest solo single “on the street,” BTS member j-hope taps his favorite rapper and “muse,” J. Cole, to bridge the gap. For Cole, it’s an unexpected feature that proves his versatility. Roles have reversed as Cole, once the newbie seeking his idol’s approval, welcomes j-hope to the Cole World.—V.A.

Watch the “on the street” video, stream it, or grab some j-hope vinyl!

37. “Can I Get A…” by JAY-Z, Amil & Ja Rule (1998)
38. “Passport Bros” by Bas & J. Cole (2023)

After decades in the public consciousness, some songs you just know somehow, perhaps due to sheer ubiquity, or sampling. JAY-Z’s “Can I Get A…” featuring Amil and Ja Rule is one of those tracks. J. Cole fans will recognize, “Can I hit it in the morning?” … Janet Jackson fans will recognize its “bounce.” However, in the summer of 1998, “Can I Get A…” was a big hit in its own right, helping inch JAY-Z closer to crossing over and establishing new acts Amil and Ja Rule. The infectious, Irv Gotti-produced bop lights up any club — then, and now.—V.A.

Watch the “Can I Get A…” video, stream it, or purchase the album on vinyl.

Time to get your passport stamped! With production reminiscent of Pharrell’s “In My Mind” era, the hilariously yet trendy titled “Passport Bros” by Bas and J. Cole easily mixes Afrobeat and Bossa Nova with a jazzy string section that serves up a beachside bop perfect for the summertime. Bas’ laid-back, rhythmic flow, along with some cleverly used product placement, lends itself well to the song’s intercontinental instrumentation. Comparatively, Cole’s signature staccato aligns with his masterful wordplay to make the track’s two halves fuse together perfectly to create a referential, yet original track. Let me drive the boat!—J.L.

Watch the “Passport Bros” video, stream it, or purchase some J. Cole or Bas on vinyl

39. “Top of the World,” by Brandy & Ma$e (1998)
40. “Attention” by Doja Cat (2023)

Aptly titled, this Darkchild penned hit saw the iconic Brandy and legendary rapper Ma$e at their commercial peaks. The second single off of her second album, “Never Say Never,” “Top of the World” finds Brandy and Ma$e lyrically reveling in their success, while reminding the listener that it doesn’t come easy, or make for a simpler life. It marks the beginning of a more mature sound thematically for Brandy, and foreshadowed the woman the world has come to know. The song is fun, emoting a joy that is seldom used and severely lacking in today’s musical landscape.—J.L.

Watch the “Top of the World” video, stream it, or buy the “Never Say Never” vinyl.

There are plenty of creative ways to express the essence of the infamous phrase “suck my dick,” rather than saying it flat out. Doja Cat delivers a rousing reminder of her rap talent on her most Hip-Hop single in ages, “Attention.” Sparse in production but with no shortage of bars, Doja Cat puts everyone on notice with the sexiest rendition of Lil Kim’s “Suck My Dick” to date. No, it’s not a sample or a cover, Doja Cat never says “dick,” the attention instead is on her— though, she never says that word either… she ain’t pussy.—V.A.

Watch the “Attention” video, stream it, or get Doja’s last album on vinyl.

41. “What’s It Gonna Be?!” by Busta Rhymes & Janet Jackson (1998)
42. “Water Slide” by Janelle Monáe (2023)

The sizzling classic “What’s It Gonna Be?!” sees the pairing of Rap titan Busta Rhymes and Empress of Pop Janet Jackson in an eclectic blend of Hip-Hop, Funk, and R&B. Lyrically, the track’s focus is driven by raw sexuality, a topic that Jackson’s pioneering influence helped normalize for women in pop music. Rhymes blends superbly well with Jackson’s sex kitten vocals, due to his frenetic energy and overall reputation as a stellar, intricate MC. The track, along with its world record-setting visual, became one of the most successful rap-sung collaborations in the latter half of the 1990s.—J.L.

Watch the legendary “What’s It Gonna Be?!” video, stream it, or grab some Busta Rhymes or Janet Jackson vinyl.

Who can resist a good, nasty metaphor? Janelle Monáe takes a plunge into the sea of allegory on “Water Slide,” the very unserious, very unsubtle third single from “The Age of Pleasure.” With lemons on her areoles and bare ass cheeks abound, Monáe’s “Age of Pleasure” is a water park in the very metaphorical sense: it’s very hot, very wet, and very fun. Opening with the line, “If I could fuck me right here right now, I would do that,” the song is a tantalizing tease and, with its Island-inspired beat, is beach and pool party perfection.—V.A.

Watch the unmissable “Water Slide” video, stream it, or buy “The Age of Pleasure.”

43. “Trippin'” by Total (1998)
44. “Cut” by Tori Kelly (2023)

Having too many cooks in the kitchen is often discouraged. In the case of ’90s girl group Total’s classic hit “Trippin'” the phrase simply does not apply. Released via Puff Daddy’s Bad Boy label, this jam had several multi-platinum hands involved. Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Mario Winans, Darryl Pearson, and of course, Puffy himself, contributed to writing and producing the LL Cool J-sampling track, with DMX dropping a verse on its remix. It’s no wonder the song peaked at #7 on the Hot 100. “Trippin'” might’ve been their last hit, but unlike the group, their biggest hit has stuck around.—V.A.

Watch the “Trippin'” video, stream it, or pre-order the “Kim, Keisha & Pam” vinyl reissue.

There’s a certain confidence that culminates within someone once they’ve finally realized their true potential. On “cut,” Tori Kelly struts into newfound swag, flanked by a crew of creatives with whom success is the only option. The Y2K R&B-inspired track not only takes inspiration from the era, it taps in, too. Kelly and Jon Bellion’s team enlisted additional input from both Timbaland and Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins to ensure the nostalgic knocker is as authentic as can be. Kelly flourishes atop the immaculately produced “cut,” effortlessly showcasing her vocal prowess with enough skill to make her influences proud.—V.A.

Listen to Tori Kelly’s new EP, “tori,” or buy some Tori Kelly vinyl here.

45. “Are You That Somebody” by Aaliyah (1998)
46. “Terms and Conditions” by Mahalia (2023)

Who would’ve thought the theme song to a family-friendly film about a doctor that can talk to animals would be so damn sexy? Due to time constraints set by Blackground Records, late songwriter Static Major cut the “Are You That Somebody” demo alongside producer Timbaland in just 10 hours, between 1-11 am. Set to the backdrop of Timbaland’s signature, Middle Eastern-derived sound, it was inspired by the allegedly burgeoning romance between Major and Aaliyah. With her ever-maturing image, voice, and iconic visuals, Aaliyah gave a sensual yet tasteful glimpse of what was to come in her tragically short career.—J.L.

Watch the “Are You That Somebody” video, stream it (finally), or grab all Aaliyah’s hits on vinyl.

Reading is fundamental. Online, we often skip reading the “terms and conditions” before using apps and websites. However, IRL they’re a must, just like on the lead single from Mahalia’s sophomore album “IRL.” On the aptly-titled anthem, “Terms and Conditions,” she serves up a manifesto on how she expects to be treated by any potential man. Like her duet with JoJo, it harkens back to early aughts R&B, managing to sound invitingly familiar yet not reductive. On this mid-tempo groove, Mahalia channels the era both lyrically and sonically, delivering an empowering message with an authentic, soulful sound.—V.A.

Watch the “Terms and Conditions” video, stream it, or order the “IRL” vinyl.

47. “With Me (Part I)” by Destiny’s Child (1998)
48. “Body Do” by Chlöe (2023)

Record labels sure loved to have teen stars sing songs they were probably not old enough to be singing in the 1990s. “With Me,” the second single from Destiny’s Child’s debut album, is a fine example of that. Recorded when the girls were just 16 years old and produced by go-to hitmaker Jermaine Dupri, it’s essentially a side chick anthem. Problematic as it may be, it’s a bop in all four of its iterations. Perfect evidence that Beyoncé and Kelly were vocally talented beyond their years, nobody would guess that the young girls singing it weren’t grown-ass women.—V.A.

Watch the “With Me” video, stream it, or grab some Destiny’s Child vinyl.

Presenting the 2023 valedictorian of the Janet Jackson School of Spoken Word Intros and Interludes: Chlöe Bailey. The ever-fearless, never-fucks-given Ms. Bailey opens what should’ve been her lead single, “Body Do,” with a loaded, messy question: “Do you ever wonder.. who else is FUCKIN’ your man?” As if this, infectious 2-minute-long bop doesn’t gag the girls enough as is, that opener really seals the deal. The frenetic yet impeccably produced banger plays with the question at hand. Chloe’s answer? “I can trust you as far as I can throw you, but I’ma trust what that body do.” Period.—V.A.

Watch the visualizer, stream it, or grab some Chloe x Halle vinyl.

49. “Boy’s a liar, Pt. 2” by PinkPantheress & Ice Spice (2023)
50. “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay” by Whitney Houston (1998)

Pop-stars crossing the pond, male-bashing anthems, pop girls uniting in the name of girl power… is the 1990s or the 2020s? Make no mistake, it’s the era of TikTok-friendly 2-minute songs with lax choreography and verses that are somehow infectious as hell. Without ever raising their voices, English pop singer PinkPantheress and Bronx-born rapper Ice Spice manage to inspire girls to twerk and boys to be big mad on “Boy’s a liar, Pt. 2.” Peaking at #3 on the Hot 100, this fun fusion of Pantheress’ bubblegum pop with Spice’s gruff rap raised both artists’ profiles in a big way.—V.A.

Watch the “Boy’s a liar, Pt. 2” video, stream it, or buy Ice Spice’s EP on vinyl.

Now, a xylophone might sound a bit elementary, but baby, it was simple. Whitney broke things down real easy just to be SURE the math was mathing! “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay” was an iconic moment in Houston’s career. Her 1998 album “My Love Is Your Love” marked a stylistic shift, proving she could still fit within evolving trends in pop. She also showcased a bit more of her magnetic personality. The R&B anthem, produced by Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, was equally empowering, and a huge hit — especially in gay clubs thanks to its iconic Thunderpuss dance remix.—V.A.

Watch the “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay” video, stream the album version, Thunderpuss club mix, or get the “My Love Is Your Love” anniversary vinyl.

51. “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus (2023)
52. “Ray of Light” by Madonna (1998)

In 2023, summer came early. Twelve days into the New Year, Miley Cyrus dropped “Flowers,” a bittersweet, disco-pop bop that perfectly leverages Miley’s unique voice and empowering image. With a captivating visual and song, Cyrus broke streaming records to debut at #1 on the Hot 100, spending 8 weeks at the pole position. As the lead single from “Endless Summer Vacation,” “Flowers” is a great representation of the album as a whole, which delves heavily into her post-divorce emotional reckonings. Strutting in her strength, Cyrus’ aura of cool remains unbreakable. She gave herself “Flowers” via the biggest hit of her career.—V.A.

Watch the “Flowers” video, stream it, or get “Endless Summer Vacation” on vinyl.

Traditionally, imagery is the use of words to evoke the senses; but certain sounds can have the same effect. On “Ray of Light,” Madonna provides the soundtrack to one of the most iconic visual images: the sun. A euphoric journey through liberation, the electronic, dance-inspired pop anthem marked a moment of personal and professional rebirth for Madonna. Best known as the boundary-pushing “Material Girl,” the legendary diva came down to earth bit, if only for a short time, during her spiritually awakened “Ray of Light” era. The album’s title track perfectly encapsulates the moment —  a comeback anthem.—V.A.

Watch the “Ray of Light” video, stream it, or grab the album on vinyl.

53. “Padam Padam” by Kylie Minogue (2023)
54. “Heaven’s What I Feel” by Gloria Estefan (1998)

Adding a phrase to the pop culture lexicon is a telltale sign of impact. With “Padam Padam,” Kylie Minogue gives “heartbeat” a new name and reminds us why she’s been a pop music mainstay for decades. The 55-year-old icon proves that with the right song, a true diva will flourish regardless. The infectious dance track immediately claimed its place in the zeitgeist upon release, with its fiercely red music video and undeniably catchy hook featuring perfectly relatable lyrics for her target audience: the gays — arriving just in time for Pride month, “Padam” has become an inescapable anthem.—V.A.

Watch the “Padam Padam” video, stream it, or pre-order the album, “Tension.”

It’s almost become a rite of passage for a diva to delve into dance-pop at some point in her career. With “Heaven’s What I Feel,” the lead single from her mononymous album “gloria!” (1998), pioneering Latin pop icon Gloria Estefan fully committed to crafting dancefloor anthems. “Heaven’s What I Feel,” with its Spanish, French, and club mixes, became a decent hit for a then-40-year-old Estefan. Boasting soaring vocals, a glossily produced pop take on the House genre, and some fittingly dramatic lyrics of forbidden love, “Heaven’s What I Feel” is prime gay club material from a beloved diva.—V.A.

Watch the “Heaven’s What I Feel” video, stream it in English or Spanish, or buy the “gloria!” album.

55. “PROVENZA (REMIX)” by KAROL G & Tiësto (2023)
56. “The Cup of Life (La Copa de la Vida” by Ricky Martin (1998)

There’s something magical that happens when a pop princess finds her dance DJ prince. Just ask Kelly Rowland. The collaboration between KAROL G and Tiësto, “Don’t Be Shy,” was a worldwide hit for the Colombian superstar singer and Dutch DJ, so it’s a no-brainer that the pair hooked up once again. The newly-released “PROVENZA” remix is a dancefloor-ready mix of one of her more laid-back tracks, transforming its vibe from beach day to night club. KAROL G’s signature slinky, tongue-twisting style of rap singing is abundant in rhymes and criminally catchy — even if you don’t speak Spanish.—V.A.

Watch the “PROVENZA (REMIX)” live, stream it, or pre-order the BICHOTA SEASON vinyl.

While the Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event in the United States, virtually everywhere else in the world, it’s the other football’s World Cup dominates. Though it doesn’t have a musical performance equivalent to the Super Bowl Half-Time show, it does have official songs and anthems. Ricky Martin’s official song for the 1998 World Cup, “The Cup of Life (La Copa de la Vida)” elevated the tradition, and Martin’s career, to the next level. The infectious, GRAMMY Award-winning track is a collision of Samba, Latin, and Dance sounds that helped fuel the late 90s Latin Pop explosion.—V.A.

Watch the video: “La Copa de la Vida” or “The Cup of Life”, stream it, or check out Ricky Martin’s memoir.

57. “K-POP” by Travis Scott, Bad Bunny & The Weeknd (2023)
58. “Miami” by Will Smith (1998)

If Charlie had angels and demons, surely the latter would be a trio of men. Serving up a multi-genre, multi-cultural combination, the trio of Travis Scott, Bad Bunny, and The Weeknd provide the perfect demon-time soundtrack via “K-POP.” Laced with plenty of star power, this party anthem is tailor-made for the club, and no doubt inspired by its namesake’s effects. As the track progresses, each star shines via his signature sound: Scott sets the mood with a trippy rap, Bad Bunny ups the energy with bombastic bars, and Weeknd cools things down, atmospherically floating atop the beat.—V.A.

Watch the “K-POP” video, stream it, or get some Travis Scott vinyl.

It can be hard to reclaim the vibe and energy of a massive, career-defining hit without sounding reductive. On his 1998 smash hit “Miami,” Will Smith successfully channels his 1991 hit “Summertime” by celebrating a city where it’s always summer. With some questionable lyrics and ad-libs from an unidentified “hot mami” that are equally corny but somehow stomach-able coming from the beloved Fresh Prince in the prime of his career. An undeniable party anthem, “Miami” was a big hit, helping his debut solo album become a monster success, certified 9x Platinum as of July 2000, it’s surely close to Diamond status.—V.A.

Watch the “Miami” video, stream it, or check out Will Smith’s memoir.

59. “Whine” by Mýa & Bounty Killer (2023)
60. “Who Am I” by Beenie Man (1998)

Twenty-five years into her career, Mýa has mastered the art of being booked, busy, and in control. After founding her own label Planet 9 in 2008, she’s continued to perform around the world and has released several albums and singles independently. Her latest, “Whine,” is a throwback in virtue of both its sound and its feature from dancehall king Bounty Killer. Mýa sounds and looks better than ever — sexy, yet ever classy. Whether via new releases or the recent celebrations of her classic Y2K albums, Mýa continues to remind us why she’s one of R&B’s most underrated icons.—V.A.

Watch the “Whine” video, stream it, or complete your Mýa music collection.

Any time an artist can take their own hit song and use it as the blueprint for even better music, the result is iconic. Such was the journey for this 1998 banger from legendary reggae artist Beenie Man. Recently finding new life with Millennial-aged teachers and their Gen Z students on TikTok, “Who Am I” peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, only slightly besting the artist’s 2000 duet with Mya, “Girls Dem Sugar (Sim Simma).” The incomparable Pharrell retooled the original “Who Am I” to make it a newer and fresher track with a broader crossover appeal.—J.L.

Watch the “Who Am I” video, stream it, or get the Best of Beenie Man!

61. “Players (DJ Saige Remix)” by Coi Leray & Busta Rhymes (2023)
62. “Gimme Some More” by Busta Rhymes (1998)

It’s fitting that during the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, such a catchy and modern tune uses such historical samples as its structure. Similar to the original version, which uses a sample from “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash, Coi Leray’s “Players” remix sounds fresh without getting lost in the enormous legacy of the sampled track. On the Busta Rhymes-assisted remix, which uses his 1997 single “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” as its foundation, Rhymes crafts an updated verse that showcases his dynamic rhythmical flow. Overall, his inclusion makes for a fresh yet nostalgic listening experience.—J.L.

Watch the “Players” visualizer, stream it, or pre-order Coi Leray’s album “COI” on vinyl!

Busta Rhymes may not have had the massive commercial success of some of his more crossover-friendly peers, but without question, his impact on Hip-Hop is substantial. With his signature, rapid-fire rap style and pioneering music videos, Rhymes brought profound innovations to Hip-Hop. The 1998 hit single “Gimme Some More” is a prime example of both Rhymes’ unmatched flow and his unforgettable imagery. Sampling the “Psycho” film theme, both the track and its accompanying video are hybrids of horror and Hip-Hop. With its disarmingly slick-tongued delivery and thrilling video, the song’s title perfectly describes the insatiating effect it has.—V.A.

Watch the “Gimme Some More” video, stream it, or grab some Busta Rhymes vinyl.

63. “JEALOUSY” by Offset & Cardi B (2023)
64. “Bananas (Who You Gonna Call?)” by Queen Latifah ft. Apache (1998)

It’s often said that there’s “no such thing as bad publicity.”  In response to rumors about Offset being unfaithful, he teamed up with his  wife Cardi B to craft a response, the aptly titled “JEALOUSY.” The spotlight-ready spouses split the shine to take swipes at the media, haters, and naysayers, dropping biting bars and, as per usual, not holding back. Forgoing the antiquated notion of “ladies first,” Offset instead saves the best for last, letting Cardi have the last verse and the last word. Eating up whoever said otherwise, Cardi spits fire in defense of their six-year-long relationship.—V.A.

Watch the “JEALOUSY” video, stream it, or get some Cardi B vinyl.

It’s wild to witness how slang, and artists, evolve. Queen Latifah led 1998’s “Order in the Court,” her last studio album prior to a decade-long Hip-Hop hiatus, with the ferocious yet ridiculously titled, “Bananas (Who You Gonna Call?).” Don’t let the references to every kid’s favorite fruit and every kid’s favorite ghost movie mislead you though, there’s a reason Queen La’s crown is enflamed on the album cover: she breathes fire on “Bananas” alongside the late Flava Unit M.C. Apache. Latifah’s bars are an unrestrained reminder of her elite status as one of Hip-Hop’s most anointed Queens.—V.A.

Watch the “Bananas” video, stream it, or get some Queen Latifah vinyl!

65. “Paint the Town Red” by Doja Cat (2023)
66. “Lost Ones” by Lauryn Hill (1998)

Seeing red? Mission accomplished. Doja Cat has been inciting flames of fury amongst her fans, some former, with recent comments and criticisms she’s made about stan culture. Truth be told, this instance is hardly the first or worst controversy to surround the hitmaker; being problematic is essentially part of her brand at this point. Nonsense aside, the first two singles from Doja Cat’s fourth studio album “Scarlet” see her leaning hard into Hip-Hop, shedding the glossy pop sound behind her biggest hits. While “Attention” didn’t create too much buzz, “Paint the Town Red” has ignited quite the stir. As its insanely catchy chorus goes, “Bitch, I said what I said; I’d rather be famous instead.” Her no-fucks-given attitude has translated into the music, and it’s clear that while it may make her unlikeable, it’s made her music undeniable.—V.A.

Watch the “Paint the Town Red” video, stream it, or get some Doja Cat vinyl.

The best Hip-Hop tracks are comprised of perfectly executed uses of the genre’s main components: impressive lyrics, an infectious beat, and an impeccable flow. Lauryn Hill opened her 1998 album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill with a song that bodies in every category: “Lost Ones.” The hard-hitting track finds Hill spittin’ in her signature style, atop a slick, bass-heavy beat. Then best known as being the Fugees frontwoman, Hill’s first and only album cemented her status as a solo superstar. Every track on the classic album is well-known and highly praised, but “Lost Ones” is a fierce standout.—V.A.

Watch “Lose Ones” live, stream it, or get “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” on vinyl

67. “Phenomenal” by Janelle Monáe & Doechii (2023)
68. “It’s All About Me” by Mýa & Sisqó (1998)

Coming into one’s own requires a commanding level of self-confidence. Janelle Monáe’s embodiment of “free ass muthafucker” over the last several years reached new heights with the release of her latest, summer-ready album “The Age of Pleasure.” On the album cut “Phenomenal,” Monáe taps newbie Doechii to join them in a celebration of both phenomenal face and “phenomenal puss.” Opening the track, Monáe proclaims: “I’m looking at 1,000 versions of myself and they’re all fine. as. fuck. Say it to my face… bitch.” The question is asked (“How you feel?”) and answered (“Phenomenal!”); it’s not up for debate.—V.A

Listen to “Phenomenal,” or purchase “The Age of Pleasure” on vinyl.

An artist’s first single is their first impression, their first chance to introduce the world to its newest star. When Mýa dropped her first single in February 1998, she made one thing very clear: she was confident, sexy, and in control. The aptly-titled “It’s All About Me,” featuring Dru Hill frontman Sisqó, grabbed onto the growing girl-power movement and set herself in the dominant position, rendering Sisqó (and any man) submissive. A bold move not only as a woman in the 90s but also as a newcomer, Mýa not only declared her arrival but rendered herself highly desirable.

Watch the “It’s All About Me” video, stream it, or purchase Mýa’s self-titled debut.

69. “JEANS” by Jessie Reyez & Miguel (2023)
70. “I Get Lonely (TNT Remix)” by Janet Jackson & BLACKstreet (1998)

An R&B duet is a dish best served hot — with the right ingredients, a pair of crooners can combine to create cosmic chemistry. On “JEANS,” budding star Jessie Reyez and burgeoning icon Miguel join forces to secure their very much-deserved places in R&B. The scintillatingly slow jam is anything but shy with its grind-inducing guitar licks and blush-inducing explicit lyrics. Reyez’s gruff and gritty vocals are perfectly complimented by Miguel’s guttural groans. The track may be titled after an article of clothing, but the pair surely has every intention of inspiring their removal. It’s a sure thing.—V.A.

Watch the “JEANS” video, stream it, or get some records by Miguel or Jessie Reyez.

When Ms. Jackson calls, you answer. In the case of the “I Get Lonely (TNT Remix)” from her 1997’s “The Velvet Rope,” Janet Jackson tapped a handful of talented collaborators to add to an already phenomenal track that, frankly, didn’t even need it. With additional production by Teddy Riley and Timbaland, Jackson is joined by BLACKstreet to turn “Lonely” into a duet (well, quintet). In its solo form, the track is classic Janet: emotive, deep, sexy, and timeless. With BLACKstreet, it transforms into a prime piece of 90s R&B with its big vocal runs and flashy production.—V.A.

Watch the “I Get Lonely (TNT Remix)” video, stream it, or grab “The Velvet Rope” on vinyl.

71. “Low Key” by Ciara (2023)
72. “Gone Be Fine” by Monica ft. OutKast (1998)

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 20 years since R&B staple Ciara released her debut album “Goodies.” While the quality of her output has varied over time, in “Low Key,” this DJ Luke-sampling tune is a vast improvement from some of her more recent projects. Lyrically, the singer highlights how hard she works professionally and personally while still carving out enough of herself to indulge in the pleasures of love and marriage (Hey Russell!). The track lends itself perfectly to its accompanying EP “CiCi” and stands out amongst a solid, slightly too brief, but well-rounded project.—J.L.

Watch the “Low Key” lyric video, stream it, or grab some music by Ciara.

73. “Good Good” by Usher, Summer Walker & 21 Savage (2023)
74. “Rosa Parks” by OutKast (1998)

75. “Snooze” by SZA (2023)
76. “Get On the Bus” by Destiny’s Child (1998)

Before they were dismissing a “Bug a Boo” for not paying the “Bills, Bills, Bills,” declaring their independence, or quoting Biggie to dish out reminders that “UPS is hiring,” Destiny’s Child made it clear they did not have the time for mess junk. On “Get on the Bus,” the budding divas slide atop a slinky Timbaland-produced, Missy Elliot-penned track that foreshadowed the best that was yet to come. With Beyoncé and Kelly taking turns to deliver some sass-filled verses, Timbaland’s whiny boyfriend character never stood a chance. Here, it became very clear: somebody could send your luggage.

Watch the “Get on the Bus” video, stream it, or get a coveted vinyl single.

77. “Control Freak” by FLO (2023)
78. “Sweetheart” by Jermaine Dupri & Mariah Carey (1998)

Throughout the early 90s, Jermaine Dupri established a name for himself as an R&B and Hip-Hop super-producer. In 1998, Dupri pivoted to become a rap artist himself and released his debut studio album, “Life in 1472.” By then, he and Mariah Carey had also developed a strong personal and professional relationship as good friends and musical collaborators. An ever-loyal friend, Carey appeared on the album’s third single, “Sweetheart” (a cover of the 1986 hit by Rainy Davis). Like on many of their mash-up style remixes, the pair transformed the very 80s track, elevating it with a fresh, sexy Hip-Hop spin.

Watch the “Sweetheart” video, stream it, or get “Life in 1472” on CD.

Stream our summer songs playlist, “THE SUMMER 97”
Available on Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal

The post Playlist: THE SUMMER 97 (1998 x 2023) appeared first on THE 97.

Once upon a time, there was a young multi-racial, multi-talented girl from Long Island, New York. Born to an Irish-American mother and an Afro-Venezuelan-American father, she would grow up to have one of the best voices the music world would ever hear, a witty way with words and a masterful gift of melody. Despite having 500 hours of beauty school, she ventured off to New York City to pursue a music career. At age 18, she was signed to Columbia Records by an old, controlling Italian-American man, and released her debut album at age 20.

On her self-titled debut, Mariah Carey introduced the world to her miraculous voice and her ability to write hit R&B songs that could crossover to the pop charts. She scored four #1 hits in the process. However, one of those hits also showcased another talent of Carey’s: “Someday” provided our first introduction to what has now become legendary – her artfully flawless ability to throw shade. “Someday” seemed like your standard, cute girl-hates-boy sort of shade, but as the years went on, her shade intensified. And, indeed, that same album had two more rather shady cuts: “Prisoner” (a song the very existence of she likes to shade) and “You Need Me” both were rather feisty assertions of girl power and sass, even featuring Mariah delivering her first ever rap verses. With her debut album, “Mariah Carey shade” became a brand of its own.

Perhaps the controlling Italian wasn’t here for all the shade on her debut and, for whatever reason, her sophomore album, 1991’s Emotions, only had one shady moment: “You’re So Cold,” a bubbly C&C Music Factory production on which Mariah proceeds to read a, you-guessed-it, cold man his rights for being so damn cruel. She downright calls him “heartless.” Ouch.

Unfortunately for fans of Carey’s shady sass, it was absent from her next three albums, not reappearing until 1999’s Rainbow. One, “X-Girlfriend,” found Mariah doing a rare read of another female for trying to steal her man. Co-penned by former Xscape member Kandi, the song fit right in alongside similarly shady anthems by Destiny’s Child and TLC that same year. “Did I Do That?,” though, found Carey ethering an unidentified (but not too hard to figure out) suitor who was, apparently, not the brightest bulb. In a song littered with biting shade, the shadiest bit of all is when she sings, “Conversations painfully weak, you were much better off when you didn’t speak.” Welp. Classic Mariah Carey shade.

In 2001, Mariah had a particularly unfortunate year. As we already detailed extensively, one particular shade-inducing conflict was born, yielding one notable bit of shade on an otherwise festive 80s-themed album: Da Brat’s rap on the “Loverboy” remix. Mariah eagerly sang along, to the tune of the song’s originally intended sample stolen by Jennifer Lopez, taunting her imitators: “Hate on me, as much as you want to, you can’t do what the fuck I do, bitches be imitating me daily” OOP!

From this point on, Ms. Carey began to own her shadiness in all it’s eternal glory. In 2002, she penned her finest, shadiest composition to date, for the Charmbracelet album: “Clown.” So eloquent, witty and downright ego-shattering, “Clown” is a clear attack of Eminem, who prefers to pick fights with pop divas rather than fellow male rappers who he must fear might actually hit back. Unfortunately for him, Carey is a hip-hop artist at heart, with a knack for witty rhymes and a penchant for shade. “Clown” is her most artful shade to date because of how sheerly pitiful it renders its victim: “Consequently now your ego’s fully overblown, you don’t want the world to know that you’re just a puppet show and the little boy inside often sits at home alone and cries, cries, cries, cries.” Consequently, indeed, Eminem attacked her incessantly over the years to follow. “Your pain is so deep-rooted, what will your life become? Sure you hide it but you’re lost and lonesome, still just a frail shook one.” Hit dogs certainly do holler! Yet, “Nobody cares when the tears of a clown fall down.” Poor thing. On that same album, she served up yet another sliver of her trademarked Mariah Carey shade with a bop called “You Had Your Chance.” It’s nowhere near as scathing as “Clown,” but a good, light read nonetheless.

While her 2005 comeback was not a beacon of shade, one of the album’s singles “Shake It Off” served up a bit of shade and was yet another smash hit for the diva. “Shake It Off,” as you likely know, is a now-classic break-up anthem for that less-than-stellar man in your life. Mimi motivates the ladies to shake ‘em off with a quick 1-2-3 shake. Oh, and honorable mention to “It’s Like That” for the line “them chickens is ash and I’m lotion.” Werq, honey.

Never fear, though, for she returned in 2008 with a few more songs of scintillating shade on E=MC2, the hottest of all being “Heat,” on which she points her shadlescope at some ho who tries to steal her man. It is a ratchet read that leaves hypothetical wigs strewn across the flooring. In a rare moment of aggressive violence, Mimi vows to “come out these heels and make it clear,” and “fuck up my hair and take it there, bitch.” For anyone who thinks she is all butterflies, rainbows and unicorns, think again. She “sholl ain’t the one.” 

No one is safe when the Mariah Carey shade pen is set on high, not even her siblings. “I Wish You Well,” from that same album, is a different sort of shade, though. It is in a class of its own; it is Bible-thumping, Holy Spirit-ed shade. The song talks of the manipulation done unto her by her siblings who have hurt her over the years, and she uses the words of the Bible to wish them well, a.k.a. excrete them from her life and conscience. It is just behind “Clown” at the pole position of the intelligent, high-level, damn-near-Holy shade spectrum.

That same year, Mariah got married, and the following year, released Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. Perhaps out of a desire to rid herself of the negative energy as she entered her new marriage, Mariah took to her pen to once again shade the lessers of relationships past. Unsurprisingly, Memoirs is one of her shadiest albums. It was kicked off with “Obsessed,” a hip-hop track that once again is a clear response to Eminem (a connection she denies hilariously) and incited a predictably bitter response from the Obsessed-one who proved just how obsessed he truly is with his response track “Warning.” The album featured plenty more succulent shade, though. “Standing O” is a bitingly sarcastic number offering a round of applause to a failed lover, while “Up Out My Face” is a hilarious (and albeit cheesy) breakup anthem. Its most famous line is perhaps when she says that “If we were two Lego blocks, even the Harvard University graduating class of 2010 couldn’t even put us back together again.”  Other slightly shady bops include “It’s a Wrap,” “Betcha Gon Know,” and “H.A.T.E.U.” – but those are more so angry or upset than downright shady.

Following Memoirs, Mariah’s longest hiatus to-date ensued: it was nearly 5 years before she released her next studio album, Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse. In that time, she unfortunately gathered a wealth of inspiration for yet another shade-filled album. On Chanteuse, she was a wife scorned, yet still trying to work through the problems in secret. On “Faded,” she chastises her then-husband for being “always somewhere but not there for” her and fading away, literally and metaphorically. Similarly, “You Don’t Know What to Do” finds her giving a witty read to her fair-weather lover, “you love me more than you love sunny summer days … now all you can do is listen to me sing” she chides. The cruelest of all, though, is downright diss-track “Thirsty.” Featuring lines like “you used to be mister-all-about-‘we,’ now you’re just thirsty for celebrity, best thing to happen to your ass was me, pull down them Tom Fords and act like you see.” Funny as that is, it’s actually quite sad. She utilizes her high level vocabulary and metaphorical skill on the chorus, singing “Thirsty for a dream, leaving me drowning, ain’t no SOS, filled with discontent, fire you can’t quench, why you try so damn hard?” The worst bit of all? She changed her number and he has to hit her on Twitter, because he “can’t get the real math.” Keeping with that same theme, “The Art of Letting Go” is self-explanatory, and features the line “Go to Mimi on your contacts; press delete.” It seems said moment might’ve come before “Thirsty”?

Possibly inspired by her experience on American Idol, “Meteorite” is a disco-inspired jam that is directed toward aspiring starlets. However, it’s not a supportive sort of “you can do it!” moment you might expect. Actually, it is an honest and all-too-real perspective on fame, laced in Mariah Carey shade. She warns that shooting stars, or meteorites, will burn out quickly. She compares fame to a flame, saying the public watches you “burn up” as you “turn up.” It’s a cautionary and shady tale of fame.

Next, we arrive to Ms. Carey’s first official post-divorce bit o’ shade: “Infinity.” Released in 2015 as a capstone for now-out-of-date collection of #1s (shout out to 19th #1 “All I Want For Christmas Is You”!) and to promote her first Las Vegas residency, the song seems to be aimed at her now ex-husband. Its antagonist, similar to that of “Thirsty,” is seemingly broke, mad, and simply not on MC’s level. She reminds him: “you lost the best you’ve ever had.” This time, though, she’s not mad or upset. She seems to recognize that it’s alright that things have come to an end, and “that’s the story, ain’t no happy end.” Yet, “Infinity,” despite its layers of shade, does end on a positive note: she still believes “infinity is more than just a made up dream,” that one day she can still find infinity. Just not with that one. So is there a happy ending to her story? Yes.

When I wrote this list in 2016, I pondered: “So, where does that leave us with the Queen of Shade? Is she still shady? Of course! However, it’s probably more likely for future music to be a little less shady given her current state of affairs (and engagement!).” Welp, so much for that.

By early 2017, Ms. Carey dumped her then-fiancé (sorry to that man) and released another song full of her classic Mariah Carey shade. A trap-inspired R&B mid-tempo, “I Don’t” features Y.G. and ingeniously flips a sample of Donell Jones’ 1999 classic “Where I Wanna Be” both from a musical and lyrical standpoint. In the video, she sets fire to her wedding dress, which caused quite a stir at the time. In what was probably not-so-coincidental-timing, she even got Remy Ma to hop on the song despite being in the midst of a beef with a certain ex-coworker of Mariah’s.

The following year, Mariah released her 15th studio album, entitled Caution. Guess what the first single off of the album was? Shady as fuck.

Entitled “GTFO,” MC the Emcee kicked off her 2018 album campaign with an exquistely shady and ultra-meme-able midtempo groove. As one can imagine from the title, “GTFO” is a rather to-the-point anthem. The Queen of Christmas encourages the exit of her antagonist (“take your tingz and be on your merry way”) with enough icy sarcasm in her tone to render Christmas in July.

As if that weren’t enough, another single from the album, “A No No” adds more shady spice to Caution as Ms. Carey flips a Lil’ Kim sample to warn the “snakes in the grass” that it’s “time to cut the lawn,” remind y’all that she won’t hesitate to get her lawyer “Ed Shapiro on the phone, case closed.” And those quips are just in the first verse, you’ll have to listen to catch the rest, “dahhling”!

In October 2020, Mariah released a compilation album entitled The Rarities, which featured a number of never-before-released songs that she unearthed from “the vault.” Of course, there is a shady bop among them: “Cool On You.” Originally recorded in 2007 and likely intended for the album E=MC² the song is seemingly inspired by Meryl Streep’s iconic character from the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda Priestly. Opening with a chant of “do the coat, kick rocks, eat dirt,” the song drips in quintessential Mariah Carey shade.

Another revelation that came to light in 2020 was that Mariah wrote and recorded an alternative rock album in 1995 while she was working on the Daydream album. Entitled Someone’s Ugly Daughter and released under the band name Chick, it features songs penned by the Queen of Shade herself, with lead vocals by her friend Clarissa Dane. The lyrics, for the most part, are filled with anger and comical shade directed at her then-husband (the controlling Italian one). Unfortunately, the entire album isn’t on streaming, but its two music videos are on VEVO and Apple Music. Mariah has said that she found the original recordings with her singing lead, so here’s hoping they see the light of day sooner than later.

So, what’s next for Shadiest Chick In the Business? Only time can tell; Ms. Carey has proved to be often imitated, never duplicated, and always unpredictable. One thing is for certain: no diva in the business can throw shade like she can, whether in an interview or, even better, in song. So, beware… you never know when she might come for you. But don’t worry too much, this is her attitude toward most people she doesn’t like:

Listen to Mariah Carey: The Shadelist

The post The Shadelist: Chronicling Mariah Carey’s shadiest songs appeared first on THE 97.

Official music video, 1990

In fact some of our greatest current vocalists have cited “Vision of Love” as the song that made them want to become singers. Superstar Beyoncé told MTV after hearing “Vision of Love” for the first time, “I knew it, my mind was made up – I had to be a singer.”[8] Hit maker and The Voice judge Christina Aguilera has said, “[W]hen I discovered Mariah Carey and ‘Vision of Love’, that was a breath of fresh air, and I adored her from that moment on and idolized her.” Entertainment Weekly reports after hearing “Vision of Love” Aguilera also told her mom, “I just found the greatest person in the world!”[9] Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson saw Carey sing “Vision of Love” on Arsenio Hall’s talk show and “became, like, literally obsessed.” Clarkson told Nightline, “I was just flipping out, ‘Who is she?'” Clarkson said she later chose to sing “Vision of Love” for her first choir solo.[10] After the performance, Clarkson knew she wanted to be a singer.[11] When asked by i-D what song made her want to do music, global icon Rihanna responded “Vision of Love.”[12] Rihanna echoed that statement on The View in saying her love for Carey is what confirmed that she wanted to be a singer. Grammy nominee and The Sing-Off judge Sara Bareilles told VH1 that she “felt as a vocalist really inspired by ‘Vision of Love.'” Bareilles said her dad bought the cassette of the song and they would listen to it over and over. As a singer, Bareilles was blown away by Carey’s vocal performance.[13] Pop singer Natasha Bedingfield also listened to Carey on repeat to “marvel” at her combination of tone and power.[14] R&B icon Brandy told B96 that Carey is “the reason why I’m singing” and said she sang “Vision of Love” and Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” to land her record deal with Atlantic.[15] Brandy had previously sung the same two songs in an audition for Star Search.[16] Geri Halliwell said she “pretended to be Mariah Carey” in her audition to become a member of the Spice Girls.[17] Soul singer Marsha Ambrosius sang “Vision of Love” at the first talent contest she won.[18] These examples all show how Carey, and “Vision of Love” in particular, has helped produce some of the biggest acts in various music genres and provides the framework for why famed producer Ron Fair calls Carey a “hugely important pop singer.”[19]

Live at the Arsenio Hall Show, 1990

In addition to pop and R&B singers, plenty of female artists from other genres have also been inspired after hearing Carey and “Vision of Love.” Dirty Projectors’ lead singer Amber Coffman’s first album was Mariah Carey’s debut.[20] Nite Jewel also sang to Carey’s music as a kid (and still does).[21] Ferren Gipson of Pandr Eyez has said Carey’s music was some of the first she sang as a kid.[22] Before an early retirement due to vocal cord issues, blues singer Renee Austin said she didn’t have any formal lessons but played Carey and Whitney Houston records and tried to be them. My Midnight Heart creator Angélica Allen says, “Mariah is where I started, musically.” She says Carey’s first two albums were the first she listened to and that she “memorized all the words and every ad lib.” Allen says Carey, along with Trent Reznor, shaped her into the artist she is today.[23] Eden Espinosa of the original Broadway cast of Wicked said she started belting when Mariah came out and would “try to emulate everything that she did.”[58] Claire Boucher, more famously known as Grimes, wrote the first time she heard Carey it “shattered the fabric of my existence” and she started Grimes.[24] Grimes told Canada’s MusiquePlus that she learned to sing by imitating Carey.[25]

As Grimes’ statement reveals, “Vision of Love” not only inspired many females to sing, it also influenced the way they sing. In particular, “Vision of Love” is famous for two vocal parts: a C7 note Carey hits in what is known as a “whistle register,” and then her final reading of “all that you turned out to be” during which Carey decorates single syllables with strings of notes. The latter reading is what Beyoncé referred to when she told the BBC that, “‘Vision of Love’ was one of the first songs I heard when I was a kid where I heard all of these riffs and I was like, ‘How does she do that?’” Beyoncé said she was fascinated by the amount of notes Mariah squeezed into that one little bar, “And that’s kind of when I started trying it and it’s something that I love to do in my music, but she completely inspired me.”[26] The riffs Beyoncé refers to are an example of melisma. Frere-Jones wrote in The New Yorker that, “‘Vision of Love’ is the Magna Carta of melisma.” Beyoncé also told Frere-Jones that she started doing “runs” after hearing “Vision of Love.”[27] Nelly Furtado told MTV Mariah Carey was the first singer she got into when she was about 12. That was when Carey released her debut album. Furtado says Carey, “kind of taught me how to sing ’cause, you know, couldn’t really afford singing lessons. So, I would just listen to Mariah Carey’s CD over and over again, and learn all her lyrics.” American Idol winner Jordin Sparks has said Mariah influenced the way she sings and said she used to try to copy Mariah’s vocals.[28] She told People magazine that Mariah’s debut is one of the albums that changed her life and that “I try to sing the exact same way.” Singer and One Tree Hill actress Bethany Joy Galeotti said she “learned a lot about singing from listening to Mariah Carey. I would sing to her [albums] and try and get all her riffs and stuff.”[29] It’s no surprise, then, that Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly wrote “’Vision of Love’ introduced a new era of R&B that ruled the radio in the ’90s.” Complex dubbed Carey’s debut “the album that launched a million runs” when they chose it as one of the 50 best R&B albums of the ’90s.[30] The whistle note Mariah hits in “Vision of Love” is what Powers calls the song’s “eye-popping moment.” Powers notes it is sung so high it seems “humanly impossible” but that Carey sings “as effortlessly as if she were speaking her name.”[31] As recently as 2013 popular singer Ariana Grande drew comparisons to Carey for using whistle notes in her hit “The Way.” Grande tweeted love for “Vision of Love” in 2012[32] and has called Mariah an “inspiration” and “the greatest female vocalist.”[33] Tamar Braxton, whose whistle notes also draw parallels to Carey, has repeatedly mentioned the influence Carey had on her.[34] Mariah’s influence extends further than pop and R&B music, though, as Broadway singer Eden Espinosa has said she “started the whole belt thing when Mariah Carey came out.”[35] It’s no wonder Slate’s Jody Rosen has called Carey “the most influential vocal stylist of the past two decades.”[36]

Live at MTV Unplugged, 1992

It’s no surprise, then, that Carey’s vocal influence can be heard in singing competition shows, too. Rich Juzwiak wrote for Slant that “Vision of Love” was “a vision of the future world of American Idol.”[37] Considering season 1 winner Clarkson performing “Vision of Love” in a choir solo led to her being a singer and season 6 winner Sparks has listed Mariah as a big influence, it’s no surprise that many Idol contestants have sung “Vision of Love” on that show and other venues. Famed season 1 contestant Tamyra Gray sang “Vision of Love” in her initial audition before the judges.[38] Maybe the most recognizable American Idol moment involving “Vision of Love” was the season 8 sing-off on the song between infamous contestant ‘Bikini Girl’ and judge Kara DioGuardi. A YouTube search of season 11 runner-up Jessica Sanchez reveals her singing “Vision of Love” as a young teenager.[39] In writing about Carey’s influence Rosen noted “Exhibit A is American Idol.”[40] Other American Idol contestants as well as singers on The Voice (in both the United States and the United Kingdom) and The X-Factor have sung “Vision of Love” or have sung other songs in a style clearly influenced by “Vision of Love.” This influence shows in their recorded material, too. For example, Richard Rischar, among others, noted the similarity in vocal and production of early Clarkson single “The Trouble With Love Is” to “Vision of Love.”[41] Record executive Jimmy Iovine asserts “most people going on these shows want to be Mariah Carey.”[42] SoulBounce stated that “’Vision of Love’ pretty much ‘birthed’ a whole generation of pop and R&B reality competition singers.”[43] In naming Carey one of the 100 greatest singers of all-time, Rolling Stone stated that her “mastery of melisma… inspired the entire American Idol school…and virtually every other female R&B singer since the Nineties.”[44]

Live at Madison Square Garden, 1995

Those contestants likely grew up belting “Vision of Love” around the house and other similar settings. While Kelly Clarkson sang “Vision of Love” in a choir concert, P!nk told Oprah Winfrey she would sing “Vision of Love” at parties.[45] Nicki Minaj has said she listened to Carey, and “Vision of Love” in particular, when she was young. Minaj would sing Mariah songs in the mirror with her mother.[46] Rihanna has talked about frequently singing “Vision of Love” in the shower “with my toothbrush as my microphone.”[47] She told Ellen DeGeneres that Carey is the celebrity she looked up to and identified with the most.[48] Rihanna has said, “’Vision of Love’ is my favorite Mariah Carey song, but they just all seemed so powerful. I remember just watching the videos, and that’s what really sold me.”[49] YouTube sensation Tori Kelly sang “Vision of Love” in winning her first talent competition.[50] She would later sign a record deal with Capitol Records.

Live on Good Morning America, 1990

As previously mentioned, Carey wrote “Vision of Love” in reaction to finally landing a record deal. The lyrics express a theme that would show up in future Carey songs; the belief that humans can persevere and that good fortune will come. It’s understandable, then, that many artists have also spoken about the emotional impact “Vision of Love” had on them. R&B legend Mary J Blige told Barnes & Noble, “Mariah Carey’s music saved little ghetto children’s lives. Songs like “Visions of Love” gave us hope and we would sing those songs and try to hit every note like Mariah — which we can’t.” Blige said Mariah has played a big part in her life.[51] Singer Anastacia has said “Vision of Love” is her favorite song from the ‘90s and that she’s affected by every note Mariah sings.[52] Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly calls the song, “a near-religious listening experience.” That is echoed by something R&B singer Nivea said. She saw the same performance of “Vision of Love” on Arsenio Hall’s show that Clarkson mentioned, and she, too was emotionally impacted and was inspired to become a singer. She recalled to Yahoo! Music that, “I was watching ‘The Arsenio Hall Show,’ and Mariah was performing ‘Vision of Love.’ The way she projected her voice, she just had so much power. I knew then that I wanted to make people feel the way she made me feel. I bought all her albums and learned all the songs. That’s all I would do all day long sing Mariah Carey songs.” UK singer Lucie Silvas, who wrote music for the TV show Smash, told Guardian Unlimited she was similarly enraptured. “I was obsessed. I remember the moment I first heard ‘Vision of Love,’ then I saw this white girl with a black voice on television, and everything about her bowled me over. You could relate to her and yet she was a magical icon, and throughout my school days all I dreamed of was being like Mariah Carey. She sang with a gospel choir around her, which was always my dream. I just wanted to be her.” This impact isn’t surprising because there is scientific proof of the effect “Vision of Love” has on the listener. A 1998 study done by Tiffany Field, Antigona Martinez, et al of the Touch Research Institute showed that “Vision of Love” is a song that has positive effects on the physiological and biochemical measures related to depressed female adolescents.[53]

Live on Saturday Night Live, 1990

Along those same lines, some of our greatest male hip-hop artists related to “Vision of Love” and used the emotional impact of the song as a way to help them get through tough times on the streets and in prison. Snoop Dogg has said he tells Mariah this story: “When I was locked up in jail, that song ‘Vision of Love’ was the hottest song in the world.”[54] Jay-Z also told Mariah he listened to the song while in prison and that other inmates told him the song was special.[55] Jay-Z also heard the song in the “back woods somewhere…so I knew it went all the way.”[56] 2Pac was helped by the song, too. Digital Underground member Shock G, who produced 2Pac’s song “I Get Around,” wrote in the 2008 book Tupac Remembered that, “Pac had a thing for Mariah Carey’s song ‘Vision of Love.’ You always knew Pac was sad if you walked by his room and he was playing it. He had a tape with it playing over and over again.”

Live on Showtime at the Apollo, 1990

Bill Lamb of About.com sums it all up in writing that “Vision of Love” is “simply one of the most stunning debut releases ever by a pop recording artist.”[57] There is no doubt that, for better or worse, “Vision of Love” had a tremendous impact on musicians across all spectrums. Indeed, Mariah Carey had a “Vision of Love,” and her vision, her sound, defined all that those who followed her turned out to be…

Want to read more about Mariah Carey? We’ve got plenty for you. Click here.

References

Rischar, Ricard. “One Sweet Day: Vocal Ornamentation and Style in African American Popular Ballad, 1991-1995.” (Ph.D, diss. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2000)

Rischar, Richard. “A Vision of Love: An Etiquette of Vocal Ornamentation in African-American Ballads of the Early 1990s.” American Music. Vol. 22, No. 3 (Autumn 2004), 407-443.

O’Dair, Barbara. Trouble Girls: The Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock. New York: Random House, 1997. Print.

[1] http://www.stereogum.com/4607/the_100_greatest_love_songs_according_to_the_ny_da/list/

[2] http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/04/03/on-top

[3] http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/reviews/2009-01-12-pick-of-the-week-womack_N.htm

[4] http://www.mariahjournal.com/infozone/magazines/2007/vibe/1.jpg

[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6sZ0bstyos

[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6sZ0bstyos

[7] http://www.popmatters.com/review/careymariah-greatest/

[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5Wf1cziYf0

[9] http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,275821,00.html

[10] https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eR26_hB1w0w

[11]http://www.rdasia.com/single_minded and http://www.dennishensley.com/Clarkson.htm

[12] https://i-d.vice.com/en_au/article/the-tracks-that-shaped-rihannas-life?utm_source=idanztwitter

[13] http://www.vh1.com/video/interview/sara-bareilles/938092/sara-bareilles-on-vision-of-love-by-mariah-carey.jhtml

[14] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIYLtAoSDEg

[15] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O2RmZnRk3g and http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6266544/exclusive-brandy-breaks-down-the-songs-of-her-self-titled-debut-20-years-later?mobile_redirection=false

[16] https://www.yahoo.com/music/bp/brandy-relates-major-minors-kids-didn-t-pass-235442659.html

[17] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D7bLJD4kX0

[18] http://www.rap-up.com/2012/09/08/rap-up-tv-marsha-ambrosius-connects-with-good-music-talks-new-album/

[19] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahsxa3UTTWc

[20] http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/countygrind/2012/07/dirty_projectors_amber_coffman_mariah_carey.php

[21] http://www.popgunbooking.com/2011/10/11/interview-nite-jewel

[22] http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2014/jan/21/pandr-eyez-heartbreaker

[23] http://www.idolator.com/7583628/my-midnight-heart-cover-mariah-careys-cant-let-go-listen

[24] http://actuallygrimes.tumblr.com/post/42421887682/something-i-want-to-say

[25]http://youtu.be/iMD_6GkBcx8

[26] http://youtu.be/-86J0JZNKM8

[27] http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/04/03/on-top

[28] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDPnSQbtwBE

[29]https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/teens_of_wilmington/conversations/topics/2943

[30] http://www.complex.com/music/2014/07/best-r-and-b-albums-of-the-90s/mariah-carey

[31] http://www.popmatters.com/review/careymariah-greatest/

[32] https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/278300197078061056

[33] http://www.digitalspy.com/music/news/a473970/mariah-carey-comparisons-a-compliment-says-ariana-grande.html#~oQr9J92MqmBrtT

[34] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MVBC4vD4gg

[35] http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwclassical/article/From-Universal-to-Oz-to-Brooklyn-an-Interview-with-Eden-Espinosa-20050115-page2

[36] http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/music_box/2008/04/bigger_than_elvis.html

[37] http://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/behind-the-caterwaul-a-mariah-carey-retrospective

[38] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM9yFggoZEI

[39] http://youtu.be/CykF4Lfj8oU

[40] http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/music_box/2008/04/bigger_than_elvis.html

[41] Rischar, Richard. “A Vision of Love: An Etiquette of Vocal Ornamentation in African-American Ballads of the Early 1990s.” American Music. Vol. 22, No. 3 (Autumn 2004), 407-443.

[42] http://theversed.com/2012/10/04/interscope-exec-jimmy-iovine-explains-nicki-minaj-and-mariah-careys-american-idol-clash/

[43] http://www.soulbounce.com/soul/2012/10/the_voice_gives_us_a_vision_of_how_it_all_began/

[44] http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/mariah-carey-20101202

[45] http://youtu.be/dWEqikOq4j8

[46] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC0zScPYXQk

[47] http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00021776.html#ixzz3ACRJtH4E

[48] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOmOOG-eHMg

[49] http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/rihanna-on-her-love-of-mariah-whitney-celine-and-shania-20091125

[50] https://twitter.com/ToriKelly/status/567881054133952514

[51] http://archive.today/NGDkP

[52] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pxwqbmyGU8

[53] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9583665 and http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-57160008.html

[54] http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1502563/snoop-on-mariah-shes-soft-cotton-swab.jhtml

[55] http://mariahcareynetwork.com/magazines/hiphop99.html

[56] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDf1rIhRtKg

[57] http://top40.about.com/od/reviews/gr/mcareyfirst.htm

[58] http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwclassical/article/From-Universal-to-Oz-to-Brooklyn-an-Interview-with-Eden-Espinosa-20050115-page2

[59] http://www.laweekly.com/music/the-20-best-pop-songs-in-history-by-female-artists-5264050

The post Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love” is the most influential vocal performance of all-time. appeared first on THE 97.

The Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul

While Hip-Hop saw during the 90s a handful of women who gave the genre a breath of fresh air with their fierceness, the R&B world welcomed a different kind of Queen, one that was able to merge two worlds. Mary J. Blige was the woman to bring together the smooth tradition of R&B and Soul with the urban edge of Hip-Hop.

For this reason, she was crowned the Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul by the critics and the public alike. It is a title she still proudly preserves, 25 years into a stellar career.

What’s the 411?

In 1992, a 21 years old Mary J. Blige made her debut in the record business with an album that quickly became an iconic landmark in R&B. What’s the 411? was released by Uptown Records, under the supervision of a young Sean Combs, who then went by the name of Puff Daddy.

As the executive producer of the album, he is to be credited with giving Mary the direction that would launch her and make her a star. She, however, deserves credit for her great talent. The soulful, sweet vocals she delivered on the album, paired with the hard hitting beats producers like Dave Hall delivered, masterfully shaped the genre.

Mary poured her heart and soul into songs such as “You Remind Me,” “Real Love” or “Love No Limit,” which became big hits and classics. Drawing comparisons to icons Chaka Khan (whose “Sweet Thing” she covered on this album) and Anita Baker, she infused new life to the sound of 80s Rhythm and Blues and earned her place among the greats.

A remixed version of the album was released the following year, featuring Rap verses from pretty much everyone that mattered in Hip-Hop at the time (Biggie, Crack Mack, Heavy D, Andre Harrell, Kid Capri, and more). This remix album helped to establish Mary as the Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul.

My Life

As Mary’s journey in music progressed, she had to face her ups and downs. Written and recorded during a low point in her life, her sophomore record, My Life, appeared in 1994.

Once again Puff Daddy was the man behind it, but it was Mary’s struggle that was sapiently chronicled into the records she sang. Battling addiction, an abusive relationship and clinical depression, Mary once again took to music and her voice to express everything she kept inside and gave us gems such as a cover of “I’m Going Down,” “Mary Jane (All Night Long),” “I Love You,” “Be Happy” or the jazzy title track “My Life.”

In true Puff fashion, the numerous soul samples only reinforce the tie between the traditional R&B world of the 70s and 80s and the Hip-Hop edge Mary brought forward with her 90s sound. Mary was singing over the same sort of beats Puff would give to her Hip-Hop counterparts.

The album as thus been hailed as one of the greatest R&B records of the 90s and is widely regarded as a classic. Not only that, but her strong alliance with Puffy combined with the hardness of her sound and the honesty of her lyrics truly helped to crown her the Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul. Mary might have sang her lyrics with soul, but the content had the same realness that defined the best of Hip-Hop.

The Late 90s

Even when Mary and Puffy parted ways in the second half of the decade, she still continued to merge and ride the line between Hip-Hop and R&B.

In 1996, her collaboration with Method Man on “I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By” earned Mary a Grammy award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. She was also featured on Jay-Z’s “Can’t Knock the Hustle” from his debut album Reasonable Doubt, which helped put him on the map. She was the first female singer to feature on a Jay-Z track.

On her 3rd album, 1997’s Share My World, Mary collaborated with Lil’ Kim and Nas on two of the album’s singles and most recognisable tracks, “I Can Love You” and “Love Is all We Need” respectively. This move helped bridge the gap between crossover R&B and Hip-Hop.

By the end of the decade, Mary J. Blige was a household name. With millions of records sold and with numerous collaborations, she had attracted the attention of the mainstream and international audiences, through her fusion of soulful R&B and Hip-Hop. She effortlessly continued to reign as the Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul.

The 2000s

The new millenium started for Mary with the release of the acclaimed No More Drama in 2001. The album was the soundtrack of the singer’s hectic and distressed life and an attempt to finally break free from her personal struggles.

The first single “Family Affair,” produced by Dr. Dre became her biggest hit at that point. It was upbeat, fun and danceable, but also an example of how effortless it is for Mary to play with Hip-Hop and make it her own. Dr. Dre was one of Hip-Hop’s biggest names, but not only that, he represented the West Coast. By collaborating with him, Mary, an East Coast native, showed unity within the genre.

A Disco-flavored remix of “No More Drama” produced by P. Diddy and Mario Winans, hinted at a reunion between Mary and Diddy. The two of them officially reunited on the 2003 Love & Life album, which also saw collaborations with Method Man, Eve and 50 Cent.

Even when Mary found happiness and love, she continued to use her music to uplift other women and became the voice of those who struggled with bad relationships and just life in general. The Breakthrough, released in late 2005, saw Mary claim her throne as the reigning Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul once again with critical acclaim and commercial success.

The album’s biggest hit “Be Without You,” reportedly influenced by Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together,” is a spin on the Rap ballad with soulful vocals, relatable content and a melodic approach. Mary also reworked The Game’s “Hate It or Love It” to chronicle her journey in the industry and proclaim her royalty status on the chorus. Mary’s rap alter ego Brook Lynn also debuted on the hard hitting “Enough Cryin’,” serving a few bars of her own.

The Present

The current decade has given Mary J. Blige the opportunity to explore new territories with her music.

In 2014, she brought her sound to the UK and worked with up and coming British producers to revamp her image as an international star. The result was The London Sessions, which didn’t turn out to be a successful venture on the market, but proved that Mary still has the drive and passion of her early days.

Today, 25 years into her career, Mary is facing new personal struggles with her divorce from her husband, but she’s still perched on that throne she built for herself.

Strength of a Woman, her 13th album released earlier this year, contains some of her best work this decade. Songs like “Love Yourself” with Kanye West, or “U+Me (Love Lesson)” allow us to reminisce on the love we’ve always had for her. Meanwhile, a song like the DJ Khaled helmed “Glow Up” shows Mary’s ability to bridge the gap between generations, by featuring both the iconic Missy Elliott and newcomer Quavo of Migos. Not only that, but the fact that she featured Kanye on “Love Yourself” amidst a rather controversial year, shows that Mary truly has real love for the Hip-Hop Kings.

If she isn’t the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, then who is?

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February 11, 1997.

Before she told ya to call “Tyrone,” before she was the “Bag Lady,” before she got up from her “Window Seat” and showed her whole ass, Erykah Badu introduced herself to the world with Baduizm 20 years ago today. For that, the world should be forever grateful.

Baduizm in Context

Let’s put this iconic moment into context, shall we? It was the mid-90s and R&B was flourishing as a genre, surpassing the typical sounds of Pop radio to become the most prominent and successful genre on the airwaves. With that said, it naturally became more radio-friendly and commercial viable (read: white-people-friendly) and, as Hip-Hop rose to new commercial heights, cross-pollination began between the two  genres to birth what we know today as contemporary R&B.

Baduizm Birthed a New Genre

In the midst of this genre evolution, three young, new artists emerged from the quiet storm to engineer a new sound. These pioneers were D’Angelo, with his Brown Sugar (1995), Maxwell, with his Urban Hang Suite (1996), and Erykah Badu, with her Baduizm. Over the course of three years, this trio helped found a new genre: Neo-Soul.

Rightfully so, Ms. Badu became, essentially, the First Lady of Neo-Soul. Her melding of R&B, Soul, Jazz and Hip-Hop inspirations with her raw, honest lyricism and uniquely emotive vocals indeed defined the new genre. Not only that, but Badu did something her male counterparts did not: she did not make an album about love. Yes, there are a few love songs, but the lyrical content of Baduizm goes beyond; it goes deeper. Erykah Badu made a name for herself by being unabashedly honest and thought-provoking. Prior to Baduizm, this was not necessarily a defining quality of the genre… but Erykah made it so. And, she made a classic album in the process.

Baduizm has Classic Feels

Have you ever listened to a new album and it automatically clicks something inside of you, and it just feels right? It sounds warm and familiar, like it’s an old favorite? Similar to meeting a person for the first time but feeling like you’ve known them all your life, a good album can have that very same effect. Often, it’s because said album does a great job of reviving old sounds. (Most recently, I experienced this with Bruno Mars’ 24k Magic, because he ingeniously mixed various R&B trends into one album.)

If you’ve never listened to Baduizm, you might have that feeling when you turn it on for the first time. I did. A few years ago, I had that very experience with the album. I bought the album on vinyl, set the needle, hit play, and felt right at home with this phenomenal album. Granted, I already knew songs like “On & On” and “Next Lifetime,” but something about the album felt fresh, yet familiar. The reason for that is simple. Nearly every Neo-Soul album to follow Baduizm has likely been inspired by it.

Baduizm is Inspiring

I love Badu, but my favorite Neo-Soul artist, and one of my favorite singers in general, is Jill Scott. Aside from the common connection in that they both worked with The Roots in the beginning of their careers, Scott’s early work was clearly inspired, heavily, by Baduizm. The spoken word, the conversational vocal delivery, deep lyrical content, the organic, warm, soulful, jazzy inspirations and the swag of a Hip-Hop artist that is present in both of their work are clearly from the church of Baduizm. So, let’s talk about some of the church’s most revered hymns, shall we?

“On & On”

The first single off the album, and Ms. Badu’s breakout song, was “On & On,” a puzzling, spiritual track. I’m still not quite sure I fully understand what the song is about, and I spent a considerable amount of time pouring over its Genius annotations. Likely, though, most listeners didn’t get it either… yet we still jammed to it. The melody is irresistible, and Badu flows effortlessly over the organic, sparsely produced beat. Even if you don’t understand she’s actually talking about, it’s almost impossible not to bop and sing along. Former beau André 3000 of Outkast affectionally called her “Erykah ‘On & On’ Badu,”

“Appletree”

My personal favorite off the album is the next song in the tracklisting: “Appletree.” Coincidentally enough, the message of the song carries an extended metaphor that alludes to infamous tree of knowledge from the Bible story of Adam and Eve, informing us that she is, in fact, full of a vast amount of complex knowledge. “Appletree” finds Badu showcasing her innate ability to flawlessly bounce her melodic voice atop a beat, more than earning the Billie Holliday comparisons she has received throughout her career. You could strip “Appletree” of it’s instrumental, and it would STILL bop. Erykah has an uncanny ability to seemingly scat the rhythm of a drum with her words, melodies and voice. “Appletree” is the perfect example of her skill.

“Next Lifetime”

“Next Lifetime” is one of those unabashedly honest and subsequently uber-relatable tracks on Baduizm. Here, Badu laments about meeting a man she could fall for… except for one pesky problem, she’s “already someone’s girl.” It’s that classic tale of the one that got away, but with a unique, Neo-Soul twist. “Next Lifetime” is a classic that helped introduce us to an Erykah Badu who was not afraid to keep it real. The song has a slinky bedroom knocking beat that recalls the Isley Brothers, as she croons with a sensual pain she feels as a result of her dilemma. It’s introspection at its finest.

“4 Leaf Clover”

Perhaps the catchiest track on the album is “4 Leaf Clover,” a dramatic sounding mid-tempo that begins with a beautifully arranged introduction before the beat drops and the groove kicks in. Its a feel good track where Erykah takes a more traditional approach to create a quintessential R&B track that fit right in with the times. It’s a bit reminiscent of Amel Larrieux and her work with Groove Theory on their 1995 album that spawned the hit “Tell Me.” Badu differentiates herself, of course, throwing in some scats and sass.

Baduizm as a “Rim Shot”

The album starts and ends with “Rim Shot,” on which Badu makes innuendos about a drummer hitting his stick against her drum, right in the center, that puts her on the cloud. An interesting choice of topic to start and close the album with, yet a fitting one for Badu, who we would come to find out simply doesn’t give a fuck about what anyone thinks. Regardless, the song is a bop and creates an instant sing-a-long moment.

Perhaps, though, Badu’s “Rim Shot” metaphor is a fitting one for speaking of her iconic Baduizm album in retrospect. Upon its introduction in 1997, the album was a “rim shot;” she struck R&B at its core and affected a release of warmth and all the best feels.

Twenty years later, we look back at Baduizm and can definitively say that it was a rim shot with lasting effects. We continue to feel its vibrations as its influence pulsates throughout today’s Neo-Soul landscape. Erykah Badu made a rim shot twenty years ago, and she called it Baduizm. It is now looked on fondly as the Bible of Neo-Soul. As always, you should spin the scripture at your leisure throughout the year, but today, on the Festival of Baduizm, it’s well deserving of a celebratory listen.

On & on, her cypher keeps moving like a rolling stone…

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Picture this: it’s 1999, and contemporary, yet soulful R&B is married with hip-hop, and is dominating the airwaves. Dozens of crooners are scoring hits with this sound, ranging from emotional ballads, to quiet storm ready mid-tempos, to uptempo bops. Enter Donell Jones’ “Where I Wanna Be,” a quintessential exhibit of turn of the century R&B.

MC + JD = Bop

Fast forward 18 years to 2017, and Mariah Carey has resuscitated that now-nostalgic sound, feeling, and overall threshold of quality. Give the hit-making production duo of Mariah Carey and Jermaine Dupri a good ol’ sample and they’ll deliver. This seems to be a guarantee, and in the case of “I Don’t,” they created something that’s on trend but at the same time seems to transcend time. Maybe it’s the sapiently used sample of “Where I Wanna Be” (which is also interpolated in the lyrics). Or it could be Mariah’s impeccable ear for music, which makes her able to effortlessly compose a catchy song.

On her new single, “I Don’t,” Mariah Carey and Jermaine Dupri have reproduced the classic sample and laced it with the raw, guttural trap hip-hop trends of today to create an undeniable banger. MC and JD managed to update a sound they pioneered together, keeping that lush sound intact without it sounding like a rehash, and once again gifting the Lambs with a bop.

Lyrics + Vocals = Gold

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“Not Tonight,” featured on Kim’s 1996 debut Hard Core, was already all-sorts of female liberation. Kim was happy to rhyme about the guys who wanted her to get down and dirty but wouldn’t return the favor. This was lyrical sexual empowerment. While some artists defend their tepid lyrics with “if a man said this, you wouldn’t have a problem,” Kim dove head first into a male-dominated category and made sure we knew what she wanted – and how she wanted it.

Fast forward to the summer of ’97 and “Not Tonight” gets a revamp for its single release. The Ladies Night Remix featured guest verses from Da Brat, Missy Elliott, Angie Martinez and Lisa Left Eye Lopes. Now, to put this into a bit of context, these were all hot female rappers, but at the same time up-and-comers. Lil’ Kim’s album had been released the year before, Missy had a slew of guest appearances and production credentials but was still gearing up to release her solo effort, Da Brat was two albums deep into her career, Angie Martinez had only appeared on one guest verse and Left Eye was achieving mainstream success as part of TLC. The beauty of the “Ladies Night Remix” is that is shows the versatility of rap, with each woman bringing their signature style and flow to the song. Each artist was at a different point in their career but when they came together there was a sense of unity. This continued on in the music video.

The summer-themed visual featured all the ladies together, riding jet skis, speed boats, and performing together in a safari themed setting. There was also a host of cameos from the likes of Queen Latifah, SWV and Mary J. Blige. It was truly a star-studded affair and can still be appreciated today where feature videos tend to literally be (video) phoned in.
The song was a success, charting at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and being featured on the Nothing to Lose Soundtrack. It’s no surprise given the talent on the track, as well as Missy Elliott’s Kool and The Gang inspired chorus:

“cause this is ladies night, and our rhymes is tight,
yeah this is ladies night, oh what a night,
cause this is ladies night, and the feelings right
yes this is ladies night, oh what a night”.

The song has stood the test of time, being greeted with roars of applause when Lil’ Kim, Da Brat and Missy got together to perform the song at the 2014 Soul Train Awards.

It’s been 19 years since the “Ladies Night Remix” was released. With all the potential among today’s female rappers, it would be interesting to hear and see how they would come together on a single track. Sure, Nicki Minaj delivered arguably her best verse of Kanye West’s “Monster,” but imagine that with a host of other female rappers! “Ladies Night” is exactly what a collaboration should be: a mix of styles coming together on a singular track with the music video to match. So this summer, get the cocktails together, add this jam to your playlist and Get. Your. Life.

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Rhythm and Blues has always been evolutionary. Deeply rooted in gospel, jazz, and the blues, R&B has become one of the main expressions of the African-American experience throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Whether the subject matter ranges from civil disobedience, to love, family, or to sex, what is certain is that R&B has always been unmistakably and unapologetically black. By the mid 1990’s, R&B was in a unique situation. Directly following the New Jack Swing era, the genre found itself caught up in the hip-hop soul era, being dominated by artists such as Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Brandy, Aaliyah, Monica, and countless others. As hip-hop soul ruled the radio airwaves, a different, more nostalgic type of R&B was beginning to form. Helping lead the charge towards change one particular artist with the perfect blend of sophistication, sensuality, sensitivity, and musicality. It was this artist, known simply as Maxwell, that became one of the catalysts for a major shift in R&B throughout the latter part of the 90’s and into the new millennium.

By 1994, 20-year-old Gerald Rivera had spent the better part of three years building a reputation as a consummate singer-songwriter in New York. Hailing originally from Brooklyn, Rivera’s musical development stemmed from a deeply religious upbringing, which lent itself toward his extraordinary vocal ability, consisting of both a deeply rich tenor and a highly emotive falsetto. Upon his signage to Columbia Records that same year, Rivera, now professionally known as Maxwell, requested to work with legendary songwriter Leon Ware, the main songwriter of Marvin Gaye’s I Want You album. With Ware, musical partner Hod David, and music producer Stuart Matthewman, Rivera completed work on his debut album Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite by the middle of 1995. Upon completion, Columbia was weary of releasing Urban Hang Suite, out of much concern that the album lacked the mainstream appeal needed to generate a hit record. However, after a year of being shelved by the label, the album quietly dropped on April 2, 1996.

Urban Hang Suite is a concept album that details the various stages of a relationship between lovers, including first encounters (“Welcome”, “Dancewitme”) sex, (“Til The Cops Come Knockin’) breakups, makeups, and marriage. The first single, “Til The Cops Come Knockin”, was released on May 14, 1996, and  serves as a sublime standout on the album. “Knockin” details a sexual relationship between a man and a woman, in which the man’s top priority is achieving sexual ecstasy by pleasing the woman’s needs. The jazz organ, which is a recurrent instrument used throughout the record, gives the song a smokey, seductive edge, while Maxwell coos over the instrumentation in his signature falsetto. An exceptionally well written song, “Knockin'” served as a phenomenal first single for an amazing album, and remains a staple in Maxwell’s live performances. (Sidenote: To be blunt, that part in the music video where Maxwell rolls all over his apartment floor makes me so twitterpaited. Every. Single. Time. If only I could have been that floor. Yes, I’m thirsty and I own it.)

Moving right along, if “Knockin” was the single to start the album’s success off on a good note, then it was the second single, aptly named “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder)” that propelled Maxwell into stardom. The mid-tempo, bass heavy track, penned by Maxwell and songwriter Itaal Shur, dropped on July 30, 1996, and details Maxwell assuring his lover that she’s “the highest of the high”, and never needs to worry about his love for her, crooning, “If you don’t know then I’ll say it, so don’t ever wonder…” (Remind me again why this man and I aren’t married yet?) Anyway, the song peaked at #36 on Billboard’s Hot 100, creating the Rivera’s first appearance on the chart, and remains one of his best known songs. What I love most about this track is the very mellow bass line, in contrast with Max’s wavering falsetto in the song’s opening bars. Classic.

The next single released in December of 1996, is among my favorite of Maxwell’s catalog. “Sumthin’ Sumthin'”, written by himself and Ware, sees Maxwell pursuing his love interest, all while praising her blackness and cool “mellow smooth” nature. 15 years after the release of Urban Hang Suite, Maxwell had this to say during his VH1 Storytellers performance in regard to Leon Ware:

“He used to hip me to so much soul music… like Grand Central Station, and Sly Stone, and all these things that kinda represent good music and discipline. Not just hits, not just celebrity, not just some annoying song that you really wanna just not hear anymore on the radio. That stuff that lasts, that stuff that you put on at Christmas, and Thanksgiving, on Sundays, when everyone comes back to the anniversary of whatever. THAT kind of music. ” – Maxwell, 2011

The song (also included in the 1997 film Love Jones) is just a funky, feel good masterpiece, and his slow jam version, “Mello: Sumthin (The Hush),”  which is included in the 1997 live album Maxwell: Unplugged is even better.

An inescapable fact about Urban Hang Suite, is that it serves as a beautiful metaphor for life and love. There isn’t one filler song on the album. Quite the contrary, each track builds off of the previous song, seamlessly weaving together a cohesive body of work from start to finish. Towards the middle of the album, we really get to the crux of things, with songs that were not commercially released as singles. With these cuts, we see Maxwell use his narrative to toil through the breakups (“Lonely’s The Only Company”) and makeups (“Reunion”) of relationships. While these two tracks aren’t songs that are well known from his catalog, one thing that can be definitively said, is whether known or not, they fulfill their duty as a support system of the album.

One of Maxwell’s most purposeful tracks, and arguably one of the best, is the 1997 single, “Whenever, Wherever, Whatever”. “Wherever, Wherever, Whatever” is a beautiful ballad with downright gorgeous string instrumentation, which lyrically depicts Maxwell pledging his eternal and undying love to his soulmate.

In more recent years the song serves, to some capacity, as an ode of devotion from an artist who selectively releases new material, to his fanbase, and best represents the notion that though he may not be here when we want him, he’s definitely here when we need him most. What I personally love most about this song in this particular, is that it showcases Maxwell’s willingness to be sensitive in spite of his masculinity, while lyrically, still asserting that he will be strong enough to protect his woman from the perils of the world. The album’s conclusion ends on a high note, with the final single and track of the album, “Suitelady (The Proposal Jam”). It’s here in which the relationship culminates in a very erotic marriage proposal from Maxwell. If you haven’t heard the song before, please prepare your edges and heartstrings for snatching.

The success of Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite, marked a huge triumph for the singer, and in turn helped spark a creative renaissance in R&B, now known as the Neo Soul movement. The album, along with The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu’s Baduism, and D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar are the seminal four albums that opened the flood gates for other artists such as Alicia Keys, Angie Stone, Eric Benét, Lalah Hathaway, Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, among many others, and made those artists accessible to mainstream chart success; a trend that still continues today.

The Neo Soul movement also helped more established stars such as Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Common, Raphael Saadiq, and hip hop group OutKast embrace their more afrocentric, soulful sides, which in turn gave vaster audiences a glimpse into late 90’s urban life. Whether or not it was Maxwell that was the main artist that precipitated this change is up to personal opinion. However what is non-debatable is the fact that Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite is a showcase of a very dynamic individual, who’s legacy is long lasting.

PS: Make sure you check out Maxwell’s new single, “Lake By The Ocean“! Check out our review on the single, and make sure you catch Maxwell in a city near you this summer, on the SUMMERS’ Tour! His new album blackSUMMERS’night drops on July 1st.

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Mariah Carey was a fan of the 1992 Kriss Kross hit “Jump” and wanted to work with the producer of the track, Jermaine Dupri. Carey got to collaborate with Dupri a few years later on two songs for her Daydream album: “Always Be My Baby” and “Long Ago.” In their sessions, Carey, Dupri, and Manuel Seal started by working on the drum programming, and as Seal started playing the keyboard Carey began singing a melody. Their back-and-forth would result in Carey’s 11th #1, “Always Be My Baby.” At the time it tied her with Madonna and Whitney Houston for the most #1 singles by a female artist, though over the next few years Carey would separate herself from the diva pack.

At first listen “Always Be My Baby” features a beautifully crafted, catchy melody and feels like the perfect song to play on a nice summer evening. Upon closer inspection, though, the song reveals itself to be about the singer mourning a lover she has let go. In naming it one of the best R&B songs on the 1990s, Complex mentioned the contrast between the lyric about a fractured relationship and the “joyous keyboard chords, the snapping beat, and Carey’s conviction that it will all work out.” That conviction helped Carey earn a Grammy nomination for R&B Vocal Performance, Female for the song despite “Always Be My Baby” not having yet been released as a single at the time voting took place.

Released as the third single from Carey’s Daydream album, “Always Be My Baby” debuted at #2 on the Hot 100 and eventually moved into the #1 position for 2 weeks. The song sold 1.2 million copies and was a huge hit at radio. In fact, it ended 1996 as the #1 Hot 100 Airplay song for the year, despite never topping the Hot 100 Airplay or Mainstream Top 40 charts. To this day “Always Be My Baby” consistently receives some of Carey’s best recurrent play.

Carey directed the video for the song, which features a story line of two children at camp escaping in the middle of the night to spend time together. There are also scenes of Carey and her friends having fun around a campfire. The setting perfectly captures the breezy nature of the track, and Bustle calls the video a “classic.” Complex named it one of the best R&B videos of the 1990s and noted that the video made them regret not going to summer camp.

At the time of the song’s release, Larry Flick of Billboard described the jam as a “bright and funky finger-snapper.” In the 20 years since that review, that quality is a large reason why “Always Be My Baby” has proven to be timeless. In a 2015 piece, the staff at Entertainment Weekly wrote Carey, “had us at the first ‘doo-doo-doo-dow” and in a reference to the lyrics of the song stated, “There’s no way we would ever try to shake her.” Jason Lipshutz of Billboard referenced the track’s “iconic vocal hook,” and Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone called the song “ageless.” The strong song construction that weaves those elements together recalls the types of classic songs written in the Brill building and for Motown.

More proof of the timelessness of “Always Be My Baby” can be found in the diverse range of artists who have covered or sampled the song, and in the various ways the song has shown up on social media. Female descendants of Carey like Leona Lewis and Kelly Clarkson have sung the song live, and country singer Sam Hunt performed it on his first tour. Indie rock band Fang Island also performed the song on tour, and Beelzebubs, an a capella group out of Tufts University that has been on The Sing-Off and Glee, included the song as part of their shows in 2011. Current acts like Fifth Harmony and Austin Mahone have sampled the song in their own material. Zola Jesus has said “Always Be My Baby” is her go-to karaoke song because “that song is deep in me.” Former pop starlet Debbie Gibson and Survivor winner Kim Spradlin have posted clips of them singing to it in the car on Instagram.

“Always Be My Baby” may very well be Carey’s catchiest song, so it’s no wonder Vulture named it Carey’s best single and called it “essential, archetypal Mariah.”

Check back in October for more on “Always Be My Baby” and the 20th anniversary of its parent album, Daydream.

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