Slow jams: The 25 greatest R&B songs from the '90s

There is no doubt that Mariah Carey was a ruler of the '90s as one of top-selling artists of all time. By the time Carey released her fifth album, “Daydream,” in 1995, the singer wanted to incorporate more hip-hop into her sound. She did just that on the album’s lead single, “Fantasy,” and recruited rapper ODB to bring the finesse. It was a sound that not only changed her career with the mesh of R&B and hip-hop but also influenced other artists.

R&B king Usher’s breakout single was the 1997 hit “You Make Me Wanna…” from his second album, “My Way.” The song was produced by Usher’s longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2019 rising star Summer Walker sampled the classic hit and featured Usher on her song “Come Thru.”

In the mid-'90s, Aaliyah experimented with new sounds, thanks to the likes of Static Major, Missy Elliott and Timbaland. On her 1998 single “Are You That Somebody?” Timbaland gave her a unique production that included a baby cooing. Timbaland is known for making sounds out of anything, and this single from the "Dr. Doolittle" soundtrack showcased a young Timbo in his prime — not to mention, the "Are You That Somebody?" video was one of Aaliyah’s signature dance sequences. 

Throughout Michael Jackson’s career, each of his albums had a distinct sound. During the King of Pop’s “Dangerous” era, he decided to experiment with a little bit of New Jack Swing. The Teddy Riley-produced track "Remember The Time" reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts. In addition to showcasing a new sound, the song's visual will always be remembered as one of MJ’s best dance videos, directed by John Singleton and acting cameos from Iman, Magic Johnson and Eddie Murphy.   

Mark Morrison came onto the scene in the early ‘90s. However, his career began rising with his 1996 hit song, “Return of the Mack. The song stayed on the Billboard charts for 41 weeks and became a multiplatinum hit.

R&B girl group SWV, which stands for "Sisters With Voices," hit the music scene with the 1992 debut album, “It’s About Time.” One of its standout tracks is the hit song “Weak,” which was originally given to Charlie Wilson. The multiplatinum hit reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

R&B singers Brandy and Monica came on the scene in the early ‘90s, and in 1998 they were both working on their sophomore albums. Their biggest hit to date is the duet “The Boy Is Mine” in which the singers are going back and forth over a guy. Produced by Darkchild and Dallas Austin, the song won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a duo or group. Brandy and Monica didn’t reunite on another track until 14 years later.

Throughout the early part of her career, Mary J. Blige was known for sampling classic ‘70s and ‘80s songs and putting a new-age twist to them. She did just that on her 1992 hit “Real Love” that sampled Audio Two’s 1987 hit, “Top Billin.’” Although “Real Love” was Mary’s second single, it was her first Billboard top-10 hit and set her on a path to becoming known as the Queen of Hip-Hop and R&B.

R&B group Bell Biv Devoe has been giving fans hit songs since their days as members of New Edition. A pillar in the New Jack Swing sound is the 1990 hit song “Poison," which became the group’s biggest song to date.

The '90s were a time when singing groups dominated, something that is rarely seen 30 years later. One of the most dominant groups of that era was Jodeci, known to some as the bad boys of R&B. When it came to love songs, Jodeci was on the airwaves, especially with “Forever My Lady.” The 1991 hit was written and produced by Al B. Sure! along with group member DeVante Swing. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.

Girl groups were also dominating the ‘90s, and one of the biggest selling groups of all time was TLC. Members T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli all had different personalities and styles that were on constant display to resonate with fans. Their 1999 hit, “No Scrubs,” was a female anthem that called out guys for not bringing anything to the table. It’s one of their signature songs and ended up winning two Grammy Awards.

The '90s spawned a number of music subgenres — one of which was neo soul. It was known as a mixture of R&B, jazz, hip-hop and funk. One of the early pillars of neo soul was Erykah Badu, whose debut album, “Baduizm,” featured her first single, “On & On.” The song earned Badu a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

Groups during the '90s had their own unique sounds and styles including Boyz II Men, who were known for love ballads with a four-part harmony. Each group member brought a different sound, between the baritone, tenor and bass, and it was evident on their hit song “On Bended Knee," which had the singers pleading to get the love of their lives back. Written and produced by duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, “On Bended Knee” shot to No. 1 and replaced the group’s previous hit, “I’ll Make Love To You,” on top of the Billboard Hot 100.

One of the abilities that has always set Lauryn Hill apart from other artists is her spitting rhymes and soulful vocals. She was a rapper and a singer before more artists started to incorporate both talents. After her time as a member of the Fugees, she released her debut solo album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” which featured the hit single “Doo Wop (That Thing).” The No. 1 hit went on to win two Grammys, including Best R&B Song.

As a member of one of the most musical families of all time, Janet Jackson was never afraid to carve out her own lane. Her 1993 album, "Janet.," sparked a sultry side of the singer and a number of hit singles, including “That’s The Way Love Goes.” Her longtime collaborators, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, brought a smooth and mellow sound to Janet’s lower register tone. "That's The Way Love Goes" won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.

One of the groups to incorporate New Jack Swing and hip-hop into their R&B sound was Blackstreet, partially due to one of the group’s founding members Teddy Riley. Blackstreet’s 1996 hit, “No Diggity,” featured Dr. Dre and Queen Pen. The song went on to become one of their biggest hits and knocked “Macarena” out of the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

Tamia has been a vocal star, and it was seen early by the likes of geniuses such as Qunicy Jones. He eventually signed Tamia to his record company, Qwest, and started working on her debut album in the late '90s. One of Tamia’s standout tracks is the Tim & Bob-produced hit “So Into You.” Since then a number of artists have sampled the track including Candice Boyd, CHIKA and Fabolous.

Before embarking on a solo career, Deborah Cox was a background singer for Celine Dion. When she released her second album, “One Wish,” in 1998, it became a pivotal moment in her career. The album’s hit single, “Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here,” helped Cox cross over into the pop world as it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Dance Club Songs chart thanks to Hex Hector making a pop remix.

Another singer who helped craft the essential neo soul sound is D’Angelo. His debut album, “Brown Sugar,” spawned four singles including “Lady.” The track was written and produced alongside Raphael Saadiq. The song became a top 10 hit on the Billboard charts and earned a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

There are some artists who don’t get recognition until a follow-up single or a sophomore album. However in Montell Jordan’s case, he saw his success with his debut single, “This Is How We Do It.” The single peaked at No. 1 on a few Billboard charts and became a perfect club party song. 

Superproducer Timbaland crafted the early sound of Ginuwine’s career. Timbaland produced Ginuwine’s debut album, “Ginuwine… The Bachelor,” which featured the hit single “Pony.” Not only was it a top 10 Billboard hit, but it was also a breakthrough hit for Timbaland as a producer, especially for his work with R&B artists.

Although Destiny’s Child went from being contestants on "Star Search" to dropping their debut album years later in 1998, the group saw more mainstream success with its sophomore album, “The Writing’s On The Wall.” When the group still had its four original members, it started taking more creative control of the songwriting and producing, and it worked in the members' favor. The album’s lead single, “Bills, Bills, Bills,” was co-written by Xscape member Kandi Burruss, and the song was a No. 1 hit.

Whitney Houston is known as one of the greatest vocalists in music history and it was well proved throughout her career. One of the best-selling singles of all time was her 1992 cover of the Dolly Parton hit "I Will Always Love You." The song broke many records, including Houston's longest-running No. 1 single and the longest-running top single from a movie soundtrack. 

Not only were songwriting duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis penning hits, but they also were discovering artists like the group Mint Condition. On its debut album, "Meant To Be Mint," its most successful single to date is the smooth ballad "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)." The song was a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been sampled by artists such as Amerie and Remy Ma. 

The '90s was a prime time for songwriter Diane Warren, who was known for penning hit ballads. She accomplished that same feat when she wrote Toni Braxton's 1996 single, "Un-Break My Heart." The song became one of Braxton's biggest hits, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart for nearly three months and winning a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.