90s in R&B, Hip Hop & Rap Music

"VH1: I Love the '90s" (06/29/2004) R&B Various Artists, Rhino Records (USA)What better time to remember the '90s than roughly halfway through the following decade? That probably wasn't quite VH1's rationale when they decided to put together their I Love the '90s television series. (And it shouldn't be anyone's rationale.) VH1's timing probably had much more to do with the success of both I Love the '70s and I Love the '80s. They struck while the iron was hot, even though fewer people were probably ready to look back to the pop culture phenomena of this just-passed decade. To little surprise, the channel and the Rhino label put together compilations for each series, never with the intent to provide a be-all and end-all summary of the decade in question. In fact, the only song included here that stands any chance of evading some form of ridicule is En Vogue's "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)." Otherwise, it's a parade of novelty hits, one-hit wonders, and songs you wish you could have scrubbed from your memory. Depending on your tolerance, several songs are all three -- Barenaked Ladies' "One Week," Lou Bega's "Mambo No. 5," Tag Team's "Whoomp! (There It Is)," and Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy" being the best candidates. The one thing that truly sticks out about I Love the '90s is that its compilers seemed to have been on a mission to make the decade sound like the worst one ever. Do not put this in a time capsule; if aliens discover the disc after the apocalypse, they just might think that it had something to do with all the destruction. ~ Andy Kellman What better time to remember the '90s than roughly halfway through the following decade? That probably wasn't quite VH1's rationale when they decided to put together their I Love the '90s television series. (And it shouldn't be anyone's rationale.) VH1's timing probably had much more to do with the success of both I Love the '70s and I Love the '80s. They struck while the iron was hot, even though fewer people were probably ready to look back to the pop culture phenomena of this just-passed decade. To little surprise, the channel and the Rhino label put together compilations for each series, never with the intent to provide a be-all and end-all summary of the decade in question. In fact, the only song included here that stands any chance of evading some form of ridicule is En Vogue's "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)." Otherwise, it's a parade of novelty hits and one-hit wonders -- Barenaked Ladies' "One Week," Lou Bega's "Mambo No. 5," Tag Team's "Whoomp! (There It Is)," and Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy" included. ~ Andy Kellman Just in time for a 1990s revival in the early 2000s, VH1 released I LOVE THE '90s, another collection of chart-popping, decade-defining hits. This 14-track set leads off with Naughty by Nature's "O.P.P." The song's driving bass groove, keenly placed Jackson Five samples, and tongue-twisting ragga-rap verses testify to its popularity. Representing the decade that gave rise to the prominence of DJ/producers, I LOVE THE '90s draws heavily on dance and club cuts, including Right Said Fred's slinky "I'm Too Sexy," Tag Team's chant-like "Whoomp! (There It Is)," and House of Pain's hyperactive "Jump Around." Rock gets its guitar licks in on Collective Soul's anthemic "Shine" and the Rembrandts "I'll Be There for You" (the theme from FRIENDS). Elsewhere, sugarcoated pop (Hansen's "MmmBop") joins sugarcoated R&B (Spice Girls' "Say You'll Be There"), but, really, what would a '90s compilation be without the "Macarena?" Los Del Rio's runaway hit is present and accounted for, of course. So grab your gold rings and hit the dance floor.

"Ultra Mix: Dance Hits of the 80s and 90s" (01/27/2004) R&B Various Artists, Madacy DistributionUltra Mix is a fun trip back to the hip-hop, new jack, R&B, and dance-pop of the late '80s and early '90s, featuring such then-unescapable hits as MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This," C+C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat," Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby," and Snap!'s "The Power." Fortunately, the double-disc set also provides enough room for slightly less overexposed singles like DNA's "Tom's Diner," Black Box's "Everybody Everybody," Ce Ce Peniston's "Finally," and P.M. Dawn's "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss." The collection also includes E.U.'s "Da' Butt" from the soundtrack of Spike Lee's School Daze, along with omnipresent songs like "She Drives Me Crazy," "My Prerogative," "I'm Too Sexy," and "Bust a Move." Songs by Tone-Loc, Soul II Soul, Jody Watley, and Cathy Dennis complete the musical time capsule that is Ultra Mix; anyone with fond memories of that era or a soft spot for cheeky, sometimes cheesy pop and urban songs will find lots of pleasures here, even if some of them are guilty. ~ Heather Phares

"Born into the 90's [Bonus Track]" (07/05/2005) R&B Kelly, R., Jive Records (USA)Personnel: R. Kelly (vocals, keyboards, drum programming); Mr. Lee (vocals, programming); Danny Wilensy (saxophone); Bobby West (keyboards); Allan "Byrd" Tatum (programming, background vocals); Timmy Allen (programming); Georgette Franklin, Nicole Wilson, Dana Stovall, Karen Gordon, Joizae Smith (background vocals). One of the last popular New Jack groups, this East Coast unit had some smash singles in 1992 doing both conventional R&B/soul and hip-hop/new jack tracks. They did both originals and covers, had an enthusiastic attitude, were well produced, and stayed on the urban contemporary outlets throughout the year. ~ Ron Wynn