The 90s: R&B’s golden decade

I woke up this Friday thinking “damn, what a great time for music the 1990s were!” Of course a different generation will disagree, saying there were nasties like “gangsta rap”, too much sampling, kwaito and a whole lot of other nags. Who cares! Every generation goes through this. My mother used to be disgusted by my loud R Kelly “12 Play” cassette, yes taped straight from an original into the old TDK tapes we all owned. I was quite fond of the 60 (minute) ones because even though they carried less music than the 90 (minute), they lasted much longer.

Anyway, I was on a point here. My mother’s generation, and I realise she may be the same age as some of you reading this, grew up on Miriam Makeba, Dorothy Masuka, The Manhattan Brothers, the Beatles and James Brown among others. But their parents, my grandparents, thought that music was vile to the t-junction! Most of that generation grew up without recorded music.

Now as far as the 1990s, ah what a period in our music! Especially the R&B side. Do you remember serenading or being serenaded to the heartwrenching sound of Shai back in 1993, “If I ever fall in love…”? or JoDeCi, the rough yet smooth quartet with tracks like “Forever My Lady”? How about the high-pitched teens from Hi-Five (“I can’t wait another minute”, “Never should have let you go”). Or Mariah Carey with the sad “Love takes time” and “Without you”. We had just come out of the Billy Ocean/ Rick Astley era of the love hit song and were being introduced to the golden period of R&B via such legends as Keith Sweat – Make it last forever – which was a tribute really to the genius of the 1980s new-jack-swing trio Guy. I could go on until the end of the Internet, but I’d rather leave it to you to think back and smile at the memories these and hundreds of other tracks might bring to you. Better yet, sift through your collection and just play them:

1. Tony! Toni! Tone! – Anniversary
2. Soul 4 Real – Candy Rain, I don’t know, Thinking of you
3. Atlantic Star – Masterpiece
4. II D Extreme – Up on the roof
5. SWV – Weak, You always on my mind
6. Silk – Freak me, Girl u for me, Lose control
7. Tevin – Tell me what you want me to do, Brown eyed girl,
8. H-Town – Knochin da boots
9. Exceed – Freaky way (Mzansi R&B at its best)
10. MC Hammer – Have you seen her (can’t lie, you sang along to it too!)
11. R Kelly – Bump n grind, For you
12. En Vogue – Giving him something he can feel
13. Portrait - Here’s a kiss, I can call you
14. UNV – So in love with you
15. All 4 One – So in love, I swear, These arms
16. Classic Example – I do care
17. Intro – Come inside, Don’t leave me
18. IV Example – I’d rather be alone
19. After 7 – Damn thing called love, ‘Til you do me right
20. En Vogue – Don’t let go
21. Xscape – Understanding,
22. Aaliyah – At your best (you are love)
23. BlackStreet – Joy, Before I let you go
24. Boyz II Men – Please don’t go, In the still of the night, Water runs dry
25. Kut Klose – Get up on it, Surrender
26. Mary J Blige – I never wanna live without you, I love you
27. …