A Good Mid-to-Late 90s Rap/R&B Song A Day Keeps Bad Taste Away

[Cena's Little Helper]

Today's rap and R&B music is 99% shit. This shittiness has its origins in the fall of Death Row and the ascendancy of rap's next two dynasties: No Limit and Bad Boy. While Bad Boy produced some decent stuff outside of Puff Daddy, No Limit, in hindsight, just straight-up fucking sucked, and this suckiness lives on today in the likes Lil' Wayne and Drake.

As fas as R&B goes, well, I have no freakin' clue what happened to it, but it was BEAST back in the day.

I plan on giving each of you a good rap/R&B song a day for the next 30 days. I hope most of you already know that rap/R&B music isn't what it used to be and that you just enjoy these songs that you've already heard of. If not, wait for the multiple eargasms to occur.

Song 1: It's All Good
Artist: Felecia ft. Krayzie Bone
Album: Chapter II: Family Reunion (1998)
[YOUTUBE]dc25SEIOJ24[/YOUTUBE]​

A Short Comment: Mo Thugs was a rap collective headed by Bone Thugz n' Harmony. They released four albums from 1996 to 2003. Family Reunion was by far their best album and this is one their best songs.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Song 2: West Up!
Artist: WC and the Maad Circle ft. Mack 10 and Ice Cube
Album: Curb Servin' (1995)
[YOUTUBE]0QL19nuhjtU[/YOUTUBE]​

A Short Comment: A modest hit song from short-lived, West Coast rap group. WC would later go on to form Westside Connection with Ice Cube and Mack 10.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Song 3: If Your Girl Only Knew
Artist: Aaliyah
Album: One In A Million (1996)
[YOUTUBE]wG5ilt3Hrt4[/YOUTUBE]​

A Short Comment: The lead single off of the late, great Aaliyah's second album and probably her most commercially successful song before she hit mainstream pop stardom with "Are You That Somebody?" I should note here that there's derision behind my usage of "mainstream pop stardom." Aaliyah was one of the rare rap/R&B artists who maintained their edginess even after becoming a household name (I should credit Timbaland's excellent production here as well...he was pretty damn good up to and including Justin TImberlake's first solo album). Man, in my imaginary universe, hip-hop's power couple is Nas and Aaliyah, not Jay-Z and Beyonce.

 

[Lowdown]

Love the thread man. "The One" was my jam by the Maad Circle. I'd post a video but I struggle with the iPad. My 90's rap pick would be Pharcyde's "Runnin". That was going into freshman year of high school.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Song 4: Sweet Potato Pie
Artist: Domino
Album: Domino (1993)
[YOUTUBE]WQVuFA_c2eQ[/YOUTUBE]​

A Short Comment: I'm going a little earlier here than I should but I love this underappreciated and largely forgotten song. Domino's success was short-lived but his albums were just as understatedly explicit as the likes of Snoop Doggy Dogg's Doggystyle and Dr. Dre's The Chronic (that is to say, he didn't veer into the borderline comedic territory that 2 Live Crew happily inhabited).

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Song 5: Ain't No Fun
Artist: Snoop Doggy Dogg ft. Nate Dogg, Kurupt, and Warren G
Album: Doggystyle (1993)
[YOUTUBE]8nmXrCJIsAo[/YOUTUBE]​

A Short Comment: Last time I'm going earlier than I should. Listening to Sweet Potato Pie reminded me of this gem. Easily one of my rap songs and Nate Dogg's best feature spot.

 

[wrestlingfan]

People just need to need to learn to enjoy club bangers, songs which Drake/Wayne make. It's okay to have guilty pleasures.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

People just need to need to learn to enjoy club bangers, songs which Drake/Wayne make. It's okay to have guilty pleasures.

Go ahead and enjoy it to your heart's content. Just know Drake and Lil' Wayne are the rap equivalent of Nickelback: catchy but vapid and shittily written songs. Now put this joint in your pipe and smoke it:

Song 6: This DJ
Artist: Warren G
Album: Regulate...G Funk Era (1993)
[YOUTUBE]URHKXdgy_Qc[/YOUTUBE]​

A Short Comment: Naitch requested a Warren G song. Regulate is a classic but This DJ was and always will be Warren G's masterpiece.

 

[Lowdown]

As far as R&B jams go I recommend Groove Theory's "Tell Me" from '95. Very chill and laid back jam, and Amel Lareuix's vocals are nothing short of excellent.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Awwww shit, you cannot beat a little Warren G, one of the smoothest, coolest voices in rap. This DJ is a top little tune man, but my personal favourite from Mr Warren to tha G is this little gem.

[YOUTUBE]4SEP7rznyE4[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

As far as R&B jams go I recommend Groove Theory's "Tell Me" from '95. Very chill and laid back jam, and Amel Lareuix's vocals are nothing short of excellent.

I had to look up this song since I wasn't familiar with Groove Theory or the song. I definitely remember this being played quite frequently back in the day. It's good shit and I'd like to know what other gems you can come up with that I've heard but don't recall off the top of my head (that is you're guesting with song number 8).

Song 6: Freak Like Me
Artist: Adina Howard
Album: Do You Wanna Ride? (1995)
[YOUTUBE]_r2o-mlTmxE[/YOUTUBE]​

Short Comment: More provocative than Salt-n-Peppa and TLC and without the androgynous image associated with the likes of Da Brat and MC Lyte, Adina Howard paved the way for female R&B singers/rappers to explicitly discuss sex while maintaining their femininity. Khia should be grateful.

 

[i'm a cm punk girl]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx0xzO73Amo

always loved this song even til this day.

 

[Lowdown]

Well I still don't know how to post vids from YouTube with the iPad, but I got a good pick here. My 90's pick today is some more hip hop, and a classic. "Mass Appeal" by Gang Starr. Guru was one of the east coast's underrated lyricists, and he came strong on this effort, of course produced by DJ Premiere. Anyone that can post a vid first gets mad rep from yours truly.

 

[Lowdown]

I had to look up this song since I wasn't familiar with Groove Theory or the song. I definitely remember this being played quite frequently back in the day. It's good shit and I'd like to know what other gems you can come up with that I've heard but don't recall off the top of my head (that is you're guesting with song number 8).

Song 6: Freak Like Me
Artist: Adina Howard
Album: Do You Wanna Ride? (1995)
[YOUTUBE]_r2o-mlTmxE[/YOUTUBE]​

Short Comment: More provocative than Salt-n-Peppa and TLC and without the androgynous image associated with the likes of Da Brat and MC Lyte, Adina Howard paved the way for female R&B singers/rappers to explicitly discuss sex while maintaining their femininity. Khia should be grateful.

Another cut from my junior high years. The video was a fave among the fellas. Haven't heard from Adina in years but this was a true blast from the past.

 

[Wolf Pac]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y9lNbNGbo24

[youtube]y9lNbNGbo24[/youtube]

Like this...

[youtube]y9lNbNGbo24[/youtube]

Always remove the "http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=" part from the link and put the numbers/letters bit inbetween the [youtube] codes. Hopefully that helps.


Loved your Pharcyde "Runnin" pick. Brings back a lot of memories for me, I used to listen Pharcyde's songs all the time back in the day. My other favourite songs from them are "Passin' Me By", "Drop", and "Otha Fish".

 

[Lowdown]

[YOUTUBE]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uB1D9wWxd2w [/YOUTUBE]

For my next pick, one of the best one hit wonders, Mark Morrison. This got mad radio play back in 97 and 98, and still gets folks on the floor in clubs. Heavily sampled from Chuckii Booker's "Games", Morrison gave us something to bob our heads to in the 90's. Well done sir.

 

[wrestlingfan]

Go ahead and enjoy it to your heart's content. Just know Drake and Lil' Wayne are the rap equivalent of Nickelback: catchy but vapid and shittily written songs. Now put this joint in your pipe and smoke it:

Song 6: This DJ
Artist: Warren G
Album: Regulate...G Funk Era (1993)
[YOUTUBE]URHKXdgy_Qc[/YOUTUBE]​

A Short Comment: Naitch requested a Warren G song. Regulate is a classic but This DJ was and always will be Warren G's masterpiece.

I'm a Pac/Nas fan but I know there's certain music for certain purposes.

 

[Brocky maivia]

Im sorry but i have to disagree. Now your entitled to your opinion yes, but to say Lil Wayne and Drake put out 'shitily' written songs is straight up asinine. They may not be to your taste no but to critizise what is some excellent unique lyrism in their large catalogue of songs is to put it nicrly, extremely short sighted.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

NOTE: Adina Howard's "Freak Like Me" is meant to be song #7, Gang Starr's "Mass Appeal" is meant to be song #8. Now here's song #9, the song lowdown meant to put up:

Song 9: Return of the Mack
Artist: Mark Morrison
Album: Return of the Mack (1996)
[YOUTUBE]uB1D9wWxd2w[/YOUTUBE]​

Short Comment: I had never even heard of Chuckii Booker until I read lowdown's post, but, judging from the song "Games," I wouldn't have been that big of a fan. It looks like he's highly-regarded in the R&B world so I'll have to prove my credibility as a Rap/R&B aficionado with some of my favorite R&B songs over the next four/five days. Look for some Jodeci (not just K-Ci and JoJo), LSG (and Keith Sweat), and the one-hit-wonder Uncle Sam.

 

[Lowdown]

It's been a few days since anyone posted a jam, so I guess I should add the next one. So here we go...

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KPV1InMNUf4

Wyclef Jean's "We Trying To Stay Alive"

I believe this track was Clef's first single of his solo debut The Carnival (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). Sampling the Bee Gees classic "Staying Alive", Wyclef made a decent impact post Fugees. Very track featuring John Forte and Pras, and the rest of the album is great as well. I was never into the Fugees per se, but this made me a Wyclef fan.

 

[Captain Saladin]

Today's rap and R&B music is 99% shit. This shittiness has its origins in the fall of Death Row and the ascendancy of rap's next two dynasties: No Limit and Bad Boy. While Bad Boy produced some decent stuff outside of Puff Daddy, No Limit, in hindsight, just straight-up fucking sucked, and this suckiness lives on today in the likes Lil' Wayne and Drake.

As fas as R&B goes, well, I have no freakin' clue what happened to it, but it was BEAST back in the day.

I plan on giving each of you a good rap/R&B song a day for the next 30 days. I hope most of you already know that rap/R&B music isn't what it used to be and that you just enjoy these songs that you've already heard of. If not, wait for the multiple eargasms to occur.

Kendrick Lamar, Killer Mike, The Weeknd and Frank Ocean all say hi.