Category: Hip Hop

From her beginnings as an outspoken queen of neo-soul to her later politically-charged salvos at the vanguard of contemporary R&B, Erykah Badu’s multi-hued, occasionally controversial career has never been less than captivating. Fusing jazz, soul, funk, and hip-hop in equal measure, here are the 20 best Erykah Badu songs, revealing the depths of her brilliance.

20: Hello

A highlight of Badu’s 2015 mixtape, But You Caint Use My Phone, this brilliant rework of the Todd Rundgren/Isley Brothers hit was a collaboration with former beau André 3000. The pair were a much-celebrated couple in the 90s and the duet was inspired by their son, Seven. It ends with the sound of their voices singing in perfect harmony – a testament to the power of family ties.

19: Other Side Of The Game

The third single released from her debut album, Baduizm, tells the story of a woman grappling with the moral dilemmas involved with supporting a romantic partner involved in criminal activity. Its subtle, slow-burning blend of jazz and R&B, driven by the deepest of bass grooves, typified the baby-makin’ sonics that made Baduizm one of the biggest breakout R&B hits of the 90s.

18: Window Seat

A sensual midtempo groover, New Amerykah Part Two (Return Of The Ankh)’s lead single gained infamy for its music video. Shot guerrilla-style, the film featured Badu walking through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, slowly taking off her clothes before being shot by an unseen sniper – an allusion to President John F Kennedy’s assassination at the same site.

17: Telephone

Written the day after she heard of J Dilla’s passing, “Telephone” is a heartfelt and moving tribute to her former collaborator, who died tragically young from a rare blood disease. The song was inspired by a conversation she’d had with the producer’s mother, who told her that Dilla would experience dreams in which the recently-passed Ol’ Dirty Bastard gave him directions home.

Listen to the best Erykah Badu songs on Apple Music and Spotify.

16: Back In The Day

Released in 2003 as a supposed EP that was actually longer than most artists’ full-length albums, Worldwide Underground’s immaculately executed analog grooves were exemplified by the deep basslines, dreamy keyboard runs and exquisitely funky guitars of this single – a nostalgic ode to youthful days spent smoking weed with friends.

15: Time’s A Wastin’

A highlight from her second album, Mama’s Gun, “Time’s A Wastin’” fuses funky bass lines with lush strings and playful keyboard interjections to underscore Badu’s cautionary tale to a young black man. The track ends with a delicious nod to rare-groove man Johnny Hammond’s “Can’t We Smile.”

14: Soldier

New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) found Badu taking a huge stylistic and thematic detour from her previous efforts. Its cutting-edge hip-hop sound – delivered here in the shape of an ethereal flute sample offset by sharp, clipped minimalist beats by producer Karriem Riggins – formed the backbone for the singer’s hard-hitting meditations on racial inequality and black oppression.

13: Fall In Love (Your Funeral)

Another Karriem Riggins production masterclass, “Fall In Love” epitomizes the warm, analog-soaked grooves that Badu returned to on New Amerykah Part One’s follow-up album, Return Of The Ankh. A luscious melding of R&B grooves and hip-hop swagger.

12: Tyrone (live version)

Flush from the huge success of her debut album, Badu released a live album – a bold move for someone at the start of their career. Towards the end of her set, released as Live in 1997, she tests the recently-written “Tyrone” – an acerbic riposte to a cheapskate partner. Both the performance and its rapturous reception has gone down in legend.

11: Me

Many of Erykah Badu’s best tracks are long-form exercises in riding the good groove – and few are more sumptuous than this effort by Sa-Ra Creative Partners producer Shafiq Hussein. Over a gorgeous wash of shuffling beats, tight basslines, and gentle brass arrangements, Erykah delivers a powerful ode to self-love.

10: Didn’t Cha Know

Mama’s Gun’s second single was created after a fateful visit to J Dilla’s Detroit basement in 1998. It’s based on a sample from jazz-funk ensemble Tarika Blue’s 1977 cut “Dreamflower,” a track she discovered while searching through the producer’s mammoth collection.

9: Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long

The third part of a trilogy of songs told from the viewpoint of a woman in love with an errant hustler, Badu followed “Otherside Of The Game” and Worldwide Underground’s “Danger” with this sensuous denouement. Another brilliant example of her penchant for long-form grooves, the track gets its soulful reggae bump from Wings’ 1979 album track “Arrow Through Me.”

8: On & On

Erykah Badu’s debut single caused a huge impact on its release. A chart hit on both sides of the Atlantic, it earned her a Grammy, brought the emergent neo-soul movement to a wider audience, and established the singer as one of music’s brightest new stars. Its playful fusion of classic jazz and hip-hop still sounds fresh as a daisy.

7: AD 2000

A lament for the tragic death of Amadou Diallo, who was shot by NYPD officers in 1999. Driven by a stunningly-beautiful, Stevie Wonder-esque instrumental backing and featuring lyrical and vocal contributions from soul legend Betty Wright, the track is Badu’s most heartfelt and powerful protest song.

6: Master Teacher Medley

One of New Amerykah Part One’s most left-field, cutting-edge tracks, Badu’s medley duet with Georgia Anne Muldrow has had a lasting lyrical impact, introducing the Stay Woke concept – a call to the black diaspora to remember their origins as a displaced people – to the world.

5: Next Lifetime

One of neo-soul’s finest moments, this sensual ballad comes from the perspective of a woman with conflicted romantic thoughts. Already attached, but with feelings for someone else, it’s a bittersweet tale with a poetic metaphysical slant: “Well I guess I’ll see you next lifetime/Maybe we’ll be butterflies.”

4: Honey

How typical of the playful and idiosyncratic Badu to effectively hide one of her most effervescent and accessible dancefloor bombs. Appearing unlisted at the end of New Amerykah Part One, “Honey” opens with a re-work of RAMP’s “The American Promise” before morphing into a life-affirming, P-funk-heavy workout of the highest order.

3: I Want You

Worldwide Underground’s epic ten-minute centerpiece is a Marvin Gaye-esque sensual ode to lust and longing, with James Poyser’s keyboard rhythms masterfully mimicking the quickened heartbeat of the love-smitten.

2: Green Eyes

Badu’s break-up with André 3000 inspired the ten-minute track that ended her Mama’s Gun album. Taking the form of a three-part suite, “Green Eyes” moves from its playful ragtime beginnings through to smoky jazz and warm, brass-inflected soul to capture the many moods of a failing relationship as Badu delivers one of her most stirring and open-hearted performances.

1: The Healer

Driven by producer Madlib’s brilliantly manipulated sample of The Yamasuki Singers’ Kono Samuarai, “The Healer” is an ode to the unifying power of hip-hop. Of the song’s lyrics, Badu explained to The New York Post: “There are so many ways to worship, no matter what religion you are. And to me, hip-hop is felt in all religions – it has a healing power. I’ve recently been to Palestine, Jerusalem, Africa… and everyone is listening to hip-hop. There’s something about that kicking snare sound that all kinds of people find meaning in.”

Shop Erykah Badu’s music on limited edition vinyl and CDs here.

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Erykah Badu was one of the four R&B vocalists, along with D’Angelo, Maxwell, and Lauryn Hill, who ushered in the neo-soul era of the late 90s. (In fact, the subgenre’s name was originally coined to market Badu). Her voice recalled Billie Holiday, her style recalled the Black pride and Afro-futurism of the 70s, but her sum total was something completely new to R&B. Decades after her 1997 debut, Erykah continues to be a source of inspiration for producers and singers such as SZA, Lion Babe’s Jillian Harvey and Ari Lennox.

Badu has received her flowers in the time she’s reigned as the “First Lady of Neo-Soul”; celebrated for her storytelling through layered and nuanced lyrics; for her persona and style; and her mix of soul, hip-hop, and jazz in her music. As Badu has introduced us to her varied artistic facets; playing with aliases like Badulla Oblongata, Sara Bellum, and Analogue Girl in a Digital World; DJ’ing, rhyming, hosting, and delivering babies, her singing almost gets lost in the conversation. But one listen to a fan favorite such as “Green Eyes,” and it’s easy to see how significant her vocals have been to her legacy, too. Her vocal delivery has always been essential to the ways in which we understand Badu’s artistry.

Listen to Erykah Badu on Apple Music and Spotify.

In the 10-minute “Eyes,” Badu sarcastically insists that her eye color is the result of her vegetable intake – not jealousy over her lover’s new companion. She utilizes an airy delivery to mask the bite in her lyrics over a jazz-influenced production. “You don’t mean nothing to me, so go ahead and be with your friend,” she offers softly, barely able to force out the final word – a sign of her true contempt. On songs such “Other Side of the Game” and “Window Seat” she emotes by stretching her voice, with its signature southern twang, when she’s feeling her most vulnerable and desperate for acceptance. Badu’s signature cut “Tyrone” finds the singer exasperated with a preoccupied lover, her playful, delayed vocal delivery further highlighting her vivid storytelling.

Producer, songwriter, and member of both The Roots and The Soulquarians production collective, James Poyser has been working with Badu since her debut album, Baduizm, co-writing “Other Side of the Game” during one of their first sessions together. He says Badu “sings in a way that’s imperfectly perfect.”

“There’s a rawness to it. The way she emotes, growls and that Billie Holliday tremolo that she has, it all works,” he says. “There’s a gang of singers I’ve heard after she came out that adopted her kind of phrasing.”

Vocalist Durand Barnarr, who started singing backup for the Dallas native after she spotted his cover of her song “That Hump” on YouTube nearly ten years ago, has called the young artists influenced by Erykah’s sound and lyricism the “Badu Babies.” (Not to be confused with the actual babies Badu helps bring into the world in her role as a doula.)

Bernarr says that as a kid he was initially drawn to Badu’s tone, a “floozy, full twang.” “When you take away the band, she’s a blues singer,” he says. Bernarr grew up in a household where his parents only played gospel and jazz. Badu was one of the only pop artists he was allowed to listen to. When he started taking his talent seriously as a teenager, he began “singing and harmonizing” along to Badu’s records, using her songs as vocal warm-ups. He christened himself a Badu Baby through the title of his 2010 release 8ight: The Stepson of Erykah Badu. Badu inspires allegiance from non-vocalists as well; Dallas producer Zach Witness, who was once surprised when Badu showed up on his doorstep to record music after chatting through Instagram, considers the singer to be a second mother. Her pop-up visit led to him producing her 2016 mixtape But You Can’t Use My Phone.

Among the new class of singers influenced by Badu, Ari Lennox stands out as a clear student of and heir. Lennox has her own identity and flair as a performer, but her exaggerated, nasally delivery as a vocalist almost immediately brings young Badu to mind. In “BMO,” Lennox continuously sings “aye,” elongating the word, underneath the verses and choruses. The delivery harkens to popular “hey” adlibs from Badu’s discography, on songs such as “Window Seat.” Like Badu, Lennox’s music is both modern and a nostalgic reimagining of the jazz and soul singers who came before her.

The nasal lilt that catapulted Badu to fame can also be heard in the vocals of artists such as SZA and Jillian Harvey. Even Teyana Taylor, who recently enlisted Badu to help deliver her second child, has been influenced by the singer’s style. The pair recently collaborated on the song “Lowkey,” which features an interpolation of Badu’s “Next Lifetime,” for Taylor’s The Album.

The best thing about “Badu Babies,” as Bernard has dubbed them, is that they’re not intent on replicating Badu’s entire sound. “You have people that can be inspired by something but still sound like themselves. That’s so important,” Bernard says. These artists are infusing their own stylings, which will likely influence future generations of R&B singers, much like Badu inspired them.

This article was first published in 2020. We are re-publishing it today in celebration of Erykah Badu’s birthday.

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Corinne Bailey Rae is celebrating 20 years of her self-titled debut LP with a North American tour. Like a Star: Celebrating 20 Years of Corinne Bailey Rae will begin on June 2 in Silver Spring, Maryland. From there, Rae will perform in cities like Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, among others, before concluding the run on September 25 in New York.

Corinne Bailey Rae was originally released in February 2006, and upon its release landed atop the UK chart. She went on to win two MOBO Awards, for Best UK Newcomer and Best UK Female, a Mojo Award for Best New Act, and was nominated for Best UK & Ireland Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards.

The following year, the singer was honored with Outstanding New Artist at the NAACP Image Awards and was also nominated for Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Album. At the Grammy Awards that year, she earned a nomination for Best New Artist, while one of the standout songs from that LP, “Put Your Records On,” was nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

That track peaked at No.2 in the UK and spent nearly 30 weeks on the chart. Corinne Bailey Rae spent 58 weeks on the Official Charts Company’s Top 100. The album has been certified 3x platinum in the UK and platinum in the US. In the US, the album also charted at No.4. Additionally, the album has sold more than four million copies across the world.

Corinne Bailey Rae’s last LP, Black Rainbows, arrived in September of 2023 after seven years between projects. Following its release, the album was nominated for the 2024 Mercury Prize. In a rave 8.0 review on Pitchfork, writer Allison Hussey wrote, “Rae has taken a sharp and surprising turn toward unabashed rock music with her scuzzy, guitar-powered new album, Black Rainbows. She’s not whispering but roaring.”

Browse Corinne Bailey Rae’s music on vinyl and CD here.

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“Lonely” is Akon’s newest entry in the Spotify Billions Club. The Senegalese-American singer’s 2005 smash has surpassed 1one billion streams on Spotify, the world’s leading streaming platform. It’s Akon’s third song to join the Billions Club—and his first solo track—following his collabs with David Guetta and Eminem, “Sexy Bitch” and “Smack That.”

Appearing on Akon’s 2004 debut album Trouble, “Lonely” was released as a single in February 2005, becoming his breakthrough hit. Akon co-produced it with Benny-D, Knobody, Shakim Williams, and Disco D, building it out of a sample from crooner Bobby Vinton’s 1964 chart-topper “Mr. Lonely.”

Akon’s song pitched up the sample of Vinton’s voice a la Alvin and the Chipmunks, a style that gained traction in the mid-2000s thanks to producers like Kanye West and Just Blaze. The idea to flip “Mr. Lonely,” though, was Akon’s alone; only Akon and “Mr. Lonely” writers Vinton and Gene Allan are credited as songwriters on “Lonely.”

Not only was “Lonely” the song that made Akon a fixture of 2000s pop music, it’s the song that first caught the attention of SRC Records A&R rep Jerome Foster, aka the song’s co-producer Knowbody, earning Akon his record deal with the Universal imprint. In a 2005 Hit Quarters interview, Foster said he immediately flew to Atlanta to meet Akon upon hearing the “Lonely” demo.

“I was extremely lonely when I wrote it – true story,” Akon told NME in 2023. “At the time, the only person who had my back was no longer there for me because of mishaps and decisions of my own. But for me, writing a song like this is a form of therapy. Once I get it out, I feel so much better. I feel even better again when I see other people can relate to it too.” Clearly, people are still relating to it more than two decades later.

Buy Akon’s Trouble on vinyl here.

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In 1987, writer Barry Michael Cooper went to Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater to interview then-20 year old Teddy Riley about the new R&B sound the young producer had been largely responsible for – a sound which Cooper dubbed, for the purpose of the article – New Jack Swing.

New Jack Swing is sonically defined as R&B with production elements more traditionally associated with hip-hop; tempo and rhythm (the “swing”), programmed drums, and sampling, It was a hybrid that had been bubbling since the mid-’80s, pioneered by the writing and production teams of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and LA Reid and Babyface.

Teddy took the sound and added Harlem’s flavor to it: The energy of hustlers, gangsters, fly girls, and those hoping to either be – or be with – any of the above. Uptown was a land of style, flash, shine…and parties. It was aspirational; the source from which Uptown Records founder Andre Harrell coined the term “ghetto fabulous,” and the inspiration for the label’s ethos. The majority of the earliest artists, producers and figures who shaped New Jack Swing culture, including Riley, Harrell, Keith Sweat, Riley’s fellow Guy members Aaron and Damien Hall, Al B. Sure and Heavy D., were all from uptown, and by extension the fashion and energy of from the streets was inseparable from the sound. “For gangsters and their facsimiles,” Cooper wrote of Riley in 1987, “here’s the new jack talisman, warding off the evil of poverty, failure and longevity…This is about living now, money, and living large.”

New Jack Swing quickly expanded beyond music into television, film, and fashion. It also reshaped the music industry; both by creating space for new, young executives with a fresh perspective; and by making hip-hop more accessible to a wider audience, opening the door for rap’s increasing mainstream presence.

This list was chosen and ranked based not just on the overall quality of the song, but how impactful the track was to the genre and the culture. It includes foundational tracks from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and LA and Babyface; key Teddy Riley productions; songs from essential New Jack-era movies; and even one hit wonders that simply encapsulate everything that defines New Jack Swing. Enjoy these jams that prompted us to dress in our finest, dance our hardest, and chill the coldest. – Naima Cochrane

40: Teddy Riley & Tammy Lucas – Is It Good to You

Weaponized synth hooks combined with hard-hitting drum machine beats were Teddy Riley’s hallmark and he didn’t disappoint with the super-funky “Is It Good To You,” the keyboardist/producer’s collaboration with sweet-voiced Tammy Lucas. The song made No. 50 in the US R&B charts and appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Juice in 1992. – Charles Waring

39: Today – Why You Get Funky on Me

Hailing from New Jersey, Today were a quartet fronted by singer Lee Drakeford and were protégés of Teddy Riley collaborator Gene Griffin, the producer of the group’s third Top 10 US R&B hit, “Why You Get Funky On Me.” Featured in the 1990 hit movie House Party, starring rappers Kid N’ Play, the song exudes a Riley-esque swagger with its seamless fusion of R&B and hip-hop. – Charles Waring

38: Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up

The trend of perfectly curated Black movie soundtracks in the 90s started with New Jack City, written by Barry Michael Cooper, the Village Voice writer who coined “New Jack Swing.” One of the standout tracks alongside NJS mainstays like Johnny Gill and Christopher Williams was the playfully risque and immediately catchy debut from R&B group Color Me Badd. “I Wanna Sex You Up” topped the charts in the US, and then spread around the globe, spurring mutliple remixes and solidfying CMB’s place in 90s nostalgia annals. – Naima Cochrane

37: LeVert – Casanova

Ohio vocal trio LeVert were already an established soul music act with a No. 1 hit to their name when the New Jack Swing phenomenon sent seismic shockwaves through the R&B world in the late 80s. Quick to adapt, they served up their own take on the swingbeat sound with the contagious “Casanova,” which blended silky vocals with a tough beatbox groove, giving the group their second US R&B chart-topper. – Charles Waring

36: The Good Girls – Your Sweetness

Signed to Motown and pitched as a New Jack Swing version of the label’s iconic girl group, The Supremes, Los Angeles trio The Good Girls hit the ground running when their catchy debut single “Your Sweetness” stormed into the US R&B Top 10 in 1989. Stylistically, its harmonized vocal hook and chord changes drew inspiration from Teddy Riley’s work with Guy. – Charles Waring

35: Chuckii Booker – Turned Away

The godson of soul music giant Barry White, California-born Booker brought a smoother, West Coast sensibility to the swingbeat sound with his chart-topping US R&B single, “Turned Away,” in 1989. Taken from the Los Angeles multi-instrumentalist’s 1989 debut album, the single – a meditation on romantic rejection – showcased Booker’s svelte vocals gliding over glistening keys and a fluid groove. – Charles Waring

Celebrate the history of New Jack Swing with our playlist on Spotify.

34: The Boys – Dial My Heart

When it comes to boy bands, Khiry, Tajh, Hakim, and Bilal Abdulsamad should be the blueprint for every group that came after them. The Boys helped recenter Motown as a prominent trendsetter in R&B thanks to their teenybopper lyrics, oversized suits, and bubbly personalities. Their debut single launched the group to stardom at the time, but “Dial My Heart” is one of those songs that transcends age and genres. – Tatyana Jenene

33: Jeff Redd – You Called and Told Me

When you think of the 1991 film Strictly Business, Jeff Redd’s “You Called And Told Me” should be one of the first things that come to mind. This smooth cult classic is for the real R&B heads. – Tatyana Jenene

32: Heavy D and the Boyz – Somebody For Me

A common theme for artists during the New Jack Swing era was the desire to find real love. Heavy D and the Boyz might have been first with the late ’80s hit “Somebody For Me.” The overweight lover was vulnerable but kept his cool as he tried to find a real one. – Tatyana Jenene

31: Al B. Sure! – Nite and Day

Born Albert Brown III in Boston, Massachusetts, Al B Sure! sang background vocals for Heavy D & the Boyz before debuting with the single, “Nite and Day,” in 1988, which topped the US R&B charts for three weeks. The song’s gentle blend of angelic vocals and a romantic theme offered a fresh take on New Jack Swing, toning down the style’s masculine aggression. – Charles Waring

30: Karyn White – Secret Rendezvous

Karyn White was the quintessential it girl during the 80s and 90s and proved her hit-making abilities with the Top 10 song “Secret Rendezvous.” While “Superwoman” may be the beloved ballad, “Secret Rendezvous” is an excellent song perfect for every occasion. – Tatyana Jenene

29: Full Force – Ain’t My Type of Hype

B-Fine, Bowlegged Lou, and Paul Anthony might have been banned from Play’s get together in House Party, but their song, “Ain’t My Type of Hype” became the unofficial theme song of the 1988 film thanks to the iconic dance-off between Tisha Campbell, AJ Johnson, and Kid ‘N Play. – Tatyana Jenene

28: Wreckx-N-Effect – New Jack Swing

This hypnotic Top 20 debut single from a Harlem rap trio whose line-up included Teddy Riley’s younger brother Markell, saw the group waxing lyrical about the New Jack Swing style, describing it as “dope beat medicine.” Propelled by a groove that samples James Brown and Parliament, the song also name-checks other New Jack Swing artists, including Keith Sweat, Al B Sure! and Guy. – Charles Waring

27: Father MC – Treat Them Like They Want To be Treated

Father MC is tired of the dating game and proves that casanovas want love too on “Treat Them Like They Want To Be Treated.” With a then-unknown K-Ci and Jojo Hailey on background vocals, the fellas proved that love and affection go both ways while dating. – Tatyana Jenene

26: Janet Jackson – Miss You Much

People don’t immediately associate Janet Jackson’s name with New Jack Swing, but 1989’s Rhythm Nation 1814 was one of the early projects in the genre from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. “Miss You Much,” as the album’s lead single, served as an answer for fans waiting for another Control, and kicked the Rhythm Nation 1814 era off with a multi-chart No. 1. – Naima Cochrane

25: Whitney Houston – I’m Your Baby Tonight

When Whitney Houston insisted on making an R&B album, Clive Davis called writing and production duo LA Reid and Babyface. They crafted a jam to push the pop star into an edgier, funkier space, but also a more relaxed performance (despite the tongue-tying, rapid speed bridge, which Whitney famously knocked out in one take). “I’m Your Baby Tonight” was Whitney from Newark. – Naima Cochrane

24: Portrait – Here We Go Again! – Radio Edit

Los Angeles quartet Portrait were never able to emulate the success of their playful debut single, “Here We Go Again!,” which rose to No. 3 in the US R&B charts in 1992. A self-written tune which highlighted New Jack Swing’s meld of hip-hop attitude with R&B slickness, the single blended jazzy chords and harmonies over a handclap-heavy backbeat. – Charles Waring

23: Joe Public – Live and Learn

A bona fide four-piece band from Buffalo, New York, Joe Public were the first R&B act to appear on MTV’s Unplugged series after breaking into both the US pop and R&B Top 5 in early 1992 with their catchy debut single, “Live & Learn.” Written and co-produced by the group, the single welded warm soulful vocals to an irresistible swingbeat rhythm. – Charles Waring

22: Troop – I’m Not Souped

Bristling with indignation at being misunderstood, “I’m Not Soupped” is an angry riposte to a girlfriend who has accused her lover of being conceited. Co-written by Troop’s main singer, Steve Russell, with producers Zack Harmon and Christopher Troy who provide a turbo-charged rhythm track, the song raced into the US R&B Top 20 in 1989. – Charles Waring

21: Christopher Williams – I’m Dreamin’

With his rugged but soulful baritone voice, the Bronx-born Christopher Williams (the nephew of jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald) cut a clutch of charting New Jack Swing-flavored singles between 1989 and 1995, the most successful of which was “I’m Dreamin’.” With a production sound indebted to Teddy Riley, the song appeared on the soundtrack to the 1991 movie, New Jack City, and climbed to pole position in the US R&B charts the same year. – Charles Waring

20: Aaron Hall – Don’t Be Afraid (Juice Soundtrack Edit)

Following his departure from Teddy Riley’s group Guy in 1991, gospel-reared singer Aaron Hall bounced back a year later by scoring a US R&B No. 1 with “Don’t Be Afraid.” Sounding like the Gap Band beefed-up on steroids, this classic swingbeat juggernaut was co-produced by Public Enemy‘s sonic mastermind Hank Shocklee and taken from the soundtrack to the Omar Epps and Tupac-starring movie, Juice. – Charles Waring

19: En Vogue – Hold On

It’s a bold move to open your debut single with an acapella version of “Who’s Lovin’ You,” but it worked for these four funky divas from Oakland. “Hold On” became a refreshingly swanky hit that proved New Jack Swing wasn’t just a boy’s club. The song merged hip-hop and R&B like a perfect PB&J sandwich. – Tatyana Jenene

18: Another Bad Creation – Playground

If The Boys were New Jack Swing’s cookie-cutter boy band, then ABC was the street-smart, G-rated boy band of the era. “Playground” is a song that can go from the kid’s party to the nightclub. It’s infectious, fun, and full of energy, just like the New Jack Swing era. – Tatyana Jenene

17: Johnny Gill – Rub You The Right Way

Johnny Gill was known mostly for his full, dramatic runs and riffs until he burst onto our TV screens with leather-clad dance combinations for the lead single of his 1990 self-titled solo album. “Rub You the Right Way” is what’s scientifically known as “a jam,” and the R&B chart topper still inspires Johnny’s level of pumping, stepping, and maybe even gyrating when that beat drops. – Naima Cochrane

16: Heavy D and the Boyz – We Got Our Own Thang

Produced by swingbeat wunderkind Teddy Riley and powered by looped beats and James Brown samples, the infectious “We Got Our Own Thang” took the New York rap group led by Jamaican-born Heavy D into the US R&B Top 10. The centerpiece of Big Thyme, the group’s chart-topping 1989 album, the single also offered a vivid example of how New Jack Swing forged closer ties between hip-hop and R&B. – Charles Waring

15: Jade – Don’t Walk Away

“Don’t Walk Away” was a sassy and sweet song with enough bass to blow out the speakers in your Mercedes W126 500. The trio brought the around the way girl next door look to the music video with box braids and crop tops that remain fashion inspirations today. – Tatyana Jenene

14: Ralph Tresvant – Sensitivity

When New Edition went on hiatus to pursue solo (and trio) careers, Tresvant set the bar high with his debut single “Sensitivity.” The song stood out from other New Jack Swing songs because it was slower in tempo, but it was still fast enough to let you get your two-step on. Plus, Tresvant delivers four bars of fire during a short rap verse that showed his versatility. – Tatyana Jenene

13: Guy – Teddy’s Jam

After tasting chart success producing singer Keith Sweat in 1987, Teddy Riley confirmed his role as New Jack Swing’s principal architect with his group Guy, which broke into the US R&B Top 5 a year later with their third single, “Teddy’s Jam.” Fronted by vocalist Aaron Hall, the tune, with its blend of hip-hop swagger and soulful sophistication, is really a vehicle for Riley’s distinctive production sound defined by layered synths, samples, and heavy drum machine beats. – Charles Waring

12: Troop – Spread My Wings

Their name an acronym for Total Respect Of Other People, Pasadena’s Troop brought some Californian sunshine to the New Jack Swing aesthetic with 1990’s Chuckii Booker written-and-produced “Spread My Wings,” a warmly harmonized groove ballad whose theme was searching for true love. Taken from the 1989 album, Attitude, the tune was the first of three US R&B chart-topping singles by the vocally assured quintet. – Charles Waring

11: Michael Jackson – Remember The Time

The King of Pop’s 90s update was led by a New Jack-era dream team: maestro Teddy Riley to bring the sound current, Boyz in the Hood director John Singleton for the music video, plus hip-hop dancer and frequent New Jack video choreographer Fatima Robinson for the moves. The end result: an epic culmination of 90s pop culture, with one of the flyest dance breaks in history. – Naima Cochrane

10: Hi-Five – I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)

If you had to pick a song that best describes puppy love, it would be “I Like the Way (The Kissing Game).” The Teddy Riley-penned and produced track walks the fine line of being sweet and cute without being corny. – Tatyana Jenene

09: Boyz II Men – Motownphilly

Under the management of New Edition’s Mike Bivins, Boyz II Men came into the game with cardigans, bow ties, and vocals that helped them become one of the most successful groups of the 90s. Their high energy debut single paid homage to their hometown and R&B capital, Philadelphia, as well as the classic Motown sound, all while staying true to the New Jack Swing era thanks to production by Dallas Austin. – Tatyana Jenene

08: Tony! Toni! Tone! – Feels Good

The Oakland trio of Tony! Toni! Tone! proved that New Jack Swing wasn’t just an East Coast thing with “Feels Good.” The song is a melting pot for music genres with bluesy riffs, a percussion-focused instrumental, and a sample of Lyn Collins’ “Think (About It).” If you’re not out of your seat dancing to this one, you might want to check your pulse. – Tatyana Jenene

07: Bobby Brown – My Prerogative

The king of R&B, Bobby Brown, could not be contained on or off the stage, which led to his departure from New Edition. As he began to garner the reputation of R&B’s bad boy, Brown clapped back at the critics with “My Prerogative.” The No. 1 hit solidified Brown’s spot as a legend and paved the way for several generations of R&B bad boys. – Tatyana Jenene

06: New Edition – If It Isn’t Love

With the Bubblegum Pop hits like “Candy Girl” and “Mr. Telephone Man” in their rearview, New Edition reintroduced themselves to the world as men with 1988’s “If It isn’t Love.” The Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-penned/produced hit brought New Edition back to the limelight and ushered in a new adult sound for the group. – Tatyana Jenene

05: Keith Sweat – I Want Her

“I Want Her,” Keith Sweat’s ode to the beauties men fall in love with from across the club, was not only the first hit New Jack Swing single, but became the top R&B song of 1988 – a year following its release. The track, created in Teddy Riley’s St. Nick projects apartment, kicked off a string of hits, driving 1987’s Make It Last Forever to multi-platinum sales. That gave Riley a stamp of legitimacy as a producer outside of New York, and put New Jack Swing on the map, officially. – Naima Cochrane

04: Bell Biv DeVoe – Poison

Ricky, Mike, and Ronnie didn’t have the solo interests of fellow New Edition members Bobby, Ralph, and Johnny, freeing them to take risks, but when “Poison” was first released, it performed moderately – until the video dropped. The dark, slick but gritty “Poison” clip gave a much needed illustration of BBD’s “mentally hip-hop, smoothed out on the R&B tip with a pop feel appeal to it” vision. Most importantly, the caution to “never trust a big butt and a smile,” remains sound advice, decades later. – Naima Cochrane

03: Johnny Kemp – Just Got Paid

This Thank-God-it’s-Friday anthem is one of several Teddy Riley projects in 1987 and 1988 that set the stage for New Jack Swing to shift from a new sound in R&B to a full-on cultural movement. Johnny Kemp originally wrote the song for Keith Sweat, but instead the track launched his 1988 album Secret of Flying. “Just Got Paid” is infused – as all early New Jack Swing is – with a distinctively Harlem energy and ethos: if you have your money right and your style tight, the world is yours. – Naima Cochrane

02: Bobby Brown – Don’t Be Cruel

Bobby Brown’s seminal LP is one of the first full New Jack Swing albums, and while many consider the Riley-produced “My Prerogative” the definitive album track, the LA Reid and Babyface-helmed title track and opener is a 6:48 masterpiece. “Don’t Be Cruel” creates a perfect balance of smooth Bobby, full-power Bobby, even rapping Bobby, and perhaps the most important side of Bobby Brown: the “King of Stage.” The once-nicknamed “Bad Boy of R&B” had too much swagger and braggadocio for traditional R&B, and “Don’t Be Cruel” set the tone for Bobby Brown to stretch his star power to multi-platinum success. – Naima Cochrane

01: Guy – Groove Me

If you want to explain New Jack Swing to new listeners in one track, point them to “Groove Me.” The second single from Guy’s self-titled debut, “Groove Me” is a sonic representation of the hip-hop and R&B hybrid genre finding its…well, groove. But more importantly, “Groove Me” is the energy of New Jack Swing – it’s a party. Teddy’s New Jack Swing sound was cultivated in Harlem’s St. Nicholas projects and could be heard in cars cruising through the Harlem streets and nightspots before the world at large caught on. It channeled the lifestyle of the uptown NYC streets. The “Groove Me” video drives this home, with early Dapper Dan fashions, uptown dance crews, and the celebratory energy that dominated dancefloors of the era. – Naima Cochrane

Best New Jack Swing Songs: The Slow Jams

New Jack Swing is, by definition, a subgenre of tempo and rhythm. But the New Jack Swing era also produced some of modern R&B’s most enduring ballads. Those who spent their formative years during New Jack Swing’s peak had no shortage of slower gems for mixtapes, lyrics for passed notes, music beds for school dances, and material to impress your crush at talent shows. In celebration of the days when we called in radio dedications and left songs on answering machines, here are just five of the best New Jack Slow Jams. – Naima Cochrane

Keith Sweat and Jacci Mcghee – Make It Last Forever

“Make it Last Forever” is a contender for greatest R&B duet of all time, a late 80s and early 90s first dance classic, and (still) a karaoke favorite. Though Sweat’s catalogue is deep with ballads, credit for this song’s staying power belongs to Jacci McGhee and her incredible ad libs. – Naima Cochrane

Bobby Brown – Roni

We all know the truth about a ‘roni, and we’ll likely sing it at the top of our lungs if given a chance. The Bad Boy of R&B’s ode to tenderonis is a classic sweetheart anthem. – Naima Cochrane

Guy – Goodbye Love

This is another candidate for the greatest R&B duet of all time. Aaron Hall and Tammy Lucas sell the sad longing of accepting that a relationship is over even while there’s still love there – and they’re beautifully dramatic about it. Perfect for the hyper-dramatic breakups of adolescence. – Naima Cochrane

New Edition- Can You Stand the Rain

There’s a reason Boyz II Men chose this song when auditioning for Mike Bivens. We sang it from the bottom of our hearts in school too. The sing-along options are plentiful (which is part of what we love about New Edition). So whether you chose to be Johnny on the verse, Ralph on the pre-chorus, Ricky on the adlibs, or Mike on the “let’s go get wet,” chances are you’ve had a full “Can You Stand the Rain” moment of your own. – Naima Cochrane

Troop – All I Do Is Think of You

Even people who weren’t born at the time this song was released know the intro chords and opening “Nayhooooooo” of this Jackson 5 remake. Troop’s rendition of “All I Do Is Think Of You” invites instant nostalgia. Of butterflies. Of daydreams. Of the simple, uncomplicated days of “Do you like me? Check Yes. No. Maybe.” – Naima Cochrane

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Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, on February 20, 1988, Rihanna was just 15 when she was first discovered in her home country of Barbados by record producer Evan Rogers. Over the next year, she recorded a demo tape with Rogers, which included the track that would eventually become her debut single – and one of the best Rihanna songs of all time. “Pon De Replay” was described by Rolling Stone as “a poppy piece of dancehall reggae with slapping, syncopated beats recalling big-band jazz”, and Rihanna was immediately signed to Def Jam by its then CEO, Jay Z.

This was just the beginning of a momentous career that, over a decade in, has seen her constantly top the charts worldwide. We take a trip through Rihanna’s career, focusing on 20 of the best Rihanna songs…

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Getting her six-album Def Jam deal off to a roaring start, Rihanna released her first album, Music Of The Sun, in May 2005, and lead single “Pon De Replay” reached No.2 in both the US and UK, while the album earned a gold certification and firmly established the singer as a household name.

Its follow-up, A Girl Like Me, was released in April 2006 and was another pop and R&B fusion, with heavy influences from Rihanna’s Caribbean roots. In an interview with MTV, she said, “Vocally, I’ve matured so much, and lyrically I’m speaking about stuff I would never sing about before. Now I’m singing about experiences that I’ve gone through and stuff that other 18-year-old girls go through, so it’s all about progression.” This maturity was represented in songs such as “SOS” and “Unfaithful,” which explore more adult themes such as infidelity and lust; the former was a dance-pop hit that sampled Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” and earned Rihanna her first US No.1.

In an attempt to shake off her innocent persona, Rihanna took on a bolder, more independent image for 2007’s Good Girl Gone Bad. Speaking to the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, she said, “I took the attitude of the bad girl and I really got rebellious and did everything the way I wanted to do it – I didn’t want to listen to anybody.” The pop-R&B crossover hit “Umbrella” was the first single from the album, and, featuring Jay Z, it was also Rihanna’s first big collaboration, reaching No.1 in 17 countries. Third single “Hate That I Love You” was another collaborative effort, co-written and featuring labelmate Ne-Yo. Released on 21 August 2007, the song comfortably reached platinum status.

A major turning point in Rihanna’s artistic progression came with 2009’s Rated R, on which she shook off her pop princess image and began to explore other genres with a variety of songs that still rank among the best Rihanna songs. Justin Timberlake, one of the writers and producers featured on the album, said that it represented a whole new sound for Rihanna, while fellow producer Ne-Yo described Rated R as angrier and edgier than what had come before.

Written after her assault by then-boyfriend Chris Brown, there was, unsurprisingly, speculation as to whether any of the album’s songs referenced him, though Chuck Harmony, another co-producer on the record, argued that no matter what single Rihanna released, the lyrics would immediately be associated with Brown. Stylistically, Rated R incorporated genres such as dancehall (“Rude Boy”), Latin (“Te Amo”), and dubstep, while lead single “Russian Roulette” had a darker and more intense tone than any of Rihanna’s previous efforts.

In the summer of 2010, Rihanna lent her vocals to a number of hip-hop stars, including Eminem (“Love The Way You Lie”) and Kanye West (“All Of The Lights”), with the former becoming Eminem’s best-selling single to date, selling six million copies in the US alone. Rihanna also helped Drake achieve his first-ever taste of the UK top spot when she asked him to appear on her 2010 single “What’s My Name?,” the second release from her fifth studio outing, Loud. Released in November that year, the album moved away from the darker themes of Rated R and returned to upbeat pop, R&B, and dancehall, as Rihanna wanted to go back to having fun. The shift was immediately clear with the first single, “Only Girl (In The World),” which won her the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, and more than holds its own among the best Rihanna songs. Third single “S&M” raced to No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and saw Rihanna set a new record as the solo artist with the fastest accumulation of ten chart-toppers.

Barely pausing for breath, Talk That Talk followed a year later, in November 2011, and was another dance-pop and R&B outing in the vein of Loud. Lead single “We Found Love” added uptempo techno to the mix (courtesy of DJ Calvin Harris), topped the charts in 27 countries, and proved that, if there’s anything to be learned from Rihanna’s career, it’s that she rarely released a single without breaking a record or two. Staying at the top of the Hot 100 for 10 weeks, “We Found Love” became the longest-running No.1 of 2011. The second single from the album, “You Da One,” is a mid-tempo pop/reggae mix that entered the Top 20 in the US, UK, and 11 other countries.

Mining the same rich vein, while incorporating elements of hip-hop and reggae, Unapologetic was Rihanna’s seventh studio album, and her third consecutive UK No.1. Picking up an executive producer credit – as she has done for all her releases since Loud – Rihanna enlisted the help of co-producers David Guetta, Stargate, Labrinth and Chase & Status. Signaling a new focus for the singer, lead single “Diamonds” was an electric pop ballad that, lyrically, left previous themes of dysfunctional romantic relationships firmly in the past and once again topped the charts in over 20 countries worldwide. Its follow-up, the pop and R&B ballad “Stay,” featured guest vocals from US singer Mikky Ekko and offered yet another side of the singer, revealing a vulnerability rarely seen in her singles.

After releasing almost an album a year for her entire career, there was a four-year gap before Rihanna issued Unapologetic’s follow-up. Having left Def Jam for Roc Nation in 2014, however, she filled the gap with three standalone singles, including the Kanye West and Paul McCartney collaboration “FourFiveSeconds” and the solo outing “Bitch Better Have My Money.” When Anti finally emerged, on January 28, 2016, it was initially a TIDAL exclusive via Westbury Road/Roc Nation, before being given a wider release. Since then, lead single “Work,” another collaboration with rapper Drake, became the Barbadian singer’s 27th Top 10 hit and more or less soundtracked 2016, cementing its reputation as one of the best Rihanna songs of all time. It was shortly followed by “Kiss It Better.”

In November 2016, Rihanna became the first artist to surpass more than 100 million Gold and Platinum song certifications, including nine-times multi-Platinum sales for “We Found Love,” six-times multi-platinum sales for “Stay,” “What’s My Name?” and “Only Girl (In The World),” double multi-Platinum sales for “FourFiveSeconds” and a Platinum award for “Bitch Better Have My Money.” Any one of these could top the list of a fan’s best Rihanna songs; in a career that’s been nothing but incredible, the singer boasts a success rate rarely seen elsewhere. Her ability to stay true to her roots is what has kept her original fanbase loyal, while her continual reinventions and explorations of different genres pull in new listeners with every album. What stands out across these 20 songs is her diversity: actress, singer, and philanthropist, Rihanna is also an unpredictable talent who leaves us eagerly anticipating her next move.

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Will.i.am’s 2012 collaboration with Britney Spears, “Scream & Shout,” has achieved the milestone of one billion streams on Spotify. The electro house track would appear on the Black Eyed Peas frontman’s fourth studio album #willpower (2013).­ “I wanna scream, and shout, and let it all out,” goes the song’s catchy chorus.

“Scream & Shout” includes a reference to the lyric “It’s Britney, bitch” from Spears’ 2007 single “Gimme More.” In the United States, “Scream & Shout” peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the first number one song of the newly established Dance/Electronic Songs chart. Across the Atlantic, “Scream & Shout” became will.i.am’s second consecutive song to top the UK Singles Chart. The song marked Spears’ sixth single to achieve the feat, and her first since “Everytime.” “Scream & Shout” would be remixed with verses from Lil Wayne, Hit-Boy, Diddy, and Waka Flocka Flame.

In 2023, the music video for “Scream & Shout” surpassed the one billion view threshold on YouTube. The video features both will.i.am and Spears alongside a number of dancers.

Spears and will.i.am have collaborated on a number of songs beyond “Scream & Shout.” Their first track together was “Big Fat Bass” on 2011’s Femme Fatale. After “Scream & Shout” came “It Should Be Easy” off Spear’s 2013 album Britney Jean. will.i.am executive produced that record and worked on a number of individual songs. Most recently, the duo released “Mind Your Business” in 2023.

Other highlights on the rapper and producer’s #willpower include “#thatPOWER” (ft. Justin Bieber) and “Fall Down” (ft. Miley Cyrus). Musicians like Nicole Scherzinger, Chris Brown, Juicy J, Eva Simons, and more appear on the album.

Earlier this year, the Black Eyed Peas’ 2009 single “I Gotta Feeling” reached two billion streams on Spotify. The group’s other songs “I Gotta Feeling“ and “Where Is The Love” have previously entered the illustrious club.

Listen to will.i.am’s “Scream & Shout” here.

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Like his ambiguous alias, The Weeknd’s music revels in vivid tales of late-night debauchery before facing up to their sobering aftermaths. In the past decade, the Canadian artist (born Abel Tesfaye) has risen from the underground to become one of the biggest stars in the world. After dropping a string of mixtapes and joining a new class of R&B renegades, The Weeknd entered the pop fray – teaming up with Swedish super-producer Max Martin and others on the way to becoming the global superstar we know today. With every incarnation, however, The Weeknd’s lyrical themes have never strayed: he remains a keen chronicler of sex, drugs, and emotional extremes. His innate ability to not only stay ahead of the curve but actually be the curve has made him one of pop’s greatest disruptors, while his music continues to shape the pop landscape. The best Weeknd songs, below, offer a glimpse into his extraordinary ascent.

27: Heartless

“Heartless” was the first taste of The Weeknd’s After Hours era, introducing fans to that chaotic, raunchy energy that would go on to define his most successful era to date. The chorus is a thesis statement of sorts for After Hours as Abel sings, “Why? ‘Cause I’m heartless/ And I’m back to my ways ’cause I’m heartless/ All this money and this pain got me heartless/ Low life for life ’cause I’m heartless.”

26: Phantom Regret By Jim

Look, “Phantom Regret By Jim” isn’t necessarily a Weeknd track, but his brilliant decision to use actor Jim Carrey to narrate the album’s end makes the album closer all the more impactful. Over a song co-written in part by Oneohtrix Point Never, Carrey muses on life and death, asking, “And how many grudges did you take to your grave?/ When you weren’t liked or followed, how did you behave?/ Was it often a dissonant chord you were strumming?/ Were you ever in tune with the song life was humming?” It’s a fascinating way to end the album, and the sort of risk only a revolutionary artist like The Weeknd could pull off.

25: House Of Balloons/Glass Table Girls

Essentially two songs in one, “House Of Balloons/Glass Table Girls” opens with a spacey synth intro before building into an electrifying second half, giving us two contrasting sides to the party scene. The Weeknd is no stranger using two-part structures, or even songs that serve as a call-and-response for one another, and “House Of Balloons/Glass Table Girls” is the perfect example of his innate narrative skills, as he chronicles a party that turns dark over a Siouxsie And The Banshees sample.

24: The Fall

The Weeknd steps into fearlessness on this track from Echoes Of Silence, letting us know he “ain’t scared of the fall.” The artist’s brave assertion of being unafraid of failure makes his verses about stardom and blowing through money hit harder. He’s insistent on living in the moment – one of the best qualities of a singer who deals in the ephemerality of the present moment.

23: Drunk In Love (Remix)

Remember when every artist was churning out remixes of Beyoncé’s “Drunk In Love”? Tesfaye threw his hat in the ring in 2014, and his voice fit the track like a glove. The R&B crooner makes the song uniquely his own by leaning more into the drunk aspect than the “love” part, showing that he can spin a web, even on a song that wasn’t originally his.

22: One Right Now (with Post Malone)

Once The Weeknd and Post Malone started teasing a collaborative track, it was bound to be a hit. Two of the biggest stars in the world linked up for a massive anthem, set to dominate the charts from sheer wattage alone. Luckily for us, the song is an absolute classic from the duo, built around their personalities but with enough tricks and flair to be entirely fresh.

21: High For This

“High For This” ushered listeners into Tesfaye’s world as the opening track on House Of Balloons, a perfectly brooding, thunderous intro that readies you for a rollercoaster of emotions. On this song, he’s comforting a woman while she parties – something The Weeknd is no stranger to.

20: Wasted Times

“Wasted Times” is frequently referred to as one of The Weeknd’s best songs. Featured on his 2018 EP, My Dear Melancholy, the song shows a different side to the R&B artist’s romantic life, in which he laments his actions in a more mature way. The production is heavily reminiscent of House Of Balloons, but with an added layer of depth and insight into The Weeknd’s personal life.

19: Wicked Games

Many Weeknd fans credit “Wicked Games” as their first exposure to the artist. The song’s sentiments play into a palpable loneliness and offer up sexual gratification as a very temporary fix. The black-and-white music video lends narrative to the loneliness as well, with The Weeknd singing to the camera with a mostly barren background. Needless to say, many could relate to his emotions, and we’ve been coming back for more ever since.

18: Often

Sexual rendezvous and drug use are a recurring theme in The Weeknd’s songs, and on “Often” he exudes a cavalier attitude about both. The moments between night and morning seem to be a blur, marked by ambiguous lyrics and braggadocious references. The lifestyle may be out of our element but, for him, this is just another day. One of the breakout hits of his sophomore studio album, Beauty Behind The Madness, “Often” went triple-platinum in the US and gold in his native Canada.

17: Take My Breath

On “Take My Breath,” Abel Tesfaye enters an alternate universe where his go-to sound is inspired by the 70s and his energy is honed in on heating up the dance floor. Of course, The Weeknd can do this with his one-of-a-kind post-R&B, but on “Take My Breath” he breaks out the bellbottom pants and emerges from his disco nap ready to party.

16: Can’t Feel My Face

The Weeknd has always cited Michael Jackson as a musical influence, and that fully comes through in “Can’t Feel My Face.” Perhaps his most recognizable tune, “Can’t Feel My Face” shot straight to No.1 thanks to its disco-funk-fuelled sound and infectious chorus. In the music video, The Weeknd is on stage doing his best Jackson moves and getting booed during karaoke – a funny side you don’t often see in the singer’s moody visuals.

15: The Hills

“The Hills” is yet another chart-topping hit from Beauty Behind The Madness. The song peaked at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and held a Top 10 slot in five other countries. The hypnotizing lyrics, “When I’m f__ked up/That’s the real me,” were on the tips of everyone’s tongues in 2015, and the bass-boosted track went on to earn diamond certification, making it one of the most successful Weeknd songs of his career.

14: Earned It

This Grammy-winning single took the radio by storm in 2015. Another Beauty Behind The Madness cut, the song also featured in the Fifty Shades Of Grey soundtrack, thrusting Tesfaye into the mainstream. The singer’s seductive voice took center stage on the film’s soundtrack, and “Earned It” became the Canadian singer’s first Top 5 single, peaking at No.3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The accompanying NSFW visual both matched the provocative film and intensely carnal nature of the song.

13: The Zone (featuring Drake)

The Weeknd and Drake have worked on and off with each other since 2011, when Drake put the emerging singer on the map with a guest spot on his Take Care album. Drizzy returned the favor and jumped on “The Zone,” off The Weeknd’s 2011 mixtape, Trilogy. The downtempo single lays bare a narrative in which Tesfaye intends to sleep with a girl, but is thinking of someone else. The message isn’t necessarily new, but the singer has a way of expressing vulnerability in a startling way, keeping his fans coming back for more.

12: Loft Music

Nearly every party in 2011 was soundtracked by House Of Balloons, and the lyrics to “Loft Music” had everyone in a chokehold. The song samples “Gila” by Beach House, and flips into a racy fantasy world in which waking life and drug use seem like a lucid dream. No one knows how to sing about reckless moments of youth like The Weeknd, and this bold track put everyone on high alert for more to come from the talented singer.

11: Tell Your Friends

This Kanye-produced addition to Beauty Behind The Madness is a stunning piano-driven track detailing Tesfaye’s experiences with fame. The lyrics are particularly vulnerable in a new way, helping the album become The Weeknd’s best-selling record to date. Instead of the usual moody synths, Tesfaye applies his silky falsetto over a classic soul sample, courtesy of “Can’t Stop Loving You” by Soul Dog. The single achieved platinum certification and spent a considerable amount of time on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts.

10: Save Your Tears

The Weeknd has an inimitable ability to conjure catharsis from the subtlest accents. In “Save Your Tears,” it’s the descending synth line in the chorus that emphasizes his laments, as he sings, “You could’ve asked me why I broke your heart/ You could’ve told me that you fell apart/ But you walked past me like I wasn’t there/ And just pretended like you didn’t care.” Like all of the best Weeknd songs, Tesfaye manages to make himself the hero and villain at the same time.

9: The Morning

“The Morning” still ranks as one of the best Weeknd songs, and its impact on his career is unparalleled. The subject matter of this one is pretty clear: sex, drugs, traveling, and the rock star lifestyle set to hazy synths and woozy blues riffs. With “The Morning,” Tesfaye created a new subset of R&B: hangover jams. The song also got play in the 2019 film Uncut Gems, when The Weeknd (playing himself) performs it a darkened nightclub.

8: Rolling Stone

Taken from his trilogy of mixtapes, “Rolling Stone” saw the enigmatic singer drop his guard ever so slightly, dedicating the music video to his fans and accompanying it with an open letter. “Because I am a man of few words, I chose to make a video to show you how I felt and where I stand. I usually don’t like to ‘spoon feed’ my audience because I grew up idolizing storytellers who tell stories using symbolism, so it was in my nature to do the same.” The singer gets reflective, as he addresses the camera over a simple guitar melody.

7: The Birds Pt.2

Well, she didn’t heed his warning, and now she’s shooting a gun. The combination of crying, gunshots and crows cawing at the beginning of “The Birds Pt.2” paints an eerie picture. This dark track illustrates Tesfaye’s craftsmanship when it comes to storytelling, making it one of The Weeknd’s best songs in a roster of hits.

6: The Birds Pt.1

The Weeknd often muses about his difficulty with relationships and here offers a literal warning not to fall in love with him. On “The Birds Pt.1,” Tesfaye goes as far as to describe falling in love with him as “falling to the point of no return”; by the end of the track, you’re practically praying that every woman who listens takes heed. But then what would happen to the music?

5: Starboy (featuring Daft Punk)

“Starboy” finds The Weeknd stepping into his fame and revelling in his own talent. The accompanying video shows him walking through an immaculate mansion and smashing his own record plaques. The single and platinum-selling album of the same name also represented The Weeknd star-walking over the threshold of fame and into a new chapter of his music. A collaboration with French electronic music duo Daft Punk, the synth-laden track went seven-times platinum in the US and peaked at No.1 on both Billboard’s Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts.

4: Sacrifice

Among the many songs on The Weeknd’s semi-concept album, Dawn FM, there are plenty of standouts. But this Swedish House Mafia co-production might just be the finest. “Sacrifice” shows what The Weeknd does best, never straying far from his patented formula. The track begins with lines so epic, they may end up on his Hall of Fame bust: “I was born in a city/ Where the winter nights don’t ever sleep/ So this life’s always with me/ The ice inside my veins will never bleed.”

3: King Of The Fall

Tesfaye drops a little well-earned braggadocio on plenty of his tracks, but “King Of The Fall” has some of his most potent verses. Once again, the singer shares his perspective as the protagonist of his own hedonistic debauchery and speeds up his usual languid delivery. It was released as a standalone track ahead of his King Of The Fall Tour in 2014 and served as a precursor to Beauty Behind The Madness, which dropped the following year.

2: Coming Down

The House Of Balloons mixtape was a grand introduction to The Weeknd’s push-and-pull narrative about relationships. On “Coming Down,” the artist sings about his feelings surrounding a relationship while under the influence, apologising (but not really) for things he did when he was high. The track creates the hazy atmosphere of coming down from an intense high and coming face-to-face with the harsh reality.

1: Blinding Lights

“Blinding Lights” isn’t only one of the Weeknd’s best songs, it’s one of the great pop moments of the 21st century. The synth line sounds like it was taken from an 80s video game and the drums thump in your chest like that sensation after one too many cups of coffee. It’s an exhilarating performance, and Abel Tesfaye manages to build and strip back tension with the snap of a finger. “Blinding Lights” is a masterclass in pop songwriting and showcases The Weeknd at the absolute top of his game.

Blurbs by Alyson Lewis and Sam Armstrong.

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Having drawn lessons from the rise of hip-hop, early-90s R&B was no longer the flabby, glitzy, brassy razzamadazzle it had been in the mid-80s. Crucial to the paring-down process was the prominence of En Vogue and the unexpected supremacy of Soul II Soul, both of whom created a positive-minded, floor-filling unfussy vibe, albeit in very different ways. US hip-hop producers were ideally placed to understand this new flowering of soul music, since it was made much the same way as rap, deploying breaks and retro grooves to create something new. Among the best of this new breed of R&B groups were Zhané, protégées of two New Jersey acts, Naughty By Nature and Queen Latifah, and members of their Flavor Unit collective, yet still independent in outlook. While they’re not as well-remembered as En Vogue, for an all-too-brief period across 1993-94 Renée Neufville and Jean Norris (Zhané is a mock Francophone contraction of their first names) were really saying something, as their debut album, Pronounced Jah-Nay, proves.

Listen to Pronounced Jah-Nay now.

Like Pronounced Jah-Nay itself, let’s kick off with the big hit, “Hey Mr. DJ,” a tune that puts the swing into things, thanks to a handy piano sample snipped from Michael Wycoff’s 1982 club groover “Looking Up To You.” The girls sing beautifully here, but some of the credit is due to Naughty By Nature’s Kay Gee in the production suite, who gets Fam of Rottin Razcals to kick up a rumpus with a rabble-rousing rhyme or two to prevent things getting too languid. Busting out of jeeps across the late summer/early autumn of ’93, the record was a Top 10 US smash.

Further singles followed a similar template: slightly more uptempo, “Groove Thang” sampled Patrice Rushen and went Top 20, “Sending My Love” made No.40 with its chugging bassline and soft, sophisticated feel, and “Vibe” made good use of George Benson’s “Love X Love” without troubling the charts – though it should have.

There’s more to Pronounced Jah-Nay than the singles, however. “Sweet Taste Of Love” snakes along on a drum machine smack set to “OK, but no faster than I have to” and a synth bass that burbles like it’s lying in the pool on a lilo, stoned. “Changes” turns up the tempo a couple of notches but is built the same way, with some beguiling one-note-at-a-time piano lines. Renée Neufville’s “Love Me Today” is lusher, with a warm softness in her voice to match the waltz-time lilt of the tune. “Off My Mind” offers a spot of nightclub swing. “For A Reason,” a ballad to close the set, has Jean Norris’ glowing vocal sounding like she spent some time in her childhood emulating Diana Ross in the mirror. No wonder the group were signed to Motown, like their mentor Queen Latifah: they would have understood each other.

One album later, that was it for Zhané, who parted to pursue solo careers – no surprise when you see who wrote what here: they both composed most of the material, but separately, with Renée Neufville taking the lioness’ share of the credits, though Norris still chipped in with a few gems. R&B moved swiftly on, but Pronounced Jah-Nay, originally released on February 15, 1994, and now given a 2LP reissue, now benefits from a luminous, nostalgic sheen. Say it any way you like, but do say it loud: they still sound just fine.

Pronounced Jah-Nay can be bought here.

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By the end of the 90s, Sisqó had already achieved major success as the lead vocalist of Dru Hill. The R&B group, revered for its velvety harmonies and Shakespearean romance ballads, released its debut self-titled album in 1996 and scored seven Top 40 hits and three No. 1s on the U.S. R&B chart. But while Sisqó was already known for his powerhouse vocals, he went to another level with his 1999 solo debut album Unleash The Dragon.

Crafted while Dru Hill was on a hiatus, Unleash The Dragon was a combination of lovelorn tunes that initially put the R&B group on the map as well as more experimental productions that winked at what was to come in Y2K. The highlight, of course, was “Thong Song.” The unlikely classic was all inspired by a successful date: “We’re talking about 1998, so it was extremely taboo to wear one,” the singer told Billboard in 2019. “I never saw one before, so she shows me and I was in awe! I was like, ‘What are you wearing?’ She told me, ‘Oh this old thing? It’s just a thong.’ I thought it was glorious! I called my friends that night, like ‘Gather ’round fellas! I have to tell you a tale.’ I just saw something called a thong! It’s almost like dental floss, but they wear it as underwear!”

Listen to Sisqo’s “Thong Song” now.

The song is an addicting earworm: it has an increasing modulation that makes the repeated verses sound refreshing, there’s an inventive combination of orchestral violin strings and a hip-hop beat, and of course Sisqó’s signature “YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH” ad-lib on the bridge. There’s also an unexpected sample. Co-producers Tim & Bob (Tim Kelley and Bob Robinson) originally sampled Wes Montgomery‘s cover of The Beatles‘ 1966 song “Eleanor Rigby,” which was later built upon once Sisqó got an earful of it.

In VICE’s 2021 documentary The Story of the Thong Song, Robinson revealed the “Thong Song” reference track was accidentally added to a compilation of Dru Hill-esque ballads he planned to play for Sisqó. The producers initially crafted “Thong Song” with Michael Jackson in mind, but once Sisqó heard the opening strings he wanted it all to himself. He then hired acclaimed violinist Bruce Dukov (who notably worked on Star Wars) to rewrite the strings. Sisqó also threw in a very ‘90s lyrical reference (“Not just urban she likes the pop / ‘Cause she was livin’ la vida loca”), which he later had to pay for. According to the VICE documentary, Desmond Child (the writer of Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” hit) now owns the majority of the song’s publishing.

What saved “Thong Song” from being a novelty one-hit wonder was that it showed Sisqó’s musicality. “There was a lot of harmony and innovation that people now, 20 years later, are able to appreciate the song more,” the singer told Billboard. “The song is written in a very classical sense, no pun intended. It starts off with me singing low, then I sing-rap, then it goes into a higher register. That’s what makes the song timeless.”

And he was right: In 2017, Norwegian trio JCY gave “Thong Song” a tropical house remix and Ludacris sampled it on “Vitamin D” featuring Ty Dolla $ign. The song has also been interpolated by artists like Little Mix, Chris Brown, Sia, and Daddy Yankee.

Following “Thong Song”, Sisqó released two more solo albums (2001’s Return of Dragon and 2015’s Last Dragon). He also reunited with Dru Hill for 2002’s Dru World Order and 2010’s InDRUpendence Day. The group embarked on their 25th-anniversary tour in 2021, while Sisqó participated in NBC’s American Song Contest last year. Decades later, the singer continues to revel in the success of that thong-th-thong-thong-thong.

Listen to Sisqo’s “Thong Song” now.

​Discover more about the world’s greatest R&B artists | uDiscover Music