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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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.

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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