- Dr. Dre’s “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang” is based on Leon Haywood’s 1975 song “I Wanna Do Something Freaky To You.” Nearly 2 million curious people went to check it out on YouTube.
- During the 1992 Brit Awards, where they were competing with “3am Eternal,” the KLF disposed of a dead sheep before ending their career.
- To probably give meaning to the song “Breathe Again,” Toni Braxton was asked to run through an English maze in a heavy 17th-century dress during the filming of the music video.
- Other highlights include Snoop Dogg’s “Doggfather,” Surface’s “The First Time,” Domino’s “Ghetto Jam,” Joe’s “I’m In Luv”
These are the Key Moments that define this playlist: twelve vintage hip-hop, soul, etc. tracks that ranked in various charts, this week (03/52) BUT … in the Nineties 90s.
Enjoy the Music!
For TWELVE more Hip-Hop & Soul – Vintage 90s Music Videos – week 03/52 – click here
Tracklist
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1 . MC Hammer – PrayMC Hammer’s “Pray” plants itself firmly in the pop-rap stratosphere of 1990, a time when Hammer’s parachute pants were nearly as famous as his beats. Borrowing liberally from Prince’s “When Doves Cry” and Faith No More’s “We Care a Lot,” the track straddles inspiration and excess, leaning heavily on repetition—most notably the word “pray,” which is hammered into the listener a record-breaking 147 times. The song’s production blends gospel flourishes with a slick, bass-heavy rhythm designed for mass appeal, a reflection of Hammer’s knack for accessible, crossover rap. Lyrically, it’s an ode to gratitude and spirituality, injecting a sense of moral high ground into an era increasingly dominated by braggadocio in hip-hop. The accompanying music video underscores Hammer’s theatrical instincts, showcasing dynamic choreography and a choir that turns the song into something bordering on a revival meeting with a side of funk. “Pray” didn’t clinch the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, but hitting No. 2 was more than enough to fuel Hammer’s cultural dominance during the album’s release. The track exemplifies the contradictions at the heart of Hammer’s career: a rapper toeing the line between a preacher’s earnestness and a performer’s flair for spectacle. Its legacy, while tied to its commercial success, also serves as a snapshot of a brief moment when rap flirted unabashedly with pop maximalism, for better or worse. Featured on the 1990 album “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em”.
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2 . Adeva – Beautiful Love“Beautiful Love” by Adeva is a slice of late ’80s house-R&B fusion that leans into electronic beats and the emotional earnestness of its genre. The song, taken from her self-titled debut album, marries pulsating, synthetic grooves with Adeva’s commanding vocals, a hallmark of her gospel-rooted training. It charts familiar territory of heartbreak and yearning but manages to feel sincere rather than formulaic, avoiding the over-polished gloss that plagued many contemporaries. The production, while a collective effort involving notable contributors, opts for a stripped-down rhythm section that highlights Adeva’s voice without drowning it in unnecessary frills. Charting at a modest #57 in the UK Singles Chart, the track isn’t a seismic cultural moment but a worthy emblem of the early electronic dance movement’s lean into emotional accessibility. The music video, steeped in late-80s aesthetic nostalgia, offers unintentional humor with its earnest attempts at visual drama. The real intrigue lies in the tension—Adeva’s powerhouse delivery against the somewhat repetitive beat, resulting in a track that feels both evocative and faintly constrained. The broader success of her debut album suggests this track’s true power lies in its role as a piece of a well-rounded, confident debut collection. Featured on the 1989 album “Adeva!”.
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3 . Joe – Good Girls“Good Girls” by Joe finds itself split across two eras of his career, offering a curious juxtaposition of the R&B singer’s evolution. The first iteration, released in 1997 on *All That I Am*, carries the familiar sentiment that defined late ’90s R&B: a blend of silky frustration and heartache, framed by Joe’s effortless falsetto. The song doesn’t shy from critiquing the complexities of unavailable women, which, while melodically striking, edges on lyrical cliché at points. This version made notable chart dents, hinting at Joe’s rising prominence within the genre, though details surrounding its visual storytelling remain elusive. Fast forward to 2013, “Good Girls” reappears amidst *Doubleback: Evolution of R&B*, a record notable more for its nostalgic aspirations than innovative risks. While *Doubleback* earned rightful praise for its homage to R&B’s foundational sound, here, “Good Girls” gets buried within the album’s polished yet predictable landscape. The presence of big-name collaborators like Derek “DOA” Allen and a Fantasia feature on a separate track add weight to the album but don’t quite rescue the re-recorded track from feeling, well, trapped in amber. Both renditions exemplify Joe’s vocal prowess and mastery of the genre, yet the fragmented legacy of “Good Girls” might suggest the song works best as a relic of a moment rather than a generational mainstay. Featured on the 1997 album “All That I Am”.
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4 . Grandmaster Flash – White Lines [Don’t Do It]Released in 1983 under the Sugar Hill Records banner, “White Lines [Don’t Do It]” stands as both a cautionary tale and a paradoxical anthem of the early hip-hop era. Written by Melle Mel and Sylvia Robinson, the track critiques cocaine abuse while simultaneously nodding to the excesses of the party scene it critiques, an irony lost on no one. Its hypnotic bassline, appropriated from Liquid Liquid’s “Cavern” without permission, sparked a legal scuffle that sided with Liquid Liquid and remains a footnote in the annals of sampling controversies long before such disputes became industry staples. Despite the billing “Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel,” the famed DJ Grandmaster Flash had no role in the project due to ongoing disputes over royalties, leaving questions about artist credit lingering on. The track performed well on the charts, hitting No. 7 in the UK, breaking into the top 20 in Australia, and securing a respectable No. 47 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles chart, a feat for a song with such a dire yet party-laden message. Its promotional video, often bootlegged and circulated unofficially, featured a pre-fame Laurence Fishburne and the creative input of Spike Lee, adding cinematic grit to the song’s already complex ethos of hedonism versus caution. The phrase “Don’t do it,” added late for commercial viability, weaves through the hook with a knowing wink, as if aware of its own contradictions within a track brazenly built on nightlife energy. In 1995, Duran Duran’s synth-laden cover attempted to revive the song’s legacy, charting at No. 17 in the UK and resonating strongly on U.S. dance floors, securing a No. 5 spot on the Dance Club Play chart. Decades later, “White Lines [Don’t Do It]” remains a stark reminder of hip-hop’s ability to astutely critique and unintentionally celebrate its subject matter, embodying the genre’s layered complexity and cultural sharpness.
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5 . D Mob – Put Your Hands Together (w/ Nuff Juice)“Put Your Hands Together” by D Mob featuring Nuff Juice stakes its claim in the vibrant late-80s and early-90s UK music scene, melding the emergent hip-house genre with sly nods to funkier roots. The track unapologetically borrows elements from the O’Jays’ “Put Our Heads Together,” transforming it into something kinetic, urban, and undeniably of its time. Released in 1990 as a single from the 1989 album *A Little Bit of This, a Little Bit of That,* it charts a moment in pop history when electronic beats collided with rap verses, giving us something both fresh and slightly nostalgic. Peaking at No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart, its European success wasn’t meteoric but respectable, popping up in Austria, Finland, and even Australia, where its acid-house accents rode the coattails of the decade’s rave culture. The production by Dancin’ Danny D is sharp and quintessentially British, yet leans into a global sensibility that helped it break marginal ground on the Billboard Hot 100 stateside. Nuff Juice’s verses may not win any prizes for lyricism, but they add buoyancy and grit, perfectly calibrated for the light strobe-lit chaos of underground clubs or the pastel glow of TV’s *Top of the Pops.* The music video, brimming with the hyper-styled visuals of the era, is a hard capsule of an aesthetic defined by bold shapes, quick cuts, and a frenetic energy that encapsulates the spirit of early house music culture. For a track steeped in electronic pulses and borrowed funk licks, it balances accessibility with a hint of controlled chaos, exemplifying the transitional flavors of its era without feeling like a gimmick. Its strength lies in its ability to capture a fleeting moment when genres blurred, and rave culture was still teetering on the edge of grunge-filled oblivion. Featured on the 1989 album “A Little Bit of This, a Little Bit of That”.
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6 . Nas – Street Dreams“Street Dreams” by Nas encapsulates the gritty aspirations and perils of chasing success in America through the lens of urban life. Rooted in the Mafioso rap subgenre, the 1996 single from *It Was Written* layers ambitious lyricism over a sleek Trackmasters production. The beat leans heavily on a reimagined sample of the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” pairing it with fragments of Linda Clifford’s “Never Gonna Stop” to create a moody backdrop. Hype Williams’s music video turns the song into a cinematic experience, set in Las Vegas and inspired by Martin Scorsese’s *Casino*, complete with mob undertones and cameos from Frank Vincent and Kenya Moore. The track struck a chord commercially, peaking at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, reigning at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart, and even achieving Gold certification by early 1997. A remix featuring R. Kelly added an R&B spin, broadening its reach without losing its edge. While the narrative deals with crime and ambition, Nas’s lyrical finesse lends credibility to what could otherwise come off as glamorized street life. A rare moment of levity arrived when Nas performed the track on Nickelodeon’s *All That*, offering a surprising juxtaposition to the song’s heavy themes. As both a chart success and a commentary on urban predicaments, “Street Dreams” reflects Nas’s ability to bridge storytelling with radio appeal—mobster swagger and all. Featured on the 1996 album “It Was Written”.
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7 . The Rapsody – Prince Igor“The Rapsody – Prince Igor” is an audacious collision of hip-hop swagger and classical gravitas, a 1997 creation that feels both ambitious and oddly surreal. Drawing its melodic backbone from Alexander Borodin’s opera *Prince Igor*—specifically the “Polovtsian Dances”—it layers Warren G’s signature rap cadence with the soaring mezzo-soprano of Norwegian vocalist Sissel Kyrkjebø, who sings a Russian refrain that feels borrowed from another universe. The track, produced by the Voelker Brothers, stakes its place in the peculiar ’90s trend of fusing high and low art, with mixed but undeniable success in Europe (charting at #1 in Norway and Iceland) and a more modest reception elsewhere (peaking at #41 in New Zealand). Part of the concept album *The Rapsody Overture*, it shared space with other ill-advised experiments, including attempts to shoehorn LL Cool J and Reverend Run into the realm of classical music. If anything, it’s a curious artifact of its time—both haunting and campy, celebrated in hindsight more for its audacity than cohesion. Featured on the 1997 album “The Rapsody Overture: Hip Hop Meets Classic “.
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8 . The Family Stand – Ghetto Heaven“Ghetto Heaven” by The Family Stand exudes a gritty charm, blending funk-heavy instrumentation with sultry R&B storytelling. Released in 1990 on their album “Chain,” the song stands as a testament to urban escapism, juxtaposing themes of love, liquor, and religion against a backdrop of layered melodies. Peter Lord’s polished production gives the track a smooth edge, while Sandra St. Victor’s lead vocals infuse it with raw and emotive energy. Charting notably in the UK (#10) and across Europe and New Zealand, the song proved itself a transatlantic success, even resurfacing in ’98 to crack the UK top 40 once more. The video captures urban grit, with the band performing amidst cityscapes, offering visuals that match the track’s moody resonance. Critics found the marriage of funk and soul compelling, earning accolades from publications like *Entertainment Weekly* and *Music Week*. Remixes featuring Jazzy B and Nellee Hooper only broadened its appeal, while later samples, such as in Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam’s “Let the Beat Hit ‘Em,” confirmed its cultural staying power. Despite lacking mainstream accolades, “Ghetto Heaven” remains a vibrant piece of R&B history, marked by its inventive sound and nuanced socio-emotional commentary. Featured on the 1989 album “Chain”.
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9 . Barry White – Practice What You PreachReleased in 1994, “Practice What You Preach” finds Barry White at his late-career peak, wielding his velvety baritone with the authority of a man who doesn’t take hypocrisy lightly. The song, a standout from *The Icon Is Love*, became an instant classic on the R&B charts, claiming the top spot for three consecutive weeks and nudging its way into the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 18. With production credits shared by White, Gerald Levert, and Edwin Nicholas, the track blends lush 70s soul romanticism with the slick, groove-heavy polish of 90s R&B. The lyrics, underpinned by the mantra of living up to one’s words, manage to be sensual without losing their clarity of purpose—White isn’t just wooing; he’s interrogating sincerity. The music video, remastered in 2009, amplifies this atmosphere with its understated glamour, perfectly framing Barry’s larger-than-life presence. Commercial success aside, the track garnered Gold certification and bagged a Soul Train Music Award, further proving its impact. “Practice What You Preach” is a unique fusion of White’s timeless delivery paired with contemporary production, straddling eras with ease yet sounding rooted in its own confident stride. Featured on the 1994 album “The Icon Is Love”.
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10 . LL Cool J – Hey LoverReleased in 1995, LL Cool J’s “Hey Lover” is a nuanced blend of hip-hop and R&B, reflecting the mid-’90s shift toward blending rap with smoother, melodic elements. This track, a collaboration with Boyz II Men, samples Michael Jackson’s “The Lady in My Life,” weaving nostalgia with longing into its lush production. Produced by The Trackmasters and LL Cool J, the single found immediate commercial success, peaking impressively at No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and remaining there for weeks, signaling its widespread appeal. The lyrics, while romantic, tread a fine line between heartfelt and voyeuristic, as LL narrates a story of longing for another man’s partner, a theme that risks dividing listeners between empathy and discomfort. Accompanied by a Hype Williams-directed music video, the visuals echo the song’s themes of yearning and restraint, starring Gillian White as the unattainable muse. The vocal interplay between LL’s smooth delivery and Boyz II Men’s harmonies creates an irresistibly polished sound, underscoring the era’s cross-genre experimentation. With over a million copies sold and accolades including a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance, the track managed critical and commercial acclaim, further cementing LL Cool J’s foothold in the evolving hip-hop landscape. Its success extended internationally, charting within the top 20 in the UK and other global markets, solidifying its reach beyond American audiences. In retrospect, the song represents a pivot not just for LL Cool J’s career but for the genre itself, where rugged rap sensibilities began embracing more melodic, R&B-infused soundscapes. “Hey Lover” remains a compelling listen, encapsulating a transitional moment in ’90s hip-hop with its glossy production, emotive narrative, and crossover appeal. Featured on the 1995 album “Mr. Smith”.
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11 . Puff Johnson – Over and OverPuff Johnson’s “Over and Over,” a mid-90s pop-R&B piece drenched in themes of cyclical heartbreak, delivers a restrained emotional punch without tipping into melodrama. Released in 1996 as part of her “Miracle” album and riding the production talents of Keith Thomas, this track finds Johnson’s voice perched somewhere between vulnerability and resolve—an apt balance for lyrics steeped in romantic disillusionment. Though hardly a seismic commercial moment, the song landed modest chart placements, peaking at No. 10 in Norway and settling comfortably into the lower tiers of UK and Dutch charts. The Love To Infinity remix injected a club-ready house sheen, attempting to broaden its reach, while the track also snuck its way onto *The First Wives Club* soundtrack, quietly enhancing its afterlife. Culturally, “Over and Over” remains a snapshot of the 90s era, where polished R&B balladry blended sentimentality with radio-friendly accessibility, though it feels oddly overshadowed by its larger album sibling, “Forever More.” Puff Johnson’s connection with audiences was perhaps most visible during live performances, some of which are preserved on YouTube, giving glimpses of an artist at ease with her craft yet underutilized in mainstream spaces. While her output was brief, riddled with the sadness of untapped potential, Puff Johnson’s work, including this track, lingers as a reflective echo of an artist whose voice deserved more room in the spotlight. Featured on the 1996 album “Miracle”. |
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12 . Dina Carroll – So CloseDina Carroll’s “So Close” sits comfortably within the refined mix of electronic and funk-infused pop that dominated early ’90s charts, though it never quite shouts for attention—it leans in and whispers instead. Released in 1993 as part of her debut album of the same name, the track embodies a mid-tempo elegance that manages to be both polished and surprisingly approachable. It’s not trying to revolutionize anything, but rather perfect what’s already there: slick production by Nigel Lowis paired with Carroll’s velvety yet restrained vocals. The song’s title mirrors its approach—almost intimate, but still measured, a balancing act that defines much of her output at this point in her career. The accompanying album, a commercial juggernaut that sold 1.5 million copies, outpaced it in terms of cultural footprint, buoyed by bigger hits like the sweeping ballad “Don’t Be a Stranger.” Compared to its more anthemic siblings, “So Close” reads like the poised wallflower, competent and unassuming in a way that rewards repeated listens rather than demanding them. It’s a testament to Carroll’s ability to oscillate between quiet sophistication and mainstream appeal, even within the same album—an adaptability not always common among early ’90s pop contemporaries. While “So Close” isn’t the track you’d name-drop at a party, its subtle charm lingers, especially for anyone nostalgic for the era’s glossy, radio-friendly precision. It’s the type of song you come back to not for fireworks but for its understated warmth, the kind that feels familiar without ever fading into banality. Featured on the 1993 album “So Close”.
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For THE FULL HIP-HOP & SOUL COLLECTION click here
