The Raunchy & Libidinous 90s

Written By Kensedeobong Okosun

In the wake of the HIV/AIDS menace in the 1980s, the 1990s were ironically the peaking point of love songs and explicit lyricism in music, often called “panty-droppers” or “baby-making music”. The HIV/AIDS syndrome barely disrupted the quest to answer nature’s call to copulation for recreation and procreation. The population grew exponentially, so much for population control. Politically, the 90s was the first time a sitting president named Bill Clinton would be accused of sexual indiscretions in office through the public exposure of his sexual relationship with an intern, Monica Lewinsky. On the musicscape, many lovemen functioning within the solo or group aesthetic had enjoyed the limelight in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s and created tamed, but indirectly sensual lyrics. But another batch of lovemen would be launched to the world stage in the 1990s. These men would redirect the lyrics and turn them into a weapon of subversion.

As an intentional act of defiance against the status quo, the lyricism transitioned from sexual metaphors and innuendos to raunchy and explicit. For over centuries, the human trait of sexuality had been politicized and historically, the Black community had been racially-stereotyped as hypersexual to advance sociopolitical and economic motives which included sexual exploitation and violence. It appears that the community had made peace and come to terms with this external perception and projection because if Rick James’ “Super Freak”, Prince’s “Darling Nikki” and “Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” were sonic taboo in the 1980s, the new crooners like R. Kelly accelerated the momentum with his unfiltered lyricism and unapologetically raw sexuality.

It was a wake up call to face the true nature of reality which fundamentalist Christianity and religion in general perpetually fought to keep suppressed through shaming and condemnation. Songwriters like Babyface stoked the flames of passion and brought the rains of ecstacy down to earth taking human libido to unimaginable proportions.

Music and media in general became a tool for sexual education and exposure, displacing the family which had failed in bearing this profound responsibility of educating its young members. In response, parents’ who saw music as a corruption of young minds called for the censorship of “obscene and lewd lyrics”. A move that anti-censorship and avant-gardist entertainer Frank Zappa would call a sign of close- mindedness while labelling censor advocates as cultural terrorists.

Whereas gangsta rap, rock and heavy metal respectively came under intense scrutiny and critique by black women groups, church bodies, parents’ associations and bipartisan committees like Parents Music Resource Center created by political wives like Tipper Gore, wife of former Vice-president Al Gore, etal, to catalyze parental control to their children’s access to music with sexual and violent themes, other African American music idioms, namely R&B, Soul and Neo-soul basked in the euphoria of lyrical wantonness.

Since then, the lyrics have evolved to ultra-vulgar proportions and become directly expressive due to the juxtaposition of R&B and Hip-hop within the same framework. With both idioms’ contest for popularity on the charts, explicitness has shifted from being a form of creative self-expression to a medium for garnering audience attention.

  1. Adina Howard. “Freak Like Me” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIYz6z-4R-Y Do You Wanna Ride (1995).

  2. AZ Yet. “Last Night” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZruJhbdYXa4 AZ Yet (1996).

  3. Babyface. “When Your Body Get’s Weak” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFSRrM8QXIM The Day (1996).

  4. Bell Biv Devoe. “Do Me” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T6HNbdi9AA Poison (1990).

  5. Blackstreet. “Wanna Make Love” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXicT_UWJeI Blackstreet (1994).

  6. Bobby Brown. “Good Enough” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyqGsnnpCVg Bobby (1992).

  7. Boyz II Men. “I’ll Make Love To You” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYcFPlhHmn0 II (1994).

  8. Changing Faces. “Stroke You Up” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTZUTZ6crXs Changing Faces (1994).

  9. Chantay Savage. “Body” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO2UMxL0vgI I Will Survive (Doin’ It My Way- 1996).

  10. Chanté Moore. “Mood” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPzw9pTLOyc Love Supreme (1994).

  11. Color Me Badd. “I Wanna Sex You Up” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxu3pq319r0 C.M.B (1991).

  12. Freddie Jackson. “All Over You” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFsjg8RbXGI Soundtrack to Def Temptation (1990).

  13. Gerald Levert. “Let The Juices Flow” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODe1Ov9st20 Groove On (1994).

  14. Ginuwine. “Pony” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPByMXvg-p0 Ginuwine…….The Bachelor (1996).

  15. Jade. “If The Mood Is Right” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhv9MvUNuY8 Mind, Body & Song (1994).

  16. James J.T Taylor. “Let’s Make Love (Like There’s No Tomorrow")” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U1Oq-NksV8 Feel The Need (1991).

  17. Janet Jackson. “Anytime Any Place” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KcIAmqkXOU janet. (1993).

  18. Jodeci. “Freek’n You” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmyv2MA_Pf4 The Show, The After Party, The Hotel (1995).

  19. Joe. “The Love Scene” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6GNPAgPW-0 All That I Am (1997).

  20. Johnny Gill. “Quiet Time to Play” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAjalmLjadI Provocative (1993).

  21. Kci & Jojo Hailey. “I Just Wanna Make Love To You” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQrPEJbDT98 It’s Real (1999).

  22. Keith Sweat, feat Athena Cage. “Nobody” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk1lQym2Rbc Keith Sweat (1996).

  23. LSG. “My Body” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDFF1dfHOmA Levert.Sweat.Gill (1997).

  24. Luther Vandross. “Sometimes Its Only Love” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV2vszazjIA Power of Love (1991).

  25. Monica. “The First Night” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ukpv2oN51o The Boy Is Mine (1998).

  26. Notorious BIG, feat R. Kelly. “F*ck You Tonight” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHfzrvi3Jo8 Life After Death (1997).

  27. Patti Labelle, feat Michael Bolton. “We’re Not Makin’ Love Anymore” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbsJ2gA2mk0 Burnin’ (1991).

  28. Queen Latifah, feat Faith Evans. “It’s Alright” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4cmLwEQPsw Order In The Court (1998).

  29. R Kelly. “Bump n Grind” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK-sHqa-sMk 12 Play (1993).

  30. ………… “Sex Me” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4dCH5MyLs4 12 Play (1993).

  31. Ralph Tresvant. “Sex-O” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-xZ3hqvndU It’s Goin’ Down (1994).

  32. Silk. “Freak Me” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6JQhEXPFMw Lose Control (1992).

  33. Sisqó. “Thong Song” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMT9DRTS6mY Unleash The Dragon (1999).

  34. Tevin Campbell. “Shh” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh-Tb2s3-gU I’m Ready (1993).

  35. TLC. “Red Light Special” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY5H4ft_RS4 CrazySexyCool (1995).

  36. Tony! Toni! Toné!. “Slow Wine” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vuPOmG0Hxg Sons of Soul (1993).

  37. Usher. “Nice and Slow” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbtLIUPRWnI My Way (1997).

Kensedeobong Okosun

Kensedeobong Okosun is a music enthusiast, music researcher, music journalist with expertise in music selection & planning, vocalist and an author. Her academic article “Sisterhood and Soul Music as expressions of Black Power” is featured in the edited volume, Black Power in Hemispheric Perspective (Raussert & Steinitz, eds, 2022). She has reviewed Dorothea Gail’s Weird American Music for the Forum for Interamerican Research (fiar, 2019). Her literary review on Nigerian music titled “Nigerians and their Music” has been published on the Nigerian news platform Sun News Online, while her article “Remembering Victor Uwaifo, “Guitar Boy” and the quest to meet Mami Wata” graced The Nigerian Observer.

Kensedeobong’s blog highlights music’s interconnectivity with society and comprises personal music experiences, researched information, concept playlists for multiple themes, etc.

A hard-core 90s R&B fan, she utilises the vehicle of memory, to position long forgotten music of yesteryears on the front-burner.

She is persuaded that music is a core conduit of collective harmony, equanimity, vitality and healing. And as such requires criticality in the filtration process, in order to disseminate meaning. Her blog promotes music equality and diversity.

She resides in Germany.

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Music in the Heydays of the AIDS Syndrome