The Cross-pollination of R&B/ Hip-Hop 1

Written By Kensedeobong Okosun

Hip-hop is one of the most popular music genres in the world. What began as a social commentary about urban life in the 1970s has grown in leaps and bounds to popular acclaim. However, the initial years met backlash as it was deemed lacking in respectability by music executives. Its visibility and respectabilty in current times can be attributed to its cross-pollination with rhythm and blues in the late 1980s, when songwriters and producers like Teddy Riley, Antonio L.A Reid and Kenneth Babyface Edmonds created templates which would matrimonize both genres for posterity beginning in the 1990s.

Riley created the new jack swing style which merged hip-hop beats with the gospel flow of rhythm and blues. Similarly, Reid and Edmonds, former bandmates in the group The Deeles and business partners and co-founders of LaFace Records produced three songs for Bobby Brown’s Dont Be Cruel (1988) which synthesized Riley’s new jack swing style with rap breaks by the singer. The songs were “Every Little Step”, “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Roni” which set the precedence for the next decade.

Sean Diddy Combs is credited for creating a new music production formula in the 1990s which converged R&B/Soul singers with rappers on the same platform. This idea was conceived in his work on Mary J. Blige’s What’s the 411? (1992) where he integrates hip-hop beats with Blige’s soulful vocals and features rapper Busta Rhymes, perhaps as a prelude to the new musical wave on the musicscape of that decade. This crossover technique would be seen in his own works like “Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems” featuring rapper Mase and R&B singer Kelly Price, which sampled Diana Ross’ 1980 disco jam, “I’m Coming Out” chorus and other songs like “Satisfy You” which feautures R. Kelly.

The R&B/Hip-hop style was also adopted by female singers like Aaliyah in “Back and Forth” (1994) and female groups in the decade like TLC’s 1992 “Ain’t Too Proud 2 Beg” produced by Dallas Austin and Xscape’s 1993 “Just Kickin’ It” produced by Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, Jr. Male R&B groups were not excluded from the new modus operandi. Blackstreet collaborated with multiple rappers like Dr Dre and Queen Pen in the song “No Diggity” (1996) and “Girlfriend/Boyfriend” (1999) which featured Janet Jackson alongside rappers Ja Rule and Eve. Jagged Edge collaborated with Ja Rule in “Girl is Mine” (1999), etc.

This production style exposed consumers of R&B to Hip-Hop and vice-versa creating inherently new fan bases for artists from both genres. This trend would continue in the 2000s.

What follows is a playlist of songs from that era with R&B as the main character.

  1. Aaliyah - “A Girl Like You”, feat Treach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQgW3HxSnac One In A Million (1996).

  2. Babyface - “For The Lover In You”, feat LL Cool J. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnERswkqqVs The Day (1996).

  3. Blackstreet - “No Diggity”, feat Dr Dre & Queen Pen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiu9h8ZTPoQ Another Level (1996).

  4. Brandy - “Top of the World”, feat Mase. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU2mZoWFrrA Never Say Never (1998).

  5. Brian McKnight - “You Should Be Mine”, feat Mase. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkHD43z3rWo Anytime (1997).

  6. Coko - “Triflin’, feat Eve. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9tW6TCke3g Hot Coko (1999).

  7. Destiny’s Child - “Illusion”, feat Wyclef Jean & Pras. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWSajKOuwdI Destiny’s Child (1997).

  8. Donnell Jones - “U Know What’s Up”, feat Left Eye. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W_YZcJTCZs Where I Wanna Be (1999).

  9. Dru Hill - “This Is What We Do”, feat Method Man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_6PDnyaMuc Enter The Dru (1998).

  10. Faith Evans - “All Night Long”, feat Puff Daddy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC71szrUadA Keep The Faith (1998).

  11. Gerald Levert - “No Sense, feat Ken Dawg & Layzie Bone” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFfi2giZv9Y Love & Consequences (1998).

  12. Ginuwine - “G Thang”, feat Missy Elliot & Magoo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifXzc8vRoGg The Bachelor (1996).

  13. India Arie. “I Am Not My Hair, feat Akon”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_5jIt0f5Z4 Testimony, Vol.1 : Life & Relationship (2006).

  14. Jagged Edge. “Girl Is Mine”, feat Ja Rule & Jermaine Dupri. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oDa4Kwj9_o J.E. Heartbreak (1999).

  15. Jerzee Monét - Most High, feat DMX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kod39t8-iec Love & War (2002).

  16. Keith Sweat - “How Do You Like It”, feat Left Eye. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyga9OOBsVM Get Up On It (1994).

  17. Kelly Price - “Like You Do”, feat Method Man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mupf6YO02LM Mirror Mirror (2000).

  18. LSG - “Curious”, feat Busta Rhyme, LL Cool J & MC Lyte. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNSMlWxL-hY Levert.Sweat.Gill (1997).

  19. Luther Vandross - “Get It Right”, feat Marcella Precise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gp2fsVUqKo I Know (1998)

  20. Mariah Carey - “Breakdown”, feat Bone Thugz n Harmony https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfT5dgeemCg Butterfly (1997).

  21. Mary J Blige - “MJB da MVP”, feat 50 Cents https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZgknGNYYpU The Breakthrough (2005).

  22. Monica - “Gonna Be Fine”, feat Outkast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsmWkkqTXGg The Boy Is Mine (1998).

  23. Montell Jordan - “Let’s Ride”, feat Master P & Silkk The Shocker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7Zc4zaEaTI Let’s Ride (1998).

  24. Mya - The Best of Me, feat Jadakiss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VKZoxhDkjE Fear Of Flying (2000).

  25. R. Kelly - “We Ride”, feat Cam’ron, Jay Z, Noreaga & Vegas Cats. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEc2HdW9OL0 R. (1998).

  26. SWV - “I Lose My Cool”, feat Redman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY1qfV3I41k Release Some Tension (1997).

  27. Tatyana Ali - “Daydreamin”, feat Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1efwOla5Y2c Kiss The Sky (1998).

  28. Toni Braxton - “Gimme Some”, feat Left Eye. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=516jYBwXdAk The Heat (2000).

  29. Total - “No One Else”, feat Da Brat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiosuzsloN0 Total (1996).

  30. Usher - “Come Back”, feat Jermaine Dupri. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3-ptJ2LPwQ My Way (1997).

  31. Whitney Houston - “In My Business”, feat Missy Elliot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnU3Dktvlos My Love Is Your Love (1998).

  32. Xscape - “Can’t Hang”, feat MC Lyte. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N6b0cKLfbQ Off The Hook (1995).

  33. 112 - “The Only One”, feat Lil Kim. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZoEOLoxSkY Room 112 (1998).

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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