Christina Aguilera is the debut studio album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on August 24, 1999, by RCA Records. After recording "Reflection", the theme song for the 1998 Disney film Mulan, RCA laid the foundation for the album immediately and started presenting Aguilera with tracks for her debut album, which they originally decided would have a January 1999 release. Its music incorporates dance-pop and teen pop genres, with a few songs featuring strong elements from soul and contemporary R&B. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers, including David Frank, Ron Fair, Guy Roche, Robin Thicke, Matthew Wilder and Aaron Zigman.
Joseph Lewis Thomas, known mononymously as Joe, is an American R&B singer. He signed to Polygram Records in 1992, and rose to prominence after releasing his debut album Everything the following year. He followed it with a series of successful albums under Jive Records, including All That I Am (1997), the international bestseller My Name Is Joe (2000) as well as the multi-certified albums Better Days (2001) and And Then... (2003). Several songs from these albums became hit singles on the pop and R&B record charts, including the number-one hit "Stutter", the top ten entries "All the Things ", "Don't Wanna Be a Player", and "I Wanna Know" as well as his collaborations "Faded Pictures", "Thank God I Found You" and "Still Not a Player".
Kelly Cherelle Price is an American R&B and gospel singer. Beginning her career in 1992, Price originally performed backing vocals for Mariah Carey on multiple songs, including her Billboard Hot 100 number one singles "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and "Fantasy." In addition, she rose to wider prominence in 1997 following her uncredited guest performances on the US number one single "Mo Money Mo Problems" by The Notorious B.I.G., as well as "Feel So Good" by Mase, prompting her to perform as a lead artist. Her debut album, Soul of a Woman (1998) was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album's lead single "Friend of Mine" reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
K-Ci & JoJo is an American R&B duo, consisting of brothers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey and Joel "JoJo" Hailey. Natives of Charlotte, North Carolina, they are also the lead singers of the chart-topping R&B group Jodeci with the DeGrate brothers—Donald and Mr. Dalvin. They are known for the 1998 smash hit "All My Life" which was the No.1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and received multiple Grammy nominations. They were also featured artists on another No.1 Billboard Hot 100 hit single, 2Pac’s 1996 song "How Do U Want It", which also received a Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy nomination in 1997. K-Ci & JoJo also achieved mainstream success with the 1999 hit "Tell Me It's Real", which peaked at No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their 2001 song "Crazy" was included on the Save the Last Dance soundtrack and peaked at No.11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Tevin Jermod Campbell is an American singer and songwriter. He performed gospel in his local church from an early age. Following an audition for jazz musician Bobbi Humphrey in 1988, Campbell was signed to Warner Bros. Records. In 1989, Campbell collaborated with Quincy Jones performing lead vocals for "Tomorrow" on Jones' album Back on the Block and released his Platinum-selling debut album, T.E.V.I.N. The album included his highest-charting single to date, "Tell Me What You Want Me to Do", peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The debut album also included the singles "Alone With You", and "Goodbye".
Next is an American R&B musical trio, popular during the late 1990s and early 2000s. They are best known for their Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit single "Too Close". They are also known for "Wifey", "Butta Love" and "I Still Love You", all of which still receive frequent airplay on Urban Adult Contemporary radio stations in the U.S. and internationally.
Samuel Joshua Watters is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and record executive. Watters was a member of the multi-platinum selling 1990s R&B group Color Me Badd and co-authored many of their hits including "I Adore Mi Amor", and "All 4 Love". Watters has also written and produced songs for Grammy-winning and nominated artists such as American Idol winners Fantasia, Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks, and other superstars such as Céline Dion, Whitney Houston, Leona Lewis, and Anastacia. Watters is a member of the production/songwriting team The Runaways including fellow hitmakers Rico Love, Wayne Wilkins, Ryan Tedder, and Louis Biancaniello.
Gerald Maxwell Rivera, known mononymously as Maxwell, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to prominence following the release of his debut studio album Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite (1996), which received widespread acclaim and spawned the hit singles "Ascension " and "Sumthin' Sumthin'". Gaining mainstream success, his recordings have since been cited by music critics for helping popularize the "neo soul" movement during the 1990s.
"U Got It Bad" is a song by American singer Usher. It was released through Arista Records as the second official single from his third studio album 8701 (2001). It was written by Usher, Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox, and produced by Dupri, with Cox credited a as co-producer. Released in the United States on August 21, 2001, "U Got It Bad" is an R&B ballad that, according to MTV, incorporates "digi-coustic" guitars, a "slow-burning bass line" and "sex funk" drums. The lyrics notably contain some quick direct allusions to other soul music ballads, mainly Maxwell's "Fortunate" and Prince's "Adore".
"How Do U Want It" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his fourth studio album, All Eyez on Me (1996). It was released on June 4, 1996 as a double a-sided single with "California Love" from the same album and was his final single to be released during his lifetime. The song features R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo, who at the time were best known as the lead singers of the group Jodeci. The song reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, becoming Death Row Records first and only chart topping single, and number seventeen in the UK in 1996. The song received a Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy nomination in 1997.
"Heartbreak Hotel" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston. Originally written for inclusion on TLC's third studio album FanMail, it was later recorded by Houston after TLC rejected the song. The song was written by Carsten Schack, Kenneth Karlin and Tamara Savage, and produced by Soulshock & Karlin. It was released on December 15, 1998, by Arista Records, as the second single from Houston's 1998 album My Love Is Your Love. The song prominently features R&B singers Faith Evans and Kelly Price during the choruses and bridge.
"All My Life" is a song recorded by American R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo. The song was written by Joel "JoJo" Hailey and Rory Bennett and produced by K-Ci & JoJo for the duo’s debut studio album, Love Always (1997). The song was released to airplay in January 1998 and was released physically on March 17, 1998, as the third single from the album through MCA Records. "All My Life" is an R&B and soul song. Music critics have claimed this as the duo's most successful song of their career.
"I Wish" is an R&B song recorded by American singer-songwriter R. Kelly, from the album TP-2.com. It was released as the album's first single. It spent three weeks at number one on the U.S. R&B chart and peaked at number 14 on the U.S. Hot 100 chart. The song is dedicated to his mother as well as friends and other loved ones of his who have died. This song was originally going to feature rapper 2Pac, but he died before recording his verse. The remix, which was titled "I Wish – Remix featured Hip Hop duo Boo & Gotti, who were then signed to his Rockland Records imprint.
"Separated" is a song by American R&B singer Avant. It was written by Avant and Steve "Stone" Huff for his debut album My Thoughts (2000), while production was helmed by Huff. MCA Records and Magic Johnson Music released the song as the album's lead single in April 2000. "Separated" spent one week atop the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, also peaking at number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100. A remix version of the song, co-written by Sparkle, features singer Kelly Rowland, formerly of Destiny's Child. A different remix features rapper Foxy Brown.
"Friend of Mine" is a song recorded by singer Kelly Price. It spent five weeks at number 1 on the U.S. R&B chart and was awarded a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist.
"Pretty Wings" is a single by American singer-songwriter Maxwell, taken from his fourth studio album BLACKsummers'night. It was written and produced by Maxwell and Hod David.
Life is the soundtrack to the 1999 film, Life. It was released on March 16, 1999, by Rockland Records and Interscope Records. The soundtrack was almost entirely produced by R&B singer R. Kelly, with Wyclef Jean and Jerry Duplessis producing four tracks on the album. The soundtrack was a huge success, making it to No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It spawned the hit single "Fortunate" by Maxwell, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The soundtrack was certified platinum on June 18, 1999, while "Fortunate" was certified gold on June 2 that same year. "What Would You Do?", by City High, would go on to chart in 2001. A version of the classic Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes song "Wake Up Everybody" plays during the film's opening credits.
"Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder) is a song by American R&B/neo soul singer Maxwell, released in July 1996 by Columbia as the second single from his debut album, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite (1996). The song was written by Maxwell with G Syier Hawkins Brown and Itaal Shur, and he also produced it. It peaked at number eight on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 28 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video was directed by Liz Friedlander. The B side of the single is "Lock You Up N' Love Fa Days", which was previously unreleased and also written and produced by Musze, and G Syier Hawkins Brown.
Shep Crawford is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and gospel musician, songwriter, and record producer best known for Whitney Houston's "Same Script, Different Cast", Deborah Cox's "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", Tamia's "Stranger in My House", Sisqó's "Incomplete", and Kelly Price's "As We Lay". He is the founder and pastor of The Experience Christian Ministries in Los Angeles, California.
"Bad Habit" is a song recorded by American musician Steve Lacy. It was released as the second single from his second studio album, Gemini Rights, on June 29, 2022. The psychedelic and lo-fi R&B and bedroom pop ballad was produced by Lacy and is built around a slightly warped guitar riff, which is accompanied by a funky bassline, drums, and synths. Its lyrics concern Lacy's regret over a missed opportunity to confess his crush on someone to them and his lack of confidence, later shifting to a more confident perspective during the song's ending breakdown.
