"You Want This" is a song by American singer-songwriter Janet Jackson from her fifth studio album, Janet (1993). Released as the album's seventh single in October 1994, the track was written and produced by Jackson and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The single version, also used in the music video directed by Keir McFarlane, featured an additional rap verse from MC Lyte. The song was listed in the book Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era (2005) by Bruce Pollock.
"Heartbreaker" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey featuring American rapper Jay-Z for her seventh studio album Rainbow (1999). It was released on August 23, 1999, by Columbia Records as the lead single from Rainbow. The song was written by the artists and produced by Carey and DJ Clue, with additional writers being credited for the hook being built around a sample from "Attack of the Name Game" by Stacy Lattisaw. "Heartbreaker" pushed Carey even further into the R&B and hip hop market, becoming her second commercial single to feature a rapper. Lyrically, the song describes lovesickness towards an unfaithful partner.
"Come Baby Come" is a song by American rapper K7 featuring vocals by Camille, released by Tommy Boy Records as the first single from the rapper's debut album, Swing Batta Swing (1993). The song peaked at numbers 18 and 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 in December 1993, and number three on the UK Singles Chart in January 1994. It was produced by Joey Gardner and received positive reviews from music critics. The song was also certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 17, 1993. The accompanying music video was directed by Hype Williams and filmed in Jersey City, New Jersey.
"Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" is a song by British jazz-rap group Us3, originally released in October 1992 by Blue Note Records as the lead single from the group's debut album, Hand On the Torch (1993). The song was recorded as a demo a year before the group's first release and features a sample of Herbie Hancock's song "Cantaloupe Island". Another sample, the announcement by Pee Wee Marquette, is taken from the Blue Note album A Night at Birdland, Vol. 1 by The Art Blakey Quintet. "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" originally just failed to make the top 75 singles chart in the group's native UK, but in the US, it reached No. 9 and 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, becoming the group's only top 40 single. It was subsequently re-released in UK where it peaked at No. 23. The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 25, 1994 for selling over 500,000 copies.
Love City Groove were a musical group who represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995, with their self-titled song after being the winner in a public vote. The song finished tenth with 76 points; and peaked at No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Ain't Nobody" is a song by American funk band Rufus and American singer Chaka Khan. It was released on November 4, 1983 by Warner Bros., as one of four studio tracks included on their live album, Stompin' at the Savoy (1983). "Ain't Nobody" quickly gathered popularity, and reached number one on the US Billboard R&B chart and number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1984 at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards, "Ain't Nobody" won for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. It has become one of Khan's signature songs.
"I Wanna Be Down" is the debut single of American recording artist Brandy from her self-titled debut album (1994). It was written by musicians Keith Crouch and Kipper Jones, with production helmed by the former, it was released on September 5, 1994, by the Atlantic Recording Corporation. The song is a mid-tempo track that features a thunderous beat and light synth riffs. Lyrically, "I Wanna Be Down" describes a flirt with a boy, who Norwood tries to convince of her loveliness.
"Whoomp! " is the debut single by American hip-hop/pop-rap duo Tag Team, released in May 1993 by label Life as the first single from their debut album by same name (1993). The song was written by members Cecil "DC the Brain Supreme" Glenn and Steve "Rolln" Gibson, and reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot R&B chart, as well as No. 2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100. "Whoomp!" reached multi-platinum status and broke records for the number of consecutive weeks in the Billboard top 10. Tag Team is considered a one-hit wonder, as their subsequent singles did not find the same success. "Whoomp!" has remained a pop culture staple with multiple placements in film, television, and advertisements. The song has also endured as a mainstay at sporting and arena events. In 2024, Billboard ranked "Whoomp! " number 14 in their "The 100 Greatest Jock Jams of All Time".
"Runaway Love" is a song by American R&B/pop group En Vogue, released in September 1993 by Eastwest Records as the first single from the group's extended play (EP) Runaway Love. After the huge success of their second album, Funky Divas (1992), the single was released. It was written and produced by Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster. Group members Cindy Herron and Terry Ellis share lead vocals, Dawn Robinson leads on the bridge, and spoken intro is by Maxine Jones. Elroy and Foster contributed vocals and spoken rap, their known as the alias FMob group. In the US, the song reached numbers 51 and 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100.
"Love Is All We Need" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige, with a guest rap from Nas. It was written by Blige, Nas, James Harris III, and Terry Lewis for Blige's third studio album, Share My World (1997), while production was helmed by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. The song contains a sample of the song "Moonchild" (1985) as performed by American singer Rick James. With its more buoyant tone, it stood in conspicuous contrast to much of the more dark-rooted material featured on Blige's earlier albums.
"Be Happy" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Arlene DeValle, and Jean-Claude Olivier from duo Poke & Tone for her second studio album, My Life (1994), while production was helmed by Combs and Olivier. "Be Happy" contains an instrumental sample of the song "You're So Good to Me" (1979) by musician Curtis Mayfield and a re-sung vocal portion of the record "I Want You" (1976) by Marvin Gaye.
"Rump Shaker" is a song by American hip-hop group Wreckx-N-Effect. It was released in August 1992 by MCA Records as the lead single from their second album, Hard or Smooth (1992). It features production and guest vocals from Teddy Riley, brother of former Wreckx member Markell Riley. Due to the massive success of Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You," the song did not advance further than No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks charts. Nevertheless, it peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Singles, and No. 9 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts.
"I'll Be" is a song recorded by American rapper Foxy Brown for her debut studio album, Ill Na Na (1996), featuring Brooklyn-based rapper Jay-Z. It was released as the second single from the album on March 4, 1997, by Violator and Def Jam Recordings. The song was written by Shawn Carter, Jean-Claude Olivier, Samuel Barnes, Angela Winbush, René Moore, Bobby Watson and Bruce Swedien with production by Trackmasters, and samples René & Angela's 1985 song "I'll Be Good". It was recorded at Chung King Studios in New York City, while the mixing of the track was finished at The Hit Factory. "I'll Be" is a hip hop and R&B song with explicit lyrics that revolve around sex and money.
"Feel Me Flow" is a song by American hip hop group Naughty by Nature, released in May 1995 by Tommy Boy Records as a single from their fourth album, Poverty's Paradise (1995). The song was the most successful single from the album, peaking at number three on the US Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart in mid-June and at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-July. The sole rapper on the song is Treach. The accompanying music video shows him near a pool and the ocean in the midst of a heat wave, and also shows clips of the winter and people snowboarding. The winter scene was recorded at Stratton Mountain Resort in Vermont. The song was later featured in the 2002 film 8 Mile.
"Livin' It Up" is a song by American rapper Ja Rule featuring singer Case, released in July 2001 through Def Jam Recordings and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records, as the lead single from Ja Rule's third studio album, Pain Is Love (2001). The song, produced by Lil Rob and Irv Gotti, samples Stevie Wonder's 1982 song "Do I Do". In the United States, "Livin' It Up" peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. It received a re-issue in the United Kingdom in 2002 and peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart. Retired NBA All-Star Baron Davis and former pornographic actress Sunny Leone make appearances in the video.
"Be Alone No More" is the debut single by British R&B vocal quartet Another Level, released on 16 February 1998 by Northwestside Records. It is from their eponymous debut album (1998), and features American rapper Jay-Z. The song was written by Steven Dubin, Andrea Martin and Ivan Matias. In 1999, it was released a second time in remix form together with a cover of the Simply Red song "Holding Back the Years". The two releases peaked at number six and number eleven in the UK respectively. Several UK garage remixes were also released, such as the 'Dubmonsters Mix' and 'Another Groove Mix'. The latter is a mashup with Double 99's "RipGroove".
"I'm Looking for the One (To Be with Me)" is a song by American hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, released in November 1993 by Jive Records as the third single from the duo's fifth studio album, Code Red (1993). The song was the follow-up to their highly successful hit single "Boom! Shake the Room" and peaked at number 79 on the US Billboard Hot 100. On the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at number 24. It samples "Tell Me If You Still Care", a song sung by the S.O.S. Band, and is written by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, while Teddy Riley produced it.
"Step into a World (Rapture's Delight)" is a song performed by American rapper KRS-One. It was released on March 3, 1997 via Jive Records as a single from his third solo studio album I Got Next. Recording sessions took place at The Hit Factory in New York City. Produced by Jesse West, the song contains a portion of the composition "Rapture" written by Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, and a sample of the Mohawks' "The Champ" written by Harry Palmer.
"Tell Me" is a song by American R&B duo Groove Theory from their debut album, Groove Theory (1995). The track is a cover of Rhythm-N-Bass' 1993 song "Tell Me ", which was also produced by Bryce Wilson. The song contains an interpolation of Mary Jane Girls' "All Night Long" which itself interpolates Keni Burke's "Risin' to the Top".
"Pop Style" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake, featuring American rappers Kanye West and Jay-Z, collectively known as The Throne. The song was released alongside "One Dance", as singles promoting Drake's fourth studio album Views, initially for exclusive digital download on iTunes on April 5, 2016. The album version features only Drake with a new verse. The single version was nominated for Best Rap Performance at the 59th Grammy Awards.
