Mariah Carey takes us ‘back in time’ with ‘The Roof (Back In Time) (Ft. Mobb Deep)’ for this week’s Way Back Wednesday. Directed by the diva herself alongside Diane Martel in 1998, the visual was one of her most critically acclaimed releases to date.

Simple, sensual and haunting yet vulnerable, both this song and video define the creative climax that Carey demonstrated during the ‘Butterfly’ era. By mixing Hip-Hop samples with her Jazz-inspired vocals and colourful Pop-friendly tones, she established a format that Beyonce, Rihanna and almost every other R&B/Pop act imitate to this day.

However, Carey has not delivered similar depth since her ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’ project in 2005 and needs to channel her recent experiences with motherhood into another breakthrough collection. Most of these younger artists owe her a cheque and it’s time for her to collect.

Thoughts?