Way Back Wednesday: The 1990s Golden Era

Oct

31

2012

Way Back Wednesday: The 1990s Golden Era

Written by TriniTrent | Filed under Aaliyah,Celine Dion,Diddy,Dr. Dre,Fugees,Janet Jackson,Lil Kim,Mariah Carey,Mary J. Blige,R. Kelly,Snoop Dogg,Spice Girls,Toni Braxton,Way Back Wednesday,Whitney Houston

Celine Dion, Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey

Your grandparents had the 1940s and your parents had the 1970s but for many of us, the golden era of music was in the 1990s! Yes, spanning for ten glorious years, that decade was packed with a wide range of talented artists who generated enough classic hits to last us a lifetime.

Whether people were fans of Hip-Hop, R&B, Country, Rock or Dance, their appetites for good music were kept satisfied throughout the 1990s era, thanks to a generation of artists who were all at their creative peaks. Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, The Notorious B.I.G. and many other icons of that period etched their names into the history books forever, and today Way Back Wednesday will show you how they did it.

So, watch some of the greatest 1990s artists perform their memorable hits below:

Aaliyah – ‘If Your Girl Only Knew’

Celine Dion – ‘My Heart Will Go On’

Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg – ‘Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang’

Fugees – Medley

Janet Jackson – ‘That’s the Way Love Goes’/’If’

Mariah Carey – ‘Honey’

Mary J. Blige – ‘Real Love’

R. Kelly – ‘Bump n’ Grind’

Spice Girls – ‘Say You’ll Be There’

The Notorious B.I.G, Lil Kim & Junior Mafia – Medley

Toni Braxton – ‘Breathe Again’

Whitney Houston & Wyclef Jean – ‘Until You Come Back’/’My Love is Your Love’

If somebody would have predicted 15 years ago that the industry today would be plagued with so much garbage music and untalented artists then I would have labelled them a dirty liar who watches kiddy porn. However, the greatness of the 1990s is now just a fairytale that we talk about while talking to young children.

What went wrong? How did the landscape of music change do drastically? The answer to those questions can be found by addressing the rise of file sharing on the internet, the economic downturn of the mid-2000s and the push by label executives to promote marketable “artists” instead of those with actual talent.

Just look at the careers of the surviving acts listed above and its obvious that their declines coincide with the changes in the industry climate. Now, we a forced to live with Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and their peers telling us that ringtones are “classics”. Does anybody have a time machine that I can borrow?

Who was your favourite 1990s artist? Who was best artist of those listed above? Vote in our Way Back Wednesday poll and share your opinion below!
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Keys: aaliyah, celine dion, diddy, dr dre, fugees, janet jackson, lil kim, mariah carey, mary j blige, r kelly, snoop dogg, spice girls, the notorious big, toni braxton, way back wednesday, whitney houston
- BreezyStan_
  
  Mariah was the 1990′s … She owned the 1990′s .. She is the greatest !
- sam
  
  Whitney’s “My Love is Your Love” era was everything! Her tour was so hot in 99′ too. AND OF COURSE Ms. Lauryn Hill. So sad they fell off!
- Juan luis
  
  Mariah and Celine rule the 90′s specially Mariah!!
- http://Ronaldmatters.com RONALDMATTERS.COM
  
  R. KELLY SLAYYYYYED this ‘Bump n’ Grind’ performance!
  - BOB
    
    classic song
- Music-Doc
  
  Yep, Mariah Carey was the Queen of the 1990′s. She gave us her self-titled debut, Emotions, Musicbox, Merry Christmas, Daydream, and Butterfly.
  
  I love all the artists that you have above, except for the Spice Girls and Celine Dion. Also, how could you forget about Nas? “illmatic?” “It Was Written?”
  
  Turth be told, the 1990′s was truly the last great era/decade for most music genres. I don’t think we will ever see that many talented artists for a long, long, time.
- whnotaskwhy1980
  
  I voted for Janet, but that’s because I am biased. In all honesty, Mariah dominated the 90′s with alot of other artist. Whitney’s highest peak was in the 90′s. There are too many artist to just pick one! Great article!
- Stoney-Brie
  
  Janet Jackson all the way!!!
- Kayla
  
  Every artist you named was killing the 90′s! Man those were the good ole’ days.
- JohnVidal(RIP Whitney-truegreat)
  
  Aaliyah? ok
  You could have chosen so much better performances from Whitney and Celine Dion too
  
  But nice article over all. I think it´s just a fact that the last great decade in music was the 90´s. At least mainstream music and whow is topping the charts. 70´s was great, 80´s was great, 90´s was great… and 00´s is crap compared to that. Only exceptions of artists doing classic music while dominating charts and becoming people who will always be remembered are Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keya, Adele and very little more
  
  Among the ones you mentioned in the 90´s obviously Mariah, Whitney, Celine… just wow, the 3 biggest. After them Janet and Toni too
  And not only that. But if you add the big rock or pop-rock bands doing it big and some other genres… there´s no comparison. RIP great mainstream music: 50´s – 2000
  - Nay
    
    Alicia? Ok.
- BOB
  
  Mariah hands down then my fave group TLC
  even girl groups in the 90s killed it Brownstone, swv destinys child and my fave (after Tlc) xscape
  aaliyah rip bradny monica there was so much talent then
  lil kim biggie sigh!!
  - BOB
    
    brandy not bradny ha
  - BOB
    
    oh and toni braxton gave me life then
- …
  
  and this era we’re in is basically what the 80s was.. filled with generic trash. maybe the next decade to come will be dominated with talent like the 90s
- sexicaliswagg
  
  Yesssss for Aaliyah & Janet(Ciara could never)…Mariah has no rhythm at all. Damn you suppose to feel the music and move to it, she was on that stage looking like she was thinking about the dancing
  - Deeceelewis
    
    Obviously you must see Ciara as a threat or feel as if she is on their level, because why would you say her name out of all artists? Where did it even come from?
  - R&B LIVES
    
    yes Ciara could
    
    sexicaliswagg
    
    I could give 2 shits about Ciara, Janet or Aaliyah.
    But lets be factual, Ciara doesn’t have Aaliyah’s voice and she doesn’t have Janets dancing skills…You Mad?
- Jade
  
  I would have to say the Spice Girls. My childhood would not have been the same without them!
- black_child
  
  Their are 3 undeniable key contributors to what makes the era and the artistry of music what it was and what it ought to stand for on that list. Whitney is the Queen and no one can ever dispute how bright her star shone back then and still does now, Mariah was just pure back then and nothing but her talent shone through in the 90′s, Toni was like the little sister of the two and man did she pull her own under the reign of both Whitney and Mariah. Like LA or was it Babyface said “Clive had Whitney, Tommy had Mariah, and we had Toni!”
- olivia
  
  Aaliyah where or brandy and monica and the spice girls what about TLC,en vogue or hell even destinys child because The Writings On The Wall was the ish
  - the real xoxo
    
    The Spice Girls werent just a successful girl group, they were a pop phenomenon and defined the 90s. TLC and Destinys Child are more talented but they werent phenomenons.
- ni
  
  agree with @black_child… you definitely summon up. Janet was Janet… she is truly in a league all its own.
- http://Hu Shen
  
  Was so embarrassed to put Spice Girls but its the truth. Though Fugees would have got more votes.
- larry
  
  hahaha kiddy porn! Tell em!! Its soo true and soooo sad how the situation has turned out! Thats why I still support real artists by buying their music! Emile, Lianne, Brandy, Mariahs (now and then), etc! I just want real talent to reign!
- MC
  
  Mariah, Whitney, and Celine basically ruled the 90s simultaneously.
- blueIvy
  
  Sorry, but if you look from lasting legacy and influence on the decade you can’t deny the impact Spice Girls had on pop culture.
- http://www.brownsista.com Kanyade
  
  Even the seasoned artists back then were still “hungry”. Great post!
- WonderLand19
  
  The Spice Girls will forever have my heart.
- objectively_speaking
  
  (*sigh*) I weep for this generation of “music” (if it can even be called that) today. Destroying young minds a million at a time & the sad thing is they don’t even know it. I know people rarely listen to lyrics anymore but I mean COME ON!!! At least act like you didn’t write the “song” <—–(another term loosely used) during your lunch break! My parents & grandparents had the 1950s-1980s. I had the 90s. Yes, in the words of Trent somebody please go fetch me a time machine, I wish to go to the 90s era of music & be stuck there…
- Jeweley girl
  
  Whitney, Mariah, and Toni rule the 1990s as single artist,
  but TLC En-vogue, Escape and DC were the best girl
  groups in the 1990s. I still have some Mariah and Toni
  cds in the closet.
- http://www.derekevan.com Derek Evan
  
  I liked alot of the music of the 1990′s, and the 90′s was my era to a certain extent. However, as a DJ who currently plays at events throughout the USA, I’ve found that people who grew up in the 90′s generally don’t seem to have the same love and enthusiasm for music of “their era” as people from other eras seem to have. For example, I’ve found that people who grew up in the 50′s, 60′s, and 70′s eras, tend to want to hear alot of the music of those eras. That’s what they usually request and that’s what they dance to. However, people at events who are around my age (who grew up during the 80′s and 90′s) generally tend to request current artists and songs that are currently being played on the Top 40, Dance, R&B, or Adult Contemporary stations. They rarely request any music from the 80′s or 90′s eras. Perhaps the 80′s & 90′s crowds don’t have that same sentimental attachment to the music of their era as the older generations did. Maybe they just view the old songs and artists they listened to as kids as “silly fads” and they have now outgrown them. I don’t really know. All I know is that whenever I start playing 90′s music at a typical event, the dance floor empties pretty fast even if the songs were huge dance and party favorites back in their time. People will sometimes even start complaining about the music, or laughing and making sarcastic remarks about the songs. Once I jump into some Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Pitbull, etc. then people are back on the dance floor again. Although I have a huge selection of 90′s music, it often seems like I could literally bring 1 or 2 songs from the 90′s to a party, and that would be a sufficient amount of 90′s music. It’s very weird but those are my observations as a DJ and MC.
  - karen
    
    i disagree everyone i know 80′s and 90′s babies love respect AND prefer the 90′s and 80′s music they grew up with
    it kills 00′s music by miles
    and when i go to a club and that music comes on i cant stop dancing i still dance to 00′s but 90′s is unbeaten
  - V
    
    Maybe the age of people still make the biggest difference. If they’re in their early twenties then they were born late 80s, early 90s. That would make some of them a little too young to really connect with early, mid 90s music. i mean if someone was born in 1990, they would only be 10 when the 2000s began, how many are still digging what they listened to under the age of 10. They listened to it because maybe their moms or older siblings did, not because they really “grew up ” on 80s or 90s music. Also a lot of that music was slower than what’s out now, maybe they want to keep the energy level similar? Out here in Vegas, if its not some techno beat people just aren’t dancing. Who knows? Cause I’m just guessing.
    
    http://www.derekevan.com Derek Evan
    
    I know what you mean but I was not talking about people who were born in the late 80′s and early 90′s. Obviously they wouldn’t have been interested in music until several years later. I’m talking about people who are around my age (36 years old) who probably attended elementary school, middle school, high school, or college during the 80′s and 90′s. Those are the people who would logically consider the 80′s and 90′s to be “their era”. You would think they would want to request and dance to that music but that’s not usually how it is. When people my age request songs at parties or events, they typically want to hear much more contemporary music, and rarely ask for 80′s or 90′s music.
- Lamb
  
  Mariah dominated the 90′s!!!!!
- the real xoxo
  
  why aaliyah? Brandy and Monica were bigger than her in the 90s. anyway, The Fugees and Lauryn Hill are my favourites along with Mariah Carey. The Spice girls were pop perfection, and “say you’ll be there” is one of my favourite songs of all time. BRING BACK THE 90S.
  - karen
    
    Brandy was the biggest then Monica then Aaliyah but she was still big and still one in a million was game changing for rnb music
    and everyone i knew loved all 3 of them
  - STR8FACTS
    
    Chileeeeeee.
    I get so sick of seeing this “Monica was bigger than etc. etc. in the 90′s.” Lets get it straight, Brandy was the superstar, no argument about that. However, Monica’s 1st album sold about 1.6 million records (TO DATE) Aaliyah’s first album? 2.0 million. Monica’s second album ‘The Boy is Mine’ the album that you guys use to her advantage didn’t even go 2x platinum by the time the new millennium hit, but eventually it grazed the 2 million mark by about 60,000 copies. That SUCKS seeing that her riding on Brandy’s coat-tail should won her a larger audience. Aaliyah wasn’t a mainstream artist when she released her second album ‘One in a Million’ yet it sold 2.7 million copes in the U.S. – I’m only stating this because numbers don’t lie. To date, Monica has sold about 5 million records and some change domestically. Aaliyah and Brandy are over the 8 million mark. Do your research and your math and make sure you have your receipts hunny.
  - say cheese
    
    Trent wrote ‘Watch SOME of the greatest 1990′s artists…’ not ‘here are the biggest artists of the 1990′s’ and another key word is ARTIST. One in a million was a great R&B album. Rolling stones listed it as one of the greatest albums of the 90′s along with Mary J Blige, Mariah Carey & Tupac’s albums, Brandy & Monica were not included on that list, just because somebody is bigger does not mean they are better.
- Tay
  
  SIGHS OMG I JUST LOVED THIS ERA OF MUSIC. EVERYONE HAD THEY OWN STYLE not just in clothing but musically, attitude personality etc. I swear lf l could go back in TIME l would because this is what you call REAL music. I loved how you could tell everyone apart nowadays everyone sounds the same and have nothing to sing about except SEX and MONEY.
  
  LOVED that Janet performance SHE ROCKED that Stage
  Toni Braxton love her to death l admired her growing up and still do she rocked that short hair honey and can’t nobody rock it better than Ms. Toni Braxton
- De_Weav
  
  out of that list, i was a big fan of Whitney, Mariah and Janet bk in the 90s, sad that Mary really is the only 90s artist still putting out hits and getting nominations
- AMorris
  
  The 90′s was a brilliant era for music. For me, Whitney and Mariah ruled that decade.
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