Who could forget the “The Boy Is Mine” craze that swept the continent in ’98. The only sad part is, 112’s debut album featured BIG and since this album was released shortly after his death, BIG's presence is truly missed but “Room 112” is still an incredible addition nevertheless.
It’s relatable, so no surprise that it was received so well. I think there was a level of maturity that came with this album, as much as the debut was the fluffy aspects of love, this had a realer approach, and we hear the painful heartbreak side. “Love Me” and “The Only One” were instant favorites and “Whatcha Gonna Do” featuring MJG was not far behind.
If you remember 1998, it was a huge year for Bad Boy and the artists on the label were pumping out hit after hit so to see Lil Kim and Mase as features was a brilliant move. They continue with the momentum they had gained from their debut and kept the infusion of hip hop going. This album isn’t perfect, as it's packed with interludes and the tracklist is exhaustive, BUT the tracks that I did like carried the album and made it amazing. These guys captivated our hearts with their debut album (come on who doesn’t love Cupid) and came back with a bit of an edge. It’s not possible to be a fan of the 90’s and not love 112! 1998 gave us their sophomore release “Room 112”. Like I said, this year was stacked and most of my favorite R&B songs (to this day) came from 1998, so in no particular order let's take a look at the albums that make up the R&B side of my music library. These albums made listening to the radio that much more enjoyable, and it kept us pondering love and relationships. for R&B that year was 1998 and of course that’s what we get to talk about today. One that gave the music industry the very best and truly dominated charts and radio airwaves. Overall, 1998 was a great year for the R&B every genre there’s always one year that stands out. We also got to see Erykah Badu win a Grammy, which was totally deserved. Cheesy because, well, it was from Space Jam (a classic in its own right, sort of, but still). Badass in the sense that it was R&B Gospel mixed with some soul. For real, though, you can't deny how cheesy and badass "I Believe I Can Fly" was. Kelly win Grammys for a song from a kid's movie.
Man! 1998 has a lot of hits, a lot of great moments. It was a song that showed Brandy (and Monica) could get down and dirty, but still keep it clean. Plus, the opening of the track? It sets you up for some "ish is about to get real" vibes. That's pretty much "The Boy is Mine" in a nutshell.
Here? They just started to bloom and plant roots.ġ998 also saw Brandy and Monica sing-fighting over some two-timing assclown in "The Boy is Mine," a send-up/remake of the MJ/Paul McCartney song "The Girl is Mine." Replace the saccharin from the MJ song and replace it with a ton of girl power. When we got their next work, they blossomed. It was a bit too restricted and "sign of the times" for me at some points. But, the album in itself wasn't as good as their later work to me. It showcased each member's uniqueness and set them up for success. Can we talk Destiny's Child for a second, since Beyonce and Lemonade are still running the world like girls should. The song set Usher up for a plethora of hits and solidified his first of several top-ten albums.Īside from Usher, we got new Dru Hill, new Destiny's Child (technically the first album, but whatever) and others. The song was catchy, infectious, and made nine-year-old me want to grow up so I could do freaky things with my soon-to-be high school and college crushes (what? I was a very sexual being from a young age. But, when 1998 hit, we got "Nice and Slow," a song that'll still get panties wet when I play it (maybe that's because most the women I've talked to are big Usher fans, but whatever). Plus, "You Make Me Wanna" was a good-to-great first single. Sure, My Way was going to be a small success anyway.