#90’s r&b

[kyllaaky]

snoop and brandy, june 1995

[indigoheaven001]

very soft

[hazy-individual]

“Cupid doesn’t lie” 🏹❣️

[dillweed1236]

(1998) Cypress Hill - Dr. Greenthumb

Live at Rock Park 1999

[cultsandcrafts]

[treasurehuntergem]

The debut self-titled album from Destiny’s Child just turned 25 years old.

I remember being enamored with their debut video for ‘No, No, No Part 2’ and later the video for ‘With Me’. I watched them over and over as a sheltered and shy 13-year old freshman in high school. Their videos pulled me into the world (I thought) older teenagers were living in. Destiny’s Child was close to my age, from my city, and had an accessible look and sound. I became an instant fan.

‘No, No, No Part 2’

Wyclef created magic with this beat and Beyoncé’s fast-singing is iconic to this day. I loved the colors and styling in this video, the song bridge paired with visuals of the girls on swings, with floating feathers and high ponytails, then the dance breakdown when the beat dropped. Beyoncé’s animated expressions, Kelly’s arched eyebrow sass, LeToya’s perfectly coiffed bangs and pretty eyes, LaTavia’s red hair and big grin…there was something or someone different to look at every time I watched the video.

‘With Me Part 1’

This video is one of my earliest core memories of music group aesthetics via archetype visuals. I was LIVING for each of the vignettes; obsessed in particular with Beyoncé’s mermaid visual and LaTavia’s genie in a bottle scene. LeToya was captivating as a bombshell spider-woman (I cannot type ‘sexy spider’ with a straight face). I thought they phoned in Kelly as a giant but whatever. This song didn’t age well in my library, partly because the lyrics are so trife. But this video is probably one of my all-time favorites.

Side note: I had to manually screen capture several of these images. Google results are abysmal. We losing recipes.

Interestingly, I was never really moved by the video for ‘No, No, No Part 1’ although I do still sing along to the song whenever I hear it. That video didn’t get much play on BET/MTV for some reason; it mainly played on WB/CW which played all the local/hood videos. 💀

I think a lot of the songs on this album sound a bit heavy for their teenage voices and lifestyle, which is why I didn’t keep much from it over the years, but they had some standout tracks. I’ve often imagined how lovely some of the slower-tempo songs would sound with their current adult voices. The harmonies were THERE, though, and the backing harmonies remain some of my favorite parts of the songs from this album - and I think a big part of what set them apart from their contemporaries early on.

Never a question, always a pleasure to

Love you, love you, love you

I'm giving you my all, but it's not pleasing

Your distant heart…

‘Killing Time’ should have been a single. It’s one of their best songs. I had a black and white video treatment for it and everything. 💀 I know it was on the MiB soundtrack but it was still very slept on. Beyoncé’s adlibs toward the end of the song? Love them to this day.

Here’s a bonus pic of Destiny’s Child in sari fabric for good luck.

[vicontheinternet]

Someone please cover worldwide by btr in the style of 90’s rnb like maxwell or anthony Hamilton

[jakejms]

Inspirational Artist #6

Janette Beckman is a British photographer who caught my eye with her street documentary photography. Beckman’s main medium is film, but she also does some digital work. Beckman focuses a lot around the hip-hop and punk youth scene. Her ability to capture the youth’s essence and emotion is something that makes her work stand out amongst others. She is known for documenting iconic musical and cultural movements. Some people that she’s worked with is Run-DMC and LL Cool J. Beckman’s use of artificial light is outstanding and really brings her photography to the next level. 

[98unknwn]

“I try to make sense of this..”

[exdivine]

can anyone recommend “girl power” and/or man-hating music

[kyllaaky]

blaque- bring it all to me (feat. nsync)

[jourdepluie91]

Brandy Norwood

Simply known as Brandy, she was one of the most popular R&B artists of the 90s and is known for her distinctive sound, characterized by her peculiar timbre, voice-layering, and intricate riffs, which has earned her the title of "the Vocal Bible".

[beyondthesurface]

Moesha (1996)

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

A Bosnian soldier weeps against a tree after liberating his own village and finding out his family had been executed by the Serbians, sometime around 1995 during the Bosnian War.