Every so often I’ll make an homage playlist to the music that shaped who I am. As I was a teen in the late 80s and early 90s, a lot of this music comes from that era. This week’s playlist focuses on the genre of R&B. I’ll admit, it’s not my favorite genre. As I grew older and more into rock and roll, I even shunned a lot of these songs at one time or another. However, part of me always goes back to freshman year, riding the bus to school with my headphones on. I was listening to Z100, and just trying to act cool. R&B mixed with rock, soul, and pop. My young mind observed and absorbed all the sounds. Artists such as Bobby Brown and Bell Biv Devoe, and Boyz II Men permeated my soul. So, why not pay tribute to this era and genre? Why not make an Early 90s R&B Mixtape?
I’ll admit, I’m not a purist when it comes to R&B. This early 90s R&B Mixtape might have some questionable choices, so don’t get too mad. You’ll hear people like Prince, Seal, Mariah Carey, and even Milli Vanilli. Not entirely R&B. However, you’ll also hear New Edition, Johnny Gill, Janet Jackson, TLC, and many more staples of early 90s R&B.
Go back in time, and get down with my early 90s R&B mixtape.
Some of that Early 90s R&B was from the 80s
Yes, I know a few of those songs were recorded before the early 90s, but it was still playing on the radio during the early 90s. Deal with it. Again, I’m not a purist. Ok, so maybe I broke a rule there, but I also broke another playlist rule. I used the same artist more than once. I used songs by Bobby Brown, Bell Biv Devoe, Johnny Gill, and Ralph Tresvant, while I also used a song from New Edition. Yeah, it’s the end of the world, isn’t it? I guess I just felt they all needed to be represented both individually and collectively.
What should next week’s playlist be? I have a few ideas, but if you, my readers, have an idea, I want to hear them. Hit me up on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments. Finally, you might notice that this week’s playlist came a little late. I’m experimenting with the publication deadlines right now. I’m thinking of publishing the featured article towards the beginning of the week and the playlist at the end. This might give me more time to focus on the featured article. We’ll see. Come back next week, you never know what I might publish!
