22 R&B songs turning 20 in 2022

In the late ‘90s, Murder Inc. started inching as a top hip hop record label. Murder Inc. saw even more success in the early 2000s when they started signing other artists including the label princess Ashanti. The singer's debut single “Foolish” featured a sample from the DeBarge hit "Stay With Me," and was the perfect song title since she was singing about being foolish in love. The single put Ashanti on everyone's radar, especially since it spent ten weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100. 

In 2002, Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs starred in the hit film Brown Sugar, a film about two friends who fell in love with hip-hop while blossoming their relationship. Erykah Badu teamed up with Common on the soundtrack’s lead single “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop),” which was the perfect track to highlight the film's metaphorical plot of falling in love with the genre.  

Any artist that can make an impression on music executive Clive Davis is quite the accomplishment. Mario did just that when he signed to Davis' J Records when he was just 14-years-old. A year later, Mario released his debut single "Just a Friend 2002," which became a top-five hit on the Billboard Hot 100. While the song is a cover of the Biz Markie hit, Mario’s version is all about expressing his interest to be with a girl, but she keeps putting him in the friend zone. 

In 2000, Truth Hurts signed to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment label. Two years later, she teamed up with DJ Quik and Rakim on her debut single "Addictive." While the song samples a Hindi song, Aftermath ended up facing a huge lawsuit for not clearing the sample. Besides the drama of the song clearance, "Addictive" was a breakout track for Truth Hurts, but it ended up being her only hit song. 

Tragically, Aaliyah lost her life in 2001 due to a plane crash. Unfortunately, the loss seemed to occur right when she was entering the prime in her career. Although fans have always been grateful for the music she shared with the world while she was here, there always seemed to be a void of what could have been. In 2002, Aaliyah's label released a compilation album that included the previously unreleased track “Miss You.” While the song lyrics are catered towards moving on from a past love, the music video gave the song an even deeper meaning as it was used as a tribute to Aaliyah. 

When Tweet dropped her debut single "Oops (Oh My)," many fans believed it was a masturbātion anthem. It was years later when Tweet and the single's songwriter Missy Elliott debunked that claim and stressed how the song was more of a self-love anthem. It's evident in the lyrics as Tweet sings about admiring her body and skin. "Oops (Oh My)" was produced by Timbaland and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. 

If one ever hears someone say “Amerie invented Summer,” they’re referring to her hit debut single “Why Don’t We Fall In Love.” Besides the music video being reminiscent of a perfect summer day, the Rich Harrison-produced track showcased how to take advantage of the moment in expressing one's feelings. On the first verse Amerie sings, "It's startin' to become so clear to me / Tomorrow ain't really guaranteed / So many days I've thought of you / It's about time you knew the truth." 

Mariah Carey is the epitome of longevity and although she's seen many highs throughout her career, she's also had a few lows. "Through The Rain" was the lead single from her ninth album Charmbracelet. Teaming up with production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Carey used "Through The Rain" as a ballad to reflect on her personal struggles and encourage listeners that they can make it through any storms as well. 

Sometimes life can get so hectic and one just needs a day of rest and relaxation. That’s exactly what Whitney Houston stressed in her single “One Of Those Days.” Self-care can mean different things to different people, and Houston realizes that people need to always take time for themselves. On the hook she sings, “One of those days / When the sun is shining bright / And my life is going right / And the simple things are not wasted.”

Donell Jones has no problem making a love song to plead his case about his feelings. He does just that on his single “You Know That I Love You” as he tries to prove to his lover that she’s the only one that he wants in his life. On the hook he sings, “You know that I love you / Girl, you’re everything to me / Just let me show you / Just how much you mean to me.”

For anyone who wants a wedding song, Musiq Soulchild’s “Dontchange” is the perfect track. Musiq believes that the love between him and his partner will outlast anything that life throws at them. The theme was evident in the music video in which Musiq and his partner grow old together as they deal with different ups and downs. He stressed that even through the rough times, their love stays the same for each other. 

For listeners that need a pick-me-up and feel-good song, it’s India Arie’s “Little Things.” Arie is all about appreciating moments that can easily be taken for granted, and it keeps her humbled since she's gaining success. In the first verse, she says, "Search high and low for a place where I can lay my burdens down / Ain't nothing in the whole wide world like the peace that I have found." 

Floetry came on to the scene bringing a different type of sound to the neo-soul world. Marsha Ambrosius, a.k.a. the Songstress, and Natalie Stewart, a.k.a. the Floacist cemented their soulful style with performance and poetry. The duo's debut single "Floetic" was a groovy introduction to who they were as artists, the type of music they plan to make, and where they were from. 

In 2002, Beyoncé starred alongside Mike Myers in Austin Powers in Goldmember. It's pretty evident that in any film Queen Bey acts in, she will also contribute music in some type of way. Besides portraying Foxxy Cleopatra in the film, Beyoncé teamed up with The Neptunes on the soundtrack's lead single "Work It Out." As the song includes elements of funk and disco genres, the beat was quite the contrast from the usual production by The Neptunes. The song gave fans the chance to see what Bey could do as a solo artist. 

When Vivian Green released her debut ballad "Emotional Rollercoaster," it led many fans to anticipate her album A Love Story. The track's theme is a tale as old as time as Green realized the unhealthy effects of being in a toxic relationship. Although she loves her partner, the ups and downs that they endured took a toll on her mentally, physically, and emotionally—and she simply wanted to get off the ride. 

When the members of Destiny’s Child decided to take a break from the group and focus on solo projects, fans wondered how each member would differ in sound and if their solo success would sustain. Kelly Rowland took a slightly different sound approach on her solo single “Stole.” The song gave fans more of an alternative R&B sound as the lyrics told the story of dealing with insecurities and mental health.

In the early 2000s, production duo The Neptunes were a hot ticket across hip-hop, which also spewed over into the R&B world. Toni Braxton recruited them when she released her album More Than A Woman. On the album's lead single "Hit The Freeway," Braxton was fed up with an ex who tried to rekindle their relationship. She was well aware of the dirt her ex did to her and couldn't fathom why he kept trying to be in her life. 

Before Tyrese was an actor in the Fast & Furious franchise and a prime social media meme, he would drop albums consistently. "How You Gonna Act Like That" was the lead single from his third album I Wanna Go There. The Underdogs-produced track had Tyrese reflecting on how his potential life partner ended up ghosting him. 

When B2K came on to the scene, they created pandemonium among millennials everywhere. While they caused a lot of commotion thanks to their debut party anthem "Uh Huh," group members Omarion, Lil Fizz, J-Boog, and Raz B decided to release their slow jam “Gots Ta Be” as the second single. B2K easily won the hearts of many fans and the song became a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

For listeners who love R&B in order to keep romance frisky and sexy, Avant had the perfect bedroom song when he released "Makin' Good Love." On the track, Avant reflected about all the ways he could please his partner as he sang, "Girl, I can feel your temperature rising / You should feel my nature too / Come on you should know it's gonna be a bumpy ride / Girl, let's do what we came to do." 

Although Glenn Lewis was gaining recognition in Canada in the ‘90s, he began to crossover when he released his debut album World Outside My Window. The album’s lead single “Don’t You Forget It” had Lewis advising people to not forget where they came from because it molds them into the person they are today. On the hook he sang, "Don't you forget it / Don't you forget your way home for that little girl / Hold on to your world." 

In the early 2000s, groups were still somewhat popular in the R&B world. Although Dru Hill was always known as a quartet, by the time they released their third album Dru World Order, they added fifth member Scola to the lineup. The album’s lead single “I Should Be” had the members telling a potential partner that they would show them how they truly need to be loved if given the chance.