Time Out's 10 Greatest R&B Songs: From D'Angelo to FLO
Time Out has compiled a list of the 10 greatest R&B tracks from 1995 to 2023, showcasing artists such as D'Angelo, Destiny's Child, Mariah Carey, TLC, Blackstreet, Ginuwine, Tweet, Lauryn Hill, Nelly and Kelly Rowland, and FLO. Notable entries include D'Angelo's "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" (2000), Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious" (2001), Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" (1995), TLC's "Waterfalls" (1995), Blackstreet's "No Diggity" (1996), Ginuwine's "Pony" (1996), Tweet's "Oops (Oh My)" (2002), Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (1998), Nelly and Kelly Rowland's "Dilemma" (2002), and FLO's "Fly Girl" (2023). This ranking, released on Quartz, emphasizes the genre's cultural significance and advancements in production.
Key facts
- Time Out ranked the top 10 R&B songs of all time, from a larger list of 20.
- The list includes songs from 1995 to 2023.
- D'Angelo's 'Untitled (How Does It Feel)' from 2000 album 'Voodoo' is at #10.
- Destiny's Child's 'Bootylicious' (2001) samples Stevie Nicks's 'Edge of Seventeen'.
- Mariah Carey's 'Fantasy' (1995) samples Tom Tom Club's 'Genius of Love'.
- TLC's 'Waterfalls' (1995) addresses the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
- Blackstreet's 'No Diggity' (1996) features Dr. Dre and Queen Pen, samples Bill Withers.
- Ginuwine's 'Pony' (1996) was produced by Timbaland.
- Tweet's 'Oops (Oh My)' (2002) features Missy Elliott.
- Lauryn Hill's 'Doo Wop (That Thing)' (1998) is at #3.
- Nelly and Kelly Rowland's 'Dilemma' (2002) is at #2.
- FLO's 'Fly Girl' (2023) featuring Missy Elliott is #1.
- The word 'bootylicious' was added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
- The music video for 'Dilemma' features a scene with texting on an Excel spreadsheet.
Entities
Artists
- D'Angelo
- Destiny's Child
- Beyoncé
- Kelly Rowland
- Michelle Williams
- Mariah Carey
- TLC
- T-Boz
- Left Eye
- Blackstreet
- Dr. Dre
- Queen Pen
- Bill Withers
- Ginuwine
- Timbaland
- Tweet
- Charlene Keys
- Missy Elliott
- Lauryn Hill
- Nelly
- FLO
- Stevie Nicks
- Ol' Dirty Bastard
- Teddy Riley
Institutions
- Time Out
- Oxford English Dictionary
- Columbia
Sources
- Quartz —