Return To The Classics

It was 15 years ago that Shawn Corey Carter first publicly introduced the world to his alter-ego whose name would forever shake and inspire the genre of Hip Hop. Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt was the debut album from the enigmatic Brooklyn emcee, released on June 25 in 1996 on Roc-A-Fella records. For a first outing, Reasonable [...]

It beggars belief that today will make it two years since Michael Jackson passed. It’s no less shocking even after all this time. Once in a while I’ll get a hankering to listen to one of the three classic albums he made with Quincy Jones between the late 1970s and late ’80s. Recently it was [...]

Diary Of A Mad Band was released on December 21, 1993 by Uptown/MCA Records. After achieving triple platinum status with their first release, Forever My Lady, Jodeci announced their return in resounding fashion with their sophomore album. Continuing their trademark sound centered on soulful balladry, Jodeci landed legions of adoring fans from both sexes alike [...]

Life, Love and Pain was released on November 1, 1986 by Warner Bros. Records. Club Nouveau arrived onto the music scene in remarkable fashion with their lead single, “Jealousy.” This song was in response to Timex Social Club’s “Rumors” record that was blazing up the charts during the same year. Club Nouveau was borne due [...]

Thirty five minutes and thirty eight seconds of creative brilliance is the best way to describe Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On album. May 21, 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of this epic opus being released by Tamla Records, a subsidiary of Motown Records. This album remains one of the most prophetic pieces of music to [...]

Cool Relax was released on September 16, 1997 by Epic Records. Coming off a successful debut album, Bonafide in 1995, Jon B. returned to the heavily crowded R&B landscape by leaving an indelible mark with his sophomore album.  He drew comparisons to his mentor, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds due to the fact Babyface was the executive [...]

My Life was released on November 28, 1994 and it lived up to expectations set by fans of Mary J. Blige and the larger music community. Coming off the triple platinum success of her debut album, What’s the 411? Blige retained her crown as the reigning Queen of Hip Hop-Soul with the release of her [...]

Birthed in Houston, Texas initially named Girls Tyme, the original Destiny’s Child comprised of Latavia Robinson, Latoya Luckett, Kelly Rowland and lead singer Beyoncé Knowles. Destiny’s Child are the most successful female group in history with over 60 million records sold, sold out world tours and former lead singer Beyonce has gone on to become [...]

In Effect Mode was released on May 3, 1988 to an ever-changing R&B fan base and it became an instant success for newcomer Al B. Sure! Upon its release, Al B. Sure! created quite a buzz with his lead single “Nite and Day.” At a time where the R&B genre was at a crossroads in [...]

Johnny Gill’s self-titled LP was released on April 17, 1990 to the masses of R&B fans and it was well received upon its release. Serving as a springboard to the new phase of Gill’s career, this album helped to propel him as one of the leading R&B singers of the decade. Being one of the [...]