R&B from the 90's has a special place in the nostalgic part of my heart, right next to Tamagotchis and All That. I keep an emergency playlist whenever I need some Montell Jordan or TLC in my life. But, something that I love even more is when modern songs have a taste of 90's R&B in it. Here are a couple of my favorites along with the 90's jams that they're sampling.
1. Poetic Justice - Kendrick Lamar feat. Drake / Anytime, Anyplace - Janet Jackson
This is one of my favorite tracks off of Kendrick Lamar's stellar album good kid, M.A.A.D city. The fact that it has a sample from a song by Justice herself, Janet Jackson, is lovely. It's a perfect mashup of past and present.
2. Legend - Drake / So Anxious - Genuine
The Ginuwine sample is sprinkled all throughout the beat, but it's especially obvious once it gets into the latter half of the song. But, how the producer's chopped and screwed the song makes it fresh to a listeners ear.
3. On Me - The Game feat. Kendrick Lamar / On & On - Erykah Badu
The Documentary 2 is a solid overall album, but this song is a standout on the track list. I dig how The Game's gritty delivery and wordplay clashes with the jazzy, groovy Erykah Badu sample. I couldn't have come up with this combination, so I've got to give praise where praise is due for putting all these different vibes together and making it sound cohesive.
4. Say It - Tory Lanez / If You Love Me - Brownstone
Canadian crooner Tory Lanez blew up in the Summer of 2015 with this R&B smash "Say It". It put a dope twist on a classic. It's still getting heavy rotation on the radio months later so the talent of both Tory Lanez and Brownstone is undeniable.
5. What You Need - The Weeknd / Rock the Boat - Aaliyah
Now, this sample is a bit vague. I didn't hear it at first, but once I did it was incredibly cool to find. Go to 1:35 in the Aaliyah video and hear the snippet all throughout What You Need.
I hope you enjoyed the list. Hopefully, it'll make you take a deeper look into your favorite songs and seek what they got their inspiration from!
