Six 90's RnB Groups That Are Slept On In 2023

The 1990’s was a decade of neon shirts, fanny packs, commercial jingles, and fascination with Bill Clinton playing the Sax. The 90's were also the decade in Black music where Michael Jackson went from "Bad" to "Dangerous", Ralph Tresvant professed that "Money Can't Buy You Love" and when K Ci and Jojo confused everyone with their single "All My Life". But amongst the large number of successful artists etched into the annals of pop culture are acts with equally great music that have fallen victim to the fog of time.

Today we will help bring 6 of those groups out of the past and into the spotlight for a new generation of fans. To help build this list we looked at Google Trends data from 2004-present to identify acts whose search appeal has been on the decline. With that said, let's get to the music.

Mint Condition​

What kind of person would you be if your forgot about Mint Condition? Maybe one in need of this article perhaps. For those unaware, Mint Condition is an R&B band out of Minneapolis, MN known for the smash hit "Breaking My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)". But while Breaking My Heart was their biggest hit, "U Send Me Swinging'"and "What Kind of Man Would I Be" were equally a success and woven into the fabric of the era. While the band was known mainly for their R&B cuts, they were not confined to the genre by any means. You can hear New Jack Swing, Jazz, and a slew of genre benders on many of their albums.

One fun fact about the group is that it's an actual band with lead singer Stokley Williams doubling as the in-studio drummer. What makes Mint Condition such a great listen is that they are versatile and can deliver a classic love song, a booming Rock song, and a New Jack Swing groove all on the same album. We guarantee that you can pop in one of their albums and find a little something for everyone. The band is still going on strong and released their last album E-Life in 2017.

Portrait​

Here we go again with another group, this time it's Portrait. Based out of Los Angeles, CA. Portrait is a quartet that specialized in both R&B and New Jack Swing. In 1991, the group signed to Capitol and released their self-titled album "Portrait" which reached #6 on the US Top R&B Albums chart. The album spawned their biggest hit to-date “Here We Go Again” as well as “Honey Dip” and “Day By Day”. Their second album “All That Matters” was also reasonably successful, spawning hits "I Can Call You" and "How Deep Is Your Love". It hit #25 on the charts but didn't recreate the same level of success as their first album.

One cause for the lackluster performance could be the tone switch which did away with the Hip Hop laced New Jack Swing with a more warm and restrained R&B sound. After "All That Matters" the group essentially faded into obscurity despite their releasing of several other albums. Portrait is a great group to listen to because they make songs about love, lust, and life sound very upbeat and catchy. A great example is “Here We Go Again” which was infectiously funky but spoke to a very difficult relationship back and for that we could all related to.

The group released an album of new music in 2021 titled "Afro Trees" on the Soul Japan Label.

Silk​

There's no living without the Atlanta, GA based R&B group known as Silk. The quintet scored their first hit song in 1993 with “Freak Me” from the album Lose Control. The group followed up with self-titled “Silk” which yielded hits “I Can Go Deep” and “Hooked on You”. The band was chiefly known for their sexually charged music which ended up being one of the groups largest critiques.

While the group continued making music after “Silk” they struggled to find the level of success they had with “Lose Control”. Critics began balking at the inconsistent songwriting and one-dimensional subject mater that seemed to be present across each release. Despite that, Silk is the perfect soundtrack for nighttime romps with your significant other.

Soul for Real​

Have you ever dreamt of candy coated rain drops? If so, you’ve probably heard of the quartet Soul 4 Real. The band of brothers came together in 1992 and found commercial success with hit songs "Every Little Thing I Do" and title track to their debut album "Candy Rain". The band was founded by and produced by Heavy D whose productions paired well with the soulful vocals of lead singer Jase4Real and his brother Choc4Real.

Their sophomore album produced some moderate hits but like other groups they were unable to reproduce the success of their debut album. The quartet found themselves down a member when one of the brothers found themselves in a load of legal trouble due to their seedy activities. Despite the setback, the group continues to release music til this day and were featured on TV One's Unsung in 2022.

Brownstone​

Do you love me? Say it! If you love me, prove it! Brownstone was a trio that consisted of Mimi, Maxee, and Nicci and based out of Los Angeles, CA. The 3 came to be after seeing each other repeatedly during music auditions through out Southern California. Once the group was established, they signed to Michael Jackson's MJJ Music record label where they released their first album “From the Bottom Up” which featured hit single “If You Love Me”. The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and later went on to earn #84 on Billboard’s “100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time”.

After one of the original members left the group, they reconfigured and released their follow up album “Still Climbing”. The album had moderate success and ended up being the last album released by the trio before the group disbanded. Nicci recently recomposed the group with two other members and dropped a single in 2023. Brownstone's soulful, churchy delivery produced some iconic music that represent the 90's R&B properly.

Total​

Have you ever been so deep in love (or lust) that kissin’ someone is all that you could think about? If so, you can relate to Kima, Keisha, and Pam who form the girl group “Total”. Their self-titled debut album released in 1996 and spawned the hit single “Can’t You See”. The group also lended their vocals to smash hits from other Bad Boy Hip Hop artists such as Mase - What You Want and Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy.

Total was peak 90’s stylistically with the sound made famous by Bad Boy and the Hitmen production team. Like many Bad Boy acts they had a brief time in the light before fading into non-existence in the 2000's when the group disbanded. In 2019, group member Pam announced that she was working on her first album as a solo artist and subsequently released her debut single "Why".

Conclusion​

The 90's were a great decade for Black music and possibly the last one with pure R&B. The landscape was filled with male groups such as Boyz II Men, Jagged Edge, and Dru Hill who could hold their own against R&B groups of the past. We also had the bad boys such as Jodeci who had radios blaring with Diary of a Mad Band, Ricky Bell spin off from New Edition into BBD, and H Town letting it be known that someone is rocking' knockin da boots.

We also had R&B groups like SWV, Xscape, En Vogue, and Destiny's Child who held it down for the ladies in the genre with top notch albums and hits. As we reminisce over this era let's make sure that we don't forget the large number of R&B groups and artists that contributed to the art that we love.

Continuous hits and success are not the only metrics that make a good group. It's time to be like Johnny Gill and not be a fair-weather friend.