who do we thank for late 90’s / early 2000’s bangers?

Jan 10, 2024

I recently rediscovered ‘Holler’ by the Spice Girls. I know, I know – Spice Girls? Seriously? Just walk with me – I’m heading somewhere.

Easily one of favourite songs of theirs is ‘Viva Forever’, specifically for its layered harmonies and vocal arrangement. It came up on one of my playlists and I decided to go down a Spice Girls rabbit hole thanks to the ‘Radio‘ function on Spotify. It led me to ‘Holler’ and I was hooked.

I had the song on repeat and each time I went back to the beginning of the song, the first few chords produced by Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins felt hella nostalgic and I knew I had heard it many times before.

Of course the song digressed from Spice Girls’ usual pop sound, and gave a more mature R&B sound that I grew up on and loved. Specifically, I knew I had heard the similar synthesised Spanish guitar chords which sonically references the likes of TLC’s ‘No Scrubs‘. I went on a quest to find additional songs with similar sonic references that are reminiscent of the late 90’s and early 2000s.

I took the liberty of compiling a list and playlist of these songs below and on Spotify for your enjoyment.

Hopefully you’ll get what I am getting at.

https://youtu.be/JnwvBiqf8sM

holler | spice girls

Holler by Spice Girls, produced by Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins

no Scrubs | TLC

Of course, TLC had to be listed up top with this iconic song that spearheaded a women vs men conversation and was the inspiration behind the men’s lacklustre retaliation, ‘No Pigeon’. Co-written by Kandi Burrus and producer, Kevin She’kspere Briggs, this song was an anthem.

‘No Scrubs‘ by TLC, produced by Kevin ‘She’kspere’ Briggs

Holler sonically references ‘No Scrubs’ by TLC and this sound was on heavy rotation during the late 90’s / early 2000s in R&B. I’d like to think it was inspired by the coming of the 21st century as a nod to the digital era we were entering into. Who remembers how fearful we were in 1999 of the turn of the century – would we be in a global blackout a la ‘Will 2K‘ by Will Smith?

BILLS, BILLS, BILLS | DESTINY’S CHILD

Another Kandi and She’kspere collaboration, this song was an instant classic for Destiny’s Child that spurred a lot of conversation women’s requirements of men.

‘Bills, Bills, Bills’ by Destiny’s Child, produced by Kevin ‘She’kspere’ Briggs

HE WASN’T MAN ENOUGH | TONI BRAXTON

Produced by Darkchild, Toni Braxton‘s vocals laid on this track was a banger and once again uses the synthesised Spanish guitar.

‘He Wasn’t Man Enough’ by Toni Braxton, produced by Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins

LAST LAST | BURNA BOY

Of course, I had to. Though not of the early 2000’s era, this African giant sampled the legendary Toni Braxton on his smash hit, ‘Last Last‘. He reportedly agreed to pay Toni 60% in royalties for sampling her on the track. Well worth it as he said he made a lot of money off the song.

‘Last Last ‘ by Burna Boy, Produced by Chopstix AKA Olagundoye James Malcolm who speaks in-depth about the sample here

IF YOU HAD MY LOVE | JENNIFER LOPEZ

Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins gave us another one of his synthesised Spanish guitar hits when he teamed up on Jennifer Lopez‘s breakthrough single, ‘If You Had My Love‘.

‘If You Had My Love’ by Jennifer Lopez, produced by Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins

SAY MY NAME | DESTINY’S CHILD

No surprise here, ‘Say My Name‘ by Destiny’s Child is another production brainchild of Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jenkins. I remember trying to keep up with the ladies singing these lyrics while butchering them at the same time. Genius lyrics and Wikipedia weren’t a thing back then, so we just faked it til we made it and had a time posing and singing along to the ultimate R&B girl group of our era.

‘Say My Name’ by Destiny’s Child, produced by Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins

I’M GOOD | BLAQUE

Another Darkchild collaboration, ‘I’m Good‘ by Blaque once again uses the synthesised Spanish guitar and echoes the sounds of the early 2000’s.

‘I’m Good’ by Blaque, produced by Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins

DON’T THINK I’M NOT | KANDI

We have to give credit where credit is due. Kandi Burruss wrote some major hits for us and did the same for herself on this Kevin ‘She’kspere’ Briggs produced number, ‘Don’t Think I’m Not‘. It’s giving the original ‘Sorry‘ by Beyonce and ‘Cheat Back‘ by Chloe.

‘Don’t Think I’m Not’ by Kandi, produced by Kevin ‘She’kspere’ Briggs

ALWAYS ON TIME | JA RULE FT. ASHANTI

Selfishly, I had to include ‘Always On Time‘ on the list. This collaboration power between Ja Rule and Ashanti is reminiscent of my early high school career. Their songs were constantly on repeat and got us through the tedious boarding school days. Produced by Irv Gotti, it was the start of an era in Hip Hop and R&B.

‘Always On Time’ by Ja Rule ft. Ashanti, produced by Irv Gotti

TRY AGAIN | AALIYAH

In the spirit of songs and sounds that mark an era in music, ‘Try Again‘ by Aaliyah was just that. It echoed a similar modern R&B sound to the ones listed above, and catapulted Aaliyah’s already bright light into the stratosphere. It was on the ‘Romeo Must Die’ soundtrack as well as her ‘More Than A Woman’ album – the last album we would ever receive from this icon. Produced by her serial collaborator, Timbaland, they missed NOT ONE BEAT on this track, which went on to be sampled by South African producer, Jabu Mgeni on ‘Sister Bettina‘, which was a massive hit in its own right.

‘Try Again’ by Aaliyah, produced by Timbaland

Honourable mentions

The list seems endless, and clearly Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins was a leading contributor to a sound that shaped a musical era. I took the liberty of creating a Spotify playlist that includes the above and other songs that are reminiscent of the late 90’s / early 2000’s era. Some of them also use the synthesised Spanish guitar while others will immediately take you back to a great time in R&B music.

HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE | DRU HILL