Hot R & B: 1990s

By the 1990s, it seems the music industry had come full circle concerning categorizing and placing various styles of African American music on a generally named label, as it had done with race records beginning in 1945. Indeed, the use of the term "rhythm and blues" is in the chart name Hot R & B, yet another market-driven term. This is the case as songs on this chart can be categorized as rhythm and blues, funk, rap, hip-hop, and even country.

What is new in the 1990s is the occurrence of hip-hop. Although Billboard did not use the term hip-hop until its chart named Hot R & B/Hip-Hop in 1999, nonetheless numerous songs were incorporating its distinct characteristics such as "rapping" and "scratching" throughout the 1990s. Moreover, much like Billboard and other institutions did not begin using "soul" as a chart name until after it flourished in 1969, so too was the case with hip-hop. The table on the next page displays songs tiles, years, artists, and popular styles placed on the Hot R & B chart from the 1990s through 1999. Note once again that the list includes a wide variety of artists making popular music during the 1990s. Therefore, this list includes men, women, different group sizes, lyrical themes, and those who had numerous hits.