I've been jammin to some Youtube vids from artist like H-Town, 702, Silk, Next, Ideal, Rome, Playa, Gina Thompson, etc and it dawned on me that was an era of great music. I'd say between 1995-2004 was the best. Lots of comments on various videos all say music like that was the best and you don't hear that on the radio anymore. It would be great to hear a station focus on that era verses the old 70s/80s stuff and the repetative newer R&B.
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Late90s/Early2000s R&B
- Thread starter ShawtyBlack_ATL
- Start date
I 100% agree. That was the BEST R&B. Joe, Dru Hill, Jagged Edge, Next, Jon B, Ruff Endz, Silk, Avant, SWV, Aaliyah. Hell, I could go on and on. Too many to name. I still have a HUGE library of R&B from back in that day and I've always had the thought that if one day I ever owned a station in the right market I'd try something just like that. 90 to mid 2000s r&b only without classic soul and without newer R&B, because R&B now just isn't what it used to be back in those days.
I would take the music from that era over the current one easily (especially the Mary J. Blige albums), however I think a lot of this has to do with the era we came of age 
Personally, for me, it is hard to beat the 80s music from when I first discovered urban radio as a teen - Lillo Thomas, The Deele, Shirley Murdock, deeper urban radio cuts from Freddie Jackson, Atlantic Starr, Midnight Star, Vesta Williams, Deja, Zapp, Change, S.O.S. Band, Loose Ends, Rene and Angela, Najee, Ray, Goodman and Brown, etc. Of course, I love a lot of the deeper cuts from the 60s and 70s as well.
Personally, for me, it is hard to beat the 80s music from when I first discovered urban radio as a teen - Lillo Thomas, The Deele, Shirley Murdock, deeper urban radio cuts from Freddie Jackson, Atlantic Starr, Midnight Star, Vesta Williams, Deja, Zapp, Change, S.O.S. Band, Loose Ends, Rene and Angela, Najee, Ray, Goodman and Brown, etc. Of course, I love a lot of the deeper cuts from the 60s and 70s as well.
How could I forget Prince, the Time, Cameo, Alexander O'Neal, Luther, Melissa Morgan, Kashif, Anita Baker's Rapture album. Hard to beat the 80s.
Agreeing with you, Scholarm1111! My core period goes back to the end of the Sweet Soul period (early 1970s), through the dawn of the heavy Funk/Dance era (mid '70s) all the way through the '70s/'80s until the late 1990's. Sadly, there's very little beyond 1998 or so I'd program...maybe a few, but not a lot post '98.
This long core period would be the heart of my Urban Oldies format, with excursions backwards into classic '60s Soul for flavor...like the bacon in the greens, to hold my 35+ demos with some "Oh, wow!" factor.
This long core period would be the heart of my Urban Oldies format, with excursions backwards into classic '60s Soul for flavor...like the bacon in the greens, to hold my 35+ demos with some "Oh, wow!" factor.
If I was a radio station owner,I would have two diffrent urbans in the same market. an urban oldies from the 60's to the 90's and an Hot Urban ac with a little 80's,but heavy on 90's and 2000's music with some of todays music put in.heavy on 90's and 2000 hip hop as well and some not so hard hip hop from today for people 25-40 years of age.My urban oldies station would target 45 plus.
jchap1976 said:
I believe Radio One was flipping there Urban AC stations to Urban Oldies bridging the gap between competing Urban AC. Even though markets like Philly, Charlotte, Dallas and St.Louis now have both formats, the late 90s/early 00sR&B tends to still be untouched.
I heard it myself. Last weekend, The Heat channel was streaming from the internet channel "Fly" which plays nothing but '90s and 2000s Hip-Hop and R&B music. I loved it and I think if they were to add it on the SiriusXM Radio for the cars and maybe add it in certain cities like Atlanta, New York, L.A., and Chicago, I believe it will do well. Here are some of the songs I had heard last weekend. Deep variety!Mike said:
50 Cent - P.I.M.P. (remix)
Silk - Lose Control & Girl U For Me
MIMS - This Is Why I'm Hot
Aaliyah - One In A Million
2Pac - Dear Mama
Ralph Tresvant - Stone Cold Gentleman
Monie Love - Monie in The Middle
Jay-Z - Dirt Off your Shoulders
G
Groove1670
Guest
Yes, you got it.
That time period was very weak for R&B and top 40 hits. You are now just starting to see those hits return to the radio.
The 60's 70's and 80's produced far more great 60's, 70's, and 80's, R&B and top 40 hits. As the demo ages, you see more of the Late90s/Early2000s hits being played. It is going to be slower because of the product.
jchap1976 said:
A format like this is long overdue IMO....."Fly" on Sirius XM has a pretty similar format, but they seems to stop around 2008. If they added some current, adult geared R&B (Miguel, Frank Ocean, Elle Varner, Janelle Monae, etc...) and adult geared Hip Hop (Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Big K.R.I.T., etc....) it would be exactly what you're thinking of.
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