The End of An Era: The Style and Sound of 90s R&B Girl Groups

Dear Pennies & Pens,

One of my favorite movie quotes is “My all time favorite music is the girl groups from the 50s and 60s.” This line comes from Sister Act 2 and it reminds me of how I feel about 90s R&B. Maybe it’s because I grew up with it or maybe it’s because it’s just dope.

Either way, I adore 90s R&B. In essence, I decided to do a quick series that would highlight the style and sound of 90s R&B girl groups. For this post, I’ll be spotlighting the girl groups. Check it below.

Brownstone – Honestly, they had some nice style but it was their powerhouse voices that made this group so hot.

Hits like “Grapevyne” and “If You Love Me” were in constant rotation on the radio, CD and Cassette players in the 90s. If you listen to and watch the “Grapevyne” video below you will get chills. Like honestly. 

TLC – Ummm…what can I say to describe TLC? Epic? Iconic? Fearless? All of the above? When I first got TLC’s “Ohhh…On the TLC Tip” on tape, yes that’s right tape (their first album dropped in 1992 on LaFace Records) I was immediately smitten. To me they were just so badass and fabulous at the same time.

They dressed and acted like boys with their baggy clothes and “I don’t give a fuck” attitude. Even though I was just a kid, I knew that they were a force to be reckoned with. Two of my favorite tracks are “Baby, Baby, Baby” and “Creep”. I love these songs because they give women power to do their own thing and not take any mess in relationships.

Xscape – Xscape is a group that you can listen to while you chillax. And funny enough my all time favorite track by them is called “Just Kick It”. I have been singing the lyrics to this one since it dropped. “Kick off ya shoes and relax ya feet, party on down to the Xscape beat and just kick it. Just kick it.”

Like TLC, Xscape came out with the baggy 90s Hip-hop style like TLC but eventually they did switch to a more feminine style with their album, Traces of My Lipstick. Speaking of which that’s like one of the best albums ever. Even though I had no idea what “My Little Secret” was, I had that song on repeat.  

Jade – I only know one song by Jade and that’s “Don’t Walk Away”. I know you may be thinking why spotlight a one hit wonder but the song is so dope! On top of that I love the album cover. Black bra tops and tight jeans?! Come on they may have only had one major hit but that’s one of the best album covers I’ve ever seen.

It’s just so catchy and dope. And as far as the song, every woman on earth can relate. How many times have we wanted to get serious with a guy but he ran faster than Usain Bolt to get away from us? Check the album cover and video below. 

En Vogue – A fun fact about En Vogue is that they were all originally soloists but they were brought together by producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy. And thank goodness they were because En Vogue not only had a classic yet feminine style, they could harmonize like nobody’s business.

Just listen to the song, “Hold On” and you’ll understand what I mean. Everything En Vogue did was timeless and everything they wore was chic. My favorite look comes from their  “Funky Divas” album cover. Check it and the “Hold On” video below. 

SWV – Sisters With Voices. That’s what the acronym SWV stands for and that’s what SWV had. Voices. These chicks could blow (sing). I think any 90s R&B addict   *coughs* fan can remember “Weak”.

That song was epic on so many levels it’s not even on the official scale anymore. Listen to the song and watch the video below and you’ll agree with my assessment. 

Total – Total came on the scene in the mid 90s and were backed by Sean “Puffy” Combs or P. Diddy or Diddy or whatever he’s calling himself these days. LOL.

One of their best songs is “Can’t You See” which features the late Notorious B.I.G. They also had that laid back tomboy style as TLC and Xscape did. Check the album cover for Kima, Keisha, Pam below as well as the “Can’t You See”  video.

702 – 702 was a cool group. Not necessarily one of my favorites but pretty cool nonetheless. My favorite track is a song I recently rediscovered called “This Lil Game We Play” by Subway featuring 702.

The singing in this song is just phenomenal. They hit every note and make you feel like you need to go play the same game. Check it out below. 

Changing Faces – Changing Faces was produced by R&B icon, R. Kelly. Their best two songs were their most popular singles, “Stroke You Up” and “Foolin’ Around”.

Check the “Stroke You Up” video below. 

Mokenstef – “He’s Mine, you may have had him once but I got him all the time.” That’s the hook from Mokenstef’s biggest hit, “He’s Mine” and what a line it is.

This is definitely a classic one hit wonder from the 90s. Take a look and listen below. 

Zhane (pronounced Jah-nay) – Zhane has one major hit…”Hey Mr. DJ”. This song got just about every 90s party jumping and was probably one of the last songs that gave props to the DJ.

I love it because you can two step to it or dance to it. Either way, it gets the party going. I also loved Zhane’s simple style. They wore their hair short and yet they still looked beautiful and feminine. 

And there it is…de la Pen…All Pen Everything. With us, keeping it real, never goes wrong.