A DJC nostalgia trip, one harmonised hook at a time
Backseat Bops
There are certain songs that live in your bloodstream.
You don’t remember the first time you heard them — they were just always there. Playing from car stereos, on crackly cassette mixtapes, coming through your friend’s CD player as you lay on their bedroom carpet staring at the ceiling like life was so hard.
This #MIXTAPE is for those songs.
I’m calling it Backseat Bops because that’s exactly where I first heard a lot of this — in the backseat of the car, barely tall enough to see over the window, soaking up every note like a sponge. This look back is all about 90s R&B in its purest form: buttery vocals, finger-snap beats, sexy basslines, and lyrics that made you feel grown when you were definitely not grown.
This wasn’t just music. This was a whole vibe.
The kind of songs you mimed to in the mirror. The ones that made you wish you had an answering machine just so someone could leave you a dramatic voicemail. The ones you still scream when they come on at 1am, no matter how much time has passed.
So pour yourself a glass of something smooth, put your phone on silent, and let’s rewind to a time when harmonies ruled the world.
🎵 “Honey” – Mariah Carey (1997)
“And it’s just like honey / When your love comes over me…”
This one is pure silk in audio form. The moment that opening beat drops, you already know Mariah didn’t come to play — she came to glide. “Honey” marked a shift in her sound and her whole vibe — suddenly, she wasn’t just a ballad queen, she was full R&B-glam boss era Mariah. And as a closeted queer teen trying to figure out who I was? This song felt like freedom.
I remember blasting this on a mix CD in the car, windows down, pretending I was in some kind of breezy beach fantasy — even though I was probably en route to Safeway. That video? Her jumping off a jet ski in heels? Iconic behaviour. And that whistle note? Basically my sexual awakening.
🎵 “The Boy Is Mine” – Brandy & Monica (1998)
“I think it’s time we got this straight / Sit and talk face to face…”
This was more than a song — this was a cultural reset.
Two R&B queens in their prime, going toe-to-toe over a guy we all knew wasn’t worth it — but damn if they didn’t make it sound sexy. I remember hearing this for the first time on the radio and being hooked. The tension. The harmonies. The sass. I was literally too young to even date, but you bet I was singing this like someone stole my man.
It was one of the first tracks that taught me about duality — two women, two stories, same guy. And it opened my eyes to how a song could tell a story, not just sound good. To this day, I still don’t know who the boy belonged to… but I do know that this duet remains undefeated.
🎵 “No Scrubs” – TLC (1999)
“Hanging out the passenger side / Of his best friend’s ride / Trying to holler at me…”
The anti-f*ckboy anthem. The lyrical equivalent of rolling your eyes so hard they fall out of your head.
TLC were ahead of their time with this one — bold, slick, and gloriously unbothered. This track had us all setting our standards higher, even if we didn’t fully understand what a “scrub” was yet. (Though let’s be honest — we all knew one.)
I used to mouth this in the mirror like I was telling off an ex I never had. The beat slapped. The attitude? Immaculate. Every time this comes on, it still feels like a confidence boost in song form — a call to arms for never settling for less.
🎵 “Bills, Bills, Bills” – Destiny’s Child (1999)
“You triflin’, good for nothing type of brother…”
Before “Independent Women”, there was this. The OG financial diss track.
This song taught a generation that just being cute wasn’t enough — you had to contribute. Beyoncé was reading men for filth before it became her full-time job, and I was there for it. Even though I was too young to have a boyfriend or a phone bill, I still sang this with my chest.
This was the moment Destiny’s Child planted their stiletto in the pop world — and let’s be real, they never left. “Bills, Bills, Bills” remains a catchy, sassy masterclass in boundaries and self-worth.
🎵 “If” – Janet Jackson (1993)
“If I was your girl, oh the things I’d do to you…”
Janet wasn’t playing here — she knew the power she held, and this song was her strutting all over it in platform boots. “If” is sultry, industrial, and unapologetically bold. It’s the kind of song that whispered dirty things to you in surround sound while you sat there like, “Ma’am, I’m 12.”
But even then, you couldn’t help but be drawn in. The guitar riff. The choreo. That iconic music video. Janet was teaching lessons in rhythm, control, and edge long before anyone else caught up.
This one? This one felt dangerous. And I loved it.
🎵 “You’re Makin’ Me High” – Toni Braxton (1996)
“I get so high when I’m around you baby…”
Toni’s voice? Silk soaked in wine and slow intentions. This track is straight-up sensuality. No gimmicks. No fluff. Just sultry vocals, a slinky beat, and that classic 90s production that wraps you in velvet.
“You’re Makin’ Me High” was the kind of track you’d hear through someone’s bedroom window on a summer night and stop to feel. It was adult in a way that made you feel like you were being let in on a secret you weren’t quite ready for. And yet… you couldn’t stop listening.
Even now, this track oozes class and sex appeal. Toni didn’t need to shout — she smouldered. And it stuck with you.
🎵 “You Make Me Wanna…” – Usher (1997)
“You make me wanna leave the one I’m with / Start a new relationship with you…”
Oh, Usher. The song that made monogamy complicated for a whole generation. This track came in like a velvet glove slap to the face — smooth, emotional, and a little bit messy. And we lived for it.
“You Make Me Wanna…” was Usher’s glow-up moment. It was moody, grown, and weirdly relatable, even if you were single and the most complicated relationship in your life was with your dial-up internet. His voice, those confessions, the guitar strums — it felt real. Like he was opening his diary just for you.
🎵 “Back & Forth” – Aaliyah (1994)
“Let me see you go back / Let me see you come forth…”
This was baby Aaliyah in full cool-girl mode — sunglasses low, vocals smooth as silk, and energy so effortless it made everyone else look like they were trying too hard. “Back & Forth” was her debut single and an instant vibe. It didn’t just introduce Aaliyah — it announced her.
I remember this track making me feel like I was in on something cooler than school or life or whatever drama was going on at home. It was low-key, catchy, and felt rebellious in the softest, silkiest way. She was the blueprint. And this was the start of it all.
🎵 “I Love Your Smile” – Shanice (1991)
“I love your smile…” (cue the iconic jazz scatting)
This track is literal sunshine. It bounces. It’s all toothy grins and hairbrush-mic routines, the kind of song that made you want to twirl in a public park and think nothing of it.
Shanice’s smile could power a small city, and the vibe of this song is pure serotonin. It always gave me the feeling that maybe — just maybe — things would be okay. Even if you were awkward. Even if school sucked. Even if life felt weird. Shanice was the friend telling you, “Smile, babe. You’ve got this.”
🎵 “Weak” – SWV (1992)
“I get so weak in the knees, I can hardly speak…”
The slow jam. The blueprint.
If you weren’t fake-sobbing to this at some point, were you even alive in the 90s? SWV’s harmonies hit different. This song made heartbreak sound gorgeous. That key change? Might’ve been responsible for my first ever dramatic bedroom cry. And I don’t regret it.
It was soft but powerful. It felt big even though it was quiet. And that’s what made it unforgettable.
🎖️ Honourable Mention: “Return of the Mack” – Mark Morrison (1996)
“You lied to me…”
Mark Morrison didn’t just return. He resurrected.
This track isn’t technically R&B — it’s more pop-rap with soul — but it was so everywhere in the 90s that it would be rude not to include it. Plus, he’s British, and that counts for extra points in my book.
“Return of the Mack” is still a guaranteed dance floor filler. Still gets wheeled up in clubs. Still makes people shout “YESSS” when the intro kicks in. It’s the comeback anthem, and honestly? Sometimes you need a little Mack energy in your life.
🔚 Final Track: Press Play on the Past
R&B in the 90s wasn’t just music. It was mood. It was style. It was softness and power all at once — and whether you were belting it out in your room or mouthing along in the mirror, it raised us. One key change, one harmony, one bop at a time.
🎧 [Listen to the full #MIXTAPE on Spotify]
Now tell me — what were your backseat bops? Which tracks take you right back to the best (or most dramatic) days of your life? Drop a comment, send me your faves, or make your own mixtape and tag me. Because this isn’t just nostalgia — it’s musical therapy. And I’m always here for a good throwback.
Until next time,
Studio DJC 