top 100 artists of the 90s!!!

[goodie]

#9. Janet Jackson

Biggest Hit of the 90s: That's The Way Love Goes

Biggest Album of the 90s: Janet

Other Singles from the 90s: Rhythm Nation, Escapade, Alright, Black Cat, Love Will Never Do (Without You), The Best Things In Life Are Free (with Luther Vandross), If, Again, Any Time Any Place, Where Are You Now, Because Of Love, You Want This, What'll I Do, Whoops Now, Scream (with Michael Jackson), Runaway, Twenty Foreplay, Got Til' It's Gone, Together Again, I Get Lonely, Go Deep, Everytime, Boyfriend/Girlfriend (with BLACKstreet) & What's It Gonna Be (with Busta Rhymes).

Biography of the 90s: Janet Damita Jo Jackson better known as Janet Jackson, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, activist, and pop icon.

Jackson is ranked as the ninth most successful act in the history of rock and roll and the second most successful female recording artist of all time in the U.S. after Madonna, according to Billboard magazine.

Jackson scored ten number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, fifteen number ones on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and seventeen number ones on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart from 1986 to 2007, with subjects ranging from love to personal troubles, political issues, racism, sex, and depression.

In 1989, Jackson began recording her fourth album, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814. 1814 referred to the year "The Star Spangled Banner" was written; in addition, 'R' is the 18th letter of the alphabet and 'N' the 14th, hence 1814. Though executives at A&M wanted an album similar to Control, Jackson instead created an album that, in addition to songs about love and relationships, had heady socially-conscious message.

Rhythm Nation 1814 peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 Album and R&B charts, sold eight million copies in the US, and became the first album to spawn seven Top 5 singles: "Alright," "Rhythm Nation," and "Come Back To Me"— as well as four number one singles: "Miss You Much," "Escapade," "Black Cat," and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)."

A black and white long-form video was created for the album; it included "Miss You Much," "The Knowledge," and the title track. The film was shot by director Domenic Sena (See also Rhythm Nation 1814 Film). The video represented a "coming together" of all people while taking a firm social stance on issues such as bigotry, ignorance, and education. The Rhythm Nation film went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Video.

In 1990, Janet became the first artist to score a number-one hit simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock singles charts with "Black Cat." Billboard named Rhythm Nation 1814 the number-one selling album of the year. Jackson went on to win fifteen Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards, four Soul Train Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards and her first Grammy Award. The Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour had an impressive attendance of more than two million people and remains the most successful debut tour by any artist.

Jackson's recording contract with A&M Records expired in 1990. After being courted by various major labels, Jackson signed with Virgin Records in 1991 for a reported $40 million, which at the time was the largest recording deal in history. During the recording sessions for her next album, Janet recorded a duet with Luther Vandross and featuring Bell Biv Devoe and Ralph Tresvant entitled "The Best Things in Life Are Free" for the Mo' Money original motion picture soundtrack. The single was released in the summer of 1992 and instantly became a smash success peaking at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in its second week and going all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. The soundtrack single would be the sole recording from Janet until the following spring when the first single from her fifth studio album would be released.

Janet initially considered titling her fifth studio album "Damita," referencing her middle name, but settled on calling it simply janet. (She would later name her eighth studio album Damita Jo)

Released on May 18, 1993; the album became the first by a female artist to debut at number one during the Nielsen SoundScan era. The lead off single, "That's the Way Love Goes," became the first and only single in radio history to enter the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart at number one. Within weeks it also became number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The album reached number one in twenty-two countries, selling seventeen million copies worldwide, and won several awards, including a Grammy. It was the fourth best-selling album of the year in the United States, and the eighth best-selling album on the year-end Billboard Top Albums chart during the following year. The album spawned five more Top 10 hit singles: "If," "Again" (which also peaked at #1 on the Hot 100), "Because of Love," "Any Time, Any Place" and "You Want This." In July 1993, Janet made her big-screen debut in the John Singleton directed, Poetic Justice. Janet's ballad, "Again" was featured on the film's soundtrack, and garnered a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song From A Motion Picture.

In September 1993, Janet appeared topless on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. The cover became one of the most celebrated photos ever taken of a rock artist, and Rolling Stone named it their 'Most Popular Cover Ever' in 2000. Janet was criticized for the explicitness of the photograph. She insisted that the male hands covering her breasts belonged to her partner, René Elizondo. The janet. Tour, meanwhile, began in November 1993 and played for twelve full months at sold-out venues worldwide.

Janet collaborated with her brother, Michael, on the 1995 single, "Scream," the lead single from his album HIStory. The song (which has been said to lashed out at the media) peaked at #5 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart becoming the first song ever to debut in the top 5, it featuring the most expensive music video of all time at $7,000,000 and was created with the help of director Mark Romanek.

In October 1995, Janet's first hits compilation, Design of a Decade 1986/1996, was released via A&M Records. The album focused chiefly on the hits from the Control and Rhythm Nation albums; due to contractual reasons, the only janet. track featured was "That's the Way Love Goes"; however, on the internationally released version (titled "The Very Best of Janet Jackson"), it includes shortened versions of "If", "Again", and "Any time, Any place", along with "That's the Way Love Goes". Two new songs were recorded for the album, "Runaway" and "Twenty Foreplay," the former peaking at number three on the pop charts.

In 1996, Janet renewed her contract with Virgin Records for a reported $80 million, which made her the highest paid female recording artist of all time. During the recording of Jackson's sixth studio album, she reportedly suffered from clinical depression and anxiety—which fueled the concept behind 1997's The Velvet Rope. In August 1997, the album's lead single, "Got 'Til It's Gone" was released to radio. The single sampled the Joni Mitchell classic, "Big Yellow Taxi" and featured a cameo appearance by rapper, Q-Tip.

Fans were taken aback by the album's abrasive content. Songs dealing with domestic abuse, depression, self-esteem issues, homophobia, isolation, and S&M, made up the bulk of the album's design. Velvet Rope's cover, shot by photographer Ellen von Unwerth, featured Janet with her head down, in a defeated-like pose, with only the word, Janet, glazed over top of the image. The glazed letters were invisible except in reflection, so they do not appear in most pictures of the cover; they were not included on later pressings of the album. There was much speculation about the stories behind the songs, but Janet has not divulged much about them. The Velvet Rope became her fourth number-one album on the Billboard 200, spawned the chart topping "Together Again" (an upbeat musical tribute to her friends who had died of AIDS) and the top five "I Get Lonely," has since sold more than eight million copies worldwide.

In 1998, Janet set out on a world tour, The Velvet Rope Tour—which took her on an international trek that included: Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, New Zealand and Australia. As her world tour came to a close in 1999, Janet lent guest vocals to a number of songs by other artists, including: Shaggy's "Luv Me, Luv Me," for the soundtrack to How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and the Grammy-nominated "God's Stepchild," from the Down on the Delta soundtrack, "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" with BLACKstreet, and "What's It Gonna Be" with Busta Rhymes. Janet also dueted with Elton John for the song, "I Know The Truth." As 1999 ended, Billboard Magazine ranked Jackson (with only three albums released during the 1990s) as the second most successful artist of the decade—behind Mariah Carey.

[goodie]

i don't mind janet jackson!!!

however i think her success is on the big scale in america compared 2 the rest of the world!!!

[FreakyFlyBry]

Pretty much expected that Janet made the top 10... and deserving of it too ;D Most of my favourites from her are from the 90's ;D

[Courage]

Wow I've missed a bit. Good seeing Janet so high!

[goodie]

#8. Celine Dion

Biggest Hit of the 90s: My Heart Will Go On

Biggest Album of the 90s: Falling Into You

Other Singles from the 90s: Where Does My Heart Beat Now, If You Asked Me To, Beauty And The Beast (with Peabo Bryson), The Power Of Love, Un Garçon Pas Comme Les Autres (Ziggy), Think Twice, Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore, Je Sais Pas, Because You Loved Me, Power Of The Dream, It's All Coming Back To Me Now, All By Myself, Tell Him (with Barbra Streisand), The Reason, Immortality (with Bee Gees), S'il Suffisait D'aimer & I'm Your Angel (with R. Kelly).

Biography of the 90s: Céline Marie Claudette Dion is a Canadian pop singer and occasional songwriter. Born to a large, impoverished family in Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion became a young star in Francophone Canada after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record. She later gained recognition in parts of Europe and Asia after she won both the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival and the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest.

In 1990, Dion made her English language debut with the Anglophone album Unison, published by Epic Records. During the 1990s, under the guidance of her husband, she achieved worldwide fame and success with several English and French records, and ended the decade as one of the most successful artists in pop music. After releasing over twenty-five albums during the 1980s and 1990s, Dion announced in 1999 that she was taking a break from entertainment in order to start a family and to focus on her husband/manager, who had been diagnosed with throat cancer. She returned to the music scene in 2002 with a more mature, exclusively adult contemporary sound, and in 2003 she signed a four-year contract to perform nightly in a five-star theatrical show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.

Dion's music has been influenced by various genres, which range from pop and rock to gospel and classical, and while her releases have often been given mixed critical reception, she is renowned for her technically skilled and powerful vocals. In 2004, after accumulating record sales in excess of 175 million, she was presented with the Chopard Diamond Award from the World Music Awards show for becoming the Best-selling Female Artist in the World.

A year after she had learned English, Dion made her debut into the Anglophone market with Unison (1990). She incorporated the help of many established musicians, including Vito Luprano and Canadian producer David Foster. The album was largely influenced by 1980s soft rock music that quickly found a niche within the adult contemporary radio format. Unison hit the right notes with critics: Jim Faber of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Dion's vocals were "tastefully unadorned," and that she never attempted to "bring off styles that are beyond her." Stephen Erlewine of All Music Guide declared it as, "a fine, sophisticated American debut." Singles from the album included "(If There Was) Any Other Way," "The Last to Know," "Unison," and "Where Does My Heart Beat Now," a mid-tempo soft-rock ballad which made prominent use of the electric guitar. The latter became her first single to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number four. The album established Dion as a rising singer in the United States, and across Continental Europe and Asia. In 1991, Dion was also a soloist in "Voices That Care," a tribute to American troops fighting in Operation Desert Storm.

Dion's real international breakthrough came when she duetted with Peabo Bryson on the title track to Disney's animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991). The song captured a musical style that Dion would utilize in the future: sweeping, classically influenced ballads with soft instrumentation. Both a critical and commercial hit, the song became her second U.S. top ten single, and won the Academy Award for Best Song, and the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. "Beauty and the Beast" was featured on Dion's 1992 self-titled album, which, like her debut, had a strong rock influence combined with elements of soul and classical music. Owing to the success of the lead-off single and her collaboration with Foster and Diane Warren, the album was as well received as Unison. Other singles that achieved moderate success included "If You Asked Me To" (a cover of Patti LaBelle's song from the 1989 movie Licence to Kill) which peaked at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, the gospel-tinged "Love Can Move Mountains," and "Nothing Broken But My Heart." As with Dion's earlier releases, the album had an overtone of love.

By 1992 Unison, Céline Dion, and media appearances had propelled Dion to superstardom in North America. She had achieved one of her main objectives: wedging her way into the Anglophone market and achieving fame. However, while she was experiencing rising success in the U.S., her French fans in Canada criticized her for neglecting them. She would later regain her fan base at the Felix Awards show, where, after winning "English Artist of the Year," she openly refused to accept the award. She asserted that she was — and would always be— a French, not an English, artist. Apart from her commercial success, there were also changes in Dion's personal life, as Angélil, who was twenty-six years her senior, transited from manager to lover. However, the relationship was kept a secret as they both feared that the public would find their relations inappropriate.

In 1993, Dion publicly indicated her feelings for her manager by declaring him "The colour of [her] love" in the dedication section of her third Anglophone album The Colour of My Love. However, instead of criticizing their relationship as Dion had feared, fans embraced the couple. Eventually, Angélil and Dion married in an extravagant wedding ceremony in December 1994, which was broadcast live on Canadian television.

As it was dedicated to her manager, the album's motif focused on love and romance. It became her most successful record up to that point, selling over six million copies in the U.S., two million in Canada, and peaking at number-one in many countries. The album also spawned Dion's first U.S., Canadian, and Australian number-one single "The Power of Love" (a remake of Jennifer Rush's 1985 hit), which would become her signature hit until she reached new career heights in the late 1990s. Subsequent singles, such as "When I Fall in Love," a duet with Clive Griffin, and "Misled" failed to reach the upper tier of the pop charts in the U.S., but were moderately successful in Canada. The Colour of My Love also became Dion's first bona fide hit in Europe, and in particular the United Kingdom. Both the album and the single "Think Twice" simultaneously occupied the top of the British charts for five consecutive weeks. "Think Twice," which remained at number one for seven weeks, eventually became the fourth single by a female artist to sell in excess of one million copies in the U.K., while the album was eventually certified five-times platinum for two-million copies sold.

Dion kept to her French roots and continued to release many Francophone recordings between each English record. These included Dion chante Plamondon (1991); À l'Olympia (1994), a live album that was recorded during one of Dion's concerts at the Olympia Theatre in Paris; and D'eux (1995 — also known as The French Album in the United States), which would go on to become the best-selling French album of all time. As these albums were in French, the worldwide commercial success was limited. However, Dion's Francophone fans embraced each release, and generally, they achieved more credibility than her Anglophone works.

The mid-1990s was a transitional period for Dion's musical style, as she slowly diverged from strong rock influences and transitioned into a more pop and soul style (though the electric guitar remained a central part of her music). Her songs began with more delicate melodies that used softer instrumentations, and built up to strong climaxes, over which her vocals could be displayed. This new sound received mixed reviews from critics, with Arion Berger of Entertainment Weekly accusing her of preferring vocal acrobatics over dynamics and embarking on a trend of uninspiring, "crowd-pleasing ballads." Resultantly, she earned frequent comparisons to artists such as Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. There were also signs that her work was becoming more clichéd: critically, The Colour of My Love was not consistent with earlier works. However, while critical praise declined, Dion's releases performed increasingly well on the international charts, and in 1996 she won the World Music Award for "World’s Best-selling Canadian Female Recording Artist of the Year" for the third time. By the mid-1990s, she had established herself as one of the best-selling artists in the world, among female performers such as Carey and Houston.

Falling into You (1996), Dion's fourth Anglophone album, presented the singer at the height of her popularity, and showed a further progression of her music. In an attempt to reach a wider audience, the album combined many elements, such as ornate orchestral frills, African chanting, and outlandish musical effects. Additionally, instruments like the violin, Spanish guitar, trombone, the cavaquinho, and saxophone created a new sound. The singles encompassed a variety of musical styles. The title track "Falling into You" and "River Deep, Mountain High" (a Tina Turner cover) made prominent use of percussion instruments; "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (a remake of Jim Steinman's song) and a remake of Eric Carmen's "All by Myself" kept their soft-rock atmosphere, but were combined with the classical sound of the piano; and the number-one single "Because You Loved Me," which was written by Diane Warren, was a maudlin ballad that served as the theme to the 1996 film Up Close & Personal. Falling into You garnered career-best reviews for Dion. While Dan Leroy wrote that it was not very different from her previous work, and Stephen Holden of The New York Times and Natalie Nichols of Los Angeles Times wrote that the album was formulaic, other critics such as Chuck Eddy of Entertainment Weekly, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AMG, and Daniel Durchholz lavished the album as "compelling," "passionate," "stylish," "elegant," and "remarkably well-crafted." Falling Into You became Dion's most critically and commercially successful album: it topped the charts in many countries and became one of the best-selling albums of all time. It also won Grammy Awards for Best Pop Album, and the academy's highest honor Album of the Year. Dion's status on the world stage was further solidified when she was asked to perform "The Power of the Dream" at the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. In March 1996, Dion launched the Falling into You Tour in support of her new album, giving concerts around the world for over a year.

Dion followed Falling into You with Let's Talk About Love (1997), which was publicized as its sequel. The recording process took place in London, New York City, and Los Angeles, and featured a host of special guests, such as Barbra Streisand on "Tell Him"; the Bee Gees on "Immortality"; and world-renowned tenor Luciano Pavarotti on "I Hate You Then I Love You." Other musicians included Carole King, Sir George Martin, and Jamaican singer Diana King, who added a reggae tinge to "Treat Her Like a Lady." As the name suggests, the album had the same theme as Dion's preceding albums—"love." However, emphasis was also placed on "brotherly love" with "Where Is the Love" and "Let's Talk About Love." The most successful single from the album became the classically influenced ballad "My Heart Will Go On," which was composed by James Horner, and produced by Horner and Walter Afanasieff. Serving as the love theme for the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic, the song topped the charts in many countries across the world, and has become Dion's signature song. In support of her album, Dion embarked on the Let's Talk About Love Tour between 1998 and 1999, which received mixed reviews.

Dion ended the 1990s with two more successful albums— the Christmas album, These Are Special Times (1998), and the compilation album All the Way... A Decade of Song (1999). On These Are Special Times, Dion became more involved in the writing process. The album was her most classically influenced yet, with orchestral arrangements found on virtually every track. "I'm Your Angel," a duet with R. Kelly, became Dion's fourth and final U.S. number one single, and another hit single across the world. All the Way... A Decade of Song drew together her most successful hits coupled with seven new songs, including the lead off single "That's the Way It Is," a cover of Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," and "All the Way," a duet with Frank Sinatra.

By the end of the 1990s, Celine Dion had sold over 100 million albums worldwide, and had won a slew of industry awards. Her status as one of the biggest divas of contemporary music was further solidified when she was asked to perform on VH1's Divas Live special in 1998, with superstars Aretha Franklin, Gloria Estefan, Shania Twain, and Mariah Carey. That year she also received two of the highest honors from her home country: "Officer of the Order of Canada for Outstanding Contribution to the World of Contemporary Music" and "Officer of the National Order of Quebec." A year later she was inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame, and was honoured with a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. She also won the Grammy Awards for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" and the most coveted "Record of the Year" for "My Heart Will Go On" (the song won four awards, but two were presented to the songwriters).

Compared to her debut, both the quality and sound of Dion's music had also changed significantly. The soft-rock influences on her earlier releases were no longer prominent; they were replaced by more soul/adult contemporary styles. However, the theme of "love" remained in all her releases, and this led to many critics dismissing her work as banal. In a scathing review of Let's Talk About Love, Rob O'Connor wrote:
“ What never ceases to amaze me is how the trite-est, most cliché-ridden music often takes an assembly-line of lauded music industry professionals to perfect... Sinking ships are what I imagine as this tune ["My Heart Will Go On"] plows onward of four-plus minutes, and this album feels as if were never to end. Is it no wonder why I have such fears of going to the dentist?”

Dion was also criticized for some of her remakes and duets. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "All the Way" were described as disastrous and "creepy" by both Allison Stewart of The Chicago Tribune and Erlwine of All Music Guide. Even though she was still praised for her vocal abilities (Elysa Gardner of L.A Times called her voice a "technical marvel,") the much-favored vocal restraint heard on her early releases had also waned, and Steve Dollar, in reviewing These Are Special Times wrote that Dion was a "vocal Olympian for whom there ain't no mountain—or scale—high enough."

[goodie]

i don't mind 1 or 2 of her songs!!!

although, i find they all sound very similar!!!

she does have a very powerful voice!!!

[FreakyFlyBry]

Good to see Celine top 10... given her worldwide dominance, I knew she'd rank high up, and it's a good thing to see ;D Most of her 90's stuff is classic!

[goodie]

#7. Michael Jackson

Biggest Hit of the 90s: Black Or White

Biggest Album of the 90s: Dangerous

Other Singles from the 90s: Remember The Time, In The Closet, Jam, Who Is It?, Will You Be There, Heal The World, Give Into Me (with Slash), Gone Too Soon, Scream (with Janet Jackson), You Are Not Alone, Earth Song, They Don't Care About Us, Childhood, Why (with 3T), Stranger In Moscow, History, Ghosts & Blood On The Dance Floor.

Biography of the 90s: Michael Joseph Jackson commonly known as MJ as well as the "King of Pop", is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose successful career and controversial personal life have been a part of pop culture for almost 40 years.

Michael Jackson is widely regarded as one of the greatest entertainers and most popular recording artists in history, displaying complicated physical techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, that have redefined mainstream dance and entertainment. His achievements in the music industry have included a revolutionary transformation of music videos, establishing high-profile album releases and sales as a new trend for record companies to generate profits, dominating pop music during the 1980s, and becoming the first black entertainer to amass a strong following on MTV while leading the relatively young channel out of obscurity. His distinctive style, moves, and vocals have inspired, influenced, and spawned a whole generation of hip hop, pop, and R&B artists. He has been symbolically named the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time" by Guinness World Records.

Jackson began his musical career at the age of seven as the lead singer of The Jackson 5. He released his first solo recording, Got to Be There, in 1971, while remaining a member of the group. In his solo career, Jackson recorded and co-produced the best-selling album of all time, Thriller, which has worldwide sales exceeding 104 million. After Thriller, Jackson continued to release internationally chart-topping albums like Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory (1995), and Invincible (2001), his latest album of fully original material. Michael Jackson has received thirteen Grammy Awards and charted thirteen #1 singles in the United States, more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era. In November 2006, the World Music Awards announced that Michael Jackson had sold over 750 million units worldwide and given $300 million to charity, making Jackson one of the best-selling music artists and one of the most charitable humanitarians of all time, whose efforts on the latter front have been acknowledged with a Nobel Peace Prize nomination

In November 1991, Michael Jackson released Dangerous, which, at roughly 30 million copies worldwide, registered sales figures almost identical to those of Bad and became one of the most successful New jack swing albums of all time. Dangerous featured several major worldwide hits, including "Black or White", "Remember the Time", "In the Closet", "Give In To Me", and "Heal the World". Dangerous was heavily anticipated, as highlighted by an incident at the Los Angeles International Airport that witnessed a group of armed robbers stealing 30,000 copies of the new album before its official release.

The biggest hit single in the United States from the album was "Black or White", which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for seven weeks, with similar performances around the world. The single was accompanied by a controversial video, premièring as a simulcast on the Fox network, MTV and BET, which featured scenes construed as having a sexual nature as well as depictions of violent behavior. The offending scenes in the final half of the fourteen minute version of "Black or White" were edited out to prevent the video from being banned. Controversial entertainment has always attracted the masses, and on November 14, 1991, the video for "Black or White" simultaneously premièred in 27 countries with an estimated audience of 500 million people, the largest viewing ever for a music video.

The second single released from Dangerous was "Remember The Time" which spent 8 weeks in the top 5 in the U.S. The song hit a peak at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart. In 1993 Jackson performed the song at the Soul Train Awards in a wheel chair saying he had an injury in rehearsals and at the ceremony he was given 3 awards Best Male Single of the year for "Remember The Time", Best R&B Album for Dangerous and a Humanitarian Award for his charitable contributions to date.

In the UK as well as other parts of Europe Heal the World was the biggest hit from the album. In Britain it sold 455,000 copies alone and spent 5 weeks at #2. It was the christmas #2 of 1992 and because of extra seasonal sales it outsold "Black or White".

On February 10, 1992, MTV kicked off its first global sweepstakes with "My Dinner with Michael". Winners from around the world attended a dinner party hosted by Michael Jackson on the set of his "In the Closet" music video. Later that year, a biopic, The Jacksons: An American Dream, debuted on ABC; it was based on the true story of the rise of The Jackson 5.

The year 1992 also witnessed one of Jackson's most high-profile international visits: a trip to Africa in which he visited several countries, among them Gabon and Egypt. This was the singer's second arrival on the continent, his first having occurred as a 14-year-old with the Jackson 5. His first stop to Gabon was greeted with a sizable reception of more than 100,000 people in "spiritual bedlam", some of them carrying signs that read, "Welcome Home Michael". In his trip to the Ivory Coast, Jackson visited the gold-mining village of Krindjabo, populated by the Agni tribe and located near the capital of Abidjan, and was crowned "King Sani" by a tribal chief. He then thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed official documents formalizing his kingship, and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial dances. Jackson finished his stay in Africa by going to Egypt and promoting the Dangerous album. In January 1993, he performed during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII. It drew one of the largest viewing audiences in the history of American television. Jackson was given the "Living Legend Award" at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

In June 1995, Jackson released HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book I, which went on to sell 18 million copies (36 million units) worldwide, making it the greatest selling multiple-disc album of all time. To promote the album, Jackson embarked on the successful HIStory World Tour, which was attended by more than four and a half million people, a record for concert attendance outside of the United States that still stands. Jackson also made a promotional "teaser" music video showing him marching with thousands of military personnel as well as shipping statues of himself on boats around Europe.

The first disc, HIStory Begins, was a fifteen-track greatest hits album (this disc was later released as Greatest Hits - HIStory Vol. I, in 2001 selling an estimated 3 million copies). The second disc, HIStory Continues, contained fifteen new songs. The first single released from HIStory was "Scream," sung and performed with his sister Janet Jackson. The single had the best ever debut at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video for "Scream" is one of his most critically acclaimed winning three MTV awards in 1995 and a Grammy in 1996. "Scream" is currently the most expensive music video ever made. "You Are Not Alone" was the second single released from HIStory and would become the first song ever to debut at #1 on the Hot 100, beating his previous single "Scream". It reached #1 in various international markets, including Britain. The video caused mild controversy in the U.S. as a result of media skepticism regarding the relationship between Jackson and his wife Lisa Marie Presley as well as displays of semi-nudity.

"Earth Song" was the third single released from HIStory and was accompanied by one of the most expensive and lavish videos of Jackson's career. The song topped the U.K. singles chart for six weeks over Christmas in 1995 and sold one million copies there, making it his most successful U.K. single, surpassing the success of Billie Jean. At the 1996 BRIT Awards Jackson was awarded as the Artist of A Generation. At the ceremony Jackson performed the track "Earth Song", dressed in white and surrounded by children and an actor portraying a rabbi. During the performance it was alleged that Jackson was making Christ-like poses while being lifted into the air by a crane. Pulp lead singer Jarvis Cocker and his friend Peter Mansell mounted a stage invasion in protest. Cocker leapt onstage, pretended to expose his rear and danced around. In the ensuing scuffle to remove Cocker from the stage, it was claimed that up to three children received minor injuries. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI), who ran the awards, qualified this by stated that "We are extremely concerned that Jarvis Cocker's actions last night resulted in injury to three children who were performing with Michael Jackson". Cocker responded, "My actions were a form of protest at the way Michael Jackson sees himself as some kind of Christ-like figure with the power of healing". A spokesperson for Jackson and Sony said that "Michael feels sickened, saddened, shocked, upset, cheated [and] angry". Cocker's actions were met with mixed reactions from the British press.

"They Don't Care About Us" was the fourth single released from HIStory and caused controversy over anti-Semitic lyrics. The song contained the lyrics "Jew me, sue me" and "kick me, kike me." After significant pressure from the Jewish community, later releases changed the verse to the same-sounding "do me, sue me" and "kick me, hike me" or censored it with a thumping sound.

In 1997, Jackson released an album of new material titled Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix with remixes of hit singles from HIStory; it sold six million copies worldwide and became the greatest selling remix album ever, reaching #1 in Britain. The album's five original songs were named "Blood On The Dance Floor", "Is It Scary", "Ghosts", "Superfly Sister", and "Morphine". Of the new songs, three were released globally: the title track, "Ghosts", and "Is It Scary". The title track reached #1 in the UK. The singles "Ghosts" and "Is It Scary" were based on a film created by Jackson called "Ghosts". The short film, written by Michael Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston, features many special effects and dance moves choreographed to original music written by Jackson. The music video for "Ghosts" is over 35 minutes long and is currently the World's Longest Music Video. Jackson dedicated the album to Elton John, who reportedly helped him through his addiction to painkillers and tranquilizers

[goodie]

michael jackson had some classic songs!!!

[Doctor Blind]

^ He did, but not in the 90s. "Black or White" aside, it was a pretty poor decade for him quality wise. His 80s stuff is FAR better.

Oh and LOL at the Jarvis Cocker mention - go Jarvis!

That 1996 comedy moment in full: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ7YB06fYbU

[FreakyFlyBry]

Another expected entry... Michael Jackson had some great songs particularly in the early part of the 90's ;D

[goodie]

#6. T.L.C.

Biggest Hit of the 90s: Waterfalls

Biggest Album of the 90s: CrazySexyCool

Other Singles from the 90s: Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg, Hat 2 Da Back, What About Your Friends, Baby Baby Baby, Get It Up, Red Light Special, Creep, Diggin' On You, No Scrubs, Unpretty, Dear Lie & Silly Ho.

Biography of the 90s: TLC was an American music group, whose repertoire spans R&B, hip hop and pop. Originally known as 2nd Nature, the group, TLC was formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1991 by Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Crystal Jones. Before signing to LaFace Records through a production deal with R&B singer Perri "Pebbles" Reid, the group's name was changed to "TLC", and Crystal Jones was replaced by Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas.

One of the best selling Girl Groups with over 33 million albums sold worldwide and 9 million singles, TLC has been awarded 4 Grammy Awards and released four multi-platinum-selling albums[citation needed] . Their second album, CrazySexyCool (1994), was one of the first albums to be awarded diamond certification by the RIAA for selling at least 10 million copies. Billboard ranks the group as one of the greatest musical trios of all time. The group was just as well-known for their controversy as well as their success, from their use of condoms as fashion accessories in the early 1990s, to Left-Eye's troubles with both the law and her groupmates during much of the rest of the group's career.

Just before the release of TLC's fourth LP, 3D, Left Eye was killed in a car crash while on vacation in La Ceiba, Honduras. T-Boz and Chili promoted 3D as a duo, and in 2005 hosted a reality television show, R U the Girl with T-Boz & Chilli. The grand prize for R U the Girl, won by Tiffany "O'so Krispie" Baker, was a chance to record a song and perform once in concert with T-Boz and Chilli.

In 1990, Atlanta teenager Crystal Jones put out a call for two more girls to join her in a hip hop/R&B group to be called 2nd Nature. Her request was eventually answered by Tionne Watkins, a native of Des Moines, Iowa who moved to Atlanta with her family at an early age, and Lisa Lopes, a rapper who had just moved to the city from her native Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with only a keNJNyboard and $750. 2nd Nature eventually managed to arrange an audition with R&B singer Perri "Pebbles" Reid, who had started her own management and production company, Pebbitone. Impressed by the girls, Pebbles renamed the group "TLC" and arranged an audition for the group with local record label LaFace Records, run by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Pebbles' husband, Antonio "L.A." Reid. Reid was impressed with Watkins and Lopes but felt that Jones should be replaced; within a few months, former Damian Dame backup dancer Rozonda Thomas was brought in to replace Jones. The girls were signed to LaFace through a production deal with Pebbitone (with Pebbles taking the role of the group's manager) (see Artist development deal) and almost immediately went into the studio with producers Reid and Babyface, Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri, and Marley Marl to produce their first album.

Besides being an acronym for "tender loving care", the name "TLC" was based upon the first names of the original members of the group: Tionne, Lisa, and Crystal. Therefore, when Thomas joined, the girls thought about nicknames that fit them: Watkins became "T-Boz", Lopes "Left Eye", and Thomas "Chilli".

The first TLC album, Ooooooohhh.... On the TLC Tip, was released in February 1992 by LaFace. The songs on the album are a blend of funk (T-Boz), hip-hop (Left-Eye), and R&B (Chilli), similar to the "new jack swing" sound popularized by producer Teddy Riley in the late-1980s; TLC's sound was dubbed "new jill swing". The album was a critical and commercial success, being certified double-platinum within a year and launching a number of U.S. Billboard Hot 100 top thirty singles with "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" , "Hat 2 Da Back", "What About your Friends", and "Baby-Baby-Baby."

TLC's lyrics, chiefly written by Left Eye and Dallas Austin, were playful, female-empowering anthems characterized by Left Eye's quirky, nasal-toned raps, Tamali's low-voiced lead vocals, and Chilli's powerful vocals and harmonization. The musical formula was augmented by the girls' brightly-colored videos and curious costuming: each girl wore wrapped condoms on their clothing (Left Eye also wore one in a pair of glasses over her left eye).

During TLC's first national tour as MC Hammer's opening act, Left Eye and Chilli discovered that Tamali had sickle-cell disease, an ailment which she kept a closely-guarded secret until she became ill while TLC was touring the southwestern U.S. T-Boz would continue to battle her condition and eventually became a spokesperson for the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America in the late 1990s. At the conclusion of the tour, TLC decided to take more control of their careers and thus informed Pebbles that they no longer wished her to be their manager. Pebbles released the group from its management deal, but they remained signed to Pebbitone, and Pebbles continued to receive a share of their earnings.

In 1993, TLC played the musical group "Sex as a Weapon" in the New Line Cinema feature film House Party 3, starring Kid 'n Play.

Left-Eye had started dating Atlanta Falcons American football player Andre Rison shortly after the release of Ooooooohhh.... On the TLC Tip, and by 1994 the two were living together in Rison's upscale double-story home. Their relationship was allegedly filled with violent moments, and Left-Eye filed an assault charge against Rison on September 2, 1993, although Rison later denied battering her. Left-Eye was also battling alcoholism, having been a heavy drinker since her early teen years. After another fight between Left-Eye and Rison in the early morning hours of June 9, 1994, Left-Eye, tipsy from alcohol, tossed numerous pairs of Rison's newly purchased sneakers into a bathtub, doused them with lighter fluid, and lit them on fire. The Plexiglas bathtub quickly melted and set the structural frame of the house on fire. Although firefighters were called to the scene, the house could not be saved due to the toxic fumes from the gasoline. Left-Eye was eventually arrested for and indicted on charges of first-degree arson; she was sentenced to five years of probation and required to enter alcoholism rehabilitation. Rison eventually reconciled with Left-Eye, and they continued dating on-and-off for most of the next few years.

During the fall of 1994, TLC re-entered the studio with Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri, Babyface, Organized Noize, and Sean "Puffy" Combs to record their second album, CrazySexyCool. Left Eye was released from rehab to attend the recording sessions, but the finished album featured significantly less of her raps and vocals. The album instead focused more on T-Boz's and Chili's contributions and a smoother, more fluid sound, similar to the most successful single from the first album, the U.S. #2 hit "Baby-Baby-Baby". All four singles from CrazySexyCool reached the Billboard Hot 100 top five, while "Creep", "Red Light Special" and "Waterfalls" even peaked at number-one. "Waterfalls", an Organized-Noise produced record that featured an old-school soul-based musical arrangement, socially conscious lyrics criticizing drug dealing and unsafe sex, and an introspective rap from Left Eye, became TLC's biggest hit, and its million-dollar music video was an MTV staple for many months.

CrazySexyCool eventually sold over 11 million copies in the U.S., becoming one of only seven R&B albums to ever receive a diamond certification from the RIAA, and won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. However, many were shocked when, in the midst of their apparent success, the members of TLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 3, 1995.

They declared debts totaling 3.5 million dollars, much of it because of Lopes' insurance payments citing from the Rison arson incident and Watkins' medical bills, but the primary reason being that each member of the group was taking home less than $35,000 a year after paying managers, producers, expenses, and taxes. They sought to renegotiate their contract with LaFace—under their 1991 contract, they only received seven percent of the revenues from their album sales—and to dissolve their association with Pebbitone. Both Pebbitone and LaFace countered that TLC simply wanted more money and were in no real financial danger, resulting in two years of legal hassles before the cases were finally settled in late 1996. TLC's contract was renegotiated, their production deal with Pebbitone and Pebbles (who had separated from husband Reid by this time) was rescinded, and the group was set to re-enter the recording studio in 1997 after signing a new contract with LaFace.

Preliminary work on TLC's third album, FanMail, was delayed when friction arose between the group and their main producer Dallas Austin, who was by this time dating Chilli and helping to raise their young son Tron. Austin wanted $4.2 million and creative control to work on the project, resulting in a stand-off between the producer and the artists. During this period, Chilli appeared in the independent film HavPlenty, and T-Boz co-starred in Hype Williams' 1998 film Belly with rappers Nas and DMX. T-Boz made a solo song in late 1996 called Touch Myself. Left Eye started her own Left Eye Productions artist development company and signed Blaque, a TLC-like female R&B/hip hop trio. She also appeared on the "Not Tonight" remix with fellow female rappers including Lil' Kim, which garnered the ladies a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo, Band, or Group in 1998.

TLC eventually began working with other producers for the FanMail album, until finally negotiating with Austin, who produced the bulk of FanMail and gave the album a futuristic, more pop-based feel. FanMail was another success for TLC, debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart and selling over 6 million copies in the U.S. The album featured the number-one hit "No Scrubs", produced by Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, and the single "Unpretty," an alternative rock-styled song about self-love written by T-Boz and Dallas Austin; it also reached the top of the charts. At the Lady of Soul Awards the groups was honored with the Aretha Franklin entertainer of the year award.

The videos for both songs were heavily featured on MTV and BET, and three more singles received decent radio play without the support of music videos: "Silly Ho", "I'm Good at Being Bad", and Babyface-written ballad, "Dear Lie". Like CrazySexyCool, FanMail won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album of 2000. The group went on a worldwide tour simply named The Fanmail tour. While the first leg of the tour sold poorly and made the group lose 500,000 dollars, most of the second leg of the tour was sold out. The group had a PayPerView special of their tour which at the time became PayPerView's highest grossing televised special.

During and after the release of FanMail, Left Eye made it known to the press on multiple occasions that she felt that she was unable to fully express herself working with TLC and Dallas Austin. Her contributions to the songs had been reduced to periodic eight-bar raps, and studio session singers (most often Debra Killings) often took her place on the background vocals for the groups' songs. In its November 28, 1999 issue, Entertainment Weekly ran a letter from Left Eye that challenged her groupmates to record solo albums and let the fans judge which of the three was the most talented:
"I challenge Tionne 'Player' Watkins (T-Boz) and Rozonda 'Hater' Thomas (Chilli) to an album entitled The Challenge... a 3-CD set that contains three solo albums. Each (album)... will be due to the record label by October 1, 2000... I also challenge [producer] Dallas 'The Manipulator' Austin to produce all of the material and do it at a fraction of his normal rate. As I think about it, I'm sure LaFace would not mind throwing in a $1.5 million dollar prize for the winner."
The ladies eventually settled the feud, and The Challenge was never followed through. After the conclusion of the successful FanMail tour, the ladies, however, took some time off and pursued personal interests. Left Eye was the first to begin recording her solo album, Supernova. In the year 2000, she released a single with former Spice Girl Melanie C in the UK and Europe, called "Never Be the Same Again"; it became a massive success reaching number-one in many countries.

[goodie]

never been a big fan of tlc!!!

1 or 2 ok songs but they get a bit boring after a while!!!

[FreakyFlyBry]

TLC's deserving of their place in here... one of the best female trios ever ;D Their 90's stuff is definitely classic, from all 3 of their 90's albums ;D

[**TAMINA**]

I don't like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They have had one song I don't mind.
Janet Jackson is awesome, I love her music. Glad to see her in the countdown. =0)
Celine Dion I like too. She has some really beautiful songs. =0)
Michael Jackson has some good songs, I agree his 80s music is better but his songs from Dangerous are good too. =0)
TLC were one of my favourites growing up. No Scrubs was a great song. I used to sing it all the time. Good to see them really high too. =0)