What's On My iPod?!? - Classic 90's R&B Mixtape.

I like to whine and complain about the state of modern R&B music frequently here, and on Twitter. I rarely, if ever, listen to any R&B released after 1999. The genre's hard turn into the lousy "Where Hip Hop & R&B Lives!" format that litters the airwaves today simply isn't appealing. There's little musicality, the lyrics are awful, and well, Drake's whiny, professional male apologist a$$ seems to be on every 3rd song. That's reason enough to not listen if you ask me. "Urban Contemporary" sucks just as badly.

I thought the 80's were the decade when live instrumentation died, and the 90's were the decade when that gradual shift towards R&B's genre bending infusion with rap music really took off. That said, there was a lot of good/decent music made then, and the utterly awesome mixtape Statik Selektah & Lord Sear Present Open Bar Classics Vol. 2: The 90′s captures some of the decade's best offerings.

I mean, seriously, check the track listing.

Crystal Johnson Intro
Mary J “Real Love” (original & remix)
Meth & Mary J “All I Need” (Puff’s Remix)
112 “Only You (Remix)”
Dru Hill “In My Bed (Remix)”
R Kelly “Be Happy”
Groove Theory “Tell Me”
Gina Thompson “The Things You Do (Remix)”
702 “Steelo”
Isley Brothers “Float On (Remix)”
Total “No One Else”
Faith “i Just Can’t”
Mary J “Everyday It Rains”
Aaliyah “Back & Forth”
Adina Howard “Freak Like Me”
TLC “Creep”
Horace Brown “Things We Do For Love”
Shai “Dont Wanna Be Alone”
SWV & MJ “Right There (Human Nature Mix)”
SWV “Anything (Wu Remix)”
Mariah Carey “Fantasy (ODB Remix)”
Montell Jordan “This Is How We Do It”
Zhane “Hey Mr Dj”
Eric Benet “Georgy Porgy”
Faith “Love Like This”
Lucy Pearl “Get Involved”
Lucy Pearl “Dance Tonight” (So What Its 2000)
Koffee Brown “The After Party”

With no filler and minimal shoutouts/random DJ obnoxiousness, this is a tailor made soundtrack for a breezy Sunday ride or that random trip down memory lane. Hell, I give them extra points for resisting the urge to include "No Diggity" (thank you Jesus!). And as always, the price it right: It's free.

Stop reading and go download it already.

Question: What's your favorite random 90's R&B song?!?

Also cop.... Statik Selektah & Lord Sear – Open Bar Classics Vol. 1: The 80′s (Mixtape) [via NahRight]