R&B heads - Have y'all actually listened to Mariah's music?

[Optimus Prime]

My favorite Mariah song is Breakdown with Bone Thugs but IMO her older stuff, mostly ballads, stand the test of time which is why she considered an icon. So much that whenever Mariah shows up at any of these award shows most folks are shocked and happy to see her and hope she sings a ballad, not walk through one this hip-hop influence songs (see 2025 BET Awards). There’s a reason why she was the only one allowed to stand on a stage with post Bodyguard Whitney Houston and that was not due to Puffy or ODB.

I think most of the hip-hop stuff is mostly forgettable past the late 90s / early 2000s because she doesn’t really sing on those songs more so just talks / whisper sings which is why when “We belong Together” revived her career.

If you go look at the track list for her Number 1s and Greatest Hits albums there’s 2 tracks featuring rappers (Jay-Z and ODB) and I listen to old school R&B stations and/or streams pretty much daily and the only hip-hop Mariah song you hear is the ODB remix and the ratio of that verses Vision of Love or I’ll be there favors the ballads.

Mariah doesn’t really sing live anymore but there are performances online where the background track stops working and she has to start singing live and that voice is still there.

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

edit

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

Whats the Dreamlover story? Lol

I'm in the 11th grade back in 1993. School had just started in late August coming off of summer vacation. The 2nd week of school we go on a field trip to Seymour Johnson Air Base to see the air show which took place on a Saturday. We all met at the school on a saturday morning. My mom took me to Country Mart to get some breakfast and a newspaper before dropping me off at the school with everyone else. That morning on the radio I heard this r&b song with the BDK "aint no half steppin" beat. I didnt know it was Mariah, but the shyt was great. We take that long ride on the activity bus to the Seymour Johnson to spend the day and I heard that song 2 or 3 times while at the base that day. We get back to the school and my mom picks me up, and riding home that shyt is on the radio. Now this is 1993, there is no shazaam and I had no idea wtf it was but I'd been hearing that song all goddamn day. I think found out the next week that it was Mariah Carey and I eventually saw the video on Video Soul. Yeah, every time I hear "dreamlover" I think about that Saturday morning and gong to Seymour Johnson air base 32 years ago.

 

[3rdWorld]

Her best work was with Jermaine Dupri..

 

[IllmaticDelta]

I decided I wanted to go back and listen to her discography in its entirety. Started from the 1990 debut and went all the way up to 2018's Caution. Took me about a week but I just finished not too long ago.

I can see why her voice was as acclaimed as it was. She was KILLING the ballads. But the music itself was not good. The pop shyt she was making up until about 1996/1997 was so cheesy. It was basically popcorn music. It was like a watered down version of what Whitney had already done. Vision of Love is probably her best ballad to me. Other than that, that early music is BORING. But I can see why it was so successful - her vocals sold it. Listening to her sing it's easy to forget just how childish the music is.

When she decided to start working with rappers and hip hop producers, her music got a lot easier to listen to which makes sense why this is her claim to fame at this point - mixing hip hop and pop and pioneering crossover collaborations with pop stars and rappers. This is really where she shines. The Butterfly album is really where she peaked with this. Joint is a classic. Album gotta be on the Mt Rushmore of R&B albums of the 90s. (My Life, One In A Million, Miseducation, Butterfly).

Hip Hop Mariah definitely supersedes ballad Mariah. But listening to her, it's obvious why, that despite all her success, she isn't really that acclaimed as an artist. She made her best music from 1997 onwards BUT a lot of her music in her prime was really pop fluff. Other than the voice, there was really nothing to the actual music. I think that's why she got snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, twice.

Maybe I'm trippin, doe.

Mariah made waaayyy better music than Whitney

 

[DeuceZ]

Rainbow album loved that jawn. Played that all summer. Good times

 

[315]

Yea? Lol

 

[Lurking Class Hero]

Daydream and Butterfly are my favourite works by her. I find myself visiting ballads more han anything.

 

[Yinny]

Yes, she was my second solo fav r&b artist after J Mary and I love pop so def stanned.

Her duets are some of my favs like Breakdown, When You Believe, One Sweet Day, Endless love

And her ballads have always done it but I’m not a big fan of the style in general. Emancipation is by far my favorite album she nailed that

 

[mrjoncampbell]

I listened to the Butterfly album the other day with my daughter

 

[African Peasant]

Her first album is my favorite, next to Butterfly.

 

[Rev]

In my opinion, Mariah Carey's "Emotions" is one of GOAT vocal performances in history.

Her voice was one of a kind...so strong with crazy range. A legend.

 

[Taadow]

I Album gotta be on the Mt Rushmore of R&B albums of the 90s. (My Life, One In A Million, Miseducation, Butterfly).

Oh NO…NO.

I cannot!


I need some air…

 

[TheDarkCloud]

Oh NO…NO.

I cannot!


I need some air…

What albums on your mt rushmore? Lol. 90s was stacked so its hard to pick 4 fr fr.

My Life and One In A Million gotta be the two sure bets right?

 

[I love Latina women]

Her run from 1999 to 1997 is GOAT

Studio albums from her self titled album to Butterfly
Her MTV Unplugged album
Her Christmas album

She fell off with Glitter and Charmbracelet but bounced with with Emancipation in 05


But her GOAT singing years are the 90’s


Mariah is a legend and an icon