Kelly, and Mariah Carey all came into their own. It's the decade in which megastars like Mary J. Blige, R. Or maybe it's because it felt like R&B ruled the world back then. So what made the stuff of '90s so noteworthy? Perhaps it was the collision of rap, new jack swing, gospel, and soul that stretched the genre wide open. The genre, which was given a name in 1948 by Jerry Wexler, who wanted to call it something other than 'race music,' has been in practice since at least the '30s. We've said it before, and we'll say it again: There's something special about '90s R&B.
