[Locke.]

It's the decade in which megastars like Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly, and Mariah Carey all came into their own. It was a time when label rosters overflowed with talent from every corner of the country. It was when groups were not only plentiful but successful. Movie soundtracks were buoyed by R&B. But most importantly, it was when we got a great number of modern-day classics from everyone, from legends like Sade to rookies like Faith Evans. While Johnny Gill was reinventing himself, Tevin Campbell was just getting started.

Now that we're far enough removed from the decade, it's time to look back and decide which albums were good, great, and best. On this list you'll find albums that soundtracked your school dances, holiday BBQs, graduations, road trips, and breakups. From Aaliyah to Xscape, these are the best R&B albums of the '90s.

Complex Magazine Picks The 50 Best R&B Albums of the 90s: THOUGHTS ?

50. Mariah Carey, Mariah Carey (1990)
49. Guy, The Future (1990)
48. Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack (1995)
47. Mary J Blige, What's The 411? (1992)
46. Prince & The New Power Generation, Diamonds and Pearls (1991)
45. En Vogue, Funky Divas (1992)
44. Allure, Allure (1997)
43. Bel Biv Devoe, Poison (1990)
42. Faith Evans, Faith (1995)
41. Dru Hill, Enter The Dru (1998)

40. Babyface, For the Cool in You (1993)
39. Zhane, Pronounced Jah-Nay (1994)
38. Total, Total (1996)
37. Jon B, Bonafide (1995)
36. Usher, My Way (1997)
35. Toni Braxton, Toni Braxton (1993)
34. Tony! Toni! Toné!, Sons of Soul (1993)
33. Boyz II Men, II (1994)
32. Stevie Wonder, Jungle Fever Soundtrack (1991)
31. Destiny's Child, The Writing's on the Wall (1999)

30. Donnell Jones, Where I Wanna Be (1999)
29. Mariah Carey, Music Box (1993)
28. Tevin Campbell, I'm Ready (1993)
27. Johnny Gill, Johnny Gill (1990)
26. Blackstreet, Another Level (1996)
25. Ginuwine, The Bachelor (1996)
24. Groove Theory, Groove Theory (1995)
23. Monica, Miss Thang (1995)
22. Michael Jackson, Dangerous (1991)
21. Maxwell, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite (1996)

20. Janet Jackson, The Velvet Rope (1997)
19. SWV, It's About Time (1992)
18. Ginuwine, 100% Ginuwine (1999)
17. Dru Hill, Dru Hill (1996)
16. R. Kelly, 12 Play (1993)
15. Mariah Carey, Daydream (1995)
14. Xscape, Off the Hook (1995)
13. Brandy, Brandy (1994)
12. Erykah Badu, Baduizm (1997)
11. Mary J. Blige, Share My World (1997)

10. Janet Jackson, janet. (1993)
9. Sade, Love Deluxe (1992)
8. Jodeci, Diary of a Mad Band (1993)
7. Aaliyah, One in a Million (1996)
6. D'Angelo, Brown Sugar (1995)
5. Mariah Carey, Butterfly (1997)
4. TLC, CrazySexyCool (1994)
3. Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
2. R. Kelly, R. Kelly (1995)
1. Mary J Blige, My Life (1994)

Very good list