R. (Jive, 1998) by R. Kelly

Even disregarding the fact that it's a double album, R. is R. Kelly's most well-rounded album.  There's hip hop, R&B, and gospel.  And, for the most part, Kells pulls it all off successfully.  Some songs are better than others, but the album never seems to drag on.  The fact that he puts Celine Dion and Cam'ron on the same album is crazy enough ("I'm Your Angel" and "We Ride" respectively).  But the fact that he put an inspirational song for a movie starring Bugs Bunny (Space Jam's "I Believe I Can Fly") and a materialistic record like "Only the Loot Can Make Me Happy" on the same album, and they're both incredibly catchy, is even crazier.  And then, of course, there are a few sex records too ("Half on a Baby" and "Get Up on a Room").

Legacy: The Greatest Hits Collection (Universal, 2001) by Boyz II Men

Boyz II Men is my favorite boy band and this is a greatest hits collection that collected all the hits.  For as successful and talented as the group was in their prime, finding enough cuts to fill an album is not the problem.  Therefore, the only thing that could fault the album is its track sequencing. It's almost perfect.  The only change I would make, and this is just my opinion, is that its opening cut, "Motown Philly", is a little upbeat for the ballads that they were most known for. And for that reason, I would've put it a little later in the CD.  Because their first two mega-blockbuster albums came out before and right as I was being introduced to popular music, I never owned the original LPs.  However, because of the group's tremendous success, I was still very aware of their music.  Therefore, this album not only finished the group's contract with Universal, but also put all the hits from one of the most popular groups of the 90s in one place for me to enjoy.

My Way (LaFace, 1997) by Usher

This is what Usher's debut was supposed to sound like.  However, when he released his self-titled debut three years earlier, he was too young to be believable.  Fast forward a  few years and have Jermaine Dupri step in to assist on the writing and production end.  The result is My Way.  The opening lines of "Nice and Slow" are suggestive but not too far-fetched, "My Way" was catchy, and "U Make Me Wanna" was teenage drama without the bubble-gum pop that weighs down so much music that intends to present a youthful perspective.  Usher, along with Justin Timberlake, have gone on to become two of the biggest stars of their generation and this was the album that Usher needed in order to prove that he was the real deal and jumpstart down a path that would lead to one of the most successful careers in modern R&B.

One in a Million (Blackground, 1996) by Aaliyah

Timbaland is a genius and this album proved that he was ahead of his time.  "One in A Million" is one of my favorite records and "If Your Girl Knew" has a phenomenal beat.  Aaliyah is someone who left us too soon and her sophomore album was a proof that she was wise beyond her years.  In addition to Missy and Timbaland's work, Slick Rick and Treach provide great contributions as well.  And yet, no one outshines Aaliyah- as it should be.  There are very few albums that are all killer, no filler.  But this is one one of them.  And as far as Timbaland's production career, One in A Million and Missy Elliot's Supa Dupa Fly did for him what The Chronic and Doggystyle did for Dr. Dre a few years prior.

TP-2.com (Jive, 2000) by R. Kelly

Controversy aside, I think R. Kelly is a musical genius.  His ability to fuse hip-hop and R&B along with his singing abilities have created some very memorable material over the years.  For as carnal as some of the stuff is on TP-2.com, my favorite tracks off of it are still the more romance/relationship-based material such as  "Just Like That" and "I Decided."  The production on the album is excellent as well, which is evident in the fact that Jay-Z and G-Unit songs both sampled different tracks from the album within a little over three years of its release.