User:Azer Red/Timeline of trends in music (1990-1999)

MusicTimeline

1990 in music

 * International trends
 * Mari Boine's Gula Gula, and its titular hit single, bring Sami joik-based folk to popular attention
 * Paradise Lost emerges at poop the forefront of the doom metal scene
 * Music of Australia
 * Aboriginal music begins a popular revitalization
 * Music of Barbados
 * Barbadian artists like Gabby, Spice and Square One bring a new sound to Trinidadian soca
 * Music of Cameroon
 * Les Tetes Brulées release their debut, Les Tetes Brulés, the most internationally successful recording of bikutsi
 * Music of China
 * Cui Jian and other performs hold the largest rock concert ever in Beijing, bringing Chinese rock all the way into the mainstream; it comes to dominate the Chinese music scene
 * Music of the Dominican Republic
 * " Soy Chiquito (No Inventes Papito, No Inventes)" is recorded by Santi Y Sus Duendes and Lisa M; this is the first fusion of merengue and hip hop music (merenrap)
 * Music of India
 * A vibrant electronic music scene emerges in Goa, India
 * Music of Japan
 * Rinken Band's surprise success led to the second wave of Okinawan music
 * Music of Niger
 * The Centre for Musical Training and Promotion is founded with a grant from the European Fund for Development, helping to accelerate a process of cultural development through expanded opportunities for touring and recognition in Niger
 * Music of Mexico
 * Banda music evolves in Mexico out of norteño (Tex-Mex)
 * Music of Puerto Rico
 * Many of the biggest stars are playing Chilean nueva canción and Dominican merengue; the latter soon produces merengue bomba artists. Latin rappers like Vico C make Puerto Rico a center of hip hop in Latin America.
 * Music of Taiwan
 * Building on the success of Song of Madness by Blacklist Studio, Rock Records releases Lin Qiang's Marching Forward, which began the era of New Taiwanese Song
 * Music of the United Kingdom
 * The peak of twee pop's popularity. In the UK, it is centered around Sarah Records (Heavenly, The Field Mice (Skywriting), The Orchids); in the U.S., a much smaller fanbase is centered around Olympia, Washington's K Records and includes bands like Beat Happening
 * Peak of the Madchester scene.
 * Groups like My Bloody Valentine, Lush (Black Spring), Ride (Nowhere) and The Boo Radleys (Ichabod & I) begin to emerge.
 * Bally Sagoo's Wham Bam launches a new scene of British Asian bhangra-dance music
 * Music of the United States
 * Pivotal albums by Primus (Frizzle Fry) and Jane's Addiction (Ritual de lo Habitual) bring attention to the increasingly popular crossover of funk and rock, while releases by Anthrax (Persistence of Time), Pantera (Cowboys from Hell) and Megadeth (Rust in Peace) revitalize the heavy metal genre
 * 2 Live Crew's Nasty As They Wanna Be sets off a firestorm of controversy after it is banned in a Florida town as being "obscene"; the law is later overturned
 * Mariah Carey has the most successful debut in the history of music. The four singles from the album — "Vision of Love", "Love Takes Time", "Someday", and "I Don't Wanna Cry", — all go to number one. Her album goes on to sell more than nine million copies in the United States alone.
 * Pivotal member of NWA Ice Cube released his constroversial first solo album 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' selling over 2 million copies. He then went on to release an EP the same year, 'Kill At Will' which has been plauded to be his best released EP/Album to date.

1991 in music

 * International trends
 * Mickey Hart's Voices of the Rainforest is the first commercial release of traditional music of Papua New Guinea to reach an international audience
 * A distinctively Scandinavian death metal scene emerges, especially in Norway at first, soon extending to Sweden and Finland with bands like Entombed (Clandestine), Amorphis (Dismet of Soul) and Therion (Beyond Sanctorum)
 * The Austrian band Attwenger releases Most, kickstarting the Alpine New Wave of folk and punk rock
 * Dance2Trance's "We Came in Peace" is considered the beginning of modern trance music, which evolved out of the moribund industrial-trance movement, said to have ended in this year, with Coil's Love's Secret Domain
 * Music of Albania
 * The collapse of communism leads to creative freedom and rapid cultural innovation in Albania
 * Music of Brazil
 * Boi music begins to crack into mainstream markets in Brazil as the town of Parintins becomes a major tourist attraction and local musicians make an accessible form of the folk music
 * Music of Canada
 * The Barenaked Ladies' Yellow Tape becomes a hit and paves the way for an alternative rock revolution in Canada
 * Céline Dion wins the Félix award for Best Anglophone Artist for her English-language debut, Unison, but refuses it as she does not view herself as an Anglophone artist
 * Music of France
 * Mylene Farmer releases L'Autre..., including the mega hit Désenchantée
 * MC Solaar becomes the first French hip hop star after releasing Qui seme le vente recolte le tempo
 * Music of Germany
 * With the reunification of Germany, the Rudolstadt festival helps to herald a new era of unity for German regional folk music
 * Music of Ireland
 * U2 release their ground-breaking album Achtung Baby, considered their "second masterpiece."
 * Music of Tanzania
 * Nguza Viking takes over leadership of the Orchestra Safari Sound and re-propels it to fame before disbanding only a year later
 * Music of the United Kingdom
 * Queen frontman Freddie Mercury dies of AIDS on November 24
 * Massive Attack's Blue Lines combines hip hop with other elements, creating what would later be known as trip hop
 * Spacemen 3 breaks up just as space rock breaks into the mainstream in Britain
 * My Bloody Valentine's Loveless is released; this is usually considered the peak of shoegazing's development
 * Primal Scream's Screamadelica is a revolutionary fusion of hard rock with house music and other modern influences
 * The KLF are the UK's biggest selling singles band internationally
 * Music of the United States
 * Tupac Releases debut album 2Pacalypse Now
 * Codeine's Frigid Stars is the beginning of Slowcore
 * Releases by Melvins (Bullhead), Nirvana (Nevermind), Pearl Jam (Ten), Soundgarden (Badmotorfinger), and Temple of the Dog (Temple of the Dog) solidify the sound of grunge in pop music
 * Red Hot Chili Peppers release their definitive Blood Sugar Sex Magik, featuring "Under the Bridge" and "Give It Away"
 * Metallica release the hugely successful self titled album which contained hits such as "Enter Sandman", "Sad But True", "The Unforgiven", "Wherever I May Roam" and "Nothing Else Matters".
 * Guns N' Roses release Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. The albums debut on the Billboard 200 at number 2 and number 1, an unprecedented achievement. The albums reached a combined sales total of over 15 million copies in the United States alone.
 * Garth Brooks' mainstream success with his third LP, Ropin' the Wind, sets the stage for the pop-country of the rest of the decade; it is the first country album to debut at #1 on the pop charts
 * Amy Grant scores her first number-one hit on the pop chart with "Baby Baby." It is also the first Christian No. 1 hit. Meanwhile, fellow Christian singer Michael W. Smith also has a Top Ten pop chart hit in "Place In This World."
 * A group of jam bands inspired by the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers Band start to become popular, drawing upon rock-oriented predecessors like Spin Doctors, Widespread Panic and Blues Traveler, mixing their sound with worldbeat and other influences; these include Phish (A Picture of Nectar), Dave Matthews Band, Rusted Root and Ben Harper, among others.
 * A Tribe Called Quest's Low-End Theory revolutionizes alternative rap, paving the way for its diversification of styles in the late 1990s
 * Following the controversial 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted', Ice Cube released album 'Death Certificate' selling over four million copies.
 * Mariah Carey continues to thrive with her sophomore album, Emotions. The title track, "Emotions" hit number one, making her the only artist and female to have her first five singles go to number one. Her next singles, "Can't Let Go" and "Make It Happen", go to number two and number five, respectively. Her album goes on to sell more than four million copies in the United States. Although sales are not as strong as her debut, the album solidifies her place in music.
 * Michael Jackson releases Dangerous, which becomes one of his most popular albums and features the number one hit, "Black or White."

1992 in music

 * International trends
 * Kyuss (Blues for the Red Sun) and Monster Magnet (Spine of God) help invent stoner metal
 * Music of Brazil
 * Daniela Mercury's O Canto Da Cidade moves axé music towards mainstream listeners in Brazil
 * Music of French Polynesia
 * Pascal Nabet-Meyer records himene tarava vocal music by the Tahitian Choir, which leads to the first international recognition for this form of Polynesian Christian music
 * Music of India
 * Pratul Mukhopadhyay, Nachiketa, Anjan Dutta and, most especially, Suman Chottopadhyay lead a revival of various kinds of Bengali folk music in India and other parts of South Asia
 * Music of Lebanon
 * Finally recovering from a long-running civil war, the city of Beirut begins to regain its once vibrant music scene
 * Music of Madagascar
 * Jaojoby and Tianjama are the first bands to record in Madagascar after economic plight forced most of the labels to close during the 80s
 * American guitarists Henry Kaiser and David Lindley record A World Out of Time with local folk musicians, helping to lead a subsequent roots revival
 * Music of the Philippines
 * The release of Francis M.'s Rap Is Francis M. moves Pinoy rap towards a more distinctive national sounds
 * Music of the United Kingdom
 * A combination of Britrock and grunge music helps to end the twee pop and shoegazing trends in Britain.
 * House and other forms of techno music begin to make it into the mainstream, led by pioneers like Leftfield ("Release the Pressure") Spooky (Gargantuan), and The Prodigy (Experience)
 * The success of covers bands like KWS and Undercover is widely seen as evidence of the stagnation of commercial pop music
 * The compilation Artificial Intelligence is released, marking the beginning of intelligent dance music
 * Suede releases their debut, Suede, after much hype from the music magazines; the recording sells faster than any other in British history at the time
 * Pavement's Slanted and Enchanted is the first mainstream lo fi pop release
 * Music of the United States
 * Megadeth releases Countdown to Extinction. It became an instant hit, reached #2 on the Billboard album charts, and went multi-platinum.
 * Madonna releases Erotica, her sixth studio album which ignites controversy because of its strong themes of sexuality.
 * Dr. Dre releases The Chronic, setting the tone and pace for gangsta rap in the rest of the decade, a slow, stoned West Coast rap called G Funk; Ice T's band Body Count loses their record deal with Warner Brothers after the song "Cop Killer" ignites controversy
 * Ice Cube releases one of the most best selling albums in Hip Hop history (selling over seven million copies) 'The Predator' with the popular singles 'It Was A Good Day', 'Wicked' and 'Check Yo Self'.
 * The success of Arrested Development's 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of... paves the way for the mainstream acceptance of southern rap, such as OutKast and Goodie Mob, and, eventually Master P and Juvenile
 * The hip hop crew WithOut Rezervation found the WOR festival in order to help Native American music reach younger audiences; Robby Bee & the Boyz From the Rez' Reservation of Education is an influential Native American hip hop album. The same year, the Joaquin Brothers played at Carnegie Hall, which is the high point in popularity for waila (a Tohono O'odham genre also known as chicken scratch)
 * Rage Against the Machine debuts an energetic fusion of heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop
 * Atari Teenage Riot create digital hardcore by fusing techno and hardcore punk
 * The first Great Blue Heron Music Festival was held in Chautauqua County, NY.
 * The grunge phenomenon continues to expand as Nevermind, Ten and Alice in Chains' albums Dirt all reach the top ten respectively. However controversy surrounds the bands, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain's wife Courtney Love is discovered to have done heroin during pregnancy. Suspicion of heroin surrounds Alice in Chains singer as well, and Eddie Vedder is arrested in New Orleans for participation in a bar fight. Kurt Cobain also claims the follow up to the mainstream smash Nevermind is to be entitled I Hate Myself and I Want to Die, a dark move, in which many of Nirvana's now mainstream fans did not like.
 * Sade releases their best work,the smooth and sultry, Love Deluxe. The album includes "No Ordinary Love", "Kiss of Life" and "Cherish the Day". The album was later certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA.

1993 in music

 * International trends
 * Radiohead (Pablo Honey) and Tool (Undertow) release critically acclaimed debuts showcasing their hybrid of alternative rock with some prog influences
 * The first Marché des Arts du Spectacles Africains is held in Abidjan to showcase African music styles
 * Ace of Base release their first single in the US, "All That She Wants", becoming a smash hit worldwide.
 * Eric Mouquet and Michel Sanchez's Deep Forest, a fusion of Pygmy music, New Age and techno, becomes an international, and highly controversial, hit
 * Music of Albania
 * Ardit Gjebrea becomes Albania's first pop star after releasing "Jon"
 * Music of Brazil
 * The MD MC's "Salvador Astral" is one of the earliest international hits by a Brazilian hip hop group; it kickstarts the scene in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and other cities
 * Music of Colombia
 * Carlos Vives' Clásicos de la Provincia revolutionizes vallenato makes the singer into a superstar
 * Music of Congo-Kinshasha
 * A showcase brings together many of Congo's biggest names in the country's musical history, including Koffi Olomide and Papa Wemba, helping to revitalize Congolese music, long suffering under the shadow of the Parisian soukous scene
 * Music of Germany
 * Sven Väth's "Accident in Paradise" is an influential early recording of trance music
 * Music of Kenya
 * Superstar Joseph Kamaru becomes a born again Christian and switches from Kĩkũyũ pop to gospel music
 * Samba Mapangala breaks up his band, Orchestre Virunga as Nairobi begins to lose its reputation as a haven for Congolese musicians
 * Pop-disco is popular, and only a few of the long-running Congolese or Swahili bands maintain popularity in adopting that sound, among them Les Wanyika, whose Les Les Nonstop '90 was a major hit
 * Music of Nigeria
 * Fuji music emerges at the forefront of the Nigerian scene, led by Sikiru Barrister, Baba Alatika and his rival, Barrister Wasiu
 * Music of Turkey
 * A fire started by Sunni extremists killed several musicians, including Muhlis Akarsu
 * Music of the United Kingdom
 * Aphex Twin (Selected Ambient Works 85-92), The Orb (Live 93) and similar artists reach the height of their cult popularity; this is the golden age of ambient music
 * Cream is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker play together at the induction ceremony for the first time since the band's break up in 1968.
 * LTJ Bukem's "Music" is the beginning of intelligent drum and bass
 * Music of the United States
 * Smashing Pumpkins release Siamese Dream which includes "Disarm", "Cherub Rock", and "Today." People at the time labeled The Smashing Pumpkins as a grunge band at the time, however The Smashing Pumpkins have a less punk or much more layered and complex sound then the simple styles of Nirvana, Soundgarden and The Melvins. If they must labeled "alternative" is the correct term.
 * The Supreme Court legalizes animal sacrifice in Santería, sparking a revival of religious music among Cubans in New York City, Miami and elsewhere
 * Southern rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
 * Whitney Houston dominates American music in 1993 with "I Will Always Love You", which sells over 4 million copies, its corresponding album The Bodyguard sells over 16 million, and the single sets a new record at the time by remaining #1 for 14 consecutive weeks. Houston's success is rewarded with 11 Billboard Music Awards, 8 American Music Awards, and 3 Grammy Awards during 1993 and 1994.
 * Nirvana releases In Utero to some commercial and extreme critical success, it is the last studio album off the band widely regarded to have sparked off the grunge movement before the death of Kurt Cobain. The album is far more aggressive and raw then their previous effort Nevermind, which gave the big hit Smells Like Teen Spirit. The commercial success of the album is often overshadowed by Nevermind, MTV Unplugged In New York, and the then current album by Pearl Jam, Vs. which almost went platinum in its first week. The album however does feature the hits "Heart-Shaped Box," "All Apologies," "Pennyroyal Tea," and the controversial "Rape Me." After Cobain died, the song "Dumb" also became a modest moderate rock hit.
 * Janet Jackson releases janet. which becomes her biggest hit album to date selling almost 8 million within the states. Songs include "That's the Way Love Goes," "If," "Again," "Any Time, Any Place" and "You Want This".
 * Pearl Jam release the follow up to the massive Ten. The result Vs. sold almost a million copies in the first week. It is one of the best selling grunge albums of all time. Included are "Daughter", "Dissident", "Go", and "Animal."
 * Aerosmith releases Get a Grip, which becomes their first #1 album and goes on to sell seven million copies and win two grammy awards. The album included the hit singles "Livin' on the Edge", "Cryin'", "Amazing", and "Crazy".

1994 in music

 * International trends
 * The Alpine New Wave movement peaks in Bavaria, Austria and Switzerland; bands like Hundsbuam are popular
 * The music video for Weezer's breakout hit "Buddy Holly" directed by Spike Jonze sparks off a debate over the extent of CGI effects in entertainment despite the video actually having no computer effects. The video featured Happy Days footage spliced cleverly with video of the band playing in a replica of Al's Diner.
 * Oval's Systemische begins glitch
 * Firin' in Fouta by Baaba Maal incorporates varied influences, including Breton harp, Senegalese folk music, ragga and rap to great acclaim; the album also launches the career of renowned hip hop crew Positive Black Soul and leads to the formation of world music fusionists Afro-Celt Sound System
 * Ace of Base hits the international charts with "The Sign", their first n°1 single worldwide.
 * Bon Jovi's first greatest hits album, Cross Road, is released and is the sells 5,000,000 copies within its first five weeks of release.
 * Music of Barbados
 * Eddie Grant and other performers begin to popularize a fusion of various Caribbean styles called ring bang
 * Music of China
 * Governmental controls help to end the craze for Chinese rock
 * Music of Ireland
 * At the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, Michael Flately and Jean Butler's Riverdance performance group is formed to play between acts; it goes on to lead a wave of internationally popular set dancing groups
 * Music of Jamaica
 * In Kingston, police begin shutting down stereo systems that play graphically violent dancehall and ragga lyrics; artists like Buju Banton (Voice of Jamaica) and Yellowman (Prayer) are already emerging with a more socially aware tone.
 * Music of Madagascar
 * Tarika, a popular roots revival band, emerges from the break-up of the long-running Tarika Sammy
 * Music of New Zealand
 * Les Cleveland publishes an influential collection of folksongs called Dark Laughter
 * Music of South Africa
 * The state broadcasting monopoly ends and numerous new radio stations, TV channels and other media are created; a quota system is established to ensure that a certain amount of South African music is played
 * The first major South African hip hop crew, Prophets of Da Cape, begins to gain in fame
 * Music of the United Kingdom
 * Britpop's initial peak of popularity, with releases from Oasis (Definitely Maybe), Manic Street Preachers (The Holy Bible), The Verve (A Storm in Heaven), Elastica ("Connection"), Suede (Dog Man Star) and Blur (Parklife) dominating the British scene
 * 4 Heroes's Parallel Universe adds jazz influences to jungle music, while Sub Dub (based in New York City but better known in the UK) begins the evolution of illbient
 * Apache Indian appears on BBC Radio One, the first British Asian performer to do so, marking the beginning of mainstream acceptance for British Asian bhangra; Nitin Sawhney's Migration is a pioneering fusion of bhangra with flamenco, jazz and other influences
 * Music of the United States
 * Beck's "Loser" is a wildly popular folk fusion, mislabeled as a "slacker anthem", and his album Mellow Gold is heralded as a combination of many genres.
 * Pop punk breaks into the mainstream, with releases from The Offspring (Smash)and Green Day (Dookie) achieving massive chart success.
 * Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" is often cited as the last major hit of the grunge-era.
 * After several years of domination by the West Coast, East Coast hip hop returns to critical acclaim and popular success with Nas' Illmatic and The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die; Master P's underground hit "The Ghetto Is Trying to Kill Me!" marks the emergence of No Limit's stable of New Orleans-based hip hop artists; Da Brat's Funkdafied is the first hip hop album by a woman to go platinum.
 * Hootie and the Blowfish breaks into the mainstream with their debut album, Cracked Rear View selling 16 million copies in the U.S. alone.
 * Nirvana guitarist and leader Kurt Cobain dies on April 5, marking the end of Nirvana and the fall of grunge.
 * Nine Inch Nails releases The Downward Spiral propelling Industrial music into the mainstream.
 * Trip-Hop has its greatest mainstream success with Portishead's release of Dummy.
 * Alice in Chains release arguably their best effort the EP Jar of Flies which is the only EP to reach number 1 on the Billboard 200. Tracks included: "No Excuses", and "I Stay Away."
 * KoRn releases their highly influential debut album, which is credited with starting the genre Nu-Metal.

1995 in music

 * The Smashing Pumpkins releases a double disc album entitled Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, selling 10 million copies in the U.S alone.
 * Eazy-E dies of AIDS
 * Oasis releases the mammoth hit album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? which becomes the second best selling album of all time in the United Kingdom and goes on to sell 19 million copies worldwide. Oasis accepted as the biggest band in the world and probably the biggest band in the UK since Queen.
 * Nirvana's drummer, Dave Grohl, releases the first and self-titled Foo Fighters record.
 * Selena died at Corpus Christi, Texas on March 31 after she was shot 16 days before her 24th birthday.
 * Alanis Morissette releases Jagged Little Pill, which has gone on to become the second highest selling album by a female behind fellow Canadian Shania Twain's Come on Over. Though it was not thought to sell more than two hundred and fifty thousand copies it has sold thirty million copies worldwide. This was a beginning of the move toward female artists for normally male genres.
 * Ricky Martin releases his third album A Medio Vivir. This was the first album by Martin officially released in the US and marks a turning point in Martin's musical style, previous albums were mostly ballad driven but A Medio Vivir featured more songs with a slight rock edge. The lead single María is also notable for being the first song by Martin in which musically he displays his Latin roots. The album peaks at #11 on Billboards Top Latin Albums eventually going Gold. A more uptempo remix of the single María is later released with Spanglish lyrics and afro-Caribbean beats. This version of the song was hugely successful in Europe becoming the second best selling single in the world that year and would become indicative of Martin's overall style in later albums.
 * Enrique Iglesias releases his self-titled debut album which becomes instantly successful throughout the Spanish speaking world particularly in Mexico and Argentina and the Latin Market in the US were it peaked at #1 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums fast becoming Platinum. The album is notable for outselling his father Julio Iglesias's album La Carretera which he had brought out earlier in the year. The single "Experiencia Religiosa" would hit the top spot in over eighteen countries and all five singles went to #1 on Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks. The album would eventually sell seven million copies becoming one of the most successful debuts of all time by a Spanish artist. The album would also win a Grammy for best Latin Pop Performance.

1996 in music

 * Music of Belgium
 * A new wave of Belgian folk bands emerge from Herman Dewit's annual music courses held near Gooik; these include Ambrozijn, Fluxus, Marc Hauman & De Moeite, Laïs
 * Music of Colombia
 * Carlos Vives, a soap opera star, becomes popular playing a vallenato-influenced form of salsa
 * Music of Cuba
 * Timba music (a form of Cuban-born salsa) evolves out of charanga bands and songo
 * Music of Finland
 * Tellu Virkkala's Suden Aika revolutionizes traditional Finnish runosong
 * Music of Spain
 * Carlos Nuñez's A Irmandade Das Estrelas revitalizes popularity for the gaita, the Galician bagpipe
 * Music of Tanzania
 * Mr. II's "Ni mimi" establishes Tanzanian hip hop and launches the career of one of the nation's biggest future stars
 * Music of the United Kingdom
 * DJ Spooky's Songs of a Dead Dreamer marks the beginning of illbient electronic music; Single Cell Orchestra (Single Cell Orchestra) and Spectre (The Illness) also release important illbient albums; Plug (Plug 1), Aphex Twin (Richard D. James Album) and Squarepusher (Conumber) emerge with drill n bass music
 * The group Fernhill releases their first album, Ca Nos, which begins their reign as the most experimental and innovative of traditional Welsh bands.
 * The Spice Girls release their debut single Wannabe which climbes to the top of the charts in thirty-seven nations. This marks the next wave of pop in the United Kingdom and on a larger scale.
 * Music of the United States
 * Industrial music achieves its second greatest mainstream success with Marilyn Manson's Antichrist Superstar.
 * dc Talk's "Jesus Freak" is the first rock song to win the Dove Award for song of the year; this is the first time a non-traditional genre won the award for best Christian-themed song.
 * The Fugees' The Score is a massive hit; the album's blend of reggae and hip hop is the beginning of an upsurge in western popularity for island music, presaging the future rise of Beenie Man, Buju Banton and Bounty Killer, among others
 * Ginuwine's "Pony" and Aaliyah's "If Your Girl Only Knew" become the first hit singles produced by Timbaland. Future records by these artists, and collaborators such as Missy Elliott, Playa, and Timbaland & Magoo popularize a non-traditional rhythm style and begin a move away from sample-heavy instrumental tracks in hip-hop music and R&B.
 * Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men release the most successful single in the history of U.S. music, "One Sweet Day". The song stays at #1 for a record breaking 16 weeks, which has not been tied or equalled as of 2006.
 * Songwriter Diane Warren has a very successful year, with two of her compositions, Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" and Toni Braxton's "Un-Break My Heart" reaching #1 for a lengthy 6 and 11 weeks, respectively.
 * Weezer releases Pinkerton, and although it was considered an initial failure at that time, it has formed cult-like followers of the album. It is now also considered one of Weezer's best albums.
 * Bradley Nowell, lead singer of the prominent reggae-punk-ska group Sublime, is found dead after a heroin overdose at roughly 3 O'clock PM in his California Motel room.
 * Nu Metal's place is affirmed in popular music with the release of Korn's Life Is Peachy.
 * 2pac's record All Eyez on Me goes 6X platinum becoming the first rapper to release a double album. It is also the year where he is shot 4 times and dies 6 days later.
 * Tool (band) releases the triple-platinum Ænima, combining elements of Progressive Metal, Alternative Metal, and Art Rock.

1997 in music

 * International trends
 * Groups like Hanson (Middle of Nowhere) and the Spice Girls (Spiceworld) signal a move towards dance-oriented pop influenced by Europop.
 * Music of Canada
 * Canadian hip hop finally begins to enter the mainstream with Dubmatique, who become the first Quebec hip hop crew to top the Francophone charts, and the Rascalz, who assemble a number of Canadian rappers to record the underground hit "Northern Touch".
 * Our Lady Peace's second album, Clumsy, was released. It became their most successful album to date, achieving Diamond status (1,000,000 copies sold) in Canada and Platinum in the USA.
 * Music of Nigeria
 * Adewale Ayuba's Fuji Dub: Lagos-Brooklyn-Brixton helps launch a fusion of jùjú and fuji.
 * Music of Spain
 * Carlos Nuñez's A Irmandade das Estrellas goes platinum in a few months, leading to unprecedented fame for the Galician bagpipe virtuoso.
 * Music of Thailand
 * Luk Thung FM, the first all pleng luk thung radio station, goes on the air, heralding a revival of the genre.
 * Music of the United Kingdom
 * Bands like Stereolab (Dots and Loops), Radiohead (OK Computer) and Portishead (Portishead) reflect a new British rock sound as Oasis release the fastest selling album in UK chart history. This album proves to be the end of Oasis' huge popularity.
 * The British Asian underground has become mainstream, and artists like Talvin Singh are stars.
 * Music of the United States
 * The death of The Notorious B.I.G., months after the murder of Tupac Shakur, marks the beginning of the end of the East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry in hip hop as hip hop genres begin to splinter and diversify; Puff Daddy & the Family's No Way Out and Ma$e's Harlem World cement Bad Boy Records as the biggest label on the East Coast, while Death Row Records disintegrates.
 * Backstreet Boys makes their debut with self-titled album Backstreet Boys with hits "Quit Playin' Games", "Everybody (Backstreet's Back", "As Long As You Love Me" and "All I Have To Give" starting a boy band age in the Pop Music scene.
 * Verdell Primeaux and Johnny Mike release Sacred Path: Healing Songs of the Native American Church, which features an innovative, modernized version of traditional Peyote Songs.
 * Mariah Carey releases "Honey" and it debuts at number-one. This gives Carey her third number-one debut single, making her the artist with the most number-one debuts on the Hot 100. The single comes from the album Butterfly, which is Carey's venture into hip hop and R&B. The album spawns two other hit singles: the U.S. number-one single "My All", and "Butterfly".
 * The Mighty Mighty Bosstones release their most successful album Let's Face It and receive a great deal of airtime with their #1 hit "The Impression That I Get". This is considered the pinnacle year for third-wave ska.
 * Sales of albums by Spanish and Latin Artists experience a general increase with Enrique Iglesias's Vivir and Luis Miguel's Romances selling particularly well in the U.S. Due to this The American Music Awards add a category for Favorite Latin Artist.
 * Soundgarden breaks up in spring. This causes the grunger subculture to die out.
 * Foo Fighters release the highly anticpated follow up to their debut entitled The Colour and the Shape it features the hits "Everlong," "Monkey Wrench," "My Hero," and "Walking After You." Many saw this album as a sign that Foo Fighters was a band and not just Dave Grohl.

1998 in music

 * Music of China
 * Nangma karaoke bars become common in Lhasa
 * Music of Côte d'Ivoire
 * Mapouka becomes popular, replacing the sexually lewd Congolese dombolo rhythm as the dominant dance music of the country
 * Music of Spain
 * Hevia's Tierra De Nadie becomes a mainstream Spanish star, a first for traditional-styled Asturian music
 * Music of the United Kingdom
 * The mainstream success of trance music reaches its peak with artists like Paul Oakenfold (Tranceport, Global Underground: New York) and Sasha + Digweed (Northern Exposure Vol. 2: West Coast Edition and East Coast Edition) releasing successful recordings.
 * Music of the United States
 * Lauryn Hill sweeps the Grammys for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill; the album is a harbinger of the return of 1970s-style soul music, a trend referred to as neo soul.
 * DMX's It's Dark and Hell Is Hot revitalizes the critical viability of East Coast gangsta hip hop
 * Madonna embarks on a massive comeback album with Ray of Light which becomes four times platinum and wins three Grammy Awards including Best Pop Album and Best Dance Recording. It is noted for its contrast with her 1992 album Erotica.
 * Britney Spears' first teen pop hit single "...Baby One More Time" went #1 on the Hot 100 meanwhile, She also become as a Female Pop Artist on her upcoming album (...Baby One More Time) and start her first Shopping mall gig opening act for *NSYNC.
 * The merging of genres such as hip -hop/pop/r&B/dance begins to rise in popularity and that style of music is still very popular in 2006-2007. Examples of such songs include My All, Too Close, The Boy Is Mine, and How Deep Is Your Love
 * The popularity of Spanish and Latin music continues to grow with albums such as Cosas Del Amor by Enrique Iglesias and Vuelve by Ricky Martin selling particularly well in the states, both earning Grammy nominations For the first time in several years the Grammy Ascociation agreed to televise the performance of one of the Best Latin Artist Nominees. Martin was chosen to perform earning a standing ovation. The performance was the first time many English speaking audiences became aware of Martin.

1999 in music

 * Music of Mauritius
 * Popular musician Kaya dies, sparking national headlines and three days of rioting.
 * Music of Puerto Rico
 * A major resurgence in plena results in international popularity for Plena Libre and other modern bands.
 * Music of the United Kingdom
 * Kathryn Tickell's Debatable Lands takes Northumbrian folk music in a new direction.
 * Music of the United States
 * Backstreet Boys sets first-week sales record with Millennium, selling over 1 million copies in its debut week.
 * High sales from the Backstreet Boys (Backstreet Boys, Millennium), Kid Rock (Devil Without a Cause), TLC (Fanmail) and Britney Spears (...Baby One More Time) show a popular emphasis in the US on pop- and hip hop-oriented acts.
 * Mariah Carey's "Heartbreaker" reaches #1 giving Carey a number one single each year of the decade. "Heartbreaker" also gives Carey 60 weeks at number one, the second longest run of all time, moving ahead of The Beatles.
 * Carlos Santana and Rob Thomas perform "Smooth", which would go on to win several grammys.
 * Latin music comes to mainstream with many Latin artists crossing over into English as well as many new and established American stars infusing Latin elements into their music.
 * Ricky Martin Capitalised on the positive reception to his Grammy performance and pushed forward the release of his English language album and scored a hit the smash #1 single Livin' la Vida Loca.
 * Jennifer Lopez who had recorded her first album which was mainly R&B but a few songs had a slight Latin infuence particularly the lead single If You Had My Love which displaced Martin from the top of the charts. Both herself and Martin appeared together on the Oprah Winfrey Show to promomote their albums. The album also contained a duet with Salsa singer and future husband Marc Anthony called No Me Ames.
 * Enrique Iglesias who was planning to release an English album was asked by Will Smith to contribute to the soundtrack to the movie Wild, Wild, West. The result was the song Bailamos a pop song with a strong Flamenco influence which also went to top of the charts. Iglesias signed to Interscope records for $48,0000 an unprecedented amount for a Latin artist, he spent the next two months recording his first English album Enrique which was mainly dance pop but with some Latin influences. the album is a notable change in styles from Iglesias' Spanish albums which ironically were more Anglo influenced. The album yielded a second #1 single with Be with You.
 * Marc Anthony released an English album which contained tropical styled pop songs and ballads with the lead single I Need to Know. The album was crictically well received but was considered a mixed success, partly because it alienated his traditional salsa fans.
 * blink-182's Enema of the State starts the second pop-punk explosion of the 90s.
 * Smash Mouth's single All Star was released and became one of the most popular songs of the year.
 * The Red Hot Chili Peppers re-form with guitarist John Frusciante and release their biggest seller album Californication.
 * Nine Inch Nails releases the epic double disk "The Fragile", the first full length from the band since 1994's The Downward Spiral, and was hailed by many critics as the best album of the 90s.
 * First traces of pop-punk and emo take place.

1990-ві в музиці