The decade also birthed hip-hop records that completely crossed over into the global pop stratosphere. Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise," built around a brilliant Stevie Wonder sample, spent 12 weeks in the top two spots of the Billboard Hot 100. It finished as the number-one single of 1995 worldwide, winning a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rap Performance.
The 1990s was the last era of monoculture. Before the internet fragmented our tastes, the world listened together. We moved from the neon excess of hair metal into the raw honesty of Grunge, swayed to the rhythms of G-Funk, and danced through the explosion of Eurodance and Boy Bands. 90s music top 100
While America grunged, Britain swaggered. The decade also birthed hip-hop records that completely
Hip-hop graduated from a niche genre to the dominant cultural force of the era. The 1990s was the last era of monoculture
99. "Ice Ice Baby" – Vanilla Ice (1990) The final gasps of 80s pop before the seismic shift. 98. "Pump Up The Jam" – Technotronic (1990) 97. "Joyride" – Roxette (1991) 96. "Rush Rush" – Paula Abdul (1991)
Defined the transition from 80s metal to 90s hard rock.