90s R&B
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50 free 90s R&B trivia questions with answers — music quiz, new questions added Oct 2026.
R&B owned the 1990s. Slow jams sat at the top of the pop chart for months at a stretch, harmony groups sold albums by the tens of millions, and a handful of producers reshaped how radio sounded by blending hip-hop beats with church-trained voices. This quiz covers the whole decade: the record-setting ballads from Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, the girl groups and male quartets, the rise of neo soul, the songwriters and producers behind the hits, and the films, sitcoms and headlines that went with the music. It is written for anyone who grew up on the era's radio and video countdowns, and for hosts planning a throwback party, a family reunion game or a music round. Every answer comes with a short explanation, so the questions work on screen or printed and read aloud.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which country star wrote "I Will Always Love You", later a fourteen-week number one for Whitney Houston?
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton wrote it in 1973 as a professional farewell to her mentor and business partner Porter Wagoner. Houston's 1992 cover then set a new record for weeks at number one.
Q 02Which singer's eleven-week run at number one in 1956 stood until Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" beat it?
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley's double-sided single "Don't Be Cruel" and "Hound Dog" held the record for 36 years. Boyz II Men's 1992 ballad, recorded for the film Boomerang, stayed on top for 13 weeks.
Q 03Which duet by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men spent a record sixteen weeks at number one from 1995?
One Sweet Day
One Sweet Day kept the Hot 100 record for longest-running number one until "Old Town Road" passed it in 2019. It beat a fourteen-week run the group had shared with Whitney Houston.
Q 04Which 1995 TLC single, a warning about drug dealing and HIV, spent seven weeks at number one?
Waterfalls
Waterfalls won Video of the Year at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, making TLC the first African-American act to take the trophy. The clip shows a teenage dealer ignoring his mother's pleas.
Q 05Which actor co-produced "The Bodyguard" and starred opposite Whitney Houston in her 1992 acting debut?
Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner approached Houston himself about the role in 1989, three years before the film's release. Its soundtrack went on to become the best-selling soundtrack album of all time.
Q 06Which singer won five Grammys in one night in 1999, including Album of the Year for her solo debut?
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill, formerly of the Fugees, set a single-ceremony record for a woman with those wins. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill made her the first hip-hop artist to win Album of the Year.
Q 07Which 1998 duet by Brandy and Monica spent thirteen weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100?
The Boy Is Mine
The Boy Is Mine played on the media's talk of a rivalry between the two young singers. It was the best-selling song of the year in the United States, selling 2.6 million copies.
Q 08Which Yonkers-raised singer earned the title Queen of Hip-Hop Soul with her 1992 debut album?
Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige was signed after recording an Anita Baker cover in a recording booth at a shopping mall. Her debut, What's the 411?, married soulful vocals to hip-hop beats.
Q 09Which singer's 1973 number one "Killing Me Softly with His Song" did the Fugees remake in 1996?
Roberta Flack
Roberta Flack later performed the song on stage with the Fugees. Their remake won the 1997 Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group and was pulled from shops while still a hit.
Q 10Which UPN sitcom, launched in 1996, starred the singer Brandy as a Los Angeles teenager?
Moesha
Moesha ran until 2001, with Brandy also singing its theme song. Co-star Countess Vaughn left in 1999 to lead a spin-off about her character's family.
Q 11Which former New Edition singer and "My Prerogative" hitmaker married Whitney Houston in 1992?
Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown left New Edition in early 1986 and scored five top-ten singles from his second solo album. He and Houston had a daughter together, born in 1993.
Q 12Which 1995 Mariah Carey single became the first by a female artist to debut at number one on the Hot 100?
Fantasy
Fantasy is built on a sample of Tom Tom Club's 1981 song "Genius of Love". Carey arranged a remix with rap verses from Ol' Dirty Bastard to help her cross over to hip-hop radio.
Q 13Which 1994 TLC album made the trio the first girl group to earn a diamond certification?
CrazySexyCool
Q 21Which Michael Jackson single had a 1992 video set in ancient Egypt with Eddie Murphy and Magic Johnson?
Remember the Time
Remember the Time casts Jackson as a hooded wizard trying to entertain a pharaoh's bored wife, played by Iman. John Singleton directed the nine-minute clip, which was promoted as a short film.
Q 22Which 1993 film paired Janet Jackson with Tupac Shakur and produced her number one ballad "Again"?
Poetic Justice
Poetic Justice cast Jackson as a grieving poet on a road trip from South Los Angeles to Oakland in a mail truck. "Again" earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
Q 23Which 1995 film's soundtrack gathered female stars from Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin to TLC?
CrazySexyCool made its creators stars but not rich: the trio filed for bankruptcy in July 1995. Their label had refused to renegotiate their contract midway through the deal.
Q 14Which Houston group, managed by Mathew Knowles, scored a first number one in 1999 with "Bills, Bills, Bills"?
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child began in 1990 as Girl's Tyme, rehearsing in a hair salon owned by Beyoncé's mother. Their breakthrough single knocked Jennifer Lopez's debut off the top of the Hot 100.
Q 15Which teenage LaFace singer topped the Hot 100 for the first time in 1998 with "Nice & Slow"?
Usher
Usher set a Star Search record at 13 for the longest note held by a young contestant, 12 seconds. "Nice & Slow" replaced Janet Jackson's "Together Again" at number one.
Q 16Which Oakland vocal quartet joined the rap trio Salt-N-Pepa on the 1993 hit "Whatta Man"?
En Vogue
En Vogue were assembled by producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy as a modern take on the classic girl groups. Their own singles "Hold On" and "My Lovin'" both reached number two.
Q 17Which trio of New Edition members reached number three on the Hot 100 in 1990 with "Poison"?
Bell Biv DeVoe
Bell Biv DeVoe made their debut album with help from Public Enemy's producers, blending hip-hop with R&B. Its follow-up single "Do Me!" matched the title track's chart peak.
Q 18Which Detroit-raised singer teamed with Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her 1996 album "One in a Million"?
Aaliyah
Aaliyah first drew notice at age 10 on the TV talent show Star Search. Timbaland and Elliott were still unknowns when they were flown to Detroit to work with her.
Q 19Which former Miss America topped the Hot 100 for five weeks in 1992 with "Save the Best for Last"?
Vanessa Williams
Vanessa Williams was crowned the first Black Miss America in 1983 but resigned after a photo scandal. The ballad, her first number one, is credited with reviving her public image.
Q 20Which 1996 Blackstreet number one opens with a Dr. Dre rap over a sample of Bill Withers's "Grandma's Hands"?
No Diggity
No Diggity won the 1998 Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Dre's opening verse nods to "Rump Shaker", a hit by producer Teddy Riley's other group.
Waiting to Exhale
Waiting to Exhale was Forest Whitaker's first feature as a director, adapted from Terry McMillan's novel. Its soundtrack spawned two Hot 100 number ones and earned eleven Grammy nominations.
Q 24Which 1997 Janet Jackson album includes "Together Again", her tribute to a friend lost to AIDS?
The Velvet Rope
The Velvet Rope grew out of Jackson's long struggle with depression. Its single "I Get Lonely" became her 18th consecutive top-ten hit on the Hot 100.
Q 25Which R&B style, named in a 1987 Village Voice profile of producer Teddy Riley, ruled the early 1990s?
New jack swing
New jack swing got its name from the writer Barry Michael Cooper. Riley's sound set R&B singing to hip-hop beats, and his own group Guy was among its first hitmakers.
Q 26Which hitmaker, born Kenneth Edmonds, wrote Boyz II Men's fourteen-week number one "I'll Make Love to You"?
Babyface
Babyface was given his nickname by the funk star Bootsy Collins. A 25-mile stretch of Interstate 65 through his home city of Indianapolis was later named after him.
Q 27Which Atlanta producer founded So So Def Recordings in 1993 after discovering the teen rap duo Kris Kross?
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri met Kris Kross at a local mall and wrote their chart-topping single "Jump". He went on to sign the girl group Xscape and the rapper Da Brat to his new label.
Q 28Which Charlotte, North Carolina quartet scored three R&B number ones from its debut "Forever My Lady"?
Jodeci
Jodeci began as a duo of DeVanté Swing and JoJo before each added a brother. The quartet signed with Uptown Records in 1990 and released the album the following year.
Q 29Which Virginia-born singer helped launch the neo soul movement with his 1995 debut "Brown Sugar"?
D'Angelo
D'Angelo's manager Kedar Massenburg coined the term "neo soul" shortly after the album became a success. The record offered an alternative to the producer-driven, digital R&B of the day.
Q 30Which Dallas-born singer, known for her large headwraps, was dubbed the Queen of Neo Soul in the late 1990s?
Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu's debut, Baduizm, won the Grammy for Best R&B Album. Its lead single "On & On" reached number 12 on the Hot 100 and took a Grammy of its own.