R&B number-one hits of 1996 (USA)
Encyclopedia
These are the Billboard magazine R&B singles chart number one hits of 1996:
Chart history
| Issue Date | Song | Artist |
| January 6 | Exhale (Shoop Shoop) Exhale (Shoop Shoop) "Exhale " is a song by American recording artist Whitney Houston, featured on the soundtrack for the film Waiting to Exhale. It was released as the lead single from the soundtrack on November 7, 1995, by Arista Records. The song was written and produced by Babyface... |
Whitney Houston Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among... |
| January 13 | Exhale (Shoop Shoop) | Whitney Houston |
| January 20 | Before You Walk out of My Life Before You Walk out of My Life "Before You Walk out of My Life" is a song by American R&B singer Monica. It was written by Andrea Martin and Soulshock & Karlin, and it was produced by Soulshock & Karlin for her debut studio album, Miss Thang... / Like This and Like That Like This and Like That "Like This and Like That" is a song by American R&B singer Monica, penned by producer Dallas Austin and Colin Wolfe for her debut studio album, Miss Thang... |
Monica |
| January 27 | Before You Walk out of My Life / Like This and Like That | Monica |
| February 3 | Not Gon' Cry Not Gon' Cry "Not Gon' Cry" is a 1996 single by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige from the soundtrack to the film Waiting to Exhale; the song is also featured on Blige's 1997 album, Share My World... |
Mary J. Blige Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has... |
| February 10 | Not Gon' Cry | Mary J. Blige |
| February 17 | Not Gon' Cry | Mary J. Blige |
| February 24 | Not Gon' Cry | Mary J. Blige |
| March 2 | Not Gon' Cry | Mary J. Blige |
| March 9 | Down Low (Nobody Has to Know) Down Low (Nobody Has to Know) "Down Low " is an R&B song about infidelity, released as a single by R. Kelly and featuring The Isley Brothers, on his self-titled album, in 1996... |
R. Kelly R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play... featuring Ronald Isley Ronald Isley Ronald Isley is an American singer and is known as the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers.-Career:... |
| March 16 | Down Low (Nobody Has to Know) | R. Kelly featuring Ronald Isley |
| March 23 | Down Low (Nobody Has to Know) | R. Kelly featuring Ronald Isley |
| March 30 | Down Low (Nobody Has to Know) | R. Kelly featuring Ronald Isley |
| April 6 | Down Low (Nobody Has to Know) | R. Kelly featuring Ronald Isley |
| April 13 | Down Low (Nobody Has to Know) | R. Kelly featuring Ronald Isley |
| April 20 | Down Low (Nobody Has to Know) | R. Kelly featuring Ronald Isley |
| April 27 | You're the One | SWV SWV Sisters with Voices, better known as SWV, is an American female R&B trio from New York. Formed in 1990 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B groups of the 1990s. They had a series of hits, including "Weak", "Right Here/Human Nature", "I'm So Into You", and "You're the One".... |
| May 4 | Always Be My Baby Always Be My Baby "Always Be My Baby" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her fifth studio album, Daydream. It was released by Columbia Records on March 9, 1996 as the third US single and fourth overall. The song was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, who also produced the song... |
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993... |
| May 11 | Tha Crossroads Tha Crossroads "Tha Crossroads" is a Grammy Award–winning song performed by the hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, dedicated to the late rap icon Eazy-E and released in 1996... |
Bone Thugs N Harmony |
| May 18 | Tha Crossroads | Bone Thugs N Harmony |
| May 25 | Tha Crossroads | Bone Thugs N Harmony |
| June 1 | Tha Crossroads | Bone Thugs N Harmony |
| June 8 | Tha Crossroads | Bone Thugs N Harmony |
| June 15 | Tha Crossroads | Bone Thugs N Harmony |
| June 22 | Tha Crossroads | Bone Thugs N Harmony |
| June 29 | You're Makin' Me High You're Makin' Me High "You're Makin' Me High" is the lead single from Toni Braxton's second studio album, Secrets . A joint collaboration between the Grammy Award-winning producer Babyface and Bryce Wilson resulted in this mid-tempo song... / Let It Flow Let It Flow (song) "Let It Flow" is a song by American R&B singer Toni Braxton. Written and produced by Babyface, the song was originally recorded for, and included on, the soundtrack to the 1995 motion picture Waiting to Exhale.... |
Toni Braxton Toni Braxton Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide... |
| July 6 | How Do U Want It How Do U Want It "How Do U Want It" is a hip-hop song performed by Tupac Shakur. It features K-Ci and JoJo and was the third single from his album All Eyez on Me. It was a Double A-side single to "California Love", and the song reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1996. In the UK, the song peaked at #17.It... / California Love California Love "California Love" is a hip hop song by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single upon his release from prison in 1995. A popular remix version of the song appeared on his 1996 double album All Eyez on Me... |
2Pac Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world... featuring K-Ci and JoJo K-Ci and JoJo K-Ci & JoJo are an American R&B duo, consisting of brothers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey and Joel "JoJo" Hailey , Natives of Monroe, North Carolina, they were also members of the chart-topping R&B group Jodeci with the DeGrate brothers—Donald and Dalvin.-On their own:K-Ci and JoJo's first sign of... / featuring Dr. Dre Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records... and Roger Troutman Roger Troutman Roger Troutman was the lead singer of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the Funk movement and heavily influenced West Coast hip hop due to the scene's heavy sampling of his music over the years... |
| July 13 | How Do U Want It / California Love | 2Pac featuring K-Ci and JoJo / featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman |
| July 20 | How Do U Want It / California Love | 2Pac featuring K-Ci and JoJo / featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman |
| July 27 | You're Makin' Me High / Let It Flow | Toni Braxton |
| August 3 | I Can't Sleep Baby (If I) I Can't Sleep Baby (If I) "I Can't Sleep Baby " is an R&B single by singer R. Kelly, from his 1995 album R. Kelly. The hit song spent two weeks as number one on the US R&B chart , reaching number five on the US Pop chart.... |
R. Kelly |
| August 10 | I Can't Sleep Baby (If I) | R. Kelly |
| August 17 | Twisted | Keith Sweat Keith Sweat Keith Sweat is an American R&B/soul, singer-songwriter, record producer, radio personality and a major contributor to the new jack swing era.-Music career:... |
| August 24 | Twisted | Keith Sweat |
| August 31 | Hit Me Off Hit Me Off "Hit Me Off" is a 1996 single by R&B group New Edition and their first single in seven years. The song was the first release off the group's sixth studio album, Home Again. The song featured lead vocals for all six New Edition members. The song was a substantial success for the group, debuting at... |
New Edition New Edition New Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync... |
| September 7 | Hit Me Off | New Edition |
| September 14 | Hit Me Off | New Edition |
| September 21 | Twisted | Keith Sweat |
| September 28 | If Your Girl Only Knew If Your Girl Only Knew "If Your Girl Only Knew" is a R&B/dance-pop song written by Missy Elliott and Timbaland for Aaliyah's second studio album, One in a Million . It also was produced by Timbaland, and released as the album's lead single during the third quarter of 1996 . The song was re-released in 1998 as a limited... |
Aaliyah Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside... |
| October 5 | If Your Girl Only Knew | Aaliyah |
| October 12 | Last Night | Az Yet Az Yet Az Yet is an American R&B group from Philadelphia, best known for their hit "Last Night" and their cover of the Chicago song "Hard to Say I'm Sorry."-Formation:... |
| October 19 | No Diggity No Diggity "No Diggity" is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen in her first recorded appearance. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 in the UK. It ranked at #91 on . It sold 1.6 million copies in 1996, and won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a... |
Blackstreet Blackstreet Blackstreet is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by Thomas Taliaferro and Teddy Riley, the inventor of New Jack Swing known for his work as a member of Guy. Chauncey Hannibal and Levi Little were signed under production and management contracts with Thomas Taliaferro and were merged into what... featuring Dr. Dre |
| October 26 | No Diggity | Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre |
| November 2 | No Diggity | Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre |
| November 9 | No Diggity | Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre |
| November 16 | Pony Pony (Ginuwine song) "Pony" is the first single of American R&B singer Ginuwine, released as a single from his first LP, Ginuwine...The Bachelor, in 1996. The song was written by Ginuwine with Swing Mob associates Static Major and Timbaland, who produced the recording... |
Ginuwine Ginuwine Elgin Baylor Lumpkin , better known by his stage name Ginuwine is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Signed to Epic Records since the mid-1990s, Ginuwine had released a number of multi-platinum and platinum-selling albums and singles, becoming one of R&B's top artists during the late 1990's... |
| November 23 | Pony | Ginuwine |
| November 30 | Nobody Nobody (Keith Sweat song) "Nobody" is the title of a number-one R&B single by singers Keith Sweat and Athena Cage from the band Kut Klose. The hit song spent three weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart, and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Peak positions:... |
Keith Sweat featuring Athena Cage Athena Cage Athena Cage is an American singer, producer and songwriter, currently based in Bowling Green, Kentucky.-Biography:Athena Cage was born and brought up in Russellville, Kentucky. She was educated at the Western Kentucky University.... |
| December 7 | Nobody | Keith Sweat featuring Athena Cage |
| December 14 | Nobody | Keith Sweat featuring Athena Cage |
| December 21 | I Believe I Can Fly I Believe I Can Fly "I Believe I Can Fly" is a 1996 song by R&B singer R. Kelly. The song was written, produced and performed by Kelly and was featured on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Space Jam. The song later appeared on Kelly's 1998 album R..... |
R. Kelly |
| December 28 | I Believe I Can Fly | R. Kelly |
Chart comparisons
- Seven songs reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100/pop chart (this includes five main singles and two A-sides): "Always Be My Baby," "Tha Crossroads," "How Do U Want It" / "California Love," "You're Makin' Me High" / "Let It Flow" and "No Diggity." "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" topped that chart within the year before.
- Five songs reached number-one on the Rhythmic crossover chartRhythmic Top 40 number-one hits of 1996 (USA)This is a list of the U.S. Billboard magazine Rhythmic Top 40 number-ones of 1996.-See also:*1996 in music*Top 40 Mainstream number-one hits of 1996 *Number-one dance hits of 1996 *R&B number-one hits of 1996...
: "Always Be My Baby," "Tha Crossroads," "Twisted," "No Diggty" and "Nobody." - Three songs (two singles and one A-side) reached number-one on Hot Rap Singles chart: "California Love" / "How Do U Want It" and "Tha Crossroads."
See also
- 1996 in music1996 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...
- List of number-one R&B hits (United States)
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1996 (U.S.)