The Class of 2001: “the R&B #1s turning 25”
Janet's longest run, Usher twice, Alicia's debut, Mary's first: the R&B records that ran the Hot 100 a quarter-century ago.
Twenty-five years ago, R&B didn't just visit the top of the Hot 100. It moved in. Club records, ballads, a remix that outran its original: these are the R&B records that reached #1 in 2001, in the order they got there.
- Joe ft. Mystikal — Stutter
- #1 from Feb 24 · 4 wks
- Janet — All for You
- #1 from Apr 14 · 7 wks
- Usher — U Remind Me
- #1 from Jul 7 · 4 wks
- Destiny's Child — Bootylicious
- #1 from Aug 4 · 2 wks
- Alicia Keys — Fallin'
- #1 from Aug 18 · 6 wks total
- Mary J. Blige — Family Affair
- #1 from Nov 3 · 6 wks
- Usher — U Got It Bad
- #1 from Dec 15 · back in Jan 2002
Stutter. Joe's original was slow and sample-free. The Double Take remix with Mystikal sped it up, borrowed from The Pharcyde's "Passin' Me By" and sat at #1 for four weeks.
All for You. Janet arrived on April 14 and stayed seven straight weeks, the longest-running #1 of the year.
U Remind Me. Usher took over on July 7 for four weeks, the first of two chart-toppers from 8701.
Bootylicious. Built on a sample of Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen," it became Destiny's Child's fourth and final Hot 100 #1.
Fallin'. Alicia Keys wrote and produced her debut single herself. It hit #1 on August 18, traded places with Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule's "I'm Real (Murder Remix)," and logged six weeks in total. Then it won three Grammys, including Song of the Year.
Family Affair. Mary's first and only Hot 100 #1 arrived on November 3 and stayed six weeks.
U Got It Bad. Usher closed the year at the top on December 15, then came back in January 2002 for five more weeks.
Seven records from six acts. Usher doubled up, and most of these songs still don't need an introduction. Play them in order and you've got the soundtrack to a whole year.
