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'90s Survivor: 1999 - Winner Announced!


TwistedElegance™

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Writers: Wyclef Jean, Jerry Duplessis

Producers: Wyclef Jean, Jerry Duplessis

Label: Arista

The legendary Whitney Houston surrenders one of three entries in the Top 10 for 1999 as we say goodbye to 'My Love Is Your Love'. The fourth single from her comeback album of the same name, 'My Love...' reached No. 4 on the Hot 100 and remained in the Top 10 for an impressive 17 weeks. One of several R&B hitmakers drafted in for Houston's first album of original material in eight years, Wyclef Jean along with producer partner Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis wrote the Bob Marley-influenced tune specifically for Houston. Clef recalls telling her he wanted Bobbi Kristina to be featured on the song, admitting he even tried to get her to sing the hook! The end result is one of Houston's many signature hits, having gone Top 10 in over 15 countries including the UK where it peaked at No. 2. On Wyclef's sophomore album the following year, Houston returned the favour by performing the song acapella on the track 'Whitney Houston Dub Plate' on which she also gave props to Wyclef as an emcee. Recently British DJ/producer Duke Dumont sampled the track on his UK No. 1 single 'I Got U', of which he says he toyed with the idea of bringing a singer in and changing the arrangement but ultimately decided to stick with the original, "out of respect."

Songs remaining (in alphabetical order):

Have You Ever? - Brandy

Heartbreak Hotel - Whitney Houston feat. Faith Evans & Kelly Price

It's Not Right But It's Okay - Whitney Houston

No Scrubs - TLC

Unpretty - TLC

____________________

Brandy

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Writers: Carsten Schack, Kenneth Karlin, Tamara Savage

Producers: Soulshock & Karlin

Label: Arista

Whitney Houston makes it back-to-back departures as 'Heartbreak Hotel' exits in fifth place. Accompanied on the track by R&B vocalists Faith Evans and Kelly Price, 'Heartbreak Hotel' served as the second release from My Love Is Your Love and was the highest charting of the album's singles, peaking at No. 2 on the Hot 100, behind Cher's 'Believe'. This marked the first Houston single to peak in the No. 2 position and stands as her last Top 3 single on the Hot 100. It did, however, reach No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart where it reigned for seven weeks, going on to be certified platinum by the RIAA. At the 2000 Grammy awards 'Heartbreak Hotel' was nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, however lost to TLC's 'No Scrubs' in both categories. On an international level the song was a Top 10 hit in France where it reached No. 7, whilst peaking at No. 12 in Canada, No. 17 in Australia, and No. 25 in the UK.

And so we have reached our final four. Our finalists are...

Have You Ever? - Brandy

It's Not Right But It's Okay - Whitney Houston

No Scrubs - TLC

Unpretty - TLC

Be sure to PM me your vote for who you'd like to take out '90s Survivor: 1999! Results will be announced in the next 24hrs. :D

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The results are in!

In 4th place...

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Writers: LaShawn Daniels, Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, Isaac Phillips, Toni Estes

Producer: Darkchild

Label: Arista

Whitney Houston bows out with a trifecta as 'It's Not Right But It's Okay' claims fourth position for 1999. Initially included as a B-side to 'Heartbreak Hotel', the song was released as the third single from My Love Is Your Love, eventually peaking at No. 4 on the Hot 100, No. 7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, and No. 1 on the Hot Dance/Club chart (thanks to the widely popular Thunderpuss remix). The song earned Houston her only win for the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Grammy, having been nominated six times between the mid-'80s and the year 2000. Internationally the song was a modest hit, reaching No. 1 in Spain, and No. 3 in Canada and the UK.

Voted for by: No one

In 3rd place...

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Writer: Diane Warren

Producer: David Foster

Label: Atlantic

Taking third position for 1999 is Brandy with her timeless ballad, 'Have You Ever?' The third single lifted from Never Say Never, 'Have You Ever?' became Brandy's second No. 1 on the Hot 100. Written by Diane Warren, the legendary songwriter revealed in a 2012 interview that she considers the song one of her best, stating that she'd like to hear a country version of it. Around the globe, 'Have You Ever?' reached No. 1 in New Zealand, No. 8 in Australia, and No. 13 in the UK.

Voted for by: Game, Reyna

In 2nd place...

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Writers: Dallas Austin, Tionne Watkins

Producer: Dallas Austin

Label: LaFace, Arista

TLC claim second spot with the touching 'Unpretty'. The second single from the group's smash hit third album FanMail, 'Unpretty' became TLC's fourth No. 1 on the Hot 100, where it spent three weeks in the second half of 1999. The song also went Top 10 in Australia (No. 3), New Zealand (No. 3), and the UK (No. 6), as well as scoring with the critics. In 2011 Entertainment Weekly published a chart retrospective which made mention of the song's impact on young women, stating: "Way before Gaga, Katy, et al. made self-esteem anthems de rigueur, T-Boz, Left-Eye, and Chilli offered their own excellent call to arms for girls emotionally shipwrecked by mean boys and beauty myths." Accompanied brilliantly by its Paul Hunter-directed video, 'Unpretty' tied together vignettes of several different stories which stemmed from the song's lyrics, originally penned by T-Boz in the form of a poem. In 2000 the song was nominated for two Grammys; Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, but lost to Santana in both categories with 'Smooth' and 'Maria Maria' respectively.

Voted for by: Bu, Illi, RedSimba

And our winner...

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Writers: Kevin Briggs, Kandi Burruss, Tameka Cottle, Lisa Lopes

Producer: She'kspere

Label: LaFace, Arista

Victory once again goes to TLC who take out 1999 with 'No Scrubs'. For the second time in their career, TLC had two hits in Billboard's year-end Top 10. 'No Scrubs' ranked second and 'Unpretty' came in tenth. In 1995, TLC was No. 3 with 'Creep' and No. 5 with 'Waterfalls'. Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs produced 'No Scrubs' and wrote it with Kandi Burruss and Tameka "Tiny" Cottle of Xscape, who had their own series of year-end hits, starting with 'Just Kickin' It', the No. 18 song of 1993. It was Briggs who wanted Chilli to sing lead vocals on 'No Scrubs'. He explains, "I felt the range would be a little too high for T-Boz, not to mention I thought it would be a change to have Chilli sing lead because I hadn't heard that." The male-bashing lyrics of 'No Scrubs' took a bashing of their own in an answer record. 'No Pigeons' by Sporty Thievs featuring Mr. Woods ranked No. 98 for 1999. An international smash, 'No Scrubs' hit No. 1 in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and Canada, and made the Top 10 in many other countries. Surprisingly the video version including Left-Eye's blistering rap verse was omitted from FanMail, but did make the CD single and was later made available on their greatest hits compilation, Now and Forever: The Hits. 'No Scrubs' won two Grammys in 2000 for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. It was also nominated for Record of the Year, losing out to Santana & Rob Thomas for 'Smooth'.

Voted for by: Cersei Lannister, HollyHood, JoeJoe, TwistedElegance

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is it! Our final year of '90s Survivor. It's been a wild ride and I must say I've loved it. The nostalgia, passion and in-fighting has made this a very memorable series for me. Thanks to all, I hope you guys enjoyed it as well!

As a final send off I was thinking of hosting an all-stars round which would pit the winner of each year against each other, giving us a true winner of the game. If that sounds good I'll get on it. :D

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