Chico DeBarge made a fantastic comeback to the music scene in the late nineties with two solid solo albums in the form of Long Time No See and The Game. Around late summer 2000, Chico seemingly stopped promoting his recent release, The Game, which is a shame because (“Sexual,” the Bobby Brown assisted “Talk About You,” and the Brian McKnight written “When Can I See You Again” were all single-worthy).
Instead, BET started to promote Debarge’s latest single, “Playa Hater.” The song found DeBarge reuniting with his frequent collaborator JOE for another smooth slow jam where DeBarge effectively croons about why he hates men who are doing their ladies wrong.
Nevertheless, “Playa Hater” is one of the strongest songs in the singer’s catalog. Initially set to appear on the soundtrack to the Jamie Foxx film Bait, the song only ended up becoming a single.
The track was a personal anthem of mine during my single days, but that is a story for another day.
Final Grade: A
“Playa Hater” is available on YouTube.
Nineties R&B fans had an exciting moment last week when rumors began circulating that vocal powerhouses Brandy and Monica are reportedly embarking on “The Boy Is Mine Tour” this fall. While no official announcement has been made yet, with Monica’s debut album “Miss Thang” celebrating its 30th anniversary next month, I thought it would be the perfect pick for this week’s Second Listen Sunday.
As Black Music Month 2025 continues, I wanted to give flowers to “The Queen of Funk,” Ms. Chaka Khan, for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday. The song I decided to highlight is “Through the Fire.”
If there were ever a question on Jeopardy with a category about R&B bands and the question centered on Cameo, I’m sure it would be on one of their signature songs, “Candy” or “Word Up!”