Throwbacks: Blackstreet - No Diggity

Taking the humming intro from Bill Withers' "Grandma's Hands" and laying it under Dr. Dre's drawl was a masterclass in R&B alchemy. Released on July 29, 1996, "No Diggity" served as the lead single for Blackstreet's sophomore album, Another Level.

Interscope Records knew exactly what they had. The track dominated the globe, hitting number one in the US, New Zealand, and even Iceland. It holds a strange piece of history, too, standing as the very last number-one single on Cash Box magazine's Top 100 Pop Singles chart before the publication folded. Dre brings the marquee hip-hop co-sign, but Queen Pen’s closing verse is the actual anchor of the record. She grounds all those slick, layered vocal harmonies with pure, unfiltered attitude. Her pocket is flawless. We talk a lot about the blending of hip-hop and R&B during the mid-nineties, but rarely did the seams disappear as completely as they do right here. This joint still shakes the walls. Hit play below.