How Destinys Childs The Writing's On The Wall Became The Quintessential 1999 Album

Beyonc Knowles, Kelly Rowland, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson sat down at a table 20 years ago to reenact the Godfather scene from the 1996 film Set It Off. Their intentions for The Writings on the Wall were clear: get these fuckboys the hell up out of here. For the next 15 tracks, the Houston teens sang harmonious anthems letting haters know they were So Good, calling out a pressed Bug a Boo and asking why men do women wrong on Hey Ladies. And unlike their ballad-heavy debut album, the group rode the up-tempo beats with their distinct sing-rapping.

1999 was a remarkable year for the genre. That year, Whitney Houstons Heartbreak Hotel with Kelly Price and Faith Evans peaked on the Billboard Hot 100, Mariah Carey released Heartbreaker, Brandy had us asking Have You Ever? and Blaque had a hit with Bring It All to Me. Crooners owned mainstream R&B, Monica, Maxwell and Ginuwine included. But artists like TLC, Missy Elliott and Timbaland were playing with a more hip-hop-leaning R&B by this time, making room for Destinys Child to flex.

The Writings on the Wall was not only the last album to feature all four original members, but it became the foundation of the groups signature sound. It was a part of a new wave of R&B that would last for several years to come. The songs were original, with samples from only Bug a Boo and Temptation, and only included two features from Missy Elliott and Next. And the message was an affirmative, biblical even, body of female empowerment anthems as Destinys Child laid out the relationship commandments. Thou shall pay bills, thou shall not bug, thou shall confess, and so on.

The legendary status just jumped out.

It was a sound that cut through everything else that was going on, music industry veteran and writer Naima Cochrane told HuffPost during a phone conversation. But still, it had elements of Missy in it, that futuristic kind of production, but it didnt really sound exactly like anything else that was on the radio.

The album, released July 27, 1999, earned the group its first two No. 1 records with the lead single Bills, Bills, Bills followed by Say My Name. The album debuted at No. 6 and remained on the Billboard Top 40 for most of that year. Say My Name earned Destinys Child its first Grammy. Produced by Missy, Kandi Burruss, Kevin Shekspere Briggs, Rodney Darkchild Jerkins, Dwayne Wiggins, Chad Elliot, Daryl Simmons and Beyonc herself, The Writings on the Wall is still Destinys Childs best-selling album, moving more than 6 million units in the U.S. to date.

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