My brother had asthma when he was a kid and he would always pretend he was a pilot when he had his nebulizer on — it made the time pass easier and being sick fun

A guide to feeling better when you’re sick: 90’s & 2000’s R&B

Mindful Music
Nov 6 · 9 min read

Wedding Season came early this year (Early November rather than mid-late December) and with it came the usual viral cough/cold- it’s flu season baby, and like global warming- it’s fuckin us up in November. When I get hit with the flu, I get a chest congestion too that makes me wheeze till I feel I’m gonna suffocate and die and so for me, my flu essentials are:

  1. Nebulizer (30 mins twice a day)
  2. Humidifier
  3. Joshanda (Herbal Tea Mix- chug as much as possible whenever possible)
  4. Jetusin Cough Syrup
  5. Homeopath: number 6, 10 and tonsitron (Kudos if you know what this is)
  6. Anti Allergies
  7. CaC or any other fizzy vitamin C tablet
  8. A shit ton of water
  9. Multiple veg soups (yes I’m a vegetarian now but this used to be yakhni) My personal favourites are: tomato, spinach, leek, celery and straight up veg broth)
  10. Last, but certainly not least, 90’s and early 2000’s Female only R&B throwbacks (Let’s be real they’re mostly early 2000’s but 90’s is so much more nostalgic and cool thus click-bait title)

Each of the artists mentioned: Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carrey, Ashanti, Eve, Alicia Keys, Aaliyah and Lauryn Hill are all iconic divas that deserve their own post and not one of a list but these are the ladies that have gotten me through all kinds of sick- can’t get out of bed sick, home-sick, car-sick, I want to die sick. This is by no means a comprehensive list of songs nor does it include all of my favourite r&b hip hop queens from the 2000’s- it’s just what I’m genuinely listening to right now. I save them only for really special occasions because I know aint nobody gonna make feel better than them ladies. And for this particular list- y’all should feel especially grateful for possibly some of the best songs of our generation- I mean it really never has gotten better than this (I guess that’s what all old ppl say) Enjoy and you’re welcome :):)

Let’s get it crunk, we gon’ have fun Up on in this, dance for me We got ya open, now ya floatin’ So you gots to dance for me Don’t need no hateration, holleratin’ In this dance for me Let’s get it percolatin’, while you’re waiting So just dance for me

First off, we have Mary J. Blige with the iconic “family affair” . If this song doesn’t get you dancing, I don’t know what does. It’s the beat that never gets old, the pure feel-good -feel alive make you wanna move groove. What I love about Miss Blige is that she made androgynous look cool before it was ever thing in pop culture. She also has a killer body and features beautiful barely clad ripped women without objectifying them as in most rap and male artists from this era.

Cat Paw tats on EVE

I just wanna rock you all night long (all night long ohhh I wanna rock ya)
I just wanna rock you all night long (ooooooooooo)

Eve & Alicia Keys — Gangsta Lovin

Nothing like miss E.V.E to turn up the roof — or this cough in my case. When I was a kid, I was so obsessed with eve, I was determined to get cat paw tattoos on my chest before I even had boobs. My poor mother — thank god I got over it by the time I grew in

I, high key, still want alicia keys’ side zig zag braids and would probably get em if cultural appropriation wasn’t such an issue (jury’s still out on if brown ppl can appropriate black culture- answer is probably well, yes but I really want braids so plz just let me be ok).

When this song came out, I almost died off excitement- a collaboration of my then two favourite female artists- I mean it really doesn’t get better than that and an ear-gasm it was. y’all feel me?

Ashanti and Fat Joe — What’s love

Put the fuckin’ mic on

I don’t think Ashanti needs an explanation unless you’re from the GEN Z and have no idea of how important for us she was for us 90 babies. I’m sure my soul sister Sidra Ahmed *repping NYC* (so cheesy please don’t kill me) would agree that she’s pretty much shaped our middle school valentines day bake sale song requests to all of our crushes and ex-boyfriends and new boyfriends (you know who you are) to let them know exactly how we feel. Also, what happened to Fat Joe? any idea? I know Ashanti put out new music not too long ago which unfortunately flopped majorly but was also expected — some things only work for the generation they were born in.

Obsessed — Mariah Carey

Ah oh
Why you so obsessed with me?
Boy I want to know, lyin’ that you’re sexing me
When everybody knows, it’s clear that you’re upset with me
Ohh, finally found a girl that you couldn’t impress
Last man on the earth, still couldn’t get this

Ok, I’m not gonna lie, I debated for a hot minute on whether or not I should include Miss Mariah on this list. As iconic as she is (take a shot of cough syrup every time you see “iconic”- you know I am), she has always been a guilty pleasure for me- especially this trashy ass 2000’s song. Though, props to Mariah for making this shady ass diss track for none other than Mr Slim Shady — Eminem without ever mentioning his name. If you were a 90’s baby you were probably following the Mariah, Eminem, Cannon love triangle feud. Fun fact, “super man” (Mariah is a big theme in it) by Eminem was probably mine and Ms Hina Hasnain (now Maryam Hina’s) introduction to the rap god himself and we knew all the lyrics- if only anyone witnessed two six year old girls rappin this dirty ass song in their bedroom, our parents would’ve probably given us a solid smacking and banned sleepovers for a month.

Aaliyah
Aaliyah — Are You That Somebody

Ok, All the songs so far- have been fun, feel good light hearted tracks. Though this song always bops, listening to it can’t help but be an instant reminder of Aaliyah’s untimely death. She died in August, 2001 at the age 22). I was only 9 at the time but still remember being shocked and devastated by the news of her plane crash. Shout out to Cat D’angelo my baby girl who I know feels the same way I do about Aaliya. I always felt after that I too would die in a plane crash and felt a strange morbid quiet during take off any time I was on a flight. Aaliyah is known as the princess of R&B- famous at 15 and having produced 3 albums at 22. When I was 9, I didn’t truly appreciate how young 22 is — in fact, for celebrities and rock stars, I thought it was a viable-diable age- As an angsty teen, I always thought I would join the ranks of those who died young. Now that I’m 27, I feel like my life has only just begun but Aaliyah is a reminder of how precious life is, and how painful young deaths are — even 8 years after the fact. Are you that somebody is probably the most popular song made by Aaliyah and probably my favourite. Also probably cause Dr. Doolittle was my favourite movie for a hot minute and it was my biggest dream to be able to talk to animals. I also love the baby cooing in this track- turns out it is a very famous sound bite from the 60’s used in a bunch of famous stuff that I won’t bore you with. Also the backing vocals are by Timbaland (ya bishes, he old and we old too). Her fashion style still shows up in the way I dress and influences current trends. She truly is timeless and her presence infinite.

Lauryn Hill- Doo-Wop (That Thing)

I’m just gonna drop the lyrics for Doo-Wop that thing and that should suffice. This song has been stuck in my head since the 9th grade and never quite leaves. It’s probably the only song I don’t mind playing on loop for forever. My Cuz Zehra Hassan just informed me she is playin live in Dubai this Feb and I may just be tempted enough to go. Will y’all kickstart fund my trip?? Say yesss plz say yes.

Lyrics:

Yo, remember back on the boogie when cats used to harmonize like
Yo, my men and my women
Don’t forget about the dean, sirat al-mustaqim
Yo, it’s about a thing
If ya feel real good wave your hands in the air
And lick two shots in the atmosphere!

It’s been three weeks since you were looking for your friend
The one you let hit it and never called you again
‘Member when he told you he was ‘bout the Benjamins?
You act like you ain’t hear him, then give him a little trim
To begin, how you think you’re really gon’ pretend
Like you wasn’t down and you called him again?
Plus, when you give it up so easy you ain’t even foolin’ him
If you did it then, then you’d probably fuck again
Talking out your neck, sayin’ you’re a Christian
A Muslim, sleeping with the gin
Now that was the sin that did Jezebel in
Who you gon’ tell when the repercussions spin?
Showing off your ass cause you’re thinkin’ it’s a trend
Girlfriend, let me break it down for you again
You know I only say it cause I’m truly genuine
Don’t be a hard rock when you really are a gem
Baby girl, respect is just a minimum
Niggas fucked up and you still defending ‘em
Now, Lauryn is only human
Don’t think I haven’t been through the same predicament
Let it sit inside your head like a million women in Philly, Penn
It’s silly when girls sell their souls because it’s in
Look at where you be in, hair weaves like Europeans
Fake nails done by Koreans
Come again, come again, come again, my friend come again

Guys you know you’d better watch out
Some girls, some girls are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing

The second verse is dedicated to the men
More concerned with his rims and his Timbs than his women
Him and his men, come in the club like hooligans
Don’t care who they offend, poppin’ yang (Like you got yen!)
Let’s stop pretend, the ones that pack pistols by they waist men
Cristal by the case men, still in they mother’s basement
The pretty face men claiming that they be the big men
Need to take care of they three or four kids
And they face a court case when the child support late
Money taking and heart breaking, now you wonder why women hate men
The sleepy, silent men
The punk, domestic violence men
Quick to shoot the semen, stop acting like boys and be men
How you gonna win, when you ain’t right within?
How you gonna win, when you ain’t right within?
How you gonna win, when you ain’t right within?
Come again, come again, come again, come again

Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out

Girls you know you’d better watch out
Some guys, some guys are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing
Guys you know you’d better watch out
Some girls, some girls are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing

Girls you know you’d better watch out
Some guys, some guys are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing

Mindful Music

Written by

Sharing my love for music and how it makes me feel.

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