Sponsored by Frankie Farr Entertainment
April 4, 2025
When we speak about the golden era of R&B, the late ’90s and early 2000s are arguably considered the cultural apex of the genre. Many tours and festivals have reunited icons from that period in recent years, selling out venues nationwide. The music from that time seems to be aging as well as a pair of Timberland boots.
On Friday night (April 11) in Charlotte, multiple R&B stars — from a magical epoch when hip-hop, soul, and new jack swing were all coalescing — will grace the stage at Ovens Auditorium. Ginuwine, Donell Jones, Adina Howard, and Kut Klose will all perform under the same roof for an evening of nostalgic R&B hits that helped define an era. Atlanta promoter Frankie Farr will bring the concert to Charlotte in hopes of launching many more like it under the “R&B Nights” banner.
The concert will feature soul-soothing hits from Ginuwine like “Differences,” “In Those Jeans,” and the seductive, Timbaland-produced “Pony.” With multiple top 10 hits on the Billboard charts and three platinum-selling albums, Ginuwine is one of the most influential R&B artists to emerge in the late ’90s — helping shape the sound of contemporary R&B by blending soul, hip-hop, and new jack swing with sensual lyrics and smooth vocals.
Donnell Jones, the Chicago native and R&B crooner, is best known for his breakthrough late ’90s hip-hop/R&B collaboration “U Know What’s Up,” featuring the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, as well as his stirring relationship ballad “Where I Wanna Be.”
One of the more underrated female R&B groups of the ’90s was Kut Klose. The trio — Athena Cage, Lavonn Battle, and Tabitha Duncan — were protégés of another legend in the genre, Keith Sweat. They broke through with their 1995 debut album, which spawned hits like “I Like,” “Get Up on It,” and the title track “Surrender.”
One of the biggest songs of the mid-’90s was Adina Howard’s “Freak Like Me,” a groundbreaking anthem of female sexual liberation that blended G-funk, R&B, and hip-hop. The track cleverly interpolated Sly & the Family Stone’s “Sing a Simple Song” and Bootsy Collins’ “I’d Rather Be With You.”
The concert is sure to be an ideal date night, full of reminiscing — or rediscovering — some of the preeminent songs from the heyday of R&B.
Ginuwine, Donell Jones, Adina Howard, and Kut Klose, will perform in Charlotte on Friday, April 11 at Ovens Auditorium. You can purchase your tickets here.
Read next:
