THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

48-BLACKstreet featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen-No Diggity.

1996-Number 9 single.

Best Bit-At 3.15. ‘Diggity’ is urban slang meaning ‘absolutely,’ or ‘for sure.’

‘No Diggity’ has five writers credits, which include William ‘Skylz’ Stewart, who is also co-producer of the song, along with Teddy Riley. Riley had heard Stewart using a sample of the 1971 song ‘Grandma’s Hands’ by the American Soul singer Bill Withers, (1938-2020) and asked him if he could use it for his track that would eventually become ‘No Diggity.’ On completing the song Riley offered the track to the American R&B group ‘Guy,’ who Riley was also an official member of, but the other band members rejected it, so Riley then offered the song to ‘BLACKstreet’ of whom Riley was also a member. Riley has said,’None of the guys liked ‘No Diggity,’ none of them. They would even say it. That’s why I’m singing the first verse. You know how they say they pushed the little one out there to see if it tastes good, and see if he would get egged? Well they pushed me out there, and it became a hit, and now they wish they were singing the first verse, so that they can have the notoriety like me. So they trust what I’m saying.’

Teddy Riley was born Edward Theodore Riley on October 8th, 1967, in New York City, United States, he is credited with the creation of the ‘New Jack Swing’ musical genre (see also best songs 694 and 236.) Other career highlights include co-producing the influential Rap song ‘The Show,’ in 1985, for ‘Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew,’ and also for co-producing Michael Jackson’s (1958-2009) eighth studio Album ‘Dangerous’ from 1991, which is the best selling ‘New Jack Swing’ influenced Album of all time, with sales in excess of 15 million copies worldwide.

‘New Jack Swing’ is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of Hip-Hop, and Dance-Pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. The American online dictionary ‘Merriam-Webster’ defines New Jack Swing as ‘Pop Music usually performed by black musicians, that combines elements of Jazz, Funk, Rap, and Rhythm and Blues.’ The term ‘New Jack Swing’ was coined by Barry Michael Cooper, who in October 1987 wrote a profile of Teddy Riley for the American news and cultural paper ‘Village Voice.’ ‘New Jack’ was a slang term meaning ‘Johnny come-lately’, which had been used in a song by Grandmaster Caz (see also best songs 17) of the American ‘Old School Hip-Hop’ group the ‘Cold Crush Brothers,’ and “Swing” was intended by Cooper to draw an ‘analogy between the music played at the ‘Speakeasies’ of the novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald’s (1896-1940) time, to the ‘Crackhouses’ of Teddy Riley’s time.

‘No Diggity’ was the first of three singles released from BLACKstreet’s second studio Album ‘Another Level’ from 1996, and has gone on to sell in excess of two million copies worldwide, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1996, ending the 14 weeks Number 1 run of the ‘Macarena,’ by ‘Los Del Rio.’ Teddy Riley sings the tracks vocals, and there are also two guest Rappers who are also featured. The first Rap which opens the song is provided by Dr. Dre, (see also best songs 564-544-482-189 and 128) with the songs closing Rap being provided by Lynise Walters, who goes by the stage name of ‘Queen Pen.’ At that time Walters, like ‘BLACKstreet’ were both signed to the same record label ‘Interscope.’ ‘No Diggity’ tells the tale of a man who becomes infatuated with a high class hooker, and of course it can only end in tears.

‘She’s got class and style, street knowledge by the pound. Baby never act wild, very low key on the profile. Catchin’ feelings is a no, let me tell you how it goes.’