Kandi Crush Battle: Total
Kandi Crush Battle: Total Takes Over With a Collaboration Edition Full of ’90s Flavor
- Total's collaborations with artists like Da Brat, Mase, and Biggie created memorable R&B-rap fusions.
- The passage highlights how artists from different genres came together to produce unique, innovative music.
- Total's own songs showcased their talent beyond the high-profile features, demonstrating the group's strength.
Okay, now THIS is my kind of battle! We are switching things up for the Kandi Crush Battle because today we are not putting two artists against each other. We are celebrating one group and the artists who helped make their collaborations unforgettable. Welcome to the Total Collaboration Edition!
We are starting with Total and “Kissing You,” and if you know anything about that classic Bad Boy era, you already know Total brought a certain attitude and energy that made their music stand out. Then we get into Total featuring Da Brat with “No One Else.” Now put Total and Da Brat together and you already know the energy is going to be different. Da Brat brings that confidence and Total brings the vocals, and it works.
Then we get Mase featuring Total with “Tell Me.” Mase had that smooth Harlem flow, Total brought the R&B flavor, and together it was exactly the kind of combination that made the Bad Boy sound so recognizable. But we are not stopping there because Total also teamed up with The Notorious B.I.G. on “Can’t You See.” Now, come on! Biggie on a Total record? That is R&B and hip-hop history right there.
Next up is “When Boy Meets” from Total, and I love how this battle allows us to hear the group outside of some of the bigger collaborations. Because sometimes when we talk about a group, we immediately jump to the features, but the group itself has to bring the heat too. Total absolutely did that.
And then we close things out with Total featuring Missy Elliott on “What About Us.” Now if you know Missy, you know she was never afraid to bring something completely different to a record. Her creativity paired with Total’s sound gave us another memorable moment. This is why I love music from this era. Artists weren’t afraid to collaborate. You could have an R&B group, a rapper, a superstar MC and a producer with a completely different sound all coming together and somehow creating magic. So when you look at these six songs, which collaboration stands out the most? Is it “No One Else” with Da Brat? “Tell Me” with Mase? “Can’t You See” with Biggie? Or “What About Us” with Missy Elliott?
For me, this isn’t just a battle. It’s a little reminder of just how special that era of music really was.
