Destiny's Child dropped classic album 'The Writing's on the Wall' 25 years ago: A look back
Destiny's Child released their breakout album in 1999, but the ladies still have the music scene jumpin', jumpin'.
Yes, it has been 25 years since the group dropped their second studio album, "The Writing's on the Wall," in the U.S. on July 27, 1999, with Columbia Records. The 16-track project became one of the best-selling R&B albums in history and catapulted the singers onto the national stage.
The four women behind the masterpiece – Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett – made their mark on more than just music. In retrospect, the sophomore album laid the groundwork for Destiny's Child to break barriers with its distinctive sound and themes of femininity and empowerment. But it was also a tumultuous time for the group, whose final lineup consisted of Beyoncé, Rowland and Michelle Williams.
Ahead of the album's 25th anniversary, the USA TODAY Network interviewed Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father and the group's manager at the time, as well as a range of prominent producers, musicians and cultural experts who were either involved with "The Writing's on The Wall," worked closely with Destiny's Child or witnessed the impact of this beloved group.
'Coming into who they were'
With the help of songwriters and producers such as Kandi Burruss, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Missy Elliott, Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels and others, the album produced four singles: "Bill, Bill, Bills," "Say My Name," "Bug a Boo" and "Jumpin' Jumpin'."
Music and culture journalist J'na Jefferson: I think what the impact of "The Writing's on The Wall" was besides setting Destiny's Child apart, it really, I think, just solidified who they were. I feel like with this album, the singles, everything felt like they were seasoned. They really were coming into who they were.
Producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri worked with the ladies on their debut album, "Destiny's Child," and he produced a remix of their single "Jumpin' Jumpin'" on the second studio album.
Dupri: You could just see that they were destined, no pun intended, to be something.
Knowles: The reaction that we got from fans, I always equate the reaction to the sales. If you get a positive reaction, you'd sell a lot of records. So I would say that it speaks for itself because of the amazing sales numbers that "The Writing's on the Wall" album did.
Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Burruss was a member of another girl group in the '90s, Xscape. During the creation of the "The Writing's on the Wall," Burruss and producer She’kspere went into the studio with Destiny's Child and they ended up co-writing five songs together, including the the first two singles.
Burruss: They were hardworking young women at the time. They literally had studio sessions planned and every day that there wasn't a studio session, there was a show or performance they had to do. It was really cool to see them be so dedicated and determined at such a young age.
Knowles: This was the first album that the ladies actually were beginning to take more creative control, and myself as management, more creative control on what their careers were. ... And at this point, the girls are only 18 years old (so when they made) the first album they were 16.
Jefferson: I interviewed LaShawn Daniels about "Say My Name" a couple of years ago. And I actually think that was his last interview because he ended up tragically dying in a car crash not too long after that, and I was distraught because he has contributed to so many incredible songs that defined '90s and early 2000s R&B. But something I learned when speaking with him is that he was very generous about being like "I'm going to let (Destiny's Child) take the reins here."
Knowles: They got more involved in the creative process. ... Beyoncé started co-producing, co-writing, and some of the other ladies started co-writing, so that was new. They had been a part of the writing (process) and putting their own mark on the records in terms of how they felt they should be.
Jefferson: They're a special group, and they were tight with it. They weren't just pretty girls with nice voices. They had incredible voices, and they knew how to sing, and they knew how to layer, and they knew how to produce.
Empowerment
"Bills Bills Bills" was the lead single and would become the group's first No. 1 single on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Written by the ladies, Burruss and Briggs, the sassy tune features the women calling out a man for his lack of accountability and failure to pay the phone and credit card bills. The song was nominated for best R&B song and best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals at the Grammy Awards in 2000.
Burruss: I think it just really caught on from the beginning because the song is an extremely strong concept that a lot of women can relate to, (and) I think it just started connecting immediately with people.
Longtime Destiny's Child fan Jazmine Bennett, 33: They had so many songs with messages about female empowerment, resilience, independence, positivity. And I remember just soaking up every single word. Every single one of those songs and studying all of those songs, and it shaped who I am today.
Jefferson: They started off super-young. Even before they became Destiny's Child, it was Girls Tyme. And they just matured. And I think that their music has shown that growth and those ups and downs and those peaks and valleys that come with being a woman.
Burruss: It was definitely "femme forward" music, as they say, and definitely putting us first, and (there's) strength in that and those type of lyrics. ... I do think it has carried on to other female artists since that time.
Jefferson: It struck a very smart balance between songs that were about female empowerment and also at the core they are love songs in a way.
'You were seeing them everywhere'
Single "Say My Name" was nominated for four Grammys and won the group their first two awards for best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocal and best R&B song. The track's ubiquitous music video won the group their first MTV Video Music Award for best R&B video, but it also served as a symbol of change within Destiny's Child.
In it, Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin replaced Luckett and Roberson, who had attempted to split from the group's manager, Beyoncé's father. Franklin later departed from the group. Despite the media scrutiny that came with the lineup changes, the group didn't slow down.
Jefferson: You were seeing them everywhere. At this point, the music videos really helped to bring that visibility forward. And I think besides seeing that, and then you hear it and you're like "wow." This is actually something that makes you feel good. It makes you feel seen.
A.D. Carson, associate professor of hip hop at University of Virginia: I think that audiences are going to consistently and persistently say that those artists are authentic. And so I think that this is something that they have benefited from. And that is audiences believing in their performance and in the consistency of their performance, even through the changes in the lineup of the group, and on into their later careers.
Jefferson: They worked with Mathew (Knowles), who instilled a very strong and incredibly professional work ethic in them, even at their younger ages. So I think seeing people talk about them in the negative way when it came to the lineup changes only made them stronger and hungrier to succeed.
Bennett: I can imagine it was difficult for them being so young in the industry, but I'm so thankful that they stuck to their convictions and continued putting out those songs and those messages. Personally, it changed my life and had a positive impact on my life and I know a lot of others as well.
Jefferson: And they even poked fun at it in later albums. I'm pretty sure they put out "Survivor" (2001) not only as like an empowerment anthem but because people would always be like ... "who's next in Destiny's Child, (to be) voted off the island (like the show 'Survivor')." And it was kind of used tongue-in-cheek. But it really ended up being such a successful single.
Earlier this year, Luckett shared a rare photo of all five members of the group together for one of Beyoncé's shows on her Renaissance World Tour.
Unique sound
Outside the Grammy recognition and 13 million worldwide sales, the group had a huge effect on the music industry.
Dupri: It was just the beginning of what you hear (as) R&B today.
Carson: Their relationship to hip-hop culture for me is probably more salient because of the ways that they are a staple of the mashup between hip-hop and R&B and pop. And I think also in the ways that they are able to translate hip-hop aesthetics onto pop sensibilities that make the line between pop, hip-hop and R&B more blurry than it probably was in the '90s and going into 2000s.
Dupri: It definitely was breathing new life into hip-hop producers producing more R&B music. ... Wyclef did the first singles ... or a remix, and then I did the second one. So it wasn't your typical R&B producers that were producing these records.
Burruss: I feel like those up-tempo records and those bangers definitely continue to flow from that point on and (helping Destiny's Child write) singy-rappy lyrics. So back then everybody wasn't doing that. A lot of times now people are doing that because hip-hop is so involved into the theme of music right now. But at that time period, that was when things started to change.
Carson: Revisionists would say it was an overnight story, but they put in a whole lot of work ... and then when they figured out the formula it felt like they had it mastered.
Jefferson: They were working with the best producers. They were working with excellent songwriters. I feel like it had this vibe to it that felt so of the era, but also ahead of its time. And I think that that's what really helped them break out of that R&B cookie-cutter mold and really help them find who they were in their sound.
Carson: It seemed as though Destiny's Child could not miss.
Cultural impact
Destiny's Child was not only a successful girl group, they were inspiring to fans all over the the world. Over the past 25 years, the ladies have influenced music, fashion and pop culture, and fans are still invested in the group members' careers, both as a unit and individually.
Bennett: It's hard to fully express how much of a positive impact Destiny's Child had on me growing up.
Knowles: We approached the industry from a world perspective, which is why Destiny's Child is one of the No. 1 female selling groups of all time. ... We understood that there's 340 million people in America but there's 7.2 billion outside of America. So Destiny's Child spent a tremendous amount of time promoting in Japan, U.K., Europe, Australia, some of the core markets that were developed.
Jefferson: I feel like we didn't really have too many Black pop stars at the time. Yes, it was R&B, but also when you're thinking about where it was in the grand scheme of things, this was a crossover success. And it was definitely qualified as a pop act, because of the popularity gaining through this time and the visibility that they were getting. So to see us in this way, I think was incredibly impactful, especially for young girls.
Carson: If someone were to try to make the argument that Beyoncé is doing something new with the country album, that's just evidence that they haven't listened to the archive of Destiny's Child music going all the way back to "The Writing's on the Wall."
Jefferson: When I look back, I'm thinking about young me now — still a fan — I think they continue to grow with the times. I think what works about Destiny's Child then is what's working for them now. And what solidifies their legacy is that their music is still so resonant and relevant to what is going on. Not only in music, but also just in society.
Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Destiny's Child album 'The Writing's on the Wall': 25 years later
