In the music
- It was unprecedented in the history of black music; in 1999 a white rapper broke through. There had been white rappers before - Blondie tried it in the 80s and Vanilla Ice in the 1990s - but no one took them seriously. But when Dr Dre gave his stamp of approval to Eminem, people gave the white Detroit rapper a chance. With an unsurpassed gift for hooks, controversy and concept tracks, he burst through the ranks of rappers to become a global megastar.
- Kelis exploded into 1999 with the anti-boyfriend rant, Caught Out There. Feisty and quirky, she immediately stood out from the RnB crowd. Ladies who had been dumped by a man. Despite collaborations with The Neptunes her success in the US was not a given. It was only later with a hit Milkshake from her third album and newly formed relationship with Nas that she made it to A list RnB celebrity status.
- The Neptunes' reign as super producers started with two hot tracks; Kelis' Caught Out There and ODB's Got Your Money. Within five years the duo would become the industry's most wanted, responsible for countless radio hits.
- Roots Manuva dropped his debut album Brand New Second Hand. Succeeding where so many UK artists had failed before, he produced an engaging, reggae-influenced and uniquely British take on hip hop.
- Soul legend Curtis Mayfield died. He was paralysed in 1990 after being hit by a falling rig while performing in New York, then in 1998 diabetes meant his right leg had to be amputated. He was a key star in black music in the 1960-70s, in part through the group, The Impressions. His work epitomised the Chicago Sound that rivalled Detroit's Tamla Motown, producing such hits as Move On Up, Superfly and Pusherman. He received four Grammy nominations.
- It was a sad year for reggae, with many of its most acclaimed artists dying. I-Roy, Dennis Brown, Prince Lincoln Thompson, Henry "Junjo" Lawes and Augustus Pablo all passed away.
- London's UK garage scene exploded into the national charts with the Artful Dodger's Rewind. The single is a UK No.1 and singer Craig David is quickly signed up as a solo artist. It marks a golden period for vocal UK garage that will last until at least 2001 when the scene returned underground.
