NZ hits of 1997

This was where the world was finally united with what was popular in the mainstream, it was just in time for the teen pop craze to boot.

There was little doubt that the Spice girls was going to take over the world with this song back in the day, who cares if the lyrics make no sense and that it's under three minutes? The melody is still infectious, and the girls have so much charisma that it's impossible not to love their performances.

This was a massive hit for the Backstreet boys in NZ much like it was internationally, again likely due to the single version being slightly different from the album version which was still a common phenomenon back in the day. I feel the video had something to do with it as well as it's a clever take on how their female audience tended to sexualise them and how it ends with them doing the same to some female executives.

Well regardless of what you think about this track from Puff Daddy, there's no denying that the sentiment was genuine as many people felt it was a touching tribute to the late Biggie Smalls who had tragically passed away earlier in the year the same way his frenemy 2pac did the previous year. It was a massive success in NZ likely due to this and the Police sample he uses.

MC Lyte had been active in the hip hop game since the late 80's when she was a teenager, so to see her finally score a hit in NZ and her native America almost a decade after breaking through must have been a pleasant surprise for those rooting for her at the time. Indeed, this was an excellent time for women rappers as she was one of several MC's this year to score success this year.

There was this heist film this year that starred the likes of Jada Pinkett and Queen Latifah that was a huge commercial success worldwide, although the real success came from its soundtrack which was kicked off with this posse cut from Brandy, Tamia, Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan each presumably portraying the roles of the four leading actresses from the film.

Unlike in Australia where this second single was delayed for some reason, it was released on time in NZ which means it managed to be even more of a success for the girls over there than it was over here. This is taking into account that their third single was released rather soon after its release over there due to it becoming a Christmas UK chart topper and being marketed as such in NZ.

This was more of an immediate success in NZ than it was here in Australia, in fact I'm guessing this was a hit here in Australia because it was so inescapable in NZ which of course made it a hit in the UK but not in America because this was never released as a single over there. As such, Tragic kingdom was a huge worldwide success everywhere except for the band's homeland.

This was originally released the previous year to deafening silence in the southern hemisphere, I'm guessing because we didn't want to have any controversies involving the music video like the band had in the UK as it reportedly attracted a record number of complaints from viewers when it was first unveiled over there. The kiwis were eventually won over by this track when their big hit in Australia became as such.

I guess this is a more reasonable placement for the Prodigy given how it didn't become a hit with separate demographics in NZ like it did here in Australia, although it was a hit the same time as their earlier entry so perhaps the kiwis just wanted to make these guys a household name due to how big they were in Australia and their native UK around this time.

Much like here in Australia, this hit from Puff Daddy and Ma$e which they were nice enough to credit as a Biggie Smalls track was the only hit that the late rapper managed to achieve in NZ, although at least it was a much bigger hit over there than it was over here much like most 90's hip hop. This feels rather strange given how the kiwis were firmly in the west coast side of the hip hop feud.

This was more of a triumphant return for the Bee Gees in NZ considering A: this was a much bigger hit over there than it was over here and B: their 1987 surprise hit "You win again" wasn't as such over there making this their first hit in NZ since the late 70's.

This was a massive hit worldwide for Hanson, so much so that it not just went on to number one in multiple different countries, it debuted there proving how much of an overnight sensation the boys were back in the day. Their success was less prominent in NZ than it was in Australia (even taking the ARIA vs AMR charts into account) however it was still a massive improvement on what they achieved in their native America.

While this wasn't as big a hit in NZ as it was in Australia (mainly due to it not clinging to the charts forever in a day over there) it was still a massive hit for N trance likely due to the kiwis having nostalgia for the Rod Stewart classic it samples as well as them finally opening up to EDM around this time.

Regardless of whether it was due to the theme of the lyrics or it being attached to a buddy comedy film or even if it was another hit from Coolio, this track from the rapper managed to become an even bigger success in NZ than it did here in Australia and even his native America from around this time.

And the obvious sampling from Puff Daddy continues as he takes David Bowie's "Let's dance" and reworks it as another tribute to Biggie Smalls given how he has the rapper posthumously appear on this track along with Ma$e (again for a second time) and some other rappers that he simply credits as The family. It was a massive hit for everyone involved in NZ and their native America at the time.

There was a film around this time from the makers of the Naked gun series known as High school high, it was a film meant to parody the likes of Dangerous minds and other teen dramas centered around a high school that was poorly received by critics due to the low hanging fruit the film resorted to parodying. If you couldn't tell, this is an RNB cover of Queen's signature track that was a huge success from the film in NZ.

I guess it was only a matter of time before east coast hip hop would crossover to NZ, although this did have the endorsement of Dr Dre which I guess technically makes it a west coast track despite Blackstreet being from the east coast. This was a minor hit in Australia, likely suggesting this was one of the earlier songs to convince us Aussies that hip hop was good actually which we eventually were by the end of the decade.

This was always meant to be the fourth and final single from 2pac's third album All eyez on me, heck the video was completed before he was murdered meaning that he had every intention of this song being released as a single before his death. I feel I should mention this given how many hits he's had since his death over the years, although I get the feeling this was only a success due to his tragic passing.

I guess the kiwis were also more impressed with this reworking of the Hot Chocolate classic than its usage in the Full Monty this year, either that or we Aussies and Kiwis simply forgot to reward the original with success like the Brits did in favour of making this EDM rendition of the disco classic a hit in the southern hemisphere. I guess the fact that it only borrows the chorus from the original was a factor as well.

Given how "Barbie girl" was quickly pulled from shelves over in NZ much faster than it was over here in Australia, this means that this second single from Aqua's debut album was by far their biggest hit even factoring in hard sales which is a sign that RIANZ felt this practice was harming their charts back in the day. I wonder if the band were big fans of the Indiana Jones franchise when they wrote this as it's very good for a fanfiction song.

Well at least this RNB ballad managed to be a success in NZ on time, although I feel like I've said this for multiple entries over the last few lists as RNB in NZ was widely accepted since the start of the decade as opposed to Australia where it generally needed to be a success over there before it crossed over here.

The Spice girls phenomenon seemed unstoppable when the girls released the lead single to their second album/soundtrack to their film Spiceworld this year, although it's worth noting that the singles from Spiceworld didn't do as well over there as they did here in Australia (even taking the ARIA vs AMR charts into account.) Indeed, this was the biggest hit they had in NZ from the album even though "Viva forever" charted higher the following year.

Well, it appears the kiwis found these guys to be absolutely hilarious this year as not only was this a massive hit for them over there, but so was their album it came from which even managed to spawn a second hit for the band over there this year (which we'll look at later on this list.) This sense of humour worked for the band again two years later when "The bad touch" became a hit for them as well.

This was the only hit that Nate Dogg was able to find anywhere in the world as a lead artist, normally he played second fiddle to other rappers such as Warren G and 50 cent which is perhaps there's certain sites which lists Snoop Dogg as the lead artist on this track when it's the other way around. It's curious this was a hit for Snoop given how he was on trial at the time for murder.

Following the success of their sister's sophomore album, the Braxton's (which originally included Toni in their lineup) found massive success with this RNB ballad in NZ of all places as the family never had much success even in their native America back in the day.

Although the original from Chicago did fine enough in NZ, this RNB rendition from Az yet was far more popular over there than the original likely due to the blessing that Peter Cetera gave the RNB group to cover it by rerecording his chorus from the original. It was their only hit in NZ despite "Last night" breaking the top ten over there the previous year.

Well, this was an RNB jam that made it big here in Australia, so naturally it would find success much sooner in NZ even if the success was half of what it achieved down under. This is one of the first big hits to be produced by Timbaland, although you wouldn't be able to tell it was him due to all of the weird samples used throughout the track.

From what I can gather, Joose were an American RNB band who scored a massive hit in NZ with this cover of the Garth Brooks track that somehow flopped in their native America. Nowadays most people will be more familiar with the Ronan Keating version from 2002 given how big that version was, however in NZ this wound up being the bigger hit of the two covers.

Well, this was equally as random in NZ given how at least "Quit playing games with my heart" was a hit for them in the UK and their native America prior to them releasing this lead single to their second album which declared them to be back. I'm sure if their debut album was a hit in the southern hemisphere then this would've easily been their biggest hit here given the context of when it came out.

Whilst they still had success in their native America following the success of "No diggity" from the previous year, Blackstreet were more popular in NZ as in addition to hip hop, they also specialised in RNB which the kiwis were all in for throughout the 90's. Indeed, this was the second of three chart toppers that the group had over there, proving how much more loved they were by the kiwis than their fellow Americans.

I'm not sure if this was a success in NZ due to the kiwis increased love for EDM this year, if it was nostalgia for the Matthew Wilder version from 1984 or if it was a huge success here in Australia for the Danish group Unique II. Whatever the reason, it managed to debut at number one over there proving how inescapable it was in the southern hemisphere this year.

Somehow this was an even bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, and by somehow, I mean the kiwis were instantly enamoured by this bubblegum pop track from the Swedish band the Cardigans likely due to how incessantly catchy the song is. It's curious that it was the big hit from Romeo and Juliet considering how the scene it was used in has very little consequence to the overall film.

Given how this was the full extent of her success over in Australia, it makes sense that it would also be a huge success for Bic Runga in her homeland a full year prior to seeing the light of day on our charts. Admittedly it wasn't as big as you'd expect due to the kiwis gravitating towards her album over this adult contemporary ballad of hers, however it did lead to her having massive success in the new millennium.

Mariah's popularity was also starting to dwindle in NZ by this point in time, although given how much more popular she was in NZ throughout the decade then here in Australia, that's like saying that Madonna's popularity declined here in Australia throughout the decade, technically true but mostly irrelevant. Mariah would still have at least two more hits over there before the decade was up.

This was the first hit that these two had anywhere in the world without any assistance from anyone else, true they had hits with Jodeci and even 2pac earlier in the decade (at least in their native America with Jodeci) but this was their first hit they had where they were the only performers on the record. It was a big hit in NZ this year for the duo, and it even briefly charted the following year in Australia when "All my life" became a worldwide success.

Given how the song this track remixes didn't even chart in NZ back in the day, I can only assume this was a success over there purely based on how much the loved the dance beats on here rather than them reminding them of "Life in a northern town" like it did for us Aussies back in the day. You'll also notice this was a success over there much sooner than it was over here despite being an EDM track.

This was a good time to be Ma$e as he was able to score a string of hits in NZ and his native America following the exposure Bad boy records received with the tragic loss of Biggie Smalls, here he scores his first hit in both countries as a lead artist following the success he had playing second fiddle to Puff Daddy and the late Notorious B.I.G on their entries I've featured on this site so far.

Well, this was the biggest hit that the Fugees had in NZ that wasn't their iconic hit "Killing me softly," here they interpolate the Bob Marley classic which managed to appeal to the kiwis given how much love he's had over the years. It was their final hit as a unit; however, the members would go on to have success over there throughout the remainder of the decade.

I told you this was a much bigger hit for Eternal months before it was a hit here in Australia, in fact it had just about left the charts over there by the time it began climbing our charts towards the end of this year to give you an idea of how much sooner it was popular over there back in the day. That said, this was the only hit of theirs to be bigger in NZ than it was down under.

This was released on Christmas in NZ the previous year; this means that the song was released relatively close to that of "Say you'll be there" which perhaps explains why it wasn't as big a hit over there as it was here in Australia. Mind you, it was still a huge hit for the girls and likely kept their momentum going regardless given all the stiff competition they had to face around this time over there.

This is a song that should be much higher on this list, it isn't because it was pulled from shelves in NZ to encourage album sales for the soundtrack which as far as I can tell, didn't work over there. Another interesting fact I forgot to mention on the Australian side of my site is that the beat comes from "Forget me nots" from Patrice Rushen which was a massive hit in NZ fifteen years prior.

Just a friendly reminder that these lists of mine are based on how well a song did on the charts rather than their physical sales, otherwise this song would easily be at the top of every list it qualifies for given that it's the bestselling song of all time (at least until the digital age came along.) As for why it's so low on this list, it was pulled from shelves in NZ which wasn't the case here in Australia.

This was a side project for Bone thugs n harmony who brought together a bunch of their friends in the hip hop scene in order to promote them in the music industry, kind of like how Biggie Smalls had the Junior mafia throughout the decade and saw massive success in their native America as a result. These guys weren't so lucky in their homeland; however, this posse cut was a chart topper for them in NZ.

This was another RNB group who managed to score success in NZ this year despite being an American group who failed to make it big in their homeland at the time. I didn't realise how many American artists got the short end of the straw throughout the decade as the American music scene really seemed more interested in breaking arbitrary Billboard records over promoting their local talent. (see why I'm covering the NZ charts?)

It's worth noting that though he died before it came out, the first album that 2pac released as Makaveli was completed and scheduled for release shortly after his death, meaning this wasn't his label milking his work for profit (for the most part at least) and instead a work of artistic merit. This seemed to be the incentive the kiwis needed in making this lead single to Makaveli's debut album a success over there.

Well, this was bound to be a success in NZ given how even we Aussies made this track that nostalgia baits off the Bob Marley classic a success over here. It wasn't Warren G's final success over there as he still has one more entry to appear on this list.

Whereas these guys remain a one hit wonder to this day here in Australia with "Tha crossroads," they would have hits over in NZ as recently as 2007 meaning that they had so much more to offer in their catalogue that the kiwis gravitated towards back in the day. This was just one of the many other hits they had over there which admittedly was also a huge success in their native America this year.

Given how he had one of the biggest hits of the year in NZ around this time, it only makes sense that Keith Sweat's other big hit in his native America would also be a success over there given how it uses the same formula as "Twisted" with the chorus from Kut Klose connecting his verses together.

Apparently, there was this black comedy (in more ways than one as it had a predominantly black cast) known as Booty call which was panned by critics at the time for being considered too vulgar, this was back when stuff like Beavis and Butthead and the Bloodhound gang were considered critical darlings mind you. The film had a theme song from SWV and Missy Elliott, this being the first hit the latter had anywhere in the world.

OK I'm not even going to mention ANY of the controversies that R Kelly has been involved with on this site as this is meant to be a safe space for that type of thing, instead I'll be focusing on his music which includes this theme song to the Looney tunes film Space jam which also stars Michael Jordan in the leading role. This is by far the song that is best affiliated with the film and so was a natural choice for the soundtrack's lead single.

Even though this is credited as a Lil Kim track, it's really a posse cut with her, Da Brat, Left Eye Lopez from TLC, Missy Elliott and Angie Martinez and was made for the Nothing to lose soundtrack of all things. Apparently, this is a remix of a song from her debut album given how it heavily samples the Kool and the Gang classic "Ladies night," naturally it's flipped so that it's about the girls not putting out for their male audience.

This was the last hit that Coolio had in NZ, it was a lot more pop friendly compared to his other work which is perhaps why it was a hit but also largely forgotten in his catalogue in recent years.

Well, this feels even more out of place on this list than it did on the Australian side of my site, although it's worth noting that the kiwis had already made this a hit two months prior to it ever touching our charts back in the day. I guess this being an instant success in the band's native UK compelled the kiwis to make this an instant success over there which led to us Aussies following suit later in the year.

Given how this was more in the EDM genre than anything, it makes sense that this wasn't as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia and White town's native UK. Still with how catchy this song is as well as the possibility of it being the first song to be from the perspective of a trans woman, there was little doubt that this was going to be a success over there upon its initial release.

This was one of only two hits that Foxy Brown had in NZ, although I get the feeling this was more a hit over there due to the chorus provided to her by Blackstreet who were among the most popular artists of the moment. Foxy was a protegee of Jay Z, which is impressive considering she was only eighteen when she released this as a single which goes to show you how competent she was as a rapper at that age.

This was the third hit that Warren G scored off his second album in NZ, it's a song that features one of the Isley brothers on the chorus to help connect his verses together which was essentially the formula of all of his big hits throughout the 90's. It appears even the kiwis grew tired of this formula as he didn't have any more hits after this.

Although this was released on time over in NZ due to how successful En Vogue was throughout the decade over there, the trade-off was that it was far less popular over there than it was over here given how much lower this appears on this list compared to the Australian side of my site. It could also be that this was the second single over there from the widely popular Set it off which was a huge critical and commercial success.

This was the final big hit that Boyz II Men were able to achieve anywhere in the world, I'm not sure why their popularity took such a massive nosedive this far into the decade given how there were still plenty of RNB groups copying their style finding massive success around the world. I guess once you dominated the Billboard charts for over four months with the same song, you're bound to have people get sick of you.

This was the first song that Wyclef Jean had as a lead artist in NZ, or at least technically it is as he recruits the Refugee Allstars on this track which is comprised of a former bandmate of his from the Fugees Pras making this a Fugees track but without Lauryn Hill. This song has become notorious over the years for sampling "Staying alive" from the Bee Gees, it's not even the first hit in the 90's to do so.

It looks like Naughty by nature were able to get in one more big hit in NZ with this single from the Nothing to lose soundtrack, it appears that this was an excellent time for soundtrack singles given how this is the third hit to come from that film following Lil Kim and Coolio's entries. Sadly, this would be the last the kiwis would hear from the hip hop group, although we Aussies gave them a hit with "Holiday" in 2000.

This was the first big hit that Pras Michel had without the other two members of the Fugees anywhere in the world, although here he teams up with another rapper by the name of John Forte as they both sample "Electric Avenue" from Eddy Grant for this theme song to a film known as Money talks. From what I can gather, the film was a critical disaster due to it having Chris Tucker and Charlie Sheen as its leads.

I mentioned on an earlier list that these guys had a massive hit this year over in NZ, here it is which is more in line with a typical west coast track as opposed to the funky new jack swing that permeated their success during the first half of the decade over there and in their native America. As it turns out, their fellow American's didn't want to hear anymore from these guys which resulted in this flopping on Billboard.

This was MJ's last hit anywhere in the world, naturally it was as such because his real-life antics hadn't quite caught up with him when he released this and the remix album it came from and as such, fans were able to still appreciate his music without feeling shame for enjoying it.

This was the only other big hit from the Space jam soundtrack in NZ, although the fact that an otherwise unsuccessful soundtrack spawned two big hits over there is impressive considering the film has a polarising reception to this day. Fans of the film (which includes me) love it for being an update of the Looney Tunes formula for (then) modern audiences whilst fanboys of the original hate it for being a vanity project for Michael Jordan.

There won't be as many double entries on the NZ side of this site given how the kiwis seemed to have a more competitive music scene during the late 90's, one of the few exceptions was the fourth and fifth singles from the Spice Girl's debut album which were bundled together over there like they were everywhere else in the world so that it wouldn't take up space during the album cycle of their second album.

Unlike here in Australia where this only became a success due to it being bundled with the official anthem for the 1998 FIFA world cup, this was an instant success in NZ for Ricky Martin albeit only a moderate success hence its lower placement on this list. Indeed, Ricky would overall have much less success over there throughout his career despite him having more entries overall on this side of my site.

Well, this is a song that I'm sure has never caused any controversies over the years, OK putting aside it's title, this song has been nothing but controversial in the mainstream from its lyrics to the video which is definitely not safe for work to talk about (let alone show.) It was a huge worldwide success for the band due to the controversy, although it only managed to appear on the NZ side of this site.

This is the only hit that teenage singer Shola Ama was able to achieve outside of her native UK, although like many British artists of the day (especially those in the RNB camp) she was far more successful in her homeland. Here she puts her spin on an obscure track from the late 70's that went over well with her fellow Brits and the kiwis, although not so much with us Aussies given how this flopped here.

You'd think that this song and indeed all of the singles from the Velvet rope would've been far more popular over in NZ than they were here in Australia, although at least in this case I can see the kiwis being unfamiliar with the Janis Joplin classic that this song heavily samples from as that was a huge flop over there from what I can gather as opposed to it being a genuine hit here back in the day.

This was also a bigger hit in NZ than their second single "Where's the love" like it was in their native America I guess the kiwis preferred the slow ballads from the boys as well as their earlier entry on this list than a genuine bop like that track is.

This was the final hit that Bryan Adams was able to achieve in NZ, admittedly this was more of a Barbra Streisand track as it came from her film the Mirror has two faces which was a critical and commercial success around this time. You may have noticed that Bryan was another name from the 90's that didn't have nearly as much success in NZ as he did throughout the rest of the world with these entries.

Although it was panned by critics back in the day, Snoop Dogg's second album Tha doggfather did yield a few moderate hits including this track where he interpolates "Ooops upside your head" from the Gap band with the full endorsement of their frontman Charlie Wilson as he provides him a chorus with an update of the original. This is the second time the song was a success as an interpolation following Snap's usage of it.

The success that Savage Garden had with their first album in NZ was a bit of an inverse to what they achieved in America, this and "Break me shake me" were the two big hits over there whereas "I want you" and "Truly madly deeply" were their big hits on Billboard. In any case, this became their first big hit over there following the buzz that their debut single had given them earlier in the year.

I'm not sure why this wasn't as popular in NZ or the trio's native America this year as it was here in Australia, I'm guessing it didn't have that novelty factor that "Mmmbop" had and wasn't a ballad like their previous entry was which made it not worthy of much of either countries time. Still, this was a massive hit back in the day in both countries which further proves how inaccurate their label of a one hit wonder is.

Well, here's that second hit that the Bloodhound gang were able to score in NZ this year, it's not as much in poor taste as the two songs that were on the Australian side of this site, but it's obvious that's the sort of humour that the kiwis had when making this a success for the band. If you couldn't tell from the title, this song is about how the narrator feels like he's being bullied by everyone and doesn't know why.

It's interesting that this is the only other appearance that Babyface will be making on this side of this site given how he did score a couple of other minor hits in NZ and his native America around this time that simply failed to rack up the points to make their appearance on here. I would've been surprised if this failed to make the cut not only because it was a hit here in Australia but also due to Stevie Wonder's presence.

I guess the kiwis weren't as sympathetic to Meredith Brooks declaring herself as a bitch as we Aussies were given how much less popular this was over there than it was over here, then again, it doesn't escape my notice that Alanis Morissette was far less popular over there, suggesting the kiwis just didn't want to hear abrasive music from these women as much as we Aussies did.

Although I did mention that their earlier entry and "Break me shake me" were the two big hits that Savage Garden had over in NZ, this worldwide chart topper of theirs was a big sleeper hit over there this year which allowed it to reappear on this side of my site even if its popularity like the other songs from the duo's debut album was but a fraction of what it achieved here and in America.

From what I can gather, these girls were part of the Mo thugs family supergroup who scored a massive hit with their earlier entry on this list exclusively in NZ, it would appear that the kiwis wanted to hear more from the women who provided the chorus to the big hit that the group had.

This was yet another hit to come from the Set it off soundtrack in NZ this year, the film must've really connected with the kiwis as no fewer than six songs from the album found varying degrees of success over there with this entry from Bone thugs n harmony being one of the less popular from the album.

Blackstreet were on a roll this year in NZ as they were able to score a third hit from their breakthrough album over there with this bop, although I get the feeling this crossed over due to the presence of Ol Dirty Bastard and Guns n roses guitarist Slash which predictably made this a bit of a genre mashup upon its initial release.

This was a moderate success for U2 in NZ like it was everywhere else in the world, it went to number one over there which I suppose is something.

We have another RNB girl group to feature on this list, this time it's from the short-lived girl band Shades who scored their second hit in NZ with this track that heavily samples the Spandau ballet song "True" (apparently the song remains a favourite for samplers to this day.) The other hit these guys had over there was with "Tell me" which failed to rack up the points to appear on this site.

This was the theme song to 2Pac's final film Gridlockd, it's a buddy comedy about a group of musicians who are struggling with a drug addiction with him, Tim Roth and Thandie Newton looking to kick their habits and go straight (that is, clean themselves up from drugs.) The film was a critical success but was unfortunately a commercial flop, likely due to fans of 2Pac being too mournful to see their idol struggling with addiction on screen after his death.

Bet you didn't know that Shaggy released an album between Boombastic and Hot shot, did you? Well, it turns out he did, and this was the one and only single he released from said album due to how much of a failure it was everywhere in the world except for NZ.

This is the only appearance from a member of the Wu tang clan on this site as a lead artist (there have been several entries that had Ol Dirty Bastard as a guest rapper on this site so far) here we have the one and only hit from Ghostface Killah as a lead artist which became a surprise hit in NZ and his native America following the commercial breakthrough of his rap posse in his homeland.

It appears that the kiwis were willing to give U2 a second hit from their album this year as this managed to become a modest success over there long enough to qualify for this list of mine.

I guess the trade-off for "Pony" not being as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia this year was that Ginuwine could have a second hit over there with his own rendition of this Prince classic, this being here would also explain the absence of Quindon Tarver's rendition from the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack despite how massive his rendition was on our charts.

You know how nowadays we have a ton of producers committing artistic grave robbery in order to promote a deceased artists work for prophet? Well, it turns out both Dr Dre and Puff Daddy decided to do just that back in the day by having their biggest clients respectively duet with each other posthumously on this track that went over well with the kiwis and was even a minor hit here in Australia.

This was the other hit that Foxy Brown managed to achieve in NZ this year, this time she recruits Dru hill who themselves were seeing a surge in popularity in their native America this year even if they wouldn't find any international success until "How deep is your love" crossed over two years later.

While I did mention earlier on this list that this song was quickly pulled from shelves over in NZ (lasting a mere month on their charts as opposed to a full season here in Australia) the fact that this still makes an appearance on this side of my site should tell you how inescapably popular this novelty track was throughout the world giving how it racked up the points necessary to make the cut on this list.

This was a hectic year for Snoop Dogg given how many appearances he's racked up on this list alone, although his winning streak would come to an end once his murder trial concluded due to him making a bunch of critically panned albums following his acquittal that few if anyone likes to even talk about.

We have yet another RNB girl group to achieve moderate success this year in NZ, this time it's 702 who are perhaps best known for their big Billboard hit "Where my girls at" from two years later but also achieved massive success in their native America with this entry upon its initial release.

This could've and should've been the final song released from 2pac/Makaveli given how it came from the final project the rapper completed in his lifetime and was the final single to be released from said album, alas he would continue to find success from beyond the grave well into the new millennium despite this being the perfect ending to a career that was admittedly cut rather short.