Happy 25th Anniversary to Jennifer Lopez’s debut studio album On the 6, originally released June 1, 1999.
Twenty-five years separated from the release of her first studio album On the 6, it’s hard to imagine the popular music landscape of today without Jennifer Lopez. For the Bronx born and reared Puerto Rican firebrand, all aspects of arts and entertainment held an equal place in her heart, but it was dance that provided her with the initial path into public sight. Lopez featured as a “Fly Girl” on the beloved sketch comedy program In Living Color from 1991 to 1993; once that dance troupe gig concluded, Lopez began doing the Hollywood rounds to test her mettle as an actress.
Several minor roles led to her breakout performance in 1995’s Money Train where she starred as New York City detective Grace Santiago opposite Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. Post-Money Train, films spanning many genres came fast and furious with Lopez turning out strong performances in all of them. Most notable among this early batch of movies were Selena (1997) and Out of Sight (1998).
During this frantic period, Lopez began mulling over formally pursuing a recording career. When the longtime home of Lopez’s crossover foremother Gloria Estefan—Sony/Epic Records—expressed an interest in working with her, Lopez abandoned any hesitation to sign onto the label’s smaller subsidiary, Work Records.
Construction began straightaway on Lopez’s debut offering, On the 6. The long player’s title came from the number 6 subway line in New York City that Lopez rode in her youth and showed how much personal significance this project held for the aspiring singer. But, finding an artistically credible and commercially viable spot for herself in the crowded popular music scene of the late 1990s posed a challenge. And what a scene it was—neo-soul poets, alternative pop-rock acts, hip-hop icons and pre-fab pop upstarts were all vying for attention. This is to say nothing of the post-Gloria Estefan wave of Latin pop artists steadily gaining traction in the English-language market.
Thankfully, the support system aiding Lopez couldn’t have been better. Musicians, producers and writers of all stripes—some of which included Cory Rooney, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Lawrence Dermer, Dan Shea, Ric Wake, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Emilio and Gloria Estefan—contributed songs influenced by pop, hip-hop, Latin, dance and R&B vibes. However, Lopez is the individual that brings all these genres into an aurally appetizing whole on wax. And in a flash of her ever entrepreneurial and creative spirit, Lopez co-writes four of the album’s fifteen tracks.
Now, there are some pieces that solely operate in one genre on the LP. The hip-hop soul of “Feelin’ So Good”—which sports handsome appearances from Fat Joe and the late Big Pun—takes successful aim at Lopez’s way with an urban-pop groove—soon to be an enduring sonic staple of her discography. The moody synth-funk jam “If You Had My Love” and the clubby Latin number “Let’s Get Loud” further demonstrate Lopez’s ability to function in one sonic space, if required.
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Yet, On the 6 excels best when it embraces its composite pop ethos as heard on the electronica and Latin pop fusion of “Waiting for Tonight” or the quirky coalescence of bossa nova accents and light hip-hop rhythms on “Open Off My Love.”
Sweetly tuneful on these songs and throughout the mass of On the 6, Lopez acquits herself accordingly as a singer. In fact, it is a diverse clutch of downtempo compositions—“Should’ve Never,” “(Theme From Mahogany) Do You Know Where You’re Going To?,” and “No Me Ames”—that showcase Lopez’s charismatic and emotive vocal range.
Smooth, amorously charged, but ultimately understated, “Should’ve Never” is a canon highlight for Lopez that could have found wider visibility had it been elected as a single. Whereas “Should’ve Never” is an original cut, “(Theme from Mahogany) Do You Know Where You’re Going To?” and “No Me Ames” are audacious covers Lopez makes her own while remaining respectful to their roots. The former chart-topping selection was firstly rendered by soul icon Diana Ross in 1976 for her second feature film, Mahogany. Only included on the Japanese pressing of On the 6 as its concluding track, Lopez strips her version down and sparsely dresses it in Latin jazz and AC pop effects. Within this arrangement, Lopez’s sensitive reading is the focal point.
The latter track—“No Me Ames” (Don’t Love Me)—began as a duet (“Non Amarmi”) in 1993 courtesy of Italian vocalists Aleandro Baldi and Francesca Alotta. The selection came up in a friendly conversation between Lopez and powerhouse singer (and her eventual third husband) Marc Anthony as a suggestion to partner together on a rendition of the song for Lopez’s first set. She accepted Anthony’s offer and he subsequently assigned Ignacio Ballesteros to translate the lyrics from Italian to Spanish. Recorded in both ballad and uptempo configurations, Lopez and Anthony’s chemistry is obviously apparent on “No Me Ames.” Wildly popular when serviced as a single from On the 6, “No Me Ames” went on to receive two Latin Grammy nominations in 2000 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo/Group with Vocals and Best Music Video.
On June 1, 1999, On the 6 arrived in stores and Lopez was triumphant. Buoyed by its five singles—“If You Had My Love,” “No Me Ames,” “Waiting for Tonight,” “Feelin’ So Good,” and “Let’s Get Loud”—On the 6 instantly established Lopez as a competitive presence in popular music domestically and abroad. In total, On the 6 shifted over eight million copies worldwide and put Lopez on track to release nine more albums that have collectively moved over 80 million copies globally. Her most recent recording This Is Me...Now (2024) stands as her most ambitious offering yet.
Today, Lopez’s pop culture permanence is so strong that one assumes that it wasn’t a risk for a promising young actress of color to try and branch into another vocation so vastly different than the one she occupied at the time. It was most certainly a risk, but Lopez’s commitment to her music led On the 6 to connect with audiences and level any barrier she might have encountered. Years later, people still love that vibrant enthusiasm contained within the contents of On the 6, an album that confirmed Lopez’s continued rise as a superstar of her own making.
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Editor's note: this anniversary tribute was originally published in 2019 and has since been edited for accuracy and timeliness.