There’s no denying the beauty and brilliance of the Black man. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge that in the 1990s, God was seemingly handing out premium face cards to a handful of our favorite Black actors and musicians. We’d also be inauthentic if we also didn’t express our subsequent anger and disappointment at the revelation that He seemingly stopped putting these types of fine men into production as soon as that decade was over.
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It’s in that spirit of appreciation that we felt it fitting to take a leisurely stroll to look at a handful of our favorite ‘90s heartthrobs — then and now — to reminisce and pray that God somehow hears our prayers and starts reissuing this kind of fineness again.
Morris “My Forever Chocolate King” Chestnut. Blame it on “The Best Man,” “Like Mike,” or “Reasonable Doubt”—either way it goes, it’s got to be a sin for Morris to just keep looking better and better with each project and each passing year. Between his smooth melanin and his blindingly white smile, there’s truly no one like Chestnut. He is the prototype.
RonReaco Lee
Talk about somebody whose face card and fineness doesn’t decline—that would be none other than RonReaco Lee. If you fell in love with him as “Tyreke Scott” in “Sister, Sister,” then you’ll be happy to know that he’s still just as good looking now as he was all those years ago (if not more, if you can imagine).
Cress Williams
Cress Williams will always be “Scooter” in our eyes thanks to his long stint on “Living Single,” but he’s definitely turned into “Scooter 2.0" as the years have gone by thanks to amazing roles in “Black Lightening” and more. We’ll never get tired of seeing his handsome face!
Damon Wayans
It’s almost as if the entire Wayans bloodline had stipulations for all of the brothers to be fine in addition to being funny because that’s definitely the case for Damon Wayans. That silver beard just makes him look that much more refined!
Shemar Moore
If there was anybody young and restless back in the 90's, it was every girl who couldn’t help but swoon at the sight of a young Shemar Moore back in the day. But let’s be clear, we’ll gladly accept the current Shemar’s invitation to be one of his baby girls any day!
Method Man
Method Man’s evolution to fine rapper to irresistible “zaddy” has been one for the books and we have no one to thank but his parents and God for blessing him with these good genes.
Larenz Tate
If you were to tell us Larenz Tate was the same age in both photos, we might be willing to believe you. That’s how flawlessly fine he is. Whatever you’re doing Larenz, keep it up. PLEASE, KEEP IT UP!
Taye Diggs
The thing that makes Taye Diggs so fine isn’t just his rich skin and stellar smile— it’s his personality. That, coupled with the insanely hilarious dance moves that we’ve seen him bust out on TikTok, just makes us all remember why we love him year after year.
Terrence Howard
Terrence Howard’s eyes are like swimming pools of the finest honey and brown sugar. Even when he’s playing somebody as problematic as Luscious Lyon on “Empire,” you could almost excuse his bad behavior by just taking one good look at his handsome face.
Blair Underwood
We’re not sure if there’s another actor that’s as beautiful, smooth and debonair as Blair Underwood and, honestly, if there was, we’re not sure if we could take it. There’s always been something about Underwood that’s undeniably amazing and seeing him get better with age like a fine wine is utterly delicious.
Lenny Kravitz
There’s a reason why Lenny Kravitz has a stigma of being nearly every woman’s “hall pass,” (if you know, you know.) From the locs to the sultry eyes to the effortless cool energy he oozes—there’s no one doing it quite like him.
LL Cool J
We know mama said knock you out, but before you take a swing—can you promise us that fine-ass LL Cool J will be in our dreams when we’re lights out? You know, for journalistic research purposes, of course.
Will Smith
Fine and funny? Look no further than Will Smith. Even though he played the cool yet silly cousin on “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” there’s nothing to laugh at when it comes to how handsome he’s continued to look as the years have gone by.
Tyrese
Tyrese, have we told you we loved you lately? We know you can do a bit much on social media from time to time (OK, more like on a regular basis), but we’ve got to give you credit where credit is due and that’s on your handsome face and your soulful voice.
Ginuwine
If there’s anyone that’s so anxious at the thought of how fine Ginuwine was back in the 90s and how fine he still is nowadays, it’s us. If we faint, just call him—he’ll know what to do.
Usher
They don’t call him U-S-H-E-R R-A-Y-M-O-N-D for no reason. The way Usher’s been stealing hearts and making women lose their absolute minds (and more) should be a crime. But give us the handcuffs though...we’ll take it from there.
Jamie Foxx
Much like Will Smith, Jamie Foxx is also one of the main ambassadors of the Fine and Funny Men Division. With a smile that’ll invoke one of your own and vocal pipes that’ll make you float to another time and place, let’s all take a moment to bless God for Jamie Foxx.
Marlon and Shawn Wayans
If you watched “The Wayans Brothers “back in the day, then you know it was hard to decipher which sibling you were crushing on more in each episode. (Author’s note: my vote mostly swayed towards Shawn, but Marlon is an undeniable looker, too.) What’s better than one hot and hilarious man? TWO!
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