Don’t Be Cruel: The 30th Anniversary

Continuing on the subject of New Edition’s 30th anniversary of “Heart Break”, Bobby Brown, who at the time was no longer a part of the group, released his sophomore breakout album the same day. “Don’t Be Cruel” was not only a mega hit for Bobby, but the album was stamped as one of the staples for the New Jack Swing movement at the time in R&B music. Also stamped as one of the greatest albums in R&B history, Bobby was on top of the world. Winning awards, killing stages, music videos, and doing interviews, it was a great time in R&B music to witness something that big. To be a huge success outside of your group while they’re also getting bigger with a new member, it’s hard to ignore the slight competition that was going on and placed on the fellas by the industry. This was all just a master plan to see who would flop and who wouldn’t. Pure R&B brilliance. “Don’t Be Cruel” was done by the man himself, Teddy Riley. The man who at the time was with Guy and their album was just out weeks ago. The album also gave birth to and open doors for future R&B acts like Usher, Omarion, and Chris Brown. 30 years of pure greatness and it’s still untouched. An album that signifies a revolution in a young man’s rise to the top. Reminding the world also that it’s his way, it’s his prerogative and that’s the way he just wanna live. Not giving a care about what others say but unapologetically just being Bobby Brown, the original bad boy of R&B.