Tag: Classic R&B

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. 

Heart Break: The 30th Anniversary

The group that we all were used to in the beginning were the bubblegum pop little boys from Boston, Massachusetts. They were from the ghetto but the music never reflected that. Their first four albums were all teeny boppish/R&B music until one member was replaced and they were much older. With a new member in the group and a new sound and image, the masterpiece was their fifth album. On June 20th, 1988, New Edition released their highly anticipated fifth album “Heart Break.” With an already steady and heavy fanbase, the fellas really came back more mature and polished with a sound to reflect that and it was far away from what their fans were used to. With Johnny Gill on board now, it was bound to be a smash, a hit. The fellas could do absolutely no wrong this time around. Between 1988 and 1990, the album had six singles and it went double platinum by RIAA. The masters behind the sound of the album were none other than the super producer team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The same guys who were responsible for giving Janet Jackson “Control” and helping Janet become a breakout superstar. The team had the magic touch to give the same energy to New Edition. On this album, Johnny does most of the lead vocals besides Ralph, another thing that fans weren’t used to. The group was not only a success with this album but now their careers were much bigger and headed down a different direction. Crazy enough, the same day this album dropped, Bobby Brown also releases his breakout sophomore album called “Don’t Be Cruel.” A master plan to garner the success and attention the same time as your group to see whether or not who would flop. In the end, this was a memorable day for New Edition fans. A memorable day in R&B history. It’s just like when A Tribe Called Quest dropped “Midnight Marauders” the same day Wu-Tang Clan’s debut album “Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” but for R&B.