Michael Bivins, a founding member of New Edition and part of the trio Bell Biv Devoe, struck commercial gold as the manager/producer of this Atlanta pre-teen quintet. Chris Sellers, Dave Shelton, Romell Chapman, and brothers Marliss and Demetrius Pugh landed a platinum release with Coolin' at the Playground Ya' Know! for Motown in 1991. Both... [+] Read More

Yes No

One of the top R&B vocal groups of the '90s, Blackstreet was founded by singer, producer, and new jack swing pioneer Teddy Riley after the breakup of his seminal trio Guy. Riley had taken a few years to concentrate on his booming production career, which saw him working with Wreckx-N-Effect, Bobby Brown, Michael Jackson, and SWV, among others.... [+] Read More

Yes No

According to no less an authority than the RIAA, Boyz II Men are the most commercially successful R&B group of all time. They've sold ludicrous numbers of records and been involved in three of the longest-running number-one pop singles in history, and they've done it as a unit of equals. In fact, their four-part harmonies blend so smoothly that... [+] Read More

Yes No

Although not as well-known as other New York hip-hop acts of the early '80s, Staten Island's Force M.D.'s were a vital crew in the early history of street hip-hop and one of the first vocal groups to fuse doo wop-influenced harmonies with hip-hop beats. Originally a street troupe known as the LD's, the group sang and danced on Greenwich Village... [+] Read More

Yes No

The female R&B quartet For Real formed in 1993, releasing their first album, It's a Natural Thang, one year later on A&M Records. Promoted by their inclusion on the multi-platinum soundtrack to the film Waiting to Exhale, the group moved to Rowdy Records in 1996 and released Free. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Yes No

A Southwestern teen R&B ensemble, Hi-Five has found success with a sound that updates elements of The Jackson Five and New Edition. Tony Thompson, Roderick Clark, Russell Neal, Marcus Sanders, and Toriano Easley were the original members. Treston Irby replaced Easley on their second release. Hi-Five debuted with Hi-Five on Jive in 1990. They... [+] Read More

Yes No

If Boyz II Men are portrayed as a clean-cut, wholesome R&B vocal group, then Jodeci's wild, sexual, bad-boy image represents the other side of the coin. Made up of two sets of brothers, the group's name is a consolidation of three members' aliases: "JoJo" Hailey, Donald "DeVante Swing" DeGrate, and Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey; the group also includes... [+] Read More

Yes No

Formed in the early '80s in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Mint Condition began as lead singer Stokley Williams, guitarist Homer O'Dell, keyboardist Larry Waddell, keyboardist/saxophonist Jeff Allen, keyboardist/guitarist Keri Lewis, and guitarist/bassist Rick Kinchen.

The six talented musicians combine a variety of influences and... [+] Read More

Yes No

New York City rap duo Gregg Nice (born Gregg Mays) and Smooth Bee (born Daryl Barnes) had an underrated 1991 debut release Ain't a Damn Thing Changed. It included the biting, nicely written, and bitterly performed "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow," which was a sizable hit in the R&B and hip-hop circuit. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

Yes No

Troop was a California teen band that got its start by winning $1000 in a talent show in the mid-'80s. The Pasadena, California group were then signed to Atlantic, and their debut single, "Mamacita," reached number two on the R&B charts in 1989. It was modeled after their inspiration, New Edition, whose "Cool It Now" they had lip synched to win... [+] Read More

Yes No