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

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Urban contemporary vocalist Chris Walker spent his childhood in Houston, playing gospel music. He moved to New York City, where he became Ornette Coleman's bass player for two and a half years. Walker then toured with Regina Belle, where he soon became musical director. When Belle noticed his fine voice, she gradually worked his vocals into her... [+] Read More

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Dakota Moon is an unusual urban R&B group, one that's equally influenced by Boyz II Men and '70s soft rock, such as Eric Clapton and James Taylor. The group is comprised of Ty Taylor (guitar, vocals), Ray Artis (bass, vocals), Malloy (percussion, vocals), and Joe Dean (guitar, vocals). Taylor and Artis were New York natives; Malloy and Joe Dean... [+] Read More

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Freak Nasty was hardly a talented rapper -- he was clumsy and often tripped over his rhymes -- but he did manage to write an incessantly catchy song with "Da Dip." After his first album, Freak Nasty, failed to make an impact in 1994, the Southern-based rapper seemed destined to fade away. Instead, he and his production team concocted the... [+] Read More

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Gucci Crew was one of the most prolific and crucial Miami booty-bass groups during the '80s and early '90s; when all was said and done, they had released five studio albums and one compilation. Each studio album was released on the group's own label. They debuted with a self-titled album in 1983 and followed it with 1989's What Time Is It? It's... [+] Read More

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San Francisco's Psychefunkapus was a hybrid of funk, ska, metal, rockabilly, and progressive elements led by Jonnie Axtell and Atom Ellis. They released two albums for Atlantic, 1990's self-titled debut and 1991's Skin, before disbanding. Axtell went on to play with Gene Genie and Ellis played with Dieselhed throughout the rest of the '90s.... [+] Read More

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Brothers Dwayne and Raphael Wiggins and cousin Timothy Christian have proven themselves durable guardians of the soul and funk tradition, while also infusing their music with enough contemporary devices to remain popular. This Oakland trio scored a number one R&B hit right out of the box in 1988 with "Little Walter," a song that generated some... [+] Read More

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R&B singer Tyrese began his career at the age of 14, performing in local talent shows around his home in Los Angeles' Watts section; his big break came when he starred in a commercial for Coca-Cola, shortly followed in 1998 by his self-titled debut album for RCA. He followed three years later with 2000 Watts. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

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