The Black Flames
An R&B trio signed to Def Jam, these fellas made their first appearance in 1987 on the ‘Less Than Zero’ soundtrack (produced by Def Jam) which also included LL Cool J’s “Going Back to Cali” and Public Enemy’s “Bring The Noise”. They released only one album entitled “The Black Flames” featuring a New Jack remake of the hit song “Watching You”, and a second single entitled “Dance With Me”. In sound, the Black Flames were a lot like Tony Toni Tone – the lead singer sounding very much like Raphael Saadiq.
Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown was an original member of New Edition. In early 1986 at a show New Edition was performing in Oakland, Bobby decided he didn’t want to be a bugglegum pop singer anymore, and walked offstage after a disagreement with group member Michael Bivins flared mid-performance. After the show was over, Bobby reemerged by himself and rocked the crowd on his own for several more minutes – at that moment, Bobby knew he was destined for solo success.
By late 1986, Bobby’s debut album ‘King Of Stage’ was released on MCA records featuring the hits “Girlfriend” and “Girl Next Door”, which were both successful among urban audiences. By 1988 however, MCA had teamed Bobby up with producers Teddy Riley, and LA & Babyface, and the resulting album ‘Don’t Be Cruel’ would bring New Jack Swing music to the masses for the first time.
Scoring six top ten singles between 1988 and 1989 (“Don’t Be Cruel”, “My Prerogative”, “Roni”, “Every Little Step”, “Rock Witcha”, and “On Our Own”), Bobby Brown quickly became a bona fide superstar. What is most notable about Bobby Brown was that every single he released went top ten during the New Jack era, with “My Prerogative” becoming the second biggest #1 hit record of 1989.
For the next two years, Bobby Brown generated excitement everywhere he went. Bobby’s 1990 performances at the American Music Awards and Soul Train Music Awards were easily the best at both ceremonies. Bobby Brown also helped Glenn Medeiros score a #1 single with “She Ain’t Worth It”, as well as appearing on Babyface’s “Tender Lover” single remix. In September 1990, Bobby regrouped onstage with New Edition for a reunion performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, and also appeared briefly in BBD’s ‘I Thought It Was Me’ video, adding star power to the group.
In 1991, Bobby made his last guest appearance on Ralph Tresvant’s “Stone Cold Gentleman” before returning to the studio to record his follow-up to ‘Don’t Be Cruel’, 1992’s ‘Bobby’. It was around this time that Bobby Brown started getting serious about his relationship to fellow pop/R&B star Whitney Houston. By the time 1992 rolled around, the New Jack Swing era was over, which undoubtedly hindered the success of the ‘Bobby’ album, considered a commercial disappointment when compared to Bobby’s previous chart performance during the New Jack era. Bobby married Whitney in the summer of 1992.
While the ‘Bobby’ album had three hits: “Humpin Around”, “Good Enough”, and “Get Away”, these songs weren’t as memorable as “Every Little Step” and “My Prerogative”. To make matters worse, Bobby had lost the majority of his suburban audience when they decided to turn their attention to acts like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. By1993’s end, Bobby Brown wouldn’t be seen in performance until the New Edition Home Again reunion campaign three years later.
Although Bobby Brown experienced his commercial peak during the New Jack era, his impact on R&B since then cannot be denied. Bobby Brown still remains the most commercially successful Black male artist of all time since Michael Jackson; he has influenced artists such as Usher, Sisqo, Tyrese, Ginuwine, R.Kelly, and countless others. Bobby Brown is truly legendary figure in New Jack Swing history.
The Boys
Taj, Bilal, Hakeem and Khiry Abdulsamad formed the quartet known as ‘The Boys’. In 1988, their first single (produced by L.A. & Babyface) “Dial My Heart” became an instant smash on both pop and R&B radio. The sound of the boys was pure New Jack Swing, with a dash of the bubblegum 80s sounds of New Edition. They released three albums during their run: ‘Messages From The Boys’, ‘The Boys’, and ‘The Saga Continues’.
During the commercial peak of their careers, the Boys were able to share the stage with the New Kids On The Block when they opened for them on the 'Hangin Tough' tour in the summer 1989. They had also taped a sitcom pilot for ABC, which never evolved into a series.*
Other notable songs from their run included “Happy”, “A Little Romance” (from ‘Messages’), “Crazy”, “This Thing Called Love”, “Thank You”, (from ‘The Boys’), “The Saga Must Continue”, “I’m Yours” (The Saga Continues). By the beginning of 1993 (the end of the New Jack Era), we never heard any more from the Boys, except a guest vocal by Taj on Classic Example’s “Alright” (‘South Central’ Soundtrack), and production credits by Hakeem on Bobby Brown’s ‘Remixes in The Key of B”.
*Additional reporting courtesy of Jabar Robbins