The Song Planner

R&B Boy Band

tagStarted 1988Peak 1991-1994Last big hit 1996

Located in 1 route

R&B / Soul → New Jack Swing / 80s-90s R&B

Young male vocal groups riding new jack swing: tight four- and five-part harmony and lead ad-libs over swung hip-hop grooves, alternating uptempo swingbeat with doo-wop-tinged slow jams. Matching choreography, traded leads and gospel-honed runs — the harmony-group tradition retrofitted onto early-90s drum programming.

History

New Edition's late-80s pivot and its spin-offs seeded the format; Boyz II Men's 'Cooleyhighharmony' (1991) sold over nine million, pairing Motown harmony with new jack uptempo. Groups like Hi-Five, Shai and Color Me Badd followed on the swingbeat/balladry split, making youthful male harmony a commercial pillar of early-90s R&B radio.

Defining artists

Essential listening

← Explore R&B / Soul

Sources

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyz_II_Men
  • https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/fall-out-boy-boyz-ii-men-tear-through-motownphilly-on-kimmel-43247/
  • https://www.thewrap.com/the-14-best-new-edition-bobby-brown-bell-biv-devoe-songs-ranked/