As I was talking with my aunts and uncles about the state of music today and what’s missing, I came upon an epiphany that made me ask a question? What happened to all the R&B groups in hip hop? I remember growing up listening to quartets of four or men and women harmonizing together in unison. Groups like Boyz II Men, Jodeci, Shai, 112, Total, BBD and a bunch of others that used to set the standards of music in what was considered the golden age of hip hop music. So where are all the groups now? I don’t mean bringing back Boyz II Men, there should be a new wave of groups to usher in a new era of love themed music.
Pop music hasn’t lost its love for boy bands. Groups such as One Direction, 5 Seconds of Summer, The Vamps, Midnight Red and others are keeping the teenage girl crush alive with a fresh supply of pretty boy vocals and an assortment of personality all driven to keep you downloading their music. If boy bands are as lucrative as ever in getting high album sales and record breaking tours it should seem like a no brainer that R&B groups should want to cash in.
The assemblage of male voices, while dancing on stage to a beat follows in a long tradition in African-American music. Back in the 1950’s and 60’s and all the way through to the present day groups like The Temptations, Earth, Wind, and Fire, Kool and the Gang all the way to Destiny’s Child, while they weren’t men they certainly had a place in their genres. I only hope that someone is smart enough to recognize the gap that is missing and fill it with personalities that can be a cohesive unit that elevates the music and doesn’t fill it with more watered down, overly sexual individuals who care about making great music and building a legacy rather than just a person who makes a single for the moment.
Do you think it’s time we have another R&B group in hip hop?
