Quick question: the hell happened to all the R&B groups?
Remember when every other week, there was a new act that consisted of three to five members? When names like Boyz II Men, SWV, TLC, Jodeci, and En Vogue were in the forefront, and every new group that came out was compared to them? Solo artists did their thing no doubt, but groups played a big part in the sound of R&B in the ’90s (and every decade prior, too).
Of course, some of them were derivative and random as all hell, while others were so non-descript that they had no presence whatsoever. But a lot of the best music from that time period- even if it was just one song- came from trios, quartets, and quintets. The current lack thereof is something that I feel is a void in the music today, because there’s so much focus on solo artists now. There’s definitely some who are stars of their own merit, but there’s also some who’d possibly be much better off in a team effort.
As sorely missed as the group element is, I kinda understand why that could be. At the risk of bein’ dead-ass wrong (but a good chance of bein’ dead-ass right), I have some educated guesses as to why there are so few groups nowadays.
Dead Fukkin’ Presidents: It’s the thing that has split artists from their labels, producers, and eachother… and it’s definitely killed off more than its fair share of groups. Money has been at the center of too many breakups to name, but the story always ends up the same once it comes out. Since it’s well-known by now that artists really don’t make as much money as they appear to, it’s fair to assume that a lot of them just don’t see a future in accepting a small piece of a small pie.
“Ain’t Nobody Comin’ To See You, Otis”: My second guess is that with group efforts come different personalities, and sometimes even members with their own set of different personalities. Instead of just creating great music together, a lot of groups imploded because of a member who believed (or was led to believe) that he/she was bigger or better than the others. It’s the same shit that’s been goin’ on since the Temptations and the Supremes in the Motown era. You’d think they’d have seen the stories of other great groups that fell apart and learn from them, but even the best ones got trapped in the same predicament.
“They’re Allll Dooooomed”: My final guess is that labels have simply seen what the fate is for most R&B groups, and have decided that it’s just not worth it. Aspiring artists themselves don’t look to be in a group these days, whether they’re cut out to be solo or not. As I mentioned before in my “90s Girls” entry, a lot of them didn’t last past their second album- whether it was due to declining sales or parting of the ways. In some cases, these groups were pieced together in the first place, so the breakup was bound to happen eventually. It was just a matter of how long they’d take to get tired of pretending they were friends.
Nowadays, we’re left with… Day26, Pretty Ricky, and Electrik Red? Ehh. Sad to say, I think the influx of R&B groups in the ’90s mighta had an influence on the low demand for them now. Most didn’t last, damn near all of them broke up, and only a few have split and reunited (not that it mattered once they did). The few who managed to stay together got pushed out by the changing industry. To me, it sucks that there isn’t much of a place for groups in popular R&B (or hip-hop for that matter) today. Unfortunately though, it’s one of those things that suck for us as listeners, but make perfect sense for business.
After all, who the fukk needs harmony when we have Autotune, right?
Tony! Toni! Tone! “It Never Rains In Southern California” (1990)
TROOP “Spread My Wings” (1990)
Boyz II Men “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday” (1991)
Jodeci “Stay” (1991)
TLC “Baby-Baby-Baby” (1992)
Shai “If I Ever Fall In Love” (Acapella Version) (1992)
SWV “Weak” (1993)
Hi-Five “Quality Time” (1993)
XScape “Just Kickin’ It” (1993)
BlackStreet “Before I Let You Go” (1994)
Az Yet “Last Night” (1996)
En Vogue “Don’t Let Go (Love)” (1996)
112 “Cupid” (1997)
Destiny’s Child “No, No, No” (1998)
Dru Hill “Beauty” (1998)
-D!
Posted by Danj! 
