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08 Apr

Posted at 22:50h in Music, Return To The Classics
By the late 1980s, R&B music was at a crossroads with its aging audience and sound. The genre itself was looking to go into a more youthful direction. Fortunately, help was on the way in the form of a teenage prodigy from Harlem, New York. Building off of the successes from Johnny Kemp and Keith Sweat in 1987, the newfound New Jack Swing genre was leaving its mark on pop culture audiences. In the same year, the mastermind behind this incredible blending of Hip-Hop and R&B would become part of a group named Guy that would ultimately define themselves as the trailblazing unit that would propel the dominance of New Jack Swing with their debut offering. Their self titled album, Guy would be released on June 13, 1988 by Uptown Records.

09 Nov

Posted at 05:48h in Features, Music
The legendary Dwight “Heavy D” Myers passed away on the afternoon of November 8, 2011 in Los Angeles, California around 1pm PST at an LA Hospital. The loss of Myers signaled another painful reminder that popular culture is losing our legends at an alarming rate. Numerous current and past entertainers expressed their sentiments via Twitter and other media outlets. His groundbreaking arrival on the urban music scene in the late 1980s was instrumental in fortifying the foundations of Hip Hop and New Jack Swing genres respectively.

01 Nov

Posted at 02:47h in Interviews, Music, Return To The Classics
Critically acclaimed as a success by music industry insiders and culture writers of the time period, Forever My Lady was released on May 28, 1991 by Uptown/MCA Records. At the time, the genre of R&B was being dominated by the infusion of Teddy Riley’s New Jack Swing style and it was at a real crossroads from a generation earlier where singers dominated the genre as opposed to the production of the music. The world would be introduced to two sets of brothers who would stake their rightful claim as trendsetters within the genre; Jodeci boasted the production and songwriting talents of the DeGrate brothers, Donald “Devante Swing​” DeGrate and Dalvin “Mr. Dalvin” DeGrate and the stellar vocals of the Hailey Brothers, Cedric “K-Ci” Hailey and Joel “Jo-Jo” Hailey. Their style was a refreshing reminder of soulful ballads from a bygone era and the highly successful New Jack Swing style of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Their vocal talents alongside Devante Swing’s production and songwriting skill set were something to behold given how young they were at the time. Their ages ranged from 17-19, but their music sounded like well-groomed R&B stalwarts. Aesthetically, their style was groundbreaking due to the “bad boy” machismo and bravado they personified on record and stage. A young Sean “Diddy” Combs assisted in crafting the ensemble’s image while Andre Harrell, Dwight “Heavy D” Myers and Al B. Sure! provided musical guidance for this particular album; which was recorded in the Hit Factory Studios in Manhattan, New York between the years of 1990-1991 Forever My Lady. SoulCulture recently sat down with Dalvin “Mr. Dalvin” DeGrate, group member, musician and co-writer for the album to shed some light on how the album came together.