II was released on August 30, 1994 by Motown Records. After selling over 9 million copies of their debut album, Cooleyhighharmony, Boyz II Men recorded the epic record, “End of the Road,” for the Boomerang movie soundtrack, which propelled their careers to the next level by setting records on the Pop and R&B charts.
They returned to the studio in 1993 to record a Christmas album,
Christmas Interpretations with fellow R&B stalwart,
Brian Mcknight to build on the success of their debut and appearance on the movie soundtrack.
All of these elements provided the group with a blueprint to achieve greater success. A year later, Boyz II Men would find themselves on the cusp of musical greatness once their second studio album would be released to the masses of music aficionados.
This album would see Boyz II Men taking it up a notch in terms of their overall musical production and vocal abilities. The 14 song offering contained the trademark melisma-style singing of
Wanya Morris, the tenor harmonies of
Shawn Stockman and
Nathan Morris and the smooth, deep bass notes of
Michael McCary. The album introduced a young, up and coming production duo named
Tim & Bob, welcomed back the production talents of
Dallas Austin and showcased the legendary production of
Babyface and duo
Jimmy Jam and
Terry Lewis. The inclusion of these greats musicians and vocalists became the springboard for the best selling album by an R&B group in the history of recorded music.
Boyz II Men formed as a group in 1988 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania while attending the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. They were originally a quartet and their group name was Unique Attraction. Co-founders
Nathan Morris and
Marc Nelson recruited Nathan's brother, Wanya as well as Shawn Stockman and Micheal McCary to become part of the group. It wouldn't be until a year later where they would begin their journey down the road of unparalleled success.
As the story goes, the group was able to get backstage at a
Bell Biv DeVoe concert in 1989. They performed an a capella version of
New Edition's hit record, “Can You Stand The Rain” for
Michael Bivins. A year later, the group would be signed to a production deal by Bivins to his Biv Ten Records company, a subsidiary of Motown Records. Due to mounting frustrations, Marc Nelson left the group to pursue a solo career leaving the group as a quartet. Four years later, the quartet would establish themselves as the best R&B group on the planet.
Between the months of December 1993-May 1994 II was recorded at DARP Studios and Doppler Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, Babyface's home studio in Los Angeles, California, and studios in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Reno, Nevada.
SoulCulture recently sat down with Bob Robinson, one half of the legendary production duo, Tim & Bob and co-writer for five of the songs on the album to gain a deeper perspective on how the iconic record came to fruition.
From the early '90s and throughout, Jon B, as well as a few others, had the R&B game on lock, mesmerising with his passionate ballads, doting love songs, uptempo club numbers and seductively smooth ride out jams. Continuing into the new millennium, many argue that while R&B as a genre was on the decline Jon’s finest offering came in 2004 when he offloaded the dark, deep and honest Stronger Everyday. While to date he’s released six official albums, including the more recent Helpless Romantic and Comfortable Swagg, his newest project focuses more on what the genre used to sound like as opposed to what it has become.
Returning to the frontline and ready to offer up some of her signature sound, Alicia Keys puts out her RCA Records debut Girl On Fire. Her fifth studio album overall, it’s the first time she’s released any new material since 2009’s Element of Freedom. With her marriage to producer Swizz Beatz and the birth of their first son, Egypt, part reason for the delay, there’s also been a shift in record labels, some sneaker designing, and a bit of charity work thrown in to the mix for good measure. Refocusing her energies on the music, her most recent ongoing promotional campaign has seen her very much stroll back in to the limelight, and to a good reception. 
112 was released on August 27, 1996 by Bad Boy Records. 112 arrived on a musical landscape where R&B music was at its peak for mainstream audiences. During this juncture, there were a plethora of R&B groups making their mark on the industry and opening doors for new acts to breakthrough. The opportunity to capitalize on this momentum was made available and 112 seized the opportunity in the stellar fashion.
Bad Boy Records was the newest label on the scene and their youthful exuberance shined through with the hot acts they were signing in both the R&B and Hip Hop genres respectively. 112 became the second R&B act signed by Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs and he clearly saw something in the quartet ages ranging from 17-19. The group failed to disappoint with their debut offering and left quite the impression on the multitude of music fans worldwide.
This album would introduce the group as an alternative choice from the other R&B groups on the music charts. Their style of rhythm and blues was reminiscent of Boyz II Men and many of the forefather R&B groups throughout the history of R&B music. Each of the 19 songs on the album highlighted the four part harmonies of Michael Keith and Daron Jones and lead singers Marvin “Slim” Scandrick and Quinnes “Q” Parker. It would also showcase the production talents of group member Daron Jones, up and coming Bad Boy Hitmen producer, Steven “Stevie J.” Jordan, Tim & Bob, Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men and Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs. All of these elements proved to be explosive once the album hit stores in the late summer of 1996.
The concept for the group was formulated by Daron Jones and Michael Keith when they were in 7th grade. 112 formed as a group in 1994 in Atlanta, Georgia while attending the same high school. They were originally a quintet and their group name was Forte, which was an acronym for Forever On Route to Excellence.
After various line up changes with different group members, co-founders Daron Jones and Michael Keith recruited Marvin “Slim” Scandrick and Quinnes “Q” Parker to become part of the group. The group began to build a legendary reputation around their hometown of Atlanta by winning consecutive singing competitions. They eventually gained the attention of producers Tim & Bob and managers Courtney Sills and Kevin Wales.
As the story goes, the group was brought in to perform for Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs at the famous Buckhead 112 Club in Atlanta, Georgia. It would be here where they would obtain the name for their group. After receiving a co-sign from Faith Evans and Chucky Thompson, Combs signed the quartet to his label to become his first male R&B collective. A year later, the group would release their debut album and the rest would be history.
Between the months of February 1995-January 1996, 112 was recorded at Daddy's House studios in New York, New York.
SoulCulture recently sat down with co-founder Daron Jones and producer Steven “Stevie J.” Jordan to discuss how the album developed from beginning to end. 
Music Box was released on August 31, 1993 by Columbia Records. After selling over 15 million copies of her self-titled debut album, 
Bobby V (previously Valentino) is back with his fourth studio album, Fly On The Wall. The first thing that sprung to mind on receipt of the album was, ‘This better be good,’ having being a fan of his first two albums, Bobby Valentino and Special Occasion...
Thankfully, throughout Fly On The Wall Bobby V displays the attributes of a true R&B artist who sings with real emotional conviction, a trademark falsetto and addresses subject matters typical to the genre; from pining over that special girl to exploring the sensual side of a lady.