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.
C.M.B. was released on July 23, 1991 by Giant Records. With their debut album, Color Me Badd landed on the musical radar in the midst of New Jack Swing's dominance on urban and popular culture. During this juncture, there were an abundance of New Jack Swing artists leaving an indelible imprint on the hearts and minds of youths and adults alike.
For Color Me Badd, the door of opportunity presented itself in the form of the New Jack City movie soundtrack. Color Me Badd seized the opportunity and they were rewarded for their efforts. Due to the overwhelmingly successful record, “I Wanna Sex You Up,” Giant Records signed the group to a record deal and gave them only a month to record their debut album.
Color Me Badd became the first R&B act signed by Cassandra Mills, who was President of the record company's urban division. The group delivered on their promise with their debut offering and they reached an extraordinary level of success worldwide.
It’s hard to select a Commissioned album for classic review. Formed at the cusp of the 1980s, the standard of this Gospel super-group’s back catalogue is so high, any one of their pre-1999 albums could be analysed in depth for their timeless appeal.
Nevertheless, 1994’s Matters of the Heart is noteworthy for a few reasons. It was the first album recorded without erstwhile mainstay Keith Staten; he of the operatic style that should have been out of place in a soul outfit but somehow strangely fitted in.
It was the last studio album that Gospel legend Fred Hammond, one of the original and most pre-eminent members of the line up, recorded with his old band. Hammond had already released at least one solo project at this stage-‘I am persuaded’-but joined his soul brothers one more time for his Commissioned swan song.
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. 
Before there was Hype Williams, Little X and Benny Boom, there was Lionel C. Martin.
From 1987 to present, Martin’s videography reads like a scroll of all of the great talents of the past 25 years in urban and popular music. Martin is responsible for giving urban music videos life and authenticity at a time where Hip Hop and R&B desperately needed a pioneer to deliver a quality product for the world to see. Martin has produced videos for TLC, Stevie Wonder, R. Kelly, Public Enemy, Bell Biv Devoe, Big Daddy Kane, Jay-Z, Keith Sweat, Toni Braxton, Boyz II Men, SWV, En Vogue, MC Shan, Jodeci, Mariah Carey, Jill Scott, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Notorious B.I.G., Father MC, Hi-Five, Tupac, N’Sync, Backstreet Boys and many more.
Martin, a native of Queens, NY, was a trailblazing force in the 1980s when he helped launch the Video Music Box channel with his childhood friend, Ralph McDaniels in 1984. The Video Music Box channel was only seen in the Tri-State area at the time. The Tri-State area consists of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Martin was one of the first hosts on the show and his moniker was (The VidKid). The channel would play every Hip Hop video from the popular artists of the time period.
After its inaugural year, Martin devised an idea to expand the channel’s brand and this move helped to make the channel achieve legendary status. Martin alongside McDaniels made the decision to travel extensively through the emerging hip-hop scene to cover parties and shows to illustrate the influence that Hip Hop culture was having on New York City and the surrounding areas. It would prove to be pivotal in shaping the career path of Martin.
During this time, the Video Music Box channel was the only Hip Hop program in syndication on public television in the United States. It gave a voice and face to a culture that would begin to dominate the mainstream in the forthcoming years. Whilst working on the Video Music Box channel, Martin would see the types of videos that would come in from the artists and thought that the Hip Hop culture needed to have better representation for the art form. This is where his voyage of directing music videos begins.
Recently, SoulCulture sat down to talk with Martin about his contributions to urban music videos, behind the scene stories and the importance of maintaining pride in urban culture.
At this wondrous time of the year, many of us worldwide become nostalgic about our youth when we looked forward to everything Santa would deliver underneath our respective Christmas trees. If you were like me, I'd leave cookies out on my living room table next to the wood stove and getting up every couple of hours to see if I could sneak a peek at old Saint Nick, but to no avail I would never catch a glimpse of the jolly one.
Alas, it wasn't until years later that I was told there wasn't a Santa Claus. I already had a clue that there wasn't one due to the fact Santa's handwriting resembled my mother's and father's cursive styles. Nonetheless, the joy of Christmas during my youth was inescapable. There were three main reasons why Christmas was my favorite time of the year. First, the anticipation of presents I was going to receive. Second, the amount of time my family would spend together eating good food and laughing at one another. Last, but not least, the classic music that we would listen to days leading up to Christmas and a couple of days after.
There is something special when you hear the legendary, incomparable vocals of The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson among many others singing your favorite holiday tunes. Christmas music gives the holiday a deeper meaning especially if you're an aficionado of high quality recordings. Below are my top 10 Christmas offerings that still bring my soul indescribable joy.