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May 01, 01
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The BBD Syndrome
I was listening to my old New Edition tapes on the way home from work and started thinking aboot why they broke up and the events that occured after. Well, as you know Bobby caused it all(he's the cause of everthing bad that has happened to NE) and this spawned the solo careers of Johnny, Bobby and Ralph. The other three took a different route(due probably to the fact that Mike and Ronnie used Ricky's exceptional voice as a crutch). This formed the group we all know and love: Bell Biv Devoe. Quite a catchy name.
This catchy name led to several hits such as "Poison," "Do Me"(my fav), "Dope" and "Gangsta." The revenue generated from these hits led the ever abitious Michael Bivins to begin the launch of Biv 10 Records. The first act to emerge from this illustrious label was Another Bad Creation or ABC, which most of us prefer to call them. They wowed us with their witty Dallas Austin prepared rhymes and off tune singing. You may say at this point, " How could you say that Dwight? Have you actually taken the time to listen to the background vocals in Iesha?" Oh ho, but you see, Boyz II Men are the vocalists that are heard and not seen on this track. No wonder Iesha was so good. All this success that Biv 10 was having was being watched carefully by the wary eye of Atlanta's Jermaine Dupri. His label, the up and coming So So Def Records provided JD with an ace up his pocket. He had to have something much wittier. Much, much wittier. Now I don't know if Kris Kross is any wittier, but they sure did the trick. Their attire, consisting of sport logo baseball jerseys and jeans were draped on their skinny frames backwards. This was an excelent marketing move on the part of Dupri, as So So Def's first act skyrocketed to the top of the charts. Mentioning that, and I quote, "inside out is wiggady wiggady wack" can also be chalked up on JD's genius list. This raised an eye over in Boston the this caused the ever so wily Michael Bivins to change his game plan. In a risky move to put and end to Mr. Dupri's success the East Coast Family was established. Much like Bone, Thugs & Harmony's now defunct Mo' Thugs project, the idea here was to sign a whole bunch of artists, put them all on one lead single and let their upcoming releases ride the success of the above mentioned single. A fine theory, but would it work? The answer to this question rode on the shoulders of some of the most hardcore BBD fans ever. They went by the names of Nathan, Mike, Shawn and Wanya. These four intrepid fans somehow found a way to get past the tight security at the City of Brotherly Love's first BBD concert. At that time, they begged Bivins for an audition. They got it, after almost being thrown out by security. Boyz II Men's first album, "Cooleyhighharmony" was released as part of the East Coast Family program. It was an instant success as "Mowtownphilly" skyrocketed to the top of the charts. Hit after astonishing hit follwed suit and it looked like Boyz II Men were here to stay. Enter the rest of the East Coast Family. "Hmmm, it's all those guys in the MowtownPhilly video. With all the good things coming out from Biv 10, this has got to be good." Boy, were you wrong. With acts like Fruit Punch, Sudden Impact(aka the Whitegize *snicker*) and Lady V, this act was destined for failure. MC Brains showed some promise but then was not allowed to reach his full potential because of a quarrel with Biv and a relocation to another label. Could this show what is to come? Who's next? Boyz II Men were the only ones to survive this horrible ordeal. Not even the mighty Bell Biv Devoe escaped extincton. Nate, Mike, Shawn and Wanya marched on to become one of the greatest R&B groups of all time. Keep in mind that this was a time when the pop scene was begining to really embrace black all male R&B groups. This act is solidifed by the fact that many Boyz II Men type groups such as Portrait, Silk, High Five and Mint Condition were enjoying comprable levels of success. However, as the above mentioned groups were entering the twilights of their careers, the Boyz from Philly were readying their proteges. This proved to be another quartet of male singers. But with a twist: they were white. Who is this, you ask? 98 Degrees. They were forecasted to be very Boyz II Men-like in their style as well as their subject matter. While I am a big 98 Degrees fan I think that their success is a function of timing rather than talent. They were released into an era where white male groups dominate the pop scene(Backstreet, N'Sync). The fit in perfectly with the above mentioed scheme and their first single, "Invisible Man" was just as popular as "MowtownPhilly" back in its day. Very similar to their "forefathers," as some would like to say, hit after astonishing hit just keep on rolling out of the heads of 98 Degrees. Now we get to the present day. Boyz II Men Have fallen out of the spotlight and into relative obscurity. What has happened to BBD has happened to them. This brings you to the question: What do 98 Degrees have up their sleeve? With the vocals of Nick Lachey providing the foundation for 98 Degrees' unforgettable sound, it looks like they have nowhere to go but up. Or do they? Is this an accurate prediction or a sign that your intrepid author has smoked too much weed? Oh well, at least Biv still has 702. -Dwight:063: 
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May 01, 01
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No man Biv 10 is still alive and well, with 702 being the only source of revenue. Subway can also be mentioned, but then they followed the rest of the East Coast Fam into obscurity.
And yoko, yeah that was NE's "Something About You" on the "Home Again" album. Have you seen the video?? It was released right after NE broke up again. They juss took clips from previous videos and rearanged them. Good tune though. Oh man, I can't believe how long that is!!! I must have been really baked!!! -Dwight:063:
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May 01, 01
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hahahaha DWIGHT!! whenever you get fuked you don't stop talking about stuff!.. haha you turn into PROFESSOR DWIGHT when you blaze! hahahahahahha GOLD!!..
*singing* BOYZ II MEN ABC BBD.. THE EAST COAST FAMILY haha GOLD oh man i'm gonna go get some tapes!
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