Editor's Note: welcome all to the first edition of Urban Outlook, an experiment by NJS4E to interpret the happenings of today's urban music scene with a New Jack veteran's sensibility. The column you are about to read was originally written in November '05, however the insights presented (particularly about New Edition) are perhaps now more relavent than ever. Stay tuned for more frequent updates moving forward, as NJS4E starts to officially begin its program for 2006. Thanks for your support everyone! -- Andrew Knyte.
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Hey folks,
Welcome to my new column, My name is Michael Speed, and this is basically gonna be me letting out my thoughts on the urban scene, whether it be today's current artists or artists from the golden era that we love. Njs4ever is a wonderful site that focuses on the music popular when I was a teenager, and I consider it to be the music that I'm closest to. Anyway, that's enough for an introduction, huh? Let's get busy!
Whatever happened to Def Soul? About a decade or so, Def Jam decided to fully branch out into R&B, and signed a host of successful soul acts, including Dru Hill, Kelly Price, Montell Jordan and Musiq. They also signed established artists like Patti LaBelle and Mariah Carey. They even had Barry White signed at the time of his passing. Recently, however, only Carey has surfaced with new material, and that was through Island Records, with the Def Jam/Def Soul logo nowhere to be found. Jordan left the label acrimoniously several years ago, but as for the other artists: Dru Hill has been in limbo for three years now, and Kelly Price went AWOL after her third album went bust a couple of years ago. Musiq was on the verge of superstardom, but his third album, Soulstar never got the shine it deserved.
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Recently, I found out LaBelle was dropped from the label after the less-than-stellar performance of her Classic Moments disc. Now why is it that pop and rock stars can fail to sell records and hang on with their labels for years and years, but urban artists don't get the same treatment? Patti has one of the most loyal legions of fans that I know, sells out shows everywhere, writes best-selling books, and is practically a brand unto herself. Dropping her just seems wrong. However, I'm sure Miss Patti will land elsewhere, but its disturbing that these meaty R&B acts are nowhere to be found while new Def Jam honcho Jay-Z is putting out mediocre records by pop acts like Rihanna and Tierra Mari. |
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Speaking of legends, how many people peeped the BET 25th Anniversary Special? It was a well-turned out salute to a station that drastically changed the fortunes of urban music. Consider the fact that in the early Eighties, there was no VH-1, and MTV refused to show clips by Black artists. Even after Michael Jackson made his breakthrough, MTV's urban rotation generally consisted of MJ, Prince, and Run-DMC. If you were looking for Luther, Anita, New Edition or practically any artists of the NJS era, BET was the only way to go unless you were in New York or some other urban area and had access to local shows like Video Music Box and New York Hot Tracks.
Now, back to the show. While some folks were noticeable in their absence (i.e. anyone with the last name of "Jackson"), the folks at BET turned it out. As usual, there were some questions regarding the performers and presenters. Like, what bird created a nest on top of Arsenio's head? Why did R. Kelly resurrect the same tired medley that he's been performing at radio station concerts for half a decade? Why did he suddenly get bashful when it came time to sing "Feelin' On Yo Booty" and "It Seems Like You're Ready?" And why in the HELL did they let John Legend murder, massacre, and otherwise maul "A House Is Not A Home" during their Luther tribute? After being properly eulogized by an animated Steve Harvey and an incredibly hoarse Whitney Houston, Legend (who I normally like), gave absolutely the worst interpretation of any Luther song that I have ever heard. I was embarrassed.
However, two performances made up for that. Is it me, or does LL Cool J look younger now than when he started? Folks have tried to make up excuses for his adjustment in body type-mentioning everything from liposuction to steroids, but this performance, combined with an arresting performance on the VH-1 Hip Hop Honors show, cemented LL's reputation as one of the Top 5 Hip Hop live performers in history. All that, and the brother kept his shirt on, for once.
And then there was New Edition, who, quite simply, turned in one of the greatest television performances in history. While they're viewed in the pop world as either an inconsequential boy band or an 80s nostalgia act, the fellas proved once again that they are a legendary act more than capable of hanging tough with any act recording music today. Running through a 20-minute medley of "Crucial," "If It Isn't Love," "Can You Stand The Rain," "Candy Girl," "Cool It Now," "Mr. Telephone Man," "My Prerogative" and a snatch of Rick James' "Give It To Me Baby," NE's choreography was spandex-tight, Ralph's voice was boyish as ever, and when Bobby came out 2/3 of the way through, he brought the energy to a whole different level. Not one person in that theater was sitting down during that set, and I was perched in front of my TV screaming like a woman. Bob is now officially back in the group, and they are recording a new album, although I'm not sure what the end result was with their Bad Boy contract. Either way, New Edition put on a clinic for anyone who wishes to know what real showmanship is about.
As a friend of mine said on the phone after the performance: "New Edition are our Temptations."
All I could say in response was "no doubt!"
WATCH THE PERFORMANCE HERE!!!
Michael Speed
