"Let Your Soul-Glo": The Experience Returns

[Manic]

and his wife is embarrasingly ugly.

Heidi Klum?

R.Kelly is responsible for 30% of the genre since '91.

That reminds me. When newer R&B singers come out, they usually sound like older R&B singers. It's usually a case of someone learning to sing by singing along to someone else's songs. That's why so many male R&B singers tend to sound a little like Stevie Wonder. In the case of R. Kelly, I'd say he's been a definite influence on Trey Songz. Trey Songz sounds almost exactly like Kelly. So much so, I thought "Gotta Go" was an R. Kelly song the first time I heard it.

 

[SurfDUI]

Heidi Klum?

Klum-Seal Yea..she's strong, she's could talk me into takin someone out

 

[Warhammer]

Wait, Heidi Klum is embarrassingly ugly?

 

[SurfDUI]

naw, I was bein backwards, IMO she fell from the clouds.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Fixed t:

Is Queen Latifah out because I thought she was like Jodie Foster or Kevin Spacey everyones knows but no one says anything.

I've heard about Jodie's gayness. But what makes you possibly think that Kevin is gay? He's never set off my Gay-Dar GPS and I've got the upgraded supplement for 2010.

 

[Manic]

my Gay-Dar GPS

Your Gay-Dar also gives directions?

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

I enjoyed the conversation ya'll were having earlier today about Dru Hill, Jodeci, Boyz II Men, 112, etc. It kinda struck me: We don't have ANY groups out right now. I mean, zero. And it's been like that for a while.

For almost the entirety of the 2000s we virtually went group-less. Looking back on the 1990s, all of those guy groups mentioned above were dominating, along with Troop, Tone Tony Toni, Intro, H-Town, Bell Biv Devoe, etc. And we had just as many girl groups dueling it out with the male groups on the charts: you had the heavy hitters--TLC, SWV and En Vogue--as well as list of very successful other groups i.e. Brownstone, Xscape, 702, etc. And to be fair, even in pop music you still had a lot of groups, such as Backstreet Boys, Nsync, Destinys Child et al.

And then boom...it was over and all we had was solo artists.

What happened? Why do you think the group phenomenon died out ya'll? Personally I believe it has EVERYTHING to do with American Idol--which conditioned the record-buying viewers to obsess and vote for solo artists/personalities instead of groups.

Thoughts?

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Your Gay-Dar also gives directions?

It certainly does.

It directs me away from would-be queens and trannies. However, sometimes it doesn't get a good reception/signal and then I'm left to fend for myself...like when I'm in public restrooms.

 

[Manic]

I think those groups all dominated the charts for so long, they saturated the market. When supply outweighs demand to such a high degree, it makes them sorta... worthless. After a while, nobody wanted R&B and pop groups anymore. Groups that were on top just abruptly stopped selling, even if the quality of their music didn't go down. Dru Hill's "I Love You" and "I Should Be" (singles from their third and final album) were just as good as their older stuff, but suddenly nobody cared.

And you know how record executives get. They make assumptions about the music scene, and just stop signing and/or promoting certain types of acts. I bet you there's still a group of 3-5 talented guys out there, singing their R&B songs at local bars and county fairs, and we'll never hear of them because nobody wants to sign them.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

I think those groups all dominated the charts for so long, they saturated the market. When supply outweighs demand to such a high degree, it makes them sorta... worthless. After a while, nobody wanted R&B and pop groups anymore. Groups that were on top just abruptly stopped selling, even if the quality of their music didn't go down. Dru Hill's "I Love You" and "I Should Be" (singles from their third and final album) were just as good as their older stuff, but suddenly nobody cared.

And you know how record executives get. They make assumptions about the music scene, and just stop signing and/or promoting certain types of acts. I bet you there's still a group of 3-5 talented guys out there, singing their R&B songs at local bars and county fairs, and we'll never hear of them because nobody wants to sign them.

Well, I think the market is getting ready to shift again. There is something really unique and cool about seeing a group--especially a trio--perform together. The concept has been majical since the 60s with Motown and it remains some sort of awesome. Not that I don't love solo acts too--because I do. But I miss my groups.

 

[Manic]

It certainly does.

It directs me away from would-be queens and trannies. However, sometimes it doesn't get a good reception/signal and then I'm left to fend for myself...like when I'm in public restrooms.

AT&T user?

 

[E-Man]

I think that groups have died out because of the selfish attitude that is too often portrayed in music today. Too much music is about me, me, me, that other me, myself, I, my mirror self, me, and me one more time. It's hard to do that with groups. Then you also have to remember that most acts are manufactured these days. It's not about talent anymore. It's about sales, and I think companies try to spread it out with solo acts instead of groups. That way they get more people to exploit for the masses. I know what I'm thinking is borderline conspiracy theory.







and while I'm thinking about it, B2K sucked hard!

 

[terry78]

The only song out now that I like is Whatchu Say, but only the chorus.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

No, not really.

At any rate, I wish 90's style R&B would come back full circle. I used to puff blunts off of this s*** right here:

[YT]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jCn1vIf6yIk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jCn1vIf6yIk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YT]

I'm just kidding about the Hydros. I don't smoke anything but the vapors of life.

 

[E-Man]

Raphael Saadiq is still damn good. He's got a new album coming out soon, and he did a nice impromptu with B. McKnight on McKnight's show last week. Here it is.

[YT]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QTh-P_uD_II&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QTh-P_uD_II&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YT]

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

I have some Dolche glasses like Raphael's in that video.

 

[E-Man]

I have some Dolche glasses like Raphael's in that video.

Why am I not surprised? lol

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Why am I not surprised? lol

I :heart: Dolche. What's wrong with Dolche?

 

[Anubis]

I wouldn't like to see anymore R&B groups. The next wave of R&B should come from actual bands. You know, guys and girls that sing and play their own instruments, instead of dancing around like they should be on tour with Brittney Spears.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

I wouldn't like to see anymore R&B groups. The next wave of R&B should come from actual bands. You know, guys and girls that sing and play their own instruments, instead of dancing around like they should be on tour with Brittney Spears.

We've already had great R&B groups that were actual bands and they were very successful. One of my favorites? The glorious Mint Condition. EXTREMELY underrated.

 

[Anubis]

Good? Yeah. Very succesful? I don't know about that.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Good? Yeah. Very succesful? I don't know about that.

They had a few platinum and gold albums and singles, no?

 

[Anubis]

Just a gold album.

Also, it depends on what you mean by very succesful. More succesful than most bands? Yes. Most bands don't even get signed, much less come out with four albums one of which went gold. More succesful than others of the time period like Jodicei, or Guy? Nope.

But no big deal. Money, platinum records, and sales doesn't mean anything. The fact that Nsync sold more than all of them put together is proof of that.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Yeah but did Nsync, Jodeci or Guy play live instruments though? I thought they were just singers.

 

[Anubis]

No. Last group that actually played insturments besides Mint Condition and were succesful that I can remember is, I don't know, freakin' Kool and the Gang?

That's why I'm saying, it would be pretty much unheard of in todays market. Other than the Roots, who the hell else is doing live band stuff in the hip hop age? Not many.