I Love the 90s

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About

Among the first groups to tame rap’s hardcore mentality into a positive, message-oriented music suitable for teens and mass audiences, Kid ‘n Play debuted in 1988 with the platinum album 2 Hype, which the duo later spun into a deal involving films and a Saturday-morning cartoon show, the first involving a rap act. Though their recording activity became limited during the gangsta-dominated ’90s — 1991’s Face the Nation was their last album — the group managed two sequels to their original House Party film, as well as the 1991 teen flick Class Act.

Kid (born Christopher Reid; Bronx, NY) and Play (born Christopher Martin; Queens, NY) first met while performing in rival high school groups (the Turnout Brothers and the Super Lovers, respectively) and initially teamed up as Fresh Force. Play’s former bandmate, Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor, became the duo’s manager and signed Kid ‘n Play to Select Records in 1987. Despite the predominance of James Brown samples during the mid-’80s, Azor (who also managed Salt-N-Pepa and Kwame), gave 2 Hype a production job more rooted in disco and pop; thanks to the near-Top Ten R&B hit “Rollin’ with Kid ‘n Play,” the album eventually reached platinum status. Though many rappers were more successful at the time, Kid ‘n Play became film stars due to their clean-cut image — Kid’s six-inch “eraserhead” hairstyle, which seemed outrageous to white audiences, was vindicated by his honest, well-scrubbed face. The film House Party became a moderate success upon its release in 1990, and the duo even managed a proper LP that same year, Funhouse. During 1991, two Kid ‘n Play films appeared: a sequel to House Party and Class Act. That same year, the album Face the Nation showed a growing reluctance to pander to pop audiences, but the duo was already entrenched in their style. A second sequel to House Party appeared in 1993, and little has been heard from them since. ~ John Bush, Rovi

Source:MTV.com

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Blackstreet is one of the top Grammy award winning vocal group of the ’90s. With original members consisting of New Jersey’s own Chauncey Black, Levi Little, Eric Williams and New York’s own Mark Middleton. With the dramatic collapse of the music industry Blackstreet still remains one of the top touring acts of the 21^st Century.

In 1993, their first single “Baby Be Mine” was released on the movie soundtrack to the Universal Pictures comedy CB4 (starring Chris Rock). Their debut album, Blackstreet, featured the singles “Baby Be Mine”, “Before I Let You Go” and the co-written double platinum hit by Michael Jackson “Joy”. “Joy” and “Before I Let You Go” were both Gold and Platinum Top 40 hits, with “Joy” and “Before I Let You Go” hitting the Top 10. In 1996, they released their sophomore album Another Level. It was a breakthrough success due to the top single “No Diggity” (with Dr. Dre), which was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1996. In 1998, Blackstreet won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

The Another Level album eventually went four times platinum in the United States and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard chart. “No Diggity” was later ranked at No. 91 on Rolling Stone and MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs. Another Level featured Mark Middleton and Eric Williams in place of Dave Hollister and Levi Little. Both Middleton and Williams were in groups prior to joining Blackstreet. Middleton was part of the short-lived Motown Records group Brik Citi. Williams was part of the trio The Flex, a group that sang on songs produced by their mentor Marley Marl. The success of Another Level landed them a guest appearance on Jay-Z’s “The City Is Mine” and they teamed with Mýa and Mase for the hit “Take Me There” from the Rugrats soundtrack. The success of Another Level would also land them a spot on New Edition‘s 1997 Home Again reunion tour. Also a collaboration with Janet Jackson on the hit single “I Get So Lonely”.

Blackstreet appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live’s “Mash-Up Mondays” series, pop-soul singer Aloe Blacc teamed up with ’90s R&B kings Blackstreet. Together, they sang Blackstreet’s earthshaking 1996 “No Diggity,” a song that absolutely refuses to get old. Also, Blackstreet made an appearance on the Morning Show. No Diggity has been covered by countless artist like Prince, Ed Sheeran, Darius Ruckers; just to name a few. Blackstreet’s No Diggity was featured in the 2013 Super Bowl commercial for Becks Sapphire and J.C. Penney’s commercial for the 2014 Winter Olympics. In 2016, Blackstreet was on a European tour in London, Australia and New Zealand with TLC, Mya, 112 and Nelly. They have also performed for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks halftime show in 2017. Blackstreet also performed with TLC, Naughty by Nature, Kid ‘n Play and other 90’s groups on the 2017 “I Love The 90’s The Party Continues” Tour.

For more information on tour dates visit The Real Blackstreet on Facebook and for bookings send email to blackstreetent@gmail.com.

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Dru Hill is an American R&B group, most popular during the 1990s, whose repertoire included soul, hip hop soul and gospel music. Founded in Baltimore, Maryland, and active since 1992, Dru Hill recorded seven Top 40 hits, and is best known for the R&B #1 hits “In My Bed“, “Never Make a Promise“, and “How Deep Is Your Love“. The group consist of lead singer Mark “Sisqó” Andrews (who went on to have a very successful solo career), Tamir “Nokio” Ruffin and, Larry “Jazz” Anthony, and James “Woody Rock” Green.

Signing to Island Records through Haqq Islam’s University Records imprint, the group released two successful albums, Dru Hill and Enter the Dru, before separating for a period from late 1999 to 2002, during which time Sisqó and Woody released solo albums. While Woody’s Soul Music LP was a moderate success in the gospel music industry, Sisqó’s debut album, Unleash the Dragon, and its hit singles, “Thong Song” and “Incomplete”, were major pop successes, and established Sisqó as a household name outside Dru Hill. Sisqó’s second album, Return of Dragon, did not sell as well. In 2002, by then part of the Def Soul record label, the group reunited and added fifth member Rufus “Scola” Waller to the lineup for their third album, Dru World Order, whose underperformance led to the group being dropped from Def Soul. In 2009, the group signed to Kedar Entertainment Group and released their fourth album, InDRUpendence Day, the following year, with new member Tao taking the place of the again departed Woody.

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“Allow me to humblebrag for a moment,” says the one and only Mark McGrath, and well he might.

After all, the Southern California-native practically invented the oh-so-contemporary art of wry, self-deprecating modesty, backed up of course by a lengthy resume of popular success and artistic accomplishment. As lead singer/songwriter for Sugar Ray, McGrath can lay claim to a stunning string of top 10 hits, multiple multi-platinum albums (including the RIAA 3x platinum certified “14:59”), and countless sold out tours. Where that would be enough for most artists, McGrath has also proven an effervescent and ever-present pop culture personality, with a host of TV, film, and other extracurricular endeavors.

More than two decades since first stepping into the spotlight, the multi-talented frontman is busier than ever before. Leading the charge is his much anticipated solo debut as well as his role as co-host and founder of “Under The Sun,” the annual summer festival tour showcasing the biggest and brightest stars of the halcyon Nineties. Now blissfully married and father to twins, McGrath’s admirably debauched rock star lifestyle has given way to a laser beam focus on his own past, present, and future.

“I’m more lucid now,” he says. “I’m clearer. I’m not this maniac, going from city to city drinking twelve-packs of beer. I’m a father now, my craziness is behind me. The fog has cleared and I’m like, look what we did! It’s awesome!”

Indeed it is. Sugar Ray was groundbreaking from the get-go, including among their ranks a real live DJ – incredibly, unheard of in a rock band at that time. Kicking off with 1995’s “LEMONADE AND BROWNIES,” the Newport Beach quintet unleashed a series of albums that McGrath describes as “love letters to the music we loved, with no irony just pure enthusiasm.” 1997’s “FLOORED” saw the band refine its multi-faceted sound with the assistance of GRAMMY® Award-winning producer David Kahane (Sublime, Paul McCartney, The Strokes). The album proved Sugar Ray’s popular breakthrough, earning 2x platinum certification from the RIAA, fueled in part by the #1 hit single, “Fly.”

Read more at https://www.markmcgrath.com

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The way MC Rob Base describes the song’s rapid composition (one night before going into to the studio), its inauspicious Englewood, New Jersey recording session (again, one night) and its modest goals (hopefully a hit in the tri-state area) reveal a quick and instinctual process that perhaps provides some clue to its immediacy. The song’s success was prompt. By the fall, it became the sixth of only seven rap songs to break the Top 40 in 1988. The following year, Spin magazine would call it the greatest single of all time.

Eventually, “It Takes Two” would be sampled, interpolated and covered, appearing in Chicago house tracks, Miami bass tunes like Luke’s “I Wanna Rock,” a Top Ten single by the Black Eyed Peas and a Target commercial starring Carly Rae Jepsen and Lil Yachty. Rob Base is still performing “It Takes Two” all over America on the unstoppable I Love the ’90s package tour and, nearly 30 years later, you can still hear it yeah-ing and woo-ing throughout the trailer to the summer blockbuster Ant-Man and the Wasp. (Rodney “DJ E-Z Rock” Bryce passed away in 2014 at the age of 46.)

See more at Rollingstone Magazine

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CINDY HERRON-BRAGGS, TERRY ELLIS & RHONA BENNETT

Timeless! That’s what comes to mind the moment the resonant voices of En Vogue pour through the airwaves. With their new single, Rocket, steadily pushing its way onto radio playlists across the country, the ladies are poised for more chart-topping success with the global release of their “Electric Café” album on Entertainment One Music.

En Vogue, current members Cindy Herron-Braggs, Terry Ellis and Rhona Bennett are recognized as one of the top 5 highest selling American female music groups in history, En Vogue has sold over 20 million albums to date. Their effortless transition into the digital age, complemented by their effortless chic, has garnered the group over 30 million streams and 26 million plus YouTube views on their Top 6 hit singles alone; smashes such as Hold On, Free Your Mind, Never Gonna Get It, Giving Him Something He Can Feel, Don’t Let Go, and Whatta Man (feat. Salt N Pepa).

In April 2018, the group will present their most diverse work yet with the release of the album “Electric Café.” “We were just looking for a vibe,” says founding member Cindy Herron-Braggs of the group’s first studio album since 2004. “In the beginning, we were feeling that electronic dance sound, but then the music started to evolve creatively.” Electric Café features collaborations with some of today’s most sought-after producers and artists, including Ne-Yo, who penned the lead single Rocket with production by Curtis “Sauce” Wilson and Raphael Saadiq, who wrote and produced the smoking hot track, I’m Good.

The Hip-Hop laced Have a Seat ft. Snoop Dogg was penned by writer/producer Taura Stinson, and the group’s original production duo, Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, tapped back into En Vogue’s signature sound with Déjà vu and Blue Skies.

Known for their show stopping performances, En Vogue stays in demand. 2018 kicks off with a European tour hitting Dublin, Ireland followed by shows throughout the United Kingdom, Holland and Germany. “There has never been a time when we didn’t have a show on the books,” says founding member Terry Ellis. “We’re blessed to have a global fan base that gives us so much love, so much genuine enthusiasm, every time we walk out on that stage.”

The ladies attribute their stellar figures and age-defying looks to a primarily plant-based diet and vigorous fitness routine. For them, the ability to consistently deliver high-energy performances is paramount; it is also what keeps their legions of fans wanting more. Simply put, “We just love our craft,”says Cindy Herron-Braggs.

While the seasoned songbirds stay connected to their R&B roots, their appreciation for diverse musical genres is reflected in their new project. “We love the authenticity of Hip Hop and the fusion of old school rhythm with a contemporary sound,” says Rhona Bennett.

When not on the road, they donate their time to philanthropic causes such as The HollyRod Foundation, which provides medical, physical, and emotional support to families living with autism and individuals battling Parkinson’s disease. They also support non-profit organizations that rescue victims from human trafficking and provide them with educational and job training.

See more at www.envoguemusic.com

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If you’ve ever been in love, then you’ve heard the name All-4-One and their timeless songs “I Swear”, “I Can Love You Like That”, “So Much In Love”, “ I Turn To You”, “These Arms”, “Beautiful As You” and much more. The Grammy Award Winning group All-4-One is internationally known for making beautiful love songs that not only chart radio airwaves, but also garner countless awards. All-4-One’s very first single “So Much In Love“, scaled to RIAA Gold Sales and top 5 pop status.

The California based quartet soon marked their place in the industry as premier balladeers. Their second single, “I Swear“, claimed the billboard “Hot 100” #1 spot for 11 consecutive weeks, while sales sky rocketed to hold the #1 selling single status in 1994 and third most successful single of the rock era. “I Swear” STILL holds a spot on Billboard’s “Hot 100”as one of the most successful singles of all time and has been named by ASCAP as one of the greatest love songs of the 20th Century. “I Swear” is recorded in history with an imprint in the Guinness’s World Book of records (as the biggest selling single of 1994). The groups second album was highlighted by “I Can Love You Like That”, a mid-tempo which hit the top 5 on the Billboard “Hot 100”.

To date they have released a total of seven albums and sold over 20 million units worldwide, won a bevy of awards including a Grammy, an American Music Award, a Blockbuster Award, countless international awards and completed multiple major world tours. In celebration a two decade career milestone, All-4-One released their best album yet with Twenty+ on July 24, 2015. Twenty+ includes 14 new songs and 6 of the groups biggest hits that helped propel them them to international success.

In addition, All-4-One’s music continues to gain more popularity with placements in commercials, worldwide music compilations, TV shows and major motion pictures such as Sisters, Despicable Me, Earth To Echo, the hilarious Ryan Renolds comedy Just Friends, The Social Network and Nothing To Lose . The groups contribution to soundtracks include:the multi-platinum soundtrack to Walt Disney Pictures animated feature film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame with the title song “Someday”, and the Space Jam Soundtrack, a 5 time platinum album with “I Turn To You”. The California based quartet, All-4-One, continue to tour the world and record new music as the original members and a collection of timeless hit songs under their belt. Twenty+ is available on iTunes and Amazon now.

See more at www.all-4-one.com