I love the genre, it was such a defining feature of the late 80s/early 90s pop scene. Why isn't it remembered like disco and funk are?
Why isn't new jack swing given the same nostalgic reverence as disco/funk?
by Anonymous | reply 44 | June 4, 2020 2:23 PM |
Some genres get stuck in the void between going out of fashion and not being rediscovered yet. I used to produce music and hang out on producer forums (about 10 years ago before Facebook killed them all) and hip hop producers/DJs loved new jack swing way after it was fashionable and made mixtapes of it etc.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | December 10, 2015 12:17 AM |
I know, oh I know...
by Anonymous | reply 2 | December 10, 2015 12:25 AM |
No one can identify it readily, R1.
by Anonymous | reply 3 | December 10, 2015 12:25 AM |
It had less reach. Disco was ubiquitous.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | December 10, 2015 12:46 AM |
New Jack never had mainstream appeal like Disco. It was a niche audience and it did not last very long. New Jack Swing also overlapped with hip hop so people can't distinguish it.
New Jack Swing's biggest album was Michael Jackson's Dangerous. after that album New Jack Swing was no more.
by Anonymous | reply 5 | December 10, 2015 12:50 AM |
It was a black thing. Says Terry Riley.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | December 10, 2015 12:53 AM |
Whenever I think of new jack swing, the first thing that pops up in my mind is that Bobby Brown album from 1988 (or 1989?) which spawned a few big hits. I was living in Europe at the time so that was the first time I actually heard of that genre.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | December 10, 2015 12:56 AM |
r7 Me too. I first thought of his Ghostbusters 2 theme song.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | December 10, 2015 1:07 AM |
My 30 year old straight, white, married co-worker loves new jack swing. Loves it! For me, New Jack Swing peaked with the Above the Rim Soundtrack in 93-94.
by Anonymous | reply 9 | December 10, 2015 1:10 AM |
What is it? Return Of The Mack?
D'Angelo?
by Anonymous | reply 10 | December 10, 2015 1:11 AM |
I think D'Angelo's more like neo-soul but Mark Morrison could be.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | December 10, 2015 1:30 AM |
Teddy Riley was the brains behind New Jack, but Aaron Hall had the voice. Aaron Hall is one my favorite vocalists ever, so soulful. Hugely underrated and overlooked talent. Too bad he is such a huge asshole, which Im sure is why Teddy had all the success after Guy.
Rhythm Nation brought New Jack to the forefront though, pop wise. Michael's "Dangerous" was directly influenced by his sister's album that came out three years before.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | December 10, 2015 1:41 AM |
The real king of New Jack Swing was not Bobby Brown but Keith Sweat.
I would say Tevin Campbell or Christopher Williams were the prince of New Jack Swing.
When gangsta rap emerged, they were critical of New Jack and believed that New Jack had no soul. After 1993, gansta rap took over and became mainstream.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | December 10, 2015 2:01 AM |
What about Al B. Sure? Was he considered New Jack Swing?
by Anonymous | reply 14 | December 10, 2015 2:03 AM |
D'Angelo and Maxwell were the godfathers of neo soul which came out in 93-94. The genre reached it's peak in 96-00 with acts like Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Maxwell, D'Angelo, Jill Scott and Kelly Price.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | December 10, 2015 2:05 AM |
You people can't even agree on what is this new jack swing bullshit is. You make up too many names to subdivide music into impossibly narrow dictums and that is why normal people laugh at you with your new jackswing bullshit malarkey.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | December 10, 2015 2:06 AM |
Most black people of a certain age know exactly what it is. "Never trust a big butt and a smile!"
by Anonymous | reply 17 | December 10, 2015 2:17 PM |
Teddy Riley Keith sweat Bobby brown Late 80s and early 90s r&B boy groups
by Anonymous | reply 20 | December 10, 2015 2:48 PM |
Johnny Kemp's "Just Got Paid" rules this genre.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | December 10, 2015 3:40 PM |
Karyn White's "Romantic" was a crown jewel in NJS.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | December 11, 2015 12:04 AM |
Diana Ross attempted New Jack Swing in 1989 with Workin' Overtime
by Anonymous | reply 23 | December 11, 2015 12:48 AM |
Even the cartoon Ferngully featured NJS in 92. Production from Thomas Dolby and vocals by Tone Loc.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | December 11, 2015 1:32 AM |
This takes me back to 7th grade. This song was huge.
by Anonymous | reply 25 | December 11, 2015 1:50 AM |
[quote]It was a black thing. Says Terry Riley.
So we wouldn't understand.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | December 11, 2015 1:53 AM |
I have someone save in my phone as Tony!Toni!Tone! as an homage to one of the NJS greats.
by Anonymous | reply 27 | December 11, 2015 2:39 AM |
^it's a group, love If I had no loot
by Anonymous | reply 28 | December 11, 2015 2:58 AM |
Yep Just Got Paid is the epitome of NJS. I loved BBD and Boys to Men. The 80s and 90s were great for music because there were so many diverse artists. Now there can only be 2-3 and it has to be first name only
by Anonymous | reply 29 | December 11, 2015 3:51 AM |
No relevance beyond nostalgia
by Anonymous | reply 31 | December 11, 2015 7:12 AM |
Awful music, no wonder none of the singers of that area are remembered much.
Jill Scott was not NJS R15!
by Anonymous | reply 33 | December 12, 2015 7:57 PM |
r33, no one remembers Janet Jackson?
by Anonymous | reply 34 | December 12, 2015 10:52 PM |
Why isn't New Jack Swing given the same nostalgic reverence? I think one reason is because NJS is less distinguishable from "regular R&B" than disco is from pop or soul - and funk is from R&B. In the back of one's mind (or at least in the back of MY mind), you kind-of wonder if NJS is a bonafide (sub)genre of music, or if it's just the R&B of the late-'80s/early-'90s. Was it just part of what R&B was trending to during that time, or is it distinguishable enough from the rest of R&B to deserve its own label?
The declaration of "New Jack Swing" may have been little more than a publicity-stunt, or a figment of the imagination of some ego-filled musician (Teddy Riley? Not to knock Teddy Riley's abilities or contributions - he's great...but did he and/or others really *need* to affix a label to something that could have just been known as R&B?) A knowledgeable person can seemingly define what disco or funk more clearly than he/she can define NJS.
Like - I can see some people being confused by an artist like Mary J. Blige - who came right on the heels of NJS (or even while NJS was still a thing). Early Mary J. Blige is not considered NJS - I believe they came up with the "new" label of "Hip-Hop Soul" to define Blige's early music - but some people may not be able to tell the difference.
Also - I think that many of the best NJS artists are given a certain nostalgic reverence (i.e. Al B. Sure!)....but the "genre" itself is given less reverence because I'm not sure if there were all that many quality NJS artists. When you go outside of the major superstars (Janet, Michael, even Bobby Brown), and the major contributors to the NJS sound (Al B. Sure!, Teddy Riley and Guy) - a lot of NJS starts to sound formulaic and indistinguishable. I think the artists who contributed to NJS supersede the genre itself.
by Anonymous | reply 35 | December 14, 2015 11:24 PM |
What would you classify this track as? Just rediscovered it recently and have been dancing my ass off. There were a few Euro tracks in the same style in the very early 90s.
by Anonymous | reply 36 | December 14, 2015 11:42 PM |
The real reason is because new jack swing isn't as identifiable as disco. Its the living, breathing gap between the hiphop/house of the early 90's to today's contemporary r&b. Today's rhythmic r&b/dancepop is basically new jack with autotune and less melody, and NO bridges. I hate urban radio of today.
by Anonymous | reply 38 | January 4, 2016 12:25 AM |
New Jack Swing had some good ballads too. My favorite was, and still is, Guy's 'Let's Chill"
by Anonymous | reply 39 | January 4, 2016 1:01 AM |
Most of it was very slick & commercial. It wasn't a groundbreaking genre in the way disco & funk were, & the production on a lot of tracks sounds very dated in a bad way. I find the neo-soul stuff from the '90s has held up better overall.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | January 4, 2016 1:36 AM |
No, R41.
by Anonymous | reply 42 | June 4, 2020 1:51 PM |
I think one of the biggest... certainly one of the biggest groups to help define it.
by Anonymous | reply 43 | June 4, 2020 1:58 PM |
LOVED the New Jack Swing era. Especially this ditty.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | June 4, 2020 2:23 PM |