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Why isn't new jack swing given the same nostalgic reverence as disco/funk?

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?

by Anonymousreply 44June 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 Anonymousreply 1December 10, 2015 12:17 AM

I know, oh I know...

by Anonymousreply 2December 10, 2015 12:25 AM

No one can identify it readily, R1.

by Anonymousreply 3December 10, 2015 12:25 AM

It had less reach. Disco was ubiquitous.

by Anonymousreply 4December 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 Anonymousreply 5December 10, 2015 12:50 AM

It was a black thing. Says Terry Riley.

by Anonymousreply 6December 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 Anonymousreply 7December 10, 2015 12:56 AM

r7 Me too. I first thought of his Ghostbusters 2 theme song.

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by Anonymousreply 8December 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 Anonymousreply 9December 10, 2015 1:10 AM

What is it? Return Of The Mack?

D'Angelo?

by Anonymousreply 10December 10, 2015 1:11 AM

I think D'Angelo's more like neo-soul but Mark Morrison could be.

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by Anonymousreply 11December 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 Anonymousreply 12December 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 Anonymousreply 13December 10, 2015 2:01 AM

What about Al B. Sure? Was he considered New Jack Swing?

by Anonymousreply 14December 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 Anonymousreply 15December 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 Anonymousreply 16December 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 Anonymousreply 17December 10, 2015 2:17 PM

Definitive New Jack Swing

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by Anonymousreply 18December 10, 2015 2:33 PM

1988

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by Anonymousreply 19December 10, 2015 2:44 PM

Teddy Riley Keith sweat Bobby brown Late 80s and early 90s r&B boy groups

by Anonymousreply 20December 10, 2015 2:48 PM

Johnny Kemp's "Just Got Paid" rules this genre.

by Anonymousreply 21December 10, 2015 3:40 PM

Karyn White's "Romantic" was a crown jewel in NJS.

by Anonymousreply 22December 11, 2015 12:04 AM

Diana Ross attempted New Jack Swing in 1989 with Workin' Overtime

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by Anonymousreply 23December 11, 2015 12:48 AM

Even the cartoon Ferngully featured NJS in 92. Production from Thomas Dolby and vocals by Tone Loc.

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by Anonymousreply 24December 11, 2015 1:32 AM

This takes me back to 7th grade. This song was huge.

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by Anonymousreply 25December 11, 2015 1:50 AM

[quote]It was a black thing. Says Terry Riley.

So we wouldn't understand.

by Anonymousreply 26December 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 Anonymousreply 27December 11, 2015 2:39 AM

^it's a group, love If I had no loot

by Anonymousreply 28December 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 Anonymousreply 29December 11, 2015 3:51 AM

New Jack Swing at it's finest!

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by Anonymousreply 30December 11, 2015 7:04 AM

No relevance beyond nostalgia

by Anonymousreply 31December 11, 2015 7:12 AM

R5

The correct name is TEDDY Riley

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by Anonymousreply 32December 12, 2015 7:26 PM

Awful music, no wonder none of the singers of that area are remembered much.

Jill Scott was not NJS R15!

by Anonymousreply 33December 12, 2015 7:57 PM

r33, no one remembers Janet Jackson?

by Anonymousreply 34December 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 Anonymousreply 35December 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.

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by Anonymousreply 36December 14, 2015 11:42 PM

yassss!

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by Anonymousreply 37December 15, 2015 12:05 AM

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 Anonymousreply 38January 4, 2016 12:25 AM

New Jack Swing had some good ballads too. My favorite was, and still is, Guy's 'Let's Chill"

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by Anonymousreply 39January 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 Anonymousreply 40January 4, 2016 1:36 AM

Does this count as NJS?

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by Anonymousreply 41June 4, 2020 1:46 PM

No, R41.

by Anonymousreply 42June 4, 2020 1:51 PM

I think one of the biggest... certainly one of the biggest groups to help define it.

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by Anonymousreply 43June 4, 2020 1:58 PM

LOVED the New Jack Swing era. Especially this ditty.

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by Anonymousreply 44June 4, 2020 2:23 PM
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