1990 -- Part II

At the MTV Video Music Awards (hosted by Arsenio Hall) that September, Janet Jackson dazzled audiences with a then surprisingly sexy, energetic performance of “Black Cat”, and for the first time in music history, all six members of New Edition reunited onstage for a performance. In nominations and awards, “urban-informed” dance music dominated the VMAs that year: Madonna, Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson and MC Hammer were all big winners that night.

Later that fall, LL Cool J’s “Boomin System” single (produced by Marley Marl) marked the official comeback of Def Jam’s premier solo artist. Other notable hip-hop releases in 1990 included Public Enemy’s ‘Fear of a Black Planet’, Ice Cube’s ‘Amerikkka’s Most Wanted’ and ‘Kill At Will’, Brand Nubian’s ‘One For All’, and Digital Underground’s ‘Sex Packets’. Notable hip-hop singles included Boogie Down Productions’ “Love’s Gonna Get Cha”, Chubb Rock’s “Treat ‘Em Right”, and Kwame’s “Ownlee Eue”.

On the R&B side of things, Keith Sweat scored big time with his second album ‘I’ll Give All My Love To You’ featuring “Make You Sweat”, “Merry Go-Round”, and the title track, which is a classic to this day. Guy also returned with ‘The Future’, featuring the hits “I Wanna Get With U”, and “Let’s Chill”. Even Jasmine Guy from NBC’s A Different World” released an album that actually performed quite well, with three singles: “Try Me”, “Another Like My Lover”, and “I Just Wanna Hold You”.

Other R&B acts that shined brightly in 1990 included Babyface, Samuelle, Today, Basic Black, Hi-Five, The Boys, Special Generation, Oaktown 357, Troop, Midnight Star, Surface, and of course, Pebbles. In November, Bell Biv DeVoe would receive the “Best New Artist” award at the first-ever televised Billboard Music Awards, airing on the Fox network.

By the end of 1990, the New Jack Swing era had triumphantly reached its commercial peak. On Fox Television, America’s first urban-themed sketch comedy show ‘In Living Color’ debuted, with a theme song performed by Heavy D. During the New Jack Era, ‘In Living Color’ was a highly rated show. However, a major backlash by suburban audiences was brewing, and by the end of 1991, things were going to look a lot different than they did in 1990…


1991


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