Michael Jackson - The King Of Pop
...bio coming soon!
Michie Mee
...bio coming soon!
Mantronix
This electro-hip hop group made noise on the international scene during in 1990, during the height of the New Jack Era. “Got To Have Your Love” was a huge hit by the group, and they followed that hit up with “Take Your Time”. Future producer Bryce Wilson (Groove Theory, Toni Braxton) played a key role in the band.
Milli Vanilli
In 1989, Milli Vanilli’s ‘Girl You Know It’s True’ album was released, and its title track put Robert Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan on the map in a major way. With seemingly overnight success, the braided duo danced their way into the hearts of dance/pop music lovers worldwide. In all, five hits were released during their run: “Girl You Know It’s True”, “Baby Don’t Forget My Number”, “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You”, “Blame It On The Rain”, and “All Or Nothing”.
In early 1990, the group won the Grammy for Best New Artist. Later in 1990, it was discovered that the group had actually been lip-synching their hits the whole time, and that a collection of session artists had been performing their vocals. The Grammy was stripped from the group and they quickly lost all respect and plummeted in popularity. The group even attempted to get in on the joke by filming a Dentyne commercial that made fun of the situation, but the damage was too great.
In 1993, the group appeared on Arsenio Hall to perform their own live vocals, but the album didn’t do very well at all. In a fits of depression, member Rob Pilatus got in trouble with the law and binged heavily on drugs throughout the aftermath of their success, and on April 2, 1998 died of an overdose. VH1’s Behind The Music story on Milli Vanilli remains one of the most memorable episodes of the series.
Milli Vanilli was one of the first Black acts to crossover to mainstream audiences in a major way since Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston; their remix of “Girl You Know It’s True” even incorporated New Jack samples from Bobby Brown’s “Don’t Be Cruel” and Keith Sweat’s “Don’t Stop Your Love”. Despite the fact that they hadn’t sung a note on their album, the material itself brilliantly captured the essence of the time it was released; otherwise it wouldn’t have performed so well on the charts and resonated with music audiences both urban and suburban.
Producer Frank Farian was amazingly cruel when he let the world know about of their secret; he took advantage of two struggling teenagers while most likely reaping more money from the project than they ever saw. While Rob and Fab aren’t completely innocent in all of this, they were certainly undeserving of all the incredible heat they suffered.
Njs4ever.com will always consider Milli Vanilli a participant of the New Jack Swing Era.
Update: Singer Fabrice Morvan is still recording and
performing music in and around Los Angeles...
...bio coming soon!
MC Lyte
...bio coming soon!
Naughty By Nature
In the fall of 1991, Naughty By Nature emerged with the song “O.P.P.” which signaled the beginning of the post-New Jack Swing era. Naughty By Nature’s music reflected the look, sound and vibe of Ernest Dickerson’s “Juice” film starring the late great Tupac Shakur and Omar Epps. Naughty By Nature continued to reign during the post-New Jack Swing Era with songs like “Hip Hop Hooray” and “Feel Me Flow”, but they made an impressive showing in 1991 and 1992 with “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” and “Uptown Anthem”.
Neneh Cherry
Neneh Cherry emerged onto the music scene in the summer of 1989 with the smash rap/dance track (and her biggest hit) “Buffalo Stance”, which eventually peaked at #3 on the Billboard pop chart. Blending a streetwise persona with a cosmic bohemian vibe and model good looks, Ms. Cherry broke through during the New Jack Swing Era as a trend-setting artist who was perhaps very much ahead of her time. Released on Virgin Records, Neneh Cherry’s debut album ‘Raw Like Sushi’ can be described as funky and fierce, and has been considered by some to be the first ‘alternative rap’ album ever. The ‘Raw Like Sushi’ album features defiant, womanly rhymes, positive messages, and a delicious blend of hip-hop, jazz, soul, and rock. The second single from ‘Raw Like Sushi’ (called “Kisses On The Wind”) also did well, reaching #8 on the Billboard pop chart in late ’89.
Born Neneh Mariann Karlsson on March 10, 1964 in Stockholm, Sweden to Swedish artist Moki Cherry and West African percussionist Ahmadu Jah, Neneh grew up in Sweden, and also spent a substantial amount of time in London and New York City. Moki Cherry would later marry free jazz pioneer Don Cherry, making the legend Neneh’s stepfather. Two years after dropping out of school, sixteen year-old Neneh began her music career in 1980 performing with a number of bands with styles ranging from punk rock to ska. By the mid 1980s however, Cherry began to incorporate hip-hop music into her sound, and after meeting a producer (and future husband) named Cameron McVey, she was able to emerge circa 1989 a promising artist during an era when the UK was also producing innovative acts such as Soul II Soul, Stereo M.C.’s, The Fine Young Cannibals, and Lisa Stansfield.
In 1990, Neneh Cherry recorded an impressive cover of Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, featured on the ‘Red Hot + Blue’ benefit album for AIDS research. The video clip for this track received heavy rotation and critical praise on various music video outlets, especially Canada’s ‘Much Music’ when it was released. Neneh then remained relatively quiet until late 1992, when she released her sophomore album ‘Home Brew’ which spawned the MTV hit “Buddy X” (a thinly veiled attack at Lenny Kravitz) and the alternative rock radio hit “Trout” featuring R.E.M’s Michael Stipe.
Throughout the rest of 1990s, Neneh never really duplicated the level of worldwide commercial success she had experienced during the New Jack Era, but critically speaking she has established herself as a skillful and sought after artist. In 1994, she was recruited by Youssou N’Dour for the duet “7 Seconds” which was a notable hit in the UK. In 1996, Cherry released ‘Man’, an album that leaned more towards the trip-hop musical style. Highlights of that album include “Woman” and a remake of Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man”. Since then, Neneh has worked with trip-hop star Tricky, and Speech, former front man of Arrested Development. Perhaps the best has yet to come from the beautifully talented Neneh Cherry…
*FYI: Neneh Cherry is the half-sister of 90’s recording artist Eagle-Eye Cherry, who has released two albums to date. His biggest hit “Save Tonight” peaked at #5 on the Billboard Pop chart in early 1999.
Neneh Cherry bio written for NJS-4-Ever by the Capricorn One.