Aaron Hall | |
---|---|
Birth name | Aaron Robin Hall III |
Also known as | "The Voice", "Nasty Man" |
Born | The Bronx, New York City, U.S. | August 10, 1964
Origin | Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Years active | 1987–present |
Labels | |
Formerly of |
Aaron Robin Hall III (born August 10, 1964) is an American singer and songwriter. Hall joined the R&B and new jack swing group Guy in 1988, [1] which was formed by Teddy Riley and Timmy Gatling, who was later replaced by Hall's brother, Damion. The group's self-titled debut album (1988) was met with commercial success; Hall provided lead vocals on its songs "Groove Me," "I Like," and "Piece of My Love", among others.
Aaron Robin Hall III was born in the Bronx, New York City, and raised in Brooklyn. His father Aaron Hall II was a prominent New York pastor of the church where Hall learned the Black American traditions of gospel music styling and performance. He is the second oldest son of the Hall family, along with prominent brothers as Damion Hall and minister Todd Hall. [2] Hall explored his vocal talent and began singing in a Baptist church from an young age. [3] [4] A few years before Hall segued into his R&B career, his mother Johnella Romeo Hall was hit by a car on Christmas Eve and died. [5]
Hall developed a speech impediment as a child that would last into adulthood, causing him to struggle to pronounce his own name and restricting his ability to give interviews during his early career. Channeling all his energies into his love for dogs, he later became a dog trainer for his celebrity peers. [6]
Hall's talent encouraged by his friend, Timmy Gatling, who also worked alongside him in a store, Abraham & Straus in the 1980s. Gatling knew Teddy Riley through their early group called Kids at Work, which was managed by Gene Griffin. After Timmy's discovery, the three decided to form a group, Guy. [4]
In between Hall's traditional Black gospel voice and erratic singing brought up major comparisons to artists later being in the business. Hall described his own voice as "running on inflections, heavy intonations and very little breathing". [7]
Following the breakup of Guy, Hall signed with Silas Records, a subsidiary label of MCA Records formed by Louil Silas Jr. [8] Hall reunited with his brother and Teddy Riley as Guy for a reunion album, Guy III (2000). It features the modest hit, "Dancin'".
Hall began his solo career after his group Guy collapsed. In 1992, he worked with several producers from the Silas label on his debut album, The Truth . It included hits like "Don't Be Afraid", "Get a Little Freaky with Me", "Let's Make Love", and others. One of his biggest singles, "I Miss You", reached #2 on the R&B chart and later peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his biggest pop hit. [9] In later years, he created hits for movie soundtracks and collaborated with other artists.
Hall released a second studio album in 1998, Inside of You . After the failed Guy reunion in 1997, which only brought a track for the New York Undercover movie soundtrack, Hall announced he would work on another solo album the following year. He names it as a new approach in his career, including a message to harsh conditions he had experienced in the industry. [10] [11] The album features Faith Evans and hip-hop group Terror Squad, and it includes Fat Joe, Big Pun, Cuban Linx and Unique on a remixed track. The album had success with "All The Places (I Will Kiss You)" becoming a hit single, charting as a top 10 hit on Billboard's Top Hip Hop/R&B Songs and a top 30 song on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. [9]
In the late 2000s, Hall resigned from MCA starting a new independent label named "Artists Only International". It was a music subsidiary of "Headstart Entertainment". He declared he was "..no longer a slave anymore" referring to his former contract with MCA. [12] Hall experimented with different genres mixing R&B, reggae and hip-hop together, giving his approach to music a more distanced critique from reviewers than usual. [13] He defined it as his "last album" and in an article teased that he would later use a new persona, a new name ("E. Kane"). His visions didn't jibe with his future plans. [14]
On November 24, 2023, a lawsuit was filed against Hall and Sean Combs by an unnamed woman, alleging they both raped her and a friend after an event at Uptown Records in the early 1990s. [15] [16] [17] In 1996, Hall was arrested and charged with raping a woman in a Manhattan hotel. [18]
Year | Album | Chart positions | Label | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US 200 [9] | US R&B [9] | ||||
1993 | The Truth | 47 | 7 | MCA | |
1998 | Inside of You | 55 | 11 | ||
2005 | Adults Only | — | — | Head Start Music Group | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Hot 100 [9] | US R&B [9] | UK [19] | |||
1992 | "Don't Be Afraid" | 44 | 1 | 56 | The Truth and Juice soundtrack |
"It's Gonna Be Alright" (with Charlie Wilson) | — | — | — | Boomerang soundtrack | |
1993 | "Get a Little Freaky with Me" | — | 48 | 66 | The Truth |
"Let's Make Love" | — | 36 | — | ||
1994 | "I Miss You" | 14 | 2 | — | |
"When You Need Me" | — | 30 | — | ||
1995 | "Curiosity" | — | 36 | — | Dangerous Minds soundtrack |
"Soon as I Get Home" (Remix) (with Faith Evans) | — | — | — | Faith | |
"Scent of Attraction" (with Patra) | — | 82 | — | Scent of Attraction | |
1996 | "Toss It Up" (with Danny Boy, K-Ci & JoJo) | — | 82 | — | The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory |
1998 | "All the Places (I Will Kiss You)" | 26 | 8 | — | Inside of You |
2000 | "Why You Tryin' to Play Me" (with The Notorious B.I.G.) | — | — | — | Xtra Large Entertainment Inc (Executive producers: Derrick Hodge and LeTroy Davis) |
2005 | "Serve That Body" (with KansasCali) | — | — | — | Adults Only: The Final Album |
2006 | "Much Too Soon" (with K-Ci Hailey) and Al B. Sure!) | — | — | — | My Book |
2012 | "Bye Baby" (with Nas) | — | — | — | Life Is Good |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Jodeci is an American R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1988 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci began as a duo of DeVanté Swing and JoJo but later each added their brothers. After signing with Uptown Records in 1990, the group finished work on their debut album, Forever My Lady (1991), which brought them mainstream success with three straight Billboard R&B No. 1 hit singles: the album's titular track, "Stay" and "Come and Talk to Me".
New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, new jack swing was most popular from the late 1980s to early 1990s.
Guy is an American hip hop, R&B and soul group founded in 1987 by Teddy Riley, Aaron Hall, and Timmy Gatling. Hall's younger brother Damion Hall replaced Gatling after the recording of the group's self-titled debut album. The group released their debut album, which went on to sell over a million copies and was certified double platinum. Following their success, the group released their second album The Future in 1990, which also charted with successful singles and received platinum as well. Following their nearly decade long split, the group returned with their third album before the 2000s millennium, which charted with their hit single "Dancin'".
Edward Theodore Riley is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer credited with the creation of the R&B and hip hop fusion genre, new jack swing. He is the founder and lead vocalist of the musical group Blackstreet, as well as its predecessor, Guy. The genre also gained popularity from artists who utilized Riley's production and songwriting, namely Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown, Heavy D & the Boyz, Keith Sweat, Hi-Five, and the Jackson 5, among others.
Uptown Records is an American record label, based in New York City, founded in 1986 by old school rapper ‘Dr Jekyll’ - Andre Harrell. From the late 1980s into the early 1990s, it was a leader in New Jack Swing, R&B, hip hop., and Hip Hop-Soul
Thug World Order is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, released on October 29, 2002, and the group's final album for Ruthless Records. Singles released were "Money, Money", "Get Up & Get It", and "Home" featuring Phil Collins, which charted in the UK.
Hip hop soul is a subgenre of contemporary R&B music, most popular during the early and mid 1990s, which fuses R&B or soul singing with hip hop musical production. The subgenre had evolved from a previous R&B subgenre, new jack swing, which had incorporated hip-hop influences into R&B music. By contrast, hip hop soul is, as described in The Encyclopedia of African American Music, "quite literally soul singing over hip hop grooves".
Faith is the debut studio album by American singer Faith Evans. It was released by Bad Boy Records on August 29, 1995, in the United States. A collaboration with the label's main producers the Hitmen, including members Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs and Chucky Thompson, as well as Mark Ledford, Herb Middleton, and Jean-Claude Olivier, among others.
No Diggity is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet, serving as the first single from their second studio album, Another Level (1996). Featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen, the song was released on July 29, 1996, by Interscope. It reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in Iceland and New Zealand. The song ended "Macarena's" 14-week reign at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number nine. "No Diggity" was the final number-one single of Cash Box magazine. The track sold 1.6 million copies in 1996 and won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. It includes samples from Bill Withers's "Grandma's Hands". The music video for the song was directed by Hype Williams.
Don't Be Cruel is the second studio album by American singer Bobby Brown. It was released in the United States on June 20, 1988, by MCA Records. MCA changed producers for this album and had Brown work with hit-making songwriting and production duo Babyface and L.A. Reid. Brown dedicated the album to his deceased best friend James "Jimbo" Flint who was stabbed to death when Brown was aged 11. Don't Be Cruel incorporates new jack swing, R&B, funk, dance and soul.
Bobby is the third studio album by American singer Bobby Brown, released in 1992 by MCA Records. The album continued the R&B/new jack swing sound of its predecessor, Don't Be Cruel. Babyface, L.A. Reid, and Daryl Simmons returned as producers and songwriters, however, Brown also worked with other producers, most notably Teddy Riley, who was considered a pioneer of the new jack swing genre. Riley also co-wrote and produced the majority of the album. Brown had more creative input and control of the album, becoming an executive producer and co-writing seven of the album's thirteen songs. The album received mixed reviews from music critics.
Guy is the 1988 debut studio album by American R&B band Guy. Released on June 14, 1988, by Uptown Records. It was produced by group member Teddy Riley and manager Gene Griffin. The album peaked at number 27 on the Billboard 200 chart. In July 1994, it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, for shipments of two million copies in the United States. In 2007, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the album, Geffen Records reissued the recording complete with a remastered version of the original album and a second CD of remixes.
What's the 411? Remix is a remix album by R&B singer Mary J. Blige, released on December 7, 1993, by Uptown Records and MCA Records. It is composed of remixed tracks from Blige's critically acclaimed debut album, and involved record producers and recording artists including Sean "Puffy" Combs, Teddy Riley, Eddie "F" Ferrell, Craig Mack, Heavy D, the Notorious B.I.G., and K-Ci Hailey. The album received favorable reviews, and debuted at number 118 on the Billboard 200, and number 22 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
In Effect Mode is the debut album by Al B. Sure!. It was released on May 3, 1988, on Uptown Records with distribution handled by Warner Bros. Records. It was one of two albums by Sure! that was released under Uptown that were not issued under its parent company MCA Records.
The Future is the second studio album by American R&B group Guy, released in November 13, 1990, on Uptown Records. It was their last album before their reunion a decade later.
Guy III is the third studio album by American R&B group Guy, released on January 25, 2000, by MCA Records. The album reached number five on the R&B Albums chart and peaked at number thirteen on the Billboard 200 chart.
"I Like" is a song by American R&B group Guy recorded for their debut studio album Guy (1988). The song was released as the album's fourth single in 1989. The album version clocks at 4:54 while the single was 12-inch only and was composed entirely of edits.
Home is the twelfth studio album by American R&B recording artist Stephanie Mills. It was released June 26, 1989 on MCA Records and peaked at No. 5 on Billboard Top R&B Albums. The album features the R&B hit singles, the title track "Home" and "Something in the Way "; both were number one hits on Billboard Top R&B Songs chart.
"Bye Baby" is a song by hip hop recording artist Nas, from his 2012 album Life Is Good. The song was produced by 40 and Nas's frequent collaborator Salaam Remi. Sampling "Goodbye Love" by Guy, the song recounts Nas's failed marriage with Kelis.
"When Will I See You Smile Again?" is a song written and produced by Timmy Gatling and Alton Stewart and performed by American contemporary R&B group Bell Biv DeVoe. It was released on January 4, 1991 through MCA Records as the fourth single from the group's debut studio album Poison. The official music video for the song was directed by Lionel C. Martin.