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.
New Edition is an American R&B/pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by singer/rapper Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a new edition of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 1980s and is considered the blueprint for what would become the modern boy band. The lineup originally consisted of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, and Ralph Tresvant. Brown left the group in late 1985 to begin a successful solo career, and they continued as a quartet for one album, before adding Johnny Gill to the lineup in 1987. Early hits included "Candy Girl", "Cool It Now", and "Mr. Telephone Man". Tresvant was the lead singer on most of the songs. In 1990, both Gill and Tresvant released their own solo albums, while the remaining three members formed the trio Bell Biv DeVoe; the group ceased to work together for the first half of the 1990s.
8701 is the third studio album by American singer Usher, released in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2001, and in the United States on August 7, 2001, by Arista Records. Recording was handled by several producers including The Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri, Babyface, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Mike City, Bryan Michael Cox, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Although intended for an October 31, 2000 release under the title All About U, the album was delayed numerous times, following the leak of several tracks onto the online music store Napster. Usher subsequently recorded new tracks and released the album under the new title, 8701, which is derived from Usher singing for the first time in his local church in 1987 and the album's US release date of August 7, 2001. The single "Can U Help Me" was supplied with Windows XP Service Pack 2 and later Windows versions to showcase Windows Media Player 11 and higher WMP versions.
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with various artists, most extensively Janet Jackson. They have written 31 top ten hits in the UK and 41 in the US. In 2022, the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category.
Ralph Edward Tresvant is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the lead singer of R&B group New Edition. As a solo artist, Tresvant released his double platinum-selling debut album Ralph Tresvant (1990). In 2008, he began touring with Bobby Brown and Johnny Gill in a new group named Heads of State. On February 3, 2023, Tresvant became host of the syndicated radio show Love and R&B, heard on WOSF.
It's Dark and Hell Is Hot is the debut studio album by American rapper DMX. It was released on May 19, 1998, by Def Jam Recordings and Ruff Ryders Entertainment. It was supported by four singles—"Get at Me Dog", "Stop Being Greedy", "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" and "How's It Goin' Down", in order of release—and their accompanying music videos.
Mr. Smith is the sixth studio album by American hip hop recording artist LL Cool J, released on November 21, 1995, by Def Jam. The album has been certified Double Platinum in the US by the RIAA.
Heart Break is the fifth studio album by American R&B quintet New Edition, released June 20, 1988, by MCA Records. It is the first album to return the Boston-reared band as a quintet after the public exit of original member Bobby Brown, and the first album to feature Johnny Gill as a member of the group. The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Home Again is the sixth studio album by American R&B/pop group New Edition. Released on September 10, 1996, it is the only album to date to feature all six members of New Edition—Bobby Brown, who had left the group in 1985, rejoined the lineup—and was their final recording for MCA Records. Highly anticipated, and being their first album since, Heart Break (1988), the album debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number one, becoming the group's first album to open at number one, selling 227,000 in its first week sales. It also topped the Irish Albums Chart, and the US Billboard R&B Albums Chart as the group's first album in twelve years to do so since their self titled album in 1984. The album's success spawned four singles that collectively received moderate Billboard chart success. It was certified double platinum by the RIAA, for sales and shipments of over two million copies on February 4, 1997.
One Love is the seventh studio album by American R&B group New Edition, released on November 9, 2004 by Bad Boy and Universal Records. The group's first studio album since 1996's Home Again, One Love was conceived after their departure from MCA Records. Executive producer Sean Combs consulted a number of inhouse producers to work with New Edition on their first project with his label, including Stevie J and Mario Winans apart from other collaborators such as Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Ryan Leslie.
"If It Isn't Love" is a song by American R&B quintet New Edition, and the first single from their fifth studio album, Heart Break (1988). The song was released on June 9, 1988 by MCA Records. It became the biggest hit from the album, reaching the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number seven, becoming their first top 10 hit following the departure of Bobby Brown, and reaching the second position on the Hot Black Singles chart. The song and video is also notable for being the introduction of fellow R&B singer Johnny Gill as a new member of the R&B quintet. Its chart performance and well-received music video garnered the quintet their first, and to date, sole nomination for the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 31st Grammy Awards in February 1989.
Ralph Tresvant is the debut solo studio album by American singer Ralph Tresvant. The album was released by MCA Records on November 20, 1990, in the United States. It went to number one on the Irish Albums Chart for 12 weeks, and on the US Top R&B Albums chart for two weeks and peaked into the top 20 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It features the number one single, "Sensitivity" along with two more top five R&B hits: "Do What I Gotta Do" and "Stone Cold Gentleman", which featured labelmate Bobby Brown, and has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) within its first year of release, and achieved double-platinum status a few years after.
"Can You Stand the Rain" is a ballad by R&B/pop group New Edition. The song was released on December 3, 1988 by MCA Records as the third single from their fifth studio album, Heart Break.
"You’re Not My Kind of Girl" is a 1988 song by R&B/Pop group New Edition, and the second single from their fifth studio album, Heart Break.
Jordan Knight is the debut album by New Kids on the Block frontman Jordan Knight, released on May 25, 1999, by Interscope Records. Knight co-produced eight of the eleven tracks on the album with help from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and a then unknown Robin Thicke. The album sold over 500,000 copies in the US alone and reached number 29 on the Billboard 200.
"Love Is All We Need" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige, with a guest rap from Nas. It was written by Blige, Nas, James Harris III, and Terry Lewis for Blige's third studio album, Share My World (1997), while production was helmed by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. The song contains a sample of the song "Moonchild" (1985) as performed by American singer Rick James. With its more buoyant tone, it stood in conspicuous contrast to much of the more dark-rooted material featured on Blige's earlier albums.
Mo' Money: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 1992 film of the same name. It was released June 23, 1992, on Perspective Records. The soundtrack peaked at six on the Billboard 200 chart. By September 1992, it was certified platinum in sales by the RIAA, after sales exceeding 1,000,000 copies in the United States.
Just the Way You Like It is the fifth album released by the R&B band The S.O.S. Band on the Tabu label in August 1984. It was produced mostly by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis with additional production from the band themselves.
"Word to the Mutha!" is a song co-written and performed by American contemporary R&B group Bell Biv DeVoe and co-written and produced by Wolf & Epic. It originally appeared on their debut studio album Poison under the title "Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike, Ralph and Johnny !", but the title was shortened and a remixed version of the song was issued as the only official single from the group's remix album WBBD-Bootcity!: The Remix Album. The song features vocals from Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill. It was the first recorded song to feature all six members of New Edition. Brown, Tresvant and Gill are credited separately on the single, rather than collectively as New Edition.
"Somewhat Loved (There You Go Breakin' My Heart)" is a song by American production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis featuring American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, for the duo's debut studio album Jam & Lewis: Volume One (2021). It was released as the album's third single on June 10, 2021. The song peaked at number nine on the US Adult R&B Songs chart, and number 30 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.
