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80s Baby Breakdown:When Bobby Brown Was King

18 November 2009 3 Comments

When Whitney Houston lovingly boasted that Bobby Brown was the “King of R&B,” many scoffed at the notion as others deemed it a drug induced outburst. While the merits of Houston’s claims will be debated for centuries ( legal smack downs and erratic behavior have grabbed more headlines than his music in recent years) there was a time when Bobby Brown made grown women loose their damn minds as the fresh prince of R&B.

With the “round the way” sensitivity of lead singer Ralph Treasvant driving the New Edition machine in the 80’s, many saw Bobby Brown’s ouster from the group as career suicide. But in reality, the exodus gave him the freedom pass to blaze the musical trails of New Jack Swing– with it’s groovy architect Teddy Riley–and hip hop soul years in advance of Mary J Blige’s classic stamp on the genre.

Mega hits like “Don’t Be Cruel,” “My Prerogative,” and “Roni” aside, Brown’s most slept on classic was a simple yet tender love song entitled “Girlfriend” from his woefully forgotten solo debut King Of Stage (circa 86). Pairing a modern doo-wop aesthetic with school boy charm, the high school crush themed video and song helped land Brown a #1 hit on the Billboard R&B Charts.

It’s sometimes hard to give credit when it’s past due. I could easily use every ounce of my two degrees to prove Brown is far more R&B legend and less Eddie Kane Jr. has been, but the sweet nostalgia of the video below, which will have you hittin’ up Keisha from 9^th grade on facebook, speaks for itself.

Award winning writer, educator, counselor, and activist Edward M. Garnes, Jr. is the founder of From Afros to Shelltoes Art, Action, and Conversation, a nationally acclaimed series of cultural productions confronting the social divide between elders and hip hop heads. The 2009 Atlanta Tribune Men Of Distinction holds a B.A. in English Writing from DePauw University and a M.A. in Counseling from Michigan State University . His seminal essay, ” Sweet Tea Ethics: Black Luv, Healthcare, and Cultural Mistrust,” currently appears in Not In My Family: AIDS in the African American Community, a 2007 NAACP Image Award nominated collection edited by Gil Robertson. (www.afrostoshelltoes.com).

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3 Comments »

Spry said:

OHHHH the nostalgia!!! This brings back memories! Thanks Ed!

# 19 November 2009 at 4:37 pm

TheDalMan said:

I agree… Bobby did it up and always had the best producers… Larry Blackmon, BabyFace, Teddy… You cannot deny his strength in R&b. Didn’t Chuckii Booker work with him too. Even his presence made things dope, check out the Ralph Tresvant video for Stone Cold Gentleman… He made Ralph stand out.

# 19 November 2009 at 9:05 pm

Carla Morrison said:

Thanks for the throw back Ed. Bobby was/is my boo and although Whitney was probably having a chemically induced outburt, she was right. Bobby is the King or maybe Prince of R&B. His music is what made Atlanta become the black music mecca it is today. People don’t realize that. Bobby was making hit records and moved to Atlanta, his producers (LA & Babyface) who weren’t that well known at the time moved to where their money (Bobby Brown) was at, ATL. They kept producing Bobby, then connected with Whitney through Bobby (because Bobby was truly the man at the time and dating Whitney)and then produced Whitney, between all that, LaFace Records was created with a slew of great artists (i.e. Toni Braxton, TLC, OutKast and others)in between all that, Bobby had a record label (Bobby Brown Records/The Brown Bomber – I can’t recall the name right now)& studio (Bosstown) in Atlanta right where Big Boi Studio is right now on Antone Street. Bobby brought alot to this city with music and publicity – good & bad. It’s so much history to this music thing in Atlanta, and I know quite a bit of it. In addition to being Bobby Brown’s #1 fan for over 25 years, I’m a historian of sorts… specifically on people, places & things that I have a strong interest in. BOBBY BROWN, despite his habits is a strong interest of mine since I was 12 yrs old. I’m not as social media/web savvy as you, so do another Bobby Brown throw back. I enjoy them it takes me back to the 80’s when life was simple and fun for me. It’s still fun, for me, but not simple.;) CM

# 22 November 2009 at 2:13 pm