wangyang asked:
1 New jack swing was born in the late 1980s, and it's a hybrid of rhythms and drum machine wizardry (largely created by SP1200 and Roland 808 drum machines) that is used as the backbeat of much of what is now modern day R&B music. It combines elements of jazz, pop, hip-hop, funk and R&B.

2 Melding old and new styles, sometimes taking the five-part harmonies that made 1960s Motown sound pop, new jack swing was largely performed by popular '80s and '90s groups and soloists. These included New Edition, Guy, Keith Sweat, Karyn White, Babyface, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Troop, Ready for the World, Jodeci and former New Edition members who splintered off into groups and solo acts such as Bell Biv DeVoe (BBD), Johnny Gill, Ralph Tresvant and Bobby Brown. Some of the genre's other biggest hits include Brown's "Don't Be Cruel," Paula Abdul's "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me" and BBD's "Poison."

Though the musical styling was mostly implemented by black musicians, other '80s acts such as Debbie Gibson, Jane Child, Joey Lawrence and New Kids on the Block employed new jack swing.

3 Today, new jack swing can be heard in music by acts such as Destiny's Child, Usher, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and even Britney Spears, who released a remake of Brown's big hit (and one of the first No. 1 hits for new jack swing) "My Prerogative."

4 The term "new jack swing" was crafted by journalist and filmmaker Barry Michael Cooper—he later wrote screenplays for "New Jack City" and "Above The Rim"—in a story he did for the Village Voice about Teddy Riley in 1988. Producers Riley and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds were behind much of the most successful R&B sounds of the '90s, and are considered the kings of new jack swing. Riley was a member of the group Guy and Edmonds was in The Deele, along with former member Antonio "L.A." Reid, who is chairman of Island Def Jam Music Group. Riley also co-produced the most successful new jack swing album, Michael Jackson's 1991 release "Dangerous," which has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

5 If you want to hear some of the best music from the new jack swing era, check out a revival tour next weekend. On Saturday, Bell Biv DeVoe, Mint Condition, Ready for the World and Troop perform at the Jones Convocation Center at Chicago State University, 8 p.m. Tickets are $37.50 to $75. For tickets

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