 | | If Boyz II Men are portrayed as a clean-cut, wholesome R&B vocal group, then Jodeci's wild, sexual, bad-boy image represents the other side of the coin. |
 | | Featuring R.L. Huggar and brothers Terry "T-Low" Brown and Raphael "Tweet" Brown, contemporary R&B trio Next formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota after they were introduced by the Brown's uncle, a gospel choir director. |
 | | Ginuwine was one of R&B's preeminent love men during the '90s heyday of hip-hop soul. Initially teamed with Timbaland, the most innovative producer of the late '90s, Ginuwine's sultry, seductive crooning earned him a substantial female following and made him a regular presence on the R&B charts, even after the futuristic production he favored was eclipsed by the more organic, retro-leaning neo-soul movement. |
 | | R&B singer and actor Tyrese Gibson -- referred to as Tyrese -- began his career at the age of 14, performing in local talent shows around his home in Los Angeles' Watts section; his big break came when he starred in a commercial for Coca-Cola, followed shortly in 1998 by his self-titled debut album for RCA. |
 | | Joe is an accomplished vocalist of smooth and sultry R&B productions with occasional hip-hop beats, and his extensive background in gospel music has allowed him to produce his albums as well as sing on them. |
 | | This '90s R&B vocal group should not be confused with the late-'70s Philadelphia band, which was a funk-oriented unit, or the vocal trio Silk from Los Angeles. |
 | | One of the top R&B vocal groups of the '90s, Blackstreet was founded by singer, producer, and new jack swing pioneer Teddy Riley after the breakup of his seminal trio Guy. |
 | | Rough-but-smooth male vocal quartet Jagged Edge formed in Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of identical twin brothers Brandon "Case Dinero" Casey and Brian "Brasco" Casey, who had moved from their native Hartford, Connecticut; Kyle Norman (aka "Quick"), whom they'd met through church activities; and Richard Wingo (aka "Wingo Dollar"), a late addition to the group suggested by Xscape's Kandi Burruss, who took their demo to superproducer Jermaine Dupri. |
 | | With their 1992 debut, It's About Time, the all-female new jack swing trio SWV scored a string of Top Ten R&B hits that established them as one of the most popular urban R&B groups of the '90s. |
 | | The female R&B quartet Xscape debuted singing at producer Jermaine Dupri's birthday party in 1991, and were the recipients of a platinum album just two years later. |
 | | LSG is Gerald Levert, Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill, a trio of urban R&B stars who have collected thirty number one R&B hits and album sales of more than thirty million between themselves. |
 | | Cedric and Joel Hailey comprise the romantic R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo, who were one of two pairs of brothers that made up the chart-topping '90s group Jodeci. |
 | | Equally rooted in gospel, soul, and hip-hop, 112 were the first and most successful urban vocal group to emerge from Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Records roster. |
 | | Brothers Dwayne and Raphael Wiggins and cousin Timothy Christian have proven themselves durable guardians of the soul and funk tradition, while also infusing their music with enough contemporary devices to remain popular. |
 | | A native New Yorker, Case got his start in the music biz in the '90s, singing backup on albums by several renowned R&B artists (such as Usher). |
 | | A multi-talented artist, Jaheim is most famous for his R&B vocals, although he has also rapped, modeled, and acted, and appeared in Source and other hip-hop publications. |
 | | Hailed as the "new voice of ghetto soul" and the first act signed to basketball great Magic Johnson's Magic Johnson Music, Cleveland native Avant (born Myron Avant) debuted in 1998 with the song "Separated," released on Payton Entertainment -- the label operated by his manager, Eric Payton. |
 | | Keith Sweat, a Harlem-born R&B singer/songwriter known for his distinctive "whining" vocal style, co-produced 1984/1985 singles by GQ and Roberta Gilliam and issued independent singles of his own ("Lucky Seven" and "My Mind Is Made Up"), but he didn't release his debut full-length, Make It Last Forever, until November 1987. |
 | | High-school friends Larry "Jazz" Anthony, Mark "Sisqó" Andrews, Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin, and James "Woody Rock" Green formed Dru Hill in 1992, named in honor of their Baltimore neighborhood, Druid Hill Park. |
 | | Even before Sisqó became an overnight superstar in summer 2000 with the infamous "Thong Song," he was no stranger to success. |
 | | This seminal R&B trio was the first group to sport the new jack swing sound, essentially traditional soul vocals melded to hip-hop beats, with credit for the genre's invention going to founder, multi-instrumentalist, and super-producer Teddy Riley. |
 | | As lead singer for the Gap Band, Charlie Wilson sang on four number one R&B hits: "Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)," "Early in the Morning," "Outstanding," and "Addicted to Your Love" -- as well as the classics "You Dropped a Bomb on Me," "Yearning for Your Love," "Party Train," and "Big Fun. |
 | | Contemporary R&B singer Tank, whose moniker refers to his physique, recorded solo albums sporadically, beginning with his 2001 debut, Force of Nature, and kept increasingly busy behind the scenes as a songwriter, musician, and producer. |
 | | One of the most consistent and versatile adult contemporary R&B artists, Brian McKnight placed seven albums across 15 years -- from the early '90s through the first decade of the 2000s -- within the Top Ten of Billboard's R&B albums chart. |
 | | Former Guy vocalist Aaron Hall made his solo debut in 1993 with The Truth. Although quite erratic, the best songs displayed the confident, authoritative voice and range Hall had demonstrated while with Guy. |
 | | Fantasia Barrino may have won the third season of American Idol with "I Believe," but it was her passionate take on George Gershwin's "Summertime" that had everyone talking for weeks. |
 | | D'Angelo was one of the founding fathers and leading lights of the neo-soul movement of the mid- to late '90s, which aimed to bring the organic flavor of classic R&B back to the hip-hop age. |
 | | Songwriter, producer, vocalist, and instrumentalist Jon B. brought a distinctive focus on smooth melodies to contemporary R&B. |
 | | The second R&B artist to sign with Def Jam Recordings, Montell Jordan yielded one of 1995's biggest hits with his debut single, "This Is How We Do It. |
 | | A star in the R&B world before she was even out of her teens, Aaliyah's promising career was tragically cut short by her death in a plane crash at age 22. |
 | | Born Bobby Wilson in Mississippi but raised in Atlanta, smooth R&B crooner Bobby V -- known as Bobby Valentino until a lawsuit from a British performer of the same name -- had a hard time convincing his skeptical parents that the music business was the place for him. |
 | | Beginning with his 1996 album My Heart, singer/songwriter/producer Donell Jones recorded a jazzy and soulful style of urban pop for LaFace Records and scored a few modest singles in the process. |
 | | After joining Immature/IMx as a young adolescent in the early '90s, vocalist Marques "Batman" Houston crossed over into television as a recurring cast member of Sister Sister and took on production duties with some of his IMx mates (as Platinum Status) for B2K and Destiny's Child. |
 | | A soul singer who drew comparisons to such classic vocalists as Bill Withers and Bobby Womack, Anthony Hamilton struggled for the better part of the 1990s as two of his albums went unreleased. |
 | | Atlanta R&B vocalist Monica debuted in 1995 with the platinum Top Ten singles "Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)" and "Before You Walk Out of My Life. |
 | | There's some dispute over who actually discovered Texas child sensation Tevin Campbell. Some accounts credit flutist Bobbi Humphrey, while much of the publicity material credits Quincy Jones. |
 | | R&B singer Kelly Price spent her early years in the music business behind the scenes, lending backing vocals to records from stars including Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Faith Evans, and Brian McKnight. |
 | | Laid-back Washington, D.C.-based R&B vocalist J. Holiday (born Nahum Grymes) signed to Capitol and released the Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins-produced single "Be with Me" in 2006. |
 | | Not that he'd wish it on anyone, but it was during his ten-year sentence in prison that Lyfe Jennings developed his honest sound, thanks to isolation and Erykah Badu. |
 | | One of the big surprises of 1993 was this vocal group, who emerged from the stable of 2 Live Crew creator Luther Campbell. |
 | | In spite of the fact that Faith Evans carved out a lengthy recording career in her own right, her name will forever remain linked in the minds of many to her late husband, the Notorious B. |
 | | When her debut album, What's the 411?, hit the street in 1992, critics and fans alike were floored by its powerful combination of modern R&B with an edgy rap sound that glanced off of the pain and grit of Mary J. |
 | | Changing Faces is a New York-based urban soul vocal duo much in the vein of similar all-female bands like TLC and SWV. |
 | | Onetime R&B session vocalist Dave Hollister first appeared on the soundtrack of Boyz N the Hood, but got his big break as an original member of Teddy Riley's Blackstreet, performing on their 1994 debut album. |
 | | A native of Canada, contemporary R&B singer and songwriter Tamia got an early start in the music industry, singing on the Rod Temperton-penned "You Put a Move on My Heart," the first single from Quincy Jones' 1994 hit album Q's Jook Joint, when she was only a teenager. |
 | | Formed in the early '80s in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Mint Condition began as lead singer Stokley Williams, guitarist Homer O'Dell, keyboardist Larry Waddell, keyboardist/saxophonist Jeff Allen, keyboardist/guitarist Keri Lewis, and guitarist/bassist Rick Kinchen. |
 | | Philadelphia-born Taalib Johnson, aka R&B artist Musiq (Soulchild), grew up the oldest of nine children. |
 | | A native of Toronto, Deborah Cox began singing for TV commercials at age 12, also entering various talent shows with her mother's help. |
 | | A gifted R&B singer whose cool but passionate style is a solid match for his flexible vocal abilities, Carl Thomas was born in Aurora, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago) on June 15, 1972. |
 | | Troop was a California teen band that got its start by winning $1000 in a talent show in the mid-'80s. |
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