How exactly did BOYZ II MEN fall off?
- Thread starter J Storm
- Start date
Big Mike got sick.
why?
Personally, I think its because they strayed away from the MotownPhilly, End of the Road type ballads they were known for making. Color of Love is a good song but that's not the Boyz II Men people grew to love.
A lot of there songs were beginning to sound generic. Also, much of Boyz II Men's success was due to Babyface, and as he began to fall off as a songwriter and producer, so did they. Same is true for Toni Braxton. Also, I think hip-hop subtly killed them off as it began to overwhelmingly influence R&B.
because you guys bullshit formulas don't mean shit.
If anything, they fell bak on that sappy formula that made "end of the road" work. Then they came with nothing but those songs, and didn't change w the times.
ENd of the day, they made a huge impact, and they still tour, get along (with the exception of Mike), and they always stand a chance of re entering the game, because their name is unforgettable.
If anything, they fell bak on that sappy formula that made "end of the road" work. Then they came with nothing but those songs, and didn't change w the times.
ENd of the day, they made a huge impact, and they still tour, get along (with the exception of Mike), and they always stand a chance of re entering the game, because their name is unforgettable.
It's called in fighting, drugs, ego, bad song selection, ego, money mismanagment, ego...did I say ego? 
Most acts have a very limited shelf life. Music and tastes change rapidly, and artists get quickly played out. These guys had an excellent (and very long) 8 or 9-year run (notching 2 or 3 of the Top 15 songs in chart history), despite being a fairly boring act. They did it all with good material. When the songs ran out so did their time on the top.
Why hasn't Prince had a hit since the mid-'90s, or Stevie Wonder since the mid-'80s???
Why hasn't Prince had a hit since the mid-'90s, or Stevie Wonder since the mid-'80s???
I think that their whole act got corny and nobody wanted to hear those generic ass ballads anymore. I think they should have moved more toward the direction of song writing and making oringinal songs for movie scores and shit like that. Basically they played themselves out. I still give them props though.
same reason that many other crossover artist "fell off" they had a strong "urban" following, got some crossover success, then labels or whomever decided to go after more crossover success, then after all that's over you lost your original loyal fan base forever. By no means do I think Boys To Men were sellouts or any of that bull shyt, but the fact is after End Of The Road their music became a little more saturated, urban radio abandoned them and pop radio eventually left them hanging. When they tried to come back trends had changed.
When they came out they had the streets mixed with prep, they lost the street side and music fans are so sensitive, the radio was very sensitive back then and the pop crowd usually drops trends every 2 to 4 years. As far as today older artist can drop hot albums every year and not get any props, shyt is all fkd up. So much music is going to a waste.
When they came out they had the streets mixed with prep, they lost the street side and music fans are so sensitive, the radio was very sensitive back then and the pop crowd usually drops trends every 2 to 4 years. As far as today older artist can drop hot albums every year and not get any props, shyt is all fkd up. So much music is going to a waste.
majority of their fanbase grew up... Boyz II Men albums don't really compare to light bills, and food. Not to mention the children born into this world as a result of their music 
I thought Full Circle was their best album. I bought the album after listing to it in the record store. I never heard it on the radio then or after I bought it. Radio air play is still a determining factor on how well an artist will do and we all know what the radio plays. Even the old school stations plays too much old school and not enough new music. Yea you can say it was their time like prince and wonder but its not because their not producing good music its just the way the industry operates.
c/smajority of their fanbase grew up.c
N ' sync
1. they had poor management (say hello to Mike Bivins, the secret 5th member of b2m) which lead to reasons number 2 -4
2. they signed with Motown
3. they signed with Motown
4. they signed with Motown
If B2M had proper management and signed with Sony or Arista in the 90s it is very likely they woulod still be cranking out music direct to soft rock /lite fm radio stations
2. they signed with Motown
3. they signed with Motown
4. they signed with Motown
If B2M had proper management and signed with Sony or Arista in the 90s it is very likely they woulod still be cranking out music direct to soft rock /lite fm radio stations
C/S...where are Donnell Jones, Jon B, Ruff Endz, Keith Sweat, Jodeci, Dave Hollister, etc. now?
Actually R&B started dying off in the 70s when disco became the craze. Then here comes Rap. A few artist and groups managed the transition but most failed.
What later emerged as R&B was this watered down version of R&B with new artist and gimmicks. Gone were the artist with bands that had brass sections, replaced by synthesizers and sampling. An now today some R&B artist aren't even using guitars.
Boyz 2 Men, Shai, AZ Yet, Silk, Jodeci, Intro...These groups were unapologetically R&B Artists...As someone mentioned before, something happened with the culture of R&B music in the late 90's and early 2000's...Neo-Soul was on the rise, as well as this R&B thug phenomenon which was sort of ushered in by R-Kelly's TP2.com which was a very good album. Their was a pendulum in urban music, and while their core base were still fans, mainstream radio was looking for what was hot at the time. Hip Hop over the last decade or so has been extremely influential on urban music. You look at most of the acts now, they sing, yet the production and lyrics are edgier and lacking the substance of prior music generations.
Neo has that classic R&B vibe, but other than that, I can't really think of too many cats right now who are unequivocally R&B artists without any gimmicky vibe to it. I'm like Steve Harvey, "nobody sang about looove no mo!"
Neo has that classic R&B vibe, but other than that, I can't really think of too many cats right now who are unequivocally R&B artists without any gimmicky vibe to it. I'm like Steve Harvey, "nobody sang about looove no mo!"
There's the answer right there!
When his back went out they lost the ability to go on tour and promote they shit (and make real money.)
Without mike the rest of them nigga's all sounded the same.
Egos, inner fighting. This is what did them in. Once an Artist becomes "bigger" than the "machine" that's moving them, it's over. The industry will shut you down. Don't give a damn how big you think that you are.
Music of the time passed them by. Like when Doo-Wop was in and the style of music changed, or when Motown was hot and then disco hit, most of the artists couldn't adapt and thus fell off. It isn't because of a lack of talent, but when people who buy music change the type of music they listen to current artists have to evolve or die. Most simply die.
One of the things that contributed to their decline wasd the fact that they got in fights with Mike, and eventually kicked him out the group...The even worse part about it is, Big Mike developed MS if Im not mistaken..Its a sad ironic type of thing, because he used to always come out with the cane, and nowadays he really needs it
You had groups like Dru Hill that came on the scene. I don't think they fell off at all. In our generation the top groups were Dru Hill, Jodeci, Boyz II men, and Jagged Edge. After Jodeci and Boyz II Men stopped making albums to take time off Dru Hill held down the crown. At this point music as a whole started to shift.
Singers no longer had to sing and rappers no longer had to be lyrical. Then you got your B2K's of the world who could only dance and look cute but very limited vocal ability. No one is pushing fortrue talent. You got rappers bragging about how they don't write and R&B artists who entire routine is to take off their shirt. Is there any R&B group out that is signed?
Singers no longer had to sing and rappers no longer had to be lyrical. Then you got your B2K's of the world who could only dance and look cute but very limited vocal ability. No one is pushing fortrue talent. You got rappers bragging about how they don't write and R&B artists who entire routine is to take off their shirt. Is there any R&B group out that is signed?
I would say, starting in the early 2000s, gradually, when generations changed, we went from focus on pure singers (B2M, Az Yet, Intro (one of the most underrated groups ever!), Jodeci, etc), to more emphasis on technical, synthetic vocals). Once this happened, their true art was not as appreciated as it was in the early 90s. That always happens though, on a few groups bridge generations, (Earth Wind and Fire, Frankie Beverly and Maze, etc). The left us with a few classics though... (Memories... )
)
One of the things that contributed to their decline wasd the fact that they got in fights with Mike, and eventually kicked him out the group...The even worse part about it is, Big Mike developed MS if Im not mistaken..Its a sad ironic type of thing, because he used to always come out with the cane, and nowadays he really needs it
You're mistaken
He always had back problems and it got worse
Evolution and label conflicts
Motown issued The Remix Collection, a compilation of remixes of various Boyz II Men songs from Cooleyhighharmony and II. The group itself had opposed the release of the collection, because they felt the compilation did not represent Boyz II Men's best work. After the label released the album without their permission, there was a dispute between the company and the group. Boyz II Men initiated their own recording company Stonecreek (which released material by artists such as Uncle Sam), and they arranged for Stonecreek's distribution by Epic Records, not Motown.
Boyz II Men's third studio album, Evolution, was released during 1997 to mixed reviews and sold three million copies, far below the stratospheric success of II's (12 million copies) and Cooleyhighharmony (9 million). Only one of Evolution's singles, the Jam/Lewis-penned "Four Seasons of Loneliness", reached number 1 on the Hot 100 chart. The second single, the Babyface-helmed "A Song for Mama" (the theme song to the Babyface-produced film Soul Food) was a Top 10 success, but the follow-up "Can't Let Her Go" underperformed.
The global tour began in 1997 to promote Evolution was very successful in terms of ticket sales, but behind the scenes, Boyz II Men was wracked by conflicts with their record label and internal conflicts among the members of the group. Making matters worse, health problems began to take their toll on the group as well. While on tour to support the Evolution album, Wanya Morris developed a polyp on his vocal cords, and the group was forced to postpone part of the tour until he recovered. McCary's scoliosis meant that he was unable to participate in most of the group's dance routines.
Boyz II Men were nominated for 2 Grammys in 1998: Best R&B Album for Evolution and Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "A Song For Mama".
Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya
In 1999, Motown's parent company, Polygram, was bought by Universal Music Group. Amidst the major corporate restructure, Motown was merged with UMG's Universal Records, where Boyz II Men found themselves reassigned.
Their only studio LP album for Universal, 2000's Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya, was chiefly written and produced by the group itself, in an attempt to update their sound and ward off critics who questioned the group's reliance on Babyface's hit-making songcraft. While the critics were more receptive to Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya than they had been to its predecessor, the LP sold only 500,000 copies in the US, 1 million copies worldwide, and although its two singles, "Pass You By" and "Thank You in Advance" received media attention, neither became hits.
Boyz II Men departed from Universal in 2001, ending their relationship with the company that brought them to international stardom in 1991. The label released a very successful greatest hits compilation, Legacy: The Greatest Hits Collection, to close out their contract.
Full Circle and "The Color of Love"
Signing a new deal with Arista Records in 2002, Boyz II Men began recording the Full Circle album, and recruited Babyface for a new single, "The Color of Love". In an attempt to recapture the massive success the group had enjoyed a decade earlier, the album received a significant promotional budget. Arista commissioned a high-budget music video, shot in four different locales by four different directors: supervising director Little X filmed scenes featuring Michael McCary in India, Hype Williams filmed Shawn Stockman in Tokyo, Benny Boom filmed Nathan Morris in Ghana, and Chris Robinson filmed Wanya Morris in Puerto Rico and finally all were filmed in New York. The resulting music video had a debut on BET, but failed to have a great effect, and Full Circle, like Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya before it, sold slightly more than 500,000 copies in the US and 1 million copies worldwide.
Full Circle would become Boyz II Men's final album as a quartet, and their last effort to receive extensive promotion from a major record company. On January 30, 2003, Michael McCary retired from performing due to his ongoing battle with scoliosis. Arista terminated Boyz II Men's contract on April 30, and the remaining three members took a temporary hiatus from the music industry.
Motown issued The Remix Collection, a compilation of remixes of various Boyz II Men songs from Cooleyhighharmony and II. The group itself had opposed the release of the collection, because they felt the compilation did not represent Boyz II Men's best work. After the label released the album without their permission, there was a dispute between the company and the group. Boyz II Men initiated their own recording company Stonecreek (which released material by artists such as Uncle Sam), and they arranged for Stonecreek's distribution by Epic Records, not Motown.
Boyz II Men's third studio album, Evolution, was released during 1997 to mixed reviews and sold three million copies, far below the stratospheric success of II's (12 million copies) and Cooleyhighharmony (9 million). Only one of Evolution's singles, the Jam/Lewis-penned "Four Seasons of Loneliness", reached number 1 on the Hot 100 chart. The second single, the Babyface-helmed "A Song for Mama" (the theme song to the Babyface-produced film Soul Food) was a Top 10 success, but the follow-up "Can't Let Her Go" underperformed.
The global tour began in 1997 to promote Evolution was very successful in terms of ticket sales, but behind the scenes, Boyz II Men was wracked by conflicts with their record label and internal conflicts among the members of the group. Making matters worse, health problems began to take their toll on the group as well. While on tour to support the Evolution album, Wanya Morris developed a polyp on his vocal cords, and the group was forced to postpone part of the tour until he recovered. McCary's scoliosis meant that he was unable to participate in most of the group's dance routines.
Boyz II Men were nominated for 2 Grammys in 1998: Best R&B Album for Evolution and Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "A Song For Mama".
Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya
In 1999, Motown's parent company, Polygram, was bought by Universal Music Group. Amidst the major corporate restructure, Motown was merged with UMG's Universal Records, where Boyz II Men found themselves reassigned.
Their only studio LP album for Universal, 2000's Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya, was chiefly written and produced by the group itself, in an attempt to update their sound and ward off critics who questioned the group's reliance on Babyface's hit-making songcraft. While the critics were more receptive to Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya than they had been to its predecessor, the LP sold only 500,000 copies in the US, 1 million copies worldwide, and although its two singles, "Pass You By" and "Thank You in Advance" received media attention, neither became hits.
Boyz II Men departed from Universal in 2001, ending their relationship with the company that brought them to international stardom in 1991. The label released a very successful greatest hits compilation, Legacy: The Greatest Hits Collection, to close out their contract.
Full Circle and "The Color of Love"
Signing a new deal with Arista Records in 2002, Boyz II Men began recording the Full Circle album, and recruited Babyface for a new single, "The Color of Love". In an attempt to recapture the massive success the group had enjoyed a decade earlier, the album received a significant promotional budget. Arista commissioned a high-budget music video, shot in four different locales by four different directors: supervising director Little X filmed scenes featuring Michael McCary in India, Hype Williams filmed Shawn Stockman in Tokyo, Benny Boom filmed Nathan Morris in Ghana, and Chris Robinson filmed Wanya Morris in Puerto Rico and finally all were filmed in New York. The resulting music video had a debut on BET, but failed to have a great effect, and Full Circle, like Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya before it, sold slightly more than 500,000 copies in the US and 1 million copies worldwide.
Full Circle would become Boyz II Men's final album as a quartet, and their last effort to receive extensive promotion from a major record company. On January 30, 2003, Michael McCary retired from performing due to his ongoing battle with scoliosis. Arista terminated Boyz II Men's contract on April 30, and the remaining three members took a temporary hiatus from the music industry.