Word: rapping
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...bubblegum-soul quintet New Edition, which became the blueprint for dozens of harmony groups, including Boyz 2 Men. On his own in the late '80s, he became even more innovative with Don't Be Cruel, a small masterpiece that helped create new jack swing--a commercially potent rap-R. and B. hybrid that still echoes in the work of Mary J. Blige and R. Kelly...
...Take You There" is heavily soultinged and melodic to the point of being syrupy. Like "Willow Tree," it is thoroughly developed song, contrasting with the facet of G. Love's style that involves essentially a rap over a riff. Like Coast to Coast Motel's "Kiss and Tell," it may be a little cheesy to some listeners, but it definitely represents a musical direction with merit...
...albums, introduces unsuccessful new ones that mask the old. This is not to say that G. Love should stick to a formula; any good artist must try new things and unsuccessful attempts will often precede successful ones. Yet his self-titled debut, or--if hearing a white guy rap badly but charmingly is too much--his sophomore release, Coast to Coast Motel, would be a more fitting introduction to his music...
Phenomenon recaptures the formula that has made him so durable--a sharp, effervescent mixture of bouncing party anthems, street-corner bravado, bawdy tale telling and, not least, smooth romantic ballads. Rap, often misogynistic, generally has little use for romance, but LL found a way to make it work, and it became his signature. In fact, his initials actually stand for Ladies Love Cool James. Although he'll probably always be remembered for high-decibel party hits like 1985's I Can't Live Without My Radio, three of his biggest smashes--I Need Love (1987), Around the Way Girl...
...Using rap as a launching pad, LL is attempting to become a crossover phenomenon. Right now all his stars are lining up auspiciously. In January he performed at the presidential Inaugural. He already has a TV sitcom, UPN's In the House, in which he stars as a father figure and sports-clinic owner, and this fall he debuts in a national ad campaign for Coca-Cola. In September he published his autobiography, I Make My Own Rules, in which he urges his fans to "get beyond materialism." Of his music, he writes, "I know I need to be careful...