New jack swing

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New jack swing is a hybrid style of R&B combined with hip hop, popular from the late '80s to early/mid-'90s. Its sound is a blend of the sporadic hip hop "swing" beats (so called because of the extreme use of rhythmic improvisation), which were popular during the golden age of hip hop, with contemporary R&B style singing.

1 History
2 List of new jack swing artists and artists who have used similar styles of music
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

Also called "new jack R&B" or "swingbeat", the term was coined by journalist and New Jack City co-writer Barry Michael Cooper to describe the sound produced by R&B/Hip hop artist and producer Teddy Riley who invented this style in the experiment of integrating various rhythms, samples and production techniques with the urban contemporary sound of R&B. The style developed in a way similar to many previous styles, as a new combination of older styles. Some songs were comprised of rhythmic beats with music, while others had singing alternating with rap sections over this same type of music. In short, new jack swing is mellifluously soulful solo or harmonizing vocals sung over rhythms and "street" beats derived from urban musical influences. This style of music melded into the form of hip-hop that is widely popular in today's music.

New jack swing is known for its aggression, swaggering, and addressing romantic themes and lyrics. The music also had an impact on other musical genres and resulted in a new jack swing era, which lasted from late 1987 to approximately 1996. Its most influential band has been Guy (Teddy Riley, Aaron Hall, and Damion Hall) with their two albums GUY (1989) and 'The Future' (1990). That era was celebrated by all things "urban" in popular culture across the mass media. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters film franchises helped spread it around—the former featuring MC Hammer, Technotronic, Partners in Kryme, and Vanilla Ice; while the latter had Ray Parker, Jr. and Bobby Brown (The King of New Jack Swing). The hit NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air also boosted the spread of this culture, for the star of the show (Will Smith) was known initially for his hip hop duo with a minor character (Jazz) also on the show. A Different World and In Living Color are also hit New Jack Sitcoms of the era. House Party with Kid 'n Play and Bebe's Kids are notable movies from this time. dance-oriented pop artists such as Deborah Gibson, Jane Child, Joey Lawrence, and New Kids On The Block also have new jack swing music prominently featured on their early 1990's output.

Around this same time, former members of Minneapolis music group "The Time", Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, were creating a similar sound for Janet Jackson's third and breakthrough album Control. Jam and Lewis used similar influences with hip-hop drum beats with smoother R&B stylings in the production. The album would go on to establish Janet's career in the music industry and is considered one of the best albums of the 1980's. Although Teddy Riley is considered the forefather of new jack swing and had perfected its stylings, the sound of Jam and Lewis's production on Jackson's Control and other artists' releases also contributed to the popularity of the new jack swing sound.

New jack is a slang term that has several, different meanings, but most obviously, simply means someone who or something that is new. Swing refers to the rhythmic pattern, which always consists of straight 8ths, 16th note shuffles, and 16th note swing patterns. Also, according to Barry, Swing refers to his comparison that he made between the Swing Jazz of the 1940s and the music that Teddy created in the late 1980s.

The era also launched the careers of numerous artists, producer, and performers that are still making major headlines today: Most notably: R. Kelly, TLC, Dallas Austin, Boyz II Men, Troy Taylor, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Will Smith, LL Cool J, Jennifer Lopez (a fly girl from In Living Color), and many others.

It can reasonably be said that without the emergence of new jack swing, hip hop would have remained merely an ethnic "subgenre" of the African-American community and largely underground.

New jack swing was overtaken by hip hop soul in the mid '90s.

New jack staged a revival of sorts in the mid-2000s, partly keyed by the 2006 New Jack Reunion Tour.

[edit] List of new jack swing artists and artists who have used similar styles of music

[edit] References

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