Effectively revolutionizing '80s R&B by appealing to a younger audience raised on hip-hop and MTV, new jack swing married careening vocals and urban music's increasingly silky production to brash beats, rapped breaks, and heavily synthetic funk. The style's first big hit may have been Keith Sweat's self-titled 1987 debut, but its ground zero was unquestionably the following year's sophomore effort from ex-New Edition member Bobby Brown, Don't Be Cruel. Not coincidentally in the least, both albums were produced by new jack swing mastermind Teddy Riley, who himself led the talented, successful late '80s new jack swing trio Guy. Riley's sonic vision became so pervasive by the early '90s that it basically became contemporary R&B, as every Top 40 urban radio station in the land laid its programming bets on Brown, Johnny Gill, Bell Biv DeVoe--New Edition alumni, all--and a lengthy list of lesser imitators such as Tevin Campbell and Color Me Badd. Such stylistic saturation inevitably led to a downturn in the fortunes of many new jack swing artists: Guy split up following the release of 1990's The Future, Brown and Gill couldn't maintain their winning streaks on the charts (and Brown couldn't stay out of trouble with the law), and Bell Biv DeVoe instantly stink-collared their reputation by naming their 1993 album Hootie Mack. Nonetheless, the cosmetic influence of new jack swing on much of the top-selling R&B that followed--from 112 and Usher to Jagged Edge--is undeniable.

Notable Artists: Bobby Brown; Guy; New Edition; Bell Biv DeVoe