New Jack Swing

The late 80's had a lot of pretty crazy musical movements, but New Jack Swing was probably one of the best.

The combination of hip-hop's rhythms and sampling with R&B vocals produced a sound that could have only come from that era.

As a kid I loved the Ghostbusters. I would watch the movies and cartoon non-stop, not to mention play with all of the action figures I had. I also became a big fan of the music, especially the music played in Ghostbusters II.

More specifically the song "On Our Own" by Bobby Brown. As a five year old I would have the song stuck in my hand and would dance around the house listening to it.

The New Jack Swing style was everywhere in the late 80s/early 90s. Everyone from Michael Jackson and New Edition (including all of it's splinter groups) to New Kids on the Block to Sesame Street influenced by the genre.

But then it disappeared. All of a sudden the feel good dance grooves were replaced with heavier, hardcore beats has gangsta and hardcore rap entered the mainstream.

New Jack Swing didn't last very long, but it continues on whenever you hear a hip-hip that features some sort of smooth chorus. Plus who can forget hi-tops, fades, and parachute pants?

Here are two of my favorite New Jack Swing Songs. The first is my "jam" when I was five, and the other is a classic from Biv Bell DeVoe.