My brotheren Timmy84 and phunkdaddy were discussing Full Force's Unsung episode, and New Jack Swing came up.

We all know that Teddy Riley might be the "King of New Jack Swing" but where did it originate from, who were the guys and gals who were doin similar sounds before Gene and Teddy got down.

MY NUTTS

I'm young and wasn't around back then, but New Jack Swing has a similar sound to late-1970s/early 1980s rap. They just basically added singing to it. I could totally imagine Slick Rick or Run DMC rapping over the beat to "Teddy's Jam Part 1."

Terrib3Towel said:

I'm young and wasn't around back then, but New Jack Swing has a similar sound to late-1970s/early 1980s rap. They just basically added singing to it. I could totally imagine Slick Rick or Run DMC rapping over the beat to "Teddy's Jam Part 1."

A lot of early 80s hip-hop didn't have synths, uitars, ect. It was just a drum beat.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Terrib3Towel said:

I'm young and wasn't around back then, but New Jack Swing has a similar sound to late-1970s/early 1980s rap. They just basically added singing to it. I could totally imagine Slick Rick or Run DMC rapping over the beat to "Teddy's Jam Part 1."

A lot of early 80s hip-hop didn't have synths, uitars, ect. It was just a drum beat.

That kinda started with some of Run DMC's stuff. The really early stuff was more disco and funk based because that's what DJ's used for breakbeats or was replayed by a band. It was more designed to breakdance or pop & lock to. You couldn't really do that with the stark drum machine only beats. The early rap was often long, 8 minutes and up.

Some people claimed songs like Janet's Nasty and the Cool Summer mix of it had early roots in the New Jack Swing sound. I think freestyle/funk doesn't get enough credit for being a possible contributor.

I'd say Jam and Lewis, or Babyface.

WaterInYourBath said:

I'd say Jam and Lewis, or Babyface.

Those are good candidates, but if we went with Jam & Lewis, that brings the roots of funk and the music Prince was doing to the forefront....so PRINCE??!!!

alphastreet said:

WaterInYourBath said:

I'd say Jam and Lewis, or Babyface.

Those are good candidates, but if we went with Jam & Lewis, that brings the roots of funk and the music Prince was doing to the forefront....so PRINCE??!!!

I don't attribute their 80s sound(s) to Prince, and I kinda doubt they would either. They were creating original music at the same time, or even before him, and their efforts to produce for other artists was the reason he fired them.

WaterInYourBath said:

alphastreet said:

Those are good candidates, but if we went with Jam & Lewis, that brings the roots of funk and the music Prince was doing to the forefront....so PRINCE??!!!

I don't attribute their 80s sound(s) to Prince, and I kinda doubt they would either. They were creating original music at the same time, or even before him, and their efforts to produce for other artists was the reason he fired them.

They definitely have their own sound, but if there are simliarities, they are slight. I can hear how Prince influenced them through songs like Soft & Wet, I Wanna Be Your Lover, Controversy etc. and Janet was a Prince fan too so I'm sure that contributed.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

My brotheren Timmy84 and phunkdaddy were discussing Full Force's Unsung episode, and New Jack Swing came up.

We all know that Teddy Riley might be the "King of New Jack Swing" but where did it originate from, who were the guys and gals who were doin similar sounds before Gene and Teddy got down.

it was teddy and timmy gatling first not gene griffin - they wanted to be the next jam & lewis - but their management (griffin) wanted more of a street sound / look so timmy walked just before the first GUY album was released. that album was groundbreaking and far more sophisticated than the subsequent GUY releases...

teddy was cutting tracks on his rooftop record label from the mid-80s - as well as producing tracks for kool moe dee, heavy d and doug e fresh - all a couple of years before his sound became known as new jack swing. teddy embraced the sounds of new york city, the gap band, jam & lewis, james brown in starting for me the last great era of black urban music.

it ain't over

Pop, soul and jazz are major contributors.

alphastreet said:

Pop, soul and jazz are major contributors.

With a sprinkling of Roger Troutman and George Clinton....

shorttrini said:

alphastreet said:

Pop, soul and jazz are major contributors.

With a sprinkling of Roger Troutman and George Clinton....

I aboslutely hear funk as well

kenkamken said:

When I think of "new jack swing" the song that comes to mind is Bell Biv Devoe's Poison, kind of that "clickety clack clack clickety clack" sort of beat. I think it probably emerged out of the Stepping tradition of Black fraternities. I can't prove it, but it's more or less my intuition.

Yep I think of Poison too, and if they play New Jack Swing music in clubs today, that's the one they go with.

Teddy Riley hands down is the KING of New Jack Swing and the originator of the genre.

I guess if you want to look at influences... you have to look at the influences of Teddy Riley and the different hybrid of sounds he fused to come up with the genre...

Its kinda sad because Riley doesnt get as much credit for innovating the genre as he should... Alot of people are quick to name Jimmy and Terry when they were the ones that copied Riley sound Riley produced alot of great albums in the 80s and 90s...