112 Essence Festival Press Room 2014 Day 3-1

 

90’s Rnb will always be remembered as one of the most beloved decades that the genre has produced. There are a few different variations of r&b that dominated the genre during this period, including Contemporary, New Jack Swing, Hip Hop Soul, and Neo-Soul. The era produced a countless number of timeless hits that are still played to this day, and have gone on to influence most of today’s r&b artists.

One of the best aspects about the 90’s were the number of dynamic r&b groups that emerged during that time. Although there has been a drought of emerging group’s in more recent years, most of the ones formed in the 90’s continue to live on, tour, and create new quality music. Since most of them have gone on to release music independently these days, it can be a daunting to task to track down your old favorites and keep tabs on what they’ve been up to, even with social media.

For that reason, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of the most successful 90’s r&b groups, making sure to be all inclusive to just about every act a fan could be wondering about. We also excluded groups who had a bulk of their success in the 80’s, so you won’t see artists like Guy listed. This article was originally published January 2016, and was updated January 2021. Here is the latest known information on each group, what they’ve been up to, and their latest releases. Have you ever found yourself wondering “Whatever happened to…”? Well you’ve come to the right place. Without further ado, here is the current status of the top 90’s Male R&B Groups.

Check our other Current Status Lists: 90’s Male Singers (Click Here), 90’s Female Singers (Click Here), 90’s Female Groups (Click Here) 00’s Male Groups (Click Here) 00’s Female Groups (Click Here), 00’s Male Singers (Click Here), 00’s Female Singers (Coming Soon)

(Click any artist’s name to view recent posts about that artist)

 

112

112 made a name for themselves as one of the top male r&b groups of the 90’s, but broke up following their 2005 album “Pleasure & Pain” and each went to work on solo albums. The group eventually reunited and released their return album “Q, Mike, Slim, Daron” in 2017. Unfortunately, the group disbanded once again shortly after. Slim and Mike continue to perform under the 112 brand and released a new EP in 2020. Q. Parker is working on a solo project called “The Bridge Project”. Daron has released various solo albums and singles in recent years. You can check out our most recent interview with the group by clicking here. 

112 YouKnowIGotSoul 2014

 

All-4-One

Known for their biggest hit “I Swear” in 1995, All-4-One has continued releasing albums independently throughout the years. They have plans for a new album called “Twenty+” this year, and released the song “If We Fall” in 2015. We recently spoke to the group about 20th Anniversary Plans.

 

After 7

Although they released their first album in 1989, After 7 found most of their success throughout the 90’s with hits like “Ready or Not” and “Can’t Stop”. The group featured the siblings of Babyface including Kevon and Melvin Edmonds. The group returned with the new album “Timeless” in 2016 which brought them a bit of a resurgence. The project featured multiple hit singles including “I Want You”, “Let Me Know”, and “Runnin Out”. Founding member Melvin Edmonds unfortunately passed away in 2019, but his son Jason took his place in the group. In 2021, Jason left the group and was replaced by Danny McClain. The group released their album “Unfinished Business” in 2021. In 2023, Danny McClain left the group and was replaced by Wil Robinson.

 

Az Yet

The group led by Marc Nelson and signed by Babyface to LaFace Records are most known for their hits “Last Night” and cover of Chicago’s “Hard to Say I’m Sorry”. They did not release an official album after their self titled debut in 1996, and have gone through numerous lineup changes over the years. The group eventually came back together to release the return album “She’s Magic” in 2016. The group is currently made up of original members Dion Allen, Kenny Terry, Claude Thomas & Dyshon Benson. As of early 2020, the group was in the studio recording a new album, and preparing for a tour to follow, but neither has come to fruition. We recently spoke to Marc Nelson about the history of the group. 

 

Bell Biv Devoe

The three member spin off of New Edition containing members Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe, their biggest hit was “Poison” and the group last released the album “BBD” in 2001. The group eventually released their latest album “Three Stripes” back in 2017. They continue to tour with new Edition but also as BBD when the entire group has taken a break from performing. Check out our recent interview with Ronnie Devoe where we discussed some of the group’s history. The group released the new single “Act Like You Know” featuring Run DMC in 2023.

 

Blackstreet

The Teddy Riley formed group Blackstreet became a huge success in the 90’s with hits like “No Diggity”, “Don’t Leave Me”, and “Before I Let You Go”, their last official album was “Level II” in 2003. The group broke up following that, and Teddy Riley eventually started Blackstreet 2 (BS2) which includes himself, Dave Hollister, Lenny Harold, Tony Tyler (who has since passed away) & J-Stylz. BS2 has disbanded in the past few years. Meanwhile, former Blackstreet member Chauncey Hannibal has continued to carry on the original Blackstreet name on his own, touring alongside members Levi Little, Mark Middleton, and Eric Williams. There doesn’t seem to be a reconciliation in sight.

 

Blackstreet Essence Music Festival 2013-1

 

Boyz II Men

Since becoming arguably the biggest r&b group in the 90’s with hits like “End of the Road”, “I’ll Make Love to You”, “On Bended Knee” and countless others, the group has continued to tour and released albums consistently. Group member Michael McCary has left the group, and original member Marc Nelson has filled in occasionally, but they’ve toured and recorded primarily with three members. The group released their latest album “Under the Streetlight” in 2017. Meanwhile, member Shawn Stockman released his EP “Shawn” back in 2018 along with his solo debut album “Foreward” in 2020. The group released a digital collection in 2023.

Boyz II Men Vancouver 2014-3

 

Color Me Badd

Following five albums throughout the 90’s, Color Me Badd released their final album “Awakening” in 1998. A few of the members have gone on to become record producers behind the scenes in music. We recently interviewed Bryan Abrams from the group to discuss his solo music and the group’s plans.

 

Dru Hill

Dru Hill is known as another of the most successful 90’s r&b groups, with hits like “In My Bed”, “How Deep is Your Love” and “These are the Times”. Their lineup still consists of Sisqo, Jazz, and Nokio, but Tao has replaced Woody years ago. They continue to release new music, with their most recent album being “InDRUpendence Day” in 2010. The group has undergone lineup changes in recent years, with Jazz and Tao leaving the group, and Smokey and Black of Playa joining. The group recently released the single “What You Need” which will be off of their upcoming return album. Meanwhile, Jazz and Tao have each released solo singles in the past couple of years. You can check out our most recent interview with Nokio here, and Black here. As of 2022, Jazz has returned to the group and is once again touring alongside Sisqo, Nokio, Smokey and Black, along with Tao who has returned to the group. We also recently spoke with Woody Rock for an interview, discussing his time as part of the group’s original lineup. During 2023, the group performed with SWV and Jodeci on the Summer Block Party tour.

Dru Hill Jazz Sisqo Tao Nokio Live BB Kings Sep 2015

 

H-Town

With their biggest hit “Knockin Da Boots”, H-Town found plenty of success in the 90’s, releasing three albums. They suffered a major setback when lead singer Dino was killed in 2003, and released the album “Imitations of Life” the following year. Surviving members Solomon “Shazam” Conner and Darryl “G.I.” Jackson have gone on to record new music sporadically, with the new album “Child Support” released in late 2014. The group released their latest single “Green Light 713” in 2020. 

 

Hi-Five

Group Hi-Five achieved stardom in 1990 following their New Jack Swing smash hit “I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)”. After three albums, the group disbanded in 1993, and also suffered the loss of lead singer Tony Thompson who died in 2007. The group released a new EP in 2014, and they continue to tour and keep the Hi-Five legacy alive. You can check out our most recent interview with Treston Irby of the group here. 

 

Immature/IMX

Child stars Immature, lead by Marques Houston, found success throughout the 90’s before disbanding when Marques went on to pursue a solo career in 2001. However, they reunited in 2015 with the original lineup to release the new EP “Remember” which contained reworked versions of their original songs. Marques Houston also continues to record as a solo artist, putting out the album “Famous” in 2013. The group most recently made another comeback with the announcement they’d be headlining the nationwide “TBT: The Reunion” tour. Marques Houston released the surprise album “ME” in 2022.

 

Ideal

R&B group Ideal released their self titled Gold certified album in 1999, which featured the hits “Get Gone” and “Whatever” with Lil’ Mo. That was the only official release the group would have, and there hasn’t been much on them since. Group member Maverick Cotton has gone on to write songs for other artists.

 

Intro

Despite not releasing a new album since “New Life” in 1995 and losing lead singer Kenny Greene to AIDS in 2001, the group has remained active. They’ve added a new member and continued touring, and most recently released the new single “Lose Control” in 2015. The surviving group members were featured on Eric Roberson’s 2022 single “All I Want” which featured the vocals of late Kenny Greene.

 

Jagged Edge

Jagged Edge continue to release new music and tour as a group. They released the new album album “JE Heartbreak II” in 2014, followed by “Layover” in 2017. The group released their double album “A Jagged Love Story” in 2020. Check out our recent interview with the group here. In 2023, the group released a cover of “Heaven Help Me” originally recorded by Deon Estus.

Jagged Edge YouKnowIGotSoul October 2014

 

Jodeci

Legendary r&b group Jodeci had a big return in 2015, releasing their first new album in 20 years with “The Past, The Present, The Future”. Their was mixed response to the album, but it did not hurt their legacy one bit. We recently spoke to Mr. Dalvin about DeVante and the group’s legacy for an interview. The group joined New Edition and Charlie Wilson for “The Culture Tour” in 2022, and performed as part of the Summer Block Party tour in 2023 with SWV and Dru Hill. The group has also announced a Las Vegas Residency for 2024.

 

K-Ci & JoJo

The original Jodeci members reunited with the group in 2014 to record the new album “The Past, The Present, the Future”. Prior to that, they’ve continued to do shows across the globe performing their hits like “Tell Me It’s Real”, “All My Life”, and “Crazy”. Their last album was “My Brother’s Keeper” in 2013 and featured the single “Knock it Off”. More recently, each of the members has decided to go solo and were working towards the release of individual albums. As of 2022, each member had put the projects on hold in order to tour as part of Jodeci.

 

Mint Condition

The premiere band in r&b, Mint Condition have continued touring and releasing new music since their debut album “Meant to be Mint” in 1991. Their most recent album was “Music @ the Speed of Life” in 2012. Most recently, lead singer Stokley Williams has gone off to pursue a solo career. He released his debut album “Introducing Stokley” in 2017, and released his sophomore album “Sankofa” in 2021. He does not appear to have been performing with the group in the meantime. Check out our most recent interview with Stokley. 

Mint Condition BB Kings 2012-4

 

Next

Next became one of the most successful r&b groups of the 90’s after releasing crossover hits like “Too Close” and “Wifey”. They released their final album “The Next Episode” in 2002, and continued to tour as a group, but have broken up in recent years. RL has gone on to have a solo career and has written many hits for other artists, but T-Low and Tweety had continued touring as Next. The group has eventually come back together and released the new single “Want It” in 2018. Next continues to tour together with all three original members. In 2023, the group teamed up with Naughty by Nature to form the group Next by Nature and release the single “That’s Me”.

 

RL Sol Village SOBs May 2015-2

 

Playa

Playa were an r&b group signed to Def Jam and had the smash hit “Cheers 2 U” from their debut album produced by Timbaland. After their sophomore album “Throwback Legendz” was shelved, members Digital Black and Smoke E. Digglera would go on to do solo albums, while Static Major wrote hits for the likes of Aaliyah, Ginuwine and Lil’ Wayne. He passed away in 2008 before his debut solo album “Supper Time” released. Both surviving members of the group have gone on to join Dru Hill.

 

Portrait

The group found their biggest success in the early 90’s during the New Jack Swing era fueled by their hit single “Here We Go Again!” The group most recently returned with a new album in 2020 called “Afro Trees”.

 

Profyle

Emerging out of Motown Records in the late 90’s, the group found success with their hit song “Liar” from their second album “Nothin but Drama”, and released an independent self titled album in 2004, but went quiet after that. In 2014 they had planned a new album and also released a new single “I’m in Love”.

 

Public Announcement

After teaming up with R. Kelly for his debut album “Born into the 90’s”, the group released a few albums and experienced a some lineup changes through the years. Most recently, an independent album called “Continuation” was supposed to release, but nothing has come to fruition.

 

Ruff Endz

The R&B duo made up of Dante “Chi” Jordan and David “Davinch” Chance originally made a name for themselves with hits like “No More” and “Someone to Love You”. Things went silent following the group’s third album “The Final Chapter” in 2010. However, the pair have reunited in recent years performing shows and even releasing the comeback album “Soul Brothers” in 2018. They released their latest album “Rebirth” in 2021.

 

Shai

Shai had their biggest hit in 1992 with the hit single “If I Ever Fall in Love”. They haven’t released an album since “Back From The Mystery System: The Love Cycle” in 2004, but they continue to tour as a group.

 

Silk

Silk became known throughout the 90’s as one of the premiere r&b groups, and found their biggest success with the song “Freak Me”. They last released the album “Always & Forever” in 2006, but recently announced their comeback with the new single “Love 4 U 2 Like Me” and released the album “Quiet Storm” in 2016. Check out our recent interview with John John from the group about their history and future. 

 

Solo

Following their Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis produced self titled debut in 1995, Solo would release one other album before going quiet. They returned with their latest album “3.0 Rebooted” in 2015.

 

Somethin for the People

The group became known in the 90’s for their hit song “My Love is the Shhh!” but haven’t released anything since their third album “Issues” in 2000. Members of the group have been successful songwriters, penning songs for the likes of Brandy, Will Smith, En Vogue and Adina Howard.

 

Soul for Real

R&B group Soul for Real became known for their hits “Candy Rain” and “Every Little Thing I Do”. Following their third album “Heat” in 1999, they’ve gone pretty quiet. We sat down with the group a few years back and they discussed their plans for a return to music. They made a return to music with the new single “Love Again” in 2017. Since then, group member Jase has gone on to release solo music. The group released a new single called “After the Rain” in 2021.

 

Tony Toni Tone

The Raphael Saadiq led group released their first album in the 80’s, but found their greatest success throughout the 90’s. Hits like “Feels Good”, “Whatever You Want” and “Anniversary” led to multiple platinum albums. After Saadiq left the group to pursue a solo career including forming Lucy Pearl and many hit albums of his own, the group would still go on to tour without him but haven’t released a new album. In 2023, all three original members reunited for the reunion “Just Me and You” tour.

 

Troop

Troop actually released two albums in the 80’s, but their biggest hits came in the early 90’s. They found success with songs like “Spread My Wings” and “All I Do is Think of You” as well as “Sweet November”. Member Steve Russell has had success as a writer, working with The Underdogs, and has also released solo music. The group’s last official album came in 1998 although they’ve continued touring.

 

One of your favorites missing? Leave us a comment and let us know who you’re looking for.