New Jack Swing Essentials

New Jack Swing Essentials

Hip-hop's '80s rise had a slew of ripple effects—and few were as effective at getting people on the dance floor as the rise of new jack swing, which fused the strutting attitudes and electrified beats of hip-hop with the deep grooves and soulful vocals of R&B. In the ‘80s, producers like Teddy Riley and the team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis led the way, spicing up the tracks they crafted for pop superstars like Janet Jackson and New Edition with towering synth-drum hits and splashy keyboards. As hip-hop boomed in the ‘90s, new jack swing evolved and exploded as well; Michael Jackson enlisted genre mastermind Riley for his ambitious album Dangerous; the members of New Edition explored the harder side of R&B; and groups like SWV and TLC amped up the genre's girl power.

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