B-boys and idols are giving it fresh attention again!? What kind of sound is “New Jack Swing”?
R&BPeople who like ...,Hip hopI think it's a genre that will resonate with people who like it.
It is a genre of music that became hugely popular worldwide from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s.
“M.C. Hammer” and “Bobby Brown” were especially iconic figures in Japan.
Even if you weren’t particularly into R&B or hip-hop, those who experienced the trends of that time might remember them.
As for new jack swing (hereafter NJS), there have been quiet whispers of a revival of the genre in 2018.
This time, we’ll focus on such NJS!
Please have a look.
The catalyst for the resurgence in popularity
Bruno Mars / Finesse (Remix) [Feat.
Cardi B]
This is a video released on January 3, 2018.
This is a remix track.
Originally included on Bruno Mars's own album “24K Magic,”Original songis used as the basis.
At the end of 2017, Cardi B—who shot to stardom when her major-label debut single ranked on the Billboard Hot 100—laid down her rap,FeatureIt would be in the form of having done (it).
It uses phrases that evoke famous songs throughout, and I can feel the passion in the combinations.
The drum pattern is just like the intro of Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison.”
melody lineMichael JacksonIt also sounds like Remember The Time.
The rap flow sounds like RUN-DMC’s “Walk This Way.”
Here, deliberatelyAerosmithInstead of calling it that, I'll use RUN-DMC as an example.
The situation at the time
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origin
In the early 1980s, the disco boom in the United States—encompassing previously popular genres like soul and funk—had stagnated.
Amid all that, there was a producer who was heading in a new direction.
He’s from New York, and his name is Teddy Riley.
In the late 1980s, they established a new style by combining funk and hip-hop, and adding a sense of soulful and gospel-like melodies and harmonies.
That later became the NJS.
Keith Sweat / I Want Her
Johnny Kemp / Just Got Paid
At the time, the freshness of these sounds drew the attention of music critics and listeners.
And then Teddy Riley formed his own group, Guy.
Through their 1988 debut album 'Guy,' they unveiled the perfected form of their forward-looking style.
Additionally, “My Prerogative,” which he produced for Bobby Brown around the same time, became a major hit.
As a result, the new style he created became widely recognized, climbed the charts, and, while spawning a large number of imitators, rose to the top.
Around that time in Japan
http://o-dan.net/ja/
It gradually becomes known in Japan through television programs that focus on hip-hop dance.
The performers are now leading the industry,TRFof SAMEXILElike HIRO's, and so on...
Trend-conscious young people, seeing the dancers perform with NJS, begin to pay attention to the sound as well.
ZOO / Choo Choo TRAIN
You might think it’s a smash hit by EXILE, but that song is a cover—this one is the original.
In this song, you won’t see the so-called Thousand-Armed Kannon dance.
Speaking of ZOO, they were pioneers of NJS in Japan at the time.
It attracts attention from various media outlets and gradually gains fans.
The recent NJS revival
http://o-dan.net/ja/
Bruno Mars cites the NJS sound as the production concept for 24K Magic.
He says he updated the sound he listened to in his hometown of Hawaii during his youth and incorporated it into his own work.
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, known as Jam & Lewis.
New Edition, a group formed with the aim of becoming the second Jackson 5.
Bobby Brown, an uncontrollable lone wolf who was a member of the group.
Boyz II Men, who built a soulful sound with a gospel-influenced style.
Babyface, who wears two faces as both producer and artist.
I’m inspired by various artists, and so on.
Up to this point,Bruno MarsIt focuses only onEven in JapanProducers and artists are already incorporating it into their tracks again.
Among them, the artist who stands out by far isZenra RockI think so.
I feel there’s no other artist who can so faithfully update the worldview of that era to this extent.
Recently, he has appeared in a commercial for the travel booking site Booking.com and on the NHK Educational TV program “Gochisong DJ,” which focuses on food education, increasing his media exposure along with the number of gigs.
ZEN-LA-ROCK / NEW JACK UR BODY feat.
BTB
“NEW JACK UR BODY,” which feels like it crams in the music video essence of all the classic NJS tracks, is outstanding (please compare and see).
MC Hammer / U Can’t Touch This
A scene of dancing on a staircase with partial color applied.
A scene where MC Hammer, at center stage, busts out a mysterious step.
Bobby Brown / Every Little Step
Entrance scene of a bodycon-dressed woman.
A three-dimensional white stage set.
Boyz II Men / Motownphilly
With the night view in the background from a cut-in
A scene where they nail a unison.
Vanilla Ice / Ice Ice Baby
While advancing the Ford Mustang Convertible (’87–’93 model years),
A scene of waving to a girl (the same level of perversion, down to the car model).
After that, Zenra Rock went on to release a song called “Ice Ice Baby,” which boldly covered the chorus section.
ZEN-LA-ROCK / ICE ICE BABY feat.
JOY McRAW
The music video features Kurumi Nakada and Rian Nagashima, who are active as reader models, as well as Fukui Cable Television announcer Hikari Nishino, appearing in hardcore ’90s fashion.
It's so consistent to this point that it's actually funny!
By the way, it seems Zenra Rock once forced his younger brother to dress up in full old-school hip-hop cosplay, traumatizing him and making him cry (you can see his love for hip-hop culture in the video).
YOU THE ROCK☆, who talks about how he met him, is someone who can be considered his mentor.
I'm not a B-boy, but the banter was so entertaining that I couldn't help getting engrossed (lol).
Even in the idol industry
Also, though it’s a special case, some idols have incorporated sounds close to NJS into their songs.
Why did idols focus on this style?
That’s because a band called Orland, which specializes in urban sounds, was involved in the arrangement.
With fully vocoder-driven vocals, it has a club-leaning sound reminiscent of tofubeats.
It kind of sounds like Bruno Mars’s “24K Magic.”
There are also bands that incorporate this kind of sound.
Lastly
http://o-dan.net/ja/
Unexpected combinations can sometimes create interest and beauty.
If you compose music, please consider taking a look (if you’re interested).
It might spark new ideas.