Boyz II Men - Style and Influence

Style and Influence

Boyz II Men are among the biggest names in a capella and R&B. With what was called "crossover appeal," Boyz II Men found themselves at the vanguard of the 1990s movement to take R&B back into the mainstream, where it had been back in the 1970s. Their use of hip-hop beats in combination with R&B was not unique, but it was Boyz II Men's enormous success with mainstream audiences in "putting harmony over the hip-hop tracks" that helped usher in the near-total dominance of the R&B genre on the pop charts in the 2000s and 2010s.

Boyz II Men are often positively compared with the legendary acts of Motown's heyday, making them something of a contemporary version of The Temptations. They redefined many of the elements that made The Temptations and other iconic Motown artists such as The Four Tops and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles successful, bringing that kind of artistry to a new generation of fans.

In the 1990s, several of Boyz II Men's R&B contemporaries began showing obvious inspiration from Boyz II Men's work and singing style, among them Shai, Soul for Real, BLACKstreet, All-4-One, and later Dru Hill, Jagged Edge, and (featuring Boyz II Men co-founder Marc Nelson) Az Yet. Boyz II Men's closest competitor, Uptown Records act Jodeci, with their more sexually charged style, presented a style quite different from Boyz II Men's overt wholesomeness and family-friendly image. Jodeci's style had its own followers, but their influence on the music industry as a whole was not as widespread as that of Boyz II Men.

Also notable is that several record producers, Lou Pearlman in particular, developed a large number of popular acts in the same style as Boyz II Men. Because of this, Boyz II Men is often considered to have reignited the "boy band" craze started by New Edition and New Kids On The Block in the United States. The "boy band" trend reached a new climax by the end of the 1990s, with groups such as Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, going on to widespread international success, and others, such as Motown act 98 Degrees, finding more moderate mainstream success. All of these acts were influcened, to an extent, by the style and themes that propelled Boyz II Men.

Boyz II Men's remarkable success and longevity have earned them recognition and accolades well into the twenty-first century. On January 5, 2012, Boyz II Men were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The group remains popular around the world, and they perform regularly in Europe, Asia, and in North America.