Dressed in their "preppy" clothes and handling success in
their well-mannered way, are Boyz II Men strangers of paradise - in
the world of music?
Jodeci bare their chests, show their tattoos, grab their
crouthches and go platnium. R. Kelly bumps and grinds all
over the place and goes platnium. Aaron Hall takes pride
in being called music's "Nasty Man" and sells a million
records. Even the ladies are asking for it. Check out
Salt-N-Pepa onstage (or thier latest video) and you will
see the plantnium-plus female rappers grabbing their
crotches and talking about sex. So, how do four
conservative looking guys from Philadelphia, who simply
sing without all the other antics, sell records-and sell
big? Who knows, but they are doing it!
"After our success," explains Wanya, "we bought homes for
our families and we all treated ourselves to vacations.
You know, like Jamaica and places like that."
Home for Mom
Mmmmmmm. Pretty tame for major stars, don't you think?
How about the fact that all four still live at home woth
their moms? Okay, so they aren't going around town,
dodging police and partying down all night! And guess
what? They don't have an arrest record, either! In a
world where stars' rap sheets (meaning their criminal
record), is longer than their album list, Boyz II Men comes up
short. They just don't have one!
And the waist of their pants isn't hanging on teir butts,
either! In fact, they looked like they just stepped out of
a fashion shoot for GQ magazine - and maybe they have!
Forget tattoos, pierced ears, and noses, Boyz II Men are the boys
you CAN bring home and grandma will love them. Okay, so
they look a little out of style with their v-neck sweaters.
Who cares? They actually respect women and celebrate
monogamy. What is the music world coming to?
Out of Place?
And that's the point. Are these four guys from Philly
really strangers in paradise? Paradise meaning, of course,
the top of the record business. After all, their single
and second album are zooming yet they share their space at
the top with the likes of: Bone Thugs N' Harmony (straight
outta Cleveland gangstas), MC Eiht, who is coming strapped
with Compton's Most Wanted, and Warren G, who is helping to
put Long Beach, California on the musical map. Line up
Bone, MC Eiht, and Warren G. and the boyz from Philly might
look oddly out of place with their pressed pants and button
down shirts.
Bottom line? Boyz II Men are selling records. You seem to love
them. So what if they are strangers in paradise. They are
there and they don't seem to be going away nor does it
bother them that no one else looks anything like them. And
apparently, it doesn't bother you, either!
Paradise may never be the same!