Call it props, call it 'spect, call it whatever you like,
we all want it-respect. And Boyz II Men have earned it!
Just before their current album was released, Boyz II Men did an
interview with Fresh!'s editorial director, Debi Fee. In
that interview they talked about repect, not for
themselves, but other people.
Everybody wants it; not everybody gets it. Respect isn't
given away freely. It doesn't work like that. Respect is
earned and Boyz II Men have truly earned the right to be respected
by fans, peers, and people in general.
It seems like whenever you read an article in a magazine
about Boyz II Men, somewhere the word respect pops up. "They are
one of the most respected groups in music," or "People
respect their talent"-you get the idea. Then, when they
are winning any one of their numerous awards, the word
espect comes up again. Maybe they should sing a song about
it.
Yep, there's that word again - r-e-s-p-e-c-t. But they
didn't stop there. Soon Wanya was saying: "Women deserve
to be respected." And all four agreed as they spoke about
the love songs on their album. They didn't want to
disrespect women. Women deserve to be treated in a
respectful manner; they couldn't and wouldn't ever refer to
women as hoes or worse yet, the "B" word. To them, that is
not repectful-never has been, never will be.
No "B" Word For Boyz II Men
"We try to give the best we can to the fans because we have
s much respect for them," said Nate, talking about why they
had so many fans. "CD's cost a lot of money these days, so
we give the best performance on every song on the album so
that the fans get their moneys worth. We respect the fact
that they would work hard for their money."
Treat Others Like You Want to Be Treated
Throughout the entire interview the word respect kept
popping up. It became obvious that these four young men
know the secret of getting respect. It's really quite
simple. They give respect to those who deserve it and they
do so willingly. In return, people respect them. It's
almost automatic.
While others in the music business tell you they "demand
respect," or "I'm gonna get my props," Boyz II Men earn their
respect by giving it away. They aren't worried about
"getting it" because they know it will automatically come
if they treat others they way they want to be treated. Add
that fact with their tremendous talent and you have the
most respected group in the music business today - Boyz II Men.