It should have come as no surprise that, after leaving behind the strictures of the classic boy band New Edition, Bobby Brown would re-emerge as a prototype of New Jack Swing sex appeal. DON'T BE CRUEL might be somewhat tame, however, as it was still a few years before the era of unabashed rumpshakers like Bell Biv Devoe's "Poison." But the hard funk slapped over melodic, synth-heavy production gives tracks like "My Perogative" and "I'll Be Good To You" a mature, club-friendly quality sorely lacking in his former group's sunshiney tunes. It should have come as no surprise that, after leaving behind the strictures of the classic boy band New Edition, Bobby Brown would re-emerge as a prototype of New Jack Swing sex appeal. DON'T BE CRUEL might be somewhat tame, however, as it was still a few years before the era of unabashed rumpshakers like Bell Biv Devoe's "Poison." But the hard funk slapped over melodic, synth-heavy production gives tracks like "My Perogative" and "I'll Be Good To You" a mature, club-friendly quality sorely lacking in his former group's sunshiney tunes. false 2024-01-15 20:59:44 1988 1988-06-20 1988-06-20 47 Contemporary R&B Dance-Pop Hip Hop New Jack Swing Pop Pop Rap 112960 2121756 b080356e-c4ef-4f25-95a5-a86b8ba671e7 d11f9c07-0eac-4a1f-a443-19cd0f63d5f0 1e735c43-2224-371c-8011-8bc1697e00a4 /media/data/media5/Music/Bobby Brown/Don’t Be Cruel (1988)/folder.jpg Bobby Brown Bobby Brown 1 00:37 2 06:48 3 04:51 4 05:58 5 04:49 6 03:57 7 04:25 8 05:22 9 04:40 10 05:10 11 00:19 Robert Barisford Brown Sr. (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started his career in the R&B and pop group New Edition, from its inception in 1978 until his exit from the group in December 1985.Once he started a solo career, Brown enjoyed commercial and critical success with his second album Don't Be Cruel (1988) which spawned five Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including the number one hit "My Prerogative", and the Grammy Award–winning "Every Little Step". In 1989, Brown contributed two songs to the soundtrack of Ghostbusters II. Brown's next album Bobby (1992) spawned several singles including "Humpin' Around", "Get Away", and "Good Enough". However, despite going 3× Platinum, sales of Bobby did not reach the level of its predecessor. Brown has sold over 50 million copies worldwide. Also in 1992, Brown married the superstar singer Whitney Houston, with whom he later had a daughter named Bobbi Kristina Brown. The couple's drug issues and domestic disputes made them tabloid fodder.Brown also appeared in the films A Thin Line Between Love and Hate and Two Can Play That Game. He returned to New Edition for a reunion album and tour from 1996 to 1997, and returned with all six members for another stint in 2005. Brown and Houston starred in the 2005 reality show Being Bobby Brown. Houston, who filed for divorce two years later in 2007, died in 2012, followed by the death of their daughter in 2015. MCA Records