Boyz II Men Member Gives ‘Crass’ Explanation for Why Group Was Eclipsed By Backstreet Boys and NSYNC
Before Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, Boyz II Men ruled the airwaves.
The R&B vocal group from Philadelphia climbed the charts in the early and mid-90s thanks to hits like “Motown Philly,” “End of the Road,” and “I’ll Make Love to You.” But in the latter part of the decade, they were eclipsed by a new clutch of boy bands.
What happened? Members of Boyz II Men open about their career in the new ID documentary Boy Band Confidential, which premieres April 13 on ID.
Boyz II Men member Shawn Stockman says the industry ‘shifted to the boy bands’
Boyz II Men was riding high after their 1995 collaboration with Mariah Carey, “One Sweet Day.” But after walking away empty-handed at the 1996 Grammy Awards, they decided to take a break. Fast-forward to 1997, when they released the album Evolution. The response was mixed.
“We came home bro, and no one was feeling us,” Boyz II Men singer Wanyá Morris says.
“Like, people were done with us,” his bandmate Shawn Stockman says. “And with our era of music. And it shifted to the boy bands.”
“They looked nothing like us. Motown Records, our label, in particular, made it painfully obvious: They were done. They were done with us. The pendulum has shifted,” Stockman continued. (At the time, Motown had just released the debut album by 98 Degrees, the first white band on the iconic record label.)
Stars like Justin Timberlake were ‘more acceptable’ to white audience, Boyz II Men member says
“It’s textbook. Do Black music with white faces,” Stockman explains. “Pat Boone. The Osmonds. Elvis. They were all doing Black music. That is the truth. And it’s a hard truth. It’s no diss to 98 Degrees, NSYNC, Backstreet, any of those guys. They were just kids trying to make it.”
The music industry had a clear incentive to pivot to white groups, Stockman says. They wanted to appeal to a broad audience, and they believed that young white women and girls would not respond in the same way to Black groups.
“I hate to say this crass, but to the average white girl fan, the Black groups [it’s like] ‘Oh, I’d f*ck him.’ But the white groups? ‘Oh, I’d marry him. Justin Timberlake on my wall is more acceptable than a couple of Black guys. I can marry Justin. I can bring him to my house. He can have dinner with my family.’ It’s a little harder to bring black*ss Shawn to rural Arkansas.”
“It’s a cutthroat business,” NSYNC’s Joey Fatone says. (Fatone also produced Boy Band Confidential.) “They want the next hottest, biggest thing or next new act. They don’t give two shits sometimes, record companies.”
The story of Boyz II Men is just one aspect of Boy Band Confidential, which “goes deep inside the boy band boom of the late 1990s and early aughts, revealing how the industry transformed young performers into marketable commodities while exposing untold stories of abuse, addiction, and financial manipulation.” In addition to Morris, Stockman, and Fatone, it features interviews with Lance Bass, AJ McLean, Nick Lachey, and other boy band members and industry insiders.
Boy Band Confidential airs April 13 and 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ID. It will also be available to stream on HBO Max.
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