The Boys (American group) – Wikipedia

The Boys is an American R&B group made up of the four brothers Abdulsamad, Kray (born in 1973), Hakim (born in 1975), Tajh (born in 1976) and Bilal (born in 1979). The group, which started singing in Carson, California in 1984, can be considered an early example of Boys Band which appeared in the late 1980s.

Initially, the group only included Kray and Hakim, but Tajh and Bilal joined the group when they started public concerts. They started on Venice beach, a Los Angeles district of California, and quickly won more than $ 50. They went regularly to this beach where they made weekly concerts in 1984 which allowed them to earn more than $ 12,000 in 16 shows.

Given the young age of the group members, they only played during the summer holidays supported and pushed by their parents who tried to make it a more productive group. In 1986, The Boys tried to make records. He began to make radios-closets and private concerts and it was on one of these shows that the presenter asked for their mother what was the name of the group. She replied “My Boys” before rectifying by saying “The Boys” and the name remained.

Subsequently, the group sent a demo to labels such as MCA Records, the Motown and Solar Records which all made an offer to them. Finally, it’s the group signs with Jheryl Busby, then employed at MCA Records. However, when MCA bought the Motown, the group found itself under the Motown label. They appeared in a music video called Rockin ‘Robin which was part of the video of children’s songs A day with animals .

The group was very independent, writing and producing its own music. The group became friends with Kenneth Edmonds known as “Babyface” in 1985, when it began to become known for its work in the group Le Deele. In collaboration with L.A. Reid, the two men composed for The Boys the songs Lucky Charm , A Little Romance And Dial My Heart . This last title experienced a real public success since it was ranked number 1 of the R&B charts in 1988. The same year, The Boys released its first album, Messages From The Boys , dont le second single, Lucky Charm From Babyface, was at the top of the R&B charts in 1989.

In 1990, The Boys released her second eponymous album The Boys which is a real success, the title Crazy becoming number 1 the same year. For a while, the single was also used in Pepsi-Cola advertisements which helped the group establish itself more.

The group that appeared in several television shows in particular Showtime at the Apollo (1988), Fun House on Fox (1989), A different world (1992) as well as at SitCom Amen , and they participated in the tour of the New Kids on the Block of 1989. They also appeared in the late-cloth show Arsenio Hall Show on the occasion of which Kiry explained to the animator Arsenio Hall that his brother Tajh would play the role of Kunta Kinte Child in the mini-series Roots .

In 1993, the group’s contract with the Motown was coming to an end and they were offered a new six -year contract. However, the group had not appreciated that the label did not support them during the album The saga continue … that he has self-produced.

During the 90s, group members settled in West Africa, Gambia, where they set up a recording studio. While learning of the country’s mother tongue, the group began to develop a new sound and became known as The Suns of Light. The group continues to release albums regularly.

Albums

• 1988: Messages From The Boys
• 1990: The Boys
• 1992: The saga continue …