Public Announcement
Encyclopedia
Public Announcement is an R&B and hip hop
group, which was formed in 1990 in Chicago
, Illinois
, originally backing singer R. Kelly
on his first album.
after R. Kelly met the members from Public Announcement and auditioned the guys to be his back up singers and dancers. The group was originally R. Kelly backed up by Earl Robinson, Glenn Wright, & Andre Boykins. R. Kelly & Public Announcement released their debut album, Born into the 90's in January 1992. One of the last albums to be released during the new jack swing
period of the early nineties, the album yielded the hits "She's Got That Vibe", "Honey Love", "Dedicated", and "Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ)" all of which was led by Kelly, eventually leading to the album reaching a million copies domestically and going platinum. (Overall, "Honey Love" and "Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ)" were the only two hits to reach #1 on the R&B chart during Public Announcement's tenure.) The group was billed as R. Kelly and Public Announcement essentially making the group backup members for Kelly rather than a cohesive unit. After a successful tour ended in 1993, Kelly parted ways with Public Announcement to focus on a solo career, whereas the group was suddenly left in limbo after his departure. Boykins decided to stick with Kelly instead of continuing on with the group. According to his Myspace page, Boykins is currently a songwriter
and producer
at the Chocolate Factory studio in Chicago, he often tours with Kelly, and has been featured in many of Kelly's videos such as "I Wish", "When a Woman's Fed Up", and "Contagious" by The Isley Brothers
to name a few.
Public Announcement were signed to Atlantic Records/Big Beat. In 1996 Chicago, Illinois natives Feloney Davis and Euclid Gray were added to the group after Kelly and Boykins departure. Davis took over as the lead singer. In 1997 they eventually scored a record deal with A&M Records
and started working on their sophomore and solo debut album All Work, No Play. In 1998 they scored their first and only top five hit without Kelly, named Body Bumpin (Yippie-Yi-Yo), which peaked at #5 Pop and #4 R&B. This album featured Feloney Davis taking over the lead vocals. Though having only one single hitting the Billboard charts
, the album was a top twenty success on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts. After only a few years of being signed, they were dropped again.
singing career.
Euclid Gray was replaced with another Chicago
native named Ace Watkins and they started work on their next album Don't Hold Back.
In 1999 a new song called "John Doe", from their album Don't Hold Back on Epic was released and was a minor R&B/Hip-Hop hit, which led to the album release being delayed. A few months later in 2000 a new lead single called "Mamacita" was released. It was a moderate success entering number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100
. After that, "John Doe" was re-released and went on to enter the Hot 100 at number 95.
Another single named "Man ain't Supposed To Cry" was a top forty R&B/Hip-Hop hit.
After being let go by Epic Records
Ace left the group to pursue a solo career and in 2004 was replaced by current member Mar-K a native of Cincinnati, Ohio
. Mar-K is the youngest member of the group and also the only member that isn't from Chicago.
. After a short hiatus to pursue solo interests, Earl, Glenn, Feloney, and Mar-K are working on a follow-up album, expected to be released in 2011.
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group, which was formed in 1990 in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, originally backing singer R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
on his first album.
1990-1994: Born Into The 90's
The group signed with Jive RecordsJive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
after R. Kelly met the members from Public Announcement and auditioned the guys to be his back up singers and dancers. The group was originally R. Kelly backed up by Earl Robinson, Glenn Wright, & Andre Boykins. R. Kelly & Public Announcement released their debut album, Born into the 90's in January 1992. One of the last albums to be released during the new jack swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
period of the early nineties, the album yielded the hits "She's Got That Vibe", "Honey Love", "Dedicated", and "Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ)" all of which was led by Kelly, eventually leading to the album reaching a million copies domestically and going platinum. (Overall, "Honey Love" and "Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ)" were the only two hits to reach #1 on the R&B chart during Public Announcement's tenure.) The group was billed as R. Kelly and Public Announcement essentially making the group backup members for Kelly rather than a cohesive unit. After a successful tour ended in 1993, Kelly parted ways with Public Announcement to focus on a solo career, whereas the group was suddenly left in limbo after his departure. Boykins decided to stick with Kelly instead of continuing on with the group. According to his Myspace page, Boykins is currently a songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
at the Chocolate Factory studio in Chicago, he often tours with Kelly, and has been featured in many of Kelly's videos such as "I Wish", "When a Woman's Fed Up", and "Contagious" by The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
to name a few.
Public Announcement were signed to Atlantic Records/Big Beat. In 1996 Chicago, Illinois natives Feloney Davis and Euclid Gray were added to the group after Kelly and Boykins departure. Davis took over as the lead singer. In 1997 they eventually scored a record deal with A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
and started working on their sophomore and solo debut album All Work, No Play. In 1998 they scored their first and only top five hit without Kelly, named Body Bumpin (Yippie-Yi-Yo), which peaked at #5 Pop and #4 R&B. This album featured Feloney Davis taking over the lead vocals. Though having only one single hitting the Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
, the album was a top twenty success on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts. After only a few years of being signed, they were dropped again.
1999-2002: Don't Hold Back
Shortly after touring and being dropped by the label, Euclid Gray left the group after the tour was over because he didn't want to sing the secular music the group was singing anymore. After bumping heads with Earl, Glenn, and Feloney he left the group to pursue a gospelGospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
singing career.
Euclid Gray was replaced with another Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
native named Ace Watkins and they started work on their next album Don't Hold Back.
In 1999 a new song called "John Doe", from their album Don't Hold Back on Epic was released and was a minor R&B/Hip-Hop hit, which led to the album release being delayed. A few months later in 2000 a new lead single called "Mamacita" was released. It was a moderate success entering number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. After that, "John Doe" was re-released and went on to enter the Hot 100 at number 95.
Another single named "Man ain't Supposed To Cry" was a top forty R&B/Hip-Hop hit.
After being let go by Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
Ace left the group to pursue a solo career and in 2004 was replaced by current member Mar-K a native of Cincinnati, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Mar-K is the youngest member of the group and also the only member that isn't from Chicago.
2005-present: When The Smoke Clears
In 2005 the group released their fourth album When the Smoke Clears on their own label, Boss Entertainment, through Fontana Music/Universal RecordsUniversal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
. After a short hiatus to pursue solo interests, Earl, Glenn, Feloney, and Mar-K are working on a follow-up album, expected to be released in 2011.
Albums
- Born into the 90's (with R. KellyR. KellyRobert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
) (1992) (US #42) (US R&B #3) - All Work, No Play (1998) (US #81) (US R&B #14)
- Don't Hold Back (2001) (US #89) (US R&B #30)
- When the Smoke Clears (2006) (US R&B #99)
Singles
| Year | Title | Album | Chart Positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
NZ New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
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| 1992 | "She's Got That Vibe" (with R. Kelly R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play... ) |
Born into the '90s | ||||
| "Honey Love" (with R. Kelly R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play... ) |
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| "Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ) Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ) Slow Dance is the title of a number-one R&B single by singer R. Kelly and Public Announcement, from the album Born into the '90s. The hit song spent one week at number-one on the US R&B chart and number forty-three on the Hot 100... " (with R. Kelly R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play... ) |
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| 1993 | "Dedicated" (with R. Kelly R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play... ) |
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| "Hey Love (Can I Have a Word)" (with R. Kelly R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play... featuring Mr. Lee Mr. Lee Mr. Lee is an American DJ, producer and house music rapper, from Chicago, Illinois. He is known in the Chicago house music scene as one of the pioneers who brought hip hop to the genre, which would later be coined as hip house. He also helped to launch the career of R. Kelly.Mr... ) |
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| 1998 | "Body Bumpin' (Yippie-Yi-Yo)" | All Work, No Play | ||||
| "It's About Time" | ||||||
| 2000 | "Mamacita" | Don't Hold Back | ||||
| 2001 | "John Doe" | |||||
| "Man Ain't Supposed To Cry" | ||||||