New Edition has been called one of the most influential groups of all-time. They burst on the scene in 1983 with Candy Girl almost 40 years ago. The following year they released their second album, and it went double platinum. They released albums the following two years and Bobby Brown dropped his solo debut in 1986. About a year and a half later, Brown would drop his second album, Don’t Be Cruel. Don’t Be Cruel dropped 35 years ago and it’s still one of my favorite albums of all-time. Bobby Brown became a megastar with the release of the album as he’s sold seven million copies in the United States. As of now, Don’t Be Cruel has sold well over 12 million copies worldwide. The album title, Don’t Be Cruel was the first single released off the album. The track became the #1 song in the country while going gold.

My Prerogative was his second single and the first one from him to blow. The song was positively received by critics and was nominated for a Soul Train Music Award in the category of Best R&B Urban Contemporary Single. It was also commercially successful, reaching number one in Billboard’s Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. My Prerogative also reached top ten positions in many countries, such as Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Roni was the name of his 3^rd single and it’s my favorite track off the album. Roni didn’t reach the success of Don’t Be Cruel or My Prerogative, but it’s a great track. Every Little Step was the fourth single that was released off the album. It garnered Bobby Brown another gold plaque and it reached #1.

The song garnered Brown’s first career Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 32nd Grammy Awards in 1990. Every Little Step was released in January of 1989. The 5^th and final single from the album was Rock Wit’cha. Once again, Bobby Brown released a single that eventually went gold. Rock Wit’cha dropped in the summer of 1990, which was over a year after the album dropped. As mentioned before, Don’t Be Cruel is one of my favorite albums ever and it’s a masterpiece in my eyes. This is one of those albums where every song is great and there’s no skips. Check out the videos for the singles up above. Peep my top 5 songs, track listing to the album and stream link below.