Next Biography
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA-based hip-hop/R&B fusioneers Next were formed in 1992 by brothers T-Low (Terrance Brown, 7 June 1974, USA) and Tweety (b. Raphael Brown, 28 January 1976, USA) alongside friend R.L. (b. Robert Lavelle Huggar, 2 April 1977, USA). T-Low's godmother Ann Nesby took the outfit in hand, training and managing them during their first years. They secured their first breakthrough in 1994 when a home-town show was watched by Prof. T and Lance of Low Key? They brought the group to Jimmy Jam And Terry Lewis' Flyte Tyme Studio in Minneapolis. The resulting demo tape caught the attention of Kay Gee (Naughty By Nature), who saw Next as the perfect act to spearhead his new Arista Records-financed label, Divine Mill. The completed album featured collaborations with Naughty By Nature and Adina Howard, among others. A degree of critical carping ensued over the innuendo-saturated lyrics on display. Despite this, the trio saw the first single to be taken from the album, "Butta Love", become a million-seller, peaking at number 16 in December 1997. The trio subsequently appeared on television shows including Soul Train, Ricki Lake and Vibe as their popularity soared. The follow-up, "Too Close", topped the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1998 as they joined Mary J. Blige and Usher on tour and gained rave reviews for their polished live performances (particularly their dancing talents). "I Still Love You" climbed to US number 14 in October. The success was unexpected, and the band took their time over the follow-up.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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