As a lead up to the finalization of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2026, fans were asked to vote for their favorite artists.
While names such as Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Pink and Iron Maiden were among the favorites of traditional rock and roll fans, the more culturally important choices were New Edition, the Wu-Tang Clan, Luther Vandross, Sade and Maria Carey.
As the weeks progressed, the top two vote getters were Collins and New Edition, and the vote morphed into a daily battle of fans voting to push either into the lead.
In the end, New Edition, which has been eligible for the Hall since 2009, triumphed and became the fan’s number one choice for the Class of 2026, which elated NE fans across the country for the group would finally get their just due.
But on Monday afternoon, those fans were left stunned, disappointed, frustrated and angry.
While The Wu, Luther and Sade made the final cut, and rightfully so, it was a pure “NE Heartbreak” as Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Bobby Brown, Ronnie DeVoe, Johnny Gill, and Ralph Tresvant were left out once again.
For that, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame should be ashamed.
Formed in Boston in 1978, New Edition is one of the greatest groups, if not the greatest group, in both R&B and music history, period.
Since dropping the single and album “Candy Girl” in 1982 and 1983, respectively, New Edition has proven their unparalleled talents over and over again.
They released three albums in three consecutive years- “Candy Girl” in 1983, “All for Love” in 1984 and “New Edition” in 1985. Those three albums gave us smash hits like “Candy Girl”, “Popcorn Love”, “Count Me Out”, “A Little Bit Of Love”, “Mr. Telephone Man”, “Cool It Now”, “My Secret” and “Lost In Love”.
Those remain classics to this very day.
Then Bobby Brown went solo and dropped his 1988 classic “Don’t Be Cruel” featuring the title track, “My Prerogative”, “Rock Wit’cha”, “Roni” and “Every Little Step”.
New Edition, which replaced Bobby with Johnny Gill, dropped “Heartbreak” that same year, blessing us with “If It Isn’t Love”, “N.E. Heartbreak”, “Crucial”, “You’re Not My Kind Of Girl” and of course, “Can You Stand The Rain”.
Think about that- 10 blazing tracks and two multi-platinum albums in one year from one collective group!
Two years later, the group embarked on new careers outside of NE, and didn’t lose a step.
Johnny Gill released “Johnny Gill”, Ralph Tresvant dropped “Ralph Tresvant” and BBD gave us “Poison”.
Those albums gave us “Rub You the Right Way”, “My, My, My”, “Wrap My Body Tight”, “Fairweather Friend”, “Sensitivity”, “Dope!”, “BBD (I Thought It Was Me)”, “Do Me”, “When Will I See You Smile Again?” and of course “Poison”, a mandatory play by every DJ at every party.
And while that was happening, Michael Bivin launched the careers of multiplatinum artists like Boyz II Men and Another Bad Creation.
Then they reunited like Voltron to release “Home Again”, and while it lacked the success of their previous music, fans were excited to see them back together again despite the reunion being short lived.
In 2017, they worked with BET and produced the highly successful three-part docuseries “The New Edition Story”, which reminded old and new fans of their rise to stardom and place in music history.
Couple those albums, singles and docuseries with their numerous tours, both as individuals and as a group, and there’s no doubting just how successful, popular and influential New Edition is.
I can attest to that personally as a fan and a DJ.
I was there when Bobby Brown performed in Springfield, MA in the early 1990s and tore the arena down.
I was at MSG when NE first came back together and at the Prudential Center when they reunited in 2023 for a major tour.
I was in Brooklyn at the Coney Island Amphitheater and Kings Theater for BBD concerts and I’ve played all their records at every party and event I’ve ever DJed and watched the crowds dance to and sing every song.
While the Temptations and the Jackson 5 gave birth to the idea behind New Edition, NE evolved into something bigger, more successful and, arguably, more influential.
New Edition is the reason why New Kids on the Block, the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC and every other boy band exists, and that includes K-Pop groups.
There is no other group that has had that type of individual and group succes. For over four decades, their songs have never gone out of style or been removed from radio rotation or playlists and their DNA is recognizable in groups performing today.
That type of success, longevity and influence should have cemented their place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year and in the past 16 years.
But regardless of the Hall’s continued disrespect, New Edition is and remains, to paraphrase Coach Herman Boone, a Hall of Famer in my book.
