Gospel great Dottie Peoples once sang it best, “He might not come when you want Him but He’s an on-time God.” After 33 years in show business, members of the R & B group New Edition (NE) will finally receive a star on the fabled Hollywood Walk of Fame. The boys from Boston, who grew into men before our very eyes, will receive the 2,600th star at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard on Monday, January 23, at 11:30 a.m. PST, with the event being live streamed exclusively on www.walkoffame.com
Devoted fans, known as NE4Lifers, can attest to how they tirelessly petitioned for decades to have the group lauded with the prestigious honor. It should come as no surprise how many NE4Lifers made the long trek to be on hand at the ceremony, a prelude to the three-night BET miniseries, beginning January 24 through January 26. Social media has been buzzing with everyone from celebs to common folk eager to witness NE’s tumultuous and triumphant journey from kid stars to seasoned vets.
I’ve had a few NE4Lifers to wonder if I will be in attendance to celebrate the festivities in Los Angeles. While I won’t be there in body, I have always been with these guys through the written word. Throughout the years I was on the battlefield, a foot soldier, in helping to be instrumental in sharing their story on the pages of Jet and EBONY magazines. If I was still there, I would have fought for them to be on the cover, to be honored during the Power 100 and to headline the evening! It would have been a win-win for everyone.
But everything happens for a reason and, truth be told, it wasn’t always easy going to battle for NE. Their delivery as performers was never questioned once they hit the stage. The problem came when making the editorial pitches because I could never quite explain what kept them from getting to the stage and staying there with consistency. During some cover stories, though they appeared picture perfect, things proved otherwise because everyone didn’t always agree to being interviewed.
Thankfully, there’s no more wondering. Our questions will soon be answered, regarding any hills and valleys we never knew about. When I last interviewed them for a 2013 Retrospective piece in EBONY, it was the first time that all six members agreed to speak. The movie deal was still being worked out because Bobby had some trepidations about agreeing to the project. I’ll never forget him telling me how he didn’t feel like the New Edition story was complete because they weren’t on the top. Bobby said, “We’re still working on being able to end on top. We’re giving a hell of a good run of it. We’re looking forward to writing the ending of our legacy instead of it having a tragic ending.”
Tomorrow isn't promised to anyone and with so many high-profile people suddenly dying, it is nice to see that New Edition realizes the value and beauty in cherishing this moment while each member is above ground to share and celebrate the story. This year some of the fellas will be pushing 50 years old and no matter what any one of them has been through, they remain firmly rooted in an industry where it isn’t unusual for child stars to be toppled to the ground, chewed up, spit out and forgotten about. Aside from the Jacksons, no other group has made the transition from boys to men, creating a stylistic blueprint with some considerable measures of success emulated by others. NE has paid their dues for paving the way, because like most pioneers, they weren't always given the proper credit they deserved.
Yes, I'm more than certain that the miniseries will show how badly New Edition has been bruised, but it will also show how they were never broken beyond repair no matter how painful the path. Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike, Ralph and Johnny, with every little step, with every NE heartbreak, you have shown true power. That's staying power and that's how true legends continue to write history. God's timing is always perfect. Congrats!
DocM.A.C. signing off. Keep the faith and always trust the process. #OnwardUpward
Devoted fans, known as NE4Lifers, can attest to how they tirelessly petitioned for decades to have the group lauded with the prestigious honor. It should come as no surprise how many NE4Lifers made the long trek to be on hand at the ceremony, a prelude to the three-night BET miniseries, beginning January 24 through January 26. Social media has been buzzing with everyone from celebs to common folk eager to witness NE’s tumultuous and triumphant journey from kid stars to seasoned vets.
I’ve had a few NE4Lifers to wonder if I will be in attendance to celebrate the festivities in Los Angeles. While I won’t be there in body, I have always been with these guys through the written word. Throughout the years I was on the battlefield, a foot soldier, in helping to be instrumental in sharing their story on the pages of Jet and EBONY magazines. If I was still there, I would have fought for them to be on the cover, to be honored during the Power 100 and to headline the evening! It would have been a win-win for everyone.
But everything happens for a reason and, truth be told, it wasn’t always easy going to battle for NE. Their delivery as performers was never questioned once they hit the stage. The problem came when making the editorial pitches because I could never quite explain what kept them from getting to the stage and staying there with consistency. During some cover stories, though they appeared picture perfect, things proved otherwise because everyone didn’t always agree to being interviewed.
Thankfully, there’s no more wondering. Our questions will soon be answered, regarding any hills and valleys we never knew about. When I last interviewed them for a 2013 Retrospective piece in EBONY, it was the first time that all six members agreed to speak. The movie deal was still being worked out because Bobby had some trepidations about agreeing to the project. I’ll never forget him telling me how he didn’t feel like the New Edition story was complete because they weren’t on the top. Bobby said, “We’re still working on being able to end on top. We’re giving a hell of a good run of it. We’re looking forward to writing the ending of our legacy instead of it having a tragic ending.”
Tomorrow isn't promised to anyone and with so many high-profile people suddenly dying, it is nice to see that New Edition realizes the value and beauty in cherishing this moment while each member is above ground to share and celebrate the story. This year some of the fellas will be pushing 50 years old and no matter what any one of them has been through, they remain firmly rooted in an industry where it isn’t unusual for child stars to be toppled to the ground, chewed up, spit out and forgotten about. Aside from the Jacksons, no other group has made the transition from boys to men, creating a stylistic blueprint with some considerable measures of success emulated by others. NE has paid their dues for paving the way, because like most pioneers, they weren't always given the proper credit they deserved.
Yes, I'm more than certain that the miniseries will show how badly New Edition has been bruised, but it will also show how they were never broken beyond repair no matter how painful the path. Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike, Ralph and Johnny, with every little step, with every NE heartbreak, you have shown true power. That's staying power and that's how true legends continue to write history. God's timing is always perfect. Congrats!
DocM.A.C. signing off. Keep the faith and always trust the process. #OnwardUpward
[Above] The fellas conducted the 2004 cover story interview immediately following their performance as headliners at the Taste of Chicago where Mayor Richard M. Daley acknowledged the group's stellar career by proclaiming June 29 as New Edition Day. They were tired because they just returned from out of the country after filming the video for Hot 2 Nite and had to hit the ground running with a major outdoor concert. Like always, they left the audience begging for more because New Edition never lets anyone see them sweat.
Following the interview, Ralph, Ricky and Ronnie stayed in the lobby and talked with me. Ralph and Ricky were clearly excited about their upcoming double wedding. Then an Associate Editor for Jet, I told them how I also handled the Love & Happiness marriage announcements. "When you get married, be sure to send me the picture so that I can put it in the magazine," I told them. The fellas agreed and made good on their promise. [Below] Not only did the wedding photo end up in the November 29, 2004 issue of Jet, but it was also selected by EBONY, the sister publication, for one of the Top Weddings of 2005 in the annual February love edition.
[Below] When Michael Bivins became an NBA correspondent for TNT, I wrote a profile for the June 9, 2008 issue. And long before Unsung and Oprah's Where Are They Now?, Jet was the place to go and find out Where Are They Now? Bivins' popular kid group Another Bad Creation (ABC) was featured in the same edition. Be sure to check out the picture on page 56. Let's just say that Mike Biv put a hurting on basketball legend Michael Jordan during a winning game of pool. Look at that face!
[Below] The group was celebrating yet another milestone year in 2008 and was being recognized for its accomplishments with the ASCAP Golden Note Award in Los Angeles. They agreed to a cover story and even a photo shoot with Valerie Goodloe on the day of receiving the prestigious honor. Though it was the first time all six members were on the cover, Ralph and Bobby did not interview for the story. Johnny and Bell Biv DeVoe (BBD), ever the anchors, forever holding things down, spoke on behalf of the group.
Six Degrees of Separation in St. Louis:
Video director Dana Christian (r) goes over a scene with Johnny Gill for a music video from his 2011 Still Winning CD. St. Louis singer Sineta Roker, a former “American Idol” contestant, appeared as Gill’s leading lady in the trilogy of videos, directed by my brother. Roker is the cousin of Today Show co-anchor Al Roker and award-winning rocker/actor Lenny Kravitz. Dana said, "I ended up directing three Johnny Gill music videos, which were part of a trilogy: Just The Way You Are, It Would Be You and Second Place. It was two sample songs and one full-length. I decided to tell a story and connect all three.”
[Below] The last time that I wrote a major story about New Edition was four years ago for the February 2013 EBONY Retrospective. This also marked a first because all six members agreed to be interviewed. There was still some uncertainties about the movie being made but a few willingly discussed it anyway, including Bobby, who admitted to having had concerns because he wanted their careers to be on top before he signed on to do the project. Before our interview ended, he also told me, "We've been through some things where we were really trying to hurt each other physically. Times were rough in any one of our lives, but we have all been able to come together and stand up for each other. When you lose the ego and put it in your back pocket, when you walk in the door so the group can be the best, that's what is going to happen. This is a business. I'm in business with five of my greatest friends, and we know how to work it."
Enjoying time before New Edition's June 2016 taping on the Steve Harvey Show in Chicago. Some NE4Lifers include Dr. Renee Matthews (Ask Dr. Renee) and the twins, Kamita and Katrina Terrell of TwinKonnections. That's me at the bottom, wearing my hair like Xernona Clayton.
[Below] I am now a college professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) where one of the city's top entertainment venues is the UIC Pavilion. The fellas had a sold-out concert planned but it was canceled due to a terrible flooding in the facility. Fans left pissed off and hurt! We suffered an NE heartbreak that night, because we COULD NOT STAND THE RAIN and we can't wait for their return.
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