When it comes to R&B dominance in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Damion Hall declared that no other group could stand toe-to-toe with Guy.
In an clip from an upcoming interview with the Holdin Court Podcast, the singer and member of the legendary group reflected on their influential run, firmly saying, “There is no group better than Guy, period.”
When the host questioned Hall’s declaration with the mention of The Jackson 5, the 57-year-old clarified, “Listen, from when I came in to where we are, there’s two groups that will always be my everything — New Edition and Tony! Toni! Toné!”
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Big Court then added Mint Condition to the mix to which a flabbergasted Hall blurted out “What?” Drawing back his feelings, however, he gave Stokely his flowers saying, “Stokely is one of the dopest musicians on the planet.”
He also added that Stokley and drummer Chris (Dave) together as musicians are “incredible,” but frankly, Guy “has never opened up for them ni**as.” He also shared the same sentiments for R&B group Troop, asking, “Did we open up for Troop? You ask them ni**as.”
Hall doubled down declaring that not only does he know Guy was “that group” but all of the other aforementioned groups know that as well. “Everybody got great songs and everybody got swag and their audience,” he continued. “Ask them what happened whenever we didn’t headline… the audience started leaving.”
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Hall’s stance caused much conversation online, with many siding with his opinion and others challenging his words.
“GUY is a Rolls Royce. They are top tier and deserve a lot more recognition. Anybody that has answered ‘No,’ likely does not know who they are properly and the impact that their sound has had on music in general,” commented one person on Instagram. Another added, “They deserve it ALL!! They were the soundtrack of the 80s & 90s.”
A third person wrote, “Love Guy but they kept breaking up,” as a fourth critiqued, “Guy is down to less than 600k monthly listeners on Spotify… no shade but the music simply didn’t age well.”
Aaron Hall, Teddy Riley and Damion Hall of the group Guy pose in the press room during the 2009 BET Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium on June 28, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
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Formed in 1987 by Teddy Riley, Aaron Hall, and Timmy Gatling — with Damion Hall later joining to replace Gatling — Guy helped usher in the New Jack Swing sound. With their self-titled debut album, the LP went certified double platinum, solidifying their place in music history as R&B pioneers.
Take a look at Damion Hall firmly standing on the thought that Guy was the best group of their era above.
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