I wasn't kidding last when I stated that I once got into a fight over Guy's The Future. My cousin, as delusional as she was into believing that she could just leave for college and leave her CD of this very album alone in her room without it being confiscated by me, was sorely mistaken. The fact that she actually expected for me to hand said CD over upon her return was just ludicrous to my 14-year-old self. Back in those days, Guy was a certified force. Sure, they only released one, albeit stone-cold classic of a self-titled album, Guy, with then member Timmy Gatling and another just-as-classic track, "My Fantasy," on Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing soundtrack. For this New Jack Swing band to go triple platinum, however, meant that everyone from your parents to the local librarian knew what to do when "Groove Me" came on the radio. Teddy Riley was the go-to producer back then -- "My Prerogative" or "Just Got Paid" anyone? -- and coupled with Aaron Hall's mightily melismatic baritone-tenor, Guy's sophomore effort was a celebration the likes of which Rick James' celebrations only rivaled.
Guy's The Future wasn't the type of album that one needed to sit with in order to "get" it. Teddy Riley was acutely aware of what the streets wanted and we desperately needed to jam. Although "Teddy's Jam 2" was never one of my favorites, this album had more than enough tracks to love, such as "Her," "Wanna Get With You," personal midtempo favorite "Smile" and slow jam "Let's Chill." It was the remake of The Gap Band's "Yearning For Your Love," which fit Aaron's voice so perfectly (since his voice was often compared to Charlie Wilson's), that upon hearing the remake for the first time, I was happy to know that I had recently been blessed with a cassette deck with an auto-reverse function.
Guy went on to release a third album, Guy III, with another hit "Dancin'" that I ran into the ground, but after being plagued with internal strife, this photo emerged of Aaron and his brother and permanent third member Damien Hall working again in the studio. Of course, Teddy went on to even more success post-Guy with oft-missed R&B group Blackstreet and Aaron went on to dazzle us all with quite a successful solo career including his solo release The Truth and the movie Juice's freaktastical "Don't Be Afraid." And how can we forget Aaron Hall's preternatural talent with dog training in "Aaron Hall's Dog Rehab"? Even though all has been all quiet on the Guy front as of late, we all feel more than grateful to be able to look back upon the times they shared with us in the form of their music. Below is one my favorites from The Future. Enjoy.
