Rural Dictionary

Bobby Brown

1) Noun: A man who was once called "The King of R&B" and "The King of Stage". He was a street kid started singing with neighbors Ricky Bell and Michael Bivins in the ghettos of Roxbury, Massachusetts for change after school for the movies in 1978. Fellow Roxbury singers Ralph Tresvant and Ronnie DeVove joined with him to form the group "New Edition" by 1981 and got a record deal by 1982. Split from the group in 1986 after stage antics and went on to achieve mega-stardom by 1988 with his hits "Don't Be Cruel", "Every Little Step", "Rock Wit'cha" and "Roni". By 1989, was the most popular black male artist/entertainer in the United States whose concerts could get so wild he was arrested for it more than once. At that point he could be considered a male equivalent of a diva. He also did cameos in some of the songs of the solo New Edition members in 1990 and 1991, including a brief reunion with New Edition in Bell Biv DeVoe's 1991 song "Word To The Mutha". In 1992, he hooked up Whitney Houston, a nationally popular diva and fellow street girl with equally phonemoninal stage presence. Similar to Bobby, she was a street girl from Newark, New Jersey and had been into the sex and drugs underground scene in the music industry since the 80's. There were even semi-credible tabloid rumors she was bisexual or lesbian. Bobby married her in 1992 and they remained an odd yet accepted couple until the mid-90's when their careers begin to fade amidst a mixture of change in national music interests, self-destructive drug habits and yearly misdemanors. By the late-90's he was considered washed-up and had been cruely transformed by the media into a circus spectacle, not unlike Britney Spears today. Except Bobby had talent. He relesed a new CD in 1997 which didn't do very well commercially and didn't realease another song until 2002 with Ja Rule which sparked rumors of a return that fell flat. Suffered a tragic stroke that same year which left his mouth permanently turned the side when he talks. Instead of making a comeback he started a reality show called "Being Bobby Brown" which largely showcased his and Whitney's drug-induced antics and let the world see Whitney's ugly side. In 2006 he temporarily reunited with New Edition on tour but was dropped after more stage antics. In 2007 he filed for divorce which was finalized in 2008 and released a controversial tell-all book. In 2008-9 he plans to permanently rejoin New Edition and tour with them for their 25th Anniversery of national fame. Now that he's divorced from his smoking buddy Whitney maybe he can get his act together, stay off of drugs permanently, turn his life around and re-ignite his career. Fortunately most of his talent has been left intact if not his public reputation. Unfortunately many Whitney Houston fans will irrationally forever hate him because they blame him for Whitney's downfall that she herself caused just like he caused his own downfall.

Prima: "Man, that Bobby Brown is such a fucking loser. No wonder Whitney left him."

Secunda: "What? Whitney married him for a reason: he was hot and they were into the same stuff. She was probably into coke since her modeling career before her singing career. Her and Bobby both liked the wild party life when not on stage."

Prima: "Maybe, but he's still a washed-up and cracked-out loser."

Secunda: "What are you talking about? Bobby was a national sensation in his day just like Whitney. They called him 'The King of R&B' for crying out loud. He was the most popular black artist around. Now that he's getting back on his feet, if he seriously gets himself together and comes back he will blow Usher and Chris Brown out of the water with little effort."

by New Edition Fan July 11, 2008

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