The group grew up together in Houston's Yellowstone neighborhood located on the south side of the city. While attending Jack Yates High School, in 1991, Keven and Solomon Conner formed a band with Darryl Jackson. They were known as "The Gents" and recorded their first album, It's No Dream, with producer Phil Blackmon. Shazam was chosen as lead singer at the time of recording this album, which featured the ballad "A Time for Us". The album was released locally and was not a huge commercial success. The group continued recording and performed at talent shows and plays when a local producer sent their demo tape to 2 Live Crew rapper and record label executive Luther "Luke" Campbell. After an impromptu audition, Campbell signed the group to his label, Luke Records. Producer Bishop "Stick" Burrell became their producer and positioned Dino as lead singer, seeing his potential and rare voice as the formula for success in the group and built his sound around him.[2] They took the name of the group, "H-Town", from the local nickname for the city of Houston, Texas, in which they grew up.[3]
H-Town's debut album Fever for Da Flavor was released on April 15, 1993.[4] The group achieved hit status in the United States with "Knockin' Da Boots", which became H-Town's biggest hit and also their signature song. "Boots" was a #1 hit on the R&B charts,[5] and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.[6] "Lick U Up", the band's follow-up single, peaked at #21. They signed on as a part of the 1993 Coca-Cola Summer Fest tour, which included fellow R&B hit groups Shai, SWV, Jade, Naughty by Nature, Silk and also included multi-platinum rap artist LL Cool J.[7] In 1994, H-Town won the Soul Train Music Award for Best New Artist. They also appeared on the Above the Rim soundtrack with their single "Part Time Lover", which was produced by DeVante Swing of Jodeci. It peaked at #9 on the R&B Charts. Also in 1994, the trio appeared in the group Black Men United, which appeared and alongside Silk, Portrait, Boyz II Men and others recording hit the single "U Will Know" for the Jason's Lyric soundtrack.
In late 1993, H-Town returned to the studio to record their second album Beggin' After Dark . It was released on November 8, 1994.[8] The most popular single from this album was "Emotions". It became a #11 hit on the Billboard R&B chart and reached #51 on the Hot 100.[6] Other tracks from the album included "Back Seat (Wit No Sheets)", "Full Time", "One Night Gigolo", "Tumble & Rumble", "Buss One", featuring reggae singer Papa Reu, and "Baby I Love Ya" featuring Roger Troutman. By the time H-Town returned to the studio to record Ladies Edition, they had undergone some changes. They recorded a cover version of The Persuaders' "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate" featuring Shirley Murdock for the 1996 film of the same name. The song became H-Town's first Top 40 pop hit in three years, peaking at #37.[6] They then cut ties with Luther Campbell, underwent a spiritual awakening of sorts, and became more aware of women's issues on their third album Ladies Edition, Woman's World.[9] It was released on October 28, 1997.[10] The album's general theme centers on a man's penitence for his past transgressions with his woman, a theme conveyed in songs such as "Don't Sleep on the Female", "Julie Rain" (an account of spousal abuse), and "Jezebel". According to the liner notes, the album was dedicated to Nicole Brown Simpson and "all the women of the world." Twenty national women's telephone helplines were also listed on the back cover. Their one and only single from the album, "They Like It Slow" was released on September 23, 1997, and peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100.
H-Town, the R&B group from Houston, Texas, released their third studio album, Ladies Edition: Woman's World, in 1997. The album was a tribute to women and featured songs that celebrated their strength, beauty, and independence. The album also showcased H-Town's versatility and maturity as they experimented with different styles and genres, such as hip-hop, reggae, and gospel.
Ladies Edition: Woman's World was well-received by critics and fans alike, who praised H-Town's vocal harmonies, smooth production, and positive messages. The album spawned four singles: "They Like It Slow", "Ways to Treat a Woman", "Natural Woman", and "Special Kinda Fool". The album also featured guest appearances by Roger Troutman, Shirley Murdock, and K-Ci & JoJo.
The album was certified platinum by the RIAA and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200 chart and number 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It was also nominated for a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album - Group, Band or Duo in 1998.
Ladies Edition: Woman's World is considered one of H-Town's best albums and a classic in the R&B genre. It is also a testament to H-Town's love and respect for women, which they expressed through their music.
After Dino's death, Shazam and G.I. continued to perform as H-Town and released two more albums: Imitations of Life in 2004 and Child Support in 2010. They also collaborated with other artists, such as Jodeci, Pretty Ricky, and BeyoncÃ. However, they never achieved the same level of fame and recognition as they did with Ladies Edition: Woman's World.
H-Town's legacy lives on through their music and their fans, who still remember them as one of the most influential R&B groups of the 90s. Their songs have been sampled and covered by many artists, such as Drake, Tory Lanez, and Ariana Grande. Their album Ladies Edition: Woman's World remains a timeless masterpiece that honors women and showcases H-Town's talent and passion.
October 15 [10:00 EDT] -- Houston-based R&B outfit H-Town are set to release their first album in five years at the end of this month, a time that also ushers in a very different frame of mind for the group.
Now H-Town has parted ways with Luke, found God, and dedicated its new album, "Ladies Edition, Woman's World," to "the women of the world." The album even carries an apology in its liner notes to women everywhere for what H-Town calls its "past disrespectful ways.
We're willing to take a stand as a group to show the ladies out there that there are some guys that respect women and want to take a stand and be on their side," H-Town's Shazam told MTV News. "That's basically how we came up with the name 'Ladies Edition' 'cause we wanted to dedicate this album to the ladies. We feel that we made some
mistakes in the past, with women, so we want to show the women that we got it right. Not only us... we representing for a lot of males. There's a lot of other males, there's a lot of men out there that are doing the right thing, so we wanted to let the world know that H-town, you know, we made mistakes in the past, and we just wanted to let the world know that we're sorry. We got it right, right now. Not only that, but we got it right with God too, mentally and spiritually with God. We just trying to be some better men this year.
From there, the fans were kept entertained as the two combatants exchanged points. Later, when Lady Eagle Caroline Parsons delivered a huge kill, it would give her crew a late 23-22 lead. Disappointingly, the big-city ladies would sandwich an ace around two kills to pull out the win, 25-22.
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