Serious question: Tony! Toni! Tone! or Guy?
On the surface this seems like a given. The correct answer is Tony! Toni! Tone! Duh.
But yesterday I was checking out a mixtape on Soundcloud, appropriately titled Tony! Toni! Tone vs Guy, and it got me thinking more deeply about what exactly makes the three Ts a better group.
Granted both trios were valuable – and my favorite – parts of the late 1980s and early 1990s R&B musical scenes.
Guy is best known for creating the New Jack Swing sound, which incorporated Hip-Hop and dance beats with traditional Soul/R&B rhythms. Although none of their singles made an appearance on the Billboard Top 100 pop charts, 10 of the singles from both their self-titled and The Future albums would become significant R&B hits and propelled the album to platinum and double platinum status. (The group had three albums, but let’s just ignore the last one.)
Can you believe that? There was a time when Black music could sell and succeed without having to go Pop.
Anyway, while a few of their singles made appearances on the Billboard Top 100 chart, the three Ts success pretty much mirrored that of Guy. In particular its four studio albums would range between certified gold to double platinum based mostly off the strength of its R&B hits.
Likewise, both groups could sing. Okay, at least one of the members of each group who could really sing.
There is no denying that Teddy Riley was the glue that held Guy together. He not only produced and wrote most of the groups hits, but after Guy disbanded, he would have a long and successful career producing hits for others artists including Michael Jackson.
But for real, Riley was never a good vocalist. Sure, his voice worked on the group’s more uptempo hits, but that was because we were too busy hippy-hopping around to even notice. Still, it was Aaron “Nasty Man” Hall who ultimately gave Guy its sound. For instance, remember when Riley tried to sing on “Long Gone”? And remember when Aaron had to step in at the very end of the song to save things?
As for Damien Hall…well, he was just there for moral support (and because the original member Timmy Gatling left the group after realizing he didn’t have an actual role neither).
The three Ts pretty much operated under the same schematics. While Dwayne Wiggins could carry a tune and was considered a lead vocalist, the group’s signature sound belonged to second lead vocalist Raphael Saadiq. And after he left the group in 1996, he would continue to have great success, not only a producer, but as a solo artist as well as in the group Lucy Pearl.
Whereas, the remaining members of the Three Ts (including Timothy Christian Riley on drums) would be mostly stuck touring around the chitlin’ circuit, performing old songs with a Saadiq sound-a-like.
Point is that both talent-wise and the trajectory of their successes, both groups are basically on equal footing.
Clearly, what sets them apart are their individual catalogs. And when I say catalogs, I really mean slow jams because as everyone knows, the slow jam is the essence of R&B.
While it is true that both groups knew how to sing a lady out of her Spanx, I feel that the caliber of wooing is ultimately what sets the three Ts apart.
For instance, what we learned from the Three Ts catalog was that they wanted to be the kind of guys who gave us Whatever You Want. All we had to do was call 632-2135 and they would fly us out to Southern California where it never rains. And even if we too tired from all that flying to do love making, but still wanted to get it in, we need not to worry. They told us that all we had to do was “Lay Your Head” on their pillows and just relax while they kissed us anywhere. Yes love, even there.
On the other hand, you had Guy.
And although they told us they were willing to make the sacrifice – so Let’s Chill – they also made it clear that we could only have a “Piece of My Love.” And while the Three Ts were searching for pearls in our vaginas, Guy was like eww, no! But you can Tease Me tonight though.
And while the three Ts couldn’t wait to celebrate our first Anniversary together, Guy was saying bye-bye Goodbye Love. They left us even after we begged, pleaded and reminded them that “you said, you’ll never leave me. I’ll never leave you.” Remember how they shrugged flippantly and said, “but fairy tales don’t always come true…”
Basically, you see a theme emerging.
The three Ts not only understood women, but lyrically they actually loved and respected us too. These are the guys who are about rubbing our feet and making us fresh pots of camomile tea while they listened to us talk about our hard days dealing with Becky and ‘nem. These are the guys who made sure we were comfortable in every way, down to the 100-percent satin pillowcases for our hair.
Whereas Guy was musically that guy who was just down to smash and then dash, but not before borrowing $20 from ya’.
Don’t get it twisted: bad boys or not, I love me some Guy.
And if we incorporate all of their uptempo hits, Guy was superiorly doper than the three Ts. As much as I liked Feel Good and the jawn from House Party, none of the group’s uptempo songs could compare to Guy’s Groove Me, Teddy’s Jam and my favorite I Wanna Get With You. Not to mention, Little Walter was just flat-out ridiculous. Why was this even a song? Seriously dudes, R&B is no place to be airing out grievances about your deadbeat roommate.
So yeah, it is true that many of today’s “R&B” acts who are enjoying a certain level of success on the Pop charts that their predecessors never had, owe their success to Guy.
But I am a firm believer that there is nothing like a good love song. And as a group, very few in that era as well as today could and can touch Tony! Toni! Tone!
