Poison

Bell Biv DeVoe — Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe, three members of New Edition — recorded 'Poison' in 1989 with producers Dr. Freeze and Hank Shocklee's production team at the helm, crafting the track for their debut album Poison released on MCA Records. Released in 1990, 'Poison' reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a defining moment in the emergence of New Jack Swing, blending hard-edged hip-hop production with R&B vocals and establishing a grittier, more street-oriented alternative to the smooth sound of late-1980s R&B. 'Poison' is widely credited as one of the records that codified New Jack Swing as a commercially dominant force in the early 1990s, its bass-heavy production and cautionary lyrical stance influencing a generation of R&B artists, and the track remains a landmark of the era's sound.