It’s a concept almost as old as pop music itself: get a group of young male heartthrobs together who can sing, dance and appeal primarily to the ladies, then put a mic in front of them to see the musical magic they make.
The success rate for boy bands has been replicated ten times over for decades, including The Jackson 5 from the ’60s into the ’70s, New Edition in the ’80s, Boyz II Men in the ’90s, B2K in the 2000s, Mindless Behavior in the 2010s and K-pop acts like BTS taking over the trend in recent times. However, burgeoning out of Texas is a new R&B quartet with hopes of bringing that unified magic back to Black music.
This week for “New Music Mondays,” we’re getting into 2BYG.
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The fellas of 2BYG, comprised of Tourè, NIXX, KD and Matt Brown, are each aiming to prove the acronym stands true in their efforts “to be young and gifted.” From song to song, they manage to channel the sound of various genre predecessors on their 2025 breakout mixtape, The Yearbook. Be it the “Motownphilly” vibes in standout single “Karma,” the “Uh Huh” sample heard throughout “Wassup” or the Bobby Caldwell flip on “Do 4 Luv,” it’s clear these guys have done their research with respect to the greats.
It’s no surprise they did such a bang up job earlier this year while covering a classic *NSYNC song for the premiere episode of Netflix’s Star Search reboot.
With their new single, “I Want You,” the groovy throwback sample this time around is owed to the late Biz Markie’s pioneering 1986 single, “Make The Music With Your Mouth Biz.” The track gets substantially slowed down to match the group’s niche for rhythm and blues, making for a smooth serenading banger that might just put them at the forefront of ushering in the Black boy band wave for a new generation.
As they prepare for The Yearbook: Extended Version, a deluxe re-issue of their debut arriving next week (June 12), let’s just say we’re here for it all!
