Boyz II Men | Studio 2 from WHYY

There are some sounds that instantly take you back. For a generation, the harmonies of boys to men were the soundtrack to falling in love, breaking up, and just holding on. But before the Grammys, the record-breaking hits, and the sold-out shows around the world, Nathan Morris, Wanye Morris, and Sean Stockman were Philly kids, students at Philadelphia's famous High School for Creative and Performing Arts. They sang together, and they worked hard to get their shot right here in the city. And more than three decades later, boys to men are still together, they're still touring, and still influencing generations of R&B artists. And this month, they're coming home. They're gonna be performing with the Philly Pops at the Highmark Man, and the trio is here on Studio 2. Nathan, Wanye, and Sean, welcome to Studio 2. Hey, what's happening? What's happening, what's going on, Philly? And so I'm so excited because I've been a big fan of boys to men since the 90s, so I'm super psyched. But before we, yeah, yeah. So before we talk about boys to men, the global superstars, I wanna talk about the dudes from Philadelphia. We gotta start there. So I want each of you to tell me the neighborhood that you hail from. And one thing that neighborhood taught you that still resonates today. And Wanye, we'll start with you. I'm from Richard Island Projects in North Philadelphia. And one thing that Richard Island Projects taught me is how to be true, real, authentic to what Philly is. It's deep and embedded in the North. How we, I guess, how we represent Philly. So in a sense, it's just one of those things for me. Yeah, I love that. North Philly, Richard Island. That's right. Nathan, what's your neighborhood and your lesson that still resonates? Mine is Southwest Philly, South Philly. So, yeah, I mean, it's funny because I don't know if it's a regional thing, but mine is similar to Wanye's, is that be one way all the time, be who you are, be honest, be straight up. Know where to hide. It is what it is. You either know it or you don't know it. Keep it where it is. I love it. And Sean, your neighborhood and your one lesson. Southwest Philadelphia, 59th and Belmar Terrace, right down the street from Riddick's and Paul Brothers and Myers Park. That's where I grew up most of the time. But I did migrate to West Philly, 57th and Stewart, Hilltop, 55th and Thompson, not right near Overbrook. But I think what it taught me the most was where you come from is everything. If I didn't grow up where I grew up, if I didn't have the friends that I had, if I didn't, if I wasn't immersed in the music that inspired me and that I dance to and that I still catch vibes listening to today, it takes me right back to that neighborhood. And it just makes me realize how important it was for me to grow up where I grew up because I wouldn't be the person that I am. So, it meant a lot being from that area. The hood isn't always, it tends to get painted as a bad place or a place where it's just filled with sorrow or anything like that when it's actually a beautiful place. You meet a lot of great people, there's a lot of beautiful people there, a lot of intelligent people, creative people. So, being around that inspired me. So, where you're from is everything. And that sort of leads me to my next question because I talked to Tariq Trotter recently. We interviewed him for Studio 2 and one of the things he talked about was the late 80s, early 90s in Philly, the creativity that was brewing and specifically at Capa where you all met. And can you talk about and articulate that time in Philadelphia, what it was about this city? Because we had a lot of hit makers come out of this city from that time and many of them are still making hits just like you all today. And Wanye, if you could try to articulate that. The one thing about Boyz II Men when we came up, we did a lot of, I guess you could say, walking around in Philadelphia. We sang in the subways and stuff like that. We didn't have a lot of shows and we didn't have producers and writers and stuff like that when we were coming up. We actually would do a lot of talent shows and the music influence in the talent shows was basically the music that was influenced from the radio. So everybody that was doing these talent shows would be performing songs on the radio. So when it came time for us to really delve into the actual music of Philadelphia or the music scene, we jumped right to the Michael Bibbins and Motown. So the music of Philadelphia bred us, but we kind of like, we kind of went elsewhere. Like we had the High School for Creative and Performing Arts kind of took us, everybody in that school outside of that, of Philly. Does it make sense, Sean? Like it took us out of Philly. It didn't keep us locked into what Philly was doing. It was eclectic. It changed our dynamic on how we looked at even what we grew up on singing. It gave us a different way of doing it. Sounds like it catapulted you, catapulted your thoughts, catapulted your abilities. It did. And the deal is it's almost like that influence separated us from what was going on in the talent show vibes. You know what I mean? Because that's really, we didn't really connect with a lot of artists during that time. We really were nomad. We walked the subways where the P was poignant. You know what I'm saying? We went into anywhere we could find acoustics and to hone our skill. And that was it. We didn't have an idea on what we were gonna do, how we were gonna do it. We just wanted to sing. Yeah, and I think about you, Nathan. I mean, you were kind of like the convener of this group and you brought, it was different, I guess, combinations of voices for a while. You guys were called Unique Attraction at first. Do you remember, Nathan, the moment when you realized that this combination of voices, this group was the group that would make it? I never did because that wasn't the plan, unfortunately. It was, for me, I went to that school because my mom and my music teachers, private music teachers, felt that I should go there. I was actually trying to go global, but play football. That was my goal. Wow. So Boyz II Men, for me, was something that was created on a whim. We didn't have any sports teams at that campus, so I had to do something to occupy my time or I know I would've got in trouble. So I created a vocal group, me and Mark Nelson. Over the years, we put different people in and people would graduate, other people would come in. I mean, there was a certain sound that we were looking for that we would sing to, but as far as the idea of it being successful and putting it together so we'd be famous and all that, that wasn't even going to happen. Wow. So this was like kind of kismet and good fortune. Yeah, this was God doing what God does when he does what God's doing. That is it. And you don't control any of it. That's real. And Sean, I think about, you know, during that time in the 90s, there were a lot of guy groups and there was always like a front guy, usually. But you guys, Boyz II Men did it a little bit different. I mean, there was, depending on the song, different people took the lead. All of y'all could sing really beautifully. Why did you do it that way and decide, you know what, we're not gonna have one person always be the lead, Sean? Just like Nate said, we didn't think too far into this thing. We just did what we felt most natural to us. And we knew each other's vocal skills being in the same vocal choirs and classes in high school. So when we did put the group together, we all knew that everybody had the capability of singing leads. So, but again, it was organically. We didn't say, hey, we're gonna do it this way because we wanna be different from it. We just did it and it worked out. And the great thing about us that I think makes us who we are is the fact that everyone does have their own prowess. Wanye does Wanye, Sean does Sean, Nathan does Nathan. And at the time, Michael did Michael. So no one stepped on anyone's toes. Like everybody had a particular vocal style and a particular vocal ability where everybody could just display that. And that was it. And then when we harmonized, that even exemplified that even more because everybody had different textures and vocal tones and stuff like that. So again, I wish we were that smart. I mean, but we just did what we felt like was best for us to do. And I think that it also has something to do with respecting each other's vocal ability. I know that Sean is one of the baddest dudes on the planet earth. He's in my group. I know that Nate is one of the baddest dudes on the planet earth. He's in my group. And I know that the unselfishness of if I was to write a song, I'm gonna write a song and know for a fact that my brother is going to be able to deliver it better than I can. You understand? Especially that part. You understand? So it's respecting and understanding the nuances of our vocal ability and saying, okay, this is for Sean. This is for me. Okay, well, maybe this is my part for Nate, but it's respect. It's definitely understanding. Yeah. And I've interviewed power couples, trios, collaborators, and covered enough breakups as well to know that talent is never the reason why people separate, right? Usually it could be money, it's ego, somebody wanting to do something different, resentment sometimes. And you all have survived the test of time. And I was wondering, is there a rule within Boyz II Men that has kept Boyz II Men together? I think early on, because like you said, there was a lot of groups in the 90s and whatnot, and a lot of reasons why a lot of those groups broke up were for some of those reasons. I think we nipped a lot of that in the bud early on. We got the money thing out the window first. We decided that whatever anybody in the group wrote, produced, or whatever, that we would all split money evenly and just move into just creating. And from all those years, and one of those things was that's what we focused on. Yeah, things might've changed monetarily in the back side or whatever, but we learned early on, like you just said, a lot of those groups lost their way because of this guy is the lead singer, or this guy is the writer, he makes the money, this and that. So we tried to alleviate all those things early on. And it's funny because the first album- Boom, we just broke. And that's when we figured it out. When we first got our publishing checks, we realized that, hey, this guy got that, that guy got that, this guy did that, and that don't look good. So how about we just put everything down the middle so everybody can just focus on just doing what's best for the group and anybody gotta worry about money. And it's worked since. Wow. And it's kind of kept you all together. Was there any desire at all for you all to sort of do your own projects, do other things? Nate, I know each, Sean and Wanya, you both had some solo projects. I know, Nate, you did some reality TV, Flippin' Houses, but you guys always seem to come back together to this nucleus. That's because it's really about the nucleus. None of those things would be possible. You wouldn't see, hear a solo project or any type of outside anything without Boyz II Men. You know what I mean? The reason why people are even giving it the attention until they find out that it's good to be able to put it and bring them into their lives is simply because of Boyz II Men. So we always have to remember that, you know, this is the branches from the tree. You know what I mean? But you've gotta water the tree. Even though the flowers grow from the branches, you gotta water the root of the tree. Yeah, and I keep- Paul McCartney had a great solo career, but he will always be a Beatle. And I actually always, I think it's, you know, I'm not really, never be my goal as a solo artist, but one thing I would say that if it was, I honestly would never wanna be more successful than my group because it just creates problems. I wouldn't wanna do that. Like, I would want to always have to come back to this because things are always better when you gotta work it out with other people that you know and grew up with versus being on those buses and being on those tours and then you get all the hype people around you, hyping you up and it goes. I like the group environment. I just, I would never want that success for myself. So I gotta ask you about how things have changed because back in the nineties, y'all probably had teenage girls sort of breaking in to rooms, coming backstage, trying to see you guys. And now some of your early fans are bringing their daughters. Some of them bringing their granddaughters. Has back, how has backstage changed? I mean, do y'all still have like Boyz II Men groupies? What's going on back there? That's never been our vibe. How has it shifted? We didn't have that then. Yeah, that was never our thing. Like we never, we were very, let's put it this way, not even necessarily sheltered. It was just like, we knew that when we were backstage, it was really time to work. Like we took time to make sure that, we would do vocal warmups. I mean, we'd have a good time. We'd have our video games and all that other stuff and we'd play and all that other stuff. We didn't have no crazy backstage. We were taught different. Like, I mean, we were just brought up where most of the time the backstage was quiet as all hell. And yeah, we would be in our dressing room and that more so now, since we are a little older, it's like we go into our dressing room and we talk, we play our guitars, we listen to music. And that's always been, the stage in that area has always kind of been taught to us for it to be our sanctum. Almost like a sacred space backstage. Now, after the show, yeah, we would go to a club. We would go hang out and all that other stuff occasionally. But when it came time to perform in the stage area, we didn't like the hoopla, the mess. We heard a lot of bad things too. Yeah, and I appreciate that. Boyz II Men's influence stretches well beyond the 90s. I've watched songs like End of the Road and On Bended Knee, Water Runs Dry get rediscovered online by people who weren't even born when you recorded those songs. I wonder, Nate, what it's like for you to watch a whole new generation discover your music, cover your music, and fall in love with the music of Boyz II Men? It's great. I mean, it's history repeating itself. I mean, we weren't born when a lot of those Motown records were recorded and a lot of stuff like that was made, but our parents passed it on to us and then it became something that was almost like a regular for us. It was in our music catalog, even though we didn't know it. So, I mean, it's great to see it. I mean, especially in today's society where things move so fast and there's so many other options that people have to choose Boyz II Men's songs as your option, it's very special because, I mean, it's way more things that people can pick today than we could 30 years ago. So the fact that we're even on their radar is a blessing. Yeah. Wanye, how has TikTok and streaming and all of that sort of impacted how people take in your music? Does it help you guys? Does it hurt? No, I don't think anything that is publicized with your name or music or likeness, it hurts. I think, especially in this day and age, anything, if they're talking about you, that's good. You know what I mean? Even if it's bad, which is bad, but I think that it's necessary for the youth and the people today to connect somehow. And they don't connect the way that they used to. A lot of them don't listen to radio. They don't, you know what I mean? They hop on YouTube or they scroll on their phone. So if something reminds them of some energy that feels amazing and it brings up that love and it happens to pop up on TikTok, it definitely helps. I wish that I could subscribe to it like I want to, but I just can't bring my head around. You know what I mean? I feel like- It's too much. It's too much, it's too much. But I definitely feel like it can help nowadays. I mean, depending on what you put into it is what you're gonna get out of it. So it's up to you. I think about the 90s, there were so many groups. There was Boyz II Men, of course, but there was Jodeci, Mint Condition, Drew Hill. So many groups, right? R&B groups, and then all the pop groups. And then there was white boy, you know, boy bands. And now there's like no groups, you know? You gotta look hard to find a group. Sean, your thoughts on that? Wanya, your thoughts on that? I mean, cause there used to be, I mean, there were girl groups too. Destiny's Child, you know, Escape, TLC. That was my era, you know? And now a lot of the young people don't have that. Naysha doesn't have that. Oh, Nate, go right ahead, yeah. I just think that we're in a society where it's been built on the individual. I mean, we're in a YouTube society where it's all about me, me, me. It's not about we, we, we. So everybody, you know, I've always believed the moment we were able to turn a camera on ourselves and film ourselves, groups went out the window because everybody can do it themselves. It's like the girl in the Eddie Murphy movie. I don't wanna be the star in my own video. They don't wanna be the producer in my own video. Like, everybody wants to do everything themselves. No one wants to share. They all want to be the star. They don't wanna rely on somebody. This is not the environment we live in. It's every man for himself. It's selfish. It's a selfish society. Very selfish. There's nothing social about it. So it takes people away from being social. It takes people away from the personification of social, that personal space social. You could actually be sitting right next to somebody and text somebody a song instead of leaning over and going, hey, yo, remember that song? Da, da, da, da, da, you know what I'm saying? Something as simple as us sitting in a room doing background vocals or something, creating a song and, you know, somebody, you know, say, hey, let's change it. Let's add this and da, da, da. Just simple, just things sitting around looking somebody in the eye, having a conversation versus all of my friends sitting in the room and everybody's face is down at their phone. And they only bring it up when they wanna share something on their phone, nothing in real life. The collaboration is really part of the glue and the beauty of Boyz II Men. I wanted to talk quickly about R&B because it's changed. Is there any artists today that you guys are like, they are what I hoped R&B would be, or are you sort of challenged and kind of wishing that R&B had a bigger presence? R&B music is still very prevalent as far as it's, you just have to sift through a lot of other stuff though. Like that's just the problem with the consumption of R&B music. Like the good R&B used to really get its proper soapbox. It used to be played on radio. It used to get supported and all those other things. Now, right, now you have to find it. And there are artists out there who I think represent R&B very well. They may not get all the great looks, but there are a lot of great artists out there like her, like Leon Bridges, like Leon Thomas, like Lucky Day, like, I mean, I can go on and on, but I have a few of those people in my, Masego, Devin Marsh, like there are a lot of great R&B acts that are out here and are working and are doing very well, but because the platform of entertainment has changed. See, back then we also had platforms like Soul Train and the Arsenio Hall Show and all those other places that highlighted black music. Those institutions are gone. BET is gone. There's no more Video Soul. There's no more Rap City. There's no more Video Vibrations and all those. So a lot of things that, yeah, and MTV is gone. So a lot of the platforms that highlighted that good music are no longer around. So you have to look for it. And because the things that are being emphasized on and the ones that people who run DSPs and stuff like that who are just trying to get looks, likes and clicks because it helps their ad revenue, that's the type of music they champion. And a lot of times it's not always good. So it's a person's job. Yeah, it's a consumer's job to actually look for the music and you'll find it. It's out there. It's just now you just have to do, you gotta work a little harder. We gotta do a little bit more work to get it done. And so I gotta ask you each, is there a favorite Boyz II Men song that you like to sing? Like, is there a song? And tell me why. Tell me why. And Nwanye, your favorite song to sing. My favorite song to sing would have to be On Bended Knee. ♪ I'm down on my knee again, please tell me ♪ Would have to be On Bended Knee. It is actually the song that has, sorry. It's okay. It's the song that actually has taken the most shape in my life throughout the course of my growing up. When I first started singing that song, I was a teenager. You know, here you go. And then when I started singing it, we kept singing in a progression. I was a young man going through relationships and then I went through a lot of things and then it took another turn and became my relationship, leave me alone type song. And then it turned into a prayer song to God. And that's where it is right now. Right now, On Bended Knee is my prayer song. Yeah, is there a favorite song you like to sing, Nate? Yeah, mine is actually, I don't know what you call it. It's not quite a fan favorite, but mine is actually Color Love. ♪ The color of love is in you ♪ What it represents musically, how it feels, the time period that we put it out, the response that we got from it was so many different things at the time that showed us, you know, how, you know, where we actually sit. You know, there are times when you can put out records and everything is great and everybody loves you. And there are times you put out records that may sound at the same caliber, the same energy and the same meaning, but because people aren't checking for you, they just aren't checking for you. It came out when we were, you know, kind of at that point where, to me, it's on the lines of Color Love, it's on the lines of I'll Make Love to You and Bended Knee and End of the Road, the style, the energy, the bigness of it all. But because we weren't what people were into at that moment, it's fell by the wayside, which just always gives me more understanding of this industry, knowing that, you know, people can like you today and not like you tomorrow, having nothing to do with how well you sing or what you do. Yeah. And Sean, do you have a favorite song to sing? I do not. Like a lot of it is based off of, it's situational. Yeah. The beautiful thing that we do is we perform in front of a lot of different people and a lot of different crowds and we've been exposed to a lot of different cultures. So even though, yes, the big songs always tend to hit and they always tend to resonate with the crowd, which is wonderful. I think I get a kick off of when those obscure records go crazy, like in the Africas and the Australias and album cuts that might not be popular in the United States, but we'll play it in Angola or something like that. And it goes crazy. So music is about connection and I'm into the connection part of it. If we play a song and everybody unanimously goes nuts, that gives me the chill bumps that I look for when I perform and that's it. It could be any random record. It could be Motown Philly. It could be whatever. It's just the connection part. You know when you've connected because the crowd reacts a certain way and that's the song I like for that night. Yeah, we're about to wrap up. And I gotta ask you the question that every Boyz II Men fan wants to know. And I know, cause my favorite song, by the way, is Please Don't Go. That is my favorite song, okay? And part of it is because the one and only Michael McCary is on that song, has a great cameo on that song. And I love that song. And for years, y'all really didn't perform together. But recently, in 2026, he popped out, surprised everybody and had a cameo on, you know, End of the Road. And I know y'all coming to Philly soon and I'm just wondering. Are you shaking your head, Juanye? You know, could that happen again? It's not on the calendar, but you never know. That's all I'll say. There you go, there you go. And what was it like sort of hearing the four voices again? Did that feel good? Did it feel like so much time had passed? What did it feel like for you guys performing? It felt so good. And it felt like so much time had passed. Everything that you just said. It was like, you know, we understood that it was a moment that needed to happen. And, you know, it felt good for us. The energy was right. The love is still there. There's no nothing. We just brothers. We just do other things now. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Well, you know, I had to ask because of Please Don't Go. That is my favorite song. And as we wrap up, I know you guys, besides the show coming up in Philly, you have a U.S. tour. You're going to Australia later this year. You also launched an Air Jordan shoe. My mind is kind of blown by that. It's a fly shoe, by the way. Thank you. It's FNF. It's just friends and family, unfortunately, right now, where we released it. And we issued out 150 of them to give to our closest friends and loved ones. It's currently not out for public consumption, but hopefully the Jordan folks will change that maybe in the near future. Hopefully. Do people need to write some letters or something with y'all? Maybe. Petition. Hey, look, hey, Nick, I'm from Philly. I got a couple of pens. I'm joking, man. In a trunk somewhere, in a trunk somewhere. I got this white van. I let your boy, you know what I mean? Hostless for real. And I got to say this, because my mom watched The Masked Singer and she was so proud of y'all for making history, becoming the first group to win Masked Singer. Y'all were dope. She knew it was y'all, though. She knew it was y'all. A lot of people couldn't figure it out, but congratulations on that. And so y'all keep, you guys are going to be performing September 18th at the Highmark Man. What about Philadelphia audiences like sort of resonate with you? Are we different here when you sing? Absolutely. Before, you know, your native audience than other places. Tell us what makes Philadelphia audiences special. It's like being at home. Like it is, it is home. So we don't really have any, like it's like sitting in a living room and everybody's on the couch watching us sing. Right. Like how our family used to do it back in the day. That's how comfortable it is. Like we're on stage and we're just kind of like just hanging out. So it's no airs, it's no nervousness or anything like that. We at the crib. So we just kind of like singing for our loved ones. And most of them is our family and friends anyway. So it's like, you know, so we kind of just going up there, doing our thing and hanging out afterwards. Yeah. Well, we look forward to seeing you guys on September 18. Let's go. Absolutely. It's going to be beautiful. So Nathan Morris, Wanye Morris and Sean Stockman, thank you so much for being on Studio 2. My pleasure. Thank you. Boyz II Men has spent more than three decades singing about love, heartbreak and holding on, but maybe one of their most enduring harmonies that you heard is the one between the three men themselves, three Philly kids who went from the halls of Kappa to becoming one of the most successful R&B groups of all time. Boyz II Men will return home to Philadelphia on September 18th. They're performing with the Philly Pops at the Highmark Man. You've been listening to Studio 2, I'm Terry Gregg.