After 7

After 7 emerged toward the close of the 1980s as one of the most polished R&B ensembles of their era. Their opening quartet of albums all climbed into the upper reaches of Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart, beginning with the platinum-certified After 7 in 1989 and continuing through the gold-selling Takin’ My Time three years later. Although the group’s early success coincided with the new jack swing period, the members’ fluid vocal blends, along with ongoing creative input from Babyface and L.A. Reid on such Top Ten pop singles as “Ready or Not” and the Grammy-nominated “Can't Stop,” allowed a seamless evolution by the time Reflections appeared in 1995. Following a period of inactivity, the trio regrouped in the mid-2000s for live performances and returned to the studio the following decade with Timeless, issued in 2016. The original roster comprised Melvin Edmonds, Kevon Edmonds, and Keith Mitchell, with the Edmonds brothers serving as siblings to Babyface; personnel shifts occurred across subsequent years. After Melvin Edmonds’s passing, Kevon Edmonds and Keith Mitchell continued alongside Danny McClain, launching the next phase of their career with Unfinished Business in 2021.

Kevon Edmonds, Melvin Edmonds, and Keith Mitchell, all Indianapolis natives, established After 7 in 1987 while attending Indiana University. The act promptly secured a contract with Virgin Records and scored immediate acclaim via the debut single “Heat of the Moment.” Crafted and produced by Babyface and L.A. Reid, with co-production credits to Daryl Simmons and Kevin “Kayo” Robertson, the track debuted on the Billboard R&B chart in July 1989 and eventually peaked at number five. The self-titled album After 7 arrived soon afterward and attained platinum status once “Ready or Not” and “Can't Stop,” both further collaborations with Babyface and L.A. Reid, reached the top of the R&B survey. After the project concluded its run, the group contributed “Nights Like This” to the soundtrack of The Five Heartbeats; the Jesse Johnson–helmed recording also registered inside the R&B Top Ten. “Can't Stop” earned a Grammy nomination in the category of Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Takin’ My Time, the 1992 successor, featured reduced involvement from Babyface and L.A. Reid while drawing greater contributions from Daryl Simmons and Kevin Roberson, as well as new studio partners including Dallas Austin and Randy Ran. The singles “Kickin’ It” and a reinterpretation of the Originals’ “Baby, I'm for Real” sustained the group’s commercial momentum. Reflections surfaced three years later and spotlighted “‘Til You Do Me Right,” a composition credited to Kevon Edmonds, Melvin Edmonds, and Babyface. Both Takin’ My Time and Reflections achieved gold certification prior to the trio’s temporary disbandment.

Although two decades passed without new recordings, After 7 resumed touring in the mid-2000s, during which Melvin Edmonds stepped aside in favor of his son Jason. Melvin later rejoined, forming a quartet that reunited with Babyface and Simmons for Timeless, their fourth consecutive Top Ten R&B/hip-hop album, released in 2016. Following Melvin’s death in 2019, Kevon Edmonds and Keith Mitchell enlisted Danny McClain, and the refreshed lineup delivered Unfinished Business in 2021, highlighted by the Babyface collaboration “Tomorrow Can Wait.”