Natural Selection

Natural Selection emerged as an R&B and hip-hop duo whose pair of hit singles and self-titled 1991 album marked their brief commercial peak. Elliot Erickson and Frederick Thomas established the act in 1989. Once their debut track “Do Anything” gained traction at the station employing Erickson, EastWest signed the pair and issued the song nationally in 1991. By October it had climbed to number two on the Billboard Hot 100, surpassed solely by Mariah Carey’s “Emotions.” The accompanying album and two follow-up singles appeared soon after, yet a projected second project ultimately stalled. Erickson and Thomas dissolved the partnership in 1992. Thomas retained the Natural Selection moniker on an informal basis, recruiting John Swan and Shaun Ware as new members. A recording contract with SBK was secured, only for both the label and the reconstituted group to collapse. Years afterward the original trio reconvened to record, independently issuing the eight-song collection Infinity, whose style remained close to the sound of their earliest work.