Next

Next joined Dru Hill and Jagged Edge among the late-1990s contemporary R&B acts whose approach fused gospel roots, suggestive themes, layered vocal harmonies, and glossy productions with echoes of Jodeci and R. Kelly. Between 1997 and 2000 the Minneapolis trio landed four singles inside the Billboard Hot 100 top 20, among them the number-one “Too Close” and the number-seven “Wifey.” After issuing two albums on Arista—including the multi-platinum debut Rated Next—the group signed with Clive Davis’ new J Records imprint and delivered a third set before internal tensions led to a 2003 split. Fifteen years later the original lineup independently issued fresh material after earlier acrimonious departures and several aborted attempts at reunion.

Robert “RL” Huggar and Marlon “Shilo” Benjamin encountered fellow singers and siblings Terry “T-Low” Brown and Raphel “Tweety” Brown through Reverend James Grear. The four first assembled in 1992 under the name Strate4ward, receiving guidance from Grear and Sounds of Blackness vocalist Ann Nesby while based in Minneapolis. After a handful of local shows Benjamin left, prompting RL to rename the remaining trio Next. RL, T-Low, and Tweet then recorded a demo overseen by Tony “Prof-T” Tolbert and Lo-Key?’s Lance Alexander; the tape reached Naughty by Nature’s Keir “KayGee” Gist, who quickly set up an audition for Clive Davis and secured an Arista contract. Next entered the marketplace with “Butta Love,” a ballad co-produced by Tolbert, Alexander, Gist, Darren Lighty, and Beatminerz member Walt “Mr. Walt” Dewgarde. The track arrived on the Billboard R&B/hip-hop chart in September 1997, climbed to number four, and was followed weeks later by the full-length Rated Next. Momentum continued when two more singles, again co-produced by Gist and Lighty, extended the album’s run; the dance-driven “Too Close,” notable for its risqué refrain, topped the Hot 100, while “I Still Love You” reached the top five on the R&B/hip-hop tally.

In June 2000, one month after Rated Next earned double-platinum RIAA certification, Next returned with Welcome II Nextasy. Still working with Gist and Lighty, they scored another pop top-ten entry via “Wifey,” though the album achieved only gold status shortly after release. During the ensuing lull the group appeared on Jaheim’s top-ten R&B/hip-hop single “Anything,” and RL issued the solo album RL:Ements on Davis’ fledgling J label. Just eight months later, in December 2002, Next delivered The Next Episode on the same imprint; promotion was minimal, leaving “Imagine That”—produced by Gist, Lighty, and Eddie F—as the sole charting single. Financial and artistic disagreements soon surfaced, prompting the group to request and obtain release from J while Tweet exited. He rejoined years afterward, yet little activity had occurred in his absence. By the time T-Low, Tweet, and new member Aaron Deponce recorded “Leaving with Me,” RL had already stepped away; Deponce himself departed before the 2014 release. RL eventually rejoined, and in 2018 the original three members independently dropped the typically provocative “Want It.”