B5 "The Story"
In every family
there's usually one kid that stands out; one that
has exceptional talent, dashing good looks and
irresistible charm. Not so in this family. Most
would agree that of the five boys born to Adrian
Breeding not one of them stands out. They all do.
Dustin, 17, Kelly, 16, Patrick, 15, Carnell, 14,
and Bryan 11, known collectively as B5, merge the
old school flair and finesse of the Jackson Five
with the modern day pop appeal of N'Sync and the
raw energy of New Edition to create a musical
phenomenon that carves a unique niche in the music
industry.
Stationed in the crunk capitol of the world,
Atlanta, GA, B5 dares to be different but anyone
who witnesses their electrifying, high-energy
stage show - complete with street dancing, old
school stepping and eye-popping acrobatics - will
agree that these kids really know how to get crunk.
But B5 does it their way, with clean lyrics,
age-appropriate content and good old-fashioned
charm. Add to that, the boys' good looks, and you
clearly have the recipe for the next big boy band
sensation.
Originally known as "TNT Boyz", B5 started
performing professionally about seven years ago,
at the urging of the boys' mom and aunt. The boys
did the usual run of talent competitions, winning
most of them, including shows put together by
Radio Disney. Manager Jim McMahan of JAMM
Entertainment Group, said he immediately saw the
group's potential when they were presented to him
by one of his associates over 5 years ago.
Later the group's name changed to "B5" when
younger brother Bryan joined the lineup. "As we
were looking for a name everybody kept saying 'Man
these kids are like the new generation Jackson
Five' and, of course, the Jackson Five were J5 and
the boys' last name is Breeding, so we made it
B5."
B5 continued to do shows and make the rounds
throughout the music industry, performing with the
likes of Mario Winans, Kanye West, Ginuwine,
Usher, Fantasia, Bow Wow, Joe and others. The
dazzling quintet even hit Monte Carlo and
performed for Prince Albert of Monaco. On a
vacation trip through Atlanta in 2001, B5 was
introduced to executive producer Kevin Wales of
"World Wide Entertainment" (ABC, 112, Monica, Lil'
Zane, and Jagged Edge) who signed the group and
knew the perfect distribution for the boys. That's
when "B5" landed on the doorstep of "Bad Boy
Entertainment".
Describing them as the group that fills a void in
the music industry," Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and his
team pulled out all the stops when it came to B5,
hooking them up with some of the top producers in
the business, among them Rodney Jerkins (Michael
Jackson, Brandy, Whitney), Ryan Leslie (Britney
Spears, Carl Thomas), Sean Garrett (Usher, Ciara),
Corna Boyz (Jagged Edge), Veit Renn (Backstreet
Boys), and, of course, P. Diddy.
The lead single, "All I Do," originally recorded
by the Jackson Five and covered by Troop in 1990,
finds the boys pouring their hearts out to that
special girl. They said Jerkins suggested the song
to them and they recorded it without hearing
either of the other two versions although Patrick
acknowledges that their version is more
reminiscent of the Troop cover than of the J5
original.
In true teenage boy fashion, B5 spends the better
part of their debut CD talking to and about girls
and having fun. The mostly up-tempo album is
definitely one to ride to.
B5 lays back a bit on the mid tempo love song
"Nobody," while Patrick slows the pace even more
on the sweet ballad, "Teacher's Pet." "It's about
a boy liking a girl but then he finds out she's
his substitute teacher," he explains. Elsewhere
the boys heat things up a bit with the catchy
"Dance 4 U," which doubles as a party anthem and
an invitation to romance.
While B5 certainly delivers the goods in the
recording studio, the full brunt of their powerful
punch can only be felt in person. Onstage, B5 is
alternately a classic group of male crooners, a
posse of supercharged free styling B-Boys, and a
team of acrobatic daredevils literally flipping
from one end of the stage to the next. Offstage,
the boys are regular teenagers who, as Patrick,
the comedian of the group, notes, like "girls,
shoes and clothes." Each of the boys brings their
own flavor to the table both as artists and as
individuals. Dustin, the eldest brother, sums it
up: "Kelly is a little bit of a rebel. He Breaks
down the raps and writes most of his own stuff.
The rest of us all sing lead. Patrick does a lot
of the choreography; Carnell is more laidback and
hits those really high notes. He also works on
choreography. Everybody loves little bro Bryan! He
puts a lot of emotion into his singing and the
girls love that," Dustin teases. "Dustin is kinda
the all around guy," Adds Carnell. "He not only
helps with putting the shows together but he also
tries to keep us in line."
As a group, B5 is tight, totally synchronized and
unified on stage. As brothers, they're even
tighter. Says Patrick, "All brothers and sisters
have arguments. We don't fight but we do have
disagreements." Kelly adds, "We just argue about
stupid stuff sometimes but that's just brotherly
love." Bryan agrees: "Yeah. We're a real close
family."
B5 is excited about what the future holds for
them. "We're looking forward to the album coming
out, doing a lot of shows and meeting our fans!"
Dustin echoes, "We just can't wait for the album
to drop because we've been doing this for awhile."
"We don't want to be one of those one hit
wonders," says Patrick. "We want to be around for
a long time." With the passion and drive that B5
brings, there's a good chance that they will be
around for a very long time! This is one family
that you'll want to be a part of!
Credit: MTV.com/AMG
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