Aaron Hall (singer)

Aaron Robin Hall III (born August 10, 1964) is an American recording artist, songwriter, and record producer. Hall rose to prominence in 1988 as a member of the R&B and new jack swing group Guy,[1] which he founded in the late '80s along with Teddy Riley and Timmy Gatling, who was later replaced by Hall's brother Damion Hall. In 1988 Guy released their debut album, which went on to sell over a million copies and was certified platinum. Hall provided lead vocals on songs like "Groove Me," "I Like," and "Piece of My Love."

Aaron Hall
Birth nameAaron Robin Hall III
Also known as"The Voice", "Nasty Man"
Born (1964-08-10) August 10, 1964
OriginThe Bronx, New York, U.S
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instruments
Years active1988–present
LabelsSilas / MCA (1994-2000)
Associated acts

Early life

Aaron Robin Hall III was born in the Bronx, New York City and raised in Brooklyn. He is of African-American and Puerto Rican descent. His father Aaron Hall II was a prominent New York pastor. He is the sibling of three brothers, Damion Hall and Todd Hall.[2] Hall began singing in a Baptist church from an young age.[3][4] A few years before Hall segued into his R&B career, his mother Johnella Romeo Hall was hit by a car on Christmas Eve and died.[5]

Hall developed a speech impediment as a child that would last into adulthood, causing him to struggle to pronounce his own name and restricting his ability to give interviews during his early career. Channeling all his energies into his love for dogs, he later became a dog trainer for his celebrity peers.[6]

Career

1987-1992, 1999- 2000: Guy

Hall's talent encouraged by his friend, Timmy Gatling, who also worked alongside him in a store, Abraham & Straus in the 1980s. Gatling knew Teddy Riley. The three decided to form a group, Guy.[4]

In between Hall's traditional gospel voice and erratic singing brought up major comparisons to artists later being in the business. Hall described his own voice as "running on inflections, heavy intonations and very little breathing".[7]

Following the breakup of Guy, Hall signed with Silas Records, a subsidiary label of MCA Records formed by Louil Silas Jr..[8] Hall reunited with his brother and Teddy Riley as Guy for a reunion album, Guy III (2000). It features the modest hit, "Dancin'". The trio is still present on tours in later years.

The Truth (1993)

Hall began his solo career after his group Guy collapsed. In 1992, he worked with several producers from the Silas label on his debut album, The Truth. It included hits like "Don't Be Afraid", "Get a Little Freaky with Me", "Let's Make Love", and others. One of his biggest singles, "I Miss You", reached #2 on the R&B chart and later peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his biggest pop hit. In later years, he created hits for movie soundtracks and collaborated with other artists.

Hall's hits include the #1 R&B single, "Don't Be Afraid" (from the Juice soundtrack in 1992 and also on the popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on New jack swing radio station CSR 103.9). The original and remix of "Don't Be Afraid" was produced by Hank Shocklee from The Bomb Squad; Shocklee produced Public Enemy's music as well.

Inside Of You (1998)

Hall released a second studio album in 1998, Inside Of You. After the failed Guy reunion in 1997, which only brought a track for the New York Undercover movie soundtrack, Hall announced he would work on another solo album the following year. He names it as a new approach in his career, including a message to harsh conditions he had experienced in the industry.[9][10] The album features Faith Evans and hip-hop group Terror Squad, and it includes Fat Joe, Big Pun, Cuban Linx and Unique on a remixed track. The album had success with "All The Places (I Will Kiss You)" becoming a hit single, charting as a Top 10 hit on Billboard's Top Hip Hop/R&B Songs and a top 30 song on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.

Adults Only: The Final Album (2005)

In the late 2000s Hall resigned from MCA starting a new independent label named "Artists Only International". It was a music subsidiary of "Headstart Entertainment". He declared he was "..no longer a slave anymore" referring to his former contract with MCA.[11] Hall experimented with different genres mixing r&b, reggae and hip-hop together, giving his approach to music a more distanced critique from reviewers than usual.[12] He defined it as his "last album" and in an article teased that he would later use a new persona, a new name ("E. Kane"). His visions didn't jibe with his future plans.[13] The album was released in July 2005, following the album release of singer K-Ci releasing ("My Book") on the same label in 2006.

Other works

During the spring of 1994, Hall recorded the song, "Gonna Give it to Ya" with Jewell. It is on Above the Rim's soundtrack which stars Tupac Shakur and Duane Martin.

In 1994, he participated in recording Black Men United with Boyz II Men, Brian McKnight, Tevin Campbell, D'Angelo, R. Kelly, Gerald Levert, and Hall's brother Damion Hall in the song "U Will Know" from the Jason's Lyric soundtrack. Hall also recorded the song "Heaven's Girl" with R. Kelly, and Ronald Isley & Charlie Wilson on Quincy Jones' 1996 album Q's Jook Joint.

In 1995, Hall produced a song with Dalvin DeGrate for the Dangerous Minds movie soundtrack named "Curiosity". It was the second most charted song of the album along with "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio. The vinyl single includes an exclusive remix by Marley Marl, featuring Redman.

In 1998, he released his second studio album "Inside Of You", featuring Faith Evans, Fat Joe, Big Pun and Cuban Link. It contained a single hit, "All The Places (I Will Kiss You)" which reached #8 on the US R&B Charts in that year.

Hall has a son with hip hop model Gloria Velez. He was featured with 2Pac, K-Ci & JoJo and Danny Boy in the 2Pac single "Toss It Up" in his 1996 album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. Hall also recorded a song with Christopher Wallace called "Why You Tryin' To Play Me". It was produced by "X-tra Large" and recorded around1997 before Wallace's death. It was posthumously released on The Projects Presents "Ballhers Forever" compilation by an X-Mixservice label.

As of 2009, Aaron Hall has a show titled "Aaron Hall's Dog Rehab".

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed his music as Aaron Hall (singer) among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[14]

Discography

With Guy

Solo

With Guy

1988

  • "'Round and 'Round (Merry-Go-Round of Love)" #24 R&B
  • "Groove Me" #4 R&B
  • "Teddy's Jam" #5 R&B

1989

  • "I Like" #70 Pop, #2 R&B
  • "Spend the Night" #15 R&B

1990

  • "Wanna Get with You" #50 Pop, #4 R&B

1991

  • "Let's Chill" #41 Pop, #3 R&B
  • "Do Me Right" #2 R&B
  • "D-O-G. Me Out" #8 R&B

1992

  • "Let's Stay Together" #16 Pop

1999

2000

  • "Why You Wanna Keep Me From My Baby"

Solo

Year Title Chart Positions Album
Hot
100
US
R&B
1992 "Don't Be Afraid" 44 1 The Truth and Juice soundtrack
"It's Gonna Be Alright" (with Charlie Wilson) Boomerang soundtrack
1993 "Get a Little Freaky with Me" 48 The Truth
"Let's Make Love" 36
1994 "I Miss You" 14 2
"When You Need Me" 30
1995 "Curiosity" 36 Dangerous Minds soundtrack
"Soon as I Get Home" (Remix) (with Faith Evans) Faith
"Scent of Attraction" (with Patra) 82 Scent of Attraction
1996 "Toss It Up" (with Danny Boy, K-Ci & JoJo) 82 The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory
1998 "All The Places (I Will Kiss You)" 26 8 Inside of You
2000 "Why You Tryin' to Play Me" (with The Notorious B.I.G.) Xtra Large Entertainment Inc
(Executive Producers: Derrick Hodge and LeTroy Davis)
2005 "Serve That Body" (with KansasCali) Adults Only: The Final Album
2006 "Much Too Soon" (with K-Ci Hailey) and Al B. Sure!) My Book
2011 "Bye Baby" (with Nas) Life Is Good

References

  1. Wynn, Ron. "Biography: Aaron Hall". AMG. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  2. "Aaron Hall". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  3. "Aaron Hall - and Voices of Inspiration (80s)". YouTube. 2015-12-10. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  4. "Teddy Riley revisits crafting Guy's debut album #ReturnToTheClassics". SoulCulture.com. 2012-04-08. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  5. "Inside Of You Album and Biography". mcarecords.com. Archived from the original on 1999-11-04.
  6. "Aaron Hall's Dog Rehab" via YouTube.
  7. "Guy". Vibe Magazine. February 2000.
  8. "Billboard - Google Books". 11 December 1999. p. 32. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  9. "Inside of You (Genius)". Genius. 1998. Archived from the original on 1998.
  10. Group, Vibe Media (January 1999). Vibe. Vibe Media Group.
  11. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (2004-05-01). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
  12. Adults Only: The Final Album - Aaron Hall | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-07-28
  13. Reid, Shaheem. "Aaron Hall Working To Overcome Tough Times With Guy Reunion, New Persona". MTV News. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  14. Rosen, Jody (June 25, 2019). "Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
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