Show And Prove
VIBE Magazine
June 2001 issue

You might hate them now. But with the release of their fourth album, Celebrity, *N Sync is here to stay. Mimi Valdes explores the group's deeply rooted love and respect for R&B and finds out why they're kinda fly for white guys.

Pssssst! Do you find yourself humming *N Sync songs? Are you quietly impressed by their stage performances at award shows? Ever tried convincing yourself that their skin color shouldn't prevent anyone from liking them? Well, relax you're not alone. Lots of black people are beginning to admit they like *N Sync. But don't think that coming to grips with this has been easy. It's our first impression of Eminem. Some of us were a little uncomfortable admitting that last year's biggest hip hop success story belonged to a white boy, but he does have skills. And for those who don't already know, so does *N Sync.

Don't let the flood interchangeable boy bands confuse you. It's all about Justin Timberlake, 20, JC Chavez [MY NOTE: yes this is how they spelled his last name lol], 24, Chris Kirkpatrick, 29, Lance Bass, 22, and Joey Fatone, 24. With diamond record sales (approximately 23 million combined), an upcoming sold-out stadium tour, and a brand-new album, Celebrity, that'll win even more African-American fans, *N Sync is the only one that matters.

"I have become the torchbearer for letting our people know that these guys are for real," says Brian McKnight, who produced a song on Celebrity and sings a duet with Justin on McKnight's new album, the tentatively title Superheroes. "These guys can really sing. There's no tampering, no computer-generated this or that moving things around." Even TLC's T-Boz wants to do a song with JC. "I was an *N Sync hater," she says, "but when they came out with 'Bye Bye Bye,' I had to go ahead and give it up. And I love 'It's Gonna Be Me.' I sing that to my baby [Chase Anela], and she stops crying." Boys II Men's Wanya Morris calls *N Sync's "This I Promise You" his favorite song ever "That's a bad record! I love that song so much that I know if we would've ever sung it, oooohhh, it would've be crazy," he says.

Yep, these boys get lots of love from urban artists. They showed up at Jennifer Lopez's birthday party in New York City and didn't get kicked out, Sean "Puffy" Combs checked out their concert, and Sisqo was the first one standing up to clap for them at the MTV Video Music Awards. "I never expected to get that respect from the rappers and R&B artists," says JC, who counts Troop and Riff among his influences growing up. "I don't know how the ghetto pass happened, but I'm glad it did." *N Sync is getting the kind of props New Kids On the Block couldn't pay for back in the day.

*N Sync just got shit on. It was the day before Easter, and the group was walking from its dressing room to the Nickelodeon studio on the Universal lot in Orlando. Never mind that they were working on a holiday weekend, or that they were about to get slimed by 45 gallons of green liquid for a taping of the Kid's Choice Awards. Just as they neared the studio door, a very sick bird splattered a big mess on Chris's head and shoulder. After getting over the initial shock (as well as the laughter and jokes from everybody), he quickly cleaned up with a wet towel, removed his vest, and was ready to go. Most artists would have held up taping for a quick shower. But that's not *N Sync. Even if they're unaware of the old wives' tale that a bird shitting on you brings good luck, they're way too cool and down-to-earth to let a little doo-doo freak them out. Even as pop's latest phenomenon, they refuse to take themselves too seriously.

"Life is too short to walk around sweating yourself," says JC, who wrote and produced some tracks on Celebrity. "We're not trying to be anything we're not." He and Justin sing lead on most *N Sync songs. Their voices possess the kind of emotion and range that can only be defined as soulful. McKnight first met the two in '93 when they were regulars on the New Mickey Mouse Club, and he was blown away. "Nowadays, everyone is kind of exposed to everything, but back then, to see these young white kids singing like black kids was kind of a weird thing," says McKnight. "They grew up listening to everything I grew up listening to. So, why shouldn't they do the music they've been influenced by?"

"We are, without a doubt, white," says Justin who wrote and produced tracks on Celebrity. "But I thing that what got us past this is that people saw that we just wanted to make good music. Everyone uses their influences to create their own. You're looking at a corn-fed white boy from the hills of Tennessee who grew up listening to Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, and the Temptations."

Lance, who sings bass and idolizes B.B. King, agrees. "We're white boys, and we know it. Especially me, 'cause I can't dance as good as the other guys."

For the most of Chris's childhood, his stepfather was a black man who kept one room in the hosue filled with his precious stash of Commodores and Earth, Wind & Fire records. "I wasn't allowed to set foot in that room, or he'd beat the shit out of me. But I was lucky in that sometimes he'd take me in there and teach me about things," says Chris of the unconventional music lessons. "JC and Justin just have a feel for natural musical ability," he adds.

Natural, maybe, but the obvious questions is whether *N Sync would be as popular as if they were black. "I know if I was black I probably could sing 10 times better and riff a lot easier," says Joey, who grew up on '50s doo-wop. The group members all agree that respect might have been easier to gain at first if they were black (no one was rushing to sign white-boy-harmony groups in 1995), but their level of success today wouldn't be as big.

"Black teenage girls aren't as fanatic, they don't go crazy screaming, hyperventilating," says Lance. At the same time, *N Sync's sound has always had a sweet pop edge that many R&B groups are not willing, or allowed, to embrace. "If we were an African-American group, they wouldn't let us do the music that we're doing. A record label would have said, 'No, that doesn't work for what y'all look like.' It's truly sad, because at the end of the day, it's all music," says Justin.

Some see *N Sync's mega-sales as unfair, like, "They stole our shit" But these kids grew up on that shit and loved it so much they decided to sprinkle some of it in their music. Not because they thought they could do it better, but because it was fun. Five-part harmonies, dope choreography, and stage shows that rival Earth, Wind & Fire and Michael Jackson are all part of the *N Sync package.

Are people really mad that the world is changing? Haven't we moved past the days when we see every white band as another case of Elvis Presley or Buddy Holly profiting from the innovations of Little Richard? Looking at it idealistically, maybe the quickest way to alleviate the sting of racism is through a shared love of urban music, as long as all parties involved recognize where it came from.

Eminem and *N Sync do educate white kids about the music's history, because they always give props to the originators. A lot of black folks worry that, as in the past, that they'll lose control of the music the more white people embrace it. The fear is misplaced, according to Wanya. "They'll never be Jodeci or Boyz II Men. So, they can't ever rip off black culture, because they can never take our place," he says.

That holds true as long as African-Americans continue setting the trends. But right now, things are looking a little tired. Just peep the R&B videos of today's black male groups. Taking their cue from the rappers, it looks like they're making records just to sip Cristal, rock diamond jewelry, and ogle half-naked women in their videos. Where's the energy, charisma, and plain ol' goofy fun that comes form the love of performing? With only a few exceptions, male R&B acts lack banging stage presence. *N Sync gives you a Vegas-style, high-intensity show. "I like their performances a lot," says Wanya. "They have energy, I guess that's something the world needs right now, that good-vibe, celebration-type thing."

It's obvious the group practices daily. They work out new dance steps for every awards show, anyone who's ever tired to learn choreography can recognize the difficulty in that. "*N Sync can pick up routines in one, two, three," says choreographer/actor Daren Henson. While their dancing image earns plaudits from some, it often attracts heat from rock fan critics. "It's always the R&B and rap artists who come up and say, 'I don't have your album, but mad respect,' whereas the rock world is like, 'You're a piece of shit , I can't tell you guys apart,'" says Chris.

"I see what some of these lead singers in rock groups call dancing, looking like y'all about to get a hernia. And that's cool, as long as you're not hurting anybody. Shake ya ass, but watch ya self!" says Justin, laughing. Regardless of any criticism, the group has always set out to put on a show. "You emulate the cats that you thought gave the best show you ever saw," says JC. *N Sync was blessed to open up for Janet Jackson during the release of their first album and learned a lot about making a concert theatrical. "We ain't the perfect dancers, but we can throw down," says Joey.

Final part:

As far as Celebrity goes, a certain King of Pop is gonna be a little jealous. It's really on some Michael Jackson shit . With each album, *N Sync has managed to evolve, but Celebrity is extremely dope. Nice harmonies, amazing vocal arrangements, and soulful vibes create their "dirty-pop" sound. It's a term they coined to describe the grittiness of their undeniable pop music (they put artists like Sisqo, Pink, and Destiny's Child in the same category). And sine they wrote and produced many of the album's songs, people will start recognizing them as true musicians. "I got to sit down with the Neptunes and write. That's hot," says Justin. "This album is a little more out there, more crazy beats, a little harder edge to it," says Lance.

There's a strong bond among the guys, and it shows in their music. This isn't a group that was put together by random auditions. They met and felt a vibe. Ultimately, that's what makes them the group they are. If you're gonna hate on *N Sync, at least recognize their commitment to artistry and being themselves. No one's forcing you to buy the new album, but trust that you won't be mad. And we won't tell a soul.