Bobby Brown is an iconic R&B singer, songwriter, and dancer from Boston, Massachusetts, who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s.
Brown’s successful music career, which continues to earn him royalties today, was shaped in part by his mother’s involvement in his publishing deal, as per Afro Tech. Brown first rose to fame as a member of the R&B group New Edition, which formed in the Orchard Park Projects of Roxbury, Boston. The original lineup included Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Brown, with Ralph Tresvant and Ronnie DeVoe joining later.
The group gained attention after placing second in a 1983 talent show, catching the eye of producer Maurice Starr. They signed a deal with Starr that included a $500 bonus and a VCR, though they had little understanding of the business side at the time.
“Our royalty check was like $168 but we got $500 to sign and a VCR… We didn’t know anything about it,” Brown acknowledged on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast with Shannon Sharpe. “All we wanted was to perform. All we wanted to do was make enough money to go to the movies, buy candy, date girls. That’s all we thought about. We wasn’t thinking about the longevity.”
New Edition released their debut album, Candy Girl, produced entirely by Starr. However, after just one album, the group moved to MCA and dropped their self-titled sophomore project in 1984. Brown was eventually voted out of the group but went on to achieve even greater success as a solo artist.
“I needed to be a solo artist,” Brown told the Los Angeles Times. “I had some important goals I wanted to pursue, musically. I didn’t think I could do it in the group. I wasn’t happy or satisfied then. I wasn’t making as much money as I thought I could be making. Some things were going on in the group that I didn’t agree with.”
His solo career took off, with his second album, Don’t Be Cruel, selling 12 million physical copies and spawning multiple hit singles. “That whole album pays me enough to live,” he said.
A key factor in his lasting financial success is his mother’s role in structuring his publishing deal. “… My deal was situated in a way where I made dollars on each record not pennies,” he said on “Club Shay Shay.”
“So for me, the way my mother had it structured and the way my management made it is that I saw a lot of the money. I still see checks. So, it’s not like the money is gone. It’s still, in a way, where I feel like my best years are yet to come.”
