Bobby Brown and Ralph Tresvant’s Onstage Reunion Has New Edition Fans Feeling Nostalgic, Years After Settling Their Beef
It’s been six years since “My Prerogative” singer Bobby Brown cropped fellow vocalist Ralph Tresvant out of a group New Editon photo online, but the two appear to have buried their past beef and fans are excited about it.
Tresvant joined Brown on stage as he performed for The Tom Joyner Foundation’s Fantastic Voyage 2024 cruise in video footage shared on Instagram on April 30. Brown can be seen performing songs from his solo album in various clips, also joined his son, Landon.
Tresvant danced and sang alongside Brown as he performed “Every Little Step” in the brief clip, and in another clip posted by the cruise, Tresvant repeats, “Go, Bobby! Go Bobby!” as the 55-year-old singer tried to keep up with a much younger female dancer while dancing on stage.
Fans loved to see it, especially after the two “Can You Stand the Rain” singer beefed in the past.
“I love no matter what they go thru they’ll ALWAYS be each other’s hype man,” replied one fan. “Just like back in the day. I love NE’s brotherhood.”
“I love how they support each other,” added another. “They are brothers to the end they grew up together,” noted one. “That’s brotherhood,” echoed another.
Brown was infamously kicked out of the group that also included Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe and Rickey Bellin back in 1985 and replaced by Johnny Gill. Reportedly, his behavior and constant fights with other group members had become an issue, leaving Brown to embark on a successful solo career.
Bivins, DeVoe and Bellin continued doing music as a trio called Bell Biv DeVoe in 1990. They also had a successful run and classic hit records, as did Tresvant and Gill with their solo careers.
All six members of New Edition reunited in 1996 for the album “Home Again,” and the group began touring together.
However, after Gill and Tresvant were accused of trying to trademark New Edition’s name without the rest of the group, Brown posted a picture with Tresvant cropped out and announced the group was now called “RBRM,” as in Ronnie, Bobby, Rickey and Mike — a famous line from the New Edition song “Cool It Now.”
On this day in 1988, MCA Records issues landmark albums by two of their hottest young R&B acts: Bobby Brown’s Don’t Be Cruel and New Edition’s Heart Break, the group Bobby used to be a member. pic.twitter.com/LDoss8aLnh
— Eric Alper 🎧 (@ThatEricAlper) June 20, 2022
New Edition also reunited for their Legacy Tour for their 40th anniversary last year, and according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Brown said all the group’s conflicts “have been resolved.”
“There’s no reason to separate the group anymore,” he said. “We’re definitely stronger together than apart. That’s the whole thing about New Edition. We can break up and go into five different genres of music and still be considered a part of New Edition.”
“There’s no more fighting. It’s about loving each other and praying,” Brown added. “It’s holding each other accountable for our actions and our moves and talking it out.”
The group is currently scheduled to perform in Las Vegas from July 3 to July 13 and from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2.
