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San Jose Edition

Somebody, Anybody, Everybody...

By Todd S. Inoue

Crowd participation is to R&B and rap concerts what neurosis is to Seinfeld. The Bloodhound Gang recently parodied it in their new single "Fire Water Burn." True to form, the New Edition megatour contained a hefty dosage of time-killing theatrics. I enumerated the clichés to see what worked and what didn't:

"Alright!"- 1
"I like it/I love it." - 1
"Pump your fist." - 1
"Say, 'Ow!' " - 1
"Make money money, make money money money." - 1
"Westsiiiiide!" - 1
"Party!" - 2
"Ain't no party like a West Coast/San Jose party." - 2
"Oh, yeah!" - 4
"Clap/Throw your hands in the air." - 5
"Say, 'Ho!'" - 6
"When I say, 'Make some,' you say, 'Noise.' " - 7
"Make some noise!/Scream!" - 12
"Oh, yeah." (Johnny Gill only) - 12
"When I say, 'Bobby,' you say, 'Brown.' " (Bobby Brown only) - 16
"Say, 'Yeah!/Hell, Yeah.' "- 18

Teddy Riley

The R&B world is a better place because of Riley. He's responsible for so many hits that a retrospective tour (Songs in the Key of Ted?) would sell well. Picture it Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick's "The Show," Hammer's "Pumps and a Bump," Guy's "Teddy's Jam." This guy has a hit list longer than the Teflon Don.

With Blackstreet, Riley is taking it from the dance floor to the bedroom and back again. "The album is for the fellas, but it's dedicated to the ladies," he explained to the crowd. "It says a lot more than 'you took my man/woman, so now I'm gonna shoot you.' "

True 'dat.

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