Listen Live
KMJQ Featured Video
CLOSE

WHO: The Boys.

HIT WE LOVE: “Dial My Heart.”

HOMETOWN: Carson, California.

WHAT THEY’RE UP TO NOW: The four brothers in The Boys – Khiry Abdulsamad, 36, Hakim Abdulsamad, 35, Tajh Abdulsamad, 33, and Bilal Abdulsamad, 31 – are still involved in the business that made them famous. Khiry and Tajh are both working in entertainment. Hakim and Bilal moved to Gambia, Africa and have been performing and recording as The Suns of Light since 2000. Hakim has also worked with Akon and New Kids on the Block.

THE STORY: The recent tragic death of child star Gary Coleman has driven home the many woeful tales of young people who achieve stardom at a young age, only to squander their wealth and find themselves lost when the glare of the spotlight moves on. Fortunately, that sad common story is not the case with the R&B group formerly known as The Boys.

In 1984, with the blessings of their parents, the talented Abdulsamad brothers decided to earn money for a Father’s Day gift by using their talents to perform at Venice Beach. When they very quickly made their gift money, they returned to perform there regularly, eventually earning several thousand dollars. Two years later, they were ready to make a record and were signed to MCA Records. Although they were a self-contained group, their collaboration with L.A. Reid and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds was fruitful, and together they created what would become their number-one hit “Dial My Heart.”

Although the brothers were still in their teens and younger, they had strong family support from their parents. They enjoyed their success and went on to achieve more, releasing three major label albums and scoring another big hit with “Crazy.”

The Boys were managed by their parents, who went to an L.A.-based trade school and got some knowledge on the music business before they let their children sign a record deal. That class may have saved their sons’ millions, as the Boys were eventually able to leave their label with much of their earnings intact.

Read More