Kandi Crush Battle: Guy vs. Jagged Edge

This Kandi Crush Battle brings together two groups that helped define two major eras of male R&B. Guy helped launch the New Jack Swing movement during the late 1980s, combining soulful vocals with hip-hop drums, keyboards and dance-floor energy. Jagged Edge arrived in the 1990s and became one of the leading groups of the early 2000s, delivering songs about commitment, heartbreak and the complicated road toward lasting love.

Jagged Edge opens with “Let’s Get Married,” one of the most recognizable wedding songs of its generation. The original gives couples a heartfelt proposal, while the remix turned the same message into a celebration that could fill a reception dance floor. Guy answers with “I Like,” a New Jack Swing classic that captures the excitement of attraction with Teddy Riley’s production and Aaron Hall’s unmistakable voice.

The second round pairs Jagged Edge’s “He Can’t Love U” with Guy’s “Let’s Chill.” “He Can’t Love U” is a confident plea from a man convinced that another person cannot provide the same love he can. The group’s harmonies make the jealousy and longing sound smooth. “Let’s Chill,” however, slows everything down and gives Aaron Hall space to deliver one of Guy’s most beloved romantic performances. That song remains proof that New Jack Swing groups could create memorable slow jams just as easily as dance records.

Jagged Edge closes with “Gotta Be,” a sincere promise of love and dedication that helped establish the group early in its career. Guy answers with “Goodbye Love,” an emotional record that shows the pain hiding beneath the group’s energetic image. It gives listeners a chance to hear the depth and vulnerability in Aaron Hall’s delivery.

Guy represents innovation, performance and the sound that helped transform late-1980s R&B. Jagged Edge represents harmony, romance and a catalog that became the soundtrack to countless relationships and weddings. The matchup asks listeners to choose between two different eras of men singing directly to women. Are you taking the New Jack Swing foundation of Guy, or the relationship anthems of Jagged Edge?