Any R&B/hip hop fan who’s a part of the ’40 and up club’ (give or take a few years), should have a very vivid memory of one of the dopest female dance groups of the 90’s era. They are the group, Str8 Ahead, better known as the Bell, Biv, DeVoe dancers.
Remember them? The four ladies are Tee, Nikita, Pluke, and Deborah and they played a major role in BBD’s initial success back in the day, because they were like a fixture in the group’s performance and brought that street-sexy appeal to Mike Bivens,’ Ricky Bell’s, and Ronnie DeVoe’s raw edge.
BBD and their backup dancers, Straight Ahead, back in the day (via Facebook)
Their fashion choices were on point and combined with their signature ponytails and fire dance skills, that entire recipe made them some of the most relatable ’round-the-way-girls on TV at that time. They weren’t too prissy to break a sweat, they weren’t chumps in the dance department- they could run with and/or over the best of ’em- and they damn sure weren’t the type of girls Ronnie described in “Poison,” with his line -“She’s a winner to you, but I know she’s a loser/[How do you know?] Me and the crew used to do her.”
Str8 Ahead also influenced a lot of BBD fans’ dance routines and helped us kill it at our school dances and local nightclubs! C’mon now Old Schoolers, let’s not front like some of us weren’t standing in front of our TV sets watching “Video Soul,” “The Box,” “Yo MTV Raps,” etc., and trying to mimic every move the ladies did in “Poison,” LOL. Anywho, scroll down to check out the BBD dancers now and their interview…
The BBD dancers now…
BBD dancers, Str8 Ahead; with Christopher ‘Play’ Martin of Kid N’ Play. (Top: Pluke, Play; Bottom: Tee, Nakita, and Deborah)
In a previous interview with A.M. Caffeine Morning Show, three of the BBD dancers- Deborah, Nikita, and Tee, revealed a lot of interesting fun facts about their time with BBD that we didn’t know.
1. They loved BET biopic, The New Edition Story and were honored that they were actually depicted in the movie, because it wasn’t a BBD movie, but an N.E. movie.
2. Str8 Ahead said they met BBD at an L.A. club, called Paradise, while competing in a dance contest Mike Bivins was judging. Ricky told them they “were forming a group called BBD and we wanna know if you can dance to the song.” The ladies admitted they knew of New Edition, but they still didn’t understand what BBD was gonna be because they’d never heard of them. Nonetheless, they were just happy to be working with the “New Edition guys” as they referred to ’em.
Former BBD dancers (Str8 Ahead) – Tee, Nakita, and Deborah; with “A.M. Caffeine Morning Show” host
3. Str8 Ahead then met up with Brooke Payne (N.E.’s choreographer/manager, etc.) to show off their skills and Brooke told them they were “wack” because they got burned out too quickly. They ultimately up’d their game and made the cut.
4. The routine the ladies performed for Brooke ended up becoming the official “Poison” routine that damn near every BBD fan knows to this day…no matter how rusty many of us may be at actually doing it, LOL.
5. The dancers who were known for their fly outfits said BBD gave them the freedom to pick all of their own clothes. They also revealed that they’re style actually inspired BBD’s then unique style, which we simply know as ‘the BBD look.’
Now pardon me fam’…I’m ’bout to go get my BBD dance on…after seeing the BBD dancers, I can’t resist. Peace…
