New Edition rebrands without Johnny and Ralph as RBRM

New Edition has been rocking crowds for 35 years. Known for hits such as Candy Girl, Cool It Now, Mr. Telephone Man, Can You Stand The Rain, and If It Isn’t Love, the group is headed back on the road once again.

However, you may not recognize their new name.

Four of the group’s original members—Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, and Michael Bivins—are heading out on tour under a new name: RBRM, which stands for – you guessed it – Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, and Mike.The legendary performers will be touring this summer but fans shouldn’t expect to see New Edition original lead singer Ralph Tresvant or Johnny Gill.

While they all briefly reunited as a full six-man group in 1996 for the album Home Again and had planned a tour before breaking up a second time and has toured on-and-off ever since it doesn’t sound like everyone could agree to come together one last time.

According to The Jasmine Brand, Bivins acknowledged the tension recently, saying that he understands why New Edition fans are frustrated.

“We all felt like the victim at times in our long career and sometimes it rears its head at the wrong time, Bivins said. “Last year was God’s time for us to smell our roses and to do what we do best — Entertain.

“Family business is family business and I know y’all need answers on why ish is not going down,” he added.

The RBRM tour opens in Atlanta on May 18th.

Courtesy The Grio.