Boston paid tribute to one of its most influential musical groups on Saturday (Aug. 30) by declaring “New Edition Day” and renaming Roxbury street “New Edition Way.” The ceremony drew hundreds of fans, community leaders, and dignitaries who gathered in the neighborhood where the group was born and raised more than four decades ago.
The celebration was part of Mayor Michelle Wu’s “For the Culture Week,” a citywide initiative dedicated to uplifting Black history and HBCU pride. In addition to the street unveiling, the weekend featured the ESSENCE HBCU Classic at Harvard Stadium, which welcomed more than 12,000 attendees. But in Roxbury, all eyes were on Ralph Tresvant, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, and Johnny Gill, who returned to the very streets where they once rehearsed as kids.
“It feels like heaven, man,” Brown said. “It is the greatest feeling in the world to know that the people that you grew up around and the people that raised you, because we was raised by many people in the hood, not just our parents, but friends and family members outside of our homes and just being back there is a great feeling and to be honored by Michelle Wu is something special.”
“Everything we learned, every wave, the way we are, our attitude, our swag — is all from you. We got that here,” Ralph Tresvant, lead singer of New Edition, said during the unveiling.
Fans—many draped in vintage concert tees and holding vinyl records—lined the corner of 2 Dearborn and Albany Street, singing classics like “Candy Girl” and “Cool It Now” while DJs spun hits from New Edition, Bell Biv DeVoe, and Brown’s solo catalog. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and BET veteran Stephen Hill joined local leaders in reflecting on the group’s cultural imprint.
For Brown, the honor was especially personal. “The street is actually going to be where I actually lived, so that’s a plus for me,” he shared. “It crosses right in front of where my house used to be, so I’m looking forward to being there and seeing all the people that I grew up around—just to be there again is going to be a tremendous plus for me.”
Though four decades have passed since the group’s start, Brown never doubted their staying power. “I always believed that what we were doing was going to be something special for years to come,” he said. “We’re still all together. We’re still all here, and it’s an absolute pleasure to just be around the guys.”
“We were friends and brothers before we started singing,” Bell said at the ceremony. “So we can’t get away from each other.”
As the street sign was unveiled, the brotherhood that has defined New Edition was undeniable. “It’s a brotherhood that can’t be stopped,” Brown affirmed. “We pray together, we eat together, we sleep together. We do this because we love it.”