Special Generation is an American vocal

quintet A quintet is a group containing five members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single ...

consisting of members Fernando Carter, Maurice Dowdell, Maquet Robinson, Charles Salter, and Kendrick Washington. Formed in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

in 1989, the group were signed to

MC Hammer Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper known for hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit", and "Pumps and a Bump", flashy dance movements, e ...

's record label Bust It Records, a subsidiary of

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

. Their debut album, ''Take It to the Floor'' (1990),Special Generation - Take It to the Floor (Album Overview)
AllMusic. Retrieved on June 14, 2025 was one of the earliest

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Te ...

albums and achieved minor success. In late 1992, the group released their second album ''Butterflies''. In October 1992, MC Hammer dropped the group from Bust It Records after disappointment with the low sales. In 2020, the group reunited and released a single "I Can't Help Myself".

History

The group was formed in 1989 by American rapper

. The group sang background vocals on several of MC Hammer's songs, including "

U Can't Touch This "U Can't Touch This" is a song co-written, produced, and performed by American rapper MC Hammer. It was released in May 1990 by Capitol Records as the third single from his third album, ''Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em'' (1990), and has been con ...

", "Help the Children", and "

Have You Seen Her "Have You Seen Her" is a song by American soul vocal group the Chi-Lites, released on Brunswick Records in 1971. Composed by the lead singer Eugene Record and Barbara Acklin, the song was included on the group's 1971 album '' (For God's Sake) G ...

" for the album ''

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em ''Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em'' is the third studio album by American rapper MC Hammer, released on February 12, 1990 by Capitol Records and EMI Records. Produced, recorded and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley, the album was made on a s ...

'' (1990). On September 24, 1990, the group released their debut album ''Take It to the Floor''.Special Generation AllMusic Overview
AllMusic. Retrieved on June 14, 2025 The album peaked at number 17 on ''Billboard'''s

Top R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart. The album's lead single, "Love Me Just for Me", peaked at number 91 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 8 on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B singles chart. Their follow-up single, "Spark of Love", peaked at number 26 on ''Billboards Hot R&B Singles chart. The album also produced several additional singles, including "One Nite Lover" and "

You Are Everything "You Are Everything" is a soul song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed and originally recorded by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics. The Stylistics version An R&B ballad, it was the sixth track from their debut self-titled album an ...

", the latter of which peaked at number 90 on the US Hot R&B Singles chart. In August 1992, they released "Lift Your Head (And Smile)", the lead single from their second album. The song peaked at number 13 on Hot R&B Singles chart. In September 1992, they released their second album ''Butterflies'' on Bust It Records. In October 1992, MC Hammer dropped the group from Bust It Records after disappointment with the low sales. In 1993, the group disbanded. Robinson pursued a career as a music producer. Salter also continued to pursue a music career, performing under the stage name Max'C. Washington formed his own management company called K-WASH Management & Consulting Services and later another company called WASH Media Group, LLC in February 2010. In February 2020, the group released a single titled "I Can't Help Myself". Special Generation - I Can't Help Myself
Apple Music. Retrieved on June 14, 2025

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

{{Authority control 1989 establishments in Florida African-American musical groups American boy bands American contemporary R&B musical groups American rhythm and blues musical groups Capitol Records artists Musical groups from Saint Petersburg New jack swing music groups Teen pop groups Vocal quintets