Boyz II Men's legacy started back in 1988 when the boys met at the Creative and Performing Arts High School in Philadelphia. The group was originally formed by Nathan Morris And Marc Nelson, and was soon joined by Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman. One day, they were singing a song called "Can You Stand the Rain" in the bathroom. Mike McCary, who happened to be in that same bathroom, added the bass part to the song that sounded good to the group. He asked if he could join the group, and they welcomed him graciously. Since then they called themselves "Unique Attraction." Besides singing at school, they honed their harmonizing skills by singing on street corners and on subway platforms. But after a while, Marc dropped out from the group to pursue a solo career and is now with Az Yet.

A year later, they snuck backstage at a concert in Philadelphia Civic Center where they knew their idol Michael Bivins (of New Edition and Bel Biv Defoe fame) would be. They sang an a cappella version "Can You Stand the Rain" for him. Bivins was obviously charmed by the group since he gave them his business card and asked Nate to call him. Two months later, he offered to manage the boys. Bivins suggested they change their name, and so it became Boyz II Men, named after a title of a New Edition song.

Bivins succeeded in negotiating a deal for them, and in 1990, they signed with Motown Records. They released their debut album "CooleyHighHarmony" in May 1991. The singles "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" soared high on the Billboard Singles Charts. With the #1 hit "Motownphilly," the boys introduced to the world "hip-hop doo wop" while the hits "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" and "Uhh Ahh" showed how the group could sing a cappella harmonies. The LP earned 7x Platinum status, two Grammys, three American Music Awards, two Soul Train Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, two MTV Awards, and one World Music Award.

Just as the excitement over the album seemed to be going down, BoyzIIMen had another huge hit in 1992 with "End of the Road," which was featured in the soundtrack of Eddie Murphy's movie Boomerang. It became the biggest single of the year and the song, staying at #1 for 13 weeks, which broke the 11-week record set by Elvis Presley's single "Don't Cruel/Hound Dog."

In 1993, BoyzIIMen released a Christmas album, "Christmas Interpretations," which was a collection of both traditional and original Christmas songs. "In the Still of the Nite" and "Let it Snow" became hits, and before the end of the year, the album was certified Platinum.

By the time the group released its second LP, "II," they had become poster boys for the new era of R&B. Their music provided an alternative for rap boys Milli Vanilli and Vanilla Ice, and their looks and smooth ways made them teen idols. "II" was not recorded in their home town Philly, because they realized they can't accomplish anything when they're too distracted by family, friends and even neighbors. This is also the time they parted ways with Michael Bivins; Babyface, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced this LP. The first single of the album, "I'll Make Love to You" stayed in the #1 spot for 14 weeks, which tied with Whitney Houston's 14-week record for "I Will Always Love You." The succeeding singles, "On Bended Knee" and "Water Runs Dry" also became smashing hits. The LP sold 12 million copies in US alone, and BoyzIIMen won two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album ("II") and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ("I'll Make Love To You").

A collection of remixes, called "The Remix Collection," was released in 1995. They also performed before John Paul II in his state visit to US in 1995 and sang the national anthem in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. In the same year, BoyzIIMen was inducted to the Philadelphia Hall of Fame.

The group teamed up with Mariah Carey and recorded "One Sweet Day" which spent 16 weeks in #1 position. Thus, it became the biggest selling single for that year. Before the end of 1996, "II" was certified 12x Platinum, "The Remix Collection" certified Platinum, and "Christmas Interpretations" certified 2x Platinum.

The Boyz took a year-and-a-half break before starting with their new album. Shawn made his solo debut on the soundtrack of Mr. Holland's Opus with the song "Visions of a Sunset." In 1997, they released "Evolution" which they themselves produced. Tracks were written and co-written by the band, together with Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Babyface and Sean "Puffy" Combs. The first single, "4 Seasons of Loneliness" instantly hit Top 10. The group also commemorated their Unique Attraction Days by including an a cappella version of "Can't Stand the Rain."

In 1998, the group won an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Band. "Evolution" continued to gain success as they released more singles like "A Song for Mama" and "Can't Let Her Go." They also joined the AIDS-fund raiser compilation "Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida" with the song "Not Me." They were also included in two more soundtracks: The Hurricane's "So Amazing" and The Nutty Professor II's "Everything is You."

BoyzIIMen released "Nathan, Michael, Shawn, Wanya," in September 2000. They hit Top 40 with the song "Pass You By." The group was again nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ("Pass You By") and Best R&B Album ("Nathan, Michael, Shawn, Wanya").

By the next year, the group has left Universal Records and has signed a multi-album deal with Arista Records. And in November 2001, the group released "Legacy: The Greatest Hits."

BoyzIIMen, with numerous albums, awards, and tour successes, has already left a splendid legacy to the music industry around the globe. And though they continue to be a strong, focused group which remains to charm many people with their magnificent vocales, they had already come to prove that they grew up from Boys to Men.