Al B. Sure!
Al B. Sure! speaking at Essence Festival 2025's Global Black Economic Forum
Background information
Born	Albert Joseph Brown III (1968-06-04)June 4, 1968 (age 57) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Origin	Mount Vernon, New York, U.S.
Genres	R&B new jack swing hip hop urban
Occupations	Singer songwriter rapper record producer radio presenter
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Uptown Warner Bros. Hidden Beach
Formerly of	D.P.G.C.
Partner	Karyn White (2012-present)
Website	albsure.net

Albert Joseph Brown III (born June 4, 1968),^[1] known professionally asAl B. Sure!, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, radio host and former record executive. He was born inBoston and raised inMount Vernon, New York.^[2] During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Brown was one ofnew jack swing's most popular performers.^[3]

Brown is the son of Albert Joseph Brown II, a nuclear medicine technologist, and Cassandra Brown, an accountant.^[4] Brown was a star football quarterback atMount Vernon High School in New York, who rejected an athletic scholarship to theUniversity of Iowa to pursue a music career.^[4] In 1987,Quincy Jones selected Brown as the first winner of the Sony Innovators Talent Search. He went on to work with Jones on several projects, most notably the platinum 1990 single "The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)" from Jones' double-platinum-certified albumBack on the Block. On this recording, Brown was one of a quartet withBarry White,El DeBarge, andJames Ingram.

Brown's 1988 debut albumIn Effect Mode sold more than three million copies, topping theBillboardR&Bchart for seven straight weeks. It included the single "Nite and Day", which topped the R&B chart and reached No. 7 on theBillboard Hot 100, and "Off on Your Own (Girl)", which also topped the R&B chart.^[5] He received numerousGrammy andAmerican Music Award (AMA) nominations, and won an AMA for Best New R&B Artist. He also received severalSoul Train Award nominations, and won the award for Best New Artist. Brown also won several New York Music Awards. In addition, his1-900 phone line was third in generating revenue, following those forNew Kids on the Block andRun-D.M.C.

As a writer and producer, Brown helped introduce to the music industry such multi-platinum acts asJodeci and teen R&B performerTevin Campbell (who was also one ofPrince's and Quincy Jones' former protégés), as well asFaith Evans,Dave Hollister,Case.

In 2009, Brown signed withHidden Beach Recordings. His first single for the label, "I Love It (Papi Aye, Aye, Aye)," entered theRadio & Records Urban AC chart at No. 33. The albumHoney, I'm Home was released on June 23, 2009.

In 1991, Brown co-starred withMartin Lawrence in a television pilot titledPrivate Times.

In 1993, Brown provided vocals to the title track of theDavid Bowie albumBlack Tie White Noise. He performed the song live with Bowie onThe Tonight Show the same year.

In 2000, Brown's ABS Entertainment launched a television development division, and he served as co-executive producer of anHBO Comedy Special starringJamie Foxx, filmed at theParamount Theater inOakland, California. Then, Brown teamed with theABC Radio Network to produce and host a romantically themed nighttime music program,The Secret Garden, featuring a blend of music and celebrity guests.^{[citation needed]}

Brown participated in Bless the Children Foundation's celebrity auction along withNFL starsCharles Woodson andAnthony Dorsett. He was presented with the key to the city of Oakland by city council member Laurence E. Reid in recognition of the participation of Brown's ABS Ken-Struk-Shen in refurbishing parts of the city. Reid proclaimed October 19 Al B. Sure! Day. Brown was a DJ on the Los Angeles radio stationKHHT, and played old-school hip hop and R&B. He currently hosts a daily morning-radio show on iHeart Radio.^{[citation needed]}

In July 2019, Brown became the new host ofUrban One's nationally syndicated eveningquiet storm/slow jams programLove and R&B, replacing the previous host, John Monds. The show, syndicated through Urban One subsidiary Reach Media and based inDallas, Texas, is heard onurban adult contemporary format radio stations such asWZAK in Cleveland,WMMJ in Washington,KZMJ in Dallas, andWDMK in Detroit among others.^{[citation needed]}

In 2010, Brown appeared as one of the 12 contestants on theTV One reality televisiondating game showThe Ultimate Merger.^[6] The series was produced byDonald Trump and starred formerApprentice contestantOmarosa Manigault-Stallworth, whom Brown dated previously.^[7]

In 2023, Brown andAl Sharpton founded a health equity organization called Health Equity in Transplantation following a March decision made by a private Medicare administrative contractor on behalf of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Coverage (CMS). The organization seeks to support underserved communities by supporting blood testing for early detection of organ rejection. Brown serves as the Executive Chairman.^[8]

Brown was featured in thePeacock documentary,Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy which was his first time speaking on camera aboutKim Porter's death and relationship withSean "Diddy" Combs.^[9][10]

Al B. Sure! has three sons.^[11] His eldest son Albert Joseph Brown IV, as Al B. Sure Jr, was featured on the MTV seriesRock the Cradle.^[11] His second son Devin Brown is a hip hop singer and goes by the name of Devin LOUD.^[12] While publicly datingNiki Haris in 1991, he had a son by Porter,Quincy Brown who was later allegedly adopted by Combs.^[9] In that same year, he co-wrote a song called "Forever My Lady" in honor of Kim and his son. The song was performed byJodeci and produced by Al B. Sure! and Jodeci-memberDeVante Swing. He then started a relationship with singerKaryn White in 2012.^[13]

In 2022, it was revealed that Al had suffered from multiple illnesses including renal failure. He eventually was intubated and fell into a coma. He received a liver transplant, and has been recovering during 2023.^[14]

Wikiquote has quotations related toAl B. Sure!.

• Official website

• 1968 births
• Living people
• African-American male actors
• Warner Records artists
• African-American radio personalities
• African-American record producers
• African-American songwriters
• Radio personalities from Boston
• American rhythm and blues keyboardists
• American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters
• Record producers from Massachusetts
• American soul singers
• New jack swing musicians
• Participants in American reality television series
• Singers from Boston
• Rappers from Boston
• Rappers from New York (state)
• People from Leonia, New Jersey
• Singer-songwriters from New Jersey
• American contemporary R&B singers
• 21st-century African-American musicians
• 20th-century African-American musicians
• American male singer-songwriters
• Singer-songwriters from Massachusetts
• Mount Vernon High School (New York) alumni

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