4 P.M. (For Positive Music) is an American male R&B group best known for their cover version of "

Sukiyaki is a Japanese dish that is prepared and served in the ''nabemono'' (Japanese hot pot) style. It consists of meat (usually thinly sliced beef) which is slowly cooked or simmered at the table, alongside vegetables and other ingredients, in ...

", which peaked at number 8 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in February 1995. 4 P.M. is an acronym meaning 'For Positive Music' meaning the band's music would not contain explicit lyrics, does not promote violence, and does not degrade women. The band has toured worldwide and remains popular, most notably in Japan. The group was started in 1991 in the suburbs of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

by brothers Roberto Pena, Jr. and Reney (Ray) Pena with Larry McFarland and Martiz Ware. They were originally known as IV Real, and played local talent shows. After a 1994 performance at a record release party, they were signed by

Next Plateau Records Next Plateau Entertainment (formerly Next Plateau Records) is an American record label that currently operates in association with Republic Records. Background 1980s New York City-based independent label Next Plateau Records began in the early 1 ...

and moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Their debut album, '' Now's the Time'', which peaked at No. 96 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Top R&B/Hip-Hop 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 Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

chart, included a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

Kyu Sakamoto was a Japanese singer and actor. He was best known outside Japan for his international hit song "Ue o Muite Arukō" (known as " Sukiyaki" in English-speaking markets), which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies. It reached numbe ...

's 1960s hit "

". The group's version of "Sukiyaki" peaked at No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart and was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

in 1995.4 P.M. singles chart history
at Billboard.com It also reached the top 5 in Australia and New Zealand. ''Now's the Time'' earned gold status in Canada and Japan, and went platinum in Australia. Their second album, 1997's ''A Light in the Dark'', did not fare as well, but did include the minor hit "I Gave You Everything", which peaked at No. 67 on ''Billboards

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart. After a brief hiatus, the group—minus Martiz Ware—regrouped and started Pena Brothers Productions. In 2000, they released a third album, ''For Positive Music''—a mix of pop, R&B, hip hop, and Latin music—on their own 4PM label.4PM Bio
In 2001, they released a fourth album, ''Sweet Soul'' on the Japanese

Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affiliate ...

label. In 2022, they released the single "Some of the Time" on their independent label The Official 4PM Records. They also released an EP, ''Some of the Time ReMix'd'' which includes remixes by DJ Soulchild, Mr. Mig, and Stereosoulz.

Discography

Albums

* '' Now's the Time'' (1995, Next Plateau/

PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

) US #126, US R&B #96 * '' Light in the Dark'' (1997, Next Plateau) * ''For Positive Music'' (2000, 4PM) * ''Sweet Soul'' (2001, Pony Canyon International)

Singles

* "

" (CD & cassette single, 1995),

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

- #8 US, #3 AUS, #5 NZ * "Lay Down Your Love" (CD & cassette single, 1995), London Records - #31 AUS, #107 US * "Years from Here" (CD & cassette single, 15 August 1995), London Records * "I Gave You Everything" (CD single, 25 March 1997), Next Plateau - #124 US, #67 US R&B

References

External links

4 P.M. biography
{{authority control American contemporary R&B musical groups