Blackstreet is now literally on the map in two cities tied to the group’s history. On September 19, Virginia Beach unveiled the honorary designation Blackstreet Boulevard on Beasley Drive near Virginia Beach Boulevard, adding a second street honor for the Grammy-winning R&B group after Paterson, New Jersey dedicated a Blackstreet Boulevard in 2023. The Virginia Beach location carries unusual musical symbolism. The street sits near the area where Teddy Riley operated Future Recording Studios, the facility that helped make Virginia Beach an important center of 1990s R&B and hip-hop production. Local coverage of the ceremony quoted Mayor Bobby Dyer describing Blackstreet as part of the city’s cultural DNA, while group member Chauncey “Black” Hannibal credited Riley’s nearby studio with helping spark the region’s musical momentum.

Two cities, two Blackstreet street honors

Paterson honored Blackstreet on July 28, 2023, when a portion of Presidential Boulevard between West Broadway and Temple Street was renamed for the group. Members of the current touring lineup attended that ceremony, but founder Teddy Riley did not neither did former member Dave Hollister. Three years later, Virginia Beach added its own Blackstreet Boulevard designation to Beasley Drive. City and local-news reports focused on Chauncey Hannibal, Levi Little, Mark Middleton and Eric Williams. Riley nor Hollister were not among the members, speakers or attendees identified in the available ceremony coverage.

While no longer a touring member, Teddy Riley remains central to the story

Riley’s own official biography describes him as the founder and creative force behind both Guy and Blackstreet. His role in creating New Jack Swing and building the Virginia Beach recording ecosystem is inseparable from the group’s history. That makes his absence from both public street-honor moments notable even without assigning a motive to it. The Virginia Beach ceremony nevertheless included an explicit acknowledgment of Riley’s importance. Hannibal pointed back to Future Recording Studios and the creative energy it brought to the area, while the street dedication itself celebrated Blackstreet’s connection to a city that became an unlikely but influential center of modern R&B production. Amplifier Take: Two Blackstreet Boulevards now connect two parts of the group’s story—Paterson, where several members grew up, and Virginia Beach, where the group’s sound was developed and recorded. The street signs honor a collective legacy, while Riley’s and former member Dave Hollister's absence from both ceremonies leaves an unmistakable gap in the public celebration of the group.

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Blackstreet Is on the Map Twice: Paterson and Virginia Beach Honor the R&B Group