K-Ci & JoJo is an American R&B duo, consisting of brothers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey (born September 2, 1969) and Joel "JoJo" Hailey (born June 10, 1971). Natives of

Monroe, North Carolina Monroe is a city in and the county seat of Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population increased from 32,797 in 2010 to 34,551 in 2020. It is within the rapidly growing Charlotte metropolitan area. Monroe has a council-manager f ...

, they are also the lead singers of the chart-topping R&B group Jodeci with the DeGrate brothers—Donald (better known as DeVante Swing) and

Mr. Dalvin Dalvin Ertimus DeGrate (born July 23, 1971, in Hampton, Virginia) is an American R&B and soul musician, singer and rapper, best known for his days as Mr. Dalvin, one-quarter of the R&B group Jodeci. Career The rapper for the group, DeGrate r ...

History

Music beginnings

K-Ci and JoJo first landed on the scene as members of a family gospel quartet, Little Cedric and the Hailey Singers of North Carolina. The group released 3 albums on the AIR (Atlanta International Records) label: "I'm Alright Now" in 1983, "Jesus Saves" which hit number 4 on the Billboard Gospel chart in 1984 and "God's Blessings" which hit number 22 in 1985. They joined brothers Donald "DeVanté Swing" DeGrate and Dalvin "Mr. Dalvin" DeGrate to form the R&B group Jodeci. K-Ci & JoJo's first sign of independence came in 1994 when K-Ci covered Bobby Womack's hit "If You Think You're Lonely Now" for the movie '' Jason's Lyric''. Early in 1996, K-Ci & JoJo teamed up for the song "How Could You" for the movie ''

Bulletproof Bulletproofing is the process of making an object capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles (e.g. shrapnel). The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials provide complete protectio ...

'' starring

Damon Wayans Damon Kyle Wayans Sr. (; born September 4, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, producer, and writer. Wayans performed as a comedian and actor throughout the 1980s, including a year long stint on the sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live.' ...

and

Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of wh ...

. By July 1996, K-Ci & JoJo were featured guest artists in

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

's number-one R&B and

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

hit " How Do U Want It".

1997–1998: ''Love Always''

The brothers made their side projects into a full album, ''

Love Always ''Love Always'' is the debut album of American R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo, released on June 17, 1997, by MCA Records. It was recorded at various studios in New York and the Los Angeles area in 1996 and 1997. It was produced by JoJo and several others, ...

''. Released on June 17, 1997, the album spawned two top-ten R&B hits: "You Bring Me Up" (Pop #26) and "Last Night's Letter" (Pop #46). The minor success of those singles, however, paled in comparison to the success of the album's third single, " All My Life" (which was dedicated to JoJo's daughter). A supple, lush

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

far removed from the Jodeci material of the early 1990s, "All My Life" was the number-one song on the Hot 100 for three weeks, a feat that K-Ci & JoJo had never achieved with Jodeci. While future singles and albums would be crafted in the vein of "All My Life", it remains the duo's only number-one hit and by far the song they are most widely known for, even amongst non-fans due to its frequent use in film and television. ''Love Always'' went on to sell four million copies, and the success of the album put Jodeci's reunion on hold indefinitely. During the recording of ''Love Always'' they also appeared in the song "I Care 'Bout You" as a member of the R&B supergroup Milestone along with

After 7 After 7 is an American R&B group founded in 1987 by brothers Melvin and Kevon Edmonds, and their friend Keith Mitchell. The Edmonds brothers are the older siblings of pop/R&B singer-songwriter and record producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, w ...

which appeared on the soundtrack for the movie, ''

Soul Food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

'' that was written and produced by Babyface. In 1998, K-Ci & JoJo recorded the song "Money Can't Buy You Love," which was produced for the film

The Players Club ''The Players Club'' is a 1998 American comedy drama thriller film written and directed by Ice Cube in his feature film directorial debut. In addition to Ice Cube, the film stars Bernie Mac, Monica Calhoun, Jamie Foxx, John Amos, A. J. Johns ...

. In 1999, K-Ci & JoJo recorded "Life", which was written and produced by

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwid ...

, for the soundtrack to the

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...

and

Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on ''Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American comedian and actor. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor. He got his start playin ...

movie ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

''.

1999: ''It's Real''

K-Ci & JoJo's second studio album, '' It's Real'' was released on June 22, 1999. It peaked at number eight on the ''Billboard'' 200, peaked at number two on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums, and was certified platinum by the RIAA. Outside of the US, the album reached top 20 on the Dutch Mega Album Top 100, the

Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocea ...

, and appeared on the New Zealand Top 40 Albums and the ARIA Charts. The album spawned four singles, including "Tell Me It's Real", which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was a smash hit. ''It's Real'' received a three star rating from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

2000: ''X''

K-Ci & JoJo returned with ''X'' on December 5, 2000. '' X'', the Roman numeral for ten, was picked as the album title to celebrate the Haileys' tenth anniversary in the music business. They made a strong return to the Billboard Hot 100 early in 2001 with the song "Crazy", also included on the '' Save the Last Dance'' soundtrack. "Crazy" peaked at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100. The album also features a hidden Jodeci track entitled "Slip And Fall". Other tracks included "Honest Lover," "One Last Time," and "All the Things I Should Have Known" which Vibe magazine considered "convey a similar mix of hip hop collective that launched Del the Funky Homosapien."

2002–2008: ''Emotional'' and other projects

The fourth K-Ci & JoJo album, ''Emotional'', was released on November 26, 2002, but did not find commercial success. The CD consisted of two singles, "This Very Moment." and the Rodney "Dark Child" Jerkins produced "It's Me". The album contained their personal favorite "How Long" written by Steve Vaughn and Jojo Hailey. In late 2006, K-Ci released his debut solo album entitled ''My Book''. K-Ci & JoJo released a greatest hits album on February 8, 2005. On February 6, 2008, they released their fifth compilation album called ''

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

'', which was released only in Japan.

2013–present: ''My Brother's Keeper''

In 2010, they signed an exclusive deal with R&B crooner Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds' upstart Soda Pop Records, distributed through E1 Music. On June 25, 2013, they released their new single, "Knock It Off" via

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

through E1 Music. On September 30, 2013, ''

My Brother's Keeper "Am I my brother's keeper?" is a saying from the Bible. It comes from the story of Cain and Abel. After Cain murdered his brother Abel, God asked him where his brother was, and Cain answered: "I know not; am I my brother's keeper?" This quote enter ...

'', was released.

Media

In 2010, TV One aired the reality docu-series, ''K-Ci & JoJo... Come Clean,'' which featured Cedric "K-Ci" and Joel "JoJo" Hailey, lead singers of Jodeci. The series showcased the brothers current struggles with alcohol, as they work to rebuild their relationship and make a comeback. ''K-Ci & JoJo... Come Clean,'' was produced by John Doe Media, with Carl Craig and D. Renard Young serving as executive producers. The series only aired for one season, but still runs several times a year.

Legal issues

In 2001, K-Ci pleaded no contest to four charges of lewd conduct. He had been charged with 24 counts of lewd conduct and indecent exposure following an incident during the December 16, 2000, Jingle Ball concert at L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium during which the singer exposed his genitals twice to the crowd while performing.

Discography

* ''

'' (1997) * '' It's Real'' (1999) * '' X'' (2000) * ''

Emotional Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is currently no scientific consensus on a definition. E ...

'' (2002) * ''

'' (2013)

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards

, - , 1999 , , K-Ci & JoJo , , Favorite R&B Band/Duo/Group , , , - , 2000 , , K-Ci & JoJo , , Favorite R&B Band/Duo/Group , ,

Blockbuster Awards

, - , 1999 , , K-Ci & JoJo , , Best Group – R&B , ,

Grammy Awards

, - , 1997 , , " How Do U Want It" , , Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group , , , - , 1999 , , " All My Life" , , Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals , , , - , 1999 , , "All My Life" , , Best R&B Song , ,

MTV Video Music Awards

, - , 1998 , , "All My Life" , , Best R&B Video , , , - , 2001 , , "

Crazy Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or t ...

" , , Best Video from a Film , ,

NAACP Awards

, - , 1999 , , K-Ci & JoJo , , Outstanding Duo or Group , ,

Soul Train Awards

, - , 1999 , , "All My Life" , , Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo , ,

References

External links

Official SiteK-Ci & Jojo on Soulrnb.com
French group {{DEFAULTSORT:K-Ci and Jojo American soul musical groups African-American musical groups Family musical groups Musical groups from North Carolina Sibling musical duos Contemporary R&B duos American hip hop singers MCA Records artists EMI Records artists MNRK Music Group artists American musical duos