K-Ci & JoJo is an American
R&B duo, consisting of brothers
Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey
Cedric Renard Hailey (born September 2, 1969), known professionally as K-Ci (formerly Little Cedric as a member of Little Cedric and the Hailey Singers), is an American singer, songwriter and member of K-Ci & JoJo and Jodeci.
Although Hailey i ...
(born September 2, 1969
) and Joel "JoJo" Hailey (born June 10, 1971
). Natives of
Monroe, North Carolina, they are also the lead singers of the
chart-topping R&B group
Jodeci
Jodeci ( ) is an American R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their musical careers as two duos of brothers and, after years of limi ...
with the DeGrate brothers—Donald (better known as
DeVante Swing
Donald Earle DeGrate Jr. (born September 29, 1969), better known by his stage name DeVanté Swing, is an American record producer, singer, rapper and songwriter.
He is the older brother of fellow Jodeci member Dalvin DeGrate.
Career
In his ea ...
) and
Mr. Dalvin.
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
Cedric Renard Hailey (born September 2, 1969), known professionally as K-Ci (formerly Little Cedric as a member of Little Cedric and the Hailey Singers), is an American singer, songwriter and member of K-Ci & JoJo and Jodeci.
Although Hailey ...
covered
Bobby Womack
Robert Dwayne Womack (; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing gui ...
's hit "If You Think You're Lonely Now" for the movie ''
Jason's Lyric
''Jason's Lyric'' is a 1994 American erotic romantic psychological drama film, written by Bobby Smith Jr., directed by Doug McHenry, who co-produced the film with George Jackson and Marilla Lane Ross, and starring Allen Payne, Jada Pinkett, Boke ...
''. 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 protecti ...
'' 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.
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 streamin ...
hit "
How Do U Want It
"How Do U Want It" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his fourth studio album, ''All Eyez on Me'' (1996). It was released on June 4, 1996 as a double a-sided single with " California Love" from the same album and was his final single to be re ...
".
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 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 Babyface or Baby Face can refer to:
Nicknames
* Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber
* Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician
* "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...
.
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 film, comedy Drama (film and television), drama Thriller film, thriller film written and directed by Ice Cube in his List of directorial debuts, feature film directorial debut. In addition to Ice Cub ...
.
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 worldwi ...
, for the soundtrack to the
Eddie Murphy 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 Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
''.
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, 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 databa ...
.
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
''Save the Last Dance'' is a 2001 American teen dance film produced by MTV Films, directed by Thomas Carter and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film stars Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas as a teenage interracial couple in Chic ...
'' soundtrack. "Crazy" peaked at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100. The album also features a hidden
Jodeci
Jodeci ( ) is an American R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their musical careers as two duos of brothers and, after years of limi ...
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
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
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 affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love o ...
'', 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
Kenneth Brian Edmonds (born April 10, 1959), better known by his stage name Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has written and produced over 26 number-one R&B hits throughout his career and has won 12 Grammy A ...
' upstart Soda Pop Records, distributed through
E1 Music
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...
. On June 25, 2013, they released their new single, "Knock It Off" via
iTunes through
E1 Music
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...
. On September 30, 2013, ''
My Brother's Keeper'', 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
Jodeci ( ) is an American R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their musical careers as two duos of brothers and, after years of limi ...
. 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
* ''
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, ...
'' (1997)
* ''
It's Real'' (1999)
* ''
X'' (2000)
* ''
Emotional'' (2002)
* ''
My Brother's Keeper'' (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
"How Do U Want It" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his fourth studio album, ''All Eyez on Me'' (1996). It was released on June 4, 1996 as a double a-sided single with " California Love" from the same album and was his final single to be re ...
" , , 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" , , 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.comFrench 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