Men of Vizion is an American R&B quintet that came to fame in 1996, with the debut album, ''

Personal Personal may refer to: Aspects of persons' respective individualities * Privacy * Personality * Personal, personal advertisement, variety of classified advertisement used to find romance or friendship Companies * Personal, Inc., a Washington, ...

'', which featured the

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

s, "House Keeper" and "

Do Thangz "Do Thangz" is a song by American R&B quintet Men of Vizion. It was the second single from the group's debut album ''Personal'' (1996) and was released as the "Main Pass Remix" (alternatively titled "A Dark Child remix") featuring guest vocals b ...

", produced by Teddy Riley and "Lil" Chris Smith.

Career

The members of Men Of Vizion met at the

LaGuardia High School of Music and Art Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, often referred to simply as LaGuardia, is a public high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center in the Lincoln Square ...

. Randolph was training to be a classical

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

and sang frequently around the city in a jazz ensemble. After writing the five part harmony selection for the group which got the attention of Michael Jackson and mega producer Teddy Riley entitled "Kingdom On Top of The World", Randolph moved to Dallas, Texas in 1989. Now a quartet started doing backup vocals and also danced with

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album ''All Hail the Que ...

along with high school classmate and actor

Omar Epps Omar Hashim Epps (born July 20, 1973) is an American actor, rapper, and producer. He has been awarded nine NAACP Image Awards, two Teen Choice Awards, one MTV Movie Award, one Black Reel Award, and one Screen Actors Guild Award. Epps's film r ...

. They were originally called Vizion. They then added eventual lead singer and

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

native Prathan "Spanky" Williams. During the early years, the band played at parties, entered talent shows and performed at local nightclubs. Their persistence paid off when they were signed to Jade Productions. With the support of

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was mos ...

vocalist

Teddy Riley Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer credited with the creation of the New Jack Swing genre. Riley credits Barry Michael Cooper with giving the genre its name.Hogan, Paul. "Tedd ...

, the group was eventually signed with MJJ Music. As the group matured they changed their name to Men Of Vizion. Replacement members Anthony Fuller, Dwayne Jones, and Michael Best appeared in the 1989

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

, '' Lean on Me'' starring

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...

. as members of the R&B group

Riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...

. Their debut album, ''

'', was released in 1996. Men of Vizion

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

the 1977 hit single by

The Jacksons The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

, "

Show You the Way to Go "Show You the Way to Go" is a song written by Gamble and Huff and recorded by the Jacksons for their 1976 CBS debut album, ''The Jacksons''. Released as a single in early 1977, it was the only number-one song for the group in the UK. It was late ...

." Deramus, Greggs and Randolph left the group after the first album's release and Deramus and Greggs eventually formed a duo called The Kraft which Randolph joined soon after. They were replaced by three members of the R&B Group Riff from

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.MOV'' in 1999.

Discography

Albums

*''

'' (1996) MJJ Music/

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

*'' MOV'' (1999) MJJ Music/

Singles

* " House Keeper" (US #67, R&B #13) * "Do You Feel Me? (...Freak You)" (R&B #45) * "Break Me Off"

Videography

* '' Lean on Me'' (1989)

References

External links

Men of Vizion
on Myspace {{Authority control American contemporary R&B musical groups 550 Music artists