Marques Barrett Houston (born August 4, 1981) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actor. A member of the R&B group Immature/IMx from 1990 until 2002, Houston went solo in 2003. As an actor, he is best known for his role as Roger Evans in the television comedy '' Sister, Sister''. As a solo artist, Houston has released a number of successful studio albums that went platinum in the United States.

Early life

Houston was born on August 4, 1981, in Los Angeles, California, to Michael and Carolyn Houston. He is the older cousin of

B2K B2K (Boys of the New Millennium) was an American boy band that was active from 1998 to 2004, and again from 2018 to 2019. In 1998, the group was formed by American dance choreographer Dave Scott and Interscope A&R Keshia Gamble. The members ...

's J-Boog. Houston began acting at an early age.

Music career

Music beginnings

In 1992, Houston became a founding member of the R&B group Immature (also known as IMx). The members of the group include Jerome "Romeo" Jones and Don "Half Pint" Santos (later replaced by Kelton "LDB" Kessee), along with Chris Stokes, who is their manager. During this period, Houston went by the nickname "Batman". In 1999, the group underwent a name change, releasing two albums under the name IMx: '' Introducing IMx'' (1999) and '' IMx'' (2001). The group also branched out into acting and appeared on shows such as ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom (and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show'') television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) a ...

'' and '' Sister, Sister''. They recorded songs for soundtracks to the films '' House Party 3'' and '' House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute'', before disbanding in 2002.

2003–2005: ''MH'' and ''Naked''

In 2003, Houston began pursuing a solo career. Using his birth name, Marques Houston, he released his debut album, '' MH'', on October 21, 2003. The album featured the singles "

That Girl ''That Girl'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from September 8, 1966 to March 19, 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring (but only sporadically employed) actress, who moves from her hometown of Brewster ...

", "

Clubbin' "Clubbin'" is the second single from Marques Houston's debut album, '' MH'' in the U.S. and his debut single in the UK. The song features Joe Budden and is the second track on the album. The "Clubbin'" remix was also featured and once again Jo ...

" (featuring Joe Budden and R. Kelly), "

Pop That Booty "Pop That Booty" is the third US and second UK single from Marques Houston's debut album, '' MH''. The video and single features a guest appearance from Jermaine Dupri. It is the third track on ''MH'' album. The single was another hit for Houston ...

" (featuring Jermaine Dupri) and " Because of You". In the United States

charts A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...

, ''MH'' peaked at number 20 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and at number 5 on ''Billboard''s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. On May 24, 2005, Houston released his second solo album, ''

Naked Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...

''. The album featured the singles " All Because of You" (featuring Young Rome), "

" and "Sex Wit You". In the United States, ''Naked'' peaked at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' and peaked at number 5 on ''Billboard'' Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

2006–2008: ''Veteran''

Houston released his third solo album, ''

Veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...

'', on March 20, 2007. The album featured the singles " Like This" (featuring Yung Joc), " Favorite Girl", "

Circle A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is cons ...

" and " Wonderful". In the United States, ''Veteran'' debuted (and peaked) at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and debuted at number 1 on ''Billboard''s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, marking this release as Houston's first number-one solo album.

2009–2011: ''Mr. Houston'', ''Mattress Music'' and IMx reunion

Houston released his fourth solo album, '' Mr. Houston'' on September 29, 2009. It featured the singles, "I Love Her" and "Sunset". Videos for the album tracks "Body" and "Date" were released online by the singer in 2008. "How I Do" and "Case of You" received video premieres in 2009, followed by a video for "Tonight" in 2010. On September 14, 2010, Houston released his fifth studio album, '' Mattress Music'', which contained the singles "Kickin' & Screamin'" and "Pullin' On Her Hair". A video for a third single, "Ghetto Angel" premiered in 2011. Houston announced on '' 106 & Park'' that IMx planned to record another group album together that year. This plan was eventually scrapped.

2012–2013: ''Famous''

In October 2012, Houston announced a new studio album, ''

Famous Famous may refer to: Companies * Famous Brands, a South African restaurant franchisor * Famous Footwear, an American retail store chain * Famous Music, the music publishing division of Paramount Pictures * Famous Studios, the animation division ...

'', was slated for release on August 27. Marques released the song "Speechless" as a promotional preview via free digital download. The first single off the album, made available on iTunes, was "Give Your Love a Try" featuring Problem.

2014–present: ''White Party'', soundtracks and ''Me''

Following the release of his previous album, Houston reunited with IMx and did some touring. Changing their name back to Immature, the band released a new single called "Let Me Find Out" in late 2014. Their comeback EP titled ''Remember'' was released in early 2015. Later that year, Houston released the solo single "Need You" from the soundtrack of his film ''Will to Love''. In 2016, Houston released a new single "Complete Me" to digital/streaming outlets. He premiered a music video for the song in September. The track was slated to be the first single off his album ''White Party'', set for release later that year. However, this album never materialized. In 2017, Houston recorded a trio of new songs for the film '' 'Til Death Do Us Part'', for which he wrote the screenplay. His song "Together" was released as a single from the soundtrack. After nine years, Houston released a new album titled ''Me'' on February 4, 2022. His follow up EP, ''Me: Dark Water'', was released on November 4, 2022.

Acting career

Houston made his acting debut in the animated comedy film '' Bébé's Kids'' (1992) in which he was the voice of Khalil, the leader and oldest child of the titular "Bébé's Kids". Houston later appeared in '' House Party 3'' (1994), where he played a fictional version of himself along with fellow Immature bandmates Jerome "Romeo" Jones and Don "Half Pint" Santos. In the film, they portrayed Kid's trouble-making younger cousins who aspire to become musicians. Houston's breakthrough role came when he won the part of Roger Evans in the television comedy show '' Sister, Sister'', playing the next-door neighbor of identical twin sisters Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell ( Tia and Tamera Mowry). Marques played the role for five of the show's six seasons. The show wrote his character out of the script during the fifth season, but he made a guest appearance in the series finale. In 1997, he had a brief cameo in the movie "

Good Burger ''Good Burger'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Brian Robbins and written by Dan Schneider with Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert. Starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, it is based on the comedy sketch of the same name on the Nick ...

", a spin-off from a sketch on the Nickelodeon show "

All That ''All That'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin. The series originally aired on Nickelodeon from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons, and was produced by Tollin/Robbins ...

" starring Kenan Thompson and

Kel Mitchell Kel Johari Rice Mitchell (born August 25, 1978) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He was an original cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series ''All That'' for its first five seasons (1994–1999), where he was often paired a ...

. He played Jake, Kenan's friend. Houston and his IMx (formerly Immature) band members made an appearance in

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

's music video for the single "No, No, No Part 1" off their 1998 self-titled debut album. In 2000, shortly after Houston's run on ''Sister, Sister'' ended, Marques had a brief cameo in Destiny's Child's video rendition of ''The Writing's on the Wall'' single "

Jumpin', Jumpin' "Jumpin', Jumpin'" is a song by American group Destiny's Child for their second studio album, ''The Writing's on the Wall'' (1999). The song was co-written and co-produced by group member Beyoncé Knowles and Chad Elliott, with additional writing ...

" directed by Joseph Kahn. He also played the character Elgin Barrett Eugene Smith III in the 2004 film '' You Got Served''. Following ''You Got Served'', in both live-action and voice-over, he portrayed Dumb Donald in the film adaptation of '' Fat Albert'', based on Bill Cosby's popular cartoon series '' Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids''. From 2005 to 2006, Houston starred as Kevin Barnes in his own television series, '' Cuts'', which was a spin-off of '' One on One''. Despite good ratings, the show only lasted two seasons due to UPN merging with The WB to become

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

which caused ''Cuts'' along with many other UPN shows to get cancelled. In 2007, Houston starred in the horror film '' Somebody Help Me''. He then starred in the sequel, ''

Somebody Help Me 2 ''Somebody Help Me 2'' is a 2010 horror film starring Marques Houston and Omarion, and is written and directed by their music producer, Chris Stokes. As the sequel, it follows up the events of ''Somebody Help Me'', which was released in 2007. Th ...

'', in 2010. In 2012, Houston starred in a kids hip hop dance battle film, '' Battlefield America''. He portrayed Sean Lewis, an ad executive who serves as a dance teacher after receiving a sentence of community service; however, he does not dance in the film. He also starred in 2016's A Weekend With The Family, alongside Karrueche Tran. In 2015, Houston reunited with ''Sister, Sister'' co-star Tamera Mowry on the daytime talk show ''

The Real In continental philosophy, the Real refers to the remainder of reality that cannot be expressed, and which surpasses reasoning. In Lacanianism, it is an "impossible" category because of its opposition to expression and inconceivability. I ...

'' (also with Tia Mowry in 2017) for two episodes. He later reunited with his IMx bandmates for a brief storyline appearance on '' Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood'' in 2019.

Film producing career

Houston began his journey into the behind the scenes world of filmmaking in 2010, partnering with longtime music manager Chris Stokes, who directed most of the films he wrote and produced. Houston is currently the CEO of a film production company, Footage Films, in California, along with fellow IMx bandmate Young Rome (Jerome Jones) as president and relative Jarell Houston, (J-Boog of

) as vice president. Chris Stokes is the chairman of the board and directs the majority of the productions. Marques serves as an executive producer and writer. The majority of the films are mostly made-for-TV features. Following in the paths of filmmakers John Waters,

John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...

and

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

's casting tradition, Houston and Stokes often cast some of their actors more than once in different films portraying different roles. His first full writing and executive producer credit was the 2015 film ''Will to Love'', starring Keisha Knight Pulliam,

Draya Michele Andraya Michele Howard (born January 23, 1985) is an American media personality, model, actress, and fashion designer. Early life Andraya Michele was born and raised in Reading, Pennsylvania. She has two children, one with her ex fiancé and O ...

, and himself, respectively. He produced a thriller, ''Running Out of Time'', starring Tasha Smith, RonReaco Lee and

Telma Hopkins Telma Louise Hopkins (born October 28, 1948) is an American actress and singer. Hopkins rose to prominence as a member of the 1970s pop music group Tony Orlando and Dawn, which had several number-one songs. She also performed on the CBS variety ...

, that aired in December 2018 on

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

. Since the start of this new career, he has written and produced over ten films so far, including one he co-wrote with Stokes that was released to theaters in 2017, titled '' 'Til Death Do Us Part'' starring Taye Diggs, Stephen Bishop,

Annie Ilonzeh Annette Ngozi Ilonzeh (born August 23, 1983) is a Nigerian-American actress. From 2010 to 2011, she played Maya Ward on the ABC daytime soap opera ''General Hospital'', and later starred as Kate Prince in the short-lived ABC reboot of ''Charlie ...

and

Malik Yoba Abdul-Malik Kashie Yoba (born September 17, 1967) is an American actor. He is known for his starring role as NYPD Detective J. C. Williams on the Fox police drama ''New York Undercover'' and as Yul Brenner in the film ''Cool Runnings''. H ...

. Houston produced, wrote and starred in a thriller film alongside ''Love and Hip Hop'' star

Erica Mena Erica Jasmin Mena (born November 8, 1987) is an American television personality, model, and video vixen. She is best known for her appearances on '' Love & Hip Hop: New York'' and '' Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'', appearing in the franchise since 2011 ...

titled ''"The Stepmother"'' which premiered on Tubi in June 2022. A sequel was announced in November 2022.

Personal life

Houston's mother died from

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include en ...

in 1997. He became a Jehovah's Witness in 2016. Marques welcomed his first daughter, Zara Houston, on December 2, 2021, with his wife Miya Houston.

Relationships

Houston previously dated singer Jamila " Mila J" Chilombo and ''

My Wife and Kids ''My Wife and Kids'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from March 28, 2001, to May 17, 2005. The series was produced by Touchstone Television. It starred Damon Wayans as Michael Kyle, the patriarch of an African-American family. Wayans and ve ...

'' actress Jennifer Freeman, with whom he had starred in the 2004 film '' You Got Served''. Rumors surfaced in November 2007 that Freeman and Houston had gotten engaged, but they broke up a few months later. He began a relationship with Marlena Campbell in 2008. Houston confirmed their relationship publicly in March 2010, celebrating their second anniversary on his

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

page. The couple reportedly split in 2015. In March 2019, Houston became engaged to Miya Dickey. They married in

Corona, California Corona ( Spanish for "Crown") is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 157,136, up from 152,374 at the 2010 census. The cities of Norco and Riverside lie to the north and no ...

on August 24, 2020, and have a 19-year age difference.

Discography

Studio albums * '' MH'' (2003) * ''

'' (2005) * ''

'' (2007) * '' Mr. Houston'' (2009) * '' Mattress Music'' (2010) * ''

'' (2013) * ''Me'' (2022)

Filmography

Television

Film

As producer

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Houston, Marques 1981 births American hip hop singers American male child actors American male television actors American male film actors IMx members Living people Singers from Los Angeles American contemporary R&B singers American Jehovah's Witnesses Converts to Jehovah's Witnesses Universal Motown Records artists 21st-century African-American male singers