K-Ci & JoJo

K-Ci & JoJo is an American R&B duo, consisting of brothers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey (born September 2, 1971^[1]) and Joel "JoJo" Hailey (born June 10, 1972^[1]). Natives of Monroe, North Carolina, 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 Dalvin.

Music career

Music beginnings

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 starring Damon Wayans and Adam Sandler. By July 1996, K-Ci & JoJo finally had a hit on their hands as guest artists in 2Pac's number-one R&B hit "How Do U Want It". It also topped the Billboard Hot 100. They also gained popularity with 2Pac's last music video, "Toss it Up".

1997-98: Love Always

The brothers made their side projects into a full album, Love Always. 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 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. It features a piano melody very similar to that of the electric piano found backing "Dancing In The Moonlight" by King Harvest. Future singles and albums would be crafted in the vein of "All My Life", which was the duo's only number-one hit, though many consider it one of the greatest jazz pop melodies of all time. 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 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.^[2]

In 1999, K-Ci & JoJo recorded "Life", which was written and produced by R. Kelly, for the soundtrack to the Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence movie Life.

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,^[3] peaked at number two on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums,^[3] 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 the number-two Billboard song, "Tell Me It's Real".

It's Real received a three star rating from Allmusic.^[4]

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 three 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."^[5]

2002-08: Emotional & 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, 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 through E1 Music. 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 the chart-topping 90's R&B band, 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 due to the popularity of the show and the 90's R&B singing brothers.

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, where he allegedly pulled down his trousers and underwear and exposed himself to the audience, including children, pre-teens and teenagers. About 4,000 people attended the Christmas show, many of them children as young as 5 years old.^[6]

Personal life

Music runs in K-Ci & JoJo's family, who are cousins with vocalists Stephanie Mills, Dave Hollister,^[7] Calvin Richardson, Fantasia Barrino, Ricco Barrino.

Discography

Studio

• Love Always (1997)
• It's Real (1999)
• X (2000)
• Emotional (2002)
• My Brother's Keeper (2013)

Solo (K-Ci)

• My Book (2006)

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards

Blockbuster Awards

Grammy Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

NAACP Awards

Soul Train Awards

References

1. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. p. 339. ISBN 0-8230-7499-4. 
2. ↑ Internet Movie Database
3. 1 2 "It's Real – K-Ci & JoJo > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved July 26, 2011. 
4. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "It's Real – K-Ci & JoJo > Review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved July 26, 2011. 
5. ↑ Vibe -Jan 2001 - Page 140 "The first single, "Crazy," is a tender plea for a lover's forgiveness, while "Honest Lover," "One Last Time," and "All the Things I Should Have Known" convey a similar mix of hip hop collective that launched Del the Funky Homosapien.
6. ↑ "K-Ci Pleads No Contest To Exposure Charges". Billboard. May 7, 2001. 
7. ↑ "Dave Hollister: One Woman Man". Findarticles.com. Retrieved 2011-11-16. 
8. ↑ "27th American Music Awards (presented in 2000)". Rock On The Net. 2000-01-17. Retrieved 2011-11-16. 

External links

• Official Site
• RockOnTheNet - Jodeci
• K-Ci & Jojo on Soulrnb.com French group