K-Ci & JoJo

K-Ci & JoJo
Origin Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Genres R&B
Years active 1990–present
Labels MCA, Formula Recordings, RPH Records/EMI Publishing
Associated acts Jodeci, Tupac Shakur, E-40
Members
Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey
Joel "JoJo" Hailey

K-Ci & JoJo are an American R&B duo, consisting of brothers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey (born September 2, 1969[1]) and Joel "JoJo" Hailey (born June 10, 1971[1]), Natives of Monroe, North Carolina, they were also members of the chart-topping R&B group Jodeci with the DeGrate brothers—Donald (better known as DeVante Swing) and Dalvin.

Contents

On their own

K-Ci and 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.

In late 2006, K-Ci released his debut solo album entitled My Book.

JoJo is planned to release a self-titled solo debut in 2011 or 2012 on Interscope or Def Jam and it features a comeback by Playa (without Static).

Together

Early years

Early in 1996, K-Ci and JoJo teamed up for the song "How Could You" for the movie Bulletproof starring Damon Wayans and Adam Sandler. By July 1996, K-Ci and 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.

Love Always and Life

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 and 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 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.

It's Real (1999)

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,[2] peaked at number two on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums,[2] 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.[3]

X

K-Ci and 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".

Emotional and Greatest Hits

The fourth K-Ci and JoJo album, Emotional, was released on November 26, 2002, but did not find commercial success. The CD consisted of one single, "This Very Moment." and also their personal favourite "How Long" written by Steve Vaughn and Jojo Hailey.

K-Ci and JoJo released a greatest hits album on February 8, 2005.

Love

On February 6, 2008, they released their fifth album called Love, which was released only in Japan.

New signing deal

In 2010, they signed an exclusive deal with R&B crooner Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds' upstart Soda Pop Records, distributed through Capitol Records.

Media

In 2010, they appeared in a 'T.V. ONE' reality show called K-Ci and JoJo Come Clean about the brothers' struggles with alcohol.

Family ties

Discography

Studio
Compilation

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards

Year Nominated work Award Result
1999 K-Ci & JoJo Favorite R&B Band/Duo/Group Won
2000 K-Ci & JoJo Favorite R&B Band/Duo/Group Nominated[5]

Blockbuster Awards

Year Nominated work Award Result
1999 K-Ci & JoJo Best Group - R&B Won

Grammy Awards

Year Nominated work Award Result
1997 "How Do U Want It" Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group Nominated
1999 "All My Life" Best R&B Vocal Performance Nominated
1999 "All My Life" Best R&B Song Nominated

MTV Video Music Awards

Year Nominated work Award Result
1998 "All My Life" Best R&B Video Nominated
2001 "Crazy" Best Video from a Film Nominated

NAACP Awards

Year Nominated work Award Result
1999 K-Ci & JoJo Outstanding Duo or Group Nominated

Soul Train Awards

Year Nominated work Award Result
1999 "All My Life" Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. p. 339. ISBN 0-8230-7499-4. 
  2. ^ a b "It's Real – K-Ci & JoJo > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://allmusic.com/album/its-real-r421420/charts-awards. Retrieved July 26, 2011. 
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "It's Real – K-Ci & JoJo > Review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://allmusic.com/album/its-real-r421420/review. Retrieved July 26, 2011. 
  4. ^ "Dave Hollister: One Woman Man". Findarticles.com. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_8_56/ai_75247874. Retrieved 2011-11-16. 
  5. ^ "27th American Music Awards (presented in 2000)". Rock On The Net. 2000-01-17. http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2000/amas.htm. Retrieved 2011-11-16. 

External links