112

Blending gospel, soul, and hip-hop in equal measure, 112 emerged as the first and most accomplished urban vocal quartet from Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Records roster. Their self-titled 1996 debut not only gained strong popularity but also placed the members on tracks by other Bad Boy acts such as Mase and the Notorious B.I.G. In contrast to most artists signed to the label, the group's clean, pure, and wholesome image—at least early on—helped them reach a wider mainstream audience. The four members, Marvin, Daron, Q, and Mike, first met while attending high school in Atlanta, Georgia. They began performing at school talent shows and local churches, which led to interest from Courtney Sills and Kevin Wales, who soon became their managers. Sills and Wales introduced the quartet to Sean "Puffy" Combs at Bad Boy Records, where Combs served as executive producer of the debut album. That project included songs co-written by the group with Stevie J, Wayna Morris of Boyz II Men, and Combs himself. Their first single, "Only You," arrived in summer 1996, climbed to number three on the R&B charts, and peaked at number 13 on the pop charts. The album 112 appeared late that year and gradually earned gold status while the second single, "Come See Me," reached number 15 on the R&B charts. Room 112 arrived in 1998, followed by Part III three years later. The group largely departed Bad Boy for 2003's Hot & Wet and then established a new partnership with Def Soul on 2005's Pleasure & Pain. The arrangement proved short-lived, and 112 parted ways with Def Jam soon after the album's release. In the years that followed, the individual members focused on solo work and did not reunite until 2010. They returned to the studio and toured briefly in 2012, though their next album did not appear until 2017. That sixth studio effort, Q Mike Slim Daron, marked their first release in twelve years and featured the singles "Strawberry" and "Dangerous Games."