Joi

Joi Gilliam, a singer, songwriter, and producer steeped in soul and funk, never aligned comfortably with major-label expectations upon surfacing in the early 1990s, when her timing and singular vision placed her slightly out of step with prevailing trends. Though she never received sufficient guidance during those formative years, she gradually built a devoted following among listeners drawn to exploratory sounds. Her first appearance arrived in 1994 on EMI with The Pendulum Vibe, an intricate, multicolored hip-hop-soul album shaped with Dallas Austin that reached too few listeners and registered only modest commercial impact. She soon surfaced on high-profile releases by Goodie Mob and OutKast, having been married for a time to Big Gipp of the former group. Working again with Austin and backed by Fishbone, she completed Amoeba Cleaning Syndrome, yet EMI’s resistance confined the project to advance copies and bootlegs; further release plans collapsed. A video was filmed for “Ghetto Superstar,” a track reflecting the life of her father, former NFL quarterback Joe Gilliam, but only committed fans ever encountered the full recording. In the 2000s she joined Lucy Pearl for a brief period, contributed background vocals to numerous artists, and issued two solo albums: the Universal release Star Kitty’s Revenge and the unfettered, self-released Tennessee Slim Is the Bomb. During the following decade she collaborated with DJ Quik, Big K.R.I.T., and Dâm-Funk, among others, while continuing work on a new solo project.