K-Ci & JoJo

Cedric and Joel Hailey form the romantic R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo, two of the sibling pairs who constituted the chart-dominating 1990s outfit Jodeci. Raised performing in church choirs around Charlotte, North Carolina, the Haileys spent their early years traveling the southern circuit with their father’s gospel ensemble. An introduction to Dalvin and DeVante Swing, the DeGrate brothers, steered them toward secular material and the formation of Jodeci. After inking a deal with Uptown, the quartet issued three platinum albums between 1991 and 1995, the bulk of the writing and production handled by DeVante Swing. K-Ci first tested solo waters with a cover of Bobby Womack’s “If You Think You’re Lonely Now,” placed on the 1994 soundtrack for the film Jason’s Lyric. The following year, after Jodeci’s third album The Show, the After Party, the Hotel, the brothers formally united on “How Could You” for the Bulletproof soundtrack starring Damon Wayans and Adam Sandler, while also contributing backing vocals to 2Pac’s blockbuster “How Do U Want It.”

Their side project became a primary focus with the 1997 debut album Love Always. Lead single “You Bring Me Up” reached the Top Ten on the R&B chart, and the follow-up “Last Night’s Letter” performed solidly as well. The true breakout came with the tender ballad “All My Life,” which climbed to number one on both the pop and R&B charts in early 1998. Love Always ultimately surpassed four million copies sold, and Jodeci entered an unofficial, open-ended hiatus without ever officially disbanding. The duo’s next effort, It’s Real, stayed faithful to its predecessor’s sonic template, earning another Top Ten platinum placement and spinning off the major hit “Tell Me It’s Real,” which peaked at number two on both the pop and R&B charts.

Celebrating a decade in the business, the Haileys delivered their third consecutive platinum album, X, in 2000, which featured the near-Top Ten pop single “Crazy.” Recording momentum eased as they devoted time to a long-discussed Jodeci reunion project. They still issued a fourth album, Emotional, in late 2002, yet it managed only a Top 20 showing on the R&B chart. Six years later they released Love exclusively in Japan. Their well-documented lifestyle excesses eventually exacted a heavy professional cost. In 2010, TV One aired the documentary series K-Ci & JoJo: Come Clean, chronicling their recovery from substance abuse. The brothers later signed with eOne and issued My Brother’s Keeper in 2013.