Jodeci Reality Show: Will You Be Watching?
Uptown Records founder Andre Harrell recently revealed his former artists Jodeci are shooting a reality show for TV One, scheduled to hit TV screens on September 20.
The focus of the show is on Charlotte, North Carolina-born brothers Cedric “K-Ci” and Joel “JoJo” Hailey, chronicling their efforts to get sober. Appearances from the other set of brothers Dalvin (who was incarcerated not too long ago for a driving offense, according to Harrell) and Donald “DeVante Swing” Gates look likely also.
Like many other 90s music fans, Jodeci are my all-time favorite male group. They made three classic albums: 1991′s Forever My Lady, 1993′s Diary Of A Mad Band and 1995′s The Show, The After-Party, The Hotel. They were the original bad boys of modern day R&B, unapologetic in their overtly sexual ways with a roughneck hip-hop attitude that set them apart from their peers (Boyz II Men, etc). When the group disbanded, K-Ci & JoJo the duo was born and I followed their music (albums like 1997′s Love Always) as closely as Jodeci’s, not to mention K-Ci’s earlier attempt at solo stardom with tracks like “If You Think You’re Lonely Now” from 1994′s Jason’s Lyric soundtrack.
Rumors of drug and alcohol addiction have dogged the group for many years, especially the Hailey brothers. None of the guys has ever confirmed narcotics use (despite well-documented erratic behavior) so the reality show will be an eye-opener for longtime fans. Let’s hope the show isn’t simply an excuse to wheel an old, washed-up act out in public and humiliate them in front of an audience of millions. I’m being positive the rehabilitative theme is strong and we’re able to witness a real transformation. In any case, I’ll be watching closely.
Check out this crazy video from a concert in Sydney, Australia in 2008, where the brothers are singing “All My Life” and JoJo passes out on stage while K-Ci continues to sing (K-Ci claimed in a later interview that JoJo passed out from an epileptic seizure, not drugs):
You may not have heard this one but here’s “Cherish,” one of my all-time favorite Jodeci songs (it’s an obscure track recorded in 1991 for the Fried Green Tomatoes soundtrack):
News Source: RapRadar.com
I hated to see them go down hill like that. Devante Swing had so much potential to become a great producer. I think they can come back, singing at any age never dies, if you have the right producers and marketing people behind you. I’ll be watching.
damn they look old
Shutup! I’m soooo watching, I love Jodeci!
I’M SOOOOOOOOO WATCHING THIS!!!! JODECI4LIFE!!!