Consisting of two sets of brothers (K-Ci and JoJo Hailey, Dalvin and Devante DeGrate), Jodeci drove from Charlotte, North Carolina to Uptown Records, auditioned for Kurt Woodley and Heavy D, and got signed. Under Sean 'Puffy' Combs direction, they were featured singers on songs by Father MC, and by the Spring of 1991, they made their debut on Soul Train performing "Gotta Love" and "Stay."
Jodeci's debut album Forever My Lady was masterfully produced by group member Devante 'Swing', along with help from Al B. Sure! on the title track. However, the New Jack Era was drawing to a close right when this album gained momentum, and Jodeci (along with Mary J. Blige) spearheaed the new Hip-Hop Soul movement being commandeered by Sean Combs.
By the spring of 1992, Jodeci's "Come & Talk To Me" single was remixed by Combs into a harder, more hip-hop oriented version which became the group's biggest hit. Through Combs direction, Jodeci has successfully differentiated themselves from that other R&B quartet that was wildly popular at the time, Boyz II Men in the same way that the nasty Rolling Stones differentiated themselves from the clean-cut Beatles. Jodeci was the 'Bad Boy' group.
MTV took note of Uptown's budding dynasty and taped an "Unplugged" special, featuring Jodeci as headlines along with Mary J. Blige. One particular performance from that show, a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Lately" became a huge hit for the group in the summer of 1993. Later that year, Jodeci would release their sophomore effort, Diary Of A Mad Band. It was around this time that Jodeci (along with Blige) started corresponding with Death Row Records. As a result, Uptown didn't push their second album very well, and it failed to live up to commercial expectations. However, many fans consider Diary to be their best album in that it really bought the group certified street credibility and featured top notch production by Devante.
In 1995, Jodeci released their third LP, The Show, The Afterparty, The Hotel featuring the hits "Freek'N'You," "Love U 4 Life" (which was originally a demo from their early days), and "Get On Up." By 1996 Jodeci had unofficially disbanded, while K-Ci and JoJo proceeded to work with 2Pac, which completely destroyed their relationship with Sean Combs, their champion throughout the bulk of the group's career.
In 1997, K-Ci and JoJo released their first solo album and scored with the smash crossover ballad, "All My Life", winning over legions of suburban fans. K-Ci and JoJo have remained a force to be reckoned. Dalvin released a solo album in 2000 on Madonna's Maverick label; it wasn't very well received.
Since their mid-90s breakup, R&B quartet Dru Hill served as a decent substitute before Sisqo went solo and irreversibly altered that group's dynamic.
Die-hard fans continue to hope for a Jodeci reunion.
