• 1996-

  Cedric Hailey (K-Ci)

  Joel Hailey (JoJo)
• K-Ci and JoJo, born Cedric and Joel Hailey, are brothers from Charlotte, North Carolina. They got their musical start as teens at church, where they met another set of brothers, Donald and Dalvin DeGrate, and formed Jodeci. The four made some demos together and moved to New York with $700 in their pockets. After passing an a cappella audition for Uptown Records, they signed with the label and had a string of hits in the early '90s, including "Forever My Lady" and "Come and Talk to Me." K-Ci & JoJo split away from Jodeci in 1996. They'd intended to eventually do their own thing, but internal friction within the band and with the band's management sped up the duo's departure from Jodeci.
• The first K-Ci & JoJo appearance post-Jodeci was the 2Pac collaboration "How Do U Want It," a #1 hit in 1996 that appears on Pac's album All Eyez on Me.
• The brothers' first album as K-Ci & JoJo was Love Always in 1997. It was a departure from the Jodeci style in that the songs were romantic but not erotic; sweet rather than seductive. It marked a conscious change in direction resulting from the brothers' matured perspectives on life. The album includes "All My Life," a #1 hit inspired by JoJo's 7-year-old daughter.
• K-Ci & JoJo grew up in a strict Christian household, going to church sometimes as often as seven days a week. Despite their eventual status as sultry soul singers in Jodeci, they always called gospel music the foundation of their music. They didn't wait until they left church to make the switch to the risqué, however. "I won't lie to you; when we walked into church, we walked with our heads down," K-Ci told the Los Angeles Times in 1999. "They were understandably not happy with some of the things we were singing about, but they were happy we weren't out there selling drugs, so they cut us a little slack."
• In 2026 K-Ci & JoJo rejoined the DeGrate brothers to bring the original Jodeci lineup on tour in celebration of the 35th anniversary of the group's 1991 debut album, Forever My Lady. Also part of the celebration, the group reissued their 1995 multi-platinum album The Show, The After Party, The Hotel.
• Both brothers were alcoholics throughout their peak years, with each suffering strokes (among other health problems) from the stress on their bodies. The second half of their careers largely focused on their recovery and spreading a message of hope to addicts. They starred in a TV One reality series titled K-Ci & JoJo: Come Clean in 2010. Through the course of the show the brothers check into rehab and come to grips with the fact that their codependency had been enabling their addictions.
• K-Ci & JoJo are first cousins with singer and actress Fantasia Barrino-Taylor.

Comments: 1

• Meme from Gallatin, TnHay K-CI and JOJO!!!!!!! I have a friend who is obessed with all of ur songs she listen's to them nonstop my favorite 1 is the song off of the save the last dance movie.

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