Montell Jordan Artistfacts

December 3, 1968
Montell Du'Sean Jordan grew up in South Central Los Angeles - a neighborhood where, as the Christian Broadcasting Network noted, "many young men don't expect to live past the age of 18."
He attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in communications in 1991 and becoming a state finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. While at Pepperdine he joined the Omega Epsilon Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, a membership he remains proud of; in 2026, his son Skyler followed him into the same fraternity.
When Montell Jordan signed to Def Jam in the mid-1990s, the label had built its name almost entirely on hip-hop. His arrival prompted Russell Simmons and Kevin Liles to create the Def Soul imprint in 1996, a dedicated home for R&B and soul acts. Def Soul went on to house artists including Dru Hill, Sisqo, 112 and Musiq Soulchild. Jordan remained the imprint's primary male solo artist until parting ways in 2003.
Jordan's 1995 debut single "This Is How We Do It" is a love letter to Friday-night party culture in his native South Central L.A. - a neighborhood subjected to breathless news coverage of gang violence. Built around a sample of Slick Rick's "Children's Story," - itself incorporating a bass line from Bob James' "Nautilus" - the song spent seven weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Jordan a Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
Jordan married Kristin Hudson in June 1994, less than a year before "This Is How We Do It" turned him into a household name. Kristin also became his manager, making their relationship both personal and professional almost from the start.
On November 24, 2010, Jordan announced his retirement from secular music on Twitter, with a final performance of "This Is How We Do It" on New Year's Eve. His decision grew out of a period of soul-searching in late 2010, during which he felt that his career had run its course.
In early 2011, Jordan joined the pastoral staff at Victory World Church in Norcross, Georgia - a multicultural congregation with about 11,000 members representing over 100 nationalities. His transition grew out of 21 days of fasting and prayer during which he says he felt called to surrender his music career entirely. Jordan said of the decision: "I laid down an old life to gain a better life."
Jordan declined lucrative offers to perform "This Is How We Do It" after his retirement, saying the pull of ministry was stronger than any financial incentive. When pressed on whether it was difficult to say no to the money, his consistent answer has been that staying true to his calling was worth more.
In December 2012, Jordan released his first Christian music project, Shake Heaven, recorded with the Victory World Music worship team he had built at the church. The album reached #3 on Billboard's Gospel Albums chart and earned a Dove Award nomination for Contemporary Gospel/Urban Album of the Year. It includes the song "You Are," whose single version has vocals by Chris August.
In 2017, Jordan and Kristin co-authored This Is How We Do It: Making Your Marriage a Masterpeace - a deliberate play on the word "masterpiece" that mirrors the name of the church they later co-founded, Master Peace Church. The couple have spoken globally about navigating infidelity, financial ruin, and faith, aiming - in their own words - to help "see one million marriages restored." Their story is a pointed counterpart to the temptation narrative at the heart of songs like "Get It On Tonite."
Though Jordan stepped away from secular music in 2010, his back catalog has stayed culturally active. Jeremih sampled "Get It On Tonite" on his 2017 track "I Think of You" and in 2026, UK producer Silva Bumpa built a new EDM anthem, "On 2nite," around the same sample.

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