K-Ci | |
---|---|
Birth name | Cedric Renard Hailey |
Also known as |
|
Born | Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. | September 2, 1969
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Years active | 1983–present |
Labels | |
Member of | |
Formerly of |
|
Cedric Renard Hailey (born September 2, 1969), known professionally as K-Ci (formerly Little Cedric as a member of Little Cedric and the Hailey Singers), is an American singer, songwriter and member of K-Ci & JoJo and Jodeci.
Although Hailey is best known as the lead singer of Jodeci and second-lead singer of K-Ci & JoJo, he participated on different solo projects as K-Ci, most notably his 1994 cover of Bobby Womack’s "If You Think You're Lonely Now", which peaked at No.17 on the Billboard Hot 100.
K-Ci has two sons, Devin Hailey and Deven Cedric Renard.
Hailey was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Anita and Cliff Hailey [2] both of whom were gospel singers. For a time, the Hailey family lived in Baltimore where they performed gospel music. The family later returned to Charlotte when Cedric was a teen. He attended Garinger High School.
Along with younger brother, Joel (known professionally as "JoJo") and his father, Hailey recorded three gospel albums as "Little Cedric and the Hailey Singers" [3] beginning with the 1983 release I'm Alright Now by Atlanta International Records, Gospel. [4] Though the album failed to place on any Billboard magazine charts, [5] the next two releases, 1984's Jesus Saves and God's Blessing in 1985, [4] [5] both placed upon the Billboard Gospel Albums chart; the former at No. 4 and the latter at No. 22. [5]
Cedric and Joel's gospel singing eventually connected them with the DeGrate brothers, Donald "DeVante Swing" DeGrate and Dalvin DeGrate, with whom they formed the R&B group Jodeci. As lead vocalist for the group, Hailey and Jodeci would release three multi-platinum albums between 1991 and 1995. In 1996, the group announced a hiatus from recording and releasing music. Hailey continued to record with his brother as the duo K-Ci & JoJo, releasing five albums between 1997 and 2013.
As K-Ci, he recorded the 1992 duet "I Don’t Want to Do Anything" with Mary J. Blige on her debut album What's the 411? . Also, his cover of Bobby Womack's "If You Think You're Lonely Now" was featured on the soundtrack to the 1994 film, Jason's Lyric . It was released as a single and peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Hailey dated fellow R&B singer and then label-mate Mary J. Blige from 1992 to 1997. Blige stated that they were engaged, but Hailey denied that they were going to get married. [6] [7]
The two Hailey brothers are cousins of R&B singers Fantasia Barrino, Dave Hollister, Calvin Richardson, and Stephanie Mills. [8]
K-Ci has two sons, Devin Hailey and Deven Cedric Renard.
Jodeci is an American R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1988 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci began as a duo of DeVanté Swing and JoJo but later each added their brothers. After signing with Uptown Records in 1990, the group finished work on their debut album, Forever My Lady (1991), which brought them mainstream success with three straight Billboard R&B No. 1 hit singles: the album's titular track, "Stay" and "Come and Talk to Me".
Diary of a Mad Band is the second studio album from American R&B group Jodeci, released December 21, 1993, on Uptown Records and distributed through MCA Records. The album also featured the first-ever album appearances from Timbaland & Magoo, S.B.I, Missy Elliott and Sista, two years before the latter group became known in the music industry. New Jersey rapper Redman also makes a guest appearance on the album. It was Jodeci's second album to reach number one on the R&B album chart, where it stayed for two weeks. It spawned the number 1 R&B hit "Cry for You"; the number 2 R&B hit "Feenin'", and the Top 15 R&B hit "What About Us". Despite not being released as a single, the album's opening track, "My Heart Belongs To U", was also an urban radio hit with it peaking at #55 & charting for 20 weeks on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. To date, the album has sold over four million copies in the United States and six million worldwide.
K-Ci & JoJo is an American R&B duo, consisting of brothers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey and Joel "JoJo" Hailey. Natives of Charlotte, North Carolina, they are also the lead singers of the chart-topping R&B group Jodeci with the DeGrate brothers—Donald and Mr. Dalvin. They are known for the 1998 smash hit "All My Life" which was the No.1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and received multiple Grammy nominations. They were also featured artists on another No.1 Billboard Hot 100 hit single, 2Pac’s 1996 song "How Do U Want It", which also received a Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy nomination in 1997. K-Ci & JoJo also achieved mainstream success with the 1999 hit "Tell Me It's Real", which peaked at No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their 2001 song "Crazy" was included on the Save the Last Dance soundtrack and peaked at No.11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Donald Earle DeGrate Jr., better known by his stage name DeVanté Swing, is an American record producer, singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known as the main songwriter and producer of the R&B group Jodeci, which includes his younger brother Dalvin “Mr. Dalvin” DeGrate. DeVante Swing also created Swing Mob, which consisted of various artists he discovered and mentored, such as Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Magoo, Ginuwine, Static Major with Playa, Darryl Pearson, Tweet, Jimmy Douglass, Stevie J, and Chad "Dr. Ceuss" Elliott among others.
Dalvin Ertimus DeGrate is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and rapper, best known as Mr. Dalvin, one-quarter of the R&B group Jodeci. He is the younger brother of Jodeci member DeVante Swing.
"Enough Cryin" a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Sean Garrett, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins for her seventh studio album, The Breakthrough (2005), while production was helmed by the latter. The song introduces Blige's rap alter ego, Brook Lynn, who delivers the song's rap verse. Blige's rap verse was originally written by Jay-Z for Foxy Brown, but Jerkins rejected Brown's vocals and it was instead suggested that Blige record the verse herself.
"Forever My Lady" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci from their debut album of the same name (1991). The song was the second single released in promotion for the album in August 1991. "Forever My Lady" was the first of five number one R&B hits for the group, spending two weeks at number one on the US R&B chart and also peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was written and produced by member DeVante Swing and singer/producer Al B. Sure!. The song was dedicated to Al B. Sure!'s then girlfriend Kim Porter, as well as their newborn son Quincy.
"Cry for You" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci recorded for their second album, Diary of a Mad Band (1993). The song was released as the album's lead single in November 1993 by Uptown/MCA. It peaked at number fifteen on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and also spent four weeks at number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart, and number one Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop airplay chart. The song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales in excess of 500,000 units.
"Come and Talk to Me" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci from their debut album Forever My Lady (1991). The song was the fourth single released in promotion for the album in March 1992. As the third number one R&B hit for Jodeci, "Come and Talk to Me" spent number 1 on the R&B chart for two weeks and peaked at 11 on the Hot 100. The song also topped the R&B year-end chart for 1992.
Love Always is the debut album of American R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo, released on June 17, 1997, by MCA Records. It was recorded at various studios in New York and the Los Angeles area in 1996 and 1997. It was produced by JoJo and several others, including DeVante Swing, Jon-John Robinson, James Mtume, and Jeff Redd. The duo were originally a part of Jodeci before this album.
My Book is the debut solo album of K-Ci Hailey of Jodeci as well as K-Ci & JoJo. One single was released off the album called "It's All Love" featuring KansasCali.
"If You Think You're Lonely Now" is a song recorded and released by American soul singer-songwriter Bobby Womack in 1981 from his album The Poet. It was initially released as the b-side to his song "Secrets" but proved to be the more popular track. The single reached number three for four weeks on the Hot Soul Singles chart. This is significant because Womack released the song during a time when R&B was on a down slope and the charts were largely dominated by dance music.
"Feenin'" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci, recorded for their second album, Diary of a Mad Band (1993). It was released as the second single from the album in March 1994.
"Let's Go Through the Motions" is a song written and produced by DeVante Swing and performed by American R&B group Jodeci. It was released on April 6, 1993 through Uptown/MCA Records as the lead single off the original motion picture soundtrack of Ted Demme's film Who's the Man?
"Freek'n You" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci recorded for their third album, The Show, the After Party, the Hotel (1995). The song, released as the album's first single, peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995. Listed by Billboard magazine as one of the best selling singles of 1995, it was certified gold by the RIAA for sales in excess of 600,000 units.
"Love U 4 Life" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci recorded for their third album, The Show, the After Party, the Hotel (1995). The song was released as the second single for the album on Halloween 1995, and peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100.
4 All the Sistas Around da World is the debut and sole studio album recorded by American R&B group Sista, released September 20, 1994, on Elektra Records. One of the group members at the time was future rap star Missy Elliott.
Close to You is the second studio album from American hip hop artist Father MC, released on May 19, 1992, on Uptown Records. The album includes a guest appearance by Mary J. Blige.
The Past, the Present, the Future is the fourth studio album from American R&B group Jodeci, released on March 31, 2015 on Sphinx Music Entertainment and distributed through Epic Records. It is the group's first studio album in 20 years.
The following list is a discography of production by DeVante Swing
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help){{cite web}}
: |author=
has generic name (help)