The two sets of brothers that founded Jodeci in 1989 both got their starts in gospel groups in their hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina; K-Ci and JoJo Hailey had the pipes, and DeVante and Dalvin DeGrate had the songwriting and production chops to match. In 1991, the quartet arrived, demo tape in hand, at the New York office of Uptown Records—the imprint known for its role in the new jack swing boom of the late ’80s, blending R&B melodies with rap beats. It was exactly the audience for Jodeci’s seductive vocals and bold productions. Uptown signed the foursome the same day, giving Sean “Puffy” Combs his first official A&R gig and naming new jack swing mainstay Al B. Sure as executive producer alongside DeVante.
When Jodeci’s debut record, Forever My Lady, arrived later that same year, it was assumed that uptempo hip hop-inspired tracks like lead single “Gotta Love” would win listeners over. Instead, it was their slow jams that made them stars: The title track, a tender ode to domestic bliss, was the group’s big break, and its follow-up, the slinky “Stay,” oozed devoted sensuality. The group had it all—they appealed to new-schoolers and traditionalists, date-night smoochers and dance-floor partiers, R&B purists and hip-hop heads. They had church-trained voices, X-rated dance moves, and edgy street style. With just one album to their name, the brothers had thoroughly shaken up the scene.