Monie Love

Monie Love (born Simone Wilson on July 2, 1970 in London, England) is a British female rapper who became one of the first British hip-hop artists to be signed and distributed worldwide to a major record label. She is the daughter of a London-based jazz musician father and her brother is techno musician Dave Angel.

Monie began her career as an emcee in the British "Jus Bad" crew and the group released a single "Free Style\Proud" in 1988.

During that same year, Monie released the single "I Can Do This" which peaked at #37 on the U.K. Singles chart.

A year later, Monie released another single "Grandpa's Party" which peaked at #16 on the U.K. Singles chart.
During that same year, Monie Love got commercial success in the United States when she was featured on Queen Latifah's Grammy-winning single "Ladies First."

Monie also appeared on the Jungle Brothers "Doin' Our Own Dang" and De La Soul's "Buddy." Soon after, she was signed to Warner Bros. Records, becoming one of the first British hip-hop musicians to be signed to a major label.
In 1990, Monie released her debut album, "Down To Earth" which peaked at #109 on the Billboard 200, #26 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart and #30 on the U.K. Albums chart.
The first single from the album "Monie in the Middle" managed to top Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart, #2 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart, #7 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart, and #28 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 14 weeks.

Monie's second single "It's a Shame (My Sister)" peaked at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart, became Monie's second number-one hit on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart and peaked at #8 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 19 weeks.

The third single "Down 2 Earth" peaked at #30 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart, #75 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 5 weeks and #31 on the U.K. Singles chart.

During that same year, Monie was featured on her brother Dave's remix of Whitney Houston's song "My Name's Not Susan" and was featured in the music video.
In 1992, Monie was featured on the soundtrack to the movie "Class Act" with the song "Full-Term Love" which managed to chart at #96 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart,  #47 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks and #34 on the U.K. Singles chart.
In 1993, Monie released her sophomore album "In a Word or 2" which peaked at #39 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart and #75 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart.
The first single "Born 2 B.R.E.E.D." peaked at #89 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart, #9 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart, topped Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart for a week in April of 1993, #56 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 10 weeks and #18 on the U.K. Singles chart.

The song was produced by Prince himself and after that, he asked Monie to write lyrics for Carmen Electra's album.

The second single from the album "In a Word Or 2/The Power" peaked at #33 on the U.K. Singles chart.

During that same year, Monie released the single "Never Give Up" which peaked at #41 on the U.K. Singles chart.
In 2000, she released the single "Slice of Da Pie" which managed to peak at #29 on the U.K. Singles chart.

From 2004 to 2006, Monie was the morning drive host on Philadelphia's WPHI-FM 100.3 radio station. These days, she resides in Miami, Florida and is the single mother of four children. She has a radio show on XM Satellite Radio called "Ladies First Radio with Monie Love" that airs at Thursdays at 6:00PM\ET and Sundays at 8:00PM\ET.

To see Monie Love's MySpace page, go to:
http://www.myspace.com/monielove

To see the music video for "Monie in the Middle," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWbOQazufso

To see the music video for "It's a Shame (My Sister)," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSU73awbZUw

To see a fan-made video for "Down 2 Earth," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BUUoolivxs

To see the music video for "Full Term Love," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH-OrJSQjcY

To see the music video for "Born 2 B.R.E.E.D," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjc0ehuyEZU



[updated on 05\31\13]

Baby DC

Baby DC (born Derek Coleman on January 7, 1986 in Oakland, California) was a young male hip hop/rapper from the '90s.

He began rapping as a toddler and by the age of five, Baby DC began performing professionally. After rapper Too $hort invited him to perform at a barbeque in San Jose, California attended by a crowd of 3,000 people, Baby DC began making live appearances across the country.

In September of 1998, Baby DC released his only album "School Dayz." It was the first album released on Too $hort and Jive Records' $hort Record imprint label.

The album was mostly produced by Too $hort collaborator Ant Banks. Due to limited promotion, it didn't reach the Billboard album charts.

Baby DC's album was released before So So Def' Records' artist Lil' Bow Wow and No Limit Records' group Lil Soldiers & artist Lil Romeo.

Baby DC's first single "Bounce, Rock, Skate Roll" featuring R&B group Imajin, peaked at #12 on Billboard's Rap Singles chart, #91 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks and #45 on the U.K. Singles chart.

The follow-up singles "Get Your Hustle On" (featuring Too $hort) and "Candy Girl" (featuring Imajin once again) failed to make any impact on the charts.

After the release of his one and only album, Baby DC appeared on T.W.D.Y's 2000 album "Lead the Way" & Too $hort's 2001 "Chase the Cat" album and has since faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from him since.

To see the music video for "Bounce, Rock, Shake, Roll," go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLCc6AHgQ4g

To see the music video for "Get Your Hustle On," go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYjeCjUq2lg

To see the music video for "Candy Girl," go to:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3ljzn_baby-dc-imajin-candy-girl_news#.Ubd-y77n_IU


[updated on 06/11/13]

Le Juan Love

Le Juan Love (born Le Juan Biggers in Newport News, Virginia) was a young male hip-hop/rapper from the late '80s. He was signed to 2 Live Crew member Luther Campbell's label, Luke Skyywalker Records.

In 1988, Le Juan released his first album "I Still Feel Good" which peaked at #59 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart.

The first single "Everybody Say Yeah" peaked at #78 on Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks. The song sampled Stevie Wonder's hit song "Fingertips (Part 2)."

The follow-up singles "Jockin' Robin" (which sampled Michael Jackson's song "Rockin' Robin") and "Please Stay" didn't appear to make the charts at all.

In 1990, Le Juan appeared on Luke and the 2 Live Crew's album "Banned in the USA" on the track "This Is To Luke From the Posse."

After that, it seems as if he has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from Le Juan lately.

To see the music video for "Everybody Say Yeah," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-BWhb081F0

To see a fan-made video for "Jockin' Robin," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_K4Sh6YV9A

To see a fan-made video for "Please Stay," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzVYDt68qqU



[updated on 06/11/13]

Double Action Theatre

Double Action Theatre were an R&B group from Los Angeles, California that consisted of Isaias Gamboa, Robert Goins, Crabill Williams and D.J. Bookquam.

At the age of 17, Isaias was discovered by music producer Leon Sylvers III and during his teen years, he signed to Arista Records and later signed to Polydor Records with the group.
In 1992, the group released their self-titled debut album which didn't chart at all on the Billboard 200 or R&B charts. 

The group's only single released from the album was "Something Special" which peaked at #78 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 4 weeks.

After that, it seemed as if the group faded into obscurity, but Isaias Gamboa has been songwriting and publishing music for 30 years.

He is the founder & president of the We Shall Overcome Foundation & The Brother and Sisterhood of Minority Tradesmen. It is unknown what the other members of the group are up to today.

To see the music video for "Something Special," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvgOcxiERlw


[updated on 06/01/13]

Divine

Divine was an R&B group from the mid-'90s that consisted of members Kia Thornton, Nikki Bratcher and Toshia Tash. The girls were only teenagers when they signed with the Red Ant Entertainment label.

In 1998, Divine released their debut album "Fairy Tales" which peaked at #40 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart.
The group's first single, "Lately" became their biggest hit to date, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for a week in November of 1998 and #2 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 23 weeks. The song topped the charts weeks after the girls graduated high school.
Their follow-up single, a cover version of George Michael's "One More Try" peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #13 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart, staying on the chart for 20 weeks.

Despite the success of their debut album, Divine split up in 2000.

In 2007, Kia auditioned for "American Idol," but lost in the Hollywood rounds. These days, she (now Kia Miller) is the singer, songwriter, actress and C.E.O. of "A Melody Just For You." She resides in Englewood, New Jersey.

Nikki (now Nikki Bratcher-Beasley) is the A&R and manager at C.E.O. Nikki Poo Music. It is unknown what Toshia Tash is up to today.

To see Kia Thornton's MySpace page, go to:
www.myspace.com/kiathornton

To see the music video for "Lately," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uOzZRgJsX8

To see the music video for "One More Try," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uOzZRgJsX8


[updated on 05\31\13]

Tha Truth!

Tha Truth! were a female R&B group from Houston, Texas that consisted of Cindy Goodson, Teresa Lewis and Jamie Williams.

Cindy and Teresa used to be teammates on the Texas Southern University women's basketball team and kept the team entertained by singing soulful songs by R&B artists such as Shirley Murdock, Anita Baker, & Angela Winbush. Cindy also liked to solo on freestyle raps.

The girls later hooked up with Jamie Williams, who was a student at Prairie View A&M University and moonlighted as a Houston Oilers' Derrick Doll at an audition for another local group. The three of them hit off so well that they decided to forget the audition and start their own group.

The trio's original name was "Spyce" and they performed locally for a couple of years and in 1995, they headed to Los Angeles where they met music producer T-Smoov of the Def Squad and later worked with Erick Sermon.

In 1997, the group released their debut album "Makin' Moves Everyday" which peaked at #93 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart.

Their first single, "Red Lights" peaked at #27 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #71 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks.

The second single "Everyday" became their biggest hit to date, peaking at #59 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 10 weeks.

The last single from the album "Makin' Moves" (featuring Keith Murray) peaked at #73 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 4 weeks. After that, it seemed as if the group had faded into obscurity. 

These days, Cindy Goodson is the president and C.E.O. of the Le Mystique Consulting Boutique and is currently working on a second Master's Degree.

One of the girls has changed her stage name to Scenic Woods and has an active solo music career, but I am not sure which one of them is it.

To see Scenic Woods' Reverbnation.com page, go to:
http://www.reverbnation.com/scenicwoods

To follow Scenic Woods on Twitter, go to:
https://twitter.com/ScenicWoods

To see the music video for "Everyday," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz-y9Gq1wzU

To see the music video for "Makin' Moves," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6K0bvkBK90

To see a fan-made video for "Red Lights," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCnNlbl3GXg


[updated on 05\31\13]

Trellini

Trellini (born Trellini Davis in Miami, Florida) was an R&B singer from the mid-90's. Not much information is given on this singer, but she was signed to Luke Records.

In 1994, Trellini released her self-titled debut album which didn't appear to chart at all on the Billboard 200 or R&B charts.

Her first single, "I Wanna Be Yours" peaked at #70 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks.

The follow-up single, "Take it Slow" featuring H-Town member, Dino, peaked at #94 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 3 weeks.

After that, it seemed that Trellini has faded into obscurity. Not much has been heard from her since.

To see the music video for "I Wanna Be Yours," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFzeOYMGf_E

To see a fan-made music video for "Take It Slow," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz-8XSi_IPE


[updated on 05\08\12]

Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam (born Samuel Turner Jr. on May 31, 1971 in Detroit, Michigan) is a former R&B singer from the 90s.

He began singing and preaching in church when he was 3 years old, preached his first sermon when he was 11 years old and traveled across the country preaching & singing when he was only 12 years old. He starred in the play "A Good Man is Hard to Find."

Sam was later introduced to the music business and signed a record deal with Boyz II Men's record label, Stonecreek Records.

In 1997, Uncle Sam released his self-titled debut album which peaked at #68 on the Billboard 200, #24 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart and #4 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart.

The first single from the album "Can You Feel It" peaked at #86 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 4 weeks.

The follow-up single "I Don't Ever Want to See You Again" became Uncle Sam's biggest hit to date, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on Billboard's Rhythmic Top 40 chart, #28 on Billboard's Top 40 Mainstream chart and #2 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 33 weeks.

The song also peaked at #30 on the U.K. Singles chart. The song was written & produced by Boyz II Men member Nathan Morris who also provided backing vocals to the song and Michael McCrary provided the monologue to the song.

In 1998, his cover version of Bad English's hit song "When I See You Smile" was featured on the "Touched By An Angel" television soundtrack. The song managed to peak at #35 on Billboard's Rhythmic Top 40 chart.

Today, Uncle Sam (now Pastor Samuel Turner Jr) is the pastor and founder of the Life Savior's Baptist Church in Douglasville, Georgia.

To see the music video for "I Don't Ever Want To See You Again," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWasrUYMHgo

To see the music video for "Can You Feel It," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLpcR0lXCLQ

To see a fan-made video for "When I See You Smile," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvMBHlHECsY


[updated on 05\31\13]

Pretty in Pink

Pretty In Pink were a multi-cultural R&B female group from the mid 90s whose members consisted of Milini Khan (born Indira Milini Khan and is the daughter of singer Chaka Khan), Taniya Robinson, Tameika Chaney, Maurissa Tancharoen (born Maurissa Anne Tancharoen on November 28, 1975 in Los Angeles, California) and Shey Sperry.

In 1991, the group released their debut album, "Wake Up" on Motown Records. It's unknown how or if it ever charted at all.

The group's only song to chart was "All About You" which peaked at #96 on the Billboard Hot 100, #47 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart, and #28 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 13 weeks.

The follow-up single, "Dreams" was also released, but didn't chart at all. Due to lack of promotion, the group disbanded and had seemed to have faded into obscurity.

These days, Milini continues songwriting and recording back-up vocals. She has also toured extensively with the Daughters of Soul which is an internationally touring collective of successful female soul singers.

Maurissa Tancharoen works as an actress & television writer. She is married to television director & writer Jed Whedon. As for the other other members, it's unknown what they are up today.


To see the music video for "All About You," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2EMo20xdco



[Updated on 06\11\13]

Coming of Age

Coming of Age were a Los Angeles R&B quintet from the '90s that consisted of members Terrance Quaites, Israel Spencer, Ivan Shaw, Tee Kese, and Marthony Tobb.
In 1993, the group released their self-titled debut album on Atlantic Records which peaked at #7 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart & #43 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart.

The group's first single and biggest hit to date, "Coming Home to Love" peaked at #101 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and #27 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 20 weeks.

The follow-up single, "Baby Be Still" peaked at #63 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks. The group appeared on "Soul Train" in 1993 with Tisha Campbell and Das Efx.

In 1995, Coming Of Age released a sophomore album, "Coming Correct" which was unsuccessful and after that, it seemed that the group faded away into obscurity.

These days, member TQ has a moderately successful solo career. Tao Kese started a solo career on an independent record label. As for the other members of the group, their whereabouts are unknown.

To see the music video for "Coming Home For Love," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkf4eoddzc

To see the music video for "Baby Be Still," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzU9o9zSo6k


[updated on 05\08\12]