Jodeci

Released: December 21, 1993

Songwriter: K-Ci Hailey Dalvin DeGrate

Producer: Dalvin DeGrate

[Intro: Mr. Dalvin]
DeVante, K-Ci, Mr. Dalvin, JoJo
And it's on, still on, uh

[Verse 1: K-Ci, Mr. Dalvin]
Way back in 1989, I believe it was
We packed up DeVante’s car and headed up north
A little money in our pockets, but that didn’t stop us
We had to leave, oh yeah
Leaving our family behind back home
It was so sad but we said “Mama, we’re gone”
We were leaving in a rush — mama, don’t fuss
We just wanna succeed — yes, we do (Come on)

[Chorus: Jodeci, K-Ci]
For those who thought we, wouldn’t make it (Uh)
But we had to, ‘cause we had our made up mind (Yeah)
(And you know who you are)
Success is not hard to find
(Have a little faith and you will go far) (Uh)
For those who thought we, wouldn’t make it
But we had to, ‘cause we had our made up mind
(No one could stop us, no, no)
Success is not hard to find
(We had to go, we had to go)
(Come on)

[Verse 2: K-Ci, Mr. Dalvin]
We rolled around the Big Apple all night long (Uh)
Every time listening to our demo song
Not a place to sleep, nothing was cheap
But we still drove on — yes, we did (Uh)
Ended up in this motel far out away
Didn’t really care, we were still gonna stay
‘Cause we’re living life, we wasn’t gonna cry
There was always the next day
You just gotta believe it, yes you do, yes you do

[Chorus: Jodeci, K-Ci]
For those who thought we (For those who thought we), wouldn’t make it (Wouldn't make it)
But we had to (Yeah, yeah), ‘cause we had our made up mind
(No one could stop us, no, no)
Success is not hard to find
(No, no, no, no, no, I said nobody, nobody)
For those who thought we (Thought we), wouldn’t make it (Wouldn't make it)
But we had to, ‘cause we had our made up mind
(Well, well, well, well)
Success is not hard to find
(Don’t you know we just gotta keep moving on)

[Bridge: Jodeci, K-Ci]
Now we just gotta keep on
(Singing your favorite song)
Singing your favorite song
(Song after song after song)
Getting you up on your feet
(Everybody get on up)
Moving you to a beat
(Can you feel it?)

[Interlude: Mr. Dalvin & K-Ci]
To our families, to our fans
For everybody who supported us
Thank you
Sincerely yours, Jodeci
(Ha, we're not gonna leave it alone, no, no)
Peace
(Confidence too high)
Jodeci, sing

[Chorus: Jodeci, K-Ci]
For those who thought we (For those who thought we), wouldn’t make it (Wouldn't make it)
But we had to, ‘cause we had our made up mind
(We drove for twelve long hours)
Success is not hard to find
(Looking for a place to sleep, looking for a place to eat)
For those who thought we (Ooh yeah), wouldn’t make it (Oh)
But we had to, ‘cause we had our made up mind (Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
Success is not hard to find (Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
For those who thought we, wouldn’t make it (Yeah)
But we had to, ‘cause we had our made up mind
(Most of all, we love each other)
Success is not hard to find

Started in 1983, Jodeci is comprised of two sets of brothers—Cedric and Joel Hailey (also known as K-Ci and JoJo) and Donald and Dalvin Degrate (also known as DeVante Swing and Mr. Dalvin). Jodeci were once known as the “bad boys of R&B,” notable particularly because they were actually boys at the time, breaking out as teenagers in 1991 with their debut album and its title ballad, “Forever My Lady.” Natives of North Carolina, they were discovered by Heavy D, who overheard their demo when an A&R at Uptown was in the process of passing on them. Heavy D introduced Jodeci to Uptown founder Andre Harrell, who signed them after they sang in his office, and handed them off to his then-protégé Puff Daddy, who outfitted the group in dark shades and coordinating leather ensembles. The look, along with the streetwise soul found in songs like “Cry 4 U” and “Feenin” (as well as a few run-ins with the law) made them the antithesis to good-guy personas of then-peaking R&B superstars Boyz II Men. Devante, who along with Mr. Dalvin held down production duties for the group, founded the Swing Mob, a collective responsible for the discovery of musical geniuses like Timbaland, Missy Elliott, and Static Major. As a group, Jodeci would go on to release three critically-acclaimed album in the ‘90s, before disappearing from the limelight. K-Ci and JoJo splintered off as a duo in 1997, producing hit single “All My Life” and, eventually, five albums, but adoring fans never let go of their Jodeci obsession. In March, the group released The Past, The Present, The Future, the first Jodeci album in two decades. Jodeci, if y'all reading this, where’d you go?

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