Jodeci

Released: March 31, 2015

Songwriter: DeVante Swing Steve Beckham

Producer: Sanchez Holmes DeVante Swing

[Chorus]
Nobody wins 'til we fight, fuss and argue
Nobody wins, we say we're leavin' but we never do
Nobody wins 'til we fuss, fight, and argue
Nobody wins, we say we're leavin' but we never do

[Verse 1]
Watch it, stop throwin' those pots and pans
Nobody wins, watch it, we don't have to use our hands
Watch it, baby can you understand?
Watch it, I'm just bein' a man

[Chorus]

[Verse 2]
Watch it, let's talk about this
Watch it, I'm letting you miss
Watch it, you almost tore my face
Watch it, we can't afford to buy another place

[Chorus] x2

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?

more tracks from the album

The Past, The Present, The Future

From the album

The Past, The Present, The Future (2015)

Jodeci popular songs

Nobody Wins (Original)Jodeci

Jodeci

The Past, The Present, The Future