The Resume

(1989-1996)
Born in Charlotte, North Carolina
Members:
DeVante Swing (September 29, 1969- ), birth name was Donald Earle DeGrate, Jr.
Mr. Dalvin (July 23, 1971- ), birth name was Dalvin Ertimus DeGrate
K-Ci (September 2, 1969- ), birth name was Cedric Hailey
JoJo (June 10, 1971- ), birth name was Joel Hailey
Reunited in 2013
Recorded the albums ‘Forever My Lady’ (1991), ‘Diary of a Mad Band’ (1993), ‘The Show, the After Party, the Hotel’ (1995) and ‘The Past, the Present, the Future’ (2015)
Recorded the singles ‘Forever My Lady’ (1991), ‘Stay’ (1991), ‘Come and Talk to Me’ (1992), ‘Cry For You’ (1993), ‘Feenin’’ (1994), ‘Freek’n You’ (1995), ‘Love U 4 Life’ (1995) and ‘Get On Up’ (1996)

Why they might be annoying:

They were given a ‘bad boys of R&B’ image when Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs had them dress in rap gear (baseball caps and jerseys, leather jackets, cell phones as fashion accessories) to distinguish them from groups like Boyz II Men.
DeVante and K-Ci were sued for sexual assault by a woman who claimed DeVante held a gun on her while K-Ci fondled her breasts (1993).
The group broke up when DeVante stopped showing up for sessions, prompting K-Ci and JoJo to go solo.
They were booed at a London reunion show after a ragged performance, including Dalvin jumping off the stage only to find he could not get back onstage (March, 2013).

Why they might not be annoying:

They were about to be turned down by an Uptown Entertainment A&R executive when Heavy D heard their tape and talked Uptown president Andre Harrell into listening to the group.
The three albums they recorded before their break-up all went multi-platinum.
Their ‘Diary of a Mad Band’ featured the first appearances on album of Missy Elliott and Timbaland.
DeVante was pistol whipped in his home by robbers who stole $160,000 worth of jewelry, electronics and clothing (1994).

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Belters
• Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Album of the Year (Ranked: 1992)
• Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year (Ranked: 1992)
• Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year (Ranked: 1992)
• Boy Bands
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 68]
• I'm in the Band With My Brother
• Look at Me, I'm a Man in Shades
• My Music was Lost in the 2008 Universal Studios Fire
• My Song Hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart [1990s] (Ranked: 1991)
• My Song Hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart [1990s] (Ranked: 1992)
• My Song Hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart [1990s] (Ranked: 1993)
• My Song Hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart [1990s] (Ranked: 1994)
• New Jack Swing Performers
• Profiles 42501-42750 (Ranked: 42634)
• Soul Train's Best R&B/Soul Album - Group, Band or Duo (Ranked: 1992)
• Soul Train's Best R&B/Soul Single - Group, Band or Duo (Ranked: 1994)
• VH-1's 40 Greatest R&B Songs of the 90's (Ranked: 23)
• VH-1's 40 Most Awesomely Bad Dirty Song Performers (Ranked: 32)
• VH-1's Dear Mama (Ranked: 2018)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 90.91% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 13 Votes: 15.38% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 20 Votes: 70.0% Annoying