Blaque
Encyclopedia
Blaque is an American Urban-R&B group that had a string of hits in the late 90’s. The group's name stands for Believing, Life, Achieving, Quest, Unity, Everything. Their debut album sold more than 1.5 million copies and was certified Platinum. The group's debut included the gold selling single “808”, the international hit “Bring It All To Me”, and a third single, “I Do”. The group went on hiatus from 2002 until 2007, releasing only three unsuccessful singles, “Can’t Get It Back”, “Ugly”, and the international single from the film Honey
, “I’m Good”. The group has three members: Shamari Fears-Devoe, Natina Reed, and Brandi Williams.
In 1999, Billboard named Blaque the 4th Best New Artist of 1999, with Bring It All To Me landing at #30 on the 2000 Year End Chart.
and met while in high school. Reed formed Blaque Ivory while Fears formed another group called Intrigue. Intrigue won a recording contract with Elektra Records
, and Fears met up with Williams at a talent show while a member of that group. Fears left Intrigue to join up with Reed in Blaque Ivory and Williams joined the group shortly thereafter. Reed met Ronald Lopes while singing jingles to earn extra cash and he introduced her to his sister Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
of TLC
. Lisa Lopes signed the group to her production company, Left Eye Productions.
's "Not Tonight (Remix)."
Their self-titled debut
debuted at number 23 on Billboard
s Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and at number 53 on the official Billboard 200
and was certification platinum by RIAA. The album's lead single "808
" was a success in the U.S. reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100
singles chart and Gold
certification. The follow-up single "Bring It All to Me" which featured JC Chasez, was a hit making #4 on the Billboard Hot 100
singles chart. The last single "I Do" wasn't a success like the previous singles with only reaching #73 on the R&B/Hip-Hop single chart. Their single "I Do" was nominated for a MTV
Video Music Award for Best Editing. Blaque was also one of the opening acts for TLC
's FanMail Tour
.
They later made their film debut in Bring It On
in August 2000.
, which was set for release in 2001, went unreleased as the group was dropped from Columbia Records. The video for the first single "Can't Get It Back
" was never released. The album was soon leaked on the Internet. After Lisa Lopes's death in a car crash in Honduras
on April 25, 2002, they signed with Elektra Records
and began work on their third album. An alternate version of the shelved album was released to iTunes
on May 22, 2007.
, songwriter Linda Perry
, and producer Rodney Jerkins
. The buzz single was "No Ganksta" which was an answerback song
to 50 Cent
's song "Wanksta". Missy Elliott produced the intended first single "Ugly
". However, because radio did not pick up the song, it was decided that "I'm Good" would be released instead.
"I'm Good" also appeared on the soundtrack for the film Honey as well as themselves.
Due to the poor success "I'm Good" achieved, the release date for Torch was pushed back. Finally, news came up their next single would be "Hopeless" - a man-bashing, Darkchild produced song; however, it failed to be released.
Torch was scheduled to be released exclusively to iTunes
in 2008, nearly 5 years after its completion by Music World Entertainment, but was later canceled for a second time. It has been confirmed that Mathew Knowles owns the rights to the album.
went into ministry in early 2004. She was soon replaced by singer/rapper Erica Pullins who performed with them overseas. They recorded some new songs and re-recorded old ones with new member, but the album failed to be released and Blaque disbanded.
Shamari was signed to Darkchild Records in 2005. Brandi also signed a new record deal and started working on a solo album. She also provided vocals on the hook of Nelly
's first single from his 2005 album Sweatsuit, "Grillz
".
, Brandi Williams
, and Natina Reed
reformed Blaque. They performed on several occasions in Germany and other countries. During that time, Erica Pullins kept fans up to date via the internet. She stated she is currently working on a solo record.
In 2005, Blaque began work on their long awaited fourth studio album Private Show (originally titled Beauty).
In 2007, a song "It Is What It Is" was slated to be released as the lead single, but this was confirmed to be false, and was heavily denied to be part of the album.
as members of the East Compton Clovers cheerleading squad fronted by Gabrielle Union
. Williams also had a small role (playing herself) in the 2001 movie On the Line
. Blaque also appears on Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes's 2001 solo debut album, Supernova
, on the track titled "Head to the Sky", which was only released internationally. In 2005, two clips of Shamari's solo songs titled "The One" (Covered & released by Megan Rochell
in 2006) and "NJ2" were leaked onto the internet. The girls were also set to do a song with Bahamian Artist T Jay but had to back out.
BET Awards
Soul Train Lady Of Soul Awards
Billboard Video Awards
Honey (2003 film)
Honey is a 2003 motion picture released by Universal Pictures. Featuring music produced by Rodney Jerkins, the film stars Jessica Alba, Mekhi Phifer, Lil' Romeo, Joy Bryant, David Moscow and features performances by Tweet, Jadakiss and Ginuwine. It also features a cameo by Missy Elliott...
, “I’m Good”. The group has three members: Shamari Fears-Devoe, Natina Reed, and Brandi Williams.
In 1999, Billboard named Blaque the 4th Best New Artist of 1999, with Bring It All To Me landing at #30 on the 2000 Year End Chart.
Discovery
Reed and Fears both moved to Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
and met while in high school. Reed formed Blaque Ivory while Fears formed another group called Intrigue. Intrigue won a recording contract with Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
, and Fears met up with Williams at a talent show while a member of that group. Fears left Intrigue to join up with Reed in Blaque Ivory and Williams joined the group shortly thereafter. Reed met Ronald Lopes while singing jingles to earn extra cash and he introduced her to his sister Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
Lisa Lopes
Lisa Nicole Lopes better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper, singer, dancer, actress, television host, and songwriter...
of TLC
TLC (band)
TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...
. Lisa Lopes signed the group to her production company, Left Eye Productions.
1997 - 2001: Rise to Fame and Debut album
In 1997, the group made a cameo appearance in the video Lil' KimLil' Kim
Kimberly Denise Jones , better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who was a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A.....
's "Not Tonight (Remix)."
Their self-titled debut
Blaque (album)
Blaque is self-titled debut album from American girl-group Blaque. The album debuted #53 on the Billboard 200 albums chart where it went platinum.Their third single "Bring It All to Me" featured JC Chasez , and reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album also featured a cover...
debuted at number 23 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and at number 53 on the official Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and was certification platinum by RIAA. The album's lead single "808
808 (song)
"808" is an R&B song released in 1999 by American R&B Vocal trio, Blaque. "808" was released as the lead single from Blaque's self-titled debut album Blaque. "808" was a success in the United States becoming the group's first top ten hit peaking at number-eight on the Billboard Hot 100, and also...
" was a success in the U.S. reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles chart and Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
certification. The follow-up single "Bring It All to Me" which featured JC Chasez, was a hit making #4 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles chart. The last single "I Do" wasn't a success like the previous singles with only reaching #73 on the R&B/Hip-Hop single chart. Their single "I Do" was nominated for a MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
Video Music Award for Best Editing. Blaque was also one of the opening acts for TLC
TLC (band)
TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...
's FanMail Tour
FanMail Tour
The FanMail Tour was the first concert tour performed by the American pop/R&B group TLC. In support of their album FanMail, the arena tour ran from late 1999 into early 2000. It covered the United States and Canada. There were six dates scheduled for Japan, but all dates were canceled.The Tour...
.
They later made their film debut in Bring It On
Bring It On
Bring It On may refer to:In film and television:*Bring It On , a 2000 film about a high school cheerleading squad**Bring It On Again, a 2004 sequel**Bring It On: All or Nothing, a 2006 sequel...
in August 2000.
2001 - 2002: Death of Lisa "Left eye" Lopes and Blaque Out
While their self-titled debut album went platinum, the second album called Blaque OutBlaque Out
Blaque Out! is the second studio album by American trio Blaque. The album was scrapped a few weeks before its announced release date in the U.S. and Europe, resulting in an official release in Japanese markets only. It was released to mixed reviews....
, which was set for release in 2001, went unreleased as the group was dropped from Columbia Records. The video for the first single "Can't Get It Back
Can't Get It Back
"Can't Get It Back" was the second single from Mis-Teeq's second album, Eye Candy.-Song information:Originally, the single was scheduled to be released by American R&B trio Blaque as the first single from their second album called "Blaque Out". Blaque recorded a video for the song. However, the...
" was never released. The album was soon leaked on the Internet. After Lisa Lopes's death in a car crash in Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
on April 25, 2002, they signed with Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
and began work on their third album. An alternate version of the shelved album was released to iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on May 22, 2007.
2003: Torch
Their third album Torch featured a number of A-list music industry figures including Missy ElliottMissy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, songwriter Linda Perry
Linda Perry
Linda Perry is an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer. Once best known as the lead singer and primary songwriter of 4 Non Blondes, Perry has founded two record labels and has become a major songwriter and producer...
, and producer Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
. The buzz single was "No Ganksta" which was an answerback song
Answer song
An answer song is, as the name suggests, a song made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. It is also known as a response song. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s through 1950s...
to 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
's song "Wanksta". Missy Elliott produced the intended first single "Ugly
Ugly (Blaque song)
"Ugly" is a song by Blaque. It was released as the first single from Blaque's unreleased third album, Torch. The single was sent to radio stations on June 10, 2003 in hopes of creating a buzz for their upcoming album...
". However, because radio did not pick up the song, it was decided that "I'm Good" would be released instead.
"I'm Good" also appeared on the soundtrack for the film Honey as well as themselves.
Due to the poor success "I'm Good" achieved, the release date for Torch was pushed back. Finally, news came up their next single would be "Hopeless" - a man-bashing, Darkchild produced song; however, it failed to be released.
Torch was scheduled to be released exclusively to iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
in 2008, nearly 5 years after its completion by Music World Entertainment, but was later canceled for a second time. It has been confirmed that Mathew Knowles owns the rights to the album.
Temporary split
ReedNatina Reed
Natina Tiawanna Reed is an American actress, rapper, singer, teen idol and songwriter in the R&B trio Blaque. On most of Blaque's songs, Reed is featured as a rapper, except on "Mind of a King" where she sings the song entirely on her own...
went into ministry in early 2004. She was soon replaced by singer/rapper Erica Pullins who performed with them overseas. They recorded some new songs and re-recorded old ones with new member, but the album failed to be released and Blaque disbanded.
Shamari was signed to Darkchild Records in 2005. Brandi also signed a new record deal and started working on a solo album. She also provided vocals on the hook of Nelly
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
's first single from his 2005 album Sweatsuit, "Grillz
Grillz
"Grillz" is a song by American rapper Nelly from his compilation album Sweatsuit. The song features Paul Wall and Ali & Gipp. Brandi Williams also does back-up vocals on the song, but is not officially credited as a featured artist . The song was produced by Jermaine Dupri. The song is about...
".
2004 - 2007: Blaque Reunited and New Album
In 2004, Shamari Fears-DeVoeShamari Fears
Shamari Fears–DeVoe is the lead singer from the R&B group, Blaque. She is married to Ronnie DeVoe of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe.She was born in Detroit, Michigan.-Album Appearances:-Filmography:-Television:...
, Brandi Williams
Brandi Williams
Brandi Danielle Williams is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is most notable for singing in the R&B trio Blaque.-Early life:...
, and Natina Reed
Natina Reed
Natina Tiawanna Reed is an American actress, rapper, singer, teen idol and songwriter in the R&B trio Blaque. On most of Blaque's songs, Reed is featured as a rapper, except on "Mind of a King" where she sings the song entirely on her own...
reformed Blaque. They performed on several occasions in Germany and other countries. During that time, Erica Pullins kept fans up to date via the internet. She stated she is currently working on a solo record.
In 2005, Blaque began work on their long awaited fourth studio album Private Show (originally titled Beauty).
In 2007, a song "It Is What It Is" was slated to be released as the lead single, but this was confirmed to be false, and was heavily denied to be part of the album.
Other media
In addition to their recording work, Reed, Fears, and Williams appeared in the 2000 film Bring It OnBring It On (film)
Bring It On is a 2000 teen comedy film about two competing high school cheerleading squads, starring Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, and Gabrielle Union...
as members of the East Compton Clovers cheerleading squad fronted by Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Monique Union is an American actress and former model. Among her notable roles is as the cheerleader opposite Kirsten Dunst in the film Bring it On. Union starred opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the blockbuster film Bad Boys II and played a medical doctor in the CBS drama...
. Williams also had a small role (playing herself) in the 2001 movie On the Line
On the Line (film)
On the Line is a 2001 American romantic comedy film starring Lance Bass and Emmanuelle Chriqui. The film was directed by Eric Bross and was written by Eric Aronson and Paul Stanton, based upon their short film of the same name.-Plot:...
. Blaque also appears on Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes's 2001 solo debut album, Supernova
Supernova (Lisa Lopes album)
Supernova is the debut and final studio album by Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes .-Album information:The album was not released in the United States, although it was released in other countries. The first single, "The Block Party", was sent to radio in the summer of 2001, becoming a top 20 hit in the U.K.,...
, on the track titled "Head to the Sky", which was only released internationally. In 2005, two clips of Shamari's solo songs titled "The One" (Covered & released by Megan Rochell
Megan Rochell
Megan Rochell is an American contemporary R&B singer, who was formerly signed to Def Jam Records.-Biography:At the age of 11, Megan was a 5-time winner on Showtime at the Apollo. Several years later, she met Philadelphia International's Leon Huff and started working on her recording career...
in 2006) and "NJ2" were leaked onto the internet. The girls were also set to do a song with Bahamian Artist T Jay but had to back out.
Albums
- 1999: BlaqueBlaque (album)Blaque is self-titled debut album from American girl-group Blaque. The album debuted #53 on the Billboard 200 albums chart where it went platinum.Their third single "Bring It All to Me" featured JC Chasez , and reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album also featured a cover...
- 2002: Blaque OutBlaque OutBlaque Out! is the second studio album by American trio Blaque. The album was scrapped a few weeks before its announced release date in the U.S. and Europe, resulting in an official release in Japanese markets only. It was released to mixed reviews....
- 2004: Torch
- TBA: Private Show
Singles
| Year | Song | U.S. Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. R&B | UK singles UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "808 808 (song) "808" is an R&B song released in 1999 by American R&B Vocal trio, Blaque. "808" was released as the lead single from Blaque's self-titled debut album Blaque. "808" was a success in the United States becoming the group's first top ten hit peaking at number-eight on the Billboard Hot 100, and also... " |
8 | 4 | 31 | Blaque |
| "Bring It All to Me Bring It All To Me "Bring It All to Me" is an R&B song with Pop influences. released in 1999 by American R&B Vocal trio, Blaque featuring JC Chasez. "Bring It All to Me" was released as the second single from Blaque's self-titled debut album Blaque... " |
4 | 15 | 37 | ||
| "I Do" | — | 73 | 40 | ||
| 2002 | "Can't Get It Back Can't Get It Back "Can't Get It Back" was the second single from Mis-Teeq's second album, Eye Candy.-Song information:Originally, the single was scheduled to be released by American R&B trio Blaque as the first single from their second album called "Blaque Out". Blaque recorded a video for the song. However, the... " |
— | 91 | — | Blaque Out |
| 2003 | "Ugly Ugly (Blaque song) "Ugly" is a song by Blaque. It was released as the first single from Blaque's unreleased third album, Torch. The single was sent to radio stations on June 10, 2003 in hopes of creating a buzz for their upcoming album... " |
— | — | — | Torch |
| 2004 | "I'm Good" | — | 95 | 17 | Torch |
Album/Soundtrack appearances
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "As If" | Bring It On |
| 2001 | "Head To The Sky" with (Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes) | Supernova Supernova (Lisa Lopes album) Supernova is the debut and final studio album by Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes .-Album information:The album was not released in the United States, although it was released in other countries. The first single, "The Block Party", was sent to radio in the summer of 2001, becoming a top 20 hit in the U.K.,... |
| 2001 | "Can't Trust Myself" | On the Line On the Line (soundtrack) On the Line is the soundtrack from the film of the same name. Released on November 3, 2001.- Track listing :#"On the Line" by The On the Line All-Stars featuring Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Mandy Moore, Christian Burns and True Vibe#"That Girl " On the Line is the soundtrack from the film of the... |
| 2003 | "I'm Good" | Honey |
Tours
- TLC: Fanmail Tour
- Blaque & N'Sync Tour
- Blaque Germany Tour
- Blaque Switzerland
- Blaque Amsterdam Tour
Awards and nominations
MTV Video Music AwardsMTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
| Year | Result | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Nominated | Best Editing In A Video For: "I Do" |
BET Awards
BET Awards
The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
| Year | Result | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Nominated | Best Female Group For: "Blaque" |
Soul Train Lady Of Soul Awards
| Year | Result | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Nominated | Best R&B/Soul Or Rap New Artist For: "808" |
| 2000 | Nominated | R&B/Soul Album Of The Year, Group, Band Or Duo For: "Blaque" |
Billboard Video Awards
| Year | Result | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Won | Best New Artist-R&B For: "Bring It All To Me" |
External links
- http://www.therealnatina.com (Natina Reed Official Site)
- http://www.twitter.com/ShamariDevoe (Shamari Devoe Official Twitter)
- http://www.twitter.com/TheBrandiW (Brandi Williams Official Twitter)