Hi-Five
Encyclopedia
Hi-Five is an American R&B quintet based out of Waco, Texas
, who had a #1 hit on Billboard's Hot 100 in the early 1990s with "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)
". Hi-Five was formed in 1990, and consisted of the late Tony Thompson
, Roderick "Pooh" Clark, Marcus Sanders, Russell Neal, and Toriano Easley. Easley was later replaced by Treston Irby.
in late 1989 and released their first album, Hi-Five, in 1990. The album went platinum and was produced by legendary producer Teddy Riley; it included such singles as "I Just Can't Handle It" (R&B #10), "I Can't Wait Another Minute" (Pop #8, R&B #1), and their biggest hit to date, "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)", which went to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
and the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart. The group was aggressively marketed by Jive and was part of the "new jack swing
" sound that dominated much of the early to mid-1990s urban contemporary radio format. Hi-Five enjoyed marginal mainstream success and were essentially similar in design to R&B counterparts such as H-Town
, Shai
, Public Announcement
, and perhaps most notably, Boyz II Men
.
Hi-Five's second LP, Keep It Goin' On, came out in 1992. Though not as successful as their debut effort, several tracks from this album, including "She's Playing Hard To Get" (Pop #5, R&B #2) and the R. Kelly
-penned "Quality Time" (Pop #38, R&B #3) got major airplay in East Coast (US) urban markets. Shortly after this album was released, Roderick "Pooh" Clark was involved in a near-fatal automobile accident. In 1993, Hi-Five emerged with a third album, Faithful, which featured the songs "Unconditional Love" (Pop #92, R&B #21) and "Never Should've Let You Go" (Pop #30, R&B #10). "Unconditional Love" was also featured in the multi-platinum Menace II Society
soundtrack, and received extensive airplay on urban contemporary stations throughout the summer of 1993 as the movie increased in popularity.
In 2005, Thompson re-incarnated Hi-Five with four new members. Their album The Return was released in 2006 on Thompson's independent label, N'Depth.
On June 1, 2007, Thompson died with no official word released by the family of his cause of death. But the autopsy report stated that there were no illegal drugs or alcohol in his system when he passed. There were traces of methadone
which is used for treatment for heroin addiction. He was found to have died as the result of a freon overdose after he had been inhaling it from an air conditioning unit. He was laid to rest in his hometown of Waco, Texas on June 9, 2007.
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
, who had a #1 hit on Billboard's Hot 100 in the early 1990s with "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)
I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)
"I Like the Way " is the title of a number-one pop and R&B single by Hi-Five from the group's debut self-titled album, Hi-Five. The hit song spent two weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart and one week at number-one on the US Billboard Hot 100.-Charts:-Track listings:CD single# Radio Edit #...
". Hi-Five was formed in 1990, and consisted of the late Tony Thompson
Tony Thompson (singer)
Tony Ulysses Thompson was an American R&B/soul singer and the lead vocalist of the R&B group Hi-Five.-Biography:...
, Roderick "Pooh" Clark, Marcus Sanders, Russell Neal, and Toriano Easley. Easley was later replaced by Treston Irby.
Rise to fame
Hi-Five was originally signed to Jive RecordsJive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
in late 1989 and released their first album, Hi-Five, in 1990. The album went platinum and was produced by legendary producer Teddy Riley; it included such singles as "I Just Can't Handle It" (R&B #10), "I Can't Wait Another Minute" (Pop #8, R&B #1), and their biggest hit to date, "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)", which went to number one on the U.S. 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...
and the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. The group was aggressively marketed by Jive and was part of the "new jack swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
" sound that dominated much of the early to mid-1990s urban contemporary radio format. Hi-Five enjoyed marginal mainstream success and were essentially similar in design to R&B counterparts such as H-Town
H-Town (band)
H-Town is an American R&B/hip hop vocal group. It was originally founded by twin brothers Keven “Dino” Conner, Solomon “Shazam” Conner, and their longtime friend Darryl “G.I.” Jackson in 1992.-Formation:...
, Shai
Shai
Shai was the deification of the concept of fate in Egyptian mythology...
, Public Announcement
Public Announcement
Public Announcement is an R&B and hip hop group, which was formed in 1990 in Chicago, Illinois, originally backing singer R. Kelly on his first album.-1990-1994: Born Into The 90's:...
, and perhaps most notably, Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
.
Hi-Five's second LP, Keep It Goin' On, came out in 1992. Though not as successful as their debut effort, several tracks from this album, including "She's Playing Hard To Get" (Pop #5, R&B #2) and the R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
-penned "Quality Time" (Pop #38, R&B #3) got major airplay in East Coast (US) urban markets. Shortly after this album was released, Roderick "Pooh" Clark was involved in a near-fatal automobile accident. In 1993, Hi-Five emerged with a third album, Faithful, which featured the songs "Unconditional Love" (Pop #92, R&B #21) and "Never Should've Let You Go" (Pop #30, R&B #10). "Unconditional Love" was also featured in the multi-platinum Menace II Society
Menace II Society
Menace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...
soundtrack, and received extensive airplay on urban contemporary stations throughout the summer of 1993 as the movie increased in popularity.
Later years
After Hi-Five disbanded around 1994, Thompson released a solo album, Sexsational, in 1995. He scored a minor hit with "I Wanna Love Like That."In 2005, Thompson re-incarnated Hi-Five with four new members. Their album The Return was released in 2006 on Thompson's independent label, N'Depth.
On June 1, 2007, Thompson died with no official word released by the family of his cause of death. But the autopsy report stated that there were no illegal drugs or alcohol in his system when he passed. There were traces of methadone
Methadone
Methadone is a synthetic opioid, used medically as an analgesic and a maintenance anti-addictive for use in patients with opioid dependency. It was developed in Germany in 1937...
which is used for treatment for heroin addiction. He was found to have died as the result of a freon overdose after he had been inhaling it from an air conditioning unit. He was laid to rest in his hometown of Waco, Texas on June 9, 2007.
Albums
- 1990: Hi-Five (Jive/Novus) - US Pop #38, US R&B #1
- 1992: Keep It Goin' On (Jive/Novus) - US Pop #82, US R&B #9
- 1993: Faithful (Jive) - US Pop #105, US R&B #
- 1994: Greatest Hits (Jive)
- 2005: The Return (N'Depth Entertainment)
Singles
- 1990: "I Just Can't Handle It" - US R&B #10
- 1991: "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)"I Like the Way " is the title of a number-one pop and R&B single by Hi-Five from the group's debut self-titled album, Hi-Five. The hit song spent two weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart and one week at number-one on the US Billboard Hot 100.-Charts:-Track listings:CD single# Radio Edit #...
" - US Pop #1, US R&B #1, UKUK Singles ChartThe 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 ...
#43 - 1991: "I Can't Wait Another MinuteI Can't Wait Another Minute"I Can't Wait Another Minute" is the title of a number-one R&B single by Hi-Five. The hit song spent one week at number-one on the US R&B chart, and peaked at number eight on the US Pop chart.-Charts:...
" - US Pop #8, US R&B #1 - 1991: "Just Another Girlfriend" - US Pop #88, US R&B #41
- 1992: "She's Playing Hard to Get" - US Pop #5, US R&B #2, UK #55
- 1992: "Quality Time" - US #38, R&B #3
- 1993: "Mary, Mary" - US R&B #50
- 1993: "Unconditional Love" - US Pop #92, US R&B #21
- 1993: "Never Should've Let You Go" - US Pop #30, US R&B #10
- 1994: "Faithful" - US R&B #52
- 1994: "What Can I Say to You (To Justify My Love)" - US R&B #72
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "I Just Can't Handle It" | Stéphane Sednaoui |
| 1991 | "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game) I Like the Way (The Kissing Game) "I Like the Way " is the title of a number-one pop and R&B single by Hi-Five from the group's debut self-titled album, Hi-Five. The hit song spent two weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart and one week at number-one on the US Billboard Hot 100.-Charts:-Track listings:CD single# Radio Edit #... " |
|
| "I Can't Wait Another Minute I Can't Wait Another Minute "I Can't Wait Another Minute" is the title of a number-one R&B single by Hi-Five. The hit song spent one week at number-one on the US R&B chart, and peaked at number eight on the US Pop chart.-Charts:... " |
||
| "Just Another Girlfriend" | ||
| 1992 | "She's Playing Hard to Get" | Lionel C. Martin |
| "Quality Time" | ||
| 1993 | "Unconditional Love" | Marcus Nispel |
| "Never Should've Let You Go" | ||
| 1994 | "Faithful" | |
| "What Can I Say to You (To Justify My Love)" (w/ Nuttin Nyce) |