Jodeci - It seems its time to hang the mic up guys.

On a night set to ignite a love for all things 90′s R&B related, an extremely poor live performance last night (March 23rd) cemented the demise of one of R&B’s once great all male groups.
In a lineup that included Changing Faces, SWV, Dru Hill, and Blackstreet, a good night was had by all… that is until Jodeci showed up (or didn’t show up as the case may be). Turning up late, appearing out of tune, singing accapella versions of songs nobody could recognise, and having Dru Hill sing their song for them; these were just some of the things the group did whilst on stage at the Wembley Arena last night.

Starting with just three members, things started off badly for the band when the group’s original mastermind DeVante Swing was not in attendance (rumours on social networks of a drug-related arrest at Heathrow airport seemed to be the most popular reason for the absence, but I’m not convinced by that). The moment Jodeci appeared on stage professionalism didn’t appear to be at the top of their agenda. Just 30 seconds in and Mr. Dalvin decided to jump off stage like a long jumper to then find he couldn’t get back on it. After being told to get back on the stage by his group, a swift leg up from a steward put the singer back in the spotlight.

Things then went from bad to worse swiftly. Just one song in and the entire sold out audience started booing the once iconic group. Not looking like they knew what they were doing at all, there were points throughout that they were singing out of sync to the point no one actually knew what it was they were singing. As the night’s main act you would have expected more, but instead a terrible performance has now tarnished their once respected legacy. It was so bad that you would have been forgiven for thinking a fire alarm had gone off in the middle of their set judging by the amount of audience members seen leaving the building at the same time.

With a history of drink and drug problems, perhaps it’s time for Jodeci to well and truly hang up the mic, look at themselves in the mirror and seek help. It’s a surprise people still book them to perform when there’s enough YouTube clips of them in uncompromising situations. Does anyone remember JoJo’s famous passing out on stage incident or DeVante’s drunken Subway sandwich store demolition?

With Twitter now full of disappointed Jodeci fans lashing out at the band, it sucks to be a Jodeci fan right now. As Rick James would say, “Cocaine is a hell of a drug.”


Check out some Footage taken


Besides the disappointment that is Jodeci, the other performers did their thing as far as bringing back memories of R&B’s original mainstream introduction. However, Teddy Riley appeared to be the only original member of Blackstreet in attendance with three randoms, while Dru Hill also looked as if they’ve had a bit of a lineup switch up. Regardless, the night was a success as far as bringing people together to remember what a great musical era the nineties were. Kudos to the night’s promoters.