Silk

Ready-made Silk was already together when Keith Sweat and Andrea Ryans discovered them. They were fortunate enough to strike a deal with Elektra records to go straight into the studio to record their debut album “Lose Control”. It was recorded over the course of 1991 and 1992,and then later released on November 17th 1992. It went to number 1 on the R&B Charts, and number 7 on the Billboard 200. On the album was the band’s hit single “Freak Me”, which was in fact the sophomore single from the album that shot up the charts making it to number one in the Billboard Hot 100. It also charted in Australia, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand and the UK, earning its platinum certification in 1993.

Their sophomore eponymous record, “Silk” which was released on November 28th 1995, didn’t quite match the status of the previous record, but still managed to get to number 10 in the R&B charts, later achieving a Gold certification. Their third album “Tonight” released on March 23rd 1999, did even better than the last record making it to number 8 in the R&B charts and number 21 in the Billboard 200. This record like the first managed a Platinum certification in the US.

In 2003, the group took a brief hiatus pursuing various other ventures, and Elektra had left them in the lurch forcing them to find a new label. They started their own and returned to the studio to release the album “Silktime” on September 23rd 2003. It made it to number 30 in the R&B chart. Their next record made it to number 23 in the R&B Chart, after being released on October 17th 2006.

Born on October 4, Case Woodward grew up in New York City, New York, US listening to R&B legends like Smokey Robinson and Luther Vandross and striving to reach the success achieved by his influential peers Babyface and Mat J. Blige. Case started his music career performing in various R&B groups like Future and Black and progressed towards an occupation as a back up singer, working for pop mainstays such as Usher, Christopher Williams, and AI B. Sure. Case’s hard work behind the scenes finally earned him the opportunity to act as a solo artist. His first single was written by soul diva Faith Evans. The track grabbed the attention of Def Jam Records, eventually leading him into a recording contract with the label.

Case was shuttled into mainstream success with some of his earliest recordings. His single “Touch Me, Tease Me”, which featured appearances by rapper Foxy Brown and singer Mary J. Blige landed on the popular soundtrack to “The Nutty Professor”. The album entered the US Billboard 200 at No. 63 and the R&B Charts at No. 4. His self-titled debut also included this single as well as the hits “More to Love” and “I Gotcha”. The album shot to No. 7 on the R&B Charts and featured material primarily written by Mary J. Blige.

His next album Personal Conversation” went platinum and contained the 3 singles “Happily Ever After” (feat. Beyonce Knowles), “Faded Pictures” (feat. Joe) and “Think of You”. 2001 marked the release of his 3rd and most successful album to date “Open Letter”. The album was his first to reach gold status, though “Personal Conversation” would eventually go on to do so as well. This release contained the R&B chart topping single “Missing You”, which acted as a major commercial boost for the album, pushing it all the way to No. 5 on the US albums chart.

2009’s “The Rose Experience” did not do as well as “Open Letter” on the US charts; however, it matched it’s success on the R&B charts peaking at No. 2. The album was produced by Case and was self-released through his personal label Indigo Blue. Wu-tang member Ghostface appeared as a guest rapper on the track “Shoulda Known Betta”. Case’s follow up album “Here, My Love” came out on 15 June 2010 through Real Talk Entertainment.

Having lost his father at a young age, Jennings' childhood was marred by hardship, receiving a ten-year prison sentence for arson at the young age of 14. His time spent in jail helped to change his life around, developing a deep passion for music, finding solace in the honest and emotive sound of Erykah Badu, which would be reflected in Jennings' own musical style. Being in jail led to Jennings to develop a very introspective and deeply conscious sound, reflecting upon the hardship he endured and the lessons learnt.

Upon his release in 2002, he recorded a four-song demo and began to perform live, appearing at the famous Apollo nightclub. After an audience response that was initially negative, due to his appearance walking on stage with an acoustic guitar, the crowd were quickly swayed by his gritty, textured voice, often singing in falsetto alongside his heartfelt songwriting. Lyfe claims he went on to sell over 1,000 copies of his demo CD during his time performing at the Apollo, leading to significant hype around the artist.

Producers and record labels were eager to make contact with Jennings, persuading him to move to New York City, US to attempt his hand at a music career and major-label recording contract. Columbia Records went on to secure the deal, releasing his debut album, "Lyfe 268-192" (his inmate number), in August 2004.

This record was followed by "The Phoenix" in 2006, which looked more towards Hip-Hop for influence, featuring guest appearances from Three 6 Mafia and Young Buck. This was followed by "Lyfe Change" in 2008, which played host to a number of new collaborations with various producers. Moving to Warner Bros., Lyfe Jennings released his fourth album, "I Still Believe" in 2010, with guest appearances by Bryan-Michael Cox, Bobby Valentino, Ludacris and Jazmine Sullivan. Following another stint in prison, Lyfe jennings returned in 2013 with "Lucid," released on the Mass Appeal label.