Jodeci announce release of The Past, The Present, The Future

Two decades since the release of their last album, the R&B group who are famed for helping to launch the likes of Timbaland and Missy Elliott will return

Jodeci have announced their comeback. After 20 years of relative silence, one of the most pioneering R&B groups around will release The Past, The Present, The Future on 31 March.

As previously reported, Timbaland is on board for the follow-up to The Show, The After Party, The Hotel. He co-produces two songs, Incredible and Those Things. “People who follow Timbaland from day one, I met with [Jodeci’s] DeVante [Swing] and I’ma help work on the new Jodeci album, just for y’all,” Timbaland said in a video back in 2014. “That’ll be my career coming in full circle, connecting back with Devante.”

The album is executive produced by Louis Burrell, Lajuanna Burrell and Breyon Prescott, and a teaser for the Nobody Wins video, directed by Hype Williams, will arrive on 25 February.

Forming in North Carolina in 1991, Jodeci features two pairs of brothers known by their stage names Swing and Mr Dalvin, and K-Ci and JoJo. It’s been two decades have passed since the release of their last album. It reached No 4 on the UK albums chart and sold more than 1m copies in the US. Their 1993 album, Diary of a Mad Band, introduced Timbaland to the world, with the producer scoring his first appearance on an album.

The group was a launch-pad for collaborators including Missy Elliott, Ginuwine and Mary J Blige. Drake and J Cole have even teamed-up to write music under the same name.

Watch Jodeci’s Freek’N You – video

Contributor

Harriet Gibsone

The GuardianTramp

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