"K-Ci And JoJo Come Clean" - Part 2

JoJo and K-Ci

The reality show "K-Ci and JoJo...Come Clean" concluded last week, with a one hour finale. As mentioned previously, it stars half of the R&B music group, Jodeci, namely brothers, Cedric Hailey (K-Ci) and Joel Hailey (JoJo).

The show got off to a rough start, as the two brothers were irritable, angry, slightly uncooperative and suffering from withdrawal. However, as the program progress, they showed improvement and the Judiciary Report hopes they will stay sober.

Jodeci

The latter part of the show featured a visit from Jodeci band member, Devante Swing, real name Donald Degratae, who the Judiciary Report had a crush on in the 1990s. K-Ci's demeanor changed somewhat when Swing appeared. Yes, he embraced him as a friend, but he also said something I knew to be true, Devante brings out the worst in him.

There's a reason KC-i said that. Swing is the son of a preacher, who did his best to show the industry he could be just as much of a rebel as anyone else in Hollywood, which is not a good idea. Yes, he continued to profess his faith, but his lifestyle has squarely been at odds with it. He became an alcoholic and drug and sex addict, hanging out with hardcore rappers. Much of his fortune has been spent, due to twenty years of wild living.

Devante Swing (left back) before Jodeci in his dad's band (Image courtesy of Bop MySpace)

At the end of the day, God gave him a gift for music and he didn't need to prove anything to anyone. But being Donald Degrate never seemed like enough, so he adopted an alter ego with a stage name "Devante Swing."

Swing took K-Ci under his wing from day one, requesting he be in the group due to his soulful voice. The two became friends and Swing encouraged him in bad behavior as well, which resulted in legal trouble and addiction. The group was competing with each other to see who could be the most rebellious and it bred many problems. The Hailey brothers are on the road to recovery, but the Degrate brothers are not and it is sad, as they have potential as well.

Charlie Wilson

One of the most stunning parts of the program came when the duo visited Charlie Wilson of the music group the Gap Band, who is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. His addictions had taken him so low, he became homeless. This was a man that sold millions of records, earning millions, but drugs and alcohol took just about every material possession from him.

However, he made a comeback, embraced sobriety (15-years sober) and was able to purchase a nice home in the hills. He won a Grammy as well. Wilson gave the brothers Hailey excellent advice, in telling them to take it one day at a time and to be real with themselves regarding their addictions.

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Jodeci then

Jodeci was one of the most popular R&B groups in the 1990s. The group was comprised of two sets of brothers - Devante Swing and Mr. Dalvin (Donald and Dalvin DeGrate) and siblings K-Ci and JoJo (Cedric and Joel Hailey). They were referred to as the badboys of R&B. Sean "P Diddy" Combs, who was an executive at Uptown Records in the 1990s, took four country boys from North Carolina and Virginia and turned them into party animals.

Uptown Records sent Jodeci to live in a very urban part of New York to roughen up their image, in a bid at turning them into rebellious young men. This left the members with drug, alcohol and sexual addictions. They also purchased guns, with two members getting into trouble with the law. The four innocent country boys from the Bible Belt, were now subject to their own vices.

The newly adopted badboy image they took on to sell records, stuck and began destroying them, as they began to act out, via destructive behavior, in trying to live up to a fabricated public persona. After a while, one can lose one's self in a role.

Jodeci now

After dysfunction set in, group member and producer, Devante Swing struggled to complete any music, which led to the group breaking up after three top selling albums. His most recent video was a surveillance one at a Subway restaurant, featuring the musician stumbling around, visibly inebriated and high.

The Brothers Hailey, continued recording as K-Ci and JoJo, but it wasn't long before their addictions damaged their careers as well. The two are now taking part in a rehabilitative reality show entitled "K-Ci and JoJo...Come Clean."

The irony of it all is Jodeci had talent and did not need gimmicks. The raunch, rebellion and lust did not make their music better. Case in point, the top selling song to come out of that outfit was K-Ci and JoJo's "All My Life" which is a clean tune that is often played at weddings.

The group started out in Gospel music, with God having given them a gift for music, but P. Diddy changed them, exposing the band to a destructive, licentious way of life, they have struggled with to this day. Here's hoping they get back on the straight and narrow.

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Recently, the Judiciary Report wrote about the reality show "K-CI and JoJo Come Clean" featuring members of the defunct music group, Jodeci, being placed in a home based alcohol rehabilitation program. Well, it looks like another former Jodeci member, Devante Swing (Donald DeGrate Jr) could use the rehab program as well, as he was seen stumbling around drunk and high, in a California Subway restaurant. What would Jared say!

The police were called, Devante was detained, but released without charge hours later, when he sobered up. The former producer, known for a number of hits in the 1990s, developed an addiction to cocaine and alcohol, which swiftly brought his demise. It lead to erratic behavior, such as sexual assault and violence, which landed him in legal trouble.

Devante Swing (left)

Swing was famously held hostage in his New Jersey home by armed gunmen, who pistol whipped him and robbed the singer/producer of a fortune in jewelry and electronics. Drugs and alcohol took such a terrible toll on his life and mind, he was unable to focus on performing and producing music. Rehab is long overdue.

Jodeci

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"K-Ci And JoJo...Come Clean"

In watching the reality series "K-Ci And JoJo...Come Clean" one is once again reminded of the many perils of Hollywood. Former, Jodeci singers, Cedric Hailey and his brother, Joel Hailey, professionally known as K-Ci and JoJo, are struggling with alcohol addiction, which has damaged their careers. Due to passing out on stage, promoters no longer wish to risk hiring them, then having to refund audiences. Additionally, as the music industry has changed, since the duo had their last major hit, they are forced to learn the ropes all over again, in seeking a comeback.

Jodeci

The program features pastor, Jamal Bryant and his therapist sister, who convince the two to undergo a rehab and fitness plan. Never mind, JoJo keeps talking about Popeye's chicken and pork chops. However, when they are told they will be left alone in a nice house, the brothers become enraged, as they are concerned about being by themselves. Their conduct becomes somewhat disrespectful to the pastor, illustrating how addicted they are to alcohol. The program also has small throwbacks to their Jodeci days.