In Memory of Natina Reed

Hello, Rare and Obscure Music fans. I’m afraid I have some very sad news for you. I just found out tonight that Blaque member Natina Reed died in a hit and run accident near Atlanta last night at the age of 32.

According to information from E! News, police received a call about a pedestrian hit by a vehicle about 10:30pm last night. The driver of the vehicle called 911 for assistance.

Sadly, Natina was pronounced dead at Gwinnett Medical Center at 10:55pm. From the information I’ve heard, the driver of the car was determined not to be at fault and no charges are pending, but the investigation is ongoing.

Today, Blaque members Shamari Fears-DeVoe and Brandi Williams issued a joint statement stating:

“We are devastated by the loss of our group member, sister and friend Natina Reed. Because of the enormous support of Blaque fans and our love for each another, Blaque officially reunited this fall and we were in the process of working on a new album and a reality show. Natina continuously embodied the pioneering spirit of Blaque and her undeniable creativity touched the hearts of fans everywhere. Natina was a mother, sister, accomplished songwriter, artist and friend. We ask for your prayers at this time for Natina’s family. She will forever be missed and her global influence eternally felt. We thank God for the experiences we shared.”

Natina is survived by her 10-year-old son, Tren Brown, whose father is rapper Kurupt. Tomorrow would’ve been Natina’s 33rd birthday.

Rest in peace, Natina. You will be missed and never be forgotten.

Ebo

Ebo (born David Ebo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was a male R&B singer from the 80s that was the lead singer for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes from 1976 to 1984.

In 1986, Ebo released his only solo album, “I’d Rather Be By Myself” on Domino Records. The title song managed to peak at #37 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 18 weeks.

The follow-up singles “Always and Forever” and “Count the Days” didn’t make the R&B charts at all.

Sadly in 1993, Ebo passed away from bone cancer at the age of 43. He was survived by his wife, daughter, and three brothers.

To see a fan-made video for “I’d Rather Be By Myself,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91NOI_2Zmg4

Amuzement Park

Amuzement Park was an R&B\funk band from Cleveland, Ohio that consisted of singer\bassist Paul Richmond, guitarist Darryl Ellis, guitarist Rico McFarland, horn players Norval Hodges, Fred Entesari, & Aaron Jamal, and drummer Ruben Locke.

In 1982, the band released their self-titled debut album on the Our Gang Entertainment record label. It’s unknown how or if the album ever made the charts.

The first single from the album, “Groove Your Blues Away” peaked at #47 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks, becoming their highest chart appearance to date.

The follow-up single from the album, “Do You Still Love Me” peaked at #80 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.

In 1984, Amuzement Park released their sophomore and last album to date, “All Points Bulletin” on Atlantic Records under the name “Amuzement Park Band.” Once again, it’s unknown how or if the album ever made the charts.

The only single to chart from the album was “No” which managed to peak at #62 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.

After that, it seems as if Amuzement Park has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from them since.

To see a fan-made video for “Groove Your Blues Away,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdTyCkOHnGA

To see a fan-made video for “Do You Still Love Me,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDRRX74qvTw

To see a fan-made video for “No,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISmCz6a7RRI

Haddaway

Haddaway (born Nestor Alexander Haddaway on January 9, 1965 in Port of Spain, Trinidad) is a dance singer that is known for his one-hit wonder status in the United States. 

Haddaway was born to a German oceanographer and a Trinidadian nurse. He moved from Trinidad to Europe in the early 70s with his father after his parents separated. After spending time in boarding school, Haddaway moved to the United States to live with his mother. He attended Eisenhower Junior High and Laurel High School in Laurel, Maryland. 

Haddaway graduated from Meade Senior High School in 1983 where was very active in the school’s jazz, marching, symphonic, and stage bands. While studying political science and history at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., he performed at small engagements with a cover band called Chance.

In 1989, 24-year-old Haddaway returned to Europe and settled in Cologne, Germany where he played American football for the Cologne Crocodiles in the German Football League along with working as a choreographer, selling carpets and making music in his spare time. In 1992, he got his big break when he was signed to German record label, Coconut Records.

In 1993, Haddaway released his debut single, “What is Love” became a hit, topping the charts in Switzerland, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, France, Finland, Belgium, and Austria. In the U.K., the song peaked at #2 on the U.K. Singles chart, staying on the chart for 16 weeks.

In Germany, the song peaked at #2 on the Media Control Charts and is the 7th best-selling single of all time in Germany.

In the United States, the song peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October of 1993, #9 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart, #6 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart,#4 on Billboard’s Top 40 Mainstream chart, and #15 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Top 40 chart.

The song experienced a revival when it was featured on “Saturday Night Live” in the “Roxbury Guy” sketches starring Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan. The sketches were later made into the 1998 film, “A Night at the Roxbury” where the song was featured in the film and soundtrack. 

During that same year, Haddaway released his self-titled debut album (also known as “The Album” internationally), which peaked at #9 on the U.K. Singles chart, staying on the chart for 16 weeks. In the U.S., the album charted at #111 on the Billboard 200 chart and topped Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart.

The second single from the album, “Life (Everybody Needs Somebody to Love)” peaked at #6 on the U.K. Singles chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks. In Germany, the song also peaked at #2 on the Media Control Charts.

In the U.S., the song peaked at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February of 1994, #5 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart, #3 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart, and #14 on Billboard’s Top 40 Mainstream chart.

The third single from the album, “I Miss You” peaked at #9 on the U.K. Singles chart, staying on the chart for 14 weeks and in Germany, the song peaked at #18 on the Media Control Charts. The song charted moderately in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland.

The fourth and last single from the album, “Rock My Heart” peaked at #10 in Germany on the Media Control Charts. In the U.K., the song peaked at #9 on the U.K. Singles chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks. In the U.S., the song peaked at #25 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart under the title, “Stir it Up\Rock My Heart.”

In 1995, Haddaway released his sophomore album, “The Drive” which made the charts in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Finland, and Switzerland.

The first single, “Fly Away” peaked at #25 in Germany on the Media Control Charts and #20 on the U.K. Singles chart, staying on the chart for 3 weeks. The song also topped the charts in Finland and peaked at #9 on the Dutch Top 40 chart.  It was also moderately successful in Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden, Austria, France, and Ireland. 

The follow-up single from the album, “Catch a Fire” peaked at #38 in Germany on the Media Control Charts and #39 on the U.K. Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 2 weeks. The song was also moderately successful in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, and Switzerland.

The last single from the album, “Lover Be Thy Name” peaked at #65 in Germany on the Media Control Charts and #17 in Finland.

In 1998, Haddaway released his third album, “Let’s Do it Now” which failed to make the album charts at all.

The first single from the album, “What About Me” managed to peak only at #24 in Austria, but failed to chart anywhere else.

The follow-up single from the album, “Who Do You Love” only managed to peak at #93 in Germany on the Media Control Charts, but once again, it failed to chart anywhere else.

The last single from the album, “You’re Taking My Heart” flopped, failing to make any of the music charts internationally at all.

In 2002, Haddaway released his fourth album, “Love Makes” which failed to make any impact on the album charts.

The first single from the album, “Deep” flopped, failing to make the music charts internationally at all.

The title song managed to peak at #81 in Germany on the Media Control Charts, but failed to chart anywhere else. 

In 2003, a remixed version of “What is Love” managed to peak at #51 in Germany on the Media Control Charts, #49 in Austria, and #92 on the U.K. Singles chart. 

In 2004, Haddaway appeared on the German reality TV show, “The Comeback” and a year later in 2005, he appeared on the U.K. reality show, “Hit Me Baby One More Time” and subsequently appeared on the U.S. version of the show. The exposure led to him scoring a moderate chart in Germany with the song, “Spaceman” where it peaked at #67 on the Media Control Charts.

During that same year, Haddaway released his fifth album, “Pop Splits” which didn’t appear to make the album charts.

In 2011, Haddaway released his sixth album, “Got Be” which is available on iTunes and Amazon.com. These days, he continues to release music and perform live. He resides in Kitzbühel, Austria and has a home in Cologne, Germany.

To see the music video for “What is Love,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhrBDcQq2DM

To see the music video for “Life,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6qNr34qSqA

To see the music video for “I Miss You,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ-FRJysjkA

To see the music video for “Rock My Heart,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-eh88te2d8

To see the music video for “Fly Away,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThT3R6-2fys

To see the music video for “Catch a Fire,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr2fBaxNqLc

To see the music video for “Lover Be Thy Name,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HGAqik8s1c

To see the music video for “What About Me,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zi8BDycz5g

To see the music video for “Who Do You Love,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZI2Iz_sxFY

To see the music video for “Spaceman,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyrhMjLD0Iw

Jak

Jak (born Jack Edward Bailey from Albuquerque, New Mexico) is a male R&B singer from the 80’s. Not much information is given about him, but he was signed to Epic Records.

In 1985, Jak released his debut solo album, “I Go Wild” which didn’t appear to make the Billboard charts at all.

The title song managed to peak at #88 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 2 weeks.

The follow-up single, “Don’t Make Me Wait” didn’t chart. After that, it seemed as if Jak had faded into obscurity, but he is now a member of the band, Soul Devine.

To see Soul Devine’s MySpace page, go to:
http://www.myspace.com/souldivineband

To see a fan-made video for “I Go Wild,” go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p_RU5iZAUI

Jabulani

Jabulani was a family R&B vocal group from Durban, South Africa that consisted of brothers Abby & Joe Joyce and their sisters Joni & Tess Joyce.

In 1992, the group released their debut and only album, “Journey” on Giant Records, which didn’t appear to make the charts at all.

The only single from the album released was “Shine Your Light” which managed to peak at #59 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks.

After that, nothing much was heard from Jabulani and it seems as if they have faded into obscurity.

To see a fan-made video for “Shine Your Light,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_gh6KYCYP8

J. Quest

J. Quest (born in 1967 in Brooklyn, New York) was a male R&B singer from the 90’s. He began singing in public when he was 10 years old touring the USA as a soloist with the New York Boys’ Choir.

In 1993, J. Quest met singer Lisa Lisa while in the studio with his manager and through her, he was introduced to producer, Junior Vasquez, who asked J. Quest to sing on several tracks on which he was working on.

Those two tracks later appeared on his debut album. A year later, J. Quest appeared on the movie soundtrack, “Jason’s Lyric” with the song, “Up and Down.”

In 1995, J. Quest released his debut album, “The Quest is On” on Mercury Records. The album didn’t appear to make the charts at all.

The only single to chart was “Anything” which managed to peak at #94 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 5 weeks.

After that, it seems as if J. Quest has faded into obscurity. Nothing much has been heard from him since.

To see the music video for “Anything,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EiXo5lLuZ0

Quad City DJ's

Quad City DJ’s were a hip-hop\Miami bass\dance trio from Florida that consisted of Nathaniel “C.C. Lemonhead” Orange, Jimmy “Jay Ski” McGowan, and JeLana LaFleur.  

C.C. Lemonhead and Jay Ski partnered up in 1992 during high school; they were in a group called Chill Deal. During that time, they produced fellow music acts such as Three Grand and Icy J.  

After Chill Deal broke up, they reformed as 95 South to create the hit song, “Whoot, There it Is” which was produced by C.C. and Jay (who known back then as The Bass Mechanics). They also worked with music acts such as Dis-n-Dat and 69 Boyz. They later formed Quad City DJ’s. 

In June of 1996, the Quad City DJ’s released their debut album, “Get On Up and Dance” which peaked at #31 on the Billboard 200 and #23 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.

Their first single, “C’Mon N’ Ride It (The Train)” which became their biggest hit to date, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #15 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart (staying on the chart for 35 weeks). 

It also made other Billboard charts such as Billboard’s Top 40 Mainstream chart (peaking at #4), Billboard’s Rhythmic Top 40 chart (peaking at #5), Billboard’s Latin Pop Songs chart (peaking at #18), Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart (peaking at #4) and Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart (peaking at #2).

The song was ranked the number-one song of 1996 by Village Voice magazine and ranked as the 162nd best song of all time and 20th best on Acclaimedmusic.net. It was also used as the theme song for the movie, “High School High.” It has been remixed and played at various sporting events.

The follow-up single from the album, “Summer Jam” peaked at #5 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart,  #27 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart and #95 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 4 weeks.

Quad City DJ’s were featured on the soundtrack to the 1996 “Space Jam with the title track. The song peaked at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100, #11 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart and #49 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart (staying on the chart for 17 weeks).

After that, not much was heard from the Quad City DJ’s and it seems as if they’ve faded into obscurity.

To see the music video for “C’Mon N’ Ride It (The Train),” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-DpRcxK_N8

To see a fan-made video for “Summer Jam,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzYmLulo7eQ

To see the music video for “Space Jam,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBGXZZhhVaU

Des'ree

Des’ree (born Des’ree Annette Weeks on November 30, 1968 in London, England) is a female pop\R&B singer from the ’90s. Her mother is from Guyana and her father is from Barbados. 

Des’ree was introduced to reggae, calypso, and jazz music by her parents. She became interested in starting a music career following a two year trip to Barbados with her family when she was 11 years old.

In February of 1992, she released her debut album, “Mind Adventures” which managed to peak at #26 on the UK Albums chart.

The first single, “Feel So High” peaked at #51 on the UK Singles chart, staying on the chart for 5 weeks. The song was featured on the U.S. version of Des’ree’s second album and managed to peak at #67 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #39 on Billboard’s Top 40 Mainstream chart in 1995.

The title song peaked at #43 on the UK Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 3 weeks. The last single from the album, “Why Should I Love You” peaked at #44 on the UK Singles chart, staying on the chart for 3 weeks as well.

In 1993, she was featured on a duet with singer Terrance Trent D’Arby on the song, “Delicate” which peaked at #14 on the UK Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.

In July of 1994, Des’ree released her sophomore album, “I Ain’t Movin'” which peaked at #13 on the UK Albums chart, #27 on the Billboard 200, and topped Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart.

The first single from the album, “You Gotta Be” became a hit, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March of 1995, #2 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart in March of 1995, #6 on Billboard’s Top 40 Mainstream chart, #24 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Top 40 chart, and #72 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart in April of 1995, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.

In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at #20 on the UK Singles chart, staying on the chart for 7 weeks. Two remixed versions charted on the UK Singles chart: the first at #14 in 1995 and the second at #10 in 1999. Internationally, the song was moderately successful. 

The music video was nominated for “Best Female Video” at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost out to Madonna’s “Take A Bow.” It was also featured in the end credits of the film “The Next Karate Kid.” The success of the single made Des’ree’s second album sell in excess of 2.5 million copies worldwide and led to an American tour with singer Seal in 1995.

The title song peaked at #44 on the UK Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 3 weeks, but failed to chart anywhere else.

The last single from the album, “Little Child” peaked at #69 on the UK Singles chart, staying on the chart for only a week.

In 1997, Des’ree released the single, “Kissing You” which peaked at #17 on the ARIA Singles chart in Australia. The song is well known for being featured in the film & soundtrack of “William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.

In August of 1998, Des’ree released her third album, “Supernatural” which peaked at #16 on the UK Albums chart, #185 on the Billboard 200, and #72 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.

The lead single from the album, “Life” peaked at #8 on the UK Singles chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks, becoming her highest chart appearance on the UK Singles chart to date. It was also successful in Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Italy, Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, and Australia. It also topped the charts in Spain.

The second single, a cover version of Bruce Springsteen’s song, “Fire” featuring Babyface, failed to make the charts at all. It was featured on the soundtrack to the film, “Hav Plenty.”

The last single from the album, “What’s Your Sign?” peaked at #19 on the UK Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 4 weeks. In 1999, she was featured on Ladysmith Black Mombazo’s cover version of Bill Withers’ song, “Ain’t No Sunshine” which managed to peak at #42 on the UK Singles chart, staying on the chart for 2 weeks.

In 1998, Des’ree’s song, “Feel So High” was interpolated in Janet Jackson’s song, “Got ‘Til It’s Gone” from her album, “The Velvet Rope” without due credit to her as a contributor which prompted a lawsuit. When the maxi-single was released in 2000, it lists Des’ree and Michael Graves as one of the writers of the song.

In 1999, she won a BRIT Award for the British Female Solo Artist category. She has won several awards including an Ivor Novello Award, World Music Award, Urban Music Award and a BMI Award for over 5 million plays of “You Gotta Be” in America alone. Between 1999 and 2003, she studied photography, art and ceramics at the Camberwell College of Arts.

In March of 2003, Des’ree released her fourth album, “Dream Soldier” which peaked at #178 on the UK Albums chart.

The only single released from the album was “It’s Okay” which peaked at a low #69 on the UK Singles chart, staying on the chart for only a week.

After the commercial flop of “Dream Soldier,” she was dropped from her record label. Shortly afterwards, she took a break from music to focus on her interest in naturopathy and also trained as a nutritionist.

In 2008, Des’ree came out of hiatus to perform at the O2 Arena for Young Voices’ charity concert, “The Big Sing” where she helped break the record for the “most people simultaneously singing the same song” by leading 600,000 schoolchidren across the United Kingdom in singing her song, “You Gotta Be.”

In 2011, she performed “You Gotta Be” at the wedding for George Medal recipient Paul Jacobs. During that same year, she sang a lullaby on naturopath Julie Langton-Smith’s sleep therapy album, “Sleep Talk Lullaby.”

In 2019, Des’ree released her fifth album, “A Love Story” on her own record label, Stargazer Records; it was her first album in sixteen years. She originally began working on it in 2012, but took a break to take care of her mother.

To see a video for “You Gotta Be,” go to:

To see a video for “Kissing You,” go to:

To see a video for “Feel So High,” go to:

To see a video for “Why Should I Love You,” go to:

To see a video for “Mind Adventures,” go to:

To see a video for “Delicate” (with Terrance Trent D’Arby), go to:

To see a video for “I Ain’t Movin’,” go to:

To see a video for “Little Child,” go to:

To see a video for “Life,” go to:

To see a video for “Fire” (with Babyface), go to:

To see a video for “What’s Your Sign?”, go to:

To see a video for “It’s Okay,” go to:

[updated on 10/01/2020]

Skee Lo

Skee Lo (born Antoine Roundtree born on March 5, 1973 in Poughkeepsie, New York) is a male hip-hop rapper that is well known for being a “one-hit wonder” in 1995.  He moved to Riverside, California when he was 9 years old and his nickname is derived from his childhood where he was a Skee-Ball champion in his neighborhood.

In June of 1995, Skee Lo released his debut album, “I Wish” on Scotti Bros. Records, which peaked at #53 on the Billboard 200 and #37 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.

The title song became a hit, peaking at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #33 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 19 weeks. The song has become Skee Lo’s only hit song to date. 

The success and popularity of the single led the album to be certified Gold by the RIAA on November 16, 1995 with sales of 500,000 copies. It was nominated for “Best Rap Solo Performance” at the 1996 Grammy Awards, but lost to Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise.” Blender Magazine listed the song at #359 on its list of “Greatest Songs Since You Were Born.”

The follow-up single from the album, “Top of the Stairs” peaked at #73 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart in January of 1996, staying on the chart for 9 weeks. The song was featured on the soundtrack to the film, “Money Train.”

Two more singles from the album, “Superman” and “Holdin’ On” were released, but didn’t appear to make the charts at all. During 1996, Skee Lo became a VJ for MTV’s “The Beach House” and “The Grind.” He also appeared on television shows such as “Baywatch Nights,” “Dangerous Minds,” and “Goode Behavior.”

He was also featured on the “Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks” compliation album with his cover version of “The Tale of Mr. Morton.” He also co-wrote Youngstown’s song, “I’ll Be Your Everything” which was featured on the “Inspector Gadget” movie soundtrack.

In 2000, Skee Lo released his sophomore album, “I Can’t Stop” which failed to make much impact on the charts at all.  Today, he continues to be active in the music business; in 2012, he made a guest appearance on rapper\singer\songwriter\producer Deuce’s song, “Now You See My Life.”

To see the music video for “I Wish,” go to:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2jgye_skee-lo-i-wish_music

To see the music video for “Top of the Stairs,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9K5Lh99pYI

To see the music video for “Holdin’ On,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_93Xacu2IsU

To see a fan-made video for “Superman,” go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhqISjpYoT4