The upcoming Verzuz Battle between Jagged Edge and 112 pits two of the most popular male R&B groups of the last couple of decades against each other. While debates will continue for years to come over who was the best male R&B group of the time, with Dru Hill also in the conversation among others, this battle may help settle part of the debate for at least a little while. We hope Jagged Edge vs 112 exceeds expectations because it surely has the potential to be the best battle to happen yet.
112, as currently constituted, is composed of Slim & Mike, half of the original quartet. From Atlanta, GA, they made their debut in 1996 with a self-titled album, though they had been together as a group since 1993, previously going by the name Forte.
Controversy:
It’s hard to talk about 112 currently without talking about what’s going on with their members. Q Parker and Daron Jones, the other half of the original group are currently suing the other half over finances and the use of the name 112, which Slim and Mike claim to own.
After releasing their 5th album, Pleasure & Pain in 2005, the group had what was originally their first breakup, which dragged on for several years. It spawned solo albums from every member of the group, with Slim finding the most success, but each member finding some sense of solo recognition. Still, all four members joined back together just before the Bad Boy Reunion Tour. There was never any public clarification of what had caused the separation, but different members did publicly claim that people were taking their money and that royalties weren’t being split evenly.
In 2017, all four members were part of their latest album, their 6th release, Q, Mike, Slim, Daron. Without reading too much into it, all the members were listed as executive producers on the album, except Daron Jones. Every member has songwriting credits on every song on the project however. The group went on to tour the album.
But by 2018, things had fallen apart all over again. Last year Q Parker signed a new solo deal and Daron quietly released a solo album. Slim & Mike meanwhile are releasing a new single on June 5th and plan to unveil a full EP under the 112 name.
Whether they will ever be amicable and be a quartet ever again remains to be seen. What we definitely know is that for the Jagged Edge vs 112 Verzuz battle only Slim & Mike will be representing 112.
Back to happier times.
Over the course of their career, which spans about 25 years, the group released 6 albums. As the first R&B group signed to Bad Boy Records and the only male singers on the label for a few years, they have countless songs with most of the Bad Boy roster, including several classics with The Notorious B.I.G. and Sean Combs.
The Hits:
Iconic Records:
The features:
Solo Records
While previously mentioned that they all have solo album, Slim was the only artist to break out with solo success on a mainstream level, with this single right here:
Latest Singles:
Before the break-up:
After the break-up:
Slim & Mike
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