Post by Journey2herpast on Jul 14, 2005 10:15:47 GMT -5
Discovered by Michael Bivins of New Edition, 702 is a teenage trio -- Irish, Kameelah, and Lemisha -- who made their recorded debut singing on Subway's hit single "This Lil' Game We Play." The group released their debut album, No Doubt, in the fall of 1996, preceded by the single "Steelo." Several other singles from the album followed in 1997, including the title track, "Get It Together," and "All I Want." The group returned in 1999 with a self-titled full-length as well as the single "Where My Girls At?"
In their hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, sisters LeMisha and Irish Grinstead, and their friend Kameelah Williams, were living a normal teenage life. Between school, homework, boyfriends, and parties, one never would have known how spectacularly blessed these women were without having visited Caesars Palace on the night of a boxing match.
Whenever a big fight was in town, the Grinstead sisters would hang out in the lobby and show off their vocal skills for all who would listen in the hopes that someone in the music industry would pass by.
some help in sin city
After many of these appearances, LeMisha, Irish, and her twin Orish, were losing hope, until one day, actor/comedian Sinbad, of all people, happened to walk by. Though not a music producer, he recognized how talented the Grinsteads were and visited their home in order to convince their parents to send the trio to Atlanta for a convention and music competition. Though the girls missed the deadline for entry, Sinbad used his name to get them in.
discovered thanks to "b" of bbd
"Sweeta than Suga," as they were then called (Sinbad suggested the name), came in second in the competition. As the convention was nearing a close, the sisters happened to see Michael Bivins (formerly of New Edition and Bel Biv DeVoe) passing by. After some persuasion, he listened and was astounded by the sisters' mature voices. He later said that he thought he had found his own version of the Supremes. With the crowd that had gathered egging him on, Bivins agreed to work with the talented girls.
Orish Grinstead dropped out of the group and was replaced by LeMisha and Irish's good friend Kameelah Williams, while Bivins continued to work with different producers and songwriters to get the right feel for their first album. The new group was christened "702," which is Las Vegas' area code.
successful debut was never a doubt
Finally, after more than a year of balancing school and work (LeMisha and Kameelah graduated from high school during that time), 702 released No Doubt in 1996. Their unique blend of gospel, jazz and hip-hop infected the airwaves, as "Steelo" and "Get It Together" became huge hits. The numbers were tallied up and No Doubt was declared gold.
702 furthered their cause by joining the New Edition reunion tour in 1996-'97 and then benefitted from an incredibly successful debut by winning the Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year, by a Group. They even lent their voices to Missy Elliott's 1997 album (Missy wrote and appeared in "Steelo") and to the soundtrack for the movie Good Burger.
where the girls at?
If 702 thought this would be as good as it could get, they were very wrong. With the release of their self-titled second album, their popularity virtually blew up. The single "Where My Girls At?" spent more than 30 weeks among the top 20 of Billboard's Hot 100 chart and became the song of 1999 as it was certified platinum.
bad times came with the good
But with fame came problems. Once the hype for the second album died down, 702 disappeared. Kameelah Williams left the group to pursue a solo career and then, with new member Cree Lamore, the revamped trio released only one song in a long time span: "Pootie Tangin'" for the movie Pootie Tang.
success was in the stars
Kameelah's solo career didn't pan out and she decided to return to singing with the Grinstead sisters. She made the right choice, because now, three years after their last full-length release, 702 is back on track. In their third album, Star, they present an independent, experimental sound that is more powerful than ever. The single "Blah Blah Blah Blah" is already a hit, with surely more to come thanks to the efforts of producers like Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes.
Through it all, the women of 702 have displayed maturity beyond their years. We only hope their success continues with their new album and whatever other projects they undertake.