When it comes to musicians, what you see is usually what you get. If a squeaky-clean act steps to the microphone, you can expect to hear wholesome, pretty, safe music; conversely, if a band looks over-the-top, their sound will probably be similarly extreme. However, when it comes to So So Def R&B quartet Jagged Edge, looks can be deceiving. Their hard-street image in no way prepares you for the creamy, silky-smooth R&B vocals they so effortlessly give forth.
Clad in the latest urban hip-hop gear--imposing combat boots, oversized shirts, sagging jeans--and swaggering so confidently that they could intimidate non-acclimated pop music consumers, this Atlanta-based foursome rolls like two pairs of ghetto b-boys. But in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.
"We're just products of the hip-hop generation, so we dress a certain way and like certain music, especially rap," explains Brasco, one-fourth of Jagged Edge. (The other three members are Quick, Wingo Dollar and Brasco's twin brother, Case Dinero.) "But when we sing, we're on a totally different vibe."
When asked why Jagged Edge sing one way but look quite another, Wingo responds: "It's not really an image that we're trying to project. We always said that we didn't want to be a recording act that followed the pack. We might look rough around the edges, but the music we sing is smooth."
Jagged Edge's career didn't get off to a smooth start, however. Tracing their beginnings back to 1990--when three of the then-teenagers came together during a congregational youth rally, where they observed each others' singing and performing talents--Jagged Edge worked their way to a recording deal with Biv 10, a boutique label owned by New Edition's Michael Bivens. But before they could even release their first album, the deal fell apart, putting the group back to square one. To top things off, the fourth member of the group then called it quits.
But as fate would have it, the remaining three met Wingo, who fit the look and possessed the chops that rounded out the group's sound. After recording a demo that was financed by the twins' supportive father, it was Wingo who put the tape into the hands of Xscape member Kandi, with whom he went to school.
"She called me and said she was starting up this artist management thing and invited us to dinner to talk business," Wingo remembers. "She had us hooked right there." After striking a deal, Kandi (who is also a So So Def artist) got Jagged Edge's demo into the hands of So So Def label honcho Jermaine Dupri. That led to an audition in Dupri's living room, and then, finally, a recording deal.
The group has since hired a different manager, as Kandi's own demanding recording career prevents her from to working effectively on their behalf. But the die has been cast. "We're all still real close," Wingo says. "We even wrote some songs for Xscape's upcoming album, so there's nothing but love." (Incidentally, Jagged Edge have also written for Usher, 112 and Absolute.)
After their first unpleasant record label experience, things are now back on track for the quartet. Their catchy first single "The Way That You Talk" (featuring another labelmate, Da Brat, stroking the mic), bolted to the top of the charts, and the followup single "Gotta Be," despite its slower tempo, also caught immediate attention from urban radio programmers, becoming one of the top 10 most-added singles the week it was released.
Jagged Edge's debut album, A Jagged Era, features edgy-yet-soothing soul ballads that belie the crew's tough-guy style. Case Dinero describes that act's overall tone as being a mixture of sounds emanating from the down-South crew's background of influences. "Our sound is kind of a cross between the hip-hop that we love, the R&B that we grew up listening to, and the gospel music that nourished us as we sang in church."
All the tracks on A Jagged Era were composed solely by the quartet, except for three on which Jermaine Dupri (who rhymes under the moniker of JD) collaborated. Studio guru Dupri also takes a lion's share of the album's production credits. Jagged Edge marks themselves as fortunate to be in Dupri's recording camp. "There's a lot of creativity and positivity here," Quick says. "Our album hadn't even come out yet and we had already been on five different TV shows."
The four 20-year-olds report that the most challenging aspect of their young career hasn't been bouncing back from their failed Biv 10 deal or getting beyond their misleading image. Their biggest challenge has actually been maintaining their professional demeanor at all times. "We look at what we do as an opportunity to practice our craft," says Wingo, "but in our media-driven society it's also a responsibility. So we're careful about how we carry ourselves in public because we know that people are watching--especially young kids. They're so impressionable, so we like to always keep our best foot forward. But sometimes you're out there and just want to go crazy, so it can get to be tough."
