Jodeci is an American musical group, active from 1990 to 1996, whose repert… Read Full Bio ↴Jodeci is an American musical group, active from 1990 to 1996, whose repertoire included R&B, soul music, and new jack swing. The group consisted of two pairs of African-American brothers from Charlotte, North Carolina: the DeGrates (Donald "DeVante Swing" DeGrate, the group founder/leader, and Dalvin DeGrate) and the Haileys (main lead singer Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey and second lead singer Joel "Jo-Jo" Hailey). The group's name is a combination of the names of its members: Jo-Jo, DeVante and Dalvin, and K-Ci.

If Boyz II Men are portrayed as a clean-cut, wholesome R&B vocal group, then Jodeci's wild, sexual, bad-boy image represents the other side of the coin. Made up of two sets of brothers, the group's name is a consolidation of three members' aliases: "JoJo" Hailey, Donald "DeVante Swing" DeGrate, and Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey; the group also includes Dalvin DeGrate. Natives of Charlotte, NC, all four members toured the South as young boys singing gospel music, even recording albums; both families belonged to the Pentecostal church, and the DeGrates' father was a minister. The boys were able to hear each other's gospel songs played on the radio, and eventually were introduced through girlfriends as teenagers. However, when they did meet, K-Ci was with a girl Dalvin had been dating, and a fight nearly broke out. The Hailey brothers and DeVante started hanging out together, partying and talking about making R&B records together, coming up with the name Jodeci at this time.

At age 16, DeVante ran away to Minneapolis to get a job in Prince's organization, but was refused. He returned to Charlotte, where he wrote a song and recorded JoJo singing it. The two planned on going to New York to shop the demo around by themselves, but both K-Ci and Dalvin decided to tag along at the last minute. By the time they got to New York, they had demo recordings of 29 songs, which they brought to the offices of Uptown Entertainment. They were almost rejected, but rapper Heavy D overheard the tape and talked Uptown president Andre Harrell into hearing the group. Harrell was impressed, and just like that, Jodeci signed a recording contract. In 1991, they recorded Forever My Lady, which featured the gold single "Come and Talk to Me" and went on to sell over three million copies. A minor feud resulted over the band's follow-up album, Diary of a Mad Band; Jodeci, unhappy with their treatment by Uptown, flirted with the idea of leaving for Dr. Dre's Death Row Records, which resulted in almost zero promotion for their new album. It didn't matter much, as Diary went platinum. The group's troubles got worse in 1993; DeVante and K-Ci were involved in an incident with a woman K-Ci met at a club and brought back to DeVante's apartment. The woman filed charges against the two, saying that K-Ci had threatened her and fondled her breast, while DeVante pointed a gun at her. Both pleaded guilty, but that wasn't all; shortly afterwards, DeVante's house was robbed of over 160,000 dollars in jewelry and clothes as the singer was held with guns in his mouth and at the back of his head.

Jodeci's third album, The Show, the After Party, the Hotel, was released in the summer of 1995. DeVante also was afforded the opportunity to work with Al Green, one of his idols, writing and producing the song "Could This Be the Love." ~ Steve Huey, Rovi

Jodeci Albums:

* 1991: Forever My Lady #18 US (3x platinum)
* 1993: Diary of a Mad Band #3 US (2x platinum)
* 1995: The Show, The After Party, The Hotel #2 US (platinum)
* 2005: Back to The Future: The Very Best of Jodeci (300,000)

Jodeci Singles:

* 1991: "Gotta Love"
* 1991: "Stay" (US #41, R&B #1)
* 1991: "Forever My Lady" (US #25, R&B #1)
* 1991: "Come and Talk to Me" (US #11, R&B #1)
* 1993: "Cry For You" (US #15, R&B #1)
* 1993: "Feenin'" (US #25, R&B #2)
* 1993: "Lately" (US #4, R&B #1)
* 1993: "Let's Go Through the Motions" (US #65)
* 1994: "What About Us" (R&B #14)
* 1995: "Freek'n You" (US #14, R&B #3)
* 1995: "Love U 4 Life"
* 1996: "Get on Up" (US #22, R&B #4)

Jodeci Side-Projects:

(K-Ci & JoJo)
* 1997: Love Always
* 1999: It's Real
* 2000: X
* 2002: Emotional
* 2005: All My Life "Their Greatest Hits"

(Dalvin Degrate)
* 2000: Met.A.Mor.Phic

(K-Ci Solo)
* 2006: My Book

Checkin For You
Jodeci Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Break it down
Break it down
Break it down
Break it down

I bought a new house today
I guess it's just okay
Got a pool by the fire place

And a 90 foot hall way
But all I got to say
It's something about this place
That makes this special
Is when I see your face

I enjoy the view
I love seeing you
I enjoy the view
I be checkin for you
I can't wait to see you
I can't wait to see you
I can't wait to see you
I can't wait to see you
I can't wait to see you
I can't wait to see you
I be checkin checkin checkin for you
I can't wait to see you
I can't wait to see you
I can't wait to see you
I be checkin checkin checkin for you

I want you to know
That I enjoy your show
You have the brightest glow
You shine right through my window
I just want to tell you face to face
How you make my day
When I see your face

Break it down
Break it down
Break it down
Break it down

I enjoy the view
I love seeing you
I enjoy the view
I be checkin for you
I enjoy the view
I love seeing you
I enjoy the view
I be checkin for you
I can't wait to see you
I can't wait to see you
I can't wait to see you
I can't wait to see you
I can't wait to see you

I can't wait to see you
I be checkin checkin checkin for you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Checkin For You" by Jodeci is a romantic song about a man who just bought a new house but it doesn't seem to feel like home until he sees the face of his lover. The man describes the features of the house, like the pool by the fireplace and the 90-foot hallway, but none of these things seem to make the house special. What makes the house special, is the presence of the woman he loves. He enjoys looking at her through the window, watching her shine brightly as she goes about her day.

The song is a soulful ode to the power of love and how it can transform a mundane space into a special place. The man expresses his love for the woman and how she makes his day every time he sees her. The lyrics are simple, yet powerful, and Jodeci's vocals convey the emotion and passion behind the song.

Overall, "Checkin For You" is a love song that highlights the importance of a person's presence in making a space feel like home. It is a reminder that love is the most important thing in our lives, and nothing else can replace it.

Line by Line Meaning

I bought a new house today
I recently purchased a house

I guess it's just okay
I am not too excited about it

Got a pool by the fire place
There is a pool close to my fireplace

And a 90 foot hall way
My new house has a 90 feet hallway

But all I got to say
What I can say is

It's something about this place
There is something special about this house

That makes this special
That makes it unique

Is when I see your face
It's when I see you

I enjoy the view
I like looking at you

I love seeing you
I really enjoy seeing you

I be checkin for you
I am always looking for you