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

What About Us
Jodeci Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Come and talk to me
can I talk to you
come and talk to me
K-Ci
yeah, we can do this

I wanna love you
I wanna love you

I wanna love you
I wanna love you
I wanna love you
I wanna love you
I wanna love you
I wanna love you

girl I'm reaching out my hand
trying to make you understand
that you don't have to be alone
cause I wanna be your man
girl I need you in my life
just wanna live right by your side
so girl I won't be satisfied
until you give this love a try

I'm in need of love
and baby you're in need of love
so what about us
on and on and on til the break of dawn, and it's on
I'm in need of love
and baby you're in need of love
so what about us
on and on and on til the break of dawn, and it's on

can you feel, can you feel, can you feel me
I can feel you lady

satisfaction guarenteed
if you come and get with me
girl I can get down on my knees
so let me please let me do you lady
cause I know just what you need
I need your love
I need your love
girl listen to me

I'm in need of love
and baby you're in need of love
so what about us
on and on and on til the break of dawn, and it's on

shoobie doo-wop shoobie doo-wop I wanna love you
shoobie doo-wop shoobie doo-wop I wanna love you
shoobie doo-wop shoobie doo-wop I wanna love you
shoobie doo-wop shoobie doo-wop I wanna love you
shoobie doo-wop shoobie doo-wop I wanna love you

I'm in need of love
and baby you're in need of love
so what about us
on and on and on til the break of dawn, and it's on

I'm in need of love
and baby you're in need of love
so what about us
on and on and on til the break of dawn, and it's on

I'm in need of love
and baby you're in need of love
so what about us
on and on and on til the break of dawn, and it's on

I wanna love you
I wanna love you

I'm in need of love
and baby you're in need of love
so what about us
on and on and on til the break of dawn, and it's on

I'm in need of love
and baby you're in need of love

so what about us
on and on and on til the break of dawn, and it's on

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Jodeci's "What About Us" express the singer's need for love and his desire for the woman he addresses to reciprocate. The repeated refrain of "I wanna love you" conveys a sense of urgency, as if the singer can't bear to be without the object of his affection any longer. He pleads with her to talk to him, to understand that she doesn't have to be alone, and that he wants to be the man in her life. The chorus is a call-and-response between the singer and the woman he is addressing, declaring their mutual need for love and asking, "What about us?"

Line by Line Meaning

Come and talk to me
I am inviting you to come and speak with me

can I talk to you
May I engage in conversation with you

K-Ci
Referring to a member of the group Jodeci

yeah, we can do this
Yes, we are capable of carrying out this task together

I wanna love you
I desire to have a romantic relationship with you

girl I'm reaching out my hand
I am extending my hand as a symbol of my willingness to connect with you emotionally

trying to make you understand
I am attempting to convey a message to help you comprehend my feelings

that you don't have to be alone
You do not have to live a solitary life

cause I wanna be your man
Because I desire to be your romantic partner

girl I need you in my life
I require you to be present and active in my existence

just wanna live right by your side
I desire to live in close proximity to you

so girl I won't be satisfied
If my desire to be with you is not fulfilled, I will not be content

until you give this love a try
I will not relent until you make an effort to form a romantic relationship with me

I'm in need of love
I am lacking emotional affection and require it from someone else

and baby you're in need of love
I believe you also lack emotional affection and require it from someone else

so what about us
So why don't we form a romantic partnership with each other

on and on and on til the break of dawn, and it's on
Our romance will be continuous until dawn and beyond

can you feel, can you feel, can you feel me
I am asking if you have an emotional connection to me

I can feel you lady
I am sensing that you may also have an emotional connection to me

satisfaction guarenteed
I am confident that you will be pleased with our romantic relationship

if you come and get with me
If you decide to become my romantic partner

girl I can get down on my knees
I am willing to make a humble plea to you to be my romantic partner

so let me please let me do you lady
Allow me the opportunity to please you

cause I know just what you need
I believe I know what will satisfy your emotional desires

I'm in need of love
I am lacking emotional affection and require it from someone else

I wanna love you
I desire to have a romantic relationship with you

shoobie doo-wop shoobie doo-wop I wanna love you
Continuing to express my desire to have a romantic relationship with you in a playful manner