Jagged Edge represents R&B music as it should be: timeless, sensual and honest. The GRAMMYŠ -nominated male quartet returns to replenish what's been missing from R&B. Their latest project, "The Remedy" that promises to deliver the right amount of smooth mixed in with a little edge and a future list of classics.
Formed in Atlanta, Georgia, Jagged Edge (JE) consists of identical twin brothers Brandon Casey and Brian Casey, Kyle Norman and Richard Wingo, who was later added to the group at the suggestion of then Xscape's Kandi Buress.
Having both soulful and gospel backgrounds, Jagged Edge maintains they've always been fans of groups like New Edition, NEXT, Play and Jodeci. It was only natural that singing together in a prestigious all boy's choir would eventually unite them in pursing a serious music career. While in high school, JE initially signed with Michael Bivens under his BivTen label, but was released shortly thereafter. The group heartily pursued other projects.
Jagged Edge got their break after impressing Jermaine Dupri with an impeccable acapella performance. He quickly signed the crooners to his So So Def label in the winter of 1995. In 1996, Jagged Edge made their debut on SoSo Def's 12 Soulful Nights of Christmas which featured the likes of Alicia Keys, Gerald Levert, and Chaka Khan. The single, "This Christmas," was released and met with stellar reviews. As they continued to write and produce music, by 1997 they released "The Way That You Talk," featuring appearances by both Dupri and Da Brat. Again, the quartet was met with warm praise and the single reached the Top 40 of the R&B chart and eventually entered the Pop charts.
Having shown a knack for writing their own material, Jagged Edge released their first album, A Jagged Era, in 1998. The album went gold and spawned the Top 20 R&B and Top 40 Pop hit, "Gotta Be." Their next single, "He Can't Love U," appeared in the fall of 1998 and propelled the group into international fame and stardom. Although considered a "sleeper" single, it reached the Top 5 on the R&B chart, Top 20 of the Pop chart, and went Gold in the process. The public continued to show an undeniable support for the group and in 2000, Jagged Edge released the follow-up album, J.E. Heartbreak. That album not only solidified JE's place in R&B music history, but the works produced on that album would follow JE to this day. J.E. Heartbreak topped the R&B and Pop charts, while selling over 2,000,000 copies- an impossible feat in today's industry. The album is most famous for its number one R&B hits such as "Let's Get Married" and "Promise." Both singles skyrocketed up the Top Ten Pop charts. Subsequently, J.E. won 5 Billboard Awards and 3 Soul Train Awards for Best Album and Best Single for "Let's Get Married."
JE has also been featured on film soundtracks including In Too Deep, Bad Company and Like Mike.
By the time Jagged Little Thrill was released in the summer of 2001, its leadoff single, "Where the Party At" (featuring Nelly), was nearing the R&B Top Ten , Pop Top 40 and was later featured on the Like Mike movie soundtrack. These successes were followed by the release of Hard in 2003 and the self-titled, Jagged Edge in 2006. By 2007, the group moved to Island Def Jam where they released The Baby Makin' Project and decided on a hiatus shortly thereafter.
Fast forward to the summer of 2009, Jagged Edge announced they were signed to Slip-N-Slide Records after parting ways with Def Jam. Their hotly anticipated comeback album, The Remedy. The new project boasts a mix of the old and new; Jagged Edge's sexy R&B sound and contemporary beats by producers such as Brian Michael Cox, Cool & Dre, Drummer Boy, Lamb, and Jim Johnsen. While the album also features collaborations with the likes of Gucci Mane and Trina, the The Remedy is sure to be a solid body of work that openly expresses trials of life in addition to the sweetness both revenge and love have to offer. The Jagged Edge that sold 8 million records, won countless awards, and gained impressive nominations is headed on a new path.
Group member Kyle Norman recently told Billboard.com, "Jagged Edge wants a new creation, a new birth. We want to shed some light to what we've been doing for the past 11 years." The Remedy will do just that, and more
