Jodeci’s Reunion Reminds the World Who Built ’90s R&B – The Root

​While fans know every word to the group’s classic catalog, Dalvin shed light on how Jodeci crafts their tour setlist to balance their signature songs with live energy.

​“It’s going to be fun. We have a lot of records. We’re going to do a lot of songs that we have never performed before,” said Dalvin. “The songs that people request that we do because we have a lot of hits that people just want to hear back to back. We’re gonna throw those songs in there. The setups might change from night to night.”

​While mid-’90s R&B was packed with powerhouse vocal groups, Jodeci operated on a frequency of their own—and Devante Swing was the master architect. While their peers leaned on outside hitmakers, DeVante crafted Jodeci’s signature sound, fusing gospel chords, heavy hip-hop bounce, and raw basslines that changed the course of contemporary R&B. Dalvin shared how DeVante deserves his flowers as an all-time great producer.

“DeVante was always into sounds. That was his big thing. He’s always talking about sounds. He came up in the industry with people like Dallas Austin, Teddy Riley, and all these other producers. He would use sounds that people wouldn’t normally use and make them into instrumentation,” Dalvin remembered. “You need to take weird sounds and make them into instrumentation. That’s what made that’s what set him apart, and he was doing that since he was a kid. So I think that was a gift from God.”

“We’re church heads. We come from quartet, blues music from the 60s and 70s, and DeVante brought all of that together to create the Jodeci sound,” K-Ci added.

With their raw, unfiltered energy and high-octane stage presence setting an impossible standard, it’s no wonder Jodeci earned a reputation as the one act nobody in R&B wanted to follow.

“The craziest thing is people have actually come to us like, ‘Well, we got the hottest single right now, so you know we want to go last on the show. I’m always like, ‘Y’all got a hot single, okay? Huh? That’s fine.’ Do you know how many people came to our dressing room and regretted doing that? They never do that again.”

Without question, Jodeci is one of the acts that fans would love to see in a Verzuz. By putting legendary artists on the same stage, Verzuz has sparked a digital resurgence that has introduced artists to a new generation of fans and new touring opportunities. Packing arenas across the country, classic  90s R&B is still an unbeatable live draw. When asked which 90s R&B group would be worthy to stand against Jodeci in Verzuz, K-Ci offered a hilarious response.

​“They aint made em yet,” K-Ci laughed.

​Mr. Dalvin wholeheartedly agreed with K-Ci’s response.

“I’m glad K-Ci said it. Mike Tyson said, ‘Everybody has to plan until they get punched in the face,’ said Mr. Dalvin. “People want to challenge Jodeci all the time, and I just sit back, like, ‘Hey, man. It is what it is. That’s a problem you don’t want.”

Looking back on their iconic careers as trailblazers in the genre, both K-Ci and Mr. Dalvin expressed gratitude for their remarkable journey.

“In the beginning, you never know what impact you’re going to have on the world with your music. You just go in the studio and create from your heart and your soul for the world. For Jodeci to be able to go out 35 years later and still be at a high level and to be appreciated and celebrated by the fans is a blessing,” Mr. Dalvin said. “There are a lot of artists that don’t have that luxury to do that. But Jodeci has a body of work that we can still go out and people enjoy the music.”