ARTIST

3LW

3LW have done a lot of growing up since they released their self-titled 2000 debut that featured the immediate hit "Plays Gon' Play." The girls are now proving that two can play that game with their follow-up release, A Girl Can Mack, that gets the party started with the first single and video, "I Do," co-produced by P. Diddy and Mario Winans.

3LW, an R&B/pop trio consisting of teen girls Kiely Williams, Adrienne Bailon, and Naturi Naughton, formed in 1999 under the guidance of Kiely's mother, who had managed the crossover R&B acts Joe and Jodeci. The summer following their debut, the "three little women" joined Destiny's Child, Nelly, Eve, Dream, and Jessica Simpson on the TRL tour and even picked up a Soul Train Lady Of Soul Award for best new R&B or hip-hop artist. They then kicked off 2002 singing the chorus for Naughty By Nature's "Feels Good," which reached number one on Billboard's Rap Singles chart; an opportunity to croon on Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's "Get Up & Get It" soon followed.

On August 21, 2002, just one month before the release of A Girl Can Mack, Naturi announced on a New York radio station that she was leaving 3LW, claiming that 3LW's manager (and Kiely's mother) Michelle Williams regularly criticized her appearance. She also accused Kiely of physically assaulting her during a fight at a tour stop in South Carolina. Remaining members Kiely and Adrienne issued a statement the following day denying Naturi's allegations of mistreatment and continued with their record release plans.

So now 3LW are back with A Girl Can Mack, which contains a number of upbeat party songs as well as ballads, all produced by an impressive list of music-makers who have sculpted songs for the likes of TLC, Lauryn Hill, B2K, and Dream. 3LW say the album is all about empowering other young women to pursue their dreams. "It's very positive. It's very girl power. And that's what 3LW is all about," Adrienne says. "We want to be examples to all the girls out there, to say, 'You can do it. You can do anything you want to do.' We're macking our singing career."

Written by Billy Johnson Jr.