ARTIST

Jagged Edge

When a new vocal combo emerges and manages to catch the ears of both New Edition/Biv Bell Devoe member/label head Michael Bivens and super-producer Jermaine Dupri, it's a pretty good assumption that the group has some real talent. Such is the case with Jagged Edge, the Atlanta-spawned combo that managed to create a buzz before they even put out a proper record.

Although Hartford, Conn.-natives, identical twins Brandon "Case Dinero" Casey and Brian "Brasco" Casey, and Kyle "Quick" Norman were flattered by Bivens' interest, the trio never sealed the deal. Instead, at the suggestion of Xscape's Kandi Burgess, they added a fourth member, Richard "Wingo Dollar" Wingo, and took their demo to Dupri.

With Jagged Edge's talent and Dupri's solid-gold production, it wasn't long before the group had scored its first hit. It happened in 1997 on Dupri's So So Def label with "The Way That You Talk," featuring guest shots by Da Brat and Dupri.

The band's debut album, A Jagged Era, followed in 1998. It yielded the hits "Gotta Be" and "He Can't Love U," and scored the group a gold album for sales of 500,000 copies. The group's second effort, J.E. Heartbreak, proved to be even more successful, launching the R&B chart-toppers "Let's Get Married" and "Promise," and going to sales of more than 2 million copies.

Jagged Edge returned in 2001 with Jagged Little Thrill, which featured Nelly on the smash "Where The Party At," which turned out to be another R&B chart-topper. The album went on to sales of 1.5 million in the U.S.

In between albums, Jagged Edge guested on tracks with Fabolous, P. Diddy, Nas, and Bow Wow. The group returned with its own single, "Walked Outta Heaven" in summer 2003. Its fourth effort, Hard, was released in September 2003.

Written by Craig Rosen