Artist Profile: 112

Equally rooted in gospel, soul and hip-hop, 112 was the first and most successful urban vocal group to emerge from Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Records roster. Not only was the group's eponymous 1996 debut popular, but the group could be heard on records by such Bad Boy artists as Puff Daddy. Unlike most artists on Bad Boy, 112's image was clean, pure and wholesome, which helped the group cross over to a more mainstream audience.

They are ingrained into its rust red soil, undulating lush greenery and proud neighborhood churches. 112's Slim, Mike, Q and Daron are products of their environment, an environment where the most basic, most cherished values of pride, community, brotherhood are instilled from an early age. It's in their voices, their music and their hearts. It's in their soul.

Soul is at the core of everything they do and shines with uninhibited splendor. Sophomore album "Room 112" is a dynamic collection spanning the complete gamut of contemporary R&B. It relies on a fool proof formula of great songs and phenomenal vocals to make it's point, ranging from ballads that tug the heartstrings to out and dance floor anthems. In an era where samey grooves and non-melodies saturate the airwaves, "Room 112" is like a dose of soulful salvation. Considering 112 hold the best in R&B tradition so closely to their hearts, their own story mirrors the classic rags to riches tale of many of the groups they once idolized and emulated and are now compared to. Having honed their craft to a point of near perfection, in church and school in inner city Atlanta. 112 were introduced to Puff Daddy by their management in a local Atlanta club, 112 (thus the name) and soon afterwards found themselves living in New York, recording their debut album. Fueled by the hit singles "Only You" and "Cupid" they hit the road in earnest as the opening act for the Isley Brothers at Ron Isley's request. It was the first of four separate, widely differing tours that saw the group criss-crossing the U.S. with Keith Sweat, New Edition and finally Puff Daddy and the Family, over a grueling 18 month period. It's that sense of unity, expression and purpose that has poured out from the grooves of classic albums by legendary groups such as The Temptations, The O' Jays and The Spinners ? a rare marriage of music and brotherhood, the cornerstone of the winning R&B male vocal outfit.

Despite the sharply contrasting personalities of the individual members of 112, one thing is certain: together, they sure can sing some love songs! "We're not one of those R&B groups with one cat singing lead, one back-up cat, and a couple other cats who can't sing and are just there to look good," says Mike. "We all sing lead, we all look good, we're dancing, our showmanship is tight, and we still give our praise to God at the end of the day."

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