SWV Essence Music Festival 2013-2

 

Here at YouKnowIGotSoul we like to keep track of the whereabouts of all of the best artists of the 90’s. So our goal is to keep you informed by rolling out lists like this one. Just like the males, female r&b groups dominated in the 90’s, but have pretty much been scarce since. Unlike the male list, many female groups disbanded early on and never got back together.

So here we have our comprehensive list of the top 90’s female r&b groups, ensuring to touch on every group fans may be wondering about. Like before, we excluded groups who originated to the 80’s and stuck to groups who began their success in the 90’s. We originally published this article in January 2016, and have just updated it once again in April 2020. This is the latest we know on each group. To answer the question “Whatever Happened To?” for female groups, here is the current status of the top 90’s Female R&B Groups.

Check our other Current Status Lists: 90’s Male Singers (Click Here), 90’s Female Singers (Click Here), 90’s Male Groups (Click Here), 00’s Male Groups (Click Here) 00’s Female Groups (Click Here), 00’s Male Singers (Click Here) 00’s Female Singers (Coming Soon)

(Click any artist’s name to view recent posts about that artist)

 

702

R&B group 702 built up a name for themselves during the 90’s with hits like “Steelo”, “Get it Together”, and “Where My Girls At”, but disbanded following their final album “Star” in 2003. Rumors of reunions and lineup changes persisted, but those never fully came to fruition. Eventually, the group reunited in recent years and have begun touring together once again. Lead singer Meelah has also been hard at work on her solo career with the promise of a debut solo album at some point. Click Here for our most recent interview with Meelah. Original member Irish Grinstead unfortunately passed away in 2023. Meelah and LeMisha continue to carry on the legacy of the group.

Meelah RnB Spotlight 2012

 

Allure

Originally signed to Mariah Carey’s “Crave Records” in the mid 90’s, Allure scored hits like “Head Over Heels” and “All Cried Out”. They notably signed with former NBA player Ron Artest’s record label Tru Warier Records, and their final album came out independently in 2010. They continue to tour as a trio. Last year they released the new single “Like I Do”. Check out our most recent interview with the group where they gave an update on their future.

 

Blaque

Originally signed by Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes of TLC, r&b group Blaque had platinum success in the 90’s with hits like “808” and “Bring it All to Me”. The group disbanded after their third album “Torch” got shelved, but reunited in 2012 with plans for new music. Unfortunately before that could happen, group member Natina Reed was killed. The remaining members, Shamari Fears and Brandi Williams, have recorded new music since, and released the “Torch” album a few years ago.

Blaque_LEMF2

 

Brownstone

Brownstone were signed to Michael Jackson’s MJJ Records in the mid 90’s and had a successful debut album “From the Bottom Up” in 1995 which featured the single “If You Love Me”. They’d release one more album, but eventually disbanded. Group member Nicci Gilbert had been pursuing a career as a solo artist in recent years after appearing on R&B Divas. Group member Charmayne “Maxee” Maxwell died in 2015. The group reunited in 2016 to perform with Tory Lanez who had sampled one of their songs. The group have been teasing a reunion in recent years.

 

Changing Faces

The duo made up of Cassandra Lucas and Charisse Rose, Changing Faces had hits throughout the 90s with hits like “Stroke You Up” and “G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T.” They disbanded after releasing their final album “Visit Me” in 2000. Cassandra has gone on to record solo music, and she finally released her long awaited debut album “The Intro” in 2019.

 

Destiny’s Child

There is not much that needs to be said about Destiny’s Child as all three of the group’s final members, Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams, have gone on to have superstar solo careers. Their final album was “Destiny Fulfilled” in 2004, but they’ve flirted with reunion rumors for years, and have even put out group singles. Original member LeToya Luckett has had a successful solo career of her own, and original group member LaTavia Robinson has continued to record as well and appeared in R&B Divas.

 

Divine

Divine were formed in the mid 90’s and released their debut and only album “Fairy Tales” in 1998. After landing the #1 hit single “Lately”, the group disbanded in the following years.

 

En Vogue

En Vogue became one of the most successful female r&b groups of the 90’s with hits like “Hold On”, “My Lovin (You’re Never Gonna Get it)” and “Don’t Let Go (Love)”. They went through much turmoil and lineup change in the following years once lead singer Dawn Robinson left to pursue a solo career along with join Lucy Pearl. The group did reunite once again in the late 00’s, only to see Dawn break off again and join R&B Divas. En Vogue has carried on as a trio of Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron, Rhona Bennett. They released the album “Electric Cafe” in 2018. Meanwhile, Dawn and Maxine Jones have been seen performing shows as “Funky Divas”. Maxine has released solo material over the years, but Dawn has not since her debut “Dawn” in 2002. Click Here for our most recent interview with Dawn Robinson. We also recently interviewed group member Terry Ellis to discuss the group’s history.
 

Jade

Jade had a lot of success in the early 90’s with two albums and the hit single “Don’t Walk Away”, but broke up following the “Mind, Body, & Song” album in 1994. Recently, group members Tonya Kelly and Joi Marshall have brought in new member Myracle Holloway to reform the group, and released their latest single “Baby Luv” in 2014. Group member Joi also released a solo single “Love Language” in 2018.
 

Kut Klose

Discovered by Keith Sweat who went on to produce their debut album, the group is most well known for their duet “Twisted” with Keith. After releasing one album in 1995, they’ve been pretty quiet aside from spot performances and song releases over the years. The group appeared on a recent episode of our SoulBack R&B Podcast. The group did return in 2020 with a new single called “Congratulations”, and have done performances as group in recent years.
 

Nuttin’ Nyce


The group had a short lived run which began in the early 90’s and culminated with the release of their debut album “Down 4 Whateva” in 1993. The group’s short lived run produced the singles “In My Nature”, “Nasty Girl”, “Froggy Style”, and the title track of their album. The group disbanded following the album for the members to pursue solo careers, but haven’t reunited since.

 

SWV

Arguably the most successful female r&b group in the 90’s, SWV had massive hits like “Weak”, “Right Here”, “Downtown”, “You’re the One”, and “Rain”. They split up in 1998 after three albums, and Coko would go on to have the most success as a solo artist. After reunion rumors constantly popped up, the group finally got back together in 2012 for the album “I Missed Us” as well as the reality show “SWV Reunited”. They released the album “Still” in 2016 and continue to tour with all three original members Coko, Taj, and Lelee. They appeared on the reality show SWV & XSCAPE: The Queens of R&B in 2023.

SWV Essence Music Festival 2013-3

 

The Braxtons

Sisters Toni, Tamar, Traci, Towanda and Trina formed The Braxtons in the early 90’s, but eventually split due to Toni starting her solo career. They eventually reformed with Tamar, Trina and Towanda in 1996 to release the album “So Many Ways” before disbanding. All of the sisters would eventually appear in “Braxton Family Values” which would bring them back into the spotlight and allow them to pursue solo ventures. All five sisters released the “Braxton Family Christmas” album in 2015. Group member Traci Braxton passed away in 2022.

Tamar Braxton The Braxtons Gain Event Empire Hotel 2014-4

 

TLC

Made up of T-Boz, Chilli and Left Eye, TLC created one of the most successful female groups of all time. Hits like “Creep”, “Waterfalls” and “No Scrubs” made them household names. Things came to an abrupt halt following their 1999 album “FanMail” when Left Eye was killed. They followed with “3D” in 2002, and went on a long hiatus following that. However, the group started a Kickstarter to fund their final album “TLC” which arrived in 2017. The group continues to tour and honor Left Eye’s legacy.

TLC Press Conference Crosby Hotel 2013-3

 

Total

The original female r&b group of Puff Daddy’s Bad Boy Records, Total had hits like “Can’t You See”, “Trippin”, and “What About Us”. They released a Platinum and Gold album, but disbanded after 2001. Keisha went on to get married to actor Omar Epps, but Pam and Kima have reunited recently to carry on the Total brand and do performances. All of the members came together for the Bad Boy Family Reunion tour. Pam and Kima have each released solo singles but neither have produced an album. Additionally, Pam recently appeared on the reality show BET Presents: The Encore and released a self titled EP in 2022.

 

Xscape

Xscape were discovered in the early 90’s by Jermaine Dupri, and had three successful albums along with the singles “Who Can I Run To” and “Just Kickin It”. The group originally disbanded in the early 2000’s and each member would go on to pursue solo endeavors. Kandi was writing behind the scenes and released a couple of solo albums, along with starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta. Tiny married rapper T.I. and has also starred in reality TV. LaTocha has released solo music as well as starred in R&B Divas. Most recently, all of the original members reunited, and all but Kandi came together to release the EP “Here for It” as Xscap3 in 2018. Tamika Scott released her solo EP in 2020, and LaTocha released her album “The Invitation: A Conversation with God” in 2023. They appeared on the reality show SWV & XSCAPE: The Queens of R&B in 2023 as well.

 

Zhane

Zhane were a duo discovered by producer of Kay Gee of Naughty by Nature who helped them successfully create the singles “Hey Mr. DJ” and “Groove Thang”. Since disbanding in the late 90’s, Jean Baylor has gone on to record solo music as a jazz artist alongside husband Marcus Baylor, and Renee Neufville most recently released a solo single in 2015, and another in 2019..

 

One of your favorite groups missing? Leave us a comment and let us know who you’re looking for.