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Members include Brandon Casey (born on October 13, 1978, in Hartford, CT); BrianCasey (born on October 13, 1978, in Hartford, CT); KyleNorman; RichardWingo. Addresses: Record company--So So Def Recordings, Inc., 685 Lambert Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA 30324, phone: (404) 888-9900. Management--Artistic Control, 685 Lambert Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA 30324, phone: (404) 733-5511. Website--Jagged Edge Official Website: http://www.jaggededge.net.

Born out of the church choirs of Atlanta, Georgia, Jagged Edge has earned a reputation for lyrics that range from hard-edged topics like domestic violence in songs such as "No Respect" to hip-hop favorites that can get a crowd dancing in "Where the Party At." They've also carved out a solid niche with love songs like "Gotta Be" and "Let's Get Married" that appeal to wedding planners and prom attendees. With strong writing, solid vocal skills, and a wide-ranging appeal, Jagged Edge has led a rebirth of male R&B groups. As Larry Jenkins, senior vice president of marketing and media at Columbia Records told Gail Mitchell of Billboard, "Jagged Edge has raised the bar on where soul music is headed."

The quartet is composed of twin brothers Brian and Brandon Casey, along with Richard Wingo and Kyle Norman. Each of the members has an alias or nickname: Brian Casey is "Brasco Dinero," Brandon is "Case Dinero," Richard Wingo is "Wingo Dollar," and Kyle Norman is "Quick." Norman convinced the Casey brothers to team up with him when he witnessed their abilities at a choir contest in Atlanta. They formed their first group, Twin AK, and almost forged a record deal with Michael Bivens, a former member of New Edition. After the deal fell through, they added Wingo, who had separated from a group that went on to form 112. Choosing a name from a movie title to set themselves apart from other R&B artists, Jagged Edge was ready to leap forward. Brandon told Roger Catlin of the Hartford Courant, "Once we met up with Richard, the chemistry was really rolling."

Their first big break came after Wingo gave his friend Kandi Burruss a copy of Jagged Edge's demo tape. Burruss was part of the female quartet Xscape at the time, which was signed with So So Def Recordings. She passed the demo along to Jermaine Dupri, an executive at the label. After hearing an a cappella performance by the group at his home, Dupri was ready to sign his first all-male R&B group. Their debut album, A Jagged Era, was released in 1997. As J. R. Reynolds described it in Billboard, the album "mates rugged, hip-hop-tinged midtempo tracks with creamy, laid-back ballads that often tap gospel influences."

The group slowly gained a following with the love song "Gotta Be" from A Jagged Era. As Brandon told Catlin, "It took a year to catch on.... It started in the South, with all the Southern states playing it. Then it started trickling out. It went on to the Midwest, and then up North." The song was listed as one of the top 20 best songs of 1998 by Vibe magazine and made it into the top 40 pop charts. A Jagged Era reached certified gold status that same year.

In the beginning the group was disconcerted by the switch from the religious music on which they had trained their voices to R&B. Brandon told Reynolds, "One of the most challenging things about this whole thing was moving from singing spiritual to recording secular music.... We kinda struggled with the decision at first." They decided that they could hang on to their spiritual roots while gearing their music to a younger audience, convincing them that soul music wasn't just for their parents' generation.

Released early in 2000, their second album continued to build upon their previous success. J.E. Heartbreak debuted at number eight in Billboard's Top 200 album charts. The single, "Let's Get Married," won the Best R&B/Soul Single by a Male Group at the Soul Train Awards in February of 2001. The album, which was certified multiplatinum, won for Best R&B/Soul Album by a Group, Band, or Duo at the same ceremony.

The name J.E. Heartbreak was chosen as an homage to New Edition, who released a 1988 album called N.E. Heartbreak. As Brandon told Gil Griffin of Billboard, "[New Edition was] like our Beatles, our Jackson 5." Other influences they cite are Al B. Sure, Keith Sweat, and Fat Boys. Like New Edition, Jagged Edge has been able to cross the traditional racial boundaries of R&B and reach out to a wider audience. With rising demand and crossover appeal, Jagged Edge was put into high rotation on MTV's music video channels.

Unlike many R&B groups, Jagged Edge writes most of their own lyrics, with song ideas coming from anyone in the group, although the Casey brothers produce most of the output. In addition to writing for Jagged Edge, Brian and Brandon have written for other artists, including Usher, Absolute, Uncle Sam, 112, and Toni Braxton. Dupri, who is often both writer and producer on many So So Def albums, showed confidence in Jagged Edge's abilities from the start by allowing them to use their own lyrics. As Brandon told Catlin, "Much love to Jermaine Dupri for allowing us that. In the past he's written and produced a lot of groups' albums from top to bottom. It was a real blessing to have creative control." Dupri acknowledges the difference it makes when he hasn't written the songs. He told Griffin, "It's different trying to root for records I didn't write.... I'm on a different side of the table now."

In mid-2001, Jagged Edge released its third album, Jagged Little Thrill. Coproduced by Dupri and Gary "Gizzo" Smith, it debuted at number three on Billboard's Top 200 album chart and went platinum less than two months after its release. The much-anticipated collection featured both soul-tinged ballads and hip-hop. As on their previous albums, they performed some of their songs with other artists, including hip-hop artists Nelly and Ludacris. In December of 2001 Jagged Edge won Billboard's R&B Artist-Duo/Group Award.

Jagged Edge's gifted writing and vocal talents have revived soul music, opening it up to a new generation. Their solid writing skills have also helped to create popular wedding ballads including "Gotta Be" or "Let's Get Married." The group also knows how to send a message, as Norman commented on their official website about the writing on Jagged Little Thrill: "We made a vow that we'd make songs that are reality, edgy, and not just funky or on the vibe of the moment."

by Eve M. B. Hermann

Jagged Edge's Career

Group formed in Atlanta, GA, mid-1990s; signed with So So Def Recordings, 1997; released debut album, A Jagged Era, 1997; "Gotta Be" voted one of the top 20 best songs of 1998 by Vibe magazine; released J. E. Heartbreak, 2000; released Jagged Little Thrill, 2001.

Jagged Edge's Awards

Soul Train Awards, Best R&B/Soul Single by a Male Group for "Let's Get Married," Best R&B/Soul Album by a Group, Band, or Duo for J.E. Heartbreak, 2001; Billboard magazine, R&B Artist-Duo/Group Award, 2001.

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Jagged Edge Lyrics

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Visitor Comments Add a comment…

over 14 years ago

i've loved JE from day one I have all thier cd's from old to new. I was so glad when they came to rockford,ill. now I'am waiting on a new cd to come out hope to hear something soon.

about 15 years ago

j.e. damn ya'll... ya'll homeys are summit else., ya'll one of the reasons i started writing in the first place. i makes it my duty as a song writer to gets my materials, and ya'll stuff is dangergerous. one of these days... ya'll needs to gets me to write ya'll sumit. swear down. brian, brandon, kyle an wingo. keep doing this fing right there. nuff love in this michael

over 15 years ago

Dear J.E. I am one of your biggest fans as well. I had the opportunity to see you all in concert in Los Angeles with some other artist that I don't care to mention. Anywho, keep making those soulful hits and you guys are appreciated. Xoxo

about 16 years ago

I just want J.E to know that I am one of there biggest fans in the whole world.I have loved them since they came out with their first cd. I was only in middle school, but they were still my favorite r&b male group of all times. I have went out and bought every cd that they have came out with. None of them are bootleg either!

about 16 years ago

song:walked outta heaven album: idk... I'm rolling down a lonely highway asking god to please forgive me for messing up tha blessing he gave to me i see, everything clearer now the nights is black as, black as its ever been without my girl imma lose it i pray that he would just shed his grace on me, i need, just to be back with my baby [Chorus] feel like i just walked right out of heaven feel like i have damn near thrown my life away, hey yea yea Scared, just like a child thats lost at seven dont know what to do feel like i just walk right out of heaven [Verse 2-brandon] see my mamma told me thats if its meant to be she'll come back and she'll forgive me and the best thing i can do it to just let her, let her go i know, i don't wanna do it but if i continue to push she'll just pull away and i know that in my heart its a reality i didn't treat her like she wanted to be treated, and i hope that shes not gone for good no no [Chorus] feel like i just walked right out of heaven feel like i have damn near thrown my life away, hey Scared, just like a child thats lost at seven dont know what to do get back right with you feel like i just walked right out of heaven feel like i have damn near thrown my life away, hey yea yea like a child thats lost at 7 dont know what to do feel like i just walk right out of heaven [Walked Outta Heaven lyrics on http://www.metrolyrics.com] [Bridge 1] hey girl waiting for you all the time, suppose to move on with my life, and girl i tried and i tried i feel like i can't walk, i feel like i can't talk girl i dont know what to do get back right with you i feel like i just walked outta heaven [Bridge 2-Wingo] if u ever loved somebody, and if you ever had somebody, but you know that you hurt that somebody, let me here you say yea [Chorus-repeat till fade] feel like i just walked right out of heaven feel like i have damn near thrown my life away, hey scared just like a child thats lost at seven dont know what to do to get back right with you feel like i just walked right out of heaven feel like i have damn near thrown my life away, hey yea yea Scared just like a child thats lost at seven dont know what to do feel like i just walk feel like i just walked right out of heaven feel like i have damn near thrown my life away, hey scared just like a child thats lost at seven dont know what to do feel like i just walk right out of heaven feel like i just walked right out of heaven feel like i have damn near thrown my life away, hey yea yea scared just like a child thats lost at seven dont know what to do feel like i just walk right out of heaven ~~~~~~~~~~~~u can find the vid on Youtube.com or mi fav music site: Musicjesus.com