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It's not difficult to see why 112, "The Gentlemen of Bad Boy" speak so fondly of their native city Atlanta. They are ingrained into it's 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 on their sophomore album, Room 112. Named after a phrase coined by label mate, the late Notorious B.I.G., Room 112 is a dynamic collection spanning the complete gamut of contemporary R&B. Room 112 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. As well as working with Bad Boy's own in house chart topping assault squad, The Hitmen, and R&B music phenomena's like Dallas Austin and Diane Warren, what makes 112's sophomore collection all the more personal is the fact that 112 has written and produced almost half the material themselves. Hardly surprising when you consider the fact that they have already penned songs for numerous other artists including Tevin Campbell, New Edition and Kelly Price. "I don't believe in doing album fillers" says the quartet's main producer, Daron. "I think when a group can write and produce their own music it makes it more real. It means the track and the song are on the same page. If you look at the greats like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, they wrote and produced their own music and that's why it turned out the way it did. We wanted to try and get the same musical unity." Overflowing with both a tender, sweet southern sincerity that helped make singles such as Cupid and the tribute to Notorious B.I.G., "I'll Be Missing You" so memorable more raw edge than previously heard. Room 112 reflects the considerable maturation the group has undergone during the three whirlwind years in the music industry .
"We write from the heart" says Mike, "and that means writing about our experiences. It makes for the best songs. Obviously now we've experienced more. We're wiser, better and stronger from the first time around and that's reflected in our music." One of the most interesting aspects about Room 112 is the way the group's own compositions sit so comfortably alongside those of more seasoned studio hands. Amongst those lending a hand are tunesmith Diane Warren, who contributes the powerful ballad Your Letter, Kelly Price and Stevie J who offer the upbeat 8th Wonder, fellow Atlantan Leslie Braithwaite delivering Love Me which features Mase, whilst Mario Winans and Puff Daddy collaborate on Stay With Me. Puff Daddy also teams up with 112's Daron to produce the irresistible party joint, The Only One, featuring rapper Lil' Kim, one of the album's many possible future singles. 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 US with Keith Sweat, New Edition and finally Puff Daddy and the Family, over a grueling 18 month period.
"All the touring added steel to us," says Mike proudly. "We got to perform in front of completely different audiences and learn from every artist we went out with. Now we know, whatever the crowd, whatever the venue, we've got something for them, 112 will deliver, guaranteed." "It's also strengthened our friendships" says Q. "I mean I grew up with these guys and now we've been through everything together. We've seen the world together. We know each other inside out and each one of us knows there's nothing the other wouldn't do for them. We're more than a group, we're a family." "The things we all have in common" adds Mike simply, "is that we're all best friends. We all know each other's families and we all love music. It's our lives, what we live for. It's what we do everyday and what we always want to do." It's that sense of unity, expression and purpose that graces Room 112, traits so often missing in contemporary R&B. It's what poured out from the grooves from 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. "I look at 112 like the Chicago Bulls" says Slim, the group's sports enthusiast. "Everyone knows their role. In the same way as Michael Jordan, Pippen, Rodman and those guys know what they've gotta do to win, we all know. We all enable each other to shine." Who better could describe 112 than themselves? Here's what they have to say about one another:
DARON: The group's producer. If we had a melody idea we'll go straight to him. He's laid back and quiet but when he talks it's of importance. Q: Sensitive and a real gentleman. He's the definitions of a role model. MIKE: The leader of 112. An in charge person. We know his family. His grandmother don't take no mess, his mother don't take no mess and he's the product of them. He's the one who makes sure things get done. The other side of him is that he's the wildest and craziest one of us all! SLIM: The voice of 112. Everyone in the group can sing but he has that distinctive voice that people automatically associate us by. He's also the most energetic one. He can perform all night. He's like the energizer bunny! |
