Who: Aaron Hall
Group: Guy, 1986-1991
After Guy disbanded in 1991, Hall met success with R&B hits such as “Don’t Be Afraid” and “I Miss You.” (Arnold Turner/WireImage)
Who: K-Ci and JoJo
Group: Jodeci, 1990-1996
K-CI and JoJo left Jodeci when the group took a hiatus in 1996. They met more success than Jodeci had, with hits like “How Do U Want It” topping the charts.
Who: Kelly Rowland
Group: Destiny’s Child, 1997-2005
Rowland stepped out of Beyonce’s shadow with her second solo debut album Ms. Kelly in 2007, with collaboration hits in 2009 and 2010. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)
Who: Lil Wayne
Group: Hot Boys, 1997-1999
Wayne’s debut solo album Tha Block is Hot was released in 1999 and got him a nomination for the Source Magazine Award for best new artist. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Who: Teddy Pendergrass
Group: Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, 1972-1977
Pendergrass began his solo career in 1977 with a self-titled album whose hit “I Don’t Love You Anymore” helped it go platinum. (AP Photo)
Who: Eddie Kendricks
Group: The Temptations, 1960-1971
Kendricks went solo with his sweet falsetto in 1971. His song “Keep On Truckin’” eventually shot him to number one.
Who: Lionel Richie
Group: Commodores, 1968-1982
Richie left the Commodores and began his solo career with a self titled album that contained the number one hit “Truly” in 1982. (Scott Barbour/Getty)
Who: Mary Wilson
Group:The Supremes, 1959-1977
In 1979 Wilson released her solo album titled Mary Wilson after leaving The Supremes a few years earlier. The album was a mixture of R&B and Disco, and placed on the R&B Billboard singles chart. (David Mcnew/Getty)
Who: Bobby Brown
Group: New Edition, 1978-1986
Brown left New Edition and started a solo career with King of Stage in 1986, and then hit big with his classic Don’t Be Cruel in 1988. (George De Sota/Newsmakers/Getty)
Who: Omarion
Group: B2K, 2001-2004
Omarion released his debut single “O” in 2005 after B2K broke up a year earlier. Omarion has been flying solo ever since. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty)
Who: Busta Rhymes
Group: Leaders of the New School 1990-1994
In ‘96 Busta broke out with his solo hit single “Woo-Ha!” after Leaders of the New School broke up on the set of Yo! MTV Raps. (Jason Merritt/Getty)
It’s hard not to root for Kelly Rowland. I don’t know anybody who thinks beginning a career with show stopper Beyonce Knowles would be a breeze. But it seems Kelly, after so many years in Beyonce’s shadow, is finally getting her chance to shine. Kelly gained momentum over the past few years with dance tracks that were big in Europe, and even bigger in the club scene.
Kelly inspired us at theGrio to think about others that were able to leave a group and find solo success, perhaps in spite of an even bigger star in the original group. Artists like Bobby Brown, Lionel Richie, Omarion and Teddy Pendergrass. Here are theGrio’s top pics for artists that were able to make it out of a successful group and begin a shining solo career.
