What If Lucy Pearl (Cont.) - DJ Rahdu

Lucy Pearl jumped out of the box with Dance Tonight, which was as much of an anthem as it was a dancefloor filler. It had the class of EnVogue, the soul of ATCQ and the ability to make you “Get Down” like a TTT track. Expectations were high for the crew and they delivered with their 2000 self titled album, receiving numerous Music Award nominations. That same year, Dawn was kicked out of the group and replaced with Joi who remained in the group until they parted ways in 2002.

What if they remained together though? T o answer this question, let’s begin by visiting the year of 1990. That year saw the debut albums of both En Vogue and A Tribe Called Quest as well as the platinum selling sophomore release from TTT. All were superbly creative offerings that spawned legions of fans and countless accolades, plus cast a net of immeasurable influence both musical and cultural. Each group created many albums, allowing their fans to witness their musical and creative growth; it was almost like watching a family member flower and mature. It’s safe to say that any member of Generation Y was a fan of at least one of these 3 groups. The dissolution of, or exit from these groups also added to their hype. What better than the breakup but thoughts of the group’s reconciliation or a member’s return?

To see 3 members of three iconic groups combine forces though, was epic. Even more impressive was their long list of affiliates! Raphael Saadiq had become a successful songwriter and producer, Ali Shaheed Muhammad was producing as well, and Dawn had ties to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Records. If there are 6 degrees of separation Lucy Pearl could have been larger than even The Roots. Think about it, no other musical crew presently can boast of the large amount of celebrity friends and collaborators than the Legendary Roots Crew. Interestingly enough, the male members of Lucy Pearl were members of high quality production teams The Soulquarians (which included ?uestlove) and The Ummah that produced songs/albums for everyone from Whitney Houston to Erykah Badu.

If Lucy Pearl had remained together, their high level of artistry and many loyal fans would have helped them thrive and continue to influence their peers and thus the industry. Their ability to galvanize Generation Y’s dollar and loyalty might have been just the spark necessary to perpetuate the neo soul movement as many of its forerunners were unable to. The addition of Joi, would have also been fortuitous for the the trio’s effect on the genre, as I’ve heard Erykah Badu herself say that Joi is the mother of neo soul. If they had remained together, would we hear R&B cats making nu soul tunes to stay marketable, instead of hearing the nu soul singers of today creating R&B or club songs to remain relevant? Would good soulful music be the toast of the day? Alas, we will never know and are left to only reminisce and wonder what might have been…

Edited by Pink BubbleGum