Jodeci’s Mr. Dalvin Detailed How His Heated Altercation With K-Ci Almost Cost Him His Life

Posted On : October 1, 2022
Jodeci: (L-R) “Devante Swing” DeGrate, JoJo Hailey; “Mr. Dalvin” DeGrate, K-Ci Hailey

Jodeci: [L-R] K-Ci Hailey, JoJo Hailey, Dalvin DeGrate, Devante Swing DeGrate
These younger R&B cats out here today – who think they’re ’bout it – ain’t got NOTHING on some of these REAL R&B singers from the ’90s and back! Jodeci is a direct example of that! Dalvin revealed that his fellow Jodeci group member, K-Ci, did the unthinkable to him back in the day. It could have cost Dalvin his life and you won’t believe why…or better yet, we are talking about take-no-mess K-Ci, so, maybe you will…

DALVIN EXPLAINS WHAT WENT DOWN BETWEEN HIM & K-Ci


Dalvin revealed to SoulCulture, that before he and his brother/Jodeci member, Devante Swing, met brothers, K-Ci and Jojo, they were each doing their own thing in two separate gospel groups in North Carolina. But boy…on the day Dalvin and Devante met K-Ci and JoJo at 14 and 16 years old, it was CHAOS:

Dalvin- “We’re all from Charlotte, North Carolina and we met there […]we met some of the girls from UNITY [a local gospel group] and their names were Barbara Jean and Poo-Poo. […] Poo-Poo was dating K-Ci before we even met. Barbara Jean would always tell us that we need to meet K-Ci and Jojo. We heard about them before, but we hadn’t met them yet…”

THEIR MEET & GREET BLEW UP LIKE A SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION BETWEEN DALVIN AND K-Ci…

DALVIN DETAILS WHY JODECI MEMBER, K-Ci, ALMOST SHOT HIM

Jodeci: [L-R] JoJo Hailey, Dalvin DeGrate, K-Ci Hailey, Devante Swing DeGrate

Dalvin continued:

Dalvin- “Barbara Jean and Poo-Poo took us to meet them [K-Ci and JoJo] one day. They had a little gospel studio joint and next thing I knew K-Ci pulled a gun out on me because he thought I was messing around with Poo-Poo. I told him, ‘Man, are you serious?’ My brother was actually dating her sister, Barbara Jean. So when we got there and this happened I told my brother these dudes are crazy and that I was leaving.”

The visual on this is crazy…and since no one was hurt, it’s actually kind of funny. The thought of K-Ci, who was a gospel singer mind you, being strapped with a 9 milli (or whatever type of gun he pulled) at just 16 years old is wild. Since when have you heard of a ‘teenaged Kirk Franklin type’ pulling a gun on somebody for something so minuscule? It’s a good thing Jodeci decided to switch genres. Moving on…

DEVANTE SWING CONVINCED DALVIN TO WORK WITH K-Ci & JOJO

 

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After the dust settled, the music prevailed and brought Dalvin and K-Ci back together again:

Dalvin- “I left and D [Devante] stayed there with them [at the studio with K-Ci and Jo-Jo]. He would keep on telling me that they were writing songs and he wanted me to come back to start working with them. I ended up coming back and a couple of months later we formed the group.”

 

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And the rest is history. SO glad they settled their beef because R&B wouldn’t have been the same without Jodeci!

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About I Love Old School Music

We salute the incredible people and beautiful memories of that "old school". We’re not saying that every artist and every facet of the soul era was perfect, but the artists’ contributions to soul music and the old school memories of that particular time are PRICELESS.