While there’s no denying that the DeBarge family are extremely talented, they have always had their fair share of ups and downs. One thing we respect about them, is that they’ve never tried to hide their struggles. Singer, Chico DeBarge, was always known as the bad boy of the DeBarge fam.’ He served 5 years in prison for drug trafficking. However, shortly after getting out of prison, he was living right and touring as a cast member for Tyler Perry’s stage play, “Why Did I Get Married.” That’s when a violent stabbing incident took place that seemed like something straight out of a mob movie and it almost cost him his life. Chico broke it all down to Sister 2 Sister Magazine. Check out the excerpts below…

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Chico Describes Night Of Stabbing

Chico Debarge: I got stabbed in 2003. I was at a play with Tyler Perry—me and Kelly Price and Tyler Perry. It was a play called “Why Did I get Married?” …We were in Philly. It was around the end of October, November, and I just was out there in the play.”

Chico said that after the play that night, his friend’s new female acquaintance, actually played them, by using his friend to make her real boyfriend- a mob gangster- jealous. The unnamed friend didn’t know the woman had another man, so he and Chico were not aware that was why she’d asked them to meet her at a club where her mafia boyfriend would also be.

Chico Debarge: So I took him to it, and when I got in there, you could tell it was made men; it was like you stepped right into “Goodfellas.” … I was like, ‘Hmm, this is not right.’ […] To me, it was obvious. She just met my friend and she’s all over him. … It looks like she’s trying to make somebody jealous. And sure enough she was trying to make this guy, who was a hit man for the mob, jealous.

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That’s when the fight broke out:

CD: He [the Italian mobster] sent a girl over there to beat the girl’s butt, so they got in a fight. And when they got in a fight, my associate [his friend] intervened, and I guess he must’ve touched the girl to do it because I was at a distance when I saw it go down, and just, the troops came in. The guy got up—that was his reason to get up—he pursued my friend and an altercation took place. And I ended up stabbed. […] I was stabbed in the side, like, by my kidney: a seven-inch scar from my kidney close to my lung.

I didn’t know I was stabbed, so I was still fighting. Then my friend kicked the door down. There was an exit door and he kicked it. We jetted out of there. Then I began to feel like my shoes were sloppy wet and I began to feel dehydrated. … My mouth was very dry. I could feel there was something wrong. When I moved a certain way, that’s when I felt the sting—like a hot burn. I was like, “Wow. Did I get shot?” I lift my shirt up for him. I said, “I’m alright?” And he looked at me like, “Oh no!”

A Philadelphia Eagles Player Helped Save Chico’s Life

By a chance of fate, Chico luckily ran out of an exit door where a Philadelphia Eagles player (Chico didn’t name which one) who was skilled in those types of injuries, happened to be standing nearby…

CD: One of the guys from the Philadelphia Eagles was next door. I guess he owned a club with security or whatever. …He knew what he was doing and he was security; he deals with situations like this all the time and for me not to lay down because my adrenaline—he wanted to keep my adrenaline flowing. He started coaching me. He said the ambulance is on the way so I knew it was kind of serious. But I went to the hospital. Then the police came and they wanted me to identify the dude, which I would not do.

Man Who Allegedly Stabbed Chico Loses His Life 2 Weeks Later

The guy who stabbed Chico was allegedly the same mob boyfriend of his friend’s female acquaintance. Chico said that although the cops caught the guy that same night, they had to let him go because Chico refused to snitch on him. Two weeks after that incident, the guy lost his life apparently in an unrelated event.

Stabbing Led To Chico’s Past Drug Addiction

CD: “I was stabbed and I was prescribed some prescription pills. So as a result of that, I became addicted to the prescription pills.”

In other interviews, Chico also admitted that prescription med addiction later led to his addiction to harder drugs, including heroin and cocaine. Thankfully, Chico cleaned up his act years ago and is back on the scene performing again and making great music.

The post Chico DeBarge Explained Why He Was Badly Stabbed While Working With Tyler Perry appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

We all know that James Debarge -of the legendary group, Debarge- has some deep history with the Jackson family. He was married to Janet in the 80’s and still to this day, believes he has a child out there somewhere that Janet never told him about. But this article is not about the never ending saga of the mysterious kid James has made headlines for in recent years. It’s about Janet’s beloved brother, Michael Jackson, and the heroic actions he took when James tried to kill himself…on multiple occasions… *Scroll down to watch James’ explain this*

Back in the day, most of never knew just how cool MJ was with James, but it turns out, they were pretty close. So close that Michael was the only person who James trusted enough to help him when he felt like his life and the tumultuous events that stem from his childhood and beyond were just too much to bear.

“He seemed to be familiar with my pain” – James Debarge on MJ

If y’all missed their episode on Dr. Drew a few years ago, then you missed several of the Debarge siblings- James, Randy and Bunny- discussing their long-standing drug addictions. James, who was still on drugs at that time, (as were his siblings as well, but Bunny is now sober) revealed that MJ saved his life when everyone else around him was panicking, including his mother, Etterlene Debarge, Janet and she and MJ’s sister, Latoya.

James described how he was standing on the edge of a roof about to jump, when the family spotted him and he says the only one who remained calm throughout the hysterical ordeal, was MJ. James also said that MJ always had a way of remaining level headed under moments of intense, chaotic drama and that’s something he needed and will forever miss about his ex-brother-in-law. Check out the video clip below to see the heroic details James broke down about that terrifying moment and how MJ eventually got him off 0f the roof and to safety.

You just never know what a person is made of until they’re placed in situations like the one MJ was placed in. Thank goodness MJ was there for James that day, because we could have very well have been writing this article about the day James Debarge jumped and killed himself…something we would have dreaded having to report.

Debarge Family’s Trauma

Sadly, James and several of his ten siblings have been to hell and back throughout their lives, and it all stemmed from their days as biracial children growing up in a a rough section of Detroit, MI, in a home where several of them abused by their White father. That’s a whole ‘nother topic for another day, with many layers to unpack within it.

Debarge Classic: “Time Will Reveal”

The post James Debarge Very Grateful To Michael Jackson For Heroic, Bold Decision That Saved His Life appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

ILOSM family, many of us know that when it comes to family, we may love ’em dearly, but may not necessarily ‘like’ them. It happens. That brings us to the legendary DeBarge family and their latest uh…situation. Let’s just say, it’s WAAAAY worse than the typical sibling/family spat at this point.

Some of y’all may recall our prior report, when we revealed that El DeBarge was arrested 2 weeks ago, during a very violent altercation. Well, now El is letting ALL of the details outta the bag and his arrest apparently had everything to do with his fam.’

Recap Of El DeBarge’s Arrest

At the time of El’s arrest, here’s what was reported:

According to TMZ, El got into a heated argument with the guy in a house somewhere in San Fernando Valley and the guy tried to run clean away from El DeBarge- out of the house and into the street. Police say that once the guy ran, El took after him, with a wrench in hand, and the guy hid behind an RV. Apparently, one RV didn’t stop El from trying to get at the dude, because he allegedly smashed the windshield of the RV that the man was hiding behind. Cops say that’s when the unnamed, scared man called the cops on El and the R&B crooner was ultimately arrested for felony vandalism. He reportedly spent a night in jail and bailed out on a $20K bond.
As you can see, no details were previously given about the identities of the other parties involved in the wrench-wielding fiasco. But NOW El has confirmed it involved his siblings and here’s why…

El Angrily Blasts “Jealous” Siblings Who “Jumped” Him

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A few days after being released from jail. El DeBarge had a lil’ time on his hands, to get some decades-long frustration off his chest. He took to social media to let his fans know that he was arrested because his siblings have been “jealous” of him for decades:

“I want to thank all my fans for their love, support and prayers over the past few days. You will never know how you lift my spirit,” DeBarge wrote in his Twitter post. “The recent incident was the result of decades long held resentment against me by my siblings. I was physically attacked by 2 of my brothers at my sister Bunny’s house. I have held my tongue for years about my family, it’s jealousy, thievery, abuse and backstabbing. Their demand to the police that I be arrested for a broken window has broken my silence.”

Why he’s telling it all now:

“Their demand to the police that I be arrested for a broken window has broken my silence.”

Read the rest of his statement below…there’s WAY more…

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After Exposing Brothers, El Gives New Statement: ‘Should Have Done That Long Time Ago’

Days after revealing what really went down on that violent night, El gave another statement on Twitter. He thanked fans for supporting him at this time and acknowledged that he should have let the world know about the jealous sibling rivalry he’s been going through, a long time ago. Here’s his statement:

We respect El for speaking his truth and we wish him well, because their sibling rivalry is a beast! But what we also wanna know is, which two DeBarge brothers jumped El in a fit of “jealous” rage? Was it Chico, Randy, Mark, Thomas, or James? The suspense continues.

The post After Violent Arrest, El DeBarge Blasted His Siblings & Tells What Really Happened appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

It’s apparent that R&B crooner, El DeBarge doesn’t look like what he’s been through, because the brotha’s look is still as sharp as it was in 1985. He’s been through some serious stuff though. His struggles with drugs have been public because El revealed that he developed a drug addiction after receiving prescription medication for toothache pain, after having a tooth pulled by his dentist. Up until then, DeBarge had not used drugs, unlike his siblings who admittedly began to abuse drugs during the height of their careers. With an addiction that lasted nearly 25 years, El became clean and sober, gaining a second chance in life and he still has it. When El DeBarge performs his classic hits,  like  “Time Will Reveal” or “Love Me in a Special Way,” it’s like time has stood still because his voice is still on point.

If you’re a fan of good music, then you probably are familiar with the DeBarge fam.’ The Detroit, Michigan,  natives who grew up in Grand Rapids, MI and ultimately gave us some of the most classic old school R&B classics of all time. The ladies loved the five brothers and the male fans loved the Bunny DeBarge- the only sister of the sibling crew. Well, good looks and talent must be a DeBarge trait, that was proven after El showed off his son’s skills on Twitter. Check them out below…

Meet El DeBarge’s Son, Zechariah DeBarge a.k.a. Owl Badstyne

Like father, like son, Zechariah DeBarge is the son of El DeBarge and he is just as talented as his father. According to his Facebook page, Zechariah refers to himself as a music producer, singer, songwriter, and actor known as Owl Badstyne. Handsome and talented like his father, it’s beautiful to see them together as Zechariah bears a strong resemblance to El’s older brother, the late Bobby DeBarge. Zechariah is a great example of how the legacy of the DeBarge family will never die. Recording and performing together, El shared a video of them together hinting that a collaboration is in the making.

See The Father & Son Performing Below:

Just chillin' with @OwlBadstyne, Zechariah DeBarge. Yeah, that's right, he's my son. Look out for future collabs pic.twitter.com/xyeaGVJtY0

— El DeBarge® (@ElDeBarge) July 2, 2017

As we previously reported, we learned that El not only has Zechariah, his talented prodigy, but he has 11 other children. Speaking with Jet magazine, El revealed that he fathered 12 children with five different women, three of which he was married to. Sadly, he shared that his addiction affected his relationships with his children as well, and what he’s now doing, and already has done, to restore their faith in him as a father. You can read that story HERE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_7IFmXbGLc

Grateful for new beginnings, it’s clear that El is committed to doing what he loves, which is singing and spending time with his family. We wish his son Owl Badstyne much success.

The post Watching El Debarge Sing With His Grown Son Is Like Having Déjà vu… appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Back in the day, most of never knew just how cool MJ was with James, but it turns out, they were pretty close. So close that Michael was the only person who James trusted enough to help him when he felt like his life and the tumultuous events that stem from his childhood and beyond were just too much to bear.

“He seemed to be familiar with my pain” – James Debarge on MJ

If y’all missed their episode on Dr. Drew a few years ago, then you missed several of the Debarge siblings- James, Randy and Bunny- discussing their long-standing drug addictions. James, who was still on drugs at that time, (as were his siblings as well, but Bunny is now sober) revealed that MJ saved his life when everyone else around him was panicking, including his mother, Etterlene Debarge, Janet and she and MJ’s sister, Latoya.

James described how he was standing on the edge of a roof about to jump, when the family spotted him and he says the only one who remained calm throughout the hysterical ordeal, was MJ. James also said that MJ always had a way of remaining level headed under moments of intense, chaotic drama and that’s something he needed and will forever miss about his ex-brother-in-law. Check out the video clip below to see the heroic details James broke down about that terrifying moment and how MJ eventually got him off 0f the roof and to safety.

You just never know what a person is made of until they’re placed in situations like the one MJ was placed in. Thank goodness MJ was there for James that day, because we could have very well have been writing this article about the day James Debarge jumped and killed himself…something we would have dreaded having to report.

Debarge Biopic In The Works

Unfortunately James and several of his ten siblings have been to hell and back throughout their lives, and it all stemmed from their days as biracial children growing up in a a rough section of Detroit, MI, in a home where several of them abused by their White father. That’s a whole ‘nother topic for another day, with many layers to unpack within it. So for now, we’ll simply leave you with the details about TV One’s upcoming Debarge biopic. Given the backgrounds of the Debarge siblings, this biopic will probably be a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows, cheers and tears. See the network’s statement below:

Premiere: Fall 2018
This original film focuses on the story of the DeBarge family, one of the most popular family groups in American music history, as told by the family matriarch, Etterlene Abney. After her marriage and family with Robert DeBarge, a handsome white soldier, goes through a turbulent unraveling, she relocates her children to Illinois. The children begin singing in her brother’s church. Two of the brothers record a demo tape that, with the help of Jermaine Jackson, falls into the hands of Motown founder Berry Gordy – and the rest is history. DeBarge is a story whose tale is woven with music, fame and success, romance, drugs, sibling rivalry – and bonded by the glue of Abney’s love that strains to keep them all together.

Debarge Classic: “Time Will Reveal”

The post Wow! James Debarge Revealed What MJ Bravely Did To Stop Him From Killing Himself appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

By now, everyone has probably heard about Tiffany Whyte, the 30-something-year-old woman who adamantly insists she’s the long, lost daughter of Janet Jackson and James DeBarge. For those who missed it, Tiffany made headlines last week when she spoke out about the situation. She even said she had DNA test results to back her claims. Even James’ mother, Etterlene DeBarge believes Tiffany is her granddaughter, but his sister, Bunny, has dropped a serious truth bomb.

What We’ve All Been Thinking:

As soon as Tiffany’s picture surfaced online, fans believed she was delusional and took advantage of the “secret daughter scandal” because no one else had come forward. Although Etterlene DeBarge has embraced Tiffany, Bunny feels the same way fans do: while there may have been a child, Tiffany’s not it!

Put On Blast:

Bunny accused Tiffany of thirsting for fame and even apologized for the media firestorm the situation has caused.

“I would like to apologize to Janet and tell her as a family we would not have done it like that.”

During a recent interview on Inside Edition, Bunny also shared her opinion of the baby scandal. “That has haunted the family a long time,” Bunny said of the baby scandal that’s made headlines for years. “When the marriage was annulled… Janet was pregnant and James believed that as well,” she said, continuing, “I think we all believe that James and Janet had a child.”

She went on to share her opinion of the alleged DNA test results. “I’m like, ‘Mom, maybe she’s some kin to you but she’s not James [DeBarge] and Janet’s daughter. Come on now,'” she said on Inside Edition.

Tiffany Whyte is one of 10 women who claimed to be the child of Janet and James. However, she’s the only one who has spoken publicly and claimed to have DNA results. But, despite the results, fans still aren’t convinced she’s really the one. No one knows if this mystery will ever be solved, but only time will tell.

The post Finally! Janet Jackson’s Ex Sis-In-Law Tells TRUTH About Alleged Daughter! appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

While there’s no denying that the DeBarge family are an extremely talented group of people, they have always had their fair share of ups and downs throughout their lives. One thing we respect about them though is that they’ve never been a family to try to hide their pains and struggles…they’ve always owned up to their faults. Well this time Chico DeBarge was the one disclosing something that happened to him some years ago when he ended up getting stabbed only within inches of his kidney and lungs while he was touring as part of the cast of Tyler Perry’s stage play, “Why Did I Get Married.”

We all know Chico is like the bad boy of the Debarge fam’ after having served 5 years in prison for drug trafficking with his big brother, the late Bobby DeBarge and then not too long after he got out of prison, this is what he said happened…

(Via to Sister2Sister)
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Chico: I got stabbed in 2003. I was at a play with Tyler Perry—me and Kelly Price and Tyler Perry. It was a play called “Why Did I get Married?”

We were in Philly. It was around the end of October, November, and I just was out there in the play; I had my car on the road because I didn’t want to ride on the bus. So I was just driving, and one of the guys from the play asked me to pick him up because he would club-hop at every city we would go to. So he asked me to pick him up at the club and said he has some girl he wanted me to meet or whatever. It was his girlfriend he wanted to introduce to me; she was a fan. So I went to pick him up. And what happened was, she had left him and said, “Meet me at this other club, I have to go pick up some money”; some club she worked at. By the time I got there, she was gone, so he said, “Can you take me to this other club to pick my girl up?” So I took him to it, and when I got in there, you could tell it was made men; it was like you stepped right into “Goodfellas.”

Interviewer: Mm-hmm.
Chico: Yeah, it was on the South Philly side of town. When I got in the club, I didn’t feel a good vibe. I was like, ‘Hmm, this is not right.’ What happened was, she was trying to make her boyfriend jealous.

Interviewer: Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Not the guy, but another guy.
Chico: Her real boyfriend; it was an Italian dude.

Interviewer: Why did you have to go in the club? That’s what I want to know.
Chico: Well because he was going to go in there. I guess he had called her or texted her and she was like, “Give me a minute. Just come in real quick and sit down and have a drink while I handle my business.” I guess that must’ve been the case. I never really quite got why, but he was asked to [go there] for a minute and have a drink while she handled her business. So when he gets in there, she’s all over him. To me, it was obvious. She just met my friend and she’s all over him—he wasn’t my friend, but you know, an associate of mine. She’s all over him? This don’t look right. It looks like she’s trying to make somebody jealous. And sure enough she was trying to make this guy, who was a hit man for the mob, jealous. What happened is, basically—I don’t know if I should be telling you all this…

Interviewer: I won’t be telling names; I’m leaving those names out.
Chico: Okay, thank you. Anyway, he [the Italian mobster] sent a girl over there to beat the girl’s butt, so they got in a fight. And when they got in a fight, my associate intervened, and I guess he must’ve touched the girl to do it because I was at a distance when I saw it go down, and just, the troops came in. The guy got up—that was his reason to get up—he pursued my friend and an altercation took place. And I ended up stabbed.

Interviewer: Did you try to help him? Or did people just know you were there and came after you too?
Chico: I tried to, of course, assist him. He was in trouble.

Interviewer: Where were you stabbed? In the shoulder? In the stomach?

Chico: No, I was stabbed in the side, like, by my kidney: a seven-inch scar from my kidney close to my lung.

Interviewer: How did you get out of there? What happened?
Chico: Well…

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I didn’t know I was stabbed, so I was still fighting. Then my friend kicked the door down. There was an exit door and he kicked it. We jetted out of there. Then I began to feel like my shoes were sloppy wet and I began to feel dehydrated. You know what I mean? My mouth was very dry. I could feel there was something wrong. When I moved a certain way, that’s when I felt the sting—like a hot burn. I was like, “Wow. Did I get shot?” I lift my shirt up for him. I said, “I’m alright?” And he looked at me like, “Oh no!” One of the guys from the Philadelphia Eagles was next door. I guess he owned a club with security or whatever. I remember he said he was from the Philadelphia Eagles. He knew what he was doing and he was security; he deals with situations like this all the time and for me not to lay down because my adrenaline—he wanted to keep my adrenaline flowing. He started coaching me. He said the ambulance is on the way so I knew it was kind of serious. But I went to the hospital. Then the police came and they wanted me to identify the dude, which I would not do.

Interviewer: How did you know his name? How did you know who it was?
Chico: He died two weeks later, and that’s how I found out.

Interviewer: Who died two weeks later?
Chico: He got murdered, the guy that stabbed me.

Interviewer: Was it the boyfriend that stabbed you or not?
Chico:No, no, no. [X] allegedly stabbed me.

Interviewer: No, I know. I’m not putting anybody’s name.
Chico: But he allegedly stabbed me and the police came, and they wanted me to point him out, which I would not do. They had him in custody.

Interviewer: They came on the scene immediately?
Chico: They came immediately. They caught him. He was hiding in a closet, from what I understand. But they caught him immediately; they were like, “Is this the guy?” And I wouldn’t cooperate with them, so they had to let them go. They had told me his name, actually. “This is [X]. Blah blah blah. He’s involved in this and this and that.” And I was like, “Well, you know that’s just something I’m not trying to go through.” So he was released. I was stabbed and I was prescribed some prescription pills. So as a result of that, I became addicted to the prescription pills.

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After Chico has said in interviews that his addiction to those prescription pills is what led to his addiction to harder drugs, such as heroin. Chico cleaned up his act years ago and is back on the scene performing again and making great music like these songs he made back in the day.

The post Chico DeBarge Explains Why He Got Stabbed While Working With Tyler Perry appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Now here’s the obvious: It’s clear to see that Schlitz was trying to appeal to an urban market and that’s all fine and dandy, but our question to you, ILOSM family, is: Do you think corporate brands should have a social responsibility to the urban market that they’re trying to sell to? Should they even the playing field by giving back to the urban communities? Or by incorporating people of that culture within the corporation’s infrastructure?

Take a look at Billy Dee’s Colt 45 ad from the 1980s on the next page, as an example of another corporation appealing to the urban market. Again, is this simply marketing products to a set group of people, or capitalizing of a set group of people without properly spreading the wealth and opportunities?

The post Yes Indeed! When Commercials Had A Whole Lotta Soul! Check This Out! appeared first on I Love Old School Music.