Adios Immature, so long Soul IV Real, helloooo! Imajin, you're now R&B's #1 male teenage singing group, and your combined star is still rising. That's clearly the consensus of today's imajin-smitten female teenyboppers, now that the sizzling Jive Records quartet has elevated itself to superstar heartthrob status. Still, playa haters who unfairly say they're just clones of Immature and Soul IV Real, when those teen-powered acts were at the chart, sales and concert drawing summit, miss the point. You see, what gives Imajin a definitive creative edge is the fact that not only are they impressive singers and songwriters, they're also strong, crowd-pleasing musicians. "Playing instruments helps make our shows more exciting and professional in that we control more of what's going on onstage," says Jamal Hampton, who, with Talib Kareem, Olamide Faison, and John Fitch is a fierce fourth of the red-hot Imajin crew. He makes a valid point, considering that mose acts coming out these days rely on either samples and/or other musicians to soup up their tracks. That is not to say that Imajin does not employ outside players on their recordings, but they are at the core of their music, and, when you think about it, they're fulfilling a musicianship void that most R&B and hip-hop artists of their generation have made. "We're not putting down any group that doesn't play instruments," Talib insists. "We just think it's cool that we're able to give our fans a little more than most groups. You know, it really makes us feel good after a show when kids our age tell us that they like what we do so much that they want to learn how to play an instrument too."
The origin of Imajin goes back to when producer Bert Price and Jamal, who was about 12 then, hooked up. "I thought that for a young boy his age, he had a great voice and all the rest of the guys together, I saw right away that this was a group that could go all the way if they remained focused and serious about making it."
The year was 1996 and Price figured that putting Imajin together with a big name would give them the boost they needed to launch the group's career. Price's friend and R&B star Gerald Levert recorded a song with the game foursome, and Imajin was off and running. Nevertheless, they needed to hone their craft as a unit some more, and do it in front of audiences.
Of course we all know that Harlem USA, home of the world famous Apollo Theater is known for having some of the most brutally honest audiences in the world. Indeed, just surviving the Apollo's Amateur night competition has put many an act on the road to fame and fortune. However, it's also where many others learn, after being nastily booed by the crowd and swept off the stage by clown bouncer Sandman, that they had better look for work somewhere far away from show business.
Fortunately, for New York's Imajin, once they took the stage and performed like they never had before, they wowed the Apollo audience, many of whom stood up and gave them an ovation. Not surprisingly, that raised their confidence, motivating them to work even harder to realize their collective dream of recording stardom.
Continuing to plug away by playing at local clubs, small venues and special events, they kept the dream alive. Then Jive Records came calling and signed them to a lucrative contract. That was two years ago. In 1998, after months of recording what would become one of the hottest self-titled debut albums of the year, they simply exploded on the charts and airwaves. The career-making introductory single "Shorty (You Keep Playin' With My Mind)." which featured rapper Keith Murray and has Imajin mugging into the camera decked out in basketball uniforms and shooting hoops on the set, flew up the charts. Instantly the song struck an irresistable chord, especially with pre and mid-teen female fans, apparently hungry for a new group in their own age bracket to idolize, adore and totally support. After all, Immature had more than matured, and Soul IV Real had gotten relatively long in the tooth for the teenybopper set, too. "It kinda happened real fast," notes Talib. "One day we were struggling to get notices, and the next we're getting mad love from the ladies everywhere we go."
Imajin's latest smash single "No Doubt," which is visually represented by a state-of-the-art video directed by video giant Billie Woodruff, has put the group's already hectic schedule into industry overtdrive. In addition to personal appearances at radio and television stations, record store autograph signings, and award shows, they're planning an extensive concert tour this year. They're also anxious to get back into the studio to begin work on their second album. "It's going to take us to a higher music level," Jamal confidently predicts.
On the subject of time away from the studio, we asked them what they do to fill time when they're recording. Typical teenagers, they answered, "We all play hockey on Nintendo 64."
Queried about the kinds of girls theylike, they took a confection route. "Just like ice cream, we like girls of all flavors, as long as they're pretty, smart, funny and have a good personality."
Questioned about who they would love to tour with in 1999, the list was quite impressive. "We'd like to go tour with Usher, Mary J. Blige and Next again, and we may be touring with Brandy this year. Plus, we would also like to tour with Dru Hill, Immature, and Hanson.
Time will tell who Imajin will hit the road with in the big nine-9, but it's clear that this year will "No Doubt" bring them more accolades and wider success. Believe me when I say that this fantastic foursome with the big voices and instrumental skills are the hop-hop/R&B bomb!
