The new season of TV One’s original and longest-running series “Unsung” continues this Sunday, April 7th at 9 pm ET/8 pm CT.
The seven-time NAACP Image Award-winning series “Unsung“, spotlights entertainment’s most talented, versatile, and influential music artists.
This week’s episode explores the success and turmoil of R&B trio Blaque.
Blaque was formed in Atlanta, originally consisting of Brandi Williams, Shamari DeVoe, and Natina Reed. Discovered and mentored by the late Lisa “Left Eye Lopes of the legendary group, TLC. The trio greatly influenced the landscape of feminism within popular music and girl groups in 1999–2000 with their feisty lyrics, sexy demeanor’s, and space-age fashion sense.
Their music was a blend of pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, soul, and funk. Most tracks oozed with harmonies from the group’s singers, DeVoe and Williams, with fiery rap lyrics from Reed. Their debut album Blaque sold more than 3 million copies and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. The group’s debut included the gold-selling single “808”, the international hit “Bring It All to Me“, and a third single, “I Do.”
Check Out The UB Extended Previews!
With the help of Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes from TLC, Blaque became an unstoppable force! The girl group brought a refreshing sound to the music industry in the late 1990s.
Despite all of Blaque’s success, issues begin to arise between group members Brandi Williams and Natina Reed. The ladies recalled one specific incident while filming Bring It On.
Blaque’s role in Bring It On brought them huge commercial success! Like Gabrielle Union said, Black girls finally got to win. Aside from gaining mainstream popularity, Blaque released the chart-topping ‘As If’ on the movie soundtrack.
In 2012, Blaque reconnected and performed for the last time together in a heartfelt tribute to Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes. Shortly after, the group suffered a tragic loss.
“Bring It All to Me” also served as a lead track for the film “Bring It On”, in which they co-starred alongside Gabrielle Union and Kirsten Dunst. The group went on to sign with Elektra Records which led to the release of the international hit single from the film Honey, “I’m Good”. In 1999, Billboard named Blaque the 4th Best New Artist of the year, with “Bring It All to Me” landed at #30 on the 2000 Year End Chart. At the Billboard Video Awards, Blaque snagged the award for “Best New Artist” for the video “Bring It All To Me.”
Over the course of the group’s career, Blaque went on a brief hiatus following the passing of the groups feisty rapper, Natina Reed in 2012.
To chronicle the group’s 20th Anniversary in 2019, the group released a previously unreleased album that had been sought for by fans, entitled “Torch”. “Torch” was released on all digital platforms in July 2019, and along with the rest of the group’s discography, garnered over 5 million streams in 2019 alone.
The group has continued to make waves in the entertainment industry, with notable accomplishments in both music and beauty. In April of 2023, Blaque was featured on the cover of Grind Pretty Magazine’s April Edition, showcasing their timeless appeal and continued relevance in the music scene.
“Unsung” is narrated by actor Gary Anthony Williams and is executive produced by Frank Sinton and Arthur Smith of A. Smith & Co. Productions. Mark Rowland, Kysha Mounia and Jamecia Blount also serve as Executive Producers. For TV One, Austyn Biggers is the SVP of Programming and Jason Ryan is the Executive Producer in Charge of Production.
