With so many mainstream acts in the headlines, it makes you wonder what happened to so many popular artists of the past? K-CI and JoJo fills in the missing pieces with their new show “K-CI & JoJo Come Clean” on TV One. As members of the R & B group, Jodeci, K-CI & JoJo left their mark on music with three critically acclaimed albums (Forever My Lady, Diary of a Mad Band, and The Show, the After Party, and The Hotel).
Money is an amplifier. Whatever vices you possess before money is only amplified after the money flows with no problem and you start believing your own hype. The devil will make sure that you have every opportunity to destroy your life. K-CI & JoJo proves that it’s never too late for redemption.
What were the negative effects of getting so much at a young age?
JoJo: We were eighteen or nineteen when we first started, but we had money and were traveling the world. We could get any car we wanted girls, and the parties every day. We sarted depending on having fun and partying. [We were] drinking instead of taking care of our real business, which [was] going on stage or [into] the studio. But we would have wild parties at the studio when were supposed to be working. We were rebellious at that time.
Was there anyone around telling you guys to show down?
K-CI: There were a few people that came and told us to chill out, bu those were the ones we would push away. We would be like ‘You can’t tell us what to do. This is our career.’ We thought that we were the baddest group in the world. That was the atitude we had and it caught up with us.
How were you affected by all of the money that you were receiving?
JoJo: Once you get that much popularity and that much money, you have people around you that are really supposed to be your friends, but they are not your damn friends. You’ll find that out as they come and go. But you get this frmae of mind that you are untouchable. You can’t do anything wrong and everything you say is right. You get into this fake world and you forget about your morals. Even if it was wrong, I didn’t want to hear what was right.
When did you guys decide to make a change and leave that lifestyle behind you?
JoJo: I was diagnosed with elipepsy. I wasn’t born with that. There is no trace of hat in my family. It came from drinking alcohol. I was drinking every morning, afternoon and night. Before I would eat breakfast, I would have a drink. I started taking a toll on my body. I was killing myself. My doctor told me that I could die if I continued to drink heavily. I started having seizures and passing out from not nourishing my body. You could smell the liquor come through my pores. You could see it all in my eyes. . That’s when it hit me, I was like ‘Hell no, I’m better than this.’
K-CI: It came a time when we had to stop. We [weren't] raised like that living here in North Carolina. But we didn’t have any guidance when we were on tour. We had a bunch of yes people around us. When they told us not to do it, we would fire them. But we had to choose between having a good, successful career or be[ing] a drunk. Partying and drinking ruined it all and took everything away. We had to make our minds up.
Why was this a good time to do the TV One reality show?
K-CI: I just thank God for giving us another chance and opportunity to let the world know about us. We just hope everybody can grasp it, and hopefully, it will be an inspiration for someone else. We had to come to our senses.
Jo-Jo: Our parents and children would read suff about us and it’s become embarrassing. We prayed on it and said let’s do it [the show]. This way, nobody has to read about us anymore. With ‘Come Clean’ we let them know that this is what we did and what we’re doing now.
Your kids have witnessed you guys struggle with substance abuse. What do you tell them about your past life and how have they helped in the process?
Jo-Jo: I let my kids know that they don’t have to follow in my footsteps by being an entertainer. I am able to talk to my kids more responsibly now.
K-CI: Nothing is better than having your kids with you. For instance, my son called and just wanted to say that he was proud of me. He understands that I am trying. He doesn’t have to do what his father did. I couldn’t al to my ids back in the day because I was messed up. I didn’t even have time to talk to them because of that bottle and my frame of mind. I’ll never put anything before my kids again.
