Big Brovaz
London R&B and hip hop group with three line-up changes.
Big Brovaz (pronounced "brothers") were a London-based R&B and hip hop group active for seven years, during which they put out two studio albums and eight singles. The lineup changed three times, with two original members leaving partway through. In 2006, the group's two female singers formed Booty Luv, which gained momentum after their debut single "Boogie 2nite" became a hit. The band split when their second album failed to chart and their last two singles sold poorly. Four members from the third lineup reunited in May 2012 to tour Australia alongside S Club 3.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- London, England
- Genre
- R&B; hip hop
- Years active
- 2001–2004; 2007; 2012–present
- Label
- Riot Records
- Sony/Epic
- RAF/Genetic
- Spinoffs
- Booty Luv
- Current members
- Cherise
- Nadia Shepherd
- John Paul Horsley (J-Rock)
- Michael Brown (Randy)
- Past members
- Dion Howell
- Temi Tayo Aisida (Flawless)
- Skillz
Facts from the source article.
History
Big Brovaz originally comprised three women (Cherise, who won the MOBO for best unsigned artist in 2000; Dion; and Nadia, born in Reading), three men (J-Rock; Flawless, born in Lagos; and Randy), plus two producers Skillz (also known as JJC, born in Kano, who also managed his group 419 Squad), and Michael Fingaz Mugisha. The group was referred to as a softer version of the So Solid Crew. The group was brought together by Fingaz, one of the collective's producers, who already worked under the title 'Big Brovaz'.
The 'Big Brovaz' team asked the individual members to showcase their talent alongside underground London R&B and hip hop artists on a compilation that was being put together, entitled Big Brovaz – Watching You. On the album, rather than giving each member an individual track, the producers decided to make the artists work together and perform on the same tracks. That collaborative effort led to the group's formation. The Big Brovaz – Watching You compilation sold over two thousand copies.
A track from the album, which featured west London R&B singer Cherise, was picked up by the organizer of the annual MOBO award and she was asked to compete in the annual MOBO Unsigned talent competition where she achieved first place. Cherise was signed and later released her own solo album. Following this, the group was picked up by Sony Records. Female member Cherise released a solo album Look Inside before the debut album from Big Brovaz was released.
It only spawned one single, '2nd Best', while the album won a MOBO award. The group's breakthrough was in October 2002 when the group's debut single, 'Nu Flow' became a hit, particularly in the UK where it made the top 3, spending over four months inside the top 75. Their debut album of the same name was released on 4 November 2002 to rave reviews. This single was covered in 2006 in a UK Halifax TV advertisement.
Solo careers
Nadia and Cherise are now also performing under the name Booty Luv. Their first single, a cover of Tweet's 'Boogie 2nite' was released in the UK via the Hed Kandi label on 27 November 2006. The single received good reviews and became a favourite on the UK club scene. It peaked at Number 2 in its third week in the UK Singles Chart, spending eleven weeks in the Top 15 and sixteen weeks in the Top 40.
Four more singles have since been released, with Shine, a cover of the Luther Vandross song, peaking at Number 10 in the UK singles chart. Third and fourth singles 'Don't Mess with My Man', a cover of the Lucy Pearl song, and an original song 'Some Kinda Rush' both reached the Top 20, peaking at number 11 and 19. 'Dance Dance' was the fifth single to be taken from the album. Booty Luv's début album Boogie 2nite was released on 17 September 2007, and reached number 11 in the UK Albums Chart.
J-Rock and Randy also went on to form their own group, Party Dark, falling into the Party/House and Rap genres and were signed to Champion Records in 2009. On 15 March 2010 they released their first single, 'Is That You?', which was well received by DJs such as Huw Stephens, Bobby Friction and Eddie Temple-Morris and the music video reached Number 1 in the MTV Dancefloor Charts four weeks in a row. Party Dark released a second single in the later part of 2010 called 'Let's Go'.
This was announced via a teaser trailer on YouTube and a remix competition on their own and their label's websites. J-Rock was the protagonist of an All 4 documentary entitled Giving Up the Weed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which record labels has Big Brovaz released music on?
Big Brovaz has released music on Riot Records, Sony/Epic and RAF/Genetic.
Who are the current members of Big Brovaz?
The current members of Big Brovaz are listed as Cherise, Nadia Shepherd, John Paul Horsley (J-Rock) and Michael Brown (Randy).
More in British Contemporary R&B Musical Groups
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced