Montell Jordan

Lore & Background

Montell Jordan was born in South Central Los Angeles to Elijah and Delois Jordan. Born into a Baptist family, he attended church frequently as a child, where his parents worked as deacons. He played piano for his church. He attended Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, California, and Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, earning a bachelor's degree in communications. He became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity in spring 1989 and graduated in 1991. After graduating, he worked for Williams Television Time making TV infomercials. He invited coworkers to see him perform at a showcase; musicians Janet Jackson and Shanice Wilson attended. He made his first mix-tape and flew to New York with producer Russell Simmons of Def Jam Records, signing to Def Jam in 1994 as one of the label's early R&B artists.

In Their Own Story

The studio lights at Paisley Park hummed a low amber glow, the kind that made the glass walls look like honey. Montell sat cross-legged on the couch in the control room, still in his rehearsal clothes, watching Prince flip a sequencer pattern for the fourteenth time. The producer hummed a counter-melody, then pointed a stylus at the young singer. "Again. But this time, you're not singing to me. You're singing to the girl in the back row who hasn't clapped yet." Montell laughed, rolled his shoulders, and hit the mic. The take that followed—slightly off-key in the second bar, perfectly alive in the third—became the one they kept. Outside, the Minnesota winter pressed its cold thumb against the windows, but inside the room the air was warm with the particular electricity of a song finding its shape.

Reader's Guide

Jordan's first single was the 1995 No. 1 hit "This Is How We Do It", which sampled Slick Rick's "Children's Story". The single reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks. His first album went platinum. In 1996, he opened for Boyz II Men in Vancouver; a stage flare disoriented him, causing him to fall off a seven-foot stage and hit his head, but he sustained no injuries. Later hits included "Somethin' 4 da Honeyz" (No. 21), "Let's Ride" with Master P and Silkk the Shocker, "I Like", and "Get It On Tonite" (No. 4). He co-wrote, produced, and sang back-up on Shae Jones's 1999 album Talk Show. He wrote and produced for Christina Milian, 98 Degrees, Shae Jones, Deborah Cox ("Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", 1998), Lil' Mo ("Ta Da", 2000), and Sisqó ("Incomplete", 2000). He had a comedic supporting role in The Fighting Temptations as Mr. Johnson, a cameo in The Nutty Professor, and performed in Standing in the Shadows of Motown. His song "Unstoppable" was featured in NBA Live 2001. He performed "Careless Whisper" with Dave Koz during Miss Universe 2000. In 2003, he left Def Soul due to artistic differences, signing with Koch Records and releasing Life After Def. He contributed to Croatian singer Nina Badrić's album. His last release was 2008's Let It Rain on Fontana Records. Through 2015–2016, he appeared at halftime shows and on The Late Late Show with James Corden. In 2019, he confirmed recording his first R&B album in over a decade. On May 19, 2019, he sang "This Is How We Do It" on the American Idol finale. On November 19, 2019, he was a guest on Tamron Hall's talk show, performing the song and discussing his upcoming album The Masterpiece, released November 29. In 2022, he competed in season eight of The Masked Singer as "Panther". He is now a born-again Christian and worked at Victory Church in Norcross, Georgia as executive worship pastor. In 2010, during a fast, he said God told him to quit the music industry; he canceled his comeback plans. He created Victory World Music, releasing a Christian album in early 2011 featuring "Shake Heaven" with Beckah Shae. After leaving Victory Church, he and his wife Kristin co-founded Master Peace Church, a virtual ministry. Their virtual services were held every Sunday from 2022 to 2024. They now focus on Marriage Masterpeace and the Retreat Center. Jordan married Kristin in 1994; they have five ch

Did You Know?

• Montell Jordan's first hit "This Is How We Do It" sampled Slick Rick's "Children's Story".
• Jordan fell off a seven-foot stage while opening for Boyz II Men in 1996 but was uninjured.
• Jordan became a worship leader at Victory World Church in Norcross, Georgia in 2010.
• He competed on The Masked Singer in 2022 as "Panther".