9 Black Male Singing Groups Of The 2000s  

The 2000s decade was full of talented singing groups that made their mark on music history. Whether the group topped the Billboard charts or only released one album, these nine black male singing groups of the 2000s certainly created a lasting impression.

Many of the black male singing groups of the 2000s were inspired by similar, soulful quartets like Boys II Men, but what made this decade stand out was the desire to include a rap artist in the tracks, so some of the groups embedded a rapper in the group from its inception.

For a flash of nostalgia and a reminder of songs to add to a party playlist, check out our comprehensive list of these 2000s groups. From Day26 to No Question, the male singing groups were down to get the party started and the dance floor jumping.

B2K

B2K, also known as Boys of the New Millennium, is an American boy band that recorded and released songs between 2000 and 2004. Recently, the group reorganized and created new music in 2019 and 2020. Initially formed in 1998, famous choreographer Dave Scott discovered the boy band.

B2K’s members include Lil’ Fizz, J-Boog, Raz-B, and Omarion. The group released their debut, self-titled album in March 2002. It reached number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B and Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album, with its song “Gots Ta Be,” set the tone for their successful musical career. Notably, in 2002, RIAA certified the group’s debut album Gold just a few months after its release.

In July 2002, B2K played a concert on Nickelodeon. Many media outlets featured the boy band, including Word Up, Right On, and Ring Magazine.

B2K unveiled an album for the Christmas season entitled Santa Hooked Me Up. Shortly after that, the boy band released their sophomore album, Pandemonium!, and their fourth single gained mass popularity. The song “Bump, Bump, Bump” featured P. Diddy. Pandemonium! debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard chart and number three on the Top R&B and Hip Hop Albums chart.

B2K’s second single from the sophomore album, “Girlfriend,” dropped in 2003. The music video included many celebrity faces like Will Smith and Vivica A. Fox.

In December 2018, B2K announced that the boy band would be doing a reunion tour after fifteen years. “The Millennium Tour” began in 2019, and B2K performed during March, April, and May of that year. Other mid-2000s artists joined B2K on tour, including Pretty Ricky, Chingy, Ying Yang Twins, and Mario. The tour was recognized with a nomination at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards.

Ideal

Ideal is an R&B group, which included brothers Cedrick “Swab” Cotton and Maverick “Mav,” as well as their cousin, who’s known as Wayne “PZ” Perry, and a friend Jay “J-Dante” Green.

Virgin Records released Ideal’s debut album, selling more than 600,000 copies. Additionally, the RIAA certified the album Gold. The initial album highlighted the quartet’s smooth vocals and romantic lyrics.

Ideal eventually signed with Universal Records in 2004 and started recording their second album. Some celebrities who worked with the group on this album were Bryan-Michael Cox, Nisan Stewart, and Mike City. Sadly, the group’s sophomore album was never released.

One of the group’s members, Cedrick “Swab” Cotton, died in February 2021, at 46 years old. The other group members are well, and most still live near Houston.

The most popular songs that the group released are “Get Gone,” “Creep Inn,” and “Whatever.”

Ruff Endz

Ruff Endz is a black American R&B group with two members named David “Davinci” Chance and Dante “Chi” Jordan. Both of the men are from Baltimore, Maryland. The two most popular songs Ruff Endz released were “No More” and “Someone to Love You.”

Notably, the two men who made up Ruff Endz began as part of a quartet but separated in the mid-1990s to start separate careers. Ruff Endz signed with Epic Records in 1999 and began developing their debut album.

In June 2000, Ruff Endz released a single from the first album, “No More.” Shortly after its release, the song was listed at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top spot on the R&B charts.

The album, Love Crimes, dropped on August 22, 2000, and found its way to both the Billboard and R&B charts. Ruff Endz began touring and developing their sophomore album, which was released in 2001 and included songs like “Cash, Money, Cars, Clothes.”

Moving forward, the two recorded songs separately and have worked together. Specifically, in 2016, Ruff Endz performed in their hometown, Baltimore, as part of the city-wide protest movement.

ATL

ATL is an R&B group whose members are from Atlanta, Georgia. The singers are Tré, Will, and L-Rock, and they were accompanied by rapper Danger. ATL’s first album, The ATL Project, was produced by R. Kelly and released in July 2004. The two most popular songs from the album included “Calling All Girls” and “Make It Up With Love.”

Interestingly, the group originated via a talent search in the Atlanta area. The initial goal was for the core group to be able to transition across music genres from R&B to hip-hop. 

In 2006, additional songs were released directly to the internet and included titles like “All Grown Men,” “Throwback,” and “In The Club Tonight.”

Since the mid-2000s, ATL has disbanded. However, the individual members of the group have engaged in other projects. Some rumors swirled in 2013 that the group would return for a special one-night reunion, but sadly, this has never come to fruition. 

Prophet Jones

Prophet Jones created hip-hop and R&B music. The group consisted of four members from Washington, D.C., including Patrick “P” Rowe, Kevin “K.D.” Jackson, Tony “Hollywood” Dumas, and Jerome “Goldee” Lattisaw. Notably, two members had experienced some success with the 1990s R&B group, Me-2-U.

Alongside music producer Kevin Jackson, Prophet Jones recorded a demo with seven songs. The demo sparked the interest of University Records. In 2001, the group released a self-titled album that peaked at number sixteen on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. The most popular single from the album was entitled “Cry Together.”

Prophet Jones gained significant popularity by performing as the opening act for other celebrities like Mya, Eve, and Sisqo. Two other singles–”Woof” and “Lifetime”–saw some success before the band disbanded. “Woof” even had a radio-edit version released for popular station play.

No Question Is A Modern Black Singing Group

No Question primarily produced R&B music. The quartet hailed from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and its members included Dante Massey, Damon Core, Nicholas Johnson, and Tommy Blackwell.

The debut record, which was the same name as the group’s name, was produced and recorded by Philadelphia International Records. The debut album included a cover of “You Make Me Feel Brand New” and hit singles like “I Don’t Care.” In 2000, the album peaked at number 47 on Billboard’s Top R&B and Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Notably, No Question was featured on the film–Bait–soundtrack with the track “Get That.” Additionally, in 2001, a song by No Question was included on the soundtrack to the film The Brothers entitled “Remember Us.” Briefly, in 2012, the group performed with two of the original members, but the group is not currently working together to produce new music.

Day 26

Day26 is an R&B music group organized as part of Sean “Diddy” Combs in August 2007. The group’s formation was documented on MTV’s Making the Band 4. The members of Day26 are Robert Curry, Brian Angel, Willie Taylor, Qwanell Mosley, and Michael McCluney.

On March 25, 2008, Day26 released their debut album. Notably, the first single from the album “Got Me Going” debuted on the season finale of Making the Band 4. Day26’s first album also debuted at number one on the Billboard charts.

Day26 began touring and performing the songs from the first album while they were working on their second album, Forever in a Day. The tour was documented on MTV’s Making the Band 4, where Day26 and Danity Kane toured the country, performing their hit songs. On April 14, 2009, Day26’s second album dropped.

At the end of 2009, differences between the group members and Day26’s manager caused Que to leave the group. While Day26 is still around, the group has not released new music since their second album was released.

Brutha

Brutha is an R&B group that consisted of five brothers, including Grady Harrell III, Anthony Harrell, Jacob Harrell, Cheyenne Harrell, and Jared Overton. When they initially came together in 2002, Brutha made its public debut on a special episode of Soul Train.

Shortly after that, Brutha signed with Def Jam Records, and the group released their first album in December 2008. The group gained popularity and was part of a reality show, Brothers to Brutha, aired on BET. The television series documented their rise to notoriety.

A few years later, in 2011, three brothers, Grady, Anthony, and Jared, decided to pursue individual careers in music. Jacob and Cheyenne formed a group of their own called Jake & Papa. Jake & Papa have gone on to release five albums, and the smaller group has a following on social media.

Profyle

Profyle is a black R&B group from the United States. Members of the group were from the Shreveport, Louisiana area. The quartet is made up of a pair of brothers and their cousins. The four men drew deep inspiration from predecessors like Boys II Men.

The group is known for their hit single, “Liar.” Motown Records signed Proflye, and the R&B group released two albums with the label. Many music television channels, like MTV2, VH1, and BET, played the music video for “Liar” in 2000.

In 2004, the Profyle released a self-titled album but did not see as much success as they did with their earlier hit song. The group’s previous albums with Motown records included Whispers in the Dark and Nothin’ But Drama. The group has not produced new music since their last record in 2004.

Top Black Male Singing Groups of the 2000s, Final Thoughts

These black male singing groups of the 2000s made their mark on music history. Many of these groups were able to release an initial album and see some success from these debut releases. Sadly, due to internal differences or record label changes, most of the bands did not enjoy longevity.

What’s great though is that these songs live on forever, and we can continue to enjoy this nostalgic period of time and we can seek out a particular song to listen to when its lyrics get stuck in our heads. From B2K to Day26 to Ruff Endz, it is very fun to listen to their old hits and relive their glory days via a cultivated 2000s playlist.