Jagged Edge has cemented itself as one of the most influential R&B groups of all time, shaping the genre with a signature blend of raw emotion, street-edge harmonies and timeless storytelling. With millions of records sold, multiple platinum albums and classic hits like “Let’s Get Married,” "Where the Party At" and “Promise,” the Grammy-nominated quartet redefined what it meant to be an R&B powerhouse.
Their impact extends beyond just music — Jagged Edge shattered the industry's rigid standards of appearance, proving that R&B stars did not have to fit into the traditionally polished, clean-cut mold. Their street-savvy yet soulful aesthetic paved the way for a new generation of artists to embrace authenticity, making them one of the blueprints for modern R&B.
Even with decades in the game, the group continues to evolve while staying true to the signature sound that made them legends. Their January 2025 record “Just Might Get It” masterfully fuses their signature heartfelt lyricism and rich harmonies with fresh, contemporary production, proving that classic R&B can thrive in today's ever-changing musical landscape. In an era where the essence of traditional R&B is often debated, Jagged Edge remains a testament to its staying power — effortlessly bridging the gap between nostalgia and innovation. Whether it is their influence on more current chart-topping acts or their commitment to keeping real R&B alive, Jagged Edge’s legacy is undeniable.
REVOLT sat down with group members Brandon Casey, Richard Wingo and Brian Casey to discuss their 11th album, the R&B group era, artists they admire and so much more. Check it out below.
Boy groups once dominated R&B, after which solo artists seemed to get more shine. Do you feel like R&B groups have been erased from the conversation, and what do you think caused that shift?
Brandon Casey: I mean, I don't think they were erased because we are here, right? [This is our] 11th album, but I think the shift has been in the collapse of the music industry in general, because the collapse is a financial collapse … The things that got cut to the side were the things that are more expensive or are less cost effective to move around. It's a whole lot more expensive to move four or five guys than it is to move one. The time that we're living in [is] a me-me era. People ain't really big on teaming up and then being genuine; they'll team up for their own benefit and when that's done, it's over. The true essence of teaming up is sacrifice. Most people aren’t willing to do that.
A lot of “supergroups” have been nominated at award shows lately. What are your thoughts when you see an influx of these one-off collectives who are potentially taking a spot from an actual group that stays together for more than one project?
Brian Casey: I feel like they thought it was sweet. When certain guys get together, they think they can just come together and crush it, when in reality, it’s not that simple. It has to be real chemistry. I think even for us, that is part of our legacy — we refuse to let the change in this game erase what we are, what we want, what we do today and what we want it to be. I just think sometimes people underestimate the workload that comes with it. It’s a workload to be in a group, man. What I don't think they really think about is that once you put it together, now you are in the arena with the Jagged Edges and the Jodecis — you gotta come bang with us. You think your star power will save you, but it’s not (laughs).
Richard Wingo: I always say this prime example, Spice Girls, a group that was put together, right? Sold 10 million records, first album, broke up.
Jagged Edge remained solid while other late ’90s and early 2000s R&B groups broke apart. What did you all figure out that others didn’t?
Brian: I think from day one, we aligned our goals in the same way, and we had conversations from day one, like [are we] gonna do this just for some money [or] are we gonna do this because we want to be one of the greatest groups ever? So that commitment, that dedication and [the] understanding that [there are] going to be some ups and downs — we can't let that shake us off the ride, though.
Brandon: I think we grew up at a time when the whole point was longevity. I would always hear certain artists say when I was growing up — Stevie Wonder or whoever, it might have been Lionel Richie, [or] even more recently, Mary J Blige — their tenure is just as important as the music. That was just more important back in the day than just having hit records.
“Careful what you wish for because you just might get it” is a lyric on your recent record “Just Might Get It” ... What’s one wish, as a group, that you wanted and to your surprise, it manifested itself into reality?
Wingo: This whole journey. Twenty-five, 30 years later, we set out again. We wanted to become a household name. When you mentioned The Temptations, The Four Tops and all these different groups — it was the same thing for Jagged Edge and New Edition to be in those same conversations.
Brian: All we wanted to do was make music. Somebody said to us a while ago — my brother just brought this up yesterday — that Jagged Edge is bad at being celebrities, and we didn't get into it for that. When you talk about what you wish for, that side comes with it. If social media [had] been out in the beginning of our career, we would’ve been canceled (laughs).
You’ve stayed authentic despite the politics in the industry. What was the moment when, as a collective, you all said you weren’t going to play Hollywood’s game?
Brandon: It was during the time we were gearing [up] to release our first single, “The Way That You Talk,” and we kept going back and forth with the label about our wardrobe. They wanted us to dress similar to Boyz II Men since we were coming off of that era. They felt all R&B groups were supposed to look like that, but that’s not our thing. We did cave, and that record was probably the best thing [that] ever happened to us because now they got to listen to us and the rest was history. I just want to look like myself when I’m singing (laughs).
The brother dynamic — having twins in a group — was rare in R&B. How did having that built-in bond shape Jagged Edge’s chemistry?
Brian: Half the battle is the fact that two of us are brothers, and we are all brothers anyway, right? We are each other's best friends, but we don't pull any punches with whatever it is we want to say to [one another], and we’ve been like that our whole lives. We’ve always had to learn conflict resolution and it paid off. Now all four of us have that same kind of quality and value.
The harmonies in songs like “I Gotta Be” and “Promise” are so layered and intricate — how did you all decide who sang what parts? Was it an unspoken thing, or did you have to hash it out?
Brian: This is a positionless basketball team; we don’t always have someone who sings the higher note or the lower note. We all fluctuate up and down. I think that also gives us a wider spectrum of what we are capable of as a group, too, because nobody's ever pigeonholed [in] a certain place.
Wingo: You gotta be able to hold your own.
Brandon: No matter how far we might have strayed, we were all choir boys. That's instilled in all of us.
What’s one thing about the R&B group era that fans romanticize that wasn’t really all that great behind the scenes?
Brandon: That everything in that era was so dope. We always hear how dope [it was] — and the era was dope — but people act like everything that we spit out [was] a hit record. It didn’t work out like that. I think there was a sensibility of music that was lent from our predecessors. To me, this is the first generation where we weren't able to lend it to the next, but we got it from the people who came before us. They got it from the people who came before them. I feel like this might be the first generation that was like, “What y'all talking about?” They’re gonna make this over here and more power to them. I don't believe music moves forward if everybody marches to the same beat. You have to try a few new things out. To move things forward is to innovate.
What did you try out on this new album, All Original Parts, Vol. 1?
Brian: We’re open to those drill R&B beats for sure. We have a few of those on the album.
Is there a contemporary artist that you’ve learned from?
Brandon: I would say SZA. She is one of the most innovative songwriters to come along probably in 100 years. It’s been a long time since I heard somebody who, like I said before, kind of just does everything traditional. It’s like she said she’s gonna try this new way of doing music, and then trinkle that old school way in where she can. She made a sound for herself that I’ve never heard before. I respect her as a songwriter.
Brian: I like Cash Cobain. The fact that he's rapping and singing, the fact that some of it's extremely raunchy, but then some of it is still kind of heartfelt… like he walks a little balance. Those are things that sometimes seem to be received the best. I like artists like that.
Was there ever a song you passed on that became a hit for another artist, and you regret it to this day?
Brandon: “In My Bed” by Dru Hill. Let me tell the story because Sisqo tried to tell the story and say, “Every group tried this song, and nobody can sing it.” The song was offered to us. We didn't feel like it was us. We never even demoed the song. We never even recorded one note on that song. We did think it was a good song; we just knew it wasn't what we wanted to do. So, at the end of the day, that song, when I thought about it over the years, how big it is, it's something we probably could have tried our hand at. It just wasn’t for us.
Brian: Most respect to Dru Hill and every group in general. Dru Hill is up there with some of the best of us.
A lot of people don’t realize “Where the Party At” was one of the first true rap-sung collaborations that shaped the sound of the 2000s. Do you feel like that song gets the credit it deserves?
Brandon: I think it does get the credit. People always share how much it has added to their party life. We try not to get caught up in what we can't put our hands on. Certain things will elude you, whether that's the respect [or] the opportunity. If you get caught up in all of it, you drive yourself crazy. So, it is what it is with anything we ever put out, however it is received, and that’s what was meant to happen to it.
Y’all shared so many fun stories throughout this interview. Will we ever get to see some of these stories played out in a biopic?
Brandon: You know what’s crazy bro, when [The New Edition Story] came out, there was a company that also hit us up within the same three days it was released, and they wanted to develop a story for us. We talked a couple times and it kind of just went away. To me, it doesn’t mean the movie won’t come into play -- it just didn’t pop off right then. It'll happen if it's supposed to, but I agree with you. I think we [have] a lot of stories that the world would be interested in knowing.
What’s one you would really love to tell fans?
Wingo: We have so many instances, like road managers walking off [and] leaving us at the airport — we had a three-day trip, and he left us on the second day. We ended up in Las Vegas getting into a fight with the group H-Town.
Brian: We had worked so hard to get to a certain point that once we got there, it was like, “Kiss my a**” to people who didn't believe [in us] — and I’m just being real. We went into the Sony Music office one day and we had to do these interviews. We had just done interviews the day before. We came back for day two of these interviews and we all were just tired, we had a party the night before, had to get up to do some radio press around six in the morning, and then sit at the office for damn near 10 hours. So, we just started rolling up weed and smoking in the Sony office (laughs).
If someone was experiencing Jagged Edge for the first time, and you could only play them one song to define your sound, which track are you playing and why?
Brandon: I’m gonna go with “I Gotta Be.” That song was like a religious experience. It took that song 18 months to travel. It took that song almost two years to really complete this little run. We got pulled into the So So Def Recordings office because we dropped that record and the vice president at the time said if this next single doesn’t do well, there won’t be any more Jagged Edge. The VP said Jermaine Dupri won’t tell you, but y’all will get dropped if this record doesn’t do well and it’s gonna be over. I promise you, that same guy called me on the phone once it started doing well and said, “Who would’ve ever thought?” The song started blowing up on radio station phone lines, city to city and here we are today.
Brian: This is why we speak about our intimate relationship with our fans because there was no money in this record. It was not a priority to the label. This song took over city after city, state after state, all by the fans’ request. So, we owe our fans everything.
Who are y’all confident would do you justice when sampling one of your records?
Brandon: I would say Justin Timberlake did a good job. I would love it if Summer Walker sampled one of our records, too. We’re open to collaborating with [her] for sure. When we speak about today’s R&B artists, she’s one of those artists cut from a different cloth.
Brian: Vedo and Jacquees have done great jobs… I would also say Russ has done a great job. If SZA ever sampled one of our songs, that would be such an honor because I know she would do a great job.