The new experimental reality show BET Presents: The Encore single-handedly flatlined the legacy of the once hit-making female group 702. On the first episode, viewers were reintroduced to solo artist Nivea, twin sisters Fallon and Felisha King of Cherish, Kiely Williams of 3LW, Aubrey O’Day from Bad Boy group Danity Kane, Shamari DeVoe of Blaque, Pamela Long from Bad Boy group Total, and Irish and LeMisha Grinstead from 702.
The catalyst of the show is for these veteran singers to ban together to create an entire album and live performance as an R&B supergroup by the end of 30 days. Talk about pressure! While most of the women got along (Nivea’s personality and Shamari’s optimism stood out in particular), there were some women who were not vibing at all. Fallon, Felisha and Aubrey made it very clear on day one that they did not want to be in a supergroup with some of the other ladies – mainly the 702 and Total singers.
Now if you know your music history, 702 and Total left an unforgettable impression on R&B music in the 1990s. 702 was responsible for songs such as, “Get It Together,” “Steelo,” “All I Want,” and “Where My Girls At.”
Meanwhile, Total had R&B fans sipping from their hands with hits “What About Us” from the Soulfood motion picture soundtrack and their epic collaborations, including “Can’t You See” with Notorious B.I.G., “What You Want” with Mase, and “I Can’t” with Foxy Brown. As Andre 3000 of Outkast would put it, these were all “bad” women in their day — in the most flattering way. Years after their musical peak, the ladies return to the limelight and, to be honest, it’s a train wreck.
During one scene of Encore, a vocal coach assessed the ladies different vocals to see where they would fit in the group. Most of the women were able to hold a tune, with Nivea, Shamari, Aubrey and the twins singing the best. But, when the spotlight landed on Irish and LeMisha, their vocals were a catastrophe — something that was especially shocking given the 702 singers were cosigned by comedian Sinbad and R&B legend Michael Bivins. The cherry on top? They couldn’t dance either, with LeMisha being a little bit unfit and Irish looking out of place.
How in the world are they going to be a part of a supergroup if they are not able to dance and sing? The bigger question…what happened to the talent they showed fans back in the 1990s? Was 702 a studio group concocted by a musical wizard of Oz whose objective was to make a quick Milli Vanilli buck? There’s so many unanswered questions…
Pam’s ascension on the show was also shocking. She admitted that she battled alcoholism for years. Apparently, her addiction affected her vocals and appearance. Pam also came across overly religious to the point that it was starting to feel like she was out of place coming on a show that is bound to be controversial for worldly cattiness and contrived plots. The Total singer refused to sing secular songs involving sex and also didn’t have a strong opinion when the house was divided over splitting the women up into two singing groups. The representation of religion coming from Pam was like a dose of anti-depressant pills suppressing all natural emotion in life. Spiritual people have opinions…and sex, too.
Encore is off to a very messy start and most of the fans are begging for the Total and 702 ladies to exit left, yet something tells me that the viewers really don’t mean that. So, here’s the rundown. Nivea is the comedic relief that actually has talent. Kiely claims to be the creative director, not a band member. Shamari is down for whatever, she just wants to make this work. Aubrey is already starting to show her diva tail by calling all the shots, unsolicited. The twins, Fallon and Felisha, have already established that they are the villains of the show in the vein of an agitating Kenya Moore (Haircare) of the Real Housewives of Atlanta or Candace what’s her face from the Real Housewives of Potomac.
It’s a toxic mix of traumatized women who have suffered the unimaginable in the music industry. Hopefully, the show won’t tarnish anymore legacies. We will just have to hold on to our seats and see if 702 and Pam will be able to redeem themselves, and bounce back.
