The ’90s were a significant decade for rap. It’s when we got (and then lost) Biggie, Tupac, and Ice Cube, before he started doing children’s’ movies. The rap in the ’90s was more of what we call trap nowadays – focusing on the violence and chaos of the streets. While that didn’t make it any less popular, it did leave a lot of parents stressed out about what their kids were listening to.

Thankfully for those parents, Nick and Drew Lachey had an idea. What if they made a wholesome R&B Rap/Pop group? They found a hole in the market and filled it. Their creation was a little bit Backstreet Boys, a little bit Usher (though he wasn’t a star yet) and a little bit rap. The perfect combination – especially for teenage girls who couldn’t get enough of the bands’ dreamy members and their dance moves.

Making the Band

There are four members in 98 Degrees, and all of them are from Ohio. Nick and Drew are brothers, and Nick met Justin Jeffre and Jeff Timmons at the Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Artists. The band was Jeff’s idea, and it was Nick who invited his brother, Drew, to join and round out the group as a foursome.

From Rags to Riches

Rags is a little bit of an exaggeration, but the band didn’t start with anything resembling a budget. They got their first break when they got the chance to perform on a local radio station, which caught Paris D’Jon’s attention. Paris signed the band to Motown Records, and their debut single, “Invisible Man,” hit number twelve on the charts. The single eventually went gold, and the group had a short-lived but successful career. They seem to be capitalizing on the reunion trend that’s so popular recently and are going back out on tour.