Imajin

Imajin treaded a thin line between pop boy band and R&B music when they came out on the scene in the late 90s. Comprised of Jamal Hampton, Talib Kareem, Olamide Faison, and John Fitch, the teens drew inspiration from groups like Jackson 5, New Edition and Hi-Five. Producer Bert Price helped assemble the group and helped gain them a contract with Jive.

The group slowly assembled over time, beginning when Price met the then pre-teen Hampton. Hampton had been a finalist in McDonald's 1993-94 Gospel Choir Competition and was a highly talented drummer. Price then set out to find other talented boys to form a group.

Kareem came next, when Price heard him do a rendition of Scott Joplin's 'Maple Leaf Rag.' Kareem was a composer of jazz and classical music and the leader of a family band.

Faison had appeared in several small movie and television gigs before contributing lead vocals to the theme song for Cartoon Network's show 'Big Bag.'

The final member of the group, Fitch comes from a family in which everyone was a professional musician. Becoming immersed in a wide range of sounds from R&B to jazz, he made a logical final choice for the group.

Having started with a great deal of talent and ability, the group wrote and arranged most of their work on their self-titled debut album in 1999. The group scored a respectable hit with the single 'Shorty (You Keep Playin With My Mind)' which reached #25 on the Hot 100.