702 (group)

702 (pronounced ''"Seven-Oh-Two"''), named after the area code of their hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, is an American girl group, with the final and most known line-up consisting of Kameelah Williams and sisters Irish and LeMisha Grinstead.

The group was originally a quartet featuring the Grinstead sisters, which included identical twins Irish and Orish (born June 2, 1980, in Houston, TX), their older sister LeMisha (born June 10, 1978, in Houston, TX), and Amelia Childs whom they debuted as featured artists on Subway's hit single "This Lil' Game We Play". Amelia and Orish were removed from the group due to Mike Bivins not favoring their voices and were briefly replaced by classmates Tiffany Villarreal and Kameelah Williams. Six months before their debut single was released Tiffany would depart the group. Continuing as a trio, they released their debut single " Steelo" with great success.

Their first released album ''No Doubt'' in 1996, sold 500,000 copies in the United States. In 1999 the trio released the most famous 702 song called " Where My Girls At?" on the album ''702'' which gained a high level of success for the group selling half a million copies in the United States. For undisclosed conflicting personal reasons with the record label, Kameelah Williams distanced herself from the Grinstead sisters after the release of that album, and was replaced by Cree La'More, a solo singer who Irish and LeMisha personally picked to join the group. The new line-up released a single called "Pootie Tangin'" for the ''Pootie Tang'' soundtrack, though shortly after this, Kameelah Williams returned to the group, and for undisclosed reasons, Cree La'More left the ensemble. With the return of Kameelah Williams, they released the album '' Star'' which is mostly remembered for the single "I Still Love You". The group then disbanded in 2006. They regrouped again in 2017, and appeared at the 2017 Soul Train Music Awards.

History

In Las Vegas, sisters LeMisha and Irish Grinstead were students at the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts. Irish, her twin sister Orish, and LeMisha occasionally sang in the lobby of Caesars Palace where they were discovered by actor/comedian Sinbad. He visited their home to convince their parents to send the trio to Atlanta for a convention and music competition. Though the girls missed the deadline for entry, Sinbad used his name to get them in. "Sweeta than Suga," as they were then called (Sinbad suggested the name), came in second in the competition. As the convention was nearing a close, they met Michael Bivins (of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe) who agreed to work with the sisters. They were briefly joined by singer Amelia Childs. The reconfigured group was christened "702," which is Las Vegas' area code, a name that Bivins suggested.

2003–2006: ''Star''

With Williams returning to the group, replacing Cree Lamore, 702 returned to record their third album. They released the album '' Star'' in March 2003, and it made the Top 50 on the Billboard 200. The group worked with singers Mario Winans, Faith Evans and Clipse
and producers The Neptunes, Mike City, and Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs. The single "Star" and "I Still Love You" did not make the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but did make Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. "Star" at No. 98 and I Still Love You" at No. 49. The album earned them two Soul Train Lady of Soul Award nominations later in 2003. Also in 2003, 702 shared lead vocals on the track "Gamble It" from the album "Emotions" by Sirena. Irish Grinstead appeared in The Brewster Project in 2004. The group disbanded after their third studio album. In 2006, 702 regrouped on the independent album ''E Sharp Presents''. The composition of that however did not include Meelah but LeMisha, Irish and Orish Grinstead. The cd cover image from their second album "702" appears on the cover. The group then disbanded in 2006 continuing on solo careers.

2007-present: Solo endeavors and reunions

LeMisha Grinstead, under the name "LeMisha 702", in 2007 released a song titled "What I Got" that appeared on the independent album ''E Sharp Presents vol. II''. She later got married, and is currently the wedding chapel manager at Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lemisha's son is also Tony Fields II who is a football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL).

Original member Orish Grinstead, twin sister of Irish, died on April 20, 2008, from kidney failure at the age of 27. She can be seen as one of the original four members of 702 in the video, "This Lil' Game We Play" with Subway and has a brief cameo in the video, "Steelo". She can also be heard providing background vocals and lead adlibs for a song on their first album titled ‘Not Gonna’.

In 2010, Williams confirmed via her official Twitter that she was now permanently solo and was working on her very own full-length solo LP.

BET Presents: The Encore

In May 2021, Irish and LeMisha Grinstead were officially announced as cast members for the BET Network original reality television show '' BET Presents: The Encore.'' The 10-episode series, described as a "''one-of-a-kind music experiment to become the next big musical sensation"'' includes members from platinum-selling ensembles from the 1990s and 2000s like Total, Danity Kane, 3LW, Blaque and Cherish.

Discography

;Studio albums
* ''No Doubt'' (1996)
* ''702'' (1999)
* '' Star'' (2002)

Awards

American Music Awards

BET Awards

Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards

References

External links

MTV.com Artist Page: 702

BET.com News & Interview : 702

Yahoo! Launch: 702

702 discography
at Discogs

{{DEFAULTSORT:702
American girl groups
American contemporary R&B musical groups
Motown artists
Musical groups established in 1994
Musical groups disestablished in 2006
Musical groups reestablished in 2017
Musical groups from Nevada
African-American girl groups
1994 establishments in Nevada
American pop girl groups
Sibling musical groups
Universal Motown Records artists